[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army":3,"chapter-a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-663":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","A Little Soldier of the Late Ming Border Army",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1205952,1561,"Chapter 663: Luring the Tiger from the Mountain (Part 2)","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-663",663,"\u003Cp>His worry was well-founded. Although from the eighth year of Chongzhen onward, the combat strength of the roving bandits everywhere had undergone a qualitative change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Chengchou had also said: \"Before, the bandits fled to evade our troops; now they face our troops in battle, set ambushes left and right, and rotate their attacks in waves — hence the difficulty of exterminating them. Every bandit has a fine steed, some even ride two horses, while our government troops are three-tenths mounted and seven-tenths on foot — hence the difficulty of pursuing them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, this referred only to the government troops of the interior — the Shaanxi troops, the Henan troops, the Huguang troops, and so on. When facing the elite frontier armies, whether the Guanning cavalry of earlier years, or more recently Wang Dou, or even more recently Wang Tingchen and Cao Bianjiao at the Battle of Henan Prefecture, the Chuang army and the like all suffered crushing defeats without exception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now at Kaifeng Prefecture, there were the elite garrison troops of Wang Tingchen and Cao Bianjiao, and also Hu Dawei coming to reinforce them, a veteran frontier general of those days. And although the Chuang army and the others had many troops, a large portion were coerced famine victims. If battle truly broke out, victory and defeat still hung in the balance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I've heard that in the armies of Cao Bianjiao and Wang Tingchen, there are quite a few King of Hell muskets?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one speaking was Ma Shouying, Old Hui, one of the chiefs of the Five Camps of Ge and Zuo. He was a native of Suide in Shaanxi. Being a Hui, his camp had many surrendered barbarian and Han soldiers, and he also excelled at swift, elusive tactics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like Ma Shouying, the Five Camps of Ge and Zuo had always employed tactics such as \"scatter when the troops are many, face them when they are few, and flee before the government troops arrive,\" rarely fighting head-on, hard-against-hard battles with the encircling government forces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last year, in the area of Lu'an, Ma Shouying's force of ten thousand attacked a certain walled town nearby. Just as their massed cavalry were surging forward, roaring and bellowing in intimidation, suddenly a series of crackling explosions erupted from the top of the wall, and thick white smoke billowed out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From a great distance, dozens of his own armored cavalry fell. The ten thousand men were so terrified they scattered in a single crash, and even Ma Shouying could not stop them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, Ma Shouying and the others learned that the local defending general had, through some channel, purchased two hundred fine bird muskets from the East Route of Xuanfu Garrison. They were called King of Hell muskets, and indeed they were exceedingly lethal — from a hundred paces away, anyone on their side who was hit either died or was maimed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was also the first time the Five Camps of Ge and Zuo experienced the power of East Route firearms. Every man was left with lingering fear, and thereafter, before any raid or siege, they would send spies to investigate in advance. Wherever East Route firearms were present, they would avoid them if at all possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After entering Henan territory, they heard more and more reports about the King of Hell muskets and the like, and could not help expressing their concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That is correct.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On this point, Li Zicheng naturally could not conceal the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, in the third month, when the government troops attacked Henan Prefecture, his subordinate general Liu Fangliang had led tens of thousands of carefully trained, vigorous new troops. When they clashed with the combined forces of Cao, Wang, and Chen, they were shot down in swathes before the battle lines by their musket soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Defeated in a single battle, they had been forced to abandon Luoyang and flee into the mountains. At present, the Viceroy of the Three Frontiers of Shaanxi, Wang Qiaonian, was leading He Renlong and others in encirclement and extermination campaigns everywhere in Henan Prefecture, and the situation was extremely critical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zicheng said: \"According to the scouts' estimates, Cao and Wang now have a combined total of about three thousand musket soldiers in their armies, every man equipped with Xuan Garrison bird muskets. Chen Yongfu's army also has quite a few musket soldiers. And Hu Dawei, who has come to reinforce them, is on good terms with Wang Dou and likewise has quite a few King of Hell muskets.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The assembled men drew a cold breath. He Yilong, Ge Liyan, rubbed his scar-crossed cheek and cursed: \"Donkey's balls.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Kewang and Li Dingguo, who had been silent and sparing of words, also showed grave expressions. Both recalled the circumstances of the Battle of Xiangyang; the lethality of the Shunxiang Army's firearms back then could be said to be etched into their very bones, something they would never forget in their lifetimes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"King Chuang, the government troops are powerful. Must we truly fight them head-on?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Indeed. Ever since the days of King Gao Chuang, our righteous army has used movement to overcome the enemy — fattening the government troops until they are worn thin, wearing the thin ones until they drop dead, then turning back to strike. The government troops have suffered great defeats time and again. These two armies facing off, you hacking at me, me hacking at you, hard against hard — is it not too early for that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They wait at ease for the weary; we are a tired army on a distant expedition. This is a major taboo in the art of war.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The various chiefs all spoke up, each of them believing that pressing toward Kaifeng now was not the right time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Gentlemen, gentlemen.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Niu Jinxing had no choice but to step forward and explain and defend his master's position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said: \"Kaifeng must certainly be attacked...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wagged his head from side to side and said: \"Setting aside Kaifeng's wealth, even from the perspective of military strategy, it is said that if Biancheng is not held, there is no Henan; if Henan is not secured, there is no Central Plains; if the Central Plains are not secured, the throat of Hebei is severed... The prefectural city of Kaifeng is the nexus and heart of Henan, the throat of north and south. If we can take it, the Ming court's throat will be gripped, its heart will fester within, as if paralyzed, and thereafter our righteous army will hold the initiative...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spoke in an endless torrent, but the various chiefs all remained unconvinced. They were merely roving bandits; what did they care about \"if Henan is not secured, there is no Central Plains, if the Central Plains are not secured, the throat of Hebei is severed\"? That the government troops were powerful and troublesome was, however, plainly evident before their eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then, Niu Jinxing's next words stirred something in the hearts of the men: \"...Although the government troops' momentum is great, those who can fight are only a few units, the likes of Zuo Liangyu and such rats... Besides, though Cao, Wang, and the others have King of Hell muskets, our righteous army also has cannons...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The intelligence is very clear. Although Cao and Wang's armies have quite a few King of Hell muskets, they do not have red-barbarian cannons like those accompanying Wang Dou's army. When Baoding Viceroy Yang Wenyue came to Kaifeng, although he brought a cart battalion with him, the carts mostly carry small cannons like the 'Barbarian-Destroying Cannon.' In contrast, our righteous army, from all our raids and sieges, has collected no fewer than several hundred cannons of various sizes...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The various chiefs began to hesitate. Military Advisor Niu's words made a great deal of sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they could annihilate Kaifeng's reinforcing troops, then hereafter this realm under Great Ming would be theirs to gallop and sweep across at will, no longer needing to be driven about like chased grandchildren.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In truth, we can go to Kaifeng, but there is no need to rush for the moment.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Dingguo, who had been sitting upright and imposing, silently pondering, full of martial valor, now spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said: \"The court's reinforcing troops are continuously gathering at Kaifeng, and among them are many strong armies. If we do battle with them, even if we win, it will be a case of killing ten thousand of the enemy at the cost of eight thousand of our own — the gain will not be worth the loss. We must draw out a portion of their strong armies.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The various chiefs were all very interested and said one after another: \"If Hongyuan has some clever stratagem, do tell us, let us hear it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zicheng also looked toward Li Dingguo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Dingguo said decisively: \"My stratagem is this: attack what they must rescue, forcing them to send their troops on distant rescue missions, exhausting them in frantic rushing, depleting their troops and sapping their morale.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A look of intelligence flashed in his eyes: \"First, the righteous army can once again move south and attack Runing Prefecture. Inside the city of Ruyang is Prince Chong, Zhu Youkui. Where a feudal prince resides, will the Ming troops rescue him or not? If they do not, they sit and watch a prince fall. If they do, they will have fallen perfectly into our righteous army's trap.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said: \"Regional Commander Ding Qirui now has under his command the garrison armies of Regional Commanders Zuo Liangyu, Yang Dezheng, Fang Guoan, and others. If they come to the rescue, our righteous army can set an ambush. Or we can besiege the point and strike the reinforcements, waiting at ease for the weary, and defeat them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If Wang Tingchen and Cao Bianjiao, or one of them, comes to the rescue, first, they will have made a long, arduous march, their supply lines hard to maintain and easy to sever; second, their troops are few. They will be just right for us to surround and attack. Even if we cannot defeat them in a short time, over the long run, they will surely develop thoughts of fear, war-weariness, and aversion to battle...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They are also guest troops; replenishing their soldiers is not easy — each death is one fewer man. But our righteous army is different...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone nodded. Luo Rucai mused: \"Though that is well said, the troops at Runing are still very numerous and not to be taken lightly... After we took Luoshan, we also besieged Ruyang but could not take it for a long time. Moreover...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stroked his wispy rat-like beard: \"If they sit back and ignore it, refusing to fall for our scheme, what then?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Dingguo said: \"In that case, our righteous army will then strike eastward toward Guide Prefecture!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said: \"Guide is the throat and collar of the Passes and Shaanxi, the strategic hub of the Jianghuai region, known since ancient times as a place of critical importance. Compared to Kaifeng Prefecture, places like Shangqiu, Ningling, and Luyi in Guide Prefecture are rich. Here, because the Yellow River floods frequently and droughts occur year after year, our righteous army likewise has a considerable base.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said: \"Although the practice of granting princedoms was abolished during the Wanli years, if we take Guide Prefecture, we need only cross the Yellow River. On the northern bank are Shandong and Northern Zhili. Eastward from Guide Prefecture lies Xuzhou, and nearby is the critical canal transport region. At that point, will the various commanders at Kaifeng rescue it or not?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The men suddenly saw the light, each exclaiming: \"Wonderful, wonderful! General Li truly deserves the title 'Little Yuchi.' Such brilliance!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Yilong stroked his beard and praised: \"Second Chief Li has studied the military classics thoroughly. As expected, he is far more brilliant than crude fellows like us.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Rucai nodded: \"At present, in the region of Shandong, Li Qingshan is raising a great ruckus, leaving the court utterly exhausted. I hear that Liu Zeqing and others in Shandong originally received orders to march south, but were tied down by the Shandong righteous army and could not move south. If our forces further sever the canal transport, the Ming court will certainly be greatly shaken.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zicheng also looked at Li Dingguo with fond admiration. If he could make this man his general, he would surely be like a tiger sprouting wings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike later ages, at this time the Yellow River had long since captured the Huai River's course and entered the sea there, not entering the sea along the Shandong line. Crossing the Yellow River northward from Guide Prefecture or Xuzhou would bring one to Great Ming Prefecture in Northern Zhili and Yanzhou Prefecture in Shandong. If an army invaded Shandong, or even Northern Zhili, the Ming court would certainly be greatly alarmed and urgently order the reinforcing troops to rush to the rescue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the canal transport were severed, it would be even more impossible for them not to rescue it. In this way, he could besiege the point and strike the reinforcements, while Cao, Wang, and the others would inevitably be exhausted in frantic rushing, giving him an opportunity to exploit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, one strong army after another would be lured back and forth, and in the end they would surely be utterly worn down, with troops lost and officers fallen. When the great battle came, he would then have the odds of victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the great battle at Kaifeng were victorious, and they afterward occupied Henan, whether they attacked Huguang to the south or Shandong and Hebei to the north, everything would be within their grasp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if they stubbornly refused to send relief, the righteous army could calmly and methodically clear away Kaifeng's outer defenses one by one, turning the prefectural city of Kaifeng into an isolated patch of ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Kewang sat quietly. Since Zhang Xianzhong's death, he had become much more somber and mature, but hearing everyone praise Li Dingguo, the corners of his brows and eyes still twitched uncontrollably a few times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xuanfu Garrison, the Grand Parade Ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Backed by the vast, sprawling mountains, this garrison city parade ground — famed as \"the Xuanfu Parade Ground, renowned under Heaven\" — had by now essentially become the training ground for the Jingbian Army. Every day here, muskets and cannons thundered to the heavens, and musket balls and cannon powder were poured out toward the target range as if they cost nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every person in the garrison who heard of it felt heartache — how much gunpowder was being fired off every day? Even the musket barrels and cannon tubes had a limited lifespan. All of it was money and provisions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Wang Dou paid it no mind. His army’s fighting strength was forged through live-fire drill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because every soldier could fire dozens, even over a hundred rounds in training, in battle his musketeers on average only needed to fire one or two volleys to end the fight in victory. When you calculated it, that was extremely cost-effective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Great General, when the water power is abundant, our Xuanfu Garrison military workshops can now produce up to six thousand bird guns a month!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Tianliang, the Logistics Division Commissioner, had once reported to Wang Dou with such pride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of the widespread use of water-powered drilling machines, increasingly skilled techniques, and the simultaneous operation of several military workshops, the Jingbian Army’s current firearms production capacity was astonishing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mmm. Leave one workshop to continue producing Li-style firelocks (matchlocks). Convert all the rest to producing Lai-style self-igniting firelocks.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Wang Dou was watching the Azure Dragon Army’s soldiers drill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deafening volleys of platoon fire rolled out wave after wave, and billowing white smoke spread thickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ready…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The last two ranks of musketeers arrayed on the drill ground roared in unison. Dense rows of flintlocks swung down, aimed at the front.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their positions were staggered front to back, so that the soldiers in the rear rank could extend their bird guns through the gaps, allowing both ranks to fire together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the army widely adopted flintlocks, the cumbersome matchcord was gone. Soldiers could stand closer together, forming even denser firepower, and it made the two-rank volley Wang Dou had long wanted to achieve a reality. Their strike was devastating, because the killing power was multiplied several times over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, firing two ranks at a time — this new tactic required training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also, unlike the musketeers in the forward ranks, every bird gun of these last two ranks was fitted with a thick, jet-black socket bayonet, of a four-edged pattern, resembling the Mosin-Nagant spike bayonet, with the advantages of a strong structure and resistance to breaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not to mention unarmored soldiers — even against armored enemy troops, it was one thrust, one hole. Of course, against multiple layers of heavy armor, or weapons like wolf-tooth clubs and heavy maces, there was no solution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soldiers equipped with socket bayonets were all first-class musketeers of each corps. Although they fired in two-rank volleys, the Jingbian Army still used the four-rank tactic. The first three ranks were second-class troops; under normal circumstances, one or two volleys from them could rout the enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the enemy was exceptionally fierce and kept charging forward, closing to within a few paces of the musket formation, even pressing right up to their faces, then these bayonet-equipped soldiers would deliver a volley at the closest range and most effective distance against the enemy before them — that kind of killing power…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the enemy still did not retreat and continued charging, the bayonet-equipped soldiers could temporarily hold them off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, in the past when using matchlocks, if you wanted to fire at close range and still keep the musketeers in formation to meet the enemy, it was impossible. Generally, it would descend into a melee, with the musketeers drawing their waist sabers to fight the enemy. They were not professional hand-to-hand fighters, and this usually caused unnecessary casualties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, even now equipped with socket bayonets, their role was to deliver maximum firepower, temporarily block the enemy, keep the formation intact, and buy time for the pikemen to advance. Bayonet soldiers must not think of comparing themselves to professional pikemen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At present, only some of the first-class musketeers in each corps were equipped with socket bayonets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, the number of socket bayonets was insufficient to equip the entire army. Second, the officers and generals still harbored doubts about the use of socket bayonets — just as they had with the self-igniting firelocks back then. They had to be tested in real combat first, their value proven, before large-scale adoption.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, the first-class musketeers, who were highly skilled in musket fire and had also practiced blade and spear in their spare time, were the best test subjects. After all, they picked up the newly compiled bayonet training syllabus very quickly and possessed the mental fortitude to serve as a strong bulwark for the musket formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The organization of the pikemen remained unchanged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fire!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the officer’s shouted command, beneath the dense, cold-gleaming socket bayonets, the two ranks of bird guns fired a volley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vast clouds of gunpowder smoke billowed forth, and the crackling reports of the bird guns, like popping beans, rang out unceasingly. (To be continued.)\u003C\u002Fp>",3223,"2026-06-03T14:06:10.567Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","117b414b84ea386d9fd6d528092f650875942f6ac1d136fe5f630a33480fba72","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-664","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-662",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]