[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-stealing-ming":3,"chapter-stealing-ming-stealing-ming-chapter-106":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Stealing 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},1220723,1614,"Chapter 106: Section 14: Morale","stealing-ming-chapter-106",106,"\u003Cp>\"The news that the Jian slaves are marching south has been confirmed. The Dongjiang headquarters has also sent men to notify them, but the message won't arrive for several days. The only reinforcements Lüshun can count on are us, from Changsheng Island, and the Firefighting Battalion.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi convened an emergency military council. The first defense of Lüshun had been a great victory for the Liaodong Ming army, and the subsequent battle at Lüshun's North Mountain had also involved over ten thousand men — and the Ming army had won a field battle. If he didn't seize this chance to temper his troops, he wouldn't be Huang Shi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Huang Shi set the tone right from the start: \"My Firefighting Battalion and Lüshun's Gangfeng and Xuanfeng Battalions are all part of the Dongjiang Army. We cannot sit by and watch our comrades in danger and do nothing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My lord sees clearly, but our army lacks sufficient weapons,\" Zhao Manxiong, though only twenty years old, was heavy with caution. As Huang Shi's senior Company Commander, he was the first to voice opposition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Baodao, a year younger than him, was an entirely different sort of man: \"Company Commander Zhao's words are mistaken — this is simply fearing the enemy like a tiger! Hmm, Company Commander Yang, how many weapons does our army have?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi shook his head and also turned his gaze toward Yang Zhiyuan. Yang Zhiyuan, the Company Commander in charge of the armory, first shot He Baodao a sideways glare, then reported from memory as if reciting his own family treasures: \"Fifteen iron bows, one hundred twenty-four suits of armor, sixty-one iron spears, four hundred fifty iron-tipped wooden pikes, long sabers…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he finished, Zhao Manxiong wore a faintly smug expression. He Baodao spoke again: \"My lord, your humble officer is willing to lead a hundred picked men to reinforce Lüshun.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No.\" Huang Shi declared in a ringing voice: \"We will send four hundred men. I will lead them personally. Company Commander He, Company Commander Jin, and Deng Ken will accompany me. Company Commander Zhao and Company Commander Yang will remain to guard the old camp on Changsheng Island.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My lord sees clearly!\" He Baodao bellowed, his voice like thunder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My lord sees clearly.\" Zhao Manxiong still refused to give up: \"Armor is insufficient, and the wooden pikes are meant for training. Your humble officer fears there will be heavy casualties.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"An army with the will to fight can defeat the Jian slaves even with wooden pikes.\" Huang Shi quoted Deng Ken's words — a true army is forged in battle, not raised in comfort. If soldiers have no real combat experience, then even if every man is armed to the teeth, they may still be useless. \"It is time to let the lads see blood. This general's mind is made up. Company Commander Zhao, say no more.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Large numbers of soldiers were already privately discussing Deng Ken, the Taixi prophet. Huang Shi had secretly told him long ago that this was inside information. Deng Ken had put on a mystical act, observing the starry sky for half the night, and in early March had vaguely predicted this very campaign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before setting out, Huang Shi conferred with Deng Ken once more. In the end, Deng Ken devised yet another bizarre ritual. The officers originally had little interest in this prayer work, but seeing that Huang Shi and Jin Qiude were both deeply devout, they reluctantly stood by and watched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The successive catastrophic defeats in Liaodong had dealt a considerable blow to the appeal of the Earth God, the Bodhisattva, and the Supreme Lord Lao. Huang Shi was determined to re-establish an image of boundless divine power. The power of religion in this era was not to be underestimated; he felt this was absolutely on the level of a spiritual nuclear weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ritual, carefully designed by Deng Ken, did indeed possess a certain infectious power. After this solemn and reverent prayer ceremony was completed, some soldiers who had originally worn indifferent expressions became somewhat stirred. Seeing that everyone now had a bit of interest, Deng Ken shouted at the top of his lungs: \"The glory of the Lord will surely shine upon the devout General Huang. This time, General Huang will certainly return with honor and victory. Whether in defense or on the attack, the Jian slaves will suffer shameful defeat!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soldiers were all half-believing, half-doubting, and most of the officers wore expressions of outright skepticism. Only Huang Shi and Jin Qiude cheerfully declared that they would surely add luster to the Lord and prove that the warriors of the Lord were invincible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before leaving, Huang Shi also assigned some tasks to Bao Jiusun, telling him that for now, his main energy should still be focused on fishing and hunting; farming was only the third priority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bao Jiusun suggested raising ducks, on the grounds that they could produce duck eggs to eat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wouldn't raising chickens be better? Chickens eat less than ducks and lay more eggs.\" Huang Shi remembered that ducks liked to run around everywhere. From the perspective of energy conservation, raising chickens was still more efficient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My lord is right, but raising chickens consumes quite a bit of manpower, and what chickens eat conflicts with the soldiers' food.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And ducks don't conflict?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My lord sees clearly — we let the ducks out and let them find their own food.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let them out where? To eat what?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let them out to the seashore to eat fish and shrimp.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seashore was teeming with fish and shrimp; there simply weren't enough men to net them all, nor could there ever be enough men to scoop up every last fish and shrimp. In this way, the ducks would be like a batch of soldiers engaged in fishing, and the duck eggs they provided would be essentially free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Large numbers of soldiers began digging wild vegetables. By March, nearly twenty thousand mu of land had been cleared and prepared, all planted with corn and peanuts. Bao Jiusun told Huang Shi that corn and peanuts had different root depths, so planting them together caused no conflict — one mu of land could thus be used as two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having settled matters at the home base, Huang Shi selected five hundred soldiers and set out. Besides those one hundred old subordinates who had already been on the battlefield, he also brought over four hundred model soldiers who had repeatedly earned medals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Firefighting Battalion arrived at Lüshun even earlier than the main Later Jin force. The Later Jin vanguard was currently circling Lüshun Fort conducting reconnaissance while awaiting the arrival of reinforcements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Dongjiang Mobile Corps Commander and Lüshun Regional Military Commissioner did not wear his black-gauze official robes to greet Huang Shi this time. Zhang Pan, fully clad in military attire, personally waited at the harbor for Huang Shi's boat. As the small boat slowly approached the shore, his greeting rang out: \"General Huang, have you been well since we last parted?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I've troubled General Zhang to be concerned about me,\" Huang Shi nimbly leaped from the small boat onto the shore and walked shoulder to shoulder with Zhang Pan. \"What is the enemy situation now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The forests around Lüshun have been completely felled. The Jian slaves are now behind North Mountain, building siege equipment.\" Since taking up his post at Lüshun, Zhang Pan had also committed crimes that would make Greenpeace activists gnash their teeth. Adhering to the principle of cutting what could be cut and burning what couldn't be cut clean, he had swept away all vegetation around Lüshun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This meant that if the Later Jin army wanted to construct encampments, observation towers, or scaling ladders, they would have to start work several dozen li away. This not only greatly increased the burden of transport but also gave the Ming army more early warning time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"General Huang is truly a man of the highest righteousness.\" Zhang Pan suddenly blurted out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Huang Shi's ears were nearly calloused from hearing this phrase, the abrupt praise still made him pause for a moment: \"General Zhang flatters me. You and I both serve under Lord Mao's command; coming to reinforce you is simply my duty.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the Battle of Sarhu, the Ming army had never once successfully defended a city. By now, Ming generals and officers all regarded the posts of Regional Commander and Vice Regional Commander beyond the passes as death sentences. A general like Huang Shi, who was wholeheartedly determined to go beyond the passes, naturally shone with dazzling brilliance. He knew even more clearly that Lüshun would face alarm but no real danger this time, and he was fully intent on using this chance to train his troops, so he felt almost no psychological pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zhang Pan did not see it that way at all. His impression of Huang Shi was exceedingly good, and when he saw the equipment of Huang Shi's subordinates, he inwardly praised him even more. Pointing at Huang Shi's soldiers with wooden pikes, he laughed and said: \"General Huang heard that Lüshun was in danger and personally brought these soldiers to aid me, Zhang. If our positions were reversed, Zhang could never do such a thing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Ming army's last bridgehead in Liaodong, Lüshun had, since the fall of Guangning, continuously absorbed the equipment of Ming troops fleeing south for over a year. The Lüshun fort armory now held a considerable reserve; armor and weapons for several hundred men were still available.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The last time General Huang passed through Lüshun, you left behind the equipment and horses for over a hundred cavalrymen. Today, Zhang returns them to their original owner. Furthermore, Zhang is willing to present a batch of equipment to General Huang as a small token of gratitude.\" Zhang Pan told Huang Shi to seize the time to drill his old cavalry unit — after all, they had been without horses to ride for nearly a year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In that case, my thanks to General Zhang.\" Huang Shi did not decline. Truly, good deeds bring good rewards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Pan smiled faintly: \"General Huang speaks too heavily. Now is the time when you and I stand side by side to resist the enemy. All this thanking back and forth is too formal.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lüshun Regional Military Commissioner Zhang Pan was also a man who had risen to Mobile Corps Commander at just over twenty years of age. That he could climb from a common soldier to this position in such a short time was by no means solely because he was a trusted confidant who had followed Mao Wenlong across the sea. Huang Shi's willingness to brave danger and come to his aid had already deeply moved him. With a powerful enemy before them, Zhang Pan also wanted to arm every soldier as best he could. Otherwise, if Lüshun Fort were breached, all the stores would belong to the Jian slaves, and his life would be forfeit as well — Zhang Pan could still calculate that ledger clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lüshun currently had two battalions on its roster, roughly 3,500 soldiers, of whom 1,200 were combat troops and 2,300 were support troops. When Huang Shi led his five hundred men into the fort, every Ming officer and soldier they saw shouted hearty cheers at them. The Ming army's experience of repeated defeats seemed to have no effect whatsoever on these soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three thousand-plus Ming soldiers were all polishing their spears and sharpening their blades, as if they could hardly wait for the Later Jin army to arrive immediately. When Zhang Pan had selected his soldiers, he had deliberately kept all those who had personal grudges against the Later Jin and sent large numbers of ordinary civilians to the rear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Later Jin's successive victories in Liaodong had not cowed the Ming troops here; instead, they had ignited their fierce courage. Upon hearing that the Later Jin was marching south in force, the Ming soldiers inside Lüshun Fort grew increasingly excited, simply waiting to exact a blood debt from their mortal enemies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having passed the test of chiseling ice through the harsh winter, Huang Shi's men had always maintained high morale, which made Huang Shi's officers very proud. Seeing the fervent scene at Lüshun, Jin Qiude said to Huang Shi with some dejection: \"My lord, Lüshun's morale is no less than our army's.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The art of war says: guest armies do not place themselves at the vanguard in march, nor at the center in formation. That our unit's morale can match Lüshun's should make you proud.\" After all, a guest army is not like the main army defending its own base, so it is a consensus in military science that a guest army's morale cannot compare to the main army's. Thus, whether in defense or on the attack, guest armies are mostly used as reserves or for flank protection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Moreover, every soldier in this Lüshun army has a personal vendetta against the Later Jin. That is even more beyond what our unit can compare to.\" Huang Shi did not intend to rely entirely on hatred to sustain morale. He personally believed that such a thing could not last long and could easily make soldiers irrational. Since he had time and conditions that Zhang Pan lacked, Huang Shi wanted his army's morale to be built on discipline, faith in victory, and the power of religion.\u003C\u002Fp>",2237,"2026-06-04T07:54:30.907Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","6c65d813caae129c6f4b374153e783b88315faa5b34fa7c4ab613c31d9810109","stealing-ming-chapter-107","stealing-ming-chapter-105",323,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstealing-ming-cover.jpg"]