[{"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-681":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},1205970,1561,"Chapter 681: Empty City","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-681",681,"\u003Cp>The Mongol riders in the rear were utterly stunned. Their cavalry encirclement tactics divided them into multiple units, each separated by some distance. Following about one hundred and fifty paces behind this vanguard unit were several hundred more cavalry, also quite elite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now every one of them had frozen stares, subconsciously slowing their pace. That elite cavalry unit ahead had, in a very short time, been nearly annihilated. Only a few scattered riders remained, howling as they fled back, each one trembling like a withered leaf in the autumn wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why had this happened? Their Adam's apples bobbed up and down incessantly; they felt only dry mouths and parched tongues, their hearts filled with indescribable terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When a cavalry unit charges straight at the enemy formation, once the charge begins, regardless of numbers, they drive deep and long. Even if the enemy numbers a hundred thousand, they cannot withstand it. If they do not break, the front unit veers across, the next unit crashes in again, and if they still cannot penetrate, then the rear units follow suit.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a tactic passed down from the ancestors. Although it did not win every battle, as long as one was willing to pay the price, it was always unstoppable. Yet in the battle just now...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even a candle flame will sputter with a soft pop — how could those several hundred elite cavalry be finished without even a splash of water rising?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were utterly baffled. Even knowing that the Jingbian Army's firearms were formidable, for them to be formidable to this degree was still beyond belief. Looking at the still-imposing Jingbian Army formation, should they continue the attack? Their hearts wavered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tabunang and the other newly attached Mongol auxiliaries exchanged glances, each seeing the awe in the other's eyes. Too fierce — these Jingbian Army firearms were too fierce. And the socket bayonets they used seemed to add wings to a tiger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On this side, the musket soldiers still stood in strict formation, but joy could be seen in their eyes. Many subconsciously stroked their socket bayonets. Behind them, the spearmen looked at each other in dismay. These musket brothers were ungenerous — they had done all the work themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Chao nodded. The socket bayonet's effect was even greater than he had imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the socket bayonet, the army's firearm soldiers dared to fire at such close range. The killing power of the firearms nearly doubled, and the shock to the enemy was unimaginable. How should they treat these socket-bayonet soldiers in the future? It seemed careful thought was required.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Xianbin and the others were also scratching their ears and cheeks, as if discovering a whole new world, loudly discussing it with the officers beside them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Chao raised his telescope again to look. It seemed that seeing the situation on this side, the enemy cavalry that were to follow up the attack had all hesitated. Over by some wolf banners in the rear, there was also wave after wave of turmoil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They did not wait long. That side seemed to have made a decision. Horn calls sounded, and the Mongol cavalry withdrew like the tide. This time they did not scatter in all directions, but crossed the Dongyang River and retreated straight toward the Xiashui Haizi area. In the blink of an eye, they became black specks on the grassland, then vanished from sight, leaving only the traces of this battlefield behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Tatars had retreated, and everyone cheered. Especially with a killer weapon against the Tatars and so much captured booty, everyone was overjoyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Chao ordered the battlefield to be cleared and summoned the personnel left guarding the campsite to regroup. Knowing the battle's outcome, they too were beside themselves with delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After tallying, this battle had taken over three hundred Tatar heads in total. However, Han Chao and the others all believed that Tatar casualties should be over a thousand — it was just that some wounded and corpses had been carried away by them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For one thing, the feathered cavalry had charged all the way, knocking over and killing quite a few Tatars, but being busy charging the formation, they naturally could not stop to cut off their heads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the heads that could be obtained were only from the Tatars killed or wounded on this side, the heads the garrison soldiers got when attacked, and a small number of heads from when the Tatars besieged the newly attached Mongol auxiliaries — these were all that could be counted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the Jingbian Army's calculation of military merit was not based solely on heads, so the army's officers and soldiers did not feel much regret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also, in the earlier battle near Yuanyang Stockade, over two hundred Mongol cavalry had been killed. In total, after the western campaign, over five hundred heads had been taken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then Han Chao and the others furrowed their brows. Their own army had also suffered casualties. Since the western campaign began, there had been two major engagements. In the earlier one fought by the Yi-grade troops, three had died in battle and five were seriously wounded, not counting the lightly wounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time the casualties were heavier. The newly attached auxiliaries suffered over one hundred thirty casualties, with over fifty killed in battle. The feathered cavalry suffered ninety-five casualties, with over forty killed in battle and over twenty seriously wounded. After clearing the battlefield, they also found some fallen soldiers whose heads had been cut off — a sight that made one's anger blaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was still a matter of poor riding skill. When the feathered cavalry charged the formation, although they held various advantages, when the two sides collided, some men would often fall from their horses as well, and then their lives were no longer their own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although casualty numbers, in the eyes of those in high positions, are merely figures, behind each figure is a life, along with their family and kin. Especially these Jia-grade soldiers, who often wielded great influence — their deaths in battle were an even weightier matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Influenced by Wang Dou's habit of cherishing his subordinates' lives, Han Chao and the others in the Jingbian Army now all placed great importance on the casualties among their troops. Moreover, the camaraderie and intense mutual affection within the Jingbian Army were beyond the imagination of outside armies. Every time a soldier fell or was wounded, it brought grief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the fighting had to continue. Han Chao gave orders to collect the fallen soldiers' remains and to treat the wounded. The rules and regulations in this regard were already very mature and needed no elaboration from Han Chao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the battlefield lay scattered many horses, dead or wounded. Their own horses, following the example of the Qi Family Army, had to be buried according to the rites for warriors and then receive incense offerings. Except under special circumstances, eating one's own warhorse was a grave crime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dead and wounded Tatar horses, however, were all skinned for their hides and their meat eaten. Supplying the western campaign was not easy; whatever could be used had to be used to the fullest extent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taking stock of the captured supplies, aside from some weapons, tents, and the like, the greatest gain was those horses. In the previous battle, over one hundred sixty horses had already been captured. This time there were over five thousand five hundred, most of which could serve as warhorses. Seeing this, everyone beamed with joy — the feathered cavalry's warhorse problem was solved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A large group of officers followed Han Chao, all crowding around to look closely. One officer sighed, \"Our army also runs large horse farms, yet the warhorses produced fall far short of demand. People say the frontier is bitterly cold, yet it continuously produces fine horses. They eat only ordinary fodder — why are their warhorses so numerous?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A staff officer from the Army Department said, \"There is a saying: soldiers endure coarse food, horses endure coarse fodder. I read a book about how the barbarians raise horses. It said this: 'In barbarian horse-raising, they rarely feed them beans or grain. They make galloping their daily task, bending low and turning on their knees, going wherever they wish. When there is a brief respite to remove the saddle, they take off the bit and release them. In the pen, they do not shelter from wind, snow, cold, or heat; they are let out to graze in the wild. One man must drive ten horses. Raising, training, and conditioning them is nothing more than this. And the reason they do not suffer from hunger or thirst when going up and down hills is truly because they follow the animal's nature.'\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He continued, \"The book also says: 'Our country's horse-raising is different from this. In severe cold, they are thickly blanketed; in rain or snow, they must be sheltered. Day and night they are tethered, always standing in the stable. Their galloping does not exceed three or four hundred paces. They are fed beans and grain, and if they miss a feeding at dusk, they temporarily suffer hunger and thirst. They cannot endure galloping. When they encounter the slightest danger or narrow path, they stumble. Moreover, they are not gelded, they run wild and bite, and do not obey the whip. They are especially unsuited for battle formations.'\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said, \"Could it be that in the Central Plains, warhorses are not as numerous as in barbarian lands because they are cared for too well? Spoiled and pampered?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zeng Jiuyi was also beside Han Chao. Hearing this, he glared and loudly rebuked, \"Nonsense! The warhorses our Jingbian Army raises are plump and strong — barbarian horses cannot compare. These scrawny horses are purely the result of those horse farms and horse households skimping on bean fodder and giving poor care. What does that have to do with coarse food and enduring hunger?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When the Han dynasty campaigned against the Xiongnu, they would dispatch a hundred thousand cavalry at a time. When did they ever lose to the barbarians?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although as ferocious as Gao Shiyin and Shen Shiqi, Zeng Jiuyi was filled with pride for everything of the Central Plains and naturally would not tolerate this staff officer speaking thus — even though he was a staff officer of the Army Department.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While rebuking him, he opened a bundle on one of the horses. Inside were stored some dried meat, meat powder, cheese, and the like, serving as field rations for that Mongol rider. Taking a bite of a piece of dried meat, Zeng Jiuyi frowned deeply and spat it out with a \"pei\": \"What is this stuff? This old man's teeth nearly broke biting it. Give it to those Mongols.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Barbarian horse-raising is like the inheritance of their chieftains and leaders — raised in a poison-vat style of free-range breeding. Beyond the frontier, there are many grasslands and large herds. Over a long time, naturally their warhorses are numerous.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Chao had once been merely a night scout, but after many years and all kinds of study, he had become a true commander, skilled in both civil and military matters, able to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of both the enemy and himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said, \"In truth, the barbarians also have many inferior horses. With captive breeding in the Central Plains, as long as the feeding is effective and horse fodder is not skimped, the horses will be plump, strong, and fine — good horses can be produced. Look at the warhorses of our Jingbian Army cavalry battalions: they are clearly much taller and have better strength than barbarian horses.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone nodded; this was indeed the truth. Zeng Jiuyi loudly praised it even more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Chao said, \"Of course, in the future, after we capture Guihua City and occupy the line south of the Gobi, with more grasslands, our army will be able to possess more warhorses. After all, free-range grazing costs less in money and grain...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gazed into the distance, imagining the scene of ten thousand horses galloping then, and his heart surged with emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That day, Han Chao wrote a battle report, together with the combat experience, lessons learned, and so on from the feathered cavalry's operation, and sent it to Wang Dou in the rear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Chao believed that in future battles against barbarian cavalry, the feathered cavalry battalions of each army could play an important role.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the morning of the tenth day of the eighth month, the Yi-grade Battalion and the Supply Battalion arrived at the stockade site by the Dongyang River. They had already learned of yesterday's battle that very day, and the entire army boiled with excitement. The over five thousand captured horses became the hot topic of everyone's discussion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as at Yuanyang Stockade, the whole army set to work together and built a new stockade by the Dongyang River. Han Chao named it Dongyang Stockade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That afternoon, Han Chao led the feathered cavalry, all now on remounts, along with the newly attached Mongol auxiliaries, in a rapid advance westward. Now the cavalrymen in the army no longer feared fighting barbarian cavalry. They would clear the path, open the way for the infantry and supply trains, and actively seek out large Mongol cavalry forces to engage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the twelfth, Han Chao's main force encountered several thousand Mongol cavalry — the same group of Mongols that had been near Yuanyang Stockade and Dongyang Stockade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had replenished their provisions, but not their horses. From scout reports, Han Chao knew that several thousand Mongol cavalry were harassing the Datong Army, slowing their march to a crawl. It seemed this group had coordinated with that group of Mongols.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the two sides encountered each other, just as Han Chao was preparing for battle, this group of Mongols suddenly made a move — the entire force simply ran away and refused to fight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the thirteenth day of the eighth month, by the shores of Jining Haizi, Han Chao encountered the group of Mongols that had been harassing the Datong Army. The two sides deployed their formations. Han Chao took the initiative to lead the feathered cavalry in a charge, using the newly attached Mongol auxiliaries to cover both flanks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed they had obtained intelligence from those earlier Mongols, and seeing the charging might of the feathered cavalry, this wave of Mongol cavalry was quite cautious. Facing Han Chao's cavalry-wall charge, they dismounted and formed ranks to fight, with long spears and strong bows, standing in strict formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Chao immediately changed formation, likewise dismounting to fight. A volley from the firearms fitted with socket bayonets threw the Mongols, who had only bows, into great chaos. Then the spearmen formed up and charged into the kill. In a short time, these Mongols were routed, with over two hundred heads taken and over three hundred fine horses captured...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the fourteenth, Han Chao rendezvoused with the Datong Army, which had finally arrived at the shores of the Haizi. Hearing of the feathered cavalry's battle achievements, Wang Pu was dumbstruck. He made oblique inquiries to probe the secret of their victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Chao did not conceal it. After hearing it, Wang Pu felt as if he had found a treasure. Now he was fairly confident in the combat power of his new army camp, but unfortunately their mobility was a shortcoming — infantry against cavalry, they could only stare helplessly. If they were equipped with horses, able to fight mounted as cavalry and dismounted as infantry, just like the Jingbian Army's feathered cavalry, why would he not be happy to do so?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, although the nature would be the same as the feathered cavalry, Wang Pu felt it should have its own distinctive name. After discussing with his trusted general Wang Zheng and others, he stroked his small beard and said thoughtfully, \"In the Song dynasty, there was the Imperial Dragon Cavalry, called 'mounted infantrymen' — when they saw battle, they fought on foot. I think, from now on, we shall call them Dragon Cavalry.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the days that followed, apart from a few scout riders spying on them, the Xuanwu Army and the Datong allied forces encountered no harassment from Mongol cavalry. Jining Stockade, Xiashui Haizi Stockade, and even Xiaoheihe Stockade were all established smoothly one after another. The Mongols on the grassland seemed to have vanished into thin air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In late August, Han Chao and Wang Pu led the Feathered Cavalry of the Xuanwu Army, the Mongol soldiers of Zeng Jiuyi's newly attached battalion, and nearly ten thousand cavalry from the main-force battalions of the Datong Army, surging in a mighty column toward Guihua City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Han Chao received word that the Mongols of Guihua City had already departed, leaving behind only an empty city. (To be continued…)\u003C\u002Fp>",2813,"2026-06-03T14:06:10.567Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","4dcc8893ccaf1812a4522b31d99cfba5cd14ac9118a370a082d19954f4e52cd0","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-682","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-680",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]