[{"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-799":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},1206088,1561,"Chapter 799: Pouring Down","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-799",799,"\u003Cp>The Ming army used drums and horns: blowing the horn was the signal. The first call was the initial signal, telling men to pack their gear and prepare food. Half a shichen later, the horn sounded a second time, ordering men to eat and pack up to move out. The third horn blast meant they had to rise, enter the defensive line, or prepare to march.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier, the central army had already sounded the horn twice. Now, when it blew again, a clamor of officers shouting erupted along the plateau edge: \"Assemble! Enter the defensive line!\" Horn-bearers answered one after another, and a tense atmosphere spread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the Jia-5 defensive line, soldiers threw down their rice bowls and assembled by Jia squad. Slightly different from the Jingbian Army, their squad officers also carried flags—but these were back-banners, two chi five cun square, with angled edges, the pole three chi six cun long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their daily training also focused heavily on formations, so when they assembled, their ranks appeared relatively strict and orderly; only the camp soldiers' formations looked chaotic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, in the eyes of those camp soldiers, the new army's formations were mere show, silver-coated wax spearheads—when they themselves were fighting, these men were still suckling milk, so naturally they refused to accept them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without prior agreement, every face bore the same expression: battle was coming, and nervous looks appeared on all of them, new army and old soldiers alike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching these two thousand soldiers complete assembly, Company Commander Yang and Mobile Corps Commander Gao drew a deep breath and turned back to look at Han Kaihui, the Jingbian Army Supervising Squad Commander behind them. Han Kaihui waved his hand, and Mobile Corps Commander Gao bellowed: \"Enter the defensive line!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He overstepped his authority, doing Company Commander Yang's job for him, and even added: \"Brothers, fight well—slaughter the roving bandits!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At once, the camp soldiers under his command seized their weapons and, roaring, leaped from the intersection slope onto the plateau slope, every man's momentum like a rainbow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing their manner, Company Commander Yang said nothing, only: \"Deploy the defense.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His subordinate soldiers shouted in unison and, following the Jia squad defensive line, descended the plateau one after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other units did the same. Amid a chorus of \"Enter the defensive line,\" the Ming soldiers on the southern plateau poured down like a torrent, a tide of red armor. The rushing sound of footsteps stirred up dust, mingling together, and the aura of armored horses and clashing spears spread outward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the opposite plateau, the uproar was even greater, as wave after wave of Chuang Army cavalry surged forward. To better direct the battle at Yuanwang Gully, Sun Chuanting had planted his command flag at the plateau edge. Two li behind him was a fort called Chengbeizhai, situated at the middle section of Yuanwang Gully, making it easy to oversee the entire gully defensive line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took out his beloved telescope and gazed toward the opposite plateau. He saw a dark, dense tide of people continuously moving toward the plateau edge. Near the northern section, their armor was yellow; near the southern section, their armor was red—these were the troops of the roving bandits' Rear Camp and Right Camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their drums, horns, and shouts were unceasing, their banners fluttering. It seemed as if the entire twenty-li plateau was filled with their forces. Not to mention Gao Jie and the others turning pale, even Sun Chuanting drew a sharp breath. Subconsciously, he glanced at Wu Zhengchun and the others beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that the Jingbian Army officers still wore calm expressions, Sun Chuanting relaxed slightly. He said in a deep voice: \"Order the battle-supervision squads to enter.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Jia-5 defenders were already at their positions. On their side, there were many low walls, with the first low wall being the most important. Before it lay a large stretch of sloping ground. A small path climbed the slope, and upon reaching the terrace cliff, it wound upward along the north face of the terrace cliff, continuing for over a hundred paces to the second terrace cliff and low wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This first terrace cliff not only had a trench in front of it, but the slope was also dotted with earthen cliffs and small mounds of varying heights, making passage difficult. Thus, if one wanted to ascend the plateau, it was best to take the road—which lay within the threat range of the defenders' firepower on the low wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, if the roving bandits had any expert climbers, they might be able to bypass the road and press all the way to the second terrace cliff and low wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Furthermore, above the first terrace cliff, near the plateau slope, there was another terrace cliff, one zhang high. The three terrace cliffs thus formed a converging intersection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the first low wall, a squad commander from the new army was on guard with one hundred bird guns. Their gunmen wore red cotton armor, while their spearmen wore arm-guards and iron-trimmed cotton armor, along with iron helmets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This equipment differed from the ordinary soldiers' red waist-length armor and red-tasseled felt caps; because this position was important, it was guarded by the unit's elite spearmen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This low wall also had over two hundred camp soldiers assisting in its defense, likewise a force of one squad commander.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shaanxi camp soldiers were organized into companies of three or four hundred men. A squad commander was supposed to command three to four hundred men, yet this company had only a little over two hundred—because of embezzled payrolls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had several dozen three-eyed guns, over ten bird guns, and more than fifty bows. The number of missing archers reached half, but the number of rocket soldiers had greatly increased, reaching over a hundred, and most of them held trident-spears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The armor of these camp soldiers varied widely: some had iron helmets, some felt caps; some wore long surcoats, some short surcoats; some even wore antique-style ming armor, with the armor plates exposed. Some of the iron plates looked mottled with rust, the red lacquer on them nearly all flaked away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether new army or camp soldiers, once they reached their defensive line, they busily loaded their ammunition and sorted their equipment. The officers behind each low wall also patrolled back and forth, supervising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They knew that soon the Jingbian Army from the Viceroy's Personal Battalion would come to supervise the battle and inspect. These men had been cold-faced and merciless during training, let alone now in actual battle. If caught making a mistake by them, the danger of losing one's head was extremely high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, the Jingbian Army battle-supervision squad soon arrived, accompanied by some inspection-flag men from Mobile Corps Commander Gao's camp, every face stern and expression severe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, the various Ming camps did not have dedicated military police troops. The men they used for supervision and inspection were called inspection-flag men. Generally, before battle, each commander would dispatch his own retainers carrying inspection flags to patrol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Kaihui had two squads of soldiers at Jia-5: one squad to supervise the battle, and one squad to serve as a reserve. A full jia of men arrived at the first low wall. They inspected each soldier's ammunition and equipment one by one, meticulously, keeping the hearts of both new army and camp soldiers in their throats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Loud-voiced military police also shouted repeatedly, conveying the laws of combat: \"…Any who dare shrink back before the line or retreat first before the enemy shall all be beheaded! If one man retreats, behead that man; if a whole jia retreats, behead the entire jia! If every jia retreats, behead the entire squad! Up to squad commanders, troop-leading officers, and all officers, the same collective punishment applies! …If a jia leader does not retreat but his soldiers retreat, and the jia leader dies in battle, he shall receive generous posthumous compensation, but all remaining soldiers shall be beheaded. If the retreat of any jia causes the Squad Commander to die in battle, generously compensate the Squad Commander's family, and behead all jia leaders under that squad!…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The harsh words echoed in everyone's ears, and against the backdrop of the dark, dense mass of roving bandit troops pressing forward on the opposite plateau, the atmosphere seemed suffocating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the stern military police finished shouting, the soothing officers spoke in gentle but highly inflammatory tones: \"Brothers of the Qin Army, the roving bandits are coming. They have ravaged Henan and Huguang, and now they come to ravage our Shaanxi. Wherever these roving bandits pass, not a chicken or dog is left alive. If we let them enter Shaanxi, it will surely become a barren wasteland like Henan and Huguang. They will surely lead away your family's oxen, eat up your family's sheep, and abduct all your family members, just like the refugees on the opposite side. In the end, you will be forced to fill trenches and assault city walls, and after death, you won't even have a grave mound!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The camp soldiers took it in stride, but the faces of the new army soldiers showed anger—they were not so easily fooled as when the roving bandits first rose. Many already understood the nature of these roving bandits, especially the nature of the bandit chieftains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was not that they could not survive; rather, they had grown accustomed to being bandits, accustomed to a life of plunder without labor, unwilling to settle down and honestly dig the earth as farmers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Take the various bandits, great and small. Which time did the government not offer amnesty? Not grant pardons? Yet how many times have they surrendered and then rebelled again?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the first rebellion of each bandit could be somewhat excused—perhaps they truly could not survive—by the end, it was their ambition and desire at work, no longer just a matter of being unable to survive and rebelling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just like Luo Rucai openly saying he simply liked being a bandit, that being a bandit was good!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These roving bandits feigned benevolence and righteousness, parading under various slogans, but in truth, they only made those who could survive unable to survive!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Chuang bandits laughably claimed that when the Chuang King comes, you pay no grain tax. No grain tax? The roving bandit forces casually boast of a million men. How are they fed? Viceroy Sun struggles so hard just to feed his own new army. What virtue or ability does that so-called fellow countryman Li Zicheng on the opposite side possess, that he can feed so many soldiers and civilians under his rule?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He has only one method: plunder! He has already plundered Henan bare, plundered Huguang bare, and now he wants to come to Shaanxi to plunder, to shatter the hopeful little lives we have just begun to build, to bring disaster upon our families, wives, and children? We will never agree!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the soothing officers' rousing words, more and more new army soldiers' eyes blazed with raging fury. Suddenly, a high-pitched voice rang out from the plateau: \"Never let the roving bandits enter Shaanxi! Slaughter the roving bandits!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Slaughter the roving bandits!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This cry instantly sparked echoing roars from above and below the plateau. Not just at Jia-5, but along the entire twenty-li defensive line of Yuanwang Gully, all the new army warriors brandished their weapons. Their hoarse shouts, their furious roars, made even the advancing roving bandits on the opposite side pause for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the earth-shaking shouts, that high-pitched voice yelled again: \"Our Qin Army is mighty!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mighty! Mighty!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, all warriors roared with fervor. In that instant, no one was afraid anymore, and the powerful sound shook the heavens!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Open fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sharp horn blast sounded, and suddenly cannon fire erupted with a great roar. Amid the booming, great clouds of white smoke billowed up. The artillery positions at Taojiazhuang, along with other Great General Cannons elsewhere that could fire, opened up. One after another, iron cannonballs screamed out of their barrels, smashing viciously toward the opposite plateau.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, vast clouds of dust and smoke rose from that side, mud and debris flying everywhere. Some cannonballs even landed among the crowds, sending large clusters of severed limbs flying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The roving bandits on the opposite side were already densely packed. Although the terrain near the plateau edge was uneven, some cannonballs struck the terrace cliffs or the gully, but still, cannonballs continuously struck the massed crowds, knocking men and horses sprawling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially at the Taojiazhuang artillery position, where the two plateaus were only a little over a hundred paces apart. The cannons placed on the eastern gate continuously bombarded the opposite plateau, scattering the roving bandits gathered there, who fled shrieking in chaos, unable to regroup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chuanting closely watched the movements on the opposite side. The power of the cannons was not to be underestimated. Even if they were not Red Barbarian Cannons, as long as the Great General Cannonballs could hit the opposite plateau, they brought unimaginable pressure upon the roving bandits there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially out of considerations for morale and supervision, the roving bandits had placed their infantry camps at the front edge of the plateau. These men at least wore uniforms marked with their camp designations, making them regular troops. Behind them were the forests of long spears of the starving soldiers, who wore only headscarves. The cannonballs thus inflicted even greater physical damage on the roving bandits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the roving bandits were, after all, more numerous. They also reacted: the bandit soldiers at the plateau edge spread out further, using the terrain to protect themselves, while the starving soldiers behind were urged to quicken their pace, making the crowd on the opposite side spread even fuller and wider.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The opposite plateau was already crammed with a tide of people, along with dense banners and weapons—a dark, oppressive mass that visually suffocated. Suddenly, the great drums on the opposite side boomed, and all the bandit soldiers shouted in unison, the sound even drowning out the cannon fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dense swarms of bandit soldiers surged out. These bandit soldiers were all in tattered clothes, wearing only headscarves, and most carried long spears. They parted the ranks of the foot soldiers and emerged from the rear in wave after wave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They howled, they shouted, their faces filled with twisted, fanatical expressions, and charged down along the small paths between the plateaus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, the loess slope was filled with their figures, rolling down like a torrent pouring forth.\u003C\u002Fp>",2426,"2026-06-03T14:06:10.567Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","aacc6f03d37aaad25cd03b6f92793ff74a1e1fc0d8827dff752a4a9036c6ab28","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-800","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-798",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]