Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

At dusk, the setting sun bathed the entire campsite in a golden-red hue.

The smoke from the cooking fires hadn't even dissipated yet, but the air was already filled with the unique aroma of self-heating rice. It was the white steam released when the heating pack came into contact with water, rising in wisps from the dining areas of each camp. Mixed with the rich, salty aroma of dried meat soaked in hot water, it whetted the appetites of everyone in the camp.

After a day's march, the soldiers were starving. They gathered around the long wooden table in front of the new post station, eating their newly distributed self-heating rice and dried meat with gusto.

Some impatient soldiers couldn't wait for the rice to cook properly and lifted the lid, only to find the rice still undercooked. They were scolded by the corporal next to them and sheepishly put the lid back on, squatting on the ground waiting anxiously.

"Damn, this stuff is so delicious!" A round-faced, bearded old soldier squatted on the corner of the table, shoveled a big mouthful of steaming rice into his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

The veteran was from Chengdu Prefecture. He had been a soldier for more than ten years and had previously followed Zhang Fu in the campaign against Annam. He had eaten countless kinds of military rations on the march, including insects and coarse grains, but he had never eaten anything like this before.

Each grain of rice is distinct, with a perfect balance of softness and firmness, and a subtle, fresh grain aroma when chewed. The dried meat is even more amazing; it's originally so hard it could be used as a concealed weapon, but once it's placed in hot rice, it softens in no time. One bite reveals its savory and flavorful taste, even more fragrant than the cured meat made at home during the Lunar New Year.

A young soldier squatted on the ground next to him, holding a mess kit: "My mother would never guess that I'd be eating this on the march."

"I can't even get this at home, I never thought I'd get to eat it on the way to war," another soldier chimed in.

"Who isn't? I thought we'd only be able to eat wild vegetables and fruits on this expedition, but I never expected to be able to eat such heavenly delicacies. Life is indeed unpredictable... Anyway, thank you, Your Highness Prince Rui." A soldier held a self-heating rice bowl, eating and expressing his gratitude.

"You guys are lucky to have His Highness Prince Rui accompanying the army. Back when we were fighting, we never had anything like this. We were lucky to have any coarse food to eat. Sometimes when supplies ran out, it was common to go hungry for a whole day and night. Now, we have rice, dried meat, and even vegetable soup." An old soldier held up a bowl of freshly made dehydrated vegetable soup, blew on it to warm it up, and took a sip before speaking to the new recruits next to him.

The minor officials and postmen at the post station also received a share of military rations.

Ma Yicheng, trembling, took the lead in accepting the self-heating rice. He followed the soldiers' example, tearing open the packaging, pouring water, and heating it. After the rice was cooked, he opened the lid and was stunned.

"A divine skill!" He had entertained many guests and eaten many good things in his life, but he had never seen or even heard of anything that could cook rice without a fire.

He carefully took a bite, and when he saw that it was rice and meat, his eyes lit up. He quickly chewed a couple of times and savored this delicious food.

"This Prince Rui is truly a god. These foods are unheard of and unprecedented. If I could eat rice and meat every day, I would want to join the army." Several post station workers had long since abandoned any semblance of decorum and were eating with great admiration.

On the other side, at the animal pen on the edge of the camp, several soldiers were carefully feeding raw meat to tigers, lions and other wild animals.

These meats were prepared in advance by the officials of Prince Rui's mansion. Long before the expedition, Zhu Gaoxi had considered the food supply for the beast corps. Tigers and lions, these big guys, their daily food intake is no joke. A tiger can eat at least several kilograms of meat a day. If they hadn't prepared in advance, let alone fighting, just raising these beasts would have crippled the logistics.

So he filled the gourd with raw meat and handed it over to the officials in charge of the palace for unified management. As for the fodder for the elephants and rhinoceroses, he told them to figure it out themselves, since the mountain paths were full of grass.

On the second floor of the new post station, Zhu Di stood with his hands behind his back by the window, looking down at the lively scene below. Soldiers were gathered around a long table, eating with great enthusiasm, their laughter and exclamations mingling together.

Zhu Di withdrew his gaze and turned to Zhu Gaoxi sitting beside him: "Thanks to the fourth prince. These soldiers are able to eat hot meals on the march, and their morale is much higher than usual. When we conquer Annam, the fourth prince will get to choose all the spoils first."

After saying that, he looked at Zhu Gaoxu, who was sitting leisurely beside him: "Second brother, you don't have any objections, do you?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu became agitated, his voice rising again: "Father, what are you saying! What objection could I possibly have to my fourth brother choosing me? I fully support him! If it weren't for my fourth brother, how could we live in this place, how could we eat and drink so well? Forget about the spoils of war, I wouldn't object even if the entire Annam were added to my fourth brother's fiefdom!"

Zhu Di waved his hand, with a hint of disdain: "What's so good about Annam? It's a poor, remote place. Giving it to the Fourth Prince would be a disservice to him. The geographical map the Fourth Prince showed me last time shows many places with abundant mineral resources. The Fourth Prince can pick the best ones then. If you want to go to Annam, you can go."

Zhu Di spoke these words with utmost sincerity.

That's exactly what he thought. Since the fourth brother came back, he and his sons have taken too many things from him, and every single one of them is priceless.

But what they could give the fourth prince was pitifully little. If they didn't get him a good fiefdom, a place rich in resources, he would feel a little embarrassed.

Besides, although he was the emperor, he knew better than anyone that emperors didn't really live to be ten thousand years old, but the fourth prince might really live to be ten thousand years old. He also wanted to curry favor with the fourth prince. If the fourth prince was in a good mood, he might grant him immortality as well. Wouldn't that be better than any fiefdom?

Zhu Gaoxi looked at Zhu Di's serious expression that said "I absolutely cannot mistreat you," and couldn't help but smile: "Father and Second Brother are joking. Father can give me whatever he thinks is appropriate. I won't be picky."

Zhu Di immediately made the decision, his tone leaving no room for argument: "Then it's settled. We'll designate resource-rich areas and let the fourth prince choose as many as he wants."

After saying this, Zhu Di took Zhu Gaoxu downstairs. Zhang Fu and several core generals were already waiting in the side hall. The map was spread out on the table. They had to set off early tomorrow morning, so they had to go through the marching route and the latest intelligence reported by the scouts tonight.

Before leaving, Zhu Gaoxu glanced back at his fourth brother and, seeing that he didn't seem to intend to follow, asked, "Fourth brother, aren't you going to come and listen?"

Zhu Di turned around and immediately said, "What are you good for? You have to trouble the fourth prince with such a small matter? Let the fourth prince get some rest."

After saying that, he grabbed Zhu Gaoxu by the back of his collar and dragged him down the stairs. Zhu Gaoxu staggered as he was pulled, but he didn't forget to turn back and shout to the fourth brother, "Fourth brother, call me if you need anything—" before the latter half of his voice was swallowed up by the corner of the stairs.

Zhu Gaoxi was about to take a stroll in the military camp. After going downstairs, he called Xu Jingchang and Qiu Sheng, and they headed towards the camp.

Dusk had completely fallen, and small campfires were lit in the camp. These were the same fires lit by the large table, saving the soldiers the trouble of finding firewood.

Soldiers from each battalion sat in small groups by the firelight, some wiping their knives, some mending their boots, and many more gathered around the campfire, excitedly discussing the unprecedented dinner they would have that evening.

Zhu Gaoxi did not have anyone announce his arrival. Instead, he led a few subordinates and slowly walked through the camp toward the arena.