[{"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-68":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},1205357,1561,"Chapter 68: Facing Battle","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-68",68,"\u003Cp>Seeing the formation of Wang Dou's unit, Xu Zucheng was also quite astonished. He gazed for a long time, stroked his beard, and nodded, saying, \"This Wang Dou runs a tight command — he is a talent worth shaping!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His personal general Yang Dongmin laughed and said, \"I, your subordinate, saw that Wang Dou in the prefectural city. He does indeed have some ability!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Daofu, beside Yang Dongmin, remained expressionless. Only Zhang Gui looked rather self-satisfied — after all, this Wang Dou was a soldier who came out of his Dongjiazhuang. Xu Zucheng's praise of Wang Dou also brought luster to his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Yang Zhichang, the Garrison Commander of the Five Forts, stared darkly toward Wang Dou's direction. He was well aware of the clashes between Wang Dou's Jingbian Fort and his own subordinate Luanzhuang Fort. That Jingbian Fort's arrogance infuriated him, but the Garrison Commander valued him...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now, movement was already coming from the bandit camp. Earlier they had emerged from the stockade to form ranks; now the clamor grew louder, and they were pressing over this way in a dense mass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zucheng sneered, \"The bandits have finally come!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He barked several orders. Immediately the flag officer beside him raised the banners, and a wave of responses followed. Wang Dou also had his unit raise its own unit flag. Seeing his soldiers' blank looks at the flag signals, a thought stirred in Wang Dou's mind — it seemed his next step must be to train the troops in command flags and banners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At present, Jingbian Fort had few soldiers, and various commands could still be relayed by officers shouting orders. But in the future, as the number of his subordinates grew, training in gongs, drums, and flags was imperative. Moreover, the Great Ming had more than just his own army; there would be more opportunities to coordinate with allied forces. If they were unfamiliar with flag and banner commands, how could they communicate with friendly troops?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, it was evident that among these thousand-odd government troops, few were familiar with flag and drum commands. They were, after all, guard battalion soldiers, normally lax in drill. As for the officers' retainers, they mostly emphasized personal martial skills, and their knowledge of banners, gongs, and drums was also limited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After another round of flag-raising, these thousand soldiers formed ranks and advanced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing at attention was fine, but once they marched in formation, except for Wang Dou's several squads, the government troops' formations fell into disorder — especially the ordinary guard battalion soldiers on the two wings. Yet looking at the roving bandits opposite, their formations and arrays were an even greater mess. By comparison, the guard battalion soldiers here still had some semblance of formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After advancing in formation for a while, both sides slowed their pace about one li out and gradually straightened their ranks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Throughout this, scouts from both sides fanned out in all directions, probing into the opposing formation to reconnoiter, and for a time they ceaselessly chased and skirmished with one another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was clear that the roving bandits' cavalry was actually more agile and lethal. Now three or five, now a dozen, now several dozen at a time they came, wave after wave, merely circling and spying around the government troops' perimeter. The cavalry on the Baoanzhou government side, by contrast, was getting the worst of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching this, Wang Dou could not help feeling some concern. The roving bandits had numerous cavalry, as many as several hundred, while the government troops, strictly speaking, had only a few dozen cavalry. The rest, even if retainers had horses, were merely mounted infantry and not necessarily a match for these roving bandits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the advantage of cavalry — swift in action, able to fight when they could win and flee when they could not, refusing to engage the infantry formation, only maneuvering on the periphery, pouncing to take a bite whenever an opening appeared. Struck by those cavalry charges a few times, the government troops might well be in danger of collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, these cavalry were the elite core of the roving bandits. Even if their infantry were wiped out, once these men fled, they could at any time make a comeback and easily rally several thousand men and horses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing these roving bandit cavalry coming in wave after wave to spy, many of the government troops in the formation were gripped by fear; some even shifted their feet, wanting to flee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this sight, Xu Zucheng flew into a rage. Some of his personal retainers and patrol flags came forward and promptly beheaded several men, displaying them before the troops. Those whose conduct was panicked and disorderly likewise had their ears cut off. Instantly, a chorus of shrieks rose before the formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, the soldiers all turned pale, and every man stood rigidly at attention. Only thus did their morale steady somewhat. Those several soldiers whose ears had been cut off each looked ashen as death. According to Great Ming military law, having one's ear cut off before battle meant that even if one was not summarily beheaded on the spot, one would still be executed after the battle. They were as good as dead men — unless they could earn military merit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou sighed as well. Military law in the Great Ming army had always been brutal; cutting off ears and beheading before battle were commonplace. Fortunately, the soldiers in his own unit had remained standing rigidly at attention, which gave him comfort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, panic before battle was common. Old Qi had considered the brutality of the battlefield and believed that if a soldier in combat could apply even one-tenth of the martial skills learned in peacetime, he could prevail in single combat. If he could apply one-fifth, he could fight five men alone. If he could apply one-half, he could sweep across the field invincibly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That the Jingbian Fort soldiers could still maintain composure when facing the enemy was due not only to strict peacetime training, but also to iron discipline and unique laws and regulations. Although Wang Dou rarely beheaded men before battle to assert authority, he had punishments far more severe. Fleeing the battlefield meant one's entire family would afterward be expelled from Jingbian Fort — one man ruining the lives of his whole family. This made every man tremble with fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After beheading those several men, Xu Zucheng's expression was not very good. He said, \"The roving bandits have many elite cavalry, while the government troops have many foot and few horse. Even if we rout them, I fear pursuit will be difficult.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among those beheaded earlier were guard battalion soldiers from Shunxiang Fort and the Five Forts, which caused Lin Daofu, Zhang Gui, and Yang Zhichang all to lose face. Yang Zhichang said, \"My lord sees clearly — routing the roving bandits is not difficult, but I fear that after their elite cavalry escape, they will make a comeback and cause even greater harm!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zucheng merely nodded heavily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After forming ranks, both sides slowly closed in again, making the atmosphere even more tense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At about one hundred fifty paces, both sides halted. The roving bandits seemed to have poured out in full force, appearing to number two to three thousand men, but they were still clustered together in a chaotic jumble, without the slightest formation. Only those roving bandit cavalry looked very threatening, in groups of three or five, merely circling the periphery with covetous, watchful eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then loud shouts came from that side. About two hundred-odd men emerged from the formation, wielding large blades and shields, slowly pressing toward this side. They had actually underestimated the Baoanzhou government troops and launched a preemptive assault. Yet their equipment looked crude; most wore simple leather or cloth armor, and only a small portion wore iron armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this sight, Xu Zucheng's face turned green with fury. He merely waved the flags and shouted orders to meet the attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this triple-echelon formation, the troops deployed at the forward outpost numbered about two hundred men. Among them, Xu Zucheng's retainers were seventy men, each squad of ten arrayed in seven vertical columns, each squad having several three-eyed guns and archers. They occupied the center position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On their right flank were Wang Dou's five squads of battle troops, likewise arrayed in several horizontal and vertical columns, each row deployed in the three-man formation of the Mandarin Duck Formation. On the left flank were several dozen men assembled from the retainers of the various forts, also arrayed in several vertical columns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the officers' shouted orders, the archers and firearms men in the forward outpost formation all stepped forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within Jingbian Fort, the several squads of battle troops and logistics troops were all named with the Heavenly Stems: Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, and so on. The battle squads were respectively called Battle Squad Jia, Battle Squad Yi, Battle Squad Bing. The logistics squads were called Logistics Squad Jia, Logistics Squad Yi, and so on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those now joining battle were Jingbian Fort's Battle Squads Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, and Wu — five squads in all. The officers of each squad were respectively Zhong Diaoyang, Han Zhong, Gao Shiyin, Yang Tong, and others. Han Chao today was also leading a battle squad in combat. As for Qi Tianliang, he was leading the logistics troops and medical officers, positioned with the central army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, every officer wore iron armor and stood solemnly beside their own unit, weapons in hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Wang Dou's shouted order, twenty arquebusiers from the five battle squads stepped forward. None wore armor; they simply stood ten to a row, forming two rows in front of the squads. Their arquebuses had long since been loaded with one preloaded paper cartridge. Now, amid a flurry of sound, they fitted their match cords and lit them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the front row of arquebusiers took aim at those roving bandit death squads slowly advancing. Every man's eyes were filled with hatred. Ever since the roving bandits had come in force in early September, considering the insecurity of the livestock grounds and other areas outside the fort, Wang Dou had been forced to move all the chickens, ducks, pigs, sheep, and other livestock into the fort to raise them, turning the tidy Jingbian Fort into a garbage dump.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In particular, those buildings and animal pens outside the fort had suffered calamity — the roving bandits had burned them all in one blaze. Even that Lanzhou great waterwheel had been dismantled and smashed. Many of the grain shoots in the fields had also been trampled and ruined. These things were the blood and sweat of the military households inside the fort; watching helplessly as the roving bandits destroyed them, how could anyone not feel heartache?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, every man's pent-up fury was about to be vented on the roving bandits before their eyes. Each one was calculating how to shoot dead these damned roving bandits in a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Jingbian Fort's arquebusiers step forward, Xu Zucheng's retainers and the retainers of the various forts nearby all revealed mocking expressions. They thought to themselves that these bumpkin military households of Jingbian Fort were courting death, and they need not have chosen such a terrifying way to die. Several squad leaders and platoon leaders among the retainer squads even shook their heads repeatedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the late Ming, firearms were crudely manufactured — especially arquebuses. Because superior officers skimped on materials and craftsmen were careless, the barrels of arquebuses everywhere were uneven in thickness, the bores inconsistent in width. After leaving the muzzle, the balls flew feebly, the range was short, and worst of all, they were prone to bursting the barrel and injuring the shooter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, when they fired their arquebuses, because the breech was not tightly sealed, gunpowder gas easily leaked out, and sparks splashed onto hands and faces, causing injuries. Therefore, many arquebusiers closed their eyes and turned their heads away when firing, with not a shred of accuracy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a result, the Ming armies on the frontier garrisons were generally unwilling to use arquebuses. At this moment, the several dozen forward outpost troops who stepped forward at the same time as Jingbian Fort's arquebusiers were uniformly archers and three-eyed gun operators, along with some men carrying rocket tubes like \"flying spears\" and \"flying swords\" — not a single arquebusier among them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Furthermore, these men consciously kept their bodies well away from Jingbian Fort's arquebusiers, fearing that when their arquebuses burst their barrels, they themselves would be harmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou, of course, had no interest in paying attention to the looks from these men. He merely glared at the two hundred-odd roving bandits pressing forward, while listening carefully to the command signals from the central army headquarters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The enemy entered one hundred paces — still no movement from the central army command. Eighty paces — no movement. Seventy paces — no movement. Clearly, Xu Zucheng and the others also did not know that Jingbian Fort's arquebuses had such great range and power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At sixty paces, those roving bandit death squads let out a roar, their eyes red, and charged fiercely forward with blades and spears. The government troops' formation stirred with commotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At fifty paces, a long swan-call sounded from the central army headquarters. Wang Dou pointed his long sword forward and bellowed, \"Fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The arquebuses roared in unison, gunpowder smoke billowed, and cries of shock and agony rang out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two rows of arquebusiers advanced and retreated in sequence, loading and firing, firing and loading. Their preloaded paper cartridges allowed extremely fast reloading, maintaining continuity of firepower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flames and smoke erupted violently, and another chorus of shrieks followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>※※※\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old White Ox:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sweat: Looks like I can't finish Volume Two today. I'll finish Volume Two tomorrow and put it on the shelves the day after.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked the editor, and I can wait until after the strong recommendation ends before putting it on the shelves.\u003C\u002Fp>",2342,"2026-06-03T14:05:19.908Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","a0c97ea5d4b85c10004200d6040820461ad4903a78deb3bcd586d1322dda8ac4","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-69","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-67",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]