[{"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-879":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},1206168,1561,"Chapter 879: Troops of a True King","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-879",879,"\u003Cp>Not only Li Zicheng — every commander on the ridge at that moment, Liu Zongmin, Li Guo, Gao Yigong, Yuan Zongdi, Liu Fangliang, Liu Xiyao and the rest, were all stunned speechless. Liu Zongmin muttered, “Son of a donkey, just how much territory has this Wang Dou seized?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bewilderment flickered in Li Guo’s eyes too. He stared across at the uniform iron helmets and iron armor, a dazzling torrent of steel; the vast, vast sea of metal stung his eyes so he could barely open them. Hearing Liu Zongmin’s words, he answered without thinking, “Yes — where did Wang Dou get the money?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan gazed at the superbly lavish equipment on the opposite side, rank after rank of troops so impeccably ordered — clearly all crack soldiers — and what was more terrifying was their numbers. How many tens of thousands were already in sight? Were there still more behind Dang’er Ridge, and on the left and right flanks that the eye could hardly make out?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly everyone’s earlier estimates back in the capital had been wrong. Li Yan sighed inwardly: So this is Wang Dou’s true strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A puzzled light shone in his eyes. He says two hundred thousand and it really is two hundred thousand? Is there actually someone in this world who goes to war without inflating his numbers? And how can Xuanfu Garrison be so rich, able to support this many troops and horses, all of them first-rate armored soldiers?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Shaofan watched the opposing battle formation, watched them advance like wall after colossal wall rolling forward with the force of thunder — everywhere his eyes fell were crack troops, and so many men and horses!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flicker of panic passed through his eyes, and at the same time he could not understand. Of everyone present, he was the one who knew Wang Dou best and had always tried to estimate his strength as highly as possible, yet the explosive expansion of Wang Dou’s power still left him at a loss, a feeling of helplessness and dread rising in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Zeqing stared blankly at the opposite side. He had only a hundred-odd riders left; in this battle he was merely positioned on the two wings of the central army to provide support — dispensable. During these days since fleeing back to the capital, he had done nothing but wallow in self-pity. He should never have marched out; it had led to Changping being taken for nothing, and all the wealth and beauties he had so painstakingly plundered were utterly lost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only now did he realize that when the Jingbian Army struck him, they had not even used ten percent of their strength. At least for now he had managed to keep his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He recalled how, back in Jinan, he had been scheming with Liu Liangzuo and the others about how to raid and plunder Xuanfu and Shanxi. Thinking of it now, that notion was so laughable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Shun army’s great formation was assembling. In Li Zicheng’s battle plan, Left Battalion General Ci Marquis Liu Fangliang would lead part of the Left Battalion troops to oversee the left wing, and Front Battalion General Mian Marquis Yuan Zongdi would lead part of the Front Battalion troops to oversee the right wing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Ru Marquis Liu Zongmin, Bo Marquis Li Guo, Qi Marquis Yang Shaofan, Yi Marquis Li Yan, Huai Marquis Liu Xiyao, Yue Marquis Gao Yigong and the rest would remain with the central army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Battle had not yet been joined; all the commanders were gathered beside Li Zicheng to receive orders, and would only move to their respective positions to direct after fighting began. Watching the opposing battle formation slowly approach — grim, solemn, invincible — threads of panic and dread spread through each man’s heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zicheng stared fixedly at that torrent of steel across the way, its cold light rippling and flowing. His face turned green, then white. He was about to speak when he abruptly looked toward the direction of his formation’s right wing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Far off in that direction, a black line seemed to have appeared, then turned into a dark shadow that kept surging forward. The shadow grew larger and larger, and suddenly an unending stream of cavalry appeared before his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How many cavalry were there? A dark, crushing mass like a flood that trampled everything in its path. The flood moved faster and faster, wider and wider, until at the limit of sight there was nothing but tide-like cavalry columns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zicheng’s face turned even whiter. He gazed in that direction for a long time, then without a word rushed down the eastern slope of Dongsheng Ridge. Several hundred riders of his bodyguard, along with all the commanders on the ridge, hurriedly galloped after him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They raced to the front line, then veered right. All along the way, though their own forces were numerous, every man seemed to wear a look of dread — brought on by the Jingbian Army across from them, and by the sudden appearance of this unknown force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zicheng spurred his horse at a desperate gallop. An ordinary horse’s speed is forty to fifty li per hour, a hundred li at the utmost. Li Zicheng was now riding at the highest speed his horse could manage, twelve or thirteen meters per second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He raced to his own right wing. The formation here was extremely thick, because Li Zicheng had originally intended not only to use wheel attacks against the Jingbian Army’s left wing but also to guard against that Great Qing. Now he felt the troops on this right wing could still be reinforced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At last he reined in his horse and stood, gazing ten li to the right. The rolling cavalry columns were like a boundless ocean. Most importantly, their ranks were tight and severe, their armor and helmets gleaming. From those strict, disciplined formations came a murderous aura that struck the face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching that momentum like a steel flood, the vast cavalry arrays, their uniforms and banners distinct in varied colors yet all brilliantly clear, every man behind Li Zicheng stood dumbstruck. Was this the army of that Great Qing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zicheng watched with bitter hatred. Seeing what seemed to be a great infantry formation behind their cavalry — the combined horse and foot absolutely exceeding a hundred thousand — his face twisted and shifted, both shamed and enraged. The commanders beside him also stared blankly, frightened and embarrassed at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today’s events shattered all their conventional reasoning and imagination. Not only had the Jingbian Army’s strength exceeded their expectations, but this Great Qing was also utterly different from what they had imagined and judged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All their various assumptions, every judgment, had been completely wrong. It was as if someone was mocking them loudly with facts: they were nothing but frogs at the bottom of a well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath a yellow parasol, Dorgon sat on horseback, surrounded by a host of Qing princes and beile like stars clustering around the moon, along with court ministers, while elite Gebu Xixian soldiers were spread around them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he reached the front line, he could not wait to observe the enemy situation. The Jingbian Army’s battle formation made his expression grave, but it had not greatly exceeded his expectations. What he most wanted to see was still that Great Shun army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, under the protection of the Gebu Xixian soldiers, he rode to within a few li of the Shun army’s right wing, then raised his telescope and gazed out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He watched for a long time, from their right wing to their central army, even straining to glimpse their left wing. His expression shifted. Finally he lowered the telescope, a trace of contempt showing in his eyes. “Seeing them in person does not match their reputation. What virtue or ability do these men possess, that they could seize the splendid realm of the Southern Dynasty?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dorgon had once regarded Li Zicheng with extreme gravity. That the Great Shun Army had taken the capital so easily made him believe this man’s wisdom and courage must far surpass the ordinary, because the Qing army had besieged the capital several times without breaching it, yet Li Zicheng had broken it in a single stroke — and in just two days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, when Dorgon entered the pass, he had also worried whether the Great Shun, riding the keen edge of this victory, might have designs on their Liaodong territory. He had even strictly instructed the princes, beile, beizi, dukes and ministers upon entering the pass not to be careless or underestimate the enemy, saying: “This army must not be lightly attacked. None of you shall break ranks and rashly advance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His regard for the Shun army had reached its peak. Even when he reached Shunyi and Shahe, and his scouting riders kept skirmishing with Shun troops, the reports coming back that the Great Shun’s fighting strength was nothing special — still he remained extremely cautious. But seeing is believing, hearing is empty. Now, seeing with his own eyes, he finally felt these roving bandits truly did not live up to their fame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One worry in his heart was lifted, and Dorgon felt a sense of relief. Then doubt surged up again: “The Ming have warred with our Great Qing for decades; they are no common foe. These roving bandits are merely so-so — how could such men seize the Ming realm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Manchu and Mongol men around him naturally could not answer this question. It was the Grand Secretary Fan Wencheng who mused and said, “Fortune. The Southern Dynasty’s fortune is exhausted. I have heard that when the roving bandits took the Ming capital, it was not won by their battle strength, but by internal collaborators opening the gates. And those who opened the gates were all nobles, great eunuchs, Grand Secretaries and the like. Even the common folk throughout the capital had been longing for the roving bandits.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dorgon murmured, “Fortune.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze swept over the battle lines of the Jingbian Army and the Shun army, both vast and boundless. He said with rising fervor, “So long as we defeat Wang Dou and the roving bandits, our Great Qing’s fortune will have arrived.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He instructed those around him that the previous strategy remained unchanged — still the plan of the snipe and the clam fighting while the fisherman profits — but it could be slightly adjusted. That was, on the left wing, the side facing the roving bandits’ right wing, if necessary, they could strike first when the time came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, his own forces were so immense that the roving bandits could not possibly drop their guard. When the time came, he would let the roving bandits see that he too was contributing effort, that he and the Jingbian Army were not in league, and thus dispel their wariness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In any case, the ones attacking on this side would not be the Manchu-Mongol core; Dorgon could afford to stake that capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, before that, it would be best to send someone to express goodwill toward that Great Shun King, to temporarily blind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he was calculating, Dorgon suddenly heard a roar of cheers like a mountain cry and a sea surge coming from the Jingbian Army’s side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ten thousand victories! Ten thousand victories!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the tidal-wave cheers, Li Zicheng saw a gigantic banner appear before his eyes. The banner was immensely tall and immensely large, actually mounted on a great banner cart and pulled by four sturdy horses. A military officer stood upon the cart, clad in gleaming armor, pointing with the sword in his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then that vivid red banner, with its golden sun, moon and wave motifs, surged mightily above his head, flaunting and conspicuous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several hundred riders flanked and followed the great banner cart. They raced past the front of the Jingbian Army’s formation, and wherever they passed, cries of “Ten thousand victories” shook heaven and earth, the soldiers responding wave after wave with boundless fervor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zicheng watched, and the commanders beside him watched. They knew that the man on the cart was Wang Dou. They watched the great banner cart race along, and when it reached the point directly opposite them, the sunlight struck the golden sun-and-moon crown atop the banner pole, shooting forth golden rays so dazzling and brilliant that Li Zicheng and the others could not open their eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What a grand display.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dorgon watched, grinding his teeth. He knew that the man across the way was the greatest enemy of their Great Qing. If this man did not die, their Great Qing would surely die. But watching the tidal cheers from the opposite side, he did not know what taste it left in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The long sword slanted, the banner cart raced on, wave after wave of cheers like the tide, and suddenly from across the way rose a mighty military song, grand and majestic, sweeping across heaven and earth like a hurricane that made the heart clench — it was the ancient Central Plains army song left from the pre-Qin era: No Robe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How can you say you have no robe? I will share my robe with you. The king raises the army — I sharpen my dagger-axe and spear, and share your foe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How can you say you have no undergarment? I will share my undergarment with you. The king raises the army — I sharpen my spear and halberd, and rise together with you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How can you say you have no lower garment? I will share my lower garment with you. The king raises the army — I prepare my armor and weapons, and march together with you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They sang in unison, no one knew how many tens of thousands, the song surging forth like billows, letting all hear their fervent ardor, their hearts of shared enmity and brotherhood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zicheng and Dorgon stared blankly, listening, and both had the feeling: these are the troops of a true king.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou’s great banner cart returned to Dang’er Ridge. When that enormous sun-moon-wave banner once more appeared before everyone’s eyes, tidal cheers erupted again. Wang Dou kept one hand on his imperially bestowed sword while turning his body, raising his hand in salute to the officers and soldiers on both lines of the position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cheers grew even more fervent; formation banners waved in a sea of motion. Many were so stirred that hot tears filled their eyes. Even those standing together on the ridge — the Crown Prince Regent Zhu Cilang, Minister of War Chen Xinjia, Viceroy of Xuan-Da Ji Shiwei, Viceroy of Shaanxi Hou Xun, Shaanxi Provincial Governor Feng Shikong, Gansu Provincial Governor Lin Rirui, Ningxia Provincial Governor Li Yukui and the rest — were all so overcome with emotion they could not contain themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also Wang Dou's sons — Wang Zheng, Wang Ying, Wang Xiong, Wang Hao, and the others — watched their father with hot tears brimming in their eyes. Zhong Yiyuan, Han Hou, Han Si, Wen Wentao, Gao Dexiang, and the other Military Academy students were so stirred that their faces flushed crimson as they shouted at the top of their lungs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally Wang Dou looked toward the distant Qing army formations and the Shun army formations, a cold gleam showing in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said silently, \"Li Zicheng, Dorgon — since you've come, don't leave. All of you, die here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",2579,"2026-06-03T14:06:27.906Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","6c9c7a4a61f696d7efffa255ab136d338d9dbe9e299a80014bf3b72e72a908cd","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-880","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-878",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]