[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-stealing-ming":3,"chapter-stealing-ming-stealing-ming-chapter-68":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},1220685,1614,"Chapter 68: Section 16","stealing-ming-chapter-68",68,"\u003Cp>\"What is it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Those few Later Jin cavalry who've been shadowing us since this afternoon are probably scouts for a larger force.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why?\" Huang Shi was startled too. Their column was far too conspicuous. After bypassing Haizhou, there had always been some Later Jin cavalry circling around them. Once the unease of the first few days passed, Huang Shi had grown accustomed to it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Later Jin local forts generally had garrisons of only about a hundred men, capable only of holding their ground. And given the Ming's level of communication, it was no easy task for Later Jin local garrisons to assemble and attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They only arrived this afternoon, and they've kept very, very far from us, as if they don't dare come close.\" Seeing that Huang Shi still looked baffled, Kong Youde elaborated: \"If they were an early-warning detachment sent by a nearby fort, they would have come in the morning.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Maybe they just arrived late.\" Huang Shi pondered the implications of Kong Youde's words, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. He was shocked at how dull his own battlefield instincts were — but there would never be a next time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No. Ordinary early-warning cavalry, to better observe our movements, would stay relatively close. Why are these few keeping so far away? I think there are two reasons. First, they only need to keep track of our general direction. Second, they rode hard all morning — maybe even all day yesterday — so their horses aren't as fresh as other early-warning cavalry. They're afraid that if they get too close, our cavalry will chase them and they won't be able to escape.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then how many men do you think their main force has, and when will they arrive?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm not sure. But if the scouts arrived this afternoon, then the Jianzhou slave main force can't catch up to us until tomorrow at the earliest.\" Kong Youde unconsciously bit his thumb and gave a brief summary of what the military manuals recorded: cavalry prefer to rest their horses fully at night and attack at dawn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their analysis concluded that if the Later Jin force caught up tonight, they would attack early tomorrow morning. Otherwise, the Later Jin main force would march normally, make camp early tomorrow evening, rest thoroughly, and attack the morning after.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In short, it will be one of these two days.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But at the speed of the main body of civilians, we still need about five days to reach Lüshun.\" Huang Shi also understood the grimness of the situation. Most of the civilians had no weapons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike Huang Shi's own core troops, Kong Youde's local garrison soldiers all had families with them, so they were determined to leave troops behind as a rearguard. Their plan was to hold off the Later Jin army for three days and cover the civilians' retreat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi felt his throat go dry. In the end, he still could not bring himself to suggest fleeing first: \"Tomorrow, all the cavalry will stay behind to cover the main body's escape. The cavalry can use their horses' speed to get away afterward.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No,\" Kong Youde flatly rejected the idea. \"Cavalry have poor defensive capability. Besides, our numbers are too small. If the enemy sends two hundred cavalry to bypass our horsemen and strike the main body, the rearguard won't dare intercept them, and the main body will still be pinned down. So all the infantry must stay. The cavalry will go with the main body to guard against possible small bands of Jianzhou slaves.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What if the enemy bypasses the infantry?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They won't. The enemy doesn't know our troop strength. If they rashly bypass us, they could be caught in a two-sided pincer. Splitting their forces to go around is even more dangerous — we could defeat them in detail from our central position. Besides, with the cavalry in the vanguard, as long as we take the initiative to drive off the Jianzhou scouts, we can cut off their intelligence.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi felt he had spotted a fatal flaw in Kong Youde's reasoning: \"What if the enemy has a thousand cavalry and splits into two columns? One column pursues the vanguard, the other destroys the rearguard. Even if we leave all the infantry behind, we still can't beat either column.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kong Youde stared wide-eyed at Huang Shi as if there were something bizarre on his face: \"If they had a thousand cavalry, what are we even discussing now? No matter how we deploy, we'd all be dead! If the Jianzhou slaves have more than five hundred cavalry, we're finished!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi wrestled with himself for a moment, but in the end his pride won out: \"Then tell me the plan. I don't know how to command infantry against a cavalry pursuit.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You're saying you want to stay?\" Kong Youde's eyes widened even further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes. You're staying, aren't you?\" Huang Shi asked back, puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course I'm staying. If I let you stay, I wouldn't escape either,\" Kong Youde said bluntly, not realizing how hurtful his words were. \"So you go first. As long as you can get the civilians away and leave me with no worries behind, that's enough. That will make my own movements much easier.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi, his face burning red, was about to argue further when he suddenly heard loud shouting outside the tent. Then one of Kong Youde's personal guards yelled from outside: \"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both Kong Youde and Huang Shi felt their hearts clench. They shouted in unison: \"Come in.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The personal guard lifted the tent flap and ran in. He gave Huang Shi a hurried salute, then reported directly to Kong Youde. About twenty Later Jin cavalry had raided the vicinity of the camp, killing some civilians who were gathering firewood and drawing water. The troops on the camp perimeter had already spontaneously assembled. This soldier had come to ask whether to immediately deploy and drive off the harassing Later Jin cavalry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not yet.\" Kong Youde fell into thought after speaking. A moment later he looked up at Huang Shi and issued a decisive order: \"Hold the camp. All units are strictly forbidden to sally out on their own. Have all the civilians in the surrounding area pull back inside.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\" The soldier answered loudly and gave Kong Youde a solemn military salute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the expression on Kong Youde's subordinate, Huang Shi felt an entirely strange sensation. These past days he had sensed that ever since he had been thoroughly defeated by Kong Youde, his own subordinates had grown more and more inclined to raise objections to his orders. They had none of the spirit of Kong Youde's men, who carried out orders without the slightest deviation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Intelligence flowed in like a steady stream. Outside the camp, it seemed to be just those twenty-odd cavalrymen. They circled around, killing and wounding the laboring civilians on the perimeter, and even hoisted the heads of the dead on their lances. Standing just beyond bowshot, they loudly jeered at the Ming soldiers inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Arrogant soldiers, reckless officers,\" Kong Youde sneered. \"A mere twenty-some men dare to act so brazenly around my main army.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They have reason to be arrogant,\" Huang Shi added, devoid of any emotion. These enemy soldiers appeared to be Later Jin central elite troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For years now, Ming armies had crumbled at the mere sight of Later Jin forces. Every engagement saw exchange ratios of one to a dozen, one to several dozen. A few dozen Later Jin soldiers would dare to chase thousands of Ming troops. So it was hardly surprising that the Later Jin cavalry outside were so insolent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They've already killed and wounded several dozen of my civilians.\" Kong Youde gave another cold snort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So they'll become even more arrogant and reckless,\" Huang Shi understood what Kong Youde was thinking. \"That our troops dare not sally out — in their eyes, that's perfectly normal.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A trace of a smile appeared on Kong Youde's icy face: \"Brother Huang, continue. Let's see if you're thinking the same as I am.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Very well. I believe they will soon confirm that our troops are nothing but gutless cowards, just like all the other Ming armies. Right now they're wasting horse strength and their own stamina in this reckless show. By tonight they'll be utterly exhausted — not to mention they've already been riding hard all day.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kong Youde clapped his hands and laughed: \"Brother Huang and I have thought of the same thing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Heroes see things alike,\" Huang Shi also laughed heartily. \"Let me take tonight's night raid.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why use an ox-cleaver to kill a chicken? Twenty cavalry, that's all. Sending fifty men is already giving them more respect than they deserve. Tomorrow we may face real danger. Tonight, Brother Huang should rest well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1469,"2026-06-04T07:54:30.907Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","8120c577be09f55d6710c48f5f24cc1f8d99bbc71ada71d28f942f9c65c8457b","stealing-ming-chapter-69","stealing-ming-chapter-67",323,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstealing-ming-cover.jpg"]