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

"Grand Tutor...I...I..."

The young emperor stammered, his eyes reddening, and he was about to resort to his old trick of crying to escape.

Gu Yannian was not angry; he simply tossed the yellow book into the pond beside him.

"Since Your Majesty is so concerned about military strategy, I, as the Grand Tutor, naturally cannot stand in the way of Your Majesty's grand ambitions for military achievements."

Gu Yannian turned to look at Wang Zhen, his tone indifferent.

"Eunuch Wang, go and convey my message. Dispatch one thousand Imperial Guards to pack the river sand stockpiled by the Imperial Household Department into sacks. Each sack should weigh fifty catties, and five hundred sacks should be packed. Transport them to the drill ground in the West Garden."

Wang Zhen and Zhu Qizhen were both taken aback, wondering what this living devil was up to.

"Since we are going to war, we must understand the advantages and disadvantages of supplies and provisions."

Gu Yannian stood with his hands behind his back, his deep gaze fixed on Zhu Qizhen.

"These five hundred bags of river sand are the provisions for the Ming army's expedition beyond the Great Wall. Today, Your Majesty, Eunuch Wang, and these young generals from the Imperial Garden will conduct a real-life supply exercise."

Half an hour later.

The sun blazed down on the spacious training ground of Xiyuan.

Five hundred coarse cloth sacks filled with river sand were neatly piled up at one end of the drill ground.

Zhu Qizhen's imposing silver-leaf armor had already been ordered to be removed.

He was standing in front of the sandbag wearing only a thin short-sleeved shirt.

Looking at the flag fluttering in the wind at the other end of the training ground, despair filled his eyes.

"From here to that red flag, it's about two miles. This is the simulated route from the capital's Taicang to the front line in Xuanfu."

Gu Yannian sat under a large bamboo umbrella that provided shade, with chilled plum juice on a small table beside him.

He waved his folding fan, speaking in a calm and unhurried tone.

"Your Majesty, you were quite impressive just now, leading these thirty eunuchs into battle. Now, please take your proud and fierce soldiers and transport these five hundred bags of grain to the Red Flag."

"Remember, during the march, there will be losses in food and fodder for both men and horses. Every time a sack is transported, it must be cut open halfway through the journey to let out 30% of the sand before it is counted."

"If the supplies are not delivered by sunset, dinner at Chengqian Palace will be cancelled tonight."

Zhu Qizhen looked at the sandbag that was half his height, and then at the red flag that was two miles away and out of reach.

My vision went black for a moment.

A 50-pound sandbag!

He's an eleven-year-old child who's never even carried a basin of water before, how could he possibly move it!

"Grand Tutor! This sandbag is too heavy; I can't move it!"

Zhu Qizhen burst into tears.

Gu Yannian picked up the plum juice and took a small sip.

"Can't move it? What will the soldiers at the front eat? Are they going to fight the Oirats on empty stomachs? Isn't His Majesty going to be the Grand Marshal?"

"If the Grand Marshal can't even get supplies to the front lines, then he's treating human lives like dirt. Move them!"

The last word, "move," though not loud, carried a terrifying pressure, like Mount Tai pressing down on you.

Zhu Qizhen trembled with fear and dared not beg for mercy again.

He gritted his teeth, walked to a sandbag, grabbed the rough burlap with both hands, and pulled it up with all his might.

The sandbags remained completely still.

Wang Zhen, watching from the side, felt sorry for the child and hurriedly called to the eunuchs.

"Quick! Help His Majesty carry this!"

A group of people rushed over in a flurry, including four eunuchs and Zhu Qizhen.

They barely managed to lift a 50-pound sandbag off the ground.

They moved unsteadily toward the red flag.

With each step, Zhu Qizhen felt as if his arms were about to break.

The scorching sun baked the earth.

Sweat blurred Zhu Qizhen's vision, and the rough linen rubbed his fair palms until they blistered.

Halfway there, Wang Zhen, with a pounding heart, took a small knife and made a cut in the sandbag.

Fine river sand flowed down the gap and sprinkled onto the dry soil.

"Grand Tutor... the sand is leaking! The provisions are leaking!"

Zhu Qizhen looked at the flowing river sand and cried out in distress, trying to plug the gap with his hands.

That was sand he risked his life to carry over!

"This is the cost of rations for the laborers and the loss of carts and horses along the way. Your Highness, there are no military rations that fall from the sky. Every handful of sand you lose is the blood and sweat of the people of the Ming Dynasty, painstakingly saved from their teeth."

Gu Yannian's voice came from afar, calm to the point of being cruel.

Zhu Qizhen watched helplessly as nearly a third of the bag of sand leaked out before he was able to continue.

When they finally threw the first bag of "military rations" under the red flag, everyone collapsed to the ground.

He was panting heavily, as if he had just escaped from the brink of death.

And this is just one bag.

At the other end of the drill ground, there were still 499 bags waiting for them.

Time was ticking away, second by second.

From noon to sunset.

On the training ground of the West Garden, the heavy breathing of the young eunuchs and Zhu Qizhen's intermittent sobs echoed.

They were like the lowest-level laborers, trudging back and forth along this two-mile-long road.

Sweat pounded deep pits into the loess soil.

Zhu Qizhen's short shirt had long since turned muddy, and the blisters on his hands had burst and been rubbed off repeatedly.

The excruciating pain nearly made him faint.

But he dared not stop.

The purple-robed chief minister sitting under a bamboo umbrella, drinking sour plum juice while flipping through case files.

Like a heartless clay god, looking down on human suffering, never offering the slightest bit of cheap sympathy.

"Your Majesty, your 500,000-strong army is still starving at the front lines. Is this meager supply even enough to fill their stomachs?"

Gu Yannian's voice would always ring out precisely just when they wanted to give up, like a death knell.

Zhu Qizhen bit his lip until it bled, tasting a faint metallic flavor of blood.

His hatred for Gu Yannian reached its peak at this moment.

He vowed that once he took power, he would tear this living devil who had tormented him day and night to pieces!

Despite the hatred, they dared not stop walking for a moment.

This dual torment of body and mind caused him to develop a strong, physiological aversion to the word "war."

The afterglow of the setting sun spilled onto the training ground, turning the pile of broken sandbags a blood red.

When the last bag of river sand, which had leaked 30%, was thrown under the red flag.

Zhu Qizhen's eyes rolled back, and he completely fainted.

Wang Zhen and the other eunuchs also collapsed like mud, too weak to even move a finger.

Gu Yannian closed the dossier in his hand, stood up, and walked steadily to Zhu Qizhen's side.

He extended two fingers and placed them on the young emperor's pulse.

Only after confirming that he had simply fainted from exhaustion did he straighten up.

"Wang Zhen".

"This servant...this servant is here..." Wang Zhen responded weakly.

"Your Highness's performance in today's drill was acceptable. There's no need to recalculate the number of five hundred bags of grain."

Gu Yannian announced the results in a calm tone.

"Find two people to carry His Highness back to Chengqian Palace. Tell the Imperial Kitchen to prepare plenty of meat for dinner, and avoid anything greasy."

Gu Yannian dusted off his sleeves and turned to walk out of the West Garden.

Only after the purplish-red figure completely disappeared from sight did Wang Zhen dare to lie on the ground and burst into tears.

This is not being an emperor, it's clearly doing hard labor in this deep palace!