Chapter 1

In the seventh year of the Hongwu era, the first month, in the Forbidden City of Yingtian Prefecture.

Zhu Qi, dressed in a dark red robe and blue clothing, sat in a chair, looking at the spring flowers blooming outside the vermilion-painted window, unable to avoid accepting the reality before him.

He had traveled through time, and it had already been a month.

Of course, he hadn't just sat around doing nothing for the past month. He had figured out three things.

First, he had become the third son of the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, Prince of Liaoning, Zhu Qi, who was fifteen years old. (The character "Qi" is a made-up character with a wooden radical, but you get the idea, so I won't explain it further.)

As for why the historical third prince, Zhu Sang, had changed his name to Zhu Qi and become the Prince of Liaoning, Zhu Qi didn't pay much attention to it. After all, he had traveled through time, and such matters were no longer important.

Second, he was now living in the Forbidden City of Yingtian Prefecture, which would later become the Nanjing Forbidden City, the capital of the Ming Dynasty.

Third, his fief was in Liaodong, and with his current abilities, going to the war-torn Liaodong to be a border prince was a death sentence.

Zhu Qi was worried about his future when a young man's voice called out from outside the room:

"Third Brother!"

Seeing the person who had come, Zhu Qi instinctively straightened his back as a sign of respect.

The excited young man who ran over, dressed similarly to Zhu Qi, was named Zhu Di.

In the future, he would have another title, the only emperor in history to have been enfeoffed at Langjuxu, the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty!

But now, he wasn't an emperor yet; he was Zhu Qi's younger brother.

"Your Highness, please be quiet. Prince of Liaoning is still resting and recuperating," a eunuch said, running up and panting, seeing Zhu Qi sitting in the bedroom rather than lying in bed. He quickly added, "Prince of Liaoning, the imperial physician has advised you to rest in bed more as you are still recovering from your illness."

Zhu Qi waved his hand.

"I'm fine. You can go."

The eunuch hesitated for a moment, replied with a "Yes," and bowed to leave.

At this moment, Zhu Di was only fourteen years old, with a youthful and innocent face. He lifted his robe and sat beside Zhu Qi, first pouring a cup of tea for him before saying:

"Third Brother, you look much better. Before the New Year, the imperial physicians all said you wouldn't make it. I was really afraid you wouldn't pull through."

Good guy, speak more.

But seeing Zhu Di's concerned eyes, Zhu Qi couldn't help but say:

"Actually, I didn't pull through..."

"Third Brother, you're just joking. You're sitting here alive and well."

Zhu Di laughed, poured himself a cup of tea, and drank it in one gulp before continuing:

"Third Brother, you don't know. When the Crown Prince heard that you were much better, he was so happy. But he's been so busy. A few days ago, he wanted to come see you, but you were sleeping, so he didn't disturb you and left. Now he's so busy, you can't even see him."

When Zhu Di mentioned the Crown Prince, Zhu Biao, memories of Zhu Biao flashed through Zhu Qi's mind.

Zhu Biao was truly a charismatic person. Even Zhu Qi, who had traveled through time, couldn't help but admire him when recalling how he had taken care of his younger siblings.

Zhu Yuanzhang was often away fighting, and the children born later were all raised by Zhu Biao, the eldest brother.

"The Crown Prince is the heir, and it's his duty to help the Emperor."

Zhu Qi said casually, but Zhu Di sighed and said:

"Indeed, he has to help. The battle in Lingbei, Uncle Xu suffered a great defeat. The Crown Prince told me it was the first time Uncle Xu had lost. This Wang Baobao is too formidable. When I go to Beiping, I will definitely challenge Wang Baobao!"

The "Uncle Xu" Zhu Di mentioned was none other than the war god of the Ming Dynasty, Xu Da. The battle in Lingbei was the second campaign against the Northern Yuan, which was also Xu Da's only defeat in his lifetime.

Wang Baobao was the strongest general at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. His Han name was Wang Baobao, and his original name was Kuo Kuo Temur.

However, Wang Baobao mostly suffered defeats, but he was like a cockroach that couldn't be killed. After each failure, he always managed to rally a group of people and rise again. The Northern Yuan could survive to this day, all thanks to Wang Baobao.

Seeing Zhu Di's clenched teeth, Zhu Qi gave him a thumbs up:

"Zhu Di, you're truly remarkable. With you in the Ming Dynasty, I feel much more at ease."

Zhu Di was taken aback, not expecting such overt praise, and felt a bit proud, saying with a grin:

"Actually, I came today mainly to return a book and ask if there are any new ones?"

Zhu Di said, pulling out a comic book from his robe that was clearly different from the materials of this era.

On the cover was a landscape painting, depicting a man in imperial robes gazing at the mountains and rivers.

On the smooth plastic cover, the bold and powerful characters read: "Ming Shanhe."

The author's name was clearly written: Zhu Qi.

Seeing the comic book he had published earlier, Zhu Qi quickly took it, put it in his robe, and pulled Zhu Di's head down, pressing their heads together under the table. Zhu Qi whispered:

"Besides you, has anyone else seen this book?"

"Third Brother, don't worry. I didn't even show it to the Crown Prince! But Third Brother, you really made Father look so wise and valiant. Shouldn't we show this book to Father? He would be very happy."

Hearing Zhu Di's words, Zhu Qi immediately threatened him fiercely:

"If you show it to Father, you'll never see my comics again."

Zhu Di looked terrified:

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. I'll never tell. But this book only shows Father learning the Yi Jin Jing at the Yellow Temple and then joining the rebel army. There's nothing after that."

Zhu Qi straightened up and gave Zhu Di a meaningful look:

"Wait for me outside the door."

Zhu Di understood and quickly moved to the door.

Zhu Qi then returned to the inner room and pulled out a large, bulging backpack from under the pillow.

This was the travel backpack Zhu Qi had carried when he went out to sketch before he traveled through time. He hadn't expected that after falling into the water and traveling through time, the backpack had come with him.

The comic book "Ming Shanhe" was in the backpack, and there were only two copies, early works of his that Zhu Di had found by chance.

But the most valuable thing in the backpack was actually the laptop and solar charger.

Zhu Qi had tested them, and both the computer and the charger worked. As a comic artist, the computer contained all sorts of materials, as a comic artist needed to be well-versed in many fields to create good comics.

Zhu Qi hadn't had the mood to transfer these materials from the laptop in the first month after traveling through time, which was a month filled with confusion, anxiety, and fear.

Now, he had become familiar with the life of a Ming prince. Since he was here, he might as well make the best of it. At least he hadn't traveled through time to become a poor Japanese person.

He would transfer and copy the materials later. While he couldn't achieve the grand goals of internal combustion engines in one year, ironclad warships in two years, Maxim guns in three years, and global dominance in four years, there were still many things he could use.

Besides the comic books and the laptop, there were some outdoor survival essentials, but Zhu Qi didn't pay much attention to them.

Zhu Qi took out the second issue of "Ming Shanhe" he had drawn and carefully put the backpack back.

He then went outside, opened the door, and saw Zhu Di eagerly taking the second issue of "Ming Shanhe," praising:

"Third Brother, with your drawing skills, why would Father need to hire any painters to paint our family portraits? You could do it all."

Zhu Qi, both amused and exasperated, patted Zhu Di on the shoulder:

"Do you want me to be a painter?"

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare."

Zhu Di said with a grin, putting the comic book in his sleeve and whispering:

"I'll go now. Third Brother, rest well."

Watching Zhu Di run off, Zhu Qi realized that this guy wasn't here to check on him but to get the comic book.

But it was good to get along with Zhu Di; it would definitely be beneficial for him.

...

After leaving Zhu Qi's quarters, Zhu Di couldn't resist taking out the comic book on the way.

Although Zhu Qi had repeatedly instructed him not to let anyone else know about the comic book besides himself,

At fourteen, how could he resist the temptation of a comic book?

Besides, the only people around were the palace maids and eunuchs, who were walking behind him and couldn't see the comic book.

Thinking this, Zhu Di found a pavilion, asked the maids and eunuchs to wait outside, and then went inside to read the comic book.

I'll just flip one page.

... Half an hour later ...

The palace maids and eunuchs waited outside the pavilion, not knowing what the Prince of Yan was so engrossed in, but it was already past class time, and they could only worry.

At that moment, a group of people was hurrying along the stone path.

The maids and eunuchs carried the imperial banners, the dragon flags, and the yellow canopies, with a dragon sedan chair carried by thirty-two people in the middle. This was clearly the imperial procession!

However, the current Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, was not in the sedan chair but walking at the front of the procession with a worried expression, his pace quick, and the people behind him had to run to keep up.

The failure of the second campaign against the Northern Yuan naturally made Zhu Yuanzhang unhappy, and the defeat in the Lingbei battle made him realize that it was unrealistic to completely eliminate the Northern Yuan in the short term.

Even if the Northern Yuan's fighting strength was weak, once they returned to the desert, they were like fish in the sea. The desert was their homeland, and after living a good life in the Central Plains, they could easily return to their nomadic lifestyle.

They would fight when they could and flee when they couldn't, taking full advantage of the terrain.

The Ming army entering the desert knew only a few routes, and leaving those routes would leave them completely lost.

Finding the Yuan army was one thing; not getting lost was already a blessing.

The reason Wang Baobao could defeat Xu Da in the Lingbei battle despite being at a great disadvantage was that he knew the Ming army would have to take the route through Hulun to enter the desert. After retreating, he set an ambush there, knowing the Ming army would come.

The Ming army had no choice but to take this route. Without it, the harsh environment of the northern desert would make it impossible for anyone but the locals to find their way.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yuanzhang clenched his teeth in frustration, wishing he had a detailed map of the northern desert and hundreds or thousands of guides.

Zhu Yuanzhang was in a foul mood when he turned the corner and saw a group of people standing on the road, and in the pavilion not far away, his fourth son, Zhu Di, was engrossed in reading something.

Zhu Yuanzhang's mood immediately improved, feeling proud that his son was so studious. In the future, as a border prince, he would defend the Ming Dynasty for generations.

But it was class time now, wasn't it? Well, it seemed he was so engrossed in his reading that he lost track of time. That was good.

The palace maids and eunuchs around Zhu Di were startled to see the Emperor and were about to speak, but Zhu Yuanzhang raised his hand, signaling them to be quiet.

He then walked over to Zhu Di with a smile, curious to see what his good son was reading and what insights he had gained.

But when Zhu Yuanzhang reached Zhu Di's back, his smile froze.

Unaware of his father's presence, Zhu Di was flipping through the comic book, excitedly muttering to himself:

"Wow, Third Brother's comic book is so good!"