[{"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-787":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},1206076,1561,"Chapter 787: Emergency Defense Deployment","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-787",787,"\u003Cp>Compared to when Zhong Susu first arrived at Guihua City last year, the cityscape now is vastly different. Inside and outside the city, it is much livelier, many new houses have been built, the streets are planned more neatly, and merchants come and go in an endless stream — a flourishing great city beyond the frontier stands upon the grasslands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Grand Protectorate headquarters is precisely the former mansion compound of Guluge and his people. After months of renovation, it already displays a certain grandeur. Besides the Grand Protectorate office itself, the yamens of the four garrison Regional Commanders, as well as other official and military yamens, are densely constructed all around, just like the garrison city of Xuanfu back then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Very quickly, Wen Fangliang entered the Grand Protectorate government office. In the main council hall were Deputy Chief of the Staff Department Zhong Diaoyang, Zhong Susu, Senior Strategic Advisor Qin Yi, Intelligence Chief Wen Daxing, Suppression and Pacification Office Director Huang Shibian, Pacification Officer Li Jinpei, and the great general Li Guangheng, among others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Gao Shiyin is also a Deputy Chief of the Staff Department, he is currently far away in the Eastern Garrison of Monan. Though Han Chao is Chief of the Military Administration Department and, as one of the Four Great Generals, holds significant advisory authority on military matters, both men are quite far from Guihua City, so only official dispatches could be sent to request their opinions and suggestions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At present, the two garrisons are also swamped with affairs. Only after all matters are settled can they reside in Guihua City for a period each year — just as the various officers of the Great Ming shift their stations between winter and autumn defense, especially Regional Commanders who move to one place in spring and another in autumn, their posts constantly changing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Chao, as Chief of the Military Administration Department, is not merely the Regional Commander of Xuanfu Garrison; the same applies to Sun Sanjie, Qi Tianliang, and Lin Daofu. Also, Xie Yike, Shen Shiqi, Ceng Youyi, and others are currently leading the Vanguard Scout Battalion, Loyalty and Righteousness Battalion, and Newly Attached Battalion in pursuing and exterminating horse bandits everywhere, and they too cannot come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like the garrison city council hall back then, the vast hall was filled with strategic advisors coming and going. Huge maps hung on the walls, and in the center stood an enormous sand table. The sand table at this moment depicted the general topographical map of Henan, Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Monan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One cannot claim it to be extremely precise, but the general terrain, rivers, and other features are without error. Through years of reconnaissance and mapping by the intelligence department, Wang Dou now possesses sand table maps of many provinces of the Great Ming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"All intelligence converges: the roving bandits intend to attack Shaanxi. Because Huguang is quite far from Monan, over three thousand li, by the time the Intelligence Department received the information, the roving bandit army should already have arrived, perhaps even passed Luoyang...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Daxing introduced the intelligence in hand to all parties: \"Intelligence reveals that the Chuang bandits, while not exactly emptying their nest this time, have nonetheless pulled out the bulk of their forces. Mounted troops exceed forty thousand. Foot soldiers exceed two hundred thousand. Given the roving bandits' nature, every time they raid and attack cities, they coerce and sweep up famine victims. Ultimately, how many troops they have is hard to say. Five hundred thousand? One million?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Daxing shook his head: \"This department dares not be certain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He continued: \"Moreover, they split their forces into two routes: one attacking Tongguan, the other attacking Shangzhou. The route attacking Tongguan is personally led by the Chuang bandit himself; the route attacking Shangzhou is led by the bandit general Liu Fangliang. The Intelligence Department judges that the bandit general left to hold the rear should be the Front Battalion General Yuan Zongdi... These bandit generals are all veterans of tough campaigns. For the government troops in Huguang and other places to seize the opportunity to recover lost territory is not so easy, even without the Pacify-the-Bandits Garrison causing trouble...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The news that Zuo Liangyu was poisoned to death by eating tomatoes had, of course, spread like wildfire throughout the Great Ming. All officials and commoners who heard it felt a sense of relief and said: \"That bandit-general got his retribution! He should have died long ago!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Toward Zuo Liangyu and his Pacify-the-Bandits Army, not a single person in the entire Great Ming, high or low, had any goodwill. No matter how many troops he commanded, what positive effect did they have on national affairs? Their sole effect was to torment the people, harm friendly forces, and ruin the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the aftermath, all parties discussed the Battle of Zhuxianzhen and concluded that without Zuo Liangyu, even if the various Ming armies could not have won a great victory, they would not have suffered a great defeat. It can be said that Zuo Liangyu's troops were the most critical reason for the great defeat at Zhuxianzhen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like He Renlong, he was one who could not accomplish anything but was more than capable of ruining things. Without them, the world would be better, and the Great Ming would not be worse off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, after the Pacify-the-Bandits Army dissolved into nothing in Huguang, no party felt any inconvenience. The people of Huguang instead felt that without the scourge of these soldier-bullies, their own lives were much easier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Few in the imperial court felt it a pity. Even if the Pacify-the-Bandits Army still existed with its many troops, now that the roving bandits had moved north, ordering the Pacify-the-Bandits Army to recover lost territory — whether Zuo Liangyu would obey orders was a question, and more likely he would just seize the chance to plunder everywhere. After all, where would the court get the grain and pay to supply his \"two hundred thousand\" strong army?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given such an opportunity and such a pretext, would Zuo Liangyu not loot everywhere? Causing the common people to suffer for nothing — a great harm. It was just as well that his army dissolved into nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zuo Liangyu's death did not stir any ripples in Wang Dou's heart either. After receiving the intelligence, he merely gave a faint \"oh\" and moved on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This sort was a disgrace to soldiers, a blight upon military men. Looking across his entire life, there was not a single bright spot. Summed up, it was one word: trash! He only deserved to eat poison. Compared to him, He Renlong at least had the value of being beheaded and publicly displayed, his head transmitted to the various frontiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the details of Zuo Liangyu's death, only Wang Dou and a very few others knew them, and the details would never be made public in the future. Let the tale of his retribution continue to spread forever, his infamy eternal, serving as a warning to other warlords: if you do too many evil deeds, beware of retribution like Zuo Liangyu's.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also, after the defeats of Cao Bianjiao and Wang, and following the great battle at Zhuxianzhen, the Intelligence Department conducted meticulous investigations, gathering and analyzing intelligence from all sides. In the end, they were shocked to discover that among the generals who surrendered to the roving bandits was Yang Shaofan, the beloved general of Jingnan Count Cao Bianjiao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was also quite valued by the Chuang bandit, who organized a new army battalion for him, using captured Eastern Route firearms. It could be called a highly threatening battalion within the Chuang camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he received this intelligence, Wang Dou remained silent for a long time, recalling the circumstances when he first met Yang Shaofan. Back then, Wang Dou had already felt this man was quite deep and scheming, a person of great ambition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And ambitious people always cherish their lives, because they need to stay alive to realize their aspirations. Yang Shaofan's defection to the bandits was unexpected, yet upon reflection, entirely reasonable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed the Chuang bandit placed Yang Shaofan under key protection, so the news of his defection was still unknown to the court, and even more unknown to Cao Bianjiao. Wang Dou decided to temporarily conceal this news. He could imagine what a heavy blow Cao Bianjiao would suffer upon learning the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From what Wang Dou knew, Cao Bianjiao treated Yang Shaofan like his own younger brother, and after his disappearance, had been deeply grieved for a time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, the news that the Chuang bandits had a new firearms battalion could be selectively leaked, especially to factions friendly with the Protectorate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this time, all parties treated their own intelligence as treasured possessions. Wang Dou certainly would not play the fool, casually distributing precious intelligence that intelligence personnel had risked their lives to obtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The roving bandits are already not far from Tongguan. Can Sun Chuanting hold it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the first reaction of all the generals upon hearing the intelligence. Sun Chuanting had arrived in Xi'an in the eleventh month of last year. After executing He Renlong, with ample loans, he immediately began recruiting a new army. By the end of the year, he had recruited twenty thousand able-bodied young men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even with sufficient drill instructors, how long have they been training by now? Would they have any combat effectiveness?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And as for the remaining local government troops in Shaanxi — their combat effectiveness...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With several hundred thousand roving bandits attacking the pass, whether Sun Chuanting could hold Tongguan — even Wang Dou was not confident in his heart. Moreover, there was another route of bandits attacking Shangzhou. Historically, Li Zicheng not only broke through Tongguan, but his other army also broke through Shangzhou, the two great armies converging on Xi'an.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, back then Sun Chuanting was defeated in battle before the Chuang army seized the momentum to invade. The situation now should be different, especially with one hired battalion of Jingbian Army present.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Shaanxi must not be lost!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Fangliang's handsome face was filled with resolute expression: \"If Shaanxi cannot be protected, how can Shanxi survive? Attacking Shanxi from Henan is not easy, but if one attacks Shanxi eastward from Shaanxi, there are crossing points everywhere. In winter, the Yellow River freezes, making it even more flat and open everywhere. If these two provinces are lost, the situation will deteriorate drastically, and our Protectorate will also lose its buffer!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Estimating the worst-case scenario, our army should have preparations for reinforcement...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deputy Chief of the Staff Department Zhong Diaoyang spoke steadily, though his face bore considerable worry: \"But Huguang is close to Shaanxi. From Xiangyang to Tongguan is over a thousand li, mostly flat ground, easy for troops to march. The Chuang bandits began stirring in the third month. By the time the news reached Monan, their troops had long since moved, and now may have already passed Luoyang. I fear that before we even make a move, Tongguan will already have been broken. After all, our forces are too far away — from Guihua City to Tongguan is no less than two thousand li.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhong Susu mused: \"Sun Chuanting... he shouldn't be that incapable, right? From what I see of this man's physiognomy, he doesn't seem simple... The Qin army can also be considered a crack force. Even if they cannot match the roving bandits in field battles now, holding passes and defending cities should be no problem.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She murmured: \"People say Tongguan is the foremost city under heaven, backed by the Qinling Mountains to the south, overlooking the Yellow River to the north, linked to Hangu to the east — called the lock and key of the Three Qin, the throat of the Four Garrisons, the double barrier of a hundred and two passes. Throughout history, those who attacked Tongguan have mostly returned with broken wings. Generally, one must cross the Yellow River and bypass this mighty pass to invade Shaanxi...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She pondered for a moment, then said gravely: \"Grand General, as General Wen said, Shaanxi must not be lost. Our Monan agricultural colonies are at a critical juncture. At the very least, Shaanxi and Shanxi must hold out until next year's wheat harvest season. Once our Jingbian Army has grain and capital, we will fear no great enemy!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhong Susu had been tempered by experience; her words cut to the core with incisive analysis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou studied the sand table and mused: \"Sun Chuanting should be able to hold Tongguan, but to guard against contingencies, the Central Army cavalry battalions should prepare to move south in support at any time... However, ordering troop movements without authorization is akin to rebellion. At that time, the court's reaction...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou shook his head. If it truly came to that, even if Shaanxi were saved, the court and the Emperor would likely harbor even deeper suspicion and fear toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhong Diaoyang said: \"Upon receiving the news, immediately petition the court for orders?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Fangliang shook his head and said: \"Military intelligence blazes like fire. From Guihua City to the capital is one thousand five hundred li. How many days would a round trip take? In between, the court would still argue and quarrel — would it be delayed ten days or half a month? Even if the court agreed and an imperial edict came urging the deployment of troops, by the time it reached Shaanxi...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sneered: \"By then, the daylilies would have gone cold.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone fell silent. Li Guangheng had been quite happy just now receiving Wang Dou's orders. Currently, all garrisons of the Jingbian Army were immersed in agricultural colonies; only the various Central Army battalions remained on alert. Especially his cavalry battalion — exterminating horse bandits was using a butcher's knife to kill chickens. If they could have a fight with the roving bandits, that would naturally be better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared at the sand table and said fiercely: \"If I am sent to strike, then I will surely deal the roving bandits a painful blow and let them know the might of our Jingbian Army!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Yi smiled and said: \"General Li, if it truly comes to that, the situation would already have deteriorated. The roving bandits would already have broken through Tongguan and be bearing down on Xi'an. Only then would our cavalry have a stage to display their prowess. But inside and outside Tongguan city, with that kind of terrain, no matter how sharp the cavalry, how could they be of any use?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guangheng pondered and said: \"The roving bandits are massing at Tongguan and Luoyang. How about I go and outflank the enemy's rear, and take them...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhong Susu frowned and said: \"Big Brother Li, on matters of military strategy, please do not interfere!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She said: \"If the Central Army cavalry battalions move south, that is already taking a risk, a desperate gambit of war. After all, Shaanxi is not our territory. Several thousand troops moving south, plus a large number of horses — grain and fodder supply would already be hard to guarantee. The brothers eating one full meal and going hungry the next is very likely, and the horses might even starve to death. And now you want to outflank them, which means going to Shanxi. Never mind how to cross the Yellow River — even if you cross the Yellow River and reach Henan, what will the brothers eat and drink? Moreover, will the Chuang bandits just let us manipulate them? No one knows what might happen then. Devious stratagems in war are no long-term strategy. Our Jingbian Army fights open and honorable battles, never fighting battles we are not sure of!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She complained: \"The Grand General has only this much family property — how can it be squandered recklessly? As generals leading troops, we must think of our brothers! Besides, a mere phrase 'outflank the enemy's rear' — how many arrangements must logistics make? How much planning must the Staff Department do? The multitude of matters involved — is it an easy thing?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Fangliang also said coolly: \"Old Li, the Chuang bandits are experts at running. Even if everything goes as wished, when the time comes his tens of thousands of mounted troops run off, leaving behind hundreds of thousands of famine victims — will you kill them or keep them? Killing them harms the harmony of heaven. Keeping them — where is the grain to settle them? Back then, the Grand General also went south to suppress bandits. In Luoyang, he captured many surrendered people and starving soldiers and left them in the local area. In the end, these people all became rebels, opened the city gates as inside collaborators, and aided the evildoers. We cannot let the roving bandits lead us by the nose. We need to resolve the opponent once and for all. And to resolve them once and for all, we must have grain. Settling captured famine victims on the spot is also what the Grand General is doing now — opening agricultural colonies, stockpiling grain!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He studied the sand table and mused: \"Our current focus is agricultural colonies. Once we have a foundation and grain supplies, then a distant campaign to Henan, to Huguang, will be a trivial matter... However, with the roving bandits mostly in various parts of Henan, our army's grain supply line would still be too long. It would be best if they crossed the Yellow River to Shandong, Beizhili, and such places... At that time, logistics would be easier, and on the thousand-li plains, we could also leverage our cavalry's advantage, slaughtering their horse bandits until not a single rider remains. The remaining famine victims and foot soldiers would be nothing to worry about, and with grain available, the roving bandits could be settled. It's just that we need time...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being lectured head-on by Zhong Susu, Li Guangheng was not annoyed. He regarded Zhong Susu as his own younger sister — although Zhong Susu still thought no one could see through her true female identity — and what she said also made sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, when Wen Fangliang also lectured him in that indifferent tone, Li Guangheng would not stand for it. He glared back furiously a few times, then felt agitated in his heart and sighed: \"Everything comes back to grain. How is it that the roving bandits never worry about grain, casually coercing and sweeping up hundreds of thousands, even millions of people?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone was silent for a while, then Consolation Officer Li Jinpei said, “There’s a saying: barefoot men don’t fear those wearing shoes, and refugees don’t fear law‑abiding folk. Bandits are bandits, after all. Whether they fly the banner of executing Heaven’s justice or ridding the land of bullies and bringing peace, attacking cities and plundering is all in a day’s work to them. Wherever they go they sweep the place clean. Anyway, as the court says, we’re just taking ill‑gotten gains.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sighed. “We are government troops, after all. How can we act like bandits? When Counts Cao and Wang marched south, their soldiers looted because they lacked provisions — how many impeachments did that provoke? If we truly run out of grain, can we attack prefectures and counties like the bandits? If we do, the reputation the Grand General and our Jingbian Army have painstakingly built will be destroyed overnight. We are government troops, not bandits.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Jinpei was normally genial and witty, but now his words were heavy: “Bandits are like a plague on a man’s body — they live by sucking the host’s flesh and blood; wherever they go, they plunder. After they take a prefecture or county, they naturally seize plenty of provisions. Once the grain is taken, won’t the common folk follow them? Like locusts sweeping through, it’s all too easy to forcibly conscript tens or hundreds of thousands of people.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He finished, “But bandits live by sucking the host’s flesh and blood. When the host dies, the pathogen perishes! Perhaps the day Great Ming dies will be the very day the bandits meet their doom!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou waved his hand and said coolly, “As Brother Wen and Brother Zhong said, a little impatience spoils a great plan. I will not let the Chuang bandits lead me by the nose — I will destroy them once and for all! Our goal now is to garrison and farm, to stockpile grain. Just give me time. By next year, I, Wang Dou, will settle everything!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cold, piercing light shot from his eyes: “Bandits — hah! One day I will drag the Chuang bandits and all those bandit leaders before me and have them executed by slow slicing, one by one. Only then will the hatred in my heart be vented!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou summoned his commanders and made arrangements: closely watch the situation at Tongguan. If Sun Chuanting proved unable to hold, they were to reinforce him at once. Shaanxi must absolutely not be lost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after the council, Li Banghua urgently sought an audience. When he saw Wang Dou, he said rapidly, “The bandits are pressing toward Shaanxi; their numbers are huge. I fear Shaanxi… if it truly falls, I beg the Grand Protector to dispatch troops at once and rescue the people from fire and water… I am willing to memorialize the court to explain. If there is any blame, I shall bear it alone…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, Li Banghua had also heard the news. Extremely anxious, he had rushed over at once to urge action.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at this man, once Left Chief Censor of the Censorate — even though he was far beyond the frontier, forgotten by the court, he still cared about state affairs. The situation in Shaanxi had nothing to do with him, yet he was just as concerned. Wang Dou regarded him for a long time. As Li Banghua grew uneasy, Wang Dou smiled and said, “Lord Li, rest assured. This marquis will certainly not sit by and ignore Shaanxi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banghua was both startled and overjoyed. He said repeatedly, “That is good… I thank the Marquis for his lofty righteousness…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When news of the bandits’ approach reached Shanxi, Provincial Governor Cai Maode convened daily councils with Shanxi Regional Inspector Censor Wang Zongwen, Provincial Administration Commissioner Zhao Jianji, Surveillance Commissioners Mao Wenbing and Lin Gangzhong, as well as Taiyuan Prefect Sun Kangzhou, Pingyang Prefect Zhang Linran, and other officials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He himself decided to go to Fengling Ferry on the opposite bank from Tongguan to prevent the Chuang bandits from crossing the Yellow River there and attacking Shanxi, or circling around to attack Shaanxi. He also urgently dispatched orders summoning Regional Commander Zhou Yuji, Vice General Li Yunshu, Vice General Xiong Tong, Vice Regional Commander Chen Shangzhi, and others to Taiyuan to discuss defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, they decided on a zone‑defense plan. For the defense of the Yellow River, every important ferry crossing was assigned a key official with specific responsibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, Cai Maode sought aid from Xuanda Grand Coordinator Ji Shiwei, and did not forget to ask help from Datong Provincial Governor Wei Jingyuan and Xuanfu Provincial Governor Zhu Zhifeng. He even sent urgent envoys to Wang Dou in Guihua City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the bandits closing in, Ji Shiwei was naturally very concerned. Cai Maode could not be everywhere at once and could only communicate by dispatch. Ji Shiwei urgently summoned Datong Provincial Governor Wei Jingyuan and Xuanfu Provincial Governor Zhu Zhifeng to Yanghe, and at the same time invited Regional Commanders Han Chao and Wang Pu to confer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou had long ago authorized Ji Shiwei to mobilize Jingbian Army troops from Xuanfu Garrison in an emergency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Shiwei was Wang Dou’s father‑in‑law — a fact everyone with eyes could see. Even though Wang Pu was a count, he still had to give Ji Shiwei some face. Moreover, nominally, as Datong Regional Commander, he was subject to the Grand Coordinator’s authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the fourth month of the sixteenth year of Chongzhen, at a sprawling military camp southeast of Xi’an City near Mount Li, Shaanxi Viceroy Sun Chuanting stood quietly on a barren hilltop, gazing down at the camp below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was dressed as a military commander: phoenix‑wing helmet, mountain‑pattern armor, a treasured sword at his waist, and a vermilion lacquered, gold‑traced arrow case. Over his iron armor he wore a great scarlet cloak that billowed in the wind. He looked down in silence. Though his expression was weary, his eyes remained sharp and deep. No one knew what he was thinking at that moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A large group of advisors stood with him, gazing out, also silent. Guards were scattered around the perimeter, all in neat armor, solemn and wordless, exuding an indescribable martial air. They were hired Jingbian Army men, temporarily serving as the Viceroy’s Personal Battalion, rotating as guards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Sun Chuanting’s closest personal guard was his loyal longtime attendant Ma Weizhong. By Sun Chuanting’s order, Ma Weizhong selected trustworthy men to serve as Sun’s personal guards in the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mercenary leaders Wu Zhengchun and Gao Xun also stood to his left and right. It seemed that if Sun Chuanting did not speak, they could remain silent forever. And Advisor‑Painter Wen Shiyan also stood beside Sun Chuanting, smiling as he gazed out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the camp below rose heaven‑shaking battle cries, the sound of drilling, and the crack of bird‑guns. The new Shaanxi army was training at a fever pitch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when he looked at those troops did a trace of a smile finally appear in Sun Chuanting’s eyes. The pressure lately had been too great. Only the sight of this new army gave him any comfort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the eleventh month to the twelfth month of the previous year, Sun Chuanting had begun large‑scale recruitment for the new army. He offered a monthly wage of one tael, a settling‑in payment of fifteen taels, and promised each soldier thirty mu of farmland. Moreover, they would eat and lodge in the camp. Immediately, all Shaanxi was stirred, and countless able‑bodied young men eagerly enlisted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Furthermore, because Sun Chuanting emulated the Jingbian Army and gave priority to recruits with families, all across Shaanxi province, people rushed to marry. Families with daughters were happy to marry them off to these recruits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, in these times, a military unit with a steady wage, a settling‑in payment, and especially farmland to allot after enlisting was exceedingly rare — apart from the court’s new armies. And in the minds of Great Ming’s common people, the court’s new armies were basically good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the monthly wage of one tael was a bit low, Viceroy Sun promised to pay it in full, and they would eat and lodge in the camp. Given how frugal these young men could be, they might save quite a bit each month, not to mention the settling‑in payment and the farmland. So before the New Year, the recruitment of twenty thousand new troops was completed with extreme smoothness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Selecting officers, however, was somewhat more difficult. His own subordinates had been transferred away, and the complaints from the regional commanders of the various garrisons were secondary; the main problem was that qualified, excellent officers were hard to find. Sun Chuanting certainly would not accept officers who were nothing but camp ruffians. Fortunately, as Viceroy of the Three Frontiers, his prestige had soared to unprecedented heights after he executed He Renlong. In the end, officers of all ranks were selected, and the framework of the new army was erected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, this placed a heavy burden on Sun Chuanting: wages and provisions, settling‑in payments, land reclamation, armor and weapons, firearms and gunpowder — how much money and grain was needed? Even though Wang Dou had granted him a loan, Sun Chuanting still felt the pinch of silver and funds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not to mention that the loan had to be repaid. And what of Shaanxi’s original troops — did they not need wages and provisions too?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So while recruiting the new army, Sun Chuanting began a frenzied investigation of all long‑overdue taxes. He announced to the outside world: “Even if you owe a single tael of silver, cough it up for this Viceroy!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless gentry, utterly stripped of dignity, were clapped in cangues and displayed before the government offices. They would not be released until they paid. In the span of a few months, throughout Shaanxi, one could say every household wailed and every family shed tears. The name of Sun Chuanting could stop a child’s night‑crying. Countless people cried out in alarm, “Sun Chuanting has gone mad!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Madman He was already forgotten. Now, when people spoke of a madman, everyone said Madman Sun. The great name of Madman Sun had long since replaced Madman He.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only that — what made people even more dumbstruck was that Sun Chuanting also announced that for this year’s summer tax and autumn grain, all gentry would pay grain taxes as one. Anyone who dared refuse to pay grain or resist the tax would be beheaded, and their property confiscated!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chuanting’s madness shocked all of Great Ming into utter silence. The impeachment memorials should have been enough to drown him entirely, yet perhaps because the shock was too great, people forgot to impeach him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of Shaanxi simply watched him in silence, waiting to see what Sun Chuanting’s final outcome would be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Sun Chuanting dared to be so mad because he had a solid foundation: a gang of loyal enforcers — three thousand tough Jingbian Army soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They embodied the fine qualities of mercenaries. Short of crossing certain bottom lines, if Sun Chuanting said behead a man, they beheaded him; if he said confiscate a household, they confiscated it — absolutely no backtalk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were also versatile. Not only could they serve as enforcers, they could train soldiers. Most of them were fairly well‑educated, so they were equally qualified to serve as garrison officers or as advisors. This made Sun Chuanting understand even more clearly why Wang Dou had his soldiers learn to read.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was not merely to make it easier to remember regulations and systems. Highly educated troops had many, many advantages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chuanting no longer begrudged the cost. Though the Jingbian Army’s mercenary fees were high, they were absolutely worth the price. It was a pity he could not hire more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, even as he went mad, Sun Chuanting still vividly remembered what Wang Dou had said back then about men dying and policies ending, about interest groups. He also began examining and recruiting clerks to staff the new garrison farms. Just as Wang Dou had said, although he, Sun Chuanting, had offended a great many people and would not come to a good end in the future, his administrative legacy could be passed on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes Sun Chuanting wondered what his own final end would be. He laughed at the thought — even if he were torn apart by chariots like Lord Shang, so what? Now, when the thought arose again, he merely murmured a line: “I wish to gallop with them; I walk among the blades of the crowd.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Wen Shiyan broke the silence. He smiled at Sun Chuanting and said, “Lord Sun, train the new army for a few more months, and they will basically be ready for battle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Shiyan could not help but admire Sun Chuanting. He was also quite interested to see where this madman would ultimately go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the Jingbian Army instructors currently rated the new Shaanxi army very poorly — they thought these soldiers were not yet capable of fighting large, brutal battles, and the lack of veteran seeds was a particular weakness — it was undeniable that their morale was very high. And comparing their combat effectiveness to the mature Jingbian Army was unfair anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chuanting’s thick, high eyebrows lifted, and he gave a hearty laugh. On this point, he was equally confident. His new army had already taken initial shape, and its equipment was decent. Only the red‑barbarian cannons the court had promised had not arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The main reason was that the roads were blocked. The routes through Huguang and Henan had been cut off. Taking other routes to transport cannons would be far too difficult. Sun Chuanting knew the bandits had an artillery camp, so for the time being he was collecting the province’s various large general‑cannons and, like the new army, intensively training cannoneers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chuanting looked forward with longing: once the new army was fully trained, in a single open, honorable battle, he would annihilate the bandits and restore peace to the nation. Now he had even come to a hilltop not far from the camp to gaze out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was well‑versed in the art of observing qi. He could see that the new army’s formations were still basically rigorous. What they lacked was only blood‑qi. After a series of tempering battles, the new army would be complete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was about to speak when urgent hoofbeats came pounding near. (To be continued…)\u003C\u002Fp>",5515,"2026-06-03T14:06:10.567Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","c8bb2b210aff1c470a1065c94b3c2ac47fb1830f06dce0192bfa357613d49604","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-788","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-786",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]