[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-late-ming":3,"chapter-late-ming-late-ming-chapter-366":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Late Ming",{"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},926726,1218,"Chapter 366: Great Victory by the River","late-ming-chapter-366",366,"\u003Cp>\"Fuck your mother's cunt, this bunch of government troops from Dengzhou is no easy fight.\" Zhang Xianzhong, his face a waxy yellow, peered out from the mountaintop — his earliest nickname, Yellow Tiger, came precisely from that sallow complexion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reading formations and watching banners was Zhang Xianzhong's method for judging an opponent's fighting strength. Though the government troops across the way had been ambushed, they showed no panic whatsoever; their banners far outnumbered his own and were arrayed with striking order.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wang'er, take two hundred from the Old Camp to oversee the battle line. Anyone who retreats, behead on the spot.\" Zhang Xianzhong spoke to a young man of seventeen or eighteen beside him. \"The foot soldiers are not to mix with those famine refugees. Let them charge the front. If they fall back, the infantry kill them. If the infantry fall back, the Old Camp kills them. If the Old Camp falls back, you kill them. You must break that formation by the river for me. Don't worry about the ones across the river.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the man looked very young, he showed not the slightest tension on the battlefield. Bellowing a loud acknowledgment, he led the several mounted soldiers behind him charging down the southern slope, where hundreds of cavalry were arrayed in formation. The roving bandits' manpower organization was chaotic, their origins all different. Generally, fifty men formed a squad, above which were sentries and battalions, but actual numbers varied wildly — all led by whatever chieftain had brought them when they joined, counted however many there were. If those chieftains decided to leave, they took their troops with them, gathering and scattering unpredictably, so the roving bandit leaders often had no idea how many men they actually had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Wang'er was called Sun Kewang. He had followed Zhang Xianzhong since Shaanxi and was the adopted son of the Eight Great Kings, so he was also called Zhang Kewang. Young as he was, he showed no hesitation in battle or killing. His temperament was youthful yet seasoned, and he greatly pleased Zhang Xianzhong, often helping him command the Old Camp cavalry to break enemy lines. He gave some directions before the formation, and soon two hundred riders followed him out, arriving behind the infantry battle line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over twenty thousand famine refugees and foot soldiers blanketed the southern bank of the Huan River. Interspersed among them were banners of varying sizes, all belonging to squad leaders among the roving bandits. These men were generally veteran bandits; the bandit chiefs controlled the vast refugee masses through them. A battle of this scale was a first for Chen Xin. But for the Eight Great Kings and his ilk, it was commonplace. The tide of humanity slowly advanced. They had no formation, but their advantage lay in numbers, and a battle array naturally took shape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Beat the drums!\" Zhang Xianzhong was utterly composed on the battlefield. He knew perfectly well that the refugees fought on nothing but a surge of brute ferocity. He had originally been heading for the prefectural seat of Lu'an, where the surrounding terrain was flat, intending to see if any other large bandit camps were nearby to join forces and attack Lu'an together. Midway, he heard that Cao Wenzhao had reached Licheng. Not daring to continue toward Lu'an, he immediately turned back to Pingshun, crossed Mount Longlü from Pingshun into Lin County. During that forced march, two to three thousand of the coerced refugees had scattered and fallen behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Eight Great Kings never felt the slightest pity for these refugees. He had his own method for managing them, the key being never to let them eat their fill — only when hungry would they fight with vicious desperation. All he needed was for them to charge and exhaust the Ming army's firearms and arrows, covering the foot soldiers until they closed in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for this inexplicable bunch of Dengzhou troops before him, he had no impression of them. When Sweeping Earth King and Little Girl introduced them, they said they had some reputation. Little Girl claimed these government troops were formidable, yet also said they were no match for the Eight Great Kings. Over the years, he had fought plenty of Ming troops with reputations. They were all elite Nine Border Garrison forces anyway — Shandong wasn't even counted among the Nine Borders. Though they were said to be fierce against the Tatars, the Eight Great Kings had never seen a Tatar either, so he had no way to draw any comparison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other large roving bandit bands around him also sounded their great drums simultaneously. The vast human carpet advanced toward the Ming army formation a mile and a half away. The squad leaders and veteran bandits among the roving bandits roared in unison: \"Kill the dog government troops and there'll be grain to eat! One soldier's head earns one sheng of grain! Two heads and you rise to the foot soldiers! Seize a horse and become a squad leader…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The frenzied howls of the roving bandits shook heaven and earth. Their eyes were bloodshot. So long as they slew government troops, they could seize provisions in the plunder to keep their families alive. Battle was their passage to survival. Living perpetually on the edge of life and death, this group had long since shed any moral sense. All they needed was to survive. Every day around them, slaughter and cannibalism occurred, making them indifferent both to the deaths of others and to their own lives. Especially in the collective frenzy and madness, they felt no fear for a moment — every man seemed to believe himself a war god descended, killing government troops to fight for his own life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ming army's formation, by contrast, was utterly silent. The Second Thousand-Regiment Headquarters' long spears stood like a forest, their ranks stern and imposing. At the center of the great formation were two four-pounder cannons; on each wing, two eight-pounder cannons. Behind the wings was the cavalry — one company on the left wing, two companies on the right. Geng Zhongming's hundred retainers reinforced the left wing, while the First Regiment's heavy weapons banner unit reinforced the right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Third Regiment was forming up a hundred paces behind the Second Regiment. Their speed far exceeded Zhang Xianzhong's expectations. After crossing the river in six columns, they deployed into position with a single turn — rigorous formation drill had achieved highly efficient deployment speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Fourth Zhong's position was between the Second and Third Companies. His Second Regiment deployed in a slightly curved formation to better protect the flanks. Watching those frenzied refugees now, he too felt some alarm. Zhu Daichun spurred his horse over and shouted to Old Fourth Zhong: \"Hold the first wave. Once their madness passes, they'll know fear. The entire front line is under your command — including the cavalry and the Third Regiment.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Fourth Zhong nodded. Zhu Daichun dispatched relay riders to notify each directly subordinate unit, then led his personal guards galloping back toward the ford to convey orders to the Third Regiment's commander, before taking over command of the First Regiment as it crossed the river.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fighting me to the death? I fought my way here step by step.\" Old Fourth Zhong cursed, then told the relay rider: \"Have the Third Regiment's two company detachment units assemble on the front line's two flanks, forming two ranks at an oblique angle.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The operations staff officer beside him asked quietly: \"Deputy Battalion Commander, you think about using the detachment units as skirmishers every day — shall we try it today?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No. They don't even have bows and arrows.\" Old Fourth Zhong shook his head. \"Have the artillery cease fire. Don't scare them off. Load canister and stand by. Right — I don't have a flag for commanding the heavy weapons banner unit. You go over there and tell that banner unit commander: when the roving bandits enter seventy paces, fire a volley together on the bugle signal.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The staff officer was taken aback. \"Deputy Battalion Commander, sir, those fire arrows are most lethal at a hundred paces. The artillery has its own firing regulations — how many rounds of solid shot at what distance…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The regulations don't say you can't stop. As for those fire arrows, tell him to aim diagonally toward the center — that'll make it a hundred paces.\" Old Fourth Zhong waved his hand dismissively. His entire aim was to concentrate all firepower at the same moment and shatter the roving bandits' frenzy. How many were killed was secondary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Third Regiment's four detachment units began to move, the roving bandits entered one li. The six cannons opened fire simultaneously. Iron shot streaked across the low, flat ground, bouncing on the dry earth of the southern bank, pulverizing every living thing in their path, tearing bloody channels of flesh through the carpet of human bodies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The roving bandits surged forward in an arc, their battle line extremely broad. Compared to the number of twenty thousand, the carnage the cannons inflicted was far from enough to halt the refugees' advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Kill the government troops!!\" \"Kill the government troops!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heaven-shaking battle cries rang out. The frenzied refugees brandished crude weapons and farming tools, their eyes bloodshot as they charged the government troops. They had no banner signals to direct them. Facing the government troops' cannon fire, they began their full-force charge from a li away, as if their bodies held inexhaustible strength. They did not know that what they faced was an army even more terrifying than Cao Wenzhao's.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The six cannons fired at an unhurried pace, ceasing when the distance reached two hundred paces. The entire Dengzhou Garrison formation was silent, only the fluttering whoosh of multicolored banners. The space between heaven and earth was filled with the countless roving bandits' war cries. The gunpowder smoke from the cannon fire dispersed with the wind, leaving only faint traces before the formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The front-rank deputy battalion commander's signal flag waved. A short bugle blast sounded. The front-rank detachment units leveled their guns. The square formation troops' standard command drum and bugle signals consisted only of the brass bugle and the foot drum. The brass fife was used during marching and when closing with the enemy, solely to regulate the soldiers' nerves — it had no command function. Simplifying the command system was also part of Chen Xin's army-building assembly line. The brass bugle's overtones served multiple purposes; different rhythms and combinations could issue different orders. This short note had the same rhythm as the original \"spread out\" call. The musketeers were to prepare to fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u002F>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surging human tide slowed somewhat. They had begun their charge too early. At first they had relied on a surge of brute ferocity, but now their stamina was already flagging. Watching from across the river, Chen Xin laughed inwardly. The roving bandits' fighting strength was simply too low, their equipment even worse — many did not even have clothes. By now, the First Regiment had finished crossing the river. Zhu Daichun personally commanded this thousand-regiment headquarters composed of veterans, serving as the front line's reserve force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no more room on the riverbank to deploy troops. The Guards Battalion's thousand-regiment headquarters and Geng Zhongming's five hundred battalion soldiers had no choice but to remain on the northern bank. This was the Dengzhou Garrison's deployment — just over three thousand men facing more than twenty thousand roving bandits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet not even Lü Zhi thought the roving bandits would win. He had previously studied the Nine Border Garrisons' battle records against the Jianzhou Bandits, then compared the Dengzhou Garrison with the roving bandits, and concluded a ranking: Dengzhou Garrison first, roving bandits at the very bottom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stroked his clean-shaven chin and smiled at Chen Xin: \"Lord Chen, I too wish to see that roving bandit chieftain. Let us cross the river first.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xin bowed. \"War is perilous. I must ask Your Lordship to remain on the northern bank and exercise overall command.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lü Zhi threw his head back in laughter, spurring his horse into the water first. Chen Xin had no choice but to follow behind and cross. Just as they climbed onto the riverbank, a bugle call mimicking the sound of a swan rang out ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The silence of the Dengzhou army's battle line was shattered in an instant by the roar of fierce gunfire, punctuated by the bellow of cannons. Over five hundred flintlock guns in the front rank fired together, while the six cannons spewed seven hundred canister shot pellets. The surging human tide of roving bandits seemed to crash suddenly into an invisible wall, splashing up countless blossoms of blood. Over three hundred roving bandits toppled simultaneously, their war cries turning in an instant to wails of agony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The deafening roar was like a sudden thunderclap. The dazzling flames were too dense to count, instantly shattering the roving bandits' frenzy to pieces. Even Zhang Xianzhong on the mountaintop was so startled he nearly fell from his horse. He had never imagined such a ferocious display of firepower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fuck your mother's cunt, I'm going to take a loss today.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Xianzhong cursed reflexively. Before he could even react, flames flashed in succession on the Ming army's left wing. The Ming heavy weapons banner unit's fifteen frame-mounted fire carts released all at once. Sparks flew from the wooden frames of the fire carts. Countless flames streaked forth with shrill screams, aimed at the left-of-center of the roving bandits. Dense layers of white trails slashed across, blanketing the entire left wing of the battlefield in white smoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fire arrow barrage grew denser and denser, the shrieks merging into one continuous sound. Many rockets left their tubes simultaneously. Four thousand five hundred fire arrows, like a sudden meteor shower, traced parabolic arcs across the battlefield and plunged into the roving bandits' massed ranks. The fire arrows' lethality was even greater at a hundred paces than at close range. Those unprotected roving bandits collapsed in swaths under the fire arrow assault. From the mountaintop, Zhang Xianzhong could see the figures of roving bandits in that sector thinning at a visibly discernible speed, before being swallowed in a pall of white smoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The momentum of the great refugee horde had long since been vaporized by this earth-shattering volley. Blood-courage reverted to cowardice. The untrained refugees scattered in all directions like headless flies. On the ground, countless wounded roving bandits rolled and wailed in agony — a vision of hell itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cannons on both wings were still firing canister. The heavy weapons banner unit's breech-loading cannons fired even faster. Old Fourth Zhong did not issue the signal for the detachment units to fall back. The deputy battalion commander organized the front rank for another volley. This volley utterly routed the roving bandits. The great roving bandit horde collapsed from the center, then rapidly spread to both wings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The roving bandits fled even faster than they had come. The foot soldiers arrayed at the rear to hold the line were no better than the refugees — they were really just refugees with weapons. Some had experienced one or two battles, but compared to the scene before them, those experiences were worthless. They too had been struck by the fire arrows and cannon fire, so it was no surprise that they also collapsed. The panicked cries of over ten thousand people still shook heaven and earth. Amid the surging mass of heads, they fought and scrambled to flee. The ground was littered with clubs, weapons, and farming tools. Countless people were knocked down and trampled to death. Faced with such a rout, the cavalry behind the line no longer dared to enforce discipline. They retreated all the way south. The great banners of Zhang Xianzhong and the other chieftains also vanished from the mountaintop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"General Chen, it's time to pursue, is it not?\" Lü Zhi was smug. He had, after all, only been ashore for a short while — the cigarette the young eunuch had handed him wasn't even finished yet, and the roving bandits had already collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Lordship is truly Sun Wu reborn. Your timing of the pursuit is flawless.\" Chen Xin casually offered a bit of flattery. He was in a good mood himself. He had finally witnessed the fireworks display of the heavy weapons banner unit. A man's love for weapons is always deep-rooted, especially when the weapon possesses such aesthetic appeal. Still, this victory had only slaughtered a mass of refugees; the roving bandits' elite were completely untouched. In between were all those fleeing refugees. Unless Chen Xin could fly over, he could only watch the cavalry flee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lü Zhi, slightly anxious, said: \"General Chen, you really should take personal command. I fear those officers are still somewhat lacking.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xin smiled reassuringly. \"Officers are all forged through experience. They are not lacking. Your Lordship, look.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lü Zhi looked in the direction Chen Xin pointed. The front-rank detachment units had already begun the pursuit. The Third Regiment's great formation began advancing. The cavalry on both wings had also launched their assault. Then came the First Regiment behind them — they advanced rapidly from both flanks in company units, then deployed into horizontal lines as they closed on the roving bandits, demonstrating the flexibility of the Mandarin Duck formation. The commands of both Old Fourth Zhong and Zhu Daichun were very sound, and their reactions swift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh? The musketeers have all charged to the very front. General Chen's troops are indeed superbly drilled.\" Lü Zhi peered around through the telescope Chen Xin had given him. Seeing those detachment units sprinting at the very forefront, he could not help but sigh in admiration. In truth, he was already thinking about how to write the victory report so it could be delivered to the Emperor at the earliest moment — though of course he would have to wait and see in the end whether any big fish were caught.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xin ran over to Wang Mafu and quietly instructed him: \"Have all the cavalry pursue the Eight Great Kings. Ignore everything else. But don't overextend — guard against ambushes. Also, go tell Zhu Daichun to chase those foot soldiers and keep hitting them. Take few prisoners. Drive them south. Don't let them return to camp to retrieve their things. I want everything in their camp.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Understood, sir. I also wish to go pursue and kill the roving bandits,\" Wang Mafu said cautiously, unsure whether Chen Xin would agree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To his surprise, Chen Xin was very curt. \"No. After you deliver the orders, take the remaining thirty Central Army scout riders and head straight to the roving bandits' camp. Before Army Supervisor Lü arrives, hide away the valuables.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Mafu had no choice but to accept the order and leave. He had been with the army all along, but recently serving as Chen Xin's adjutant, he had little chance to fight on the front lines. His authority, however, had grown greater and greater. Sometimes when he went to deliver orders, the battalion commanders' eyes held a certain odd look. He knew perfectly well what it meant, so whenever an opportunity arose, he still hoped to earn some military merit. This time, it was not to be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gazing at the spectacular sight of twenty thousand men fleeing across the hills and fields before him, Chen Xin found it immensely pleasing to the eye. After this battle, the roving bandits would surely know the name of Dengzhou Garrison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"General Chen.\" Lü Zhi suddenly spoke again. \"So many people — they can't all be killed in a short time. We are bound to capture many prisoners this time. I wonder how General Chen plans to deal with them?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I await Your Lordship's guidance.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lü Zhi sighed softly. \"I was thinking, Heaven values the virtue of cherishing life. Killing too many harms the harmony of Heaven. Why don't we… hand them all over to that Lu Xiangsheng?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xin knew that Lü Zhi himself dared not kill them. Hong Chengchou could kill as many as he wanted, because he was a civil official. Chen Xin was a military officer, and with Lü Zhi, a eunuch, added to the mix — if they killed too many prisoners, they would surely be drowned in the spittle of the censors. Yet he did not want to keep them and waste military rations. He wanted to hand them over to King Lu of Hell to deal with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xin's eyes darted. \"Your Lordship, Circuit Intendant Lu is still far away and likely cannot arrive for some time. Vice Regional Commander Zuo, however, is nearby. We could give the prisoners to him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That will do as well.\" Lü Zhi agreed readily, so long as they didn't have to bring the prisoners along. He gave his horse a whip across the rump. \"General Chen, let us go have a look at the roving bandits' camp. Don't let them carry off the goods.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xin stared blankly for a moment at Lü Zhi's retreating back as he galloped off, and murmured, \"Huh, truly Sun Wu reborn — he didn't forget even this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",3538,"2026-06-03T06:47:03.964Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","7070387d952241d654f448d728b0722d801f65c332b5a787eb2c878e37ef532a","late-ming-chapter-367","late-ming-chapter-365",580,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flate-ming-cover.jpg"]