Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

A golden dragon soared into the sky, its roar shaking the heavens and earth, echoing over Yingtian Prefecture. On the dragon's back sat the Yongle Emperor in black military attire and Prince Rui, while on the tiger's back rode Prince Zhu Gaochi, the Prince of Han.

Wherever the golden dragon passed, the soldiers below shouted, "Heaven bless the Ming Dynasty, victory is assured!" The shouts grew louder and louder.

The army slowly marched out, and when the first lion appeared on the official road, the crowd fell into a brief, deathly silence, as if their breaths were being held back by immense fear.

"Th-th-what is that? It's terrifying!" Several women in the front row screamed and shrank back, clutching their children tightly to their chests.

An old man leaning against the front stared wide-eyed, his lips twitched, and he turned to the people behind him, muttering in a trembling voice, "Lion...it looks like a lion."

Ordinary people have never seen a live lion, but they have seen the stone lions at the gate. Their curly manes and majestic heads are exactly the same as the beast in front of them, which is swishing its tail and growling.

However, the stone lions are carved from stone; they don't move, they don't roar, and they certainly don't sweep their big, copper-bell-sized eyes over you, sending chills down your spine.

Furthermore, rumors about the ferocious beasts had already spread from the military camp yesterday. Some people vividly described how Prince Rui turned ants into tigers on the spot. The rumors became more and more outrageous, saying that the Ming Dynasty was going to form a heavenly army and that the Ming soldiers would no longer ride horses, but instead ride tigers and lions. Now that they had seen the lion, they knew that the rumors were true.

So after the brief fear came even greater fervor. Suddenly, someone in the crowd pointed to the sky and shouted, "Look! That's...that's...that's a dragon, and a tiger!"

A golden dragon was rising from the Meridian Gate tower, gleaming with golden light. Two people sat on the dragon's back, and a fierce tiger rode on the clouds to the left, with the Prince of Han of the Ming Dynasty riding on its back.

"It really is a dragon! That's Prince Rui!"

Someone in the crowd shouted, and immediately a large number of people on both sides of the official road knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly.

The moment the rhinoceros and elephant slowly walked out of the city gate, the hearts of the people who had just stood up on both sides of the official road were struck again.

"Elephants! Those are elephants, so many elephants..." The people of Yingtianfu, living under the emperor's nose, had seen many rare things.

Not to mention the processions of envoys riding elephants when vassal states paid tribute, there were elephant stables in Yingtian Prefecture alone. For a few copper coins, one could go in and see the elephants. Every year there was also a grand event of washing elephants. The elephant handlers would drive the elephants into the river and use long-handled brushes to wash their bodies. The scene was a free spectacle for the entire city.

In the past, watching elephants was a novelty, a source of amusement. They were tributes from vassal states, playthings kept in elephant enclosures.

These elephants are not ornamental objects kept in cages; they are war beasts draped in armor, carrying siege equipment, and marching heavily in the marching procession, one after another.

What shocked the people even more was the rhinoceros, a creature they had never even heard of before. It had a thick, single horn on its nose and its skin was layered like armor.

"What...what kind of monster is this?!"

"Not a monster! This is a divine bull! It has horns on its head and its hide is like armor; it must be the legendary one-horned divine bull!"

"I recognize those elephants; I've seen them every year when they're washed. But this one-horned divine bull—I've never heard of it before! It must be a divine bull conjured up by Prince Rui!"

Suddenly, a middle-aged man who looked like a scholar slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Dao Ancestor! Isn't Dao Ancestor's mount the Green Ox? Prince Rui is Dao Ancestor's personally taught disciple. Could this divine ox be one of Dao Ancestor's mounts, invited by Prince Rui to descend to earth to help our Great Ming in its campaign?"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding people were stunned at first, then as if a switch had been flipped, a large number of them knelt down.

Previously, people knelt before Prince Rui to pray for longevity, to become younger, and to be promoted and become wealthy.

The sacred ox that kneels before the Taoist ancestor now is praying for favorable weather, abundant harvests, and good crop growth.

Several elderly farmers knelt on the ground, chanting, "May the divine ox protect us and prevent pests from infesting the rice this year."

An old woman next to her was kowtowing shakily, saying, "Bless my cow to give birth to a strong calf this year."

Among the kneeling crowd, several scholars and gentlemen were so excited that their voices trembled, muttering incessantly, "Such a scene is unprecedented in history! It is truly a blessing from heaven for the Ming Dynasty! These divine beasts must have been brought down from the Heavenly Court! Our Ming Dynasty... our Ming Dynasty will henceforth be a true celestial empire, an unparalleled divine dynasty!"

At 9:00 AM, Zhu Di led his main generals to a high ground outside the city to conduct the final procedure before setting off on the expedition: a military review.

Zhang Fu personally commanded the vanguard of fierce cavalry, who took the lead in battle. Their swords and spears were drawn, their steps were orderly, and the ground trembled slightly with each step.

The beasts of the Beast Legion, carrying elite soldiers of the Ming Dynasty on their backs, slowly passed by below the high ground, their imposing presence more terrifying than any other cavalry force.

Zhu Di stood on the somersault cloud, hands behind his back, looking down at the massive army he had never seen before, his face expressionless.

After the military parade concluded, at noon, the army officially set off south. After Zhu Di had his fill of excitement, Zhu Gaoxi put away the golden dragon and released Zhu Di's mount. Zhu Di, riding a tiger, ascended the somersault cloud and surveyed the entire marching force from the air.

As the clouds swept by, the soldiers looked up and shouted, "We will win this battle! We will win this battle!" The shouts echoed in waves, and even the civilians who were still watching from the city walls in the distance joined in.

Only Zhu Di, Zhu Gaochi, and Zhu Gaoxi were in the sky; the rest, including the officials of the Prince of Han's and Prince of Rui's residences, were on the ground marching with the army.

Riding on the back of the white tiger, Zhu Gaoxu looked down at the vast and mighty army of beasts below, then turned to Zhu Gaoxi beside him: "Fourth brother, we're about to go to war. Don't be nervous. Let me tell you, I have a lot of experience in warfare. You just need to stand on the city gate and watch how I charge in and out of those barbarians seven times. You don't need to lift a finger; just watch me fight!"

Zhu Gaochi rarely encountered an area where he was truly skilled. These days, he and his brothers had to rely on their fourth brother's supernatural abilities in everything they did. Although he didn't say it, he felt somewhat resentful. The dignified Prince of Han, who had fought all his life, seemed like a lazy bum who only knew how to use magic weapons in front of his fourth brother.

Now it was finally his turn to take the stage, and the military arrogance that had been suppressed for so long surged up. He couldn't wait to fly to the walls of Annam and let his fourth brother see with his own eyes how impressive his second brother was on the battlefield.

"Yes, Second Brother. I really don't have much experience in fighting, so I'll have to rely on you for help a lot." Zhu Gaoxi echoed, his gaze passing over the dark mass of troops at his feet and looking towards the southern horizon. Annam was just the beginning.

Zhu Di listened to his second son's boastful words from the side, and unusually, he did not say anything to discourage him.

Normally, if the second brother were to brag like this, he would definitely say something like "You think you're so great?" or "Mind your own business first," but today he didn't say anything.

Because the second son was indeed quite capable in battle. Among his sons, he was the strongest in terms of fighting skills. Although he was usually loud and boisterous, he was never hesitant on the battlefield.