Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

Everyone in the open space stared at the magnificent golden gate.

All eyes were fixed on that door, as if drawn by a magnet. The entire open space was so quiet that only the sound of the morning breeze rustling the flags could be heard.

Zhu Gaoxi smirked, a meaningful curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.

He walked to the portal, gently placed his right hand on the door, glanced back at the dense crowd behind him, and said in a casual tone, "Now, it's time to witness a miracle."

Annan, I'm here!

He gave it a gentle push.

The door opened.

A dazzling white light poured out from the crack in the door, instantly engulfing the entire field of vision.

Everyone involuntarily squinted, and several subordinates subconsciously raised their hands to cover their faces.

The white light was not dazzling, and it lasted for a few breaths before gradually diminishing.

On the other side of the door, through the open doorway, a completely different world suddenly appeared.

No longer was it the morning sky and neatly arranged tents of Chizhou Prefecture, but an unfamiliar valley, backed by green mountains, with a wide, gentle slope in front, and in the distance, one could vaguely see a row of military tents and the fluttering banners of the Ming army.

Meanwhile, a thousand miles away, on the northern slopes of Lang Son, on a valley terrace behind Qiu Fuzhong's central command tent, several patrolling soldiers suddenly felt a blur before their eyes.

"???? A door? How come there's a door all of a sudden?" A young soldier rubbed his eyes, almost dropping the spear he was holding.

He blinked hard, rubbed his eyes, and then grabbed his companion's arm, his voice trembling, "Look, look over there! What's that? There was nothing there just a moment ago, and then it appeared out of thin air in the blink of an eye!"

"Are you seeing things? Where did this door come from in the middle of nowhere? Are you confused by the miasma...?" His companion turned around impatiently, stopping mid-sentence, his mouth agape.

About fifty paces away in an open space, a magnificent, glittering gate stood prominently, adorned with dragons and phoenixes, and inlaid with jewels and luminous pearls.

It gleams with a faint golden light under the sun, standing out starkly against the surrounding weeds and yellow earth, looking like a celestial palace that has fallen from the sky.

"This is...this is truly unbelievable..." His companion's voice trembled.

Several soldiers nearby gathered around upon hearing the noise, and upon closer inspection, they were all startled.

One of the more timid ones was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he could barely hold onto his spear. He pointed at the door, his lips trembling for a long time.

"I...I'll go report to the general! You all keep an eye on this door and don't go near it!" An older veteran was the first to come to his senses and immediately gave the order.

After he finished speaking, he turned and ran, his steps fast and hurried. As he ran, he glanced back at the door, which was still in the same spot. It wasn't a hallucination. He ran even faster.

Those who remained looked at each other, their palms sweating as they gripped their weapons.

The veteran hadn't run far when he suddenly heard a heavy thud behind him—the door was slowly opening.

He stopped abruptly, turned around, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

White light shone through the crack in the door, and then two figures emerged from the light.

The first person to step out was wearing a black, round-necked, narrow-sleeved robe with a four-clawed gold python pattern woven on the shoulders. Zhu Gaoxi felt uncomfortable in the armor, so it was normal for him to change into casual clothes.

Following closely behind was a burly man with a full beard, dressed in black military uniform and covered with black iron chainmail. Behind him was a fierce tiger with piercing eyes and a white forehead. The tiger walked with lazy steps, its four paws silently on the ground. Its golden pupils half-closed as it scanned the surrounding environment, then yawned, revealing a set of gleaming white fangs.

Behind the two, a group of officials and military officers in various attire filed out, some in military uniforms and some in civil uniforms, each with an extraordinary air about them.

As they walked, they looked around, their expressions ranging from shock to curiosity to excitement, but none of them showed fear.

"Tiger... how can there be a tiger?" The remaining soldiers were dumbfounded. The least timid soldier's hand holding the spear trembled, the spear tip shaking like a tree branch in the wind, his mind blank.

He wasn't familiar with the others, but he recognized the robe with its four-clawed gold python pattern, a style reserved for princes.

Zhu Gaoxu stood in front of the portal and took a deep breath of the Annamese air—humid and hot, a completely different smell from the north.

He turned to look at Zhu Gaoxi, his tone tinged with uncertainty: "Fourth brother, have we really arrived in Annam?"

Zhu Gaoxi gestured with his chin toward the distance: "Second brother, isn't there someone over there? Why don't you just ask someone?"

Zhu Gaoxu looked in the direction he pointed, his gaze passing over the wasteland and landing on a few soldiers in the distance, holding weapons and standing far away, their faces full of vigilance.

He grinned and roared, "You bunch of soldiers over there! Put away your weapons! Don't you even recognize me? Come here, I'm calling you, are you deaf?"

The soldiers were jolted awake by the shout.

The most timid soldier nearly dropped his spear again, but his comrade grabbed his arm and whispered, "Look closely, that robe—four-clawed python pattern—it's a prince! A prince of our great Ming Dynasty!"

The soldiers then realized what was happening and hurriedly put away their weapons, running over as fast as they could.

The leading soldier opened his mouth, but then choked.

His eyes darted back and forth between Zhu Gaoxu's thick beard and Zhu Gaoxi's black python robe, but he still couldn't figure out what to call them.

Called a general? No, that robe clearly belongs to a prince. But which prince? The Prince of Han? The Prince of Zhao? Or some other prince?

He was just a scout in the garrison. The highest-ranking officer he had ever seen was a centurion. He rarely even saw a brigade commander, so how could he possibly know any princes in the entire Ming Dynasty?

He was so anxious that sweat poured down his forehead, and his lips trembled for a long time, but he couldn't utter a single word.

At this moment, Xu Jingchang walked steadily out from behind Zhu Gaoxi, stood beside the two princes, and introduced them word by word: "This is His Highness Prince Rui of the Great Ming Dynasty, and this is His Highness Prince Han of the Great Ming Dynasty."

The leading soldier knelt down with a thud, followed by several of his comrades: "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Han! Greetings, Your Highness Prince Rui! We were unaware of your esteemed presence and have failed to greet you properly; we deserve to die!"

Zhu Gaochi waved his hand dismissively: "Alright, alright, ignorance is no excuse. Go tell Qiu Fu that His Majesty is personally leading the expedition, and the army will arrive shortly. Tell him to come and greet him immediately!"

The soldiers quickly got up and ran towards the central command tent, their steps so fast and hurried that they almost knocked over the tent ropes drying in the sun.

At the same time, Zhu Gaoxi turned around and instructed the officials of the two mansions to return to the other side of the teleportation gate and inform Zhu Di and Zhang Fu that the army could pass through the teleportation gate in the previously agreed order. He also instructed that the lion mounts of the officials of the Prince Rui's mansion were still there and should be brought over as well.

On the other side of the portal, on the open ground west of Chizhou Prefecture, the army had already assembled.

Tens of thousands of soldiers lined up in neat square formations according to their battalion organization, with banners waving and their armor gleaming coldly in the morning light.

At the forefront was Zhu Di riding a tiger, flanked by generals Zhang Fu, Zheng Heng, and Xue Lu riding lions. Behind them was the vanguard riding rhinoceroses, their nostrils flaring and their horns gleaming. Further back was the cavalry phalanx, their warhorses lined up neatly, their hooves pawing the ground restlessly. At the very back was the supply train, with war elephants carrying bundles of grain and weapons, their ears flapping slowly like moving hills.

All eyes were fixed on the magnificent golden gate.

The soldiers stationed nearby had just informed them of the basic situation, saying that His Highness Prince Han and His Highness Prince Rui, along with their officials, had already passed through, and that the Annam front was just beyond the gate.

"This must be the teleportation technique that the fourth brother was talking about." Zhu Di, riding on Yongle's horse, looked at the door with an uncontrollable sense of anticipation in his voice.

Standing beside him were generals such as Zhang Fu, Zheng Heng, and Xue Lu, all craning their necks to stare at the door, their expressions a mixture of excitement and tension.

"Your Majesty, what is the origin of this door?" Zhang Fu couldn't help but ask, his gaze lingering on the golden dragon and jewels on the door for a long time.

"The fourth prince's abilities should be enough to reach Annam." Zhu Di said calmly, but his fingers kept tapping the reins lightly, the rhythm getting faster and faster.

Before Zhang Fu could even react in shock, a flash of white light appeared in the portal, and the officials from both offices quickly stepped out.

They spotted Zhu Di riding on the tiger's back at a glance and hurriedly went to greet him, bowing respectfully: "Your Majesty! His Highness the Prince of Han and His Highness the Prince of Rui have arrived in Annam and are waiting for Your Majesty on the other side of the portal! The other side of the portal is the Annam front line, behind General Qiu Fu's central command tent!"

Zhu Di's lips curled slightly upward as he turned his horse and addressed the army behind him in a loud voice: "Pass down the order! Pass through the teleportation portal in order of battalion!"

At Zhu Di's command, he and his generals Zhang Fu, Zheng Heng, Xue Lu, and others spurred their horses and passed through the gleaming golden gate.

A flash of white light, and the scene before my eyes instantly transformed from the morning light of Chizhou Prefecture into the verdant mountains and valleys of Liangshan Valley.

Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaoxi were standing not far from the teleportation gate, with the lazy tiger king lying behind Zhu Gaoxu.

"Father, you've arrived." Zhu Gaoxu crossed his arms, a smug smile on his lips. "My fourth brother and I have been waiting for quite some time."

The soldiers left behind stared wide-eyed, their mouths agape, as they saw Zhu Di riding the Fierce Tiger King out of the gate, followed by several majestic lions.

They had only seen two princes before, and assumed the tiger was a prince's pet. They never imagined that even the emperor was riding a tiger, and the generals behind him were riding lions. This scene was completely beyond their comprehension.

What happened next left them even more astonished.

As Zhu Di and his generals stepped out of the portal, a large contingent began to file out. First came the vanguard riding rhinoceroses, which trudged heavily across the threshold. Then came the cavalry phalanx, and finally the supply train, with war elephants carrying bundles of grain and weapons, slowly passing through the portal, their ears flapping gently with each step.

In just a quarter of an hour, the once empty valley terrace was filled with tens of thousands of troops lined up neatly.