[{"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-697":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},1205986,1561,"Chapter 697: Striking While Mid-Crossing","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-697",697,"\u003Cp>According to Qi Jiguang’s military doctrine, when a large army crosses a river, mounted scouts should first take up high-ground observation posts, and then the troops cross one picket at a time. But the situation before them now did not allow crossing unit by unit at leisure — that would be piecemeal tactics. At minimum, an entire battalion had to cross at once, and it also had to withstand the enemy’s charge and establish a firm foothold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turning to look back, there were not many roving bandits left behind them — only a few small bands of mounted soldiers wandering about. As long as Vice General Sun could gain a footing and the Yutian Garrison new army crossed to the other bank, then apart from the cavalry necessary to escort the infantry battalion, the remaining riders could all serve as cover for the baggage train crossing, and also act as the army’s overall rearguard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Very quickly, Cao Bianjiao finished his dispositions and decided that the attack would be launched in one quarter-hour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bugles sounded. Amid the tide-like cheers and blessings of the Yutian Garrison officers and men, the Zunhua Garrison new army soldiers marched with heads high and chests out to a spot by the riverbank to form ranks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The staff officers in Cao Bianjiao’s camp had long since selected this stretch of ground: the riverbank slope was gentle and flat, and the opposite bank was the same. Apart from the mud in the river water, perhaps nothing would obstruct the brothers crossing the river.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drumbeats thudded, banners flew, and the Zunhua Garrison new army’s small formations swiftly converged into a large formation. Because they needed dense attack and defense, they reverted to that array of four ranks of arquebusiers and four ranks of pikemen — only thus could they concentrate even more ferocious firepower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, once they had established a foothold and resumed marching, it would again evolve into that flexible and adaptable concave-convex formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The new army soldiers moved swiftly; the speed of their formation changes was beyond what ordinary Ming troops could match.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These soldiers were all well-trained, and their treatment was excellent — though if not for the Jingbian Army’s merit and reward system, and the fact that every campaign yielded rich plunder, in terms of pay and provisions they actually could not compare to the new army under Cao Bianjiao and Wang Tingchen. After all, those men also received land allocations, and they had military pay as well, whereas the Jingbian Army had no military pay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Influenced by the Jingbian Army, within the new army under the two commanders there had even sprouted the hazy beginnings of a current of thought about whom they fought for — far beyond what the Great Ming’s numb and apathetic old-style armies could match. Were it not for Wang Dou’s presence, they would be the Great Ming’s strongest army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, comparing them with the Jingbian Army was unfair; after all, the Jingbian Army was the crystallization of a whole series of advanced institutions — one could say they stood on the shoulders of giants. That they could achieve this much was already quite remarkable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vice General Sun looked upon his subordinates with pride. The officers of the Yutian Garrison likewise fixed their gaze. The soldiers of the two garrisons, while forging deep friendships amid the flames of war, could not help secretly comparing who was superior and who inferior. The conclusion was that the two were evenly matched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The troops finished forming ranks, banners snapping in the wind. Not far ahead of them, a force of about four hundred riders had also finished assembling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vice General Sun abruptly looked toward Cao Bianjiao. Cao Bianjiao nodded heavily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vice General Sun’s thick brows shot up. His hand swept forward, his riding whip thrust forcefully ahead, and he roared at the top of his lungs: “Cross the river!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the sound of uniform marching steps, the Zunhua Garrison new army soldiers pressed close together. Their arquebusiers in red cotton armor were in front, and their pikemen in blue waist-length armor were behind. Each man held his firelock or pike in hand, slanting forward, advancing steadily ahead in orderly strides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nearly all of them had gaunt faces and tattered uniforms and armor, but every man’s gaze was steady and his expression resolute. To the left of their squad commanders, every officer likewise kept his combat blade pointed forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The army formation advanced unhurriedly to the sound of drums — the drumbeats short and forceful, their steps likewise full of power. The great army marched in formation down the slope, all the way down onto the riverbed. The riverbank wind was strong, making their red banners flutter even more vigorously; the cold gleam of their uniform weapons seemed to twist and warp with the contours of the terrain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The army advanced like a moving mountain, straight into the river water. On the opposite bank, the roving bandits’ mounted scouts raced back and forth; some prepared to attack, shooting arrows or firing guns. But the four hundred riders under Cao Bianjiao had already crossed the river ahead of them, tangling and fighting with those roving horsemen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the roving bandits had so many mounted troops, Cao Bianjiao’s scouts had been unable to operate effectively earlier, so even the opposite bank, just one river away, had been occupied by Li Chuang’s riders. But now they swept across with irresistible momentum, and the bandit scouts on the bank were no match for them and fell back one after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when these cavalrymen were crossing the river, hampered by the river water, were some men and horses shot dead or wounded by Li Chuang’s riders holding the bank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The roving horsemen on the opposite bank reacted extremely fast. Just as their own scouts fell back, and even as the Ming army began crossing the river, from their massed cavalry formations they detached a large body of mounted troops — no fewer than five thousand riders — racing at top speed toward the riverbank, intent on charging the new army before it could gain a foothold. Behind them, several more bodies of troops waited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cross the river quickly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vice General Sun bellowed, lashing his own mount in the water to spur it on, racing to be first ashore to observe the enemy situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His bodyguards and standard-bearers followed, panting for breath. The moment his central army standard-bearer reached the bank, he forcefully raised the great banner and shook it with all his might.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The remaining Zunhua Garrison new army soldiers also struggled forward with all their strength through the river water. At this moment their ranks could not help being somewhat crooked and uneven, but as long as they got ashore and reorganized their formation, they would not fear the bandits’ cavalry charge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Bianjiao’s expression was grave. The critical moment had arrived. He saw that the riders who had crossed early were already scattering toward the left wing. They had probably noticed that some of the oncoming Li Chuang riders had the intention of shifting toward the outer side of the left wing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Bianjiao decided to send another five hundred riders across the river, lest the bandit cavalry charge the right flank of the new army ashore. Although the new army’s combat strength was outstanding, its two flanks were its weak point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, the central army pressed on with the urgent repair of the wooden bridge to restore communication between the two banks. The new army within the garrison under Yang Shaofan likewise formed ranks, ready to cross the river at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the distance, the thunder of hooves rumbled. The roving bandits’ mounted troops, striking while the army was mid-crossing, came on extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye they were not far from the new army crossing the river. Fortunately, the Zunhua Garrison new army was equally swift. Very quickly, under Vice General Sun’s anxious gaze, they came ashore one after another. Paying no heed to the mud on their feet and trousers, they immediately reformed their ranks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They halted at a spot about thirty-odd paces from the riverbank. Here, vast stretches were all abandoned wheat fields — the soil dry and hard, interspersed with weeds, reasonably open and level. After coming ashore, the new army assembled here, and thanks to their excellent discipline, by the time the roving riders drew closer, every man was basically ready.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so, the enemy riders were now no more than two hundred-odd paces from the battle line and would be upon them in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was also the convenience of a linear battle formation. With an ordinary formation, bulky front and rear, it would have been impossible to reform ranks so quickly after coming ashore. The enemy striking while they were mid-crossing was truly extremely dangerous; if the infantry formation was not in order when facing cavalry, the consequences would be unthinkable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the dense mass of cavalry surging toward them like a tide, Vice General Sun instead felt relieved — they had finally crossed the river.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whoosh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An arquebusier blew on the matchcord of his firelock to make it burn brighter. The matchcords on everyone’s firelocks had already been lit while they were still on the opposite bank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed that on this side, the windblown dust was even greater. Fortunately, everyone was using Eastern Route firearms, which had an automatically opening and closing flash-pan cover. The instant the matchcord dropped, the cover flicked open. Except for a very few unlucky souls, the priming powder was very difficult for the wind to blow away. This was also the principle of Zhao Shizhen’s Xuanyuan arquebus with its yin-yang mechanism.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, this mechanism involved considerable technical complexity. The yin opened the gate, the yang ignited the fire — the two had to coordinate simultaneously and also mesh seamlessly; a step too early or too late would not do. It was not something that could be casually manufactured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the six or seven main components of a matchlock, without this automatic locking device, manufacture was indeed very easy — though of course the misfire rate would be high, given the northern region’s strong wind and sand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This mechanism was also essential for manufacturing flintlock guns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The roving riders drew closer. Vice General Sun shouted: “Prepare for battle!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hai!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This arquebusier, along with his assembled brothers, let out a great roar, lowered his firelock, and aimed at the enemy ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Together with him were over three hundred fifty firelocks in the front rank. Behind each man, the red banners thrashed furiously in the cold wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fire!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The front-rank arquebusiers unleashed a volley. Surging flames spurted unceasingly, then transformed into dense white smoke that blanketed the ground ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fierce volley struck the onrushing Li Chuang mounted troops, sending up a chorus of miserable screams. Such a volley was something few armies could withstand. Originally, seeing the government troops cross the river so quickly and especially form ranks so rapidly, these mounted soldiers preparing to strike mid-crossing had all felt some hesitation in their hearts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But events shifted too fast; in the midst of the charge, the situation was unclear, and above all, wishful thinking made them continue their rush. Yet after one volley, they were completely stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just seventy paces in front of this new army battle formation, over three hundred fifty firelocks fired in volley, killing or wounding at least two hundred-odd of the roving bandits’ mounted men and horses. They were sent wailing in a chorus, and the dense, overlapping screams of horses in agony were even more intense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What did it feel like to be hit by a bullet? Take the shoulder as an example — it was as if someone had suddenly struck you fiercely with a club. In an instant, you felt as if your entire shoulder had vanished; that whole side went numb. Then came the sudden pain — a bone-gnawing pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That is with later-era bullets, which have strong penetration. With the lead bullets of this time, a person struck in the body would feel as if all their internal organs had been thrown into a blender in an instant — in a tenth of a second, frantically pounded into mincemeat. The pain seemed to bore deep into the soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was also the result of soft lead bullets meeting resistance: they tumbled and deformed inside the body and internal organs, turning everything inside into a chaotic mess…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fire!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second rank of arquebusiers immediately followed with another volley. The enormous roar erupted like a string of firecrackers, the muzzle flames once again merging into a single sheet…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zunhua Garrison new army’s arquebusiers fired three ranks in succession. Before the fourth rank had even opened fire, the Li Chuang riders striking mid-crossing had already collapsed. The mounted soldiers who had charged at the very front and survived by luck now scurried about like headless flies. Many screamed madly as they fled, every face a picture of lingering shock and terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When cavalry charges a formation, the closer they charge, the greater the casualties at the front — though of course, the pressure on the formed infantry also grows greater. It all comes down to who breaks first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evidently, the Li Chuang army was the first to break. After three volleys, under that ferocious firepower, the five thousand-odd Li Chuang mounted troops had suffered casualties of at least five to six hundred men and horses. Given the roving bandits’ fighting will, after taking so many dead and wounded, it was impossible for them to still have the fortitude to keep fighting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, without elite troops holding the line behind them or strict orders to press on, even Qing cavalry would not have had this combat courage. Their normal acceptable casualty rate was six percent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every time the Jingbian Army went into battle, it was common for the front-rank arquebusiers to fire a single volley and settle the fight in one go. After all, in this semi-gunpowder era, the power of a volley was simply too great, and very few armies could endure it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The horse soldiers of the Chuang camp, though considerably stronger in combat than the famine soldiers and infantry battalions, had fighting will that was perhaps even lower than that of the frenzied famine victims — because the hard bones were mostly gnawed at by the famine victims and infantry charging ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In particular, under the roving camp's military system, the horse soldiers and the veteran camp's elite riders mostly stayed in the rear to pick up easy gains and rarely fought tough battles; when there was advantage they took it, but at the first sign of trouble they could be the first to flee, and in the riders' hearts there was even more of a mindset of preserving their own strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surging forward together in victory, scattering for a thousand li in defeat — for them, this was likewise a common phenomenon, and so these Chuang riders, struck mid-crossing, fled in terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three volleys fired in unison, and the several thousand Chuang camp horse soldiers struck mid-crossing collapsed in rout; the men and horses behind them all wheeled their mounts and fled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some of the Chuang horse soldiers attacking the flanks, who had originally been locked in combat with Cao Bianjiao's cavalry, upon seeing this situation likewise turned tail and fled; several thousand horse troops fled like wolves dashing and boars charging, and the roving camp's plan of striking mid-crossing turned to naught. (To be continued...)\u003C\u002Fp>",2598,"2026-06-03T14:06:10.567Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","0b7cbe2280a3b4162292c637a8690f7b6055440bf55111b810999feb1f16cc33","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-698","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-696",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]