Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

Under the blazing sun, there was no shade whatsoever.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Zhu Qizhen was already sweating profusely.

His coarse cloth battle coat was soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to his back, making him feel stuffy and hot.

Each bump of the heavy luggage, weighing over ten kilograms, felt like a heavy hammer slamming into his shoulders, causing his skin to sting painfully.

"Huff...huff...Grand Tutor...this student...this student needs to rest..."

Zhu Qizhen was panting heavily and staggering.

Wang Zhen, who was behind him, rolled his eyes.

The large black pot on his back clattered against his back as he ran.

The shock was so intense it felt like his internal organs were about to shift.

Gu Yannian stopped and turned around, his expression cold.

"Your Highness, speed is of the essence in war. The Oirat cavalry can cover a hundred li in a day. If you rest now, the enemy's scimitars will already be at your neck."

"On the battlefield, there are no princes, only life and death. Keep going!"

Zhu Qizhen trembled in fright. Although his legs felt like lead, he dared not call for a halt.

He could only grit his teeth, tears mixed with sweat streaming down his face.

He followed Gu Yannian with a limp.

After walking for nearly half an hour, the group finally arrived at a wasteland in the West Garden.

Wild grasses grow rampant here, and the ground is covered with hard gravel and yellow soil.

"Camp where you are."

Gu Yannian issued the order.

Zhu Qizhen felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and collapsed onto the scorching yellow earth, too weak to even move a finger.

Wang Zhen was lying on his back with his eyes rolled back like a dead fish, barely breathing.

"stand up."

Gu Yannian walked to Zhu Qizhen's side and kicked the wooden stick at his feet.

"When marching into battle, setting up camp is the first priority. In this desolate wilderness, without fortifications, we would be fish on the enemy's chopping board tonight."

"Your Highness, pick up your shovel and dig a trench three feet deep and ten paces long."

Zhu Qizhen stared wide-eyed in horror.

Looking at the hard, iron-like yellow earth, and then at the blunt wooden stick in his hand.

"Grand Tutor... this ground is too hard, how can we dig with the wooden stake?"

Gu Yannian's lips curled into a mocking sneer.

"The frozen soil along the nine borders of the Ming Dynasty is ten times harder than this. The soldiers guarding the border used their iron tools to carve out the beacon towers inch by inch."

"Isn't Your Highness going to be a great general? You can't even dig trenches, how are you going to defend against the enemy?"

Seeing Zhu Qizhen still sitting on the ground wiping away tears, Wang Zhen struggled to get up and tenderly snatched the wooden paddle from him.

"Your Excellency, Her Highness is of noble birth; how could she possibly do such rough work?"

"This servant will do it! This servant will dig for Your Highness!"

Wang Zhen raised the wooden paddle and slammed it hard into the ground.

"Snap!"

The wooden stick was dulled, leaving only a faint white mark on the dry, hard yellow earth.

Gu Yannian's expression remained unchanged.

He walked up to Wang Zhen and casually pulled out the large steel shovel that was stuck in Wang Zhen's bag.

"Today I will teach you how to dig these trenches."

Gu Yannian gripped the handle and walked to the center of the wasteland.

He didn't adopt any posture of gathering strength.

He simply placed the blade of the iron shovel against the loess soil.

Within that gentle and refined body, a terrifying power quietly awakened at this moment.

"break."

Gu Yannian uttered a single word, his arms showing no signs of veins bulging.

He simply pressed down sharply, then flicked upwards.

This seemingly effortless strike unleashed an overwhelming and unstoppable force.

"boom!"

A deafening roar, like muffled thunder, exploded across the wasteland.

Zhu Qizhen and Wang Zhen felt the ground beneath their feet tremble violently.

To their horrified gaze, the solid yellow earth was mixed with gravel.

Like a reversed mudslide, it was forcefully lifted into the air by Gu Yannian's shovel!

Amidst the billowing dust, a massive ravine, over ten feet long and waist-deep, suddenly appeared on the ground!

The edges of the ravine were smooth and even, as if they had been cleaved to the bottom by a peerless sharp blade.

Yellow dust fell from the sky.

Gu Yannian still held the shovel in one hand, and his green robe was completely free of any dust.

His expression was calm, as if he had merely swept away a fallen leaf.

The entire room fell silent.

Zhu Qizhen's mind went blank.

His supposedly "royal martial prowess" was nothing but a joke in the face of this earth-shattering force.

Wang Zhen was so terrified that his liver and gallbladder were about to burst.

His legs buckled and he knelt down beside the trench, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.

He finally understood why the entire court, including even those arrogant and fierce generals who held military power, was so arrogant.

Before this civil official, they were all completely submissive.

Such superhuman strength, if that shovel were to strike a person, probably not even a bone fragment would remain!

"That's how trenches are dug. Do you understand?"

Gu Yannian casually tossed the iron shovel to the ground, its handle sinking deep into the soil and emitting a buzzing sound.

Zhu Qizhen was so frightened that he shuddered.

He scrambled to grab the blunt wooden stick and started digging at the edge of the huge ravine like a madman.

He was digging while crying, tears streaming down his face.

War is terrifying! The Grand Tutor is even more terrifying!

He never wants to go to the border region again in his life.

He just wanted to quietly go back to the Wenhua Hall to use his abacus!

The sun was gradually setting in the west.

Zhu Qizhen and Wang Zhen were like two mud dogs that had rolled around in the mud.

His whole body was covered in yellow mud, and his hands were blistered.

The tiny pit they dug together was utterly insignificant compared to the ravine Gu Yannian created with a casual strike.

"Stop work, have a meal."

Gu Yannian's voice was like heavenly music.

Zhu Qizhen was so hungry that his stomach was growling loudly.

He watched longingly as Wang Zhen took out food from his bag.

There were no exquisite imperial dishes, no pastries.

What Wang Zhen pulled out were two hard, coarse black flatbreads, as hard as rocks.

And a small bag of fried noodles.

Gu Yannian ordered Wang Zhen to fetch a pot of well water and mix the fried noodles with the water.

It was stirred into a paste with a bitter taste and then served to Zhu Qizhen.

"Your Highness, this is the rations for the Ming soldiers fighting on the front lines. Eat."

Zhu Qizhen was extremely hungry, so he grabbed the coarse black flatbread and took a big bite.

"Ouch!"

The young prince screamed and covered his mouth.

The flatbread was incredibly dry and hard.

Not only could it not bite through, it also hurt his gums and almost knocked out a baby tooth.

He looked at the bowl of fried noodle soup with a wronged expression, and forced back his tears as he took a sip.

The coarse grain powder scraped down my throat like a handful of sand, making it difficult to swallow.

"Grand Tutor... how can anyone eat this...?"

Zhu Qizhen burst into tears, throwing the coarse bread he was holding on the ground.

"This student is no longer the commander-in-chief! No more fighting! This student wants to go back to the palace and eat meat!"

Gu Yannian was not angry.

She simply watched him quietly, her eyes revealing a chilling coldness that struck straight to the soul.

"Does Your Highness believe that war is like the stories in novels, where generals drink and make merry, and enemy ships are reduced to ashes while they laugh and talk?"

Gu Yannian stepped forward and picked up the coarse cake from the ground.

Blow away the topsoil and put it back into Zhu Qizhen's hands.

"War is about traveling under the scorching sun and digging pits in the snow. It's about chewing on dry rations and drinking dirty water mixed with mud and sand."

"Your Highness suffered for only half a day today, yet you cried and wailed."

"The hundreds of thousands of soldiers along the nine borders of the Ming Dynasty endure this year after year. To whom can they turn for help?"

Gu Yannian stood with his hands behind his back, his voice echoing across the wasteland of the West Garden.

"Your Highness's word can mobilize an army of 100,000. But Your Highness should know that with just one word, you are sending 100,000 men to a state worse than death."

"If it's for the sake of protecting the country, then this hardship must be endured. But if it's for the selfish interests of a monarch, or for some vague and unattainable martial prowess or fame, then..."

"Your Highness, how can you face these soldiers who gnawed on tree bark and swallowed sand to fight and die for you?!"