[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-stealing-ming":3,"chapter-stealing-ming-stealing-ming-chapter-246":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},1220863,1614,"Chapter 246: Section Three: Cavalry Battle","stealing-ming-chapter-246",246,"\u003Cp>When Hong Antong returned, he saw Huang Shi drinking. This was mainly because Huang Shi was inwardly bitter and aggrieved. He felt that in terms of stature, looks, bearing, and etiquette, he had no glaring faults, yet he had been rejected so bluntly, losing to a rival the woman had never even met. This made Huang Shi feel he had greatly lost face, and he also felt some regret — the staff officers he had now only understood warfare; if Li Yunrui were here, he could certainly have given him some thorough advice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Huang Shi drinking, Hong Antong could not help but shoo everyone else out. He stepped forward and said, \"My lord, you alone bear the safety of Liaodong upon your shoulders. How can you abandon yourself to despair and indulge in the pleasures of the cup over a mere woman?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Abandon myself to despair? Indulge in the pleasures of the cup? Who? Are you talking about me?\" Huang Shi shot back a string of astonished questions. Although he was indeed drinking at the moment, the rice wine was not strong, and besides, he had only ordered one cup to sip slowly and ease his gloom. He had no intention of downing an entire jug, nor even any plan to pour a second cup. Though today he was a bit worse than his usual total abstinence, Huang Shi felt he was still far from being a drunkard. Having such a heavy charge slapped on him by Hong Antong left him utterly stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that Huang Shi would not accept his remonstrance, Hong Antong hastily stepped back again. \"This subordinate dares to beg my lord not to be beguiled by feminine charms and set aside the safety of his officers and soldiers.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Enough,\" Huang Shi cut him off impatiently. He drained the remaining wine in his cup in one gulp, then tossed the cup at Hong Antong's feet. \"Take it away. I will drink only this one cup today, and absolutely not a single sip more.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A trace of delight showing on his face, Hong Antong picked up the wine bowl. Before withdrawing, he did not forget to say one last thing to Huang Shi: \"This too is but the foolish loyalty of a hound and horse from this subordinate. That my lord follows good counsel as swiftly as a stream flows down is a great blessing for the officers and soldiers, and a great blessing for this subordinate.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mm.\" Huang Shi let Hong Antong claim all the credit for himself. He grunted weakly, then unfastened his armor, lay down facing the wall, and after a while fell asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He slept until he was woken again by the duty officer of the Internal Guard. Huang Shi opened his eyes groggily. The window was still pitch black. His heart jolted in alarm, and he flipped over and sprang up in one motion. But he heard no clamor of men and horses, which at once set his suspended heart at ease. In a deep voice, he ordered the Internal Guard outside to open the door and come in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was indeed not a night raid by the Later Jin army. They were, after all, still human and not actual wild boar hides; in the depths of a northeastern winter, groping across the ice in the dark to launch a night raid — such a feat was still beyond the Later Jin army. It was actually Zhang Minghe who had come seeking an urgent audience, and the Internal Guard officer outside had let him in. Huang Shi sat on the heated brick bed rubbing his eyes while telling Zhang Minghe to sit down and speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Assistant Regional Commander Yao and the others have gone in pursuit!\" The moment Zhang Minghe spoke this first sentence, Huang Shi, who had not yet fully woken, leaped straight off the bed, staring blankly as he told Zhang Minghe to explain clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Battle of Juehua, the Later Jin army had lost several thousand men, yet they had barely touched a single hair of the Ming army. So ever since the Juehua defensive battle ended, Yao Yuxian and the others had felt the Later Jin army was nothing special, and had been pestering Huang Shi day after day to find an opportunity to raid their camp. The ability to cross over ten li of ice to raid a camp — the Later Jin army did not have it, and neither did Huang Shi, so Huang Shi had unceremoniously vetoed all such proposals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, when Huang Shi said the Later Jin army might withdraw, Assistant Regional Commander Yao and the others began lobbying Huang Shi to pursue. But Huang Shi did not dare take three thousand men to chase a Later Jin army of at least twelve thousand armored soldiers, because he estimated that the Later Jin rear guard would be at least one banner. If his own infantry main force were tied down by the Later Jin rear guard, the Later Jin main army could simply wheel around and devour him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By yesterday afternoon, the Later Jin army had already shown signs of withdrawing. Huang Shi strictly forbade any unauthorized sortie. Though Assistant Regional Commander Yao and the others watched with itching hearts, they dared not go off on their own to pursue. After nightfall, the Later Jin rear guard also began lighting fires and withdrawing. Assistant Regional Commander Hu and Assistant Regional Commander Jin finally could not hold back any longer and decided to use the Juehua forces to pursue on their own, without notifying Huang Shi. Although Assistant Regional Commander Yao did not agree, he also promised not to report it to Huang Shi in advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi's standing in Juehua had originally come from the sense of crisis in the face of a great foe. Now that this sense of crisis had dissipated, as Vice Regional Commander of Dongjiang he naturally could no longer control the Guan-Ning army. The movements of these four battalions of the Guan-Ning army were concealed by the darkness of night. The Dongjiang army here had no prior inkling, and it was only when the Guan-Ning army's vanguard units began noisily lighting fires to march out of camp that the Dongjiang army's Internal Guard sensed something was amiss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the sky was so dark that the Changsheng Island Internal Guard unit did not know for certain what was happening. The men sent to inquire received only ambiguous answers. Before Zhang Minghe rushed over, they still had not figured out whether this was a normal troop movement, and so they had not woken Huang Shi or Hong Antong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason Zhang Minghe understood was that he had been tricked: \"...Assistant Regional Commander Hu said he wanted to borrow this humble officer's firelocks to have a look. At the time, this humble officer was plied with drink and agreed in one breath, and as a result they made off with this humble officer's three hundred firelocks...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dongjiang Mobile Corps Commander Zhang Minghe, as the commander of the Vanguard Battalion, was the only person in Huang Shi's system who could command several companies. Of the seven companies that came to Juehua this time, two were infantry companies of the Vanguard Battalion. To prevent others from making snide remarks, Huang Shi normally always had Zhang Minghe set up a separate camp, lest some censor impeach him for swallowing up allied troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Minghe's two infantry companies had three hundred firelock soldiers. Hu Yining and the others had gone to Zhang Minghe's camp the previous night, plied him with drink until he was drunk, then borrowed all his firelocks, and afterwards invited him to join them in pursuing the Later Jin army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although others still considered Zhang Minghe not to be part of Huang Shi's inner circle, he himself clearly did not see it that way. The invitation from Assistant Regional Commander Hu and the others instantly scared Zhang Minghe sober. He desperately tried to get back the firelocks Huang Shi had issued to him. Zhang Minghe's attempt naturally failed, but Assistant Regional Commander Hu's attempt to drag him into the mire also failed. Zhang Minghe strictly ordered his eight hundred soldiers not to take a single step out of the camp gate, and then hurriedly came to find Huang Shi to report the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You say Yao Yuxian did not take part?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes. This humble officer also heard Hu Yining cursing and grumbling. He said Assistant Regional Commander Yao had taken the lion's share of the credit, and this time if they went after the Jian slaves and got any heads, they would absolutely not share any with Assistant Regional Commander Yao.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mm, very well.\" Huang Shi did not further reprimand Zhang Minghe. Since the matter had already occurred, he had to think about how to salvage the situation next. Although Zhang Minghe had privately lent weapons to others, he was not muddled when it came to major matters of right and wrong. Moreover, Zhang Minghe was the first person to voluntarily come and join the Changsheng army. As long as he made no grave errors, Huang Shi had to protect this standard-bearer no matter what.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Get up.\" Seeing Zhang Minghe kneeling on the ground, so terrified that his head was covered in sweat, Huang Shi even handed him a towel. Huang Shi paced several circles in the room, then pushed open the window, braving the cold wind to look at the pitch-black eastern sky. \"In the cold night, I simply cannot stop them. I can only wait until daybreak to go after them. I hope it will still be in time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi told Zhang Minghe to hurry back and get a good sleep, and to prepare to marshal the troops and set out at daybreak. After seeing Zhang Minghe off, Huang Shi planned to take advantage of the fact that there was still over a double-hour until dawn to sleep a bit more first. Unexpectedly, just as he burrowed into his bedding and sighed comfortably, the guards brought in the frantic Zhao Yin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as the exasperated Zhao Yin was ushered in, he demanded bluntly, \"Military Commander Huang, Jin Guan and Hu Yining have led two battalions of troops off on their own to pursue the Jian slaves. This humble officer ventures to ask Military Commander Huang what he thinks the outcome will be?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That Zhao Yin's information was so well-informed greatly startled Huang Shi. \"Sir Zhao, how did you learn of this matter?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yin's eldest brother-in-law was a clerk in Jin Guan's battalion. After this Battle of Juehua, many civil officials felt that Huang Shi was nothing special after all. Zhao Yin, on the contrary, had completely changed his view of Huang Shi and had become particularly superstitious about Huang Shi's judgments. Upon hearing that Jin Guan was sending troops in pursuit, Zhao Yin's eldest brother-in-law could not bear to part with that share of merit and wanted to go along. Because he knew Zhao Yin would never agree, he did not notify him, single-mindedly hoping to earn some merit so he could get promoted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the eldest daughter of the Zhao family was somewhat boy-crazy, she was no fool. Her whole mind was set on how to bind her husband's heart, so she disguised herself as a pageboy and went along. The second daughter of the Zhao family was currently living at her elder sister and brother-in-law's home. Unable to dissuade them, she ran to her brother to report the news, and that was how Zhao Yin found out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yin's eldest brother-in-law was without a doubt a shortsighted fool. Huang Shi could also tell that Assistant Prefect Zhao was extremely displeased with this brother-in-law; it was less that Zhao Yin was worried about his brother-in-law and more that he was worried about his sister. Only, Huang Shi was somewhat curious why the eldest Zhao daughter had disguised herself as a pageboy to go along, but before he could ask, Zhao Yin himself blurted it out. It turned out his eldest brother-in-law could not ride a horse, and if danger struck, he probably would not be able to escape quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back during the Guangning retreat, the entire Zhao family had diligently learned to ride horses. Old Man Zhao had made both daughters learn as well. Today, the eldest Zhao daughter feared her husband might encounter danger, so she went along. Now, Zhao Yin, in a mix of fury and anguish, inadvertently let all this spill out. Thinking of his sister's safety, he even slammed a fist hard on the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi ordered his personal guards to serve Sir Zhao tea to calm his nerves. Now he somewhat understood why the Zhao family had that impression of him. The eldest daughter usually had to swallow her pride and endure grievances, and at a critical moment, that fellow, in order to scramble for merit, even dragged his wife into danger as a talisman — the Zhao family's daughter married to such a scumbag, it was indeed no wonder they resented him, the root of all this trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who followed Huang Shi on the sortie were mostly his Internal Guard, nearly a hundred men, all warriors who had galloped across the Liaodong battlefields for many years. Hong Antong rode closely behind Huang Shi on his right rear flank. Zhang Minghe this time also returned to his old trade, gripping a horse lance and riding half a horse-length behind Huang Shi on the other side. Zhang Minghe's original personal guard and retainer unit had been disbanded; he had kept twenty men as his battalion close guard, and had brought them all along this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi's plan was this: if the Later Jin army's formation was orderly and disciplined, then naturally he could only preserve himself wisely. But if the Later Jin army's formation was scattered and disordered, then he could see whether he might take advantage of the chaos to snatch the several generals back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reaching the vicinity of Ningyuan Fort, Huang Shi and his men could clearly see the battlefield before them. Part of the Ming army had already collapsed and fled back, with a small number of Later Jin troops pursuing them from behind. The two armies were currently circling the fort. The defending troops on the walls dared not open the city gates wide to let people in, and also dared not fire the cannons for fear of hitting their own men, so they could only stand dumbly on the ramparts watching the pursuit below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The useless Liaoxi army has collapsed again, and clearly collapsed very quickly — they're already fleeing in complete disarray.\" Halting his horse to observe the chaos before him for a moment, Huang Shi let out a long sigh. His left hand held the reins, his right hand slowly drew his longsword, and he pointed it slantwise toward the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him came a continuous, ringing clangor. Huang Shi knew the guard unit had all drawn their blades. He pressed his horse's flanks with his legs, and as he charged forward, he roared, \"Let the Jian slaves taste the prowess of our Liaodong frontier army!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From behind rose another continuous roar in response: \"Let the Jian slaves taste our prowess!\"\u003C\u002Fp>",2550,"2026-06-04T07:54:54.057Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","845d47d964e7b1f1ab808de523fb937a55b2ccec37c123569a82bd9303a3019b","stealing-ming-chapter-247","stealing-ming-chapter-245",323,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstealing-ming-cover.jpg"]