Chapter 3: Rice Bucket

The young soldier led Shiniu toward the camp.

On the road, the soldier asked curiously, "Brother Shiniu, how much does your hammer actually weigh?"

Shiniu thought for a moment and said, "I don't know, but Wang Tiejiang seemed to have said that one weighs as much as three Stone Locks."

The soldier clicked his tongue.

Three Stone Locks—that's over six hundred jin.

A pair of hammers, 1,200 jin.

Is this still a human?

The camp was just west of the city, a stretch of connected tents and wooden huts.

The soldier led Shiniu to the Personal Guard Unit's tent area, pointed to an empty berth and said, "You can sleep here, put your things down first; I'll take you to collect equipment, then we'll go to the Kitchen for a meal."

Shiniu carefully set his hammer beside the berth and placed his bundle.

Following the soldier, he received a set of military uniform, a pair of cloth shoes, and a Water Bag.

The uniform was made of coarse gray cloth, but it was very sturdy.

The shoes were also far better than his tattered straw sandals.

After receiving the items, the soldier led him toward the Kitchen.

Before they arrived, the aroma of food reached them.

Shiniu's stomach growled again.

The Kitchen was a large wooden shed, holding a dozen large pots inside, with several Firehead Soldiers busily working.

The soldier exchanged a few words with a man who looked like an overseer; that man sized up Shiniu, nodded, and shouted inside, "Lao Zhang, Marshal Chang ordered five people's worth of rice!"

A response came from inside.

Soon, an older Firehead Soldier wearing an apron carried out a large wooden tray.

On the tray were five large sea bowls, each filled with steaming sorghum rice, topped with vegetables—braised cabbage with meat, glistening with oil.

Lao Zhang placed the tray on the wooden table before Shiniu, wiped his hands and said, "Kid, eat up! Marshal Chang said, make sure you're full."

Shiniu looked at the five big bowls of rice and swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

He asked cautiously, "Uncle… are these all for me?"

"Hmm, if you can't finish them, leftovers are fine."

Shiniu shook his head and said, "I won't leave any rice."

He sat down and picked up his chopsticks.

When the first bite entered his mouth, his eyes brightened; it was hot, fragrant, and there was meat.

He ate very earnestly, rice and vegetables alternately, chewing carefully.

The surrounding Firehead Soldiers were initially watching the spectacle, but gradually fell silent.

Because the youngster ate… too intently.

Five large bowls of rice—a quantity an ordinary person couldn't finish in a day.

Shiniu ate bowl after bowl; his speed wasn't fast, but steady.

Half an hour later, the last grain of rice entered his stomach.

He set the bowl down, wiped his mouth, stood up and gave Lao Zhang a goofy smile, saying, "Thank you, Uncle, the rice was delicious."

Lao Zhang opened his mouth wide and, after a moment, said, "…Full?"

"Hmm, I'm full."

Shiniu thought for a moment longer, then added, "About seventy percent full."

Lao Zhang's hand trembled, and his apron almost fell to the ground.

Shiniu cleaned up the bowl and chopsticks, placed them beside the wooden washing tub, and asked, "Uncle, tomorrow… will we still eat here?"

"Here… here… you coming tomorrow?" Lao Zhang hadn't fully recovered.

"Hmm! General Chang said, make sure we're full." Shiniu nodded earnestly.

He bowed to Lao Zhang, turned and followed the soldier away.

Behind him, the Kitchen's pot burst open.

"My mother! All five bowls, eaten!"

"Lao Zhang, did you see? He finished and acted like nothing happened!"

"This is no soldier! It's a rice bucket turned into a spirit!"

Lao Zhang looked at the empty five sea bowls, muttering, "Where did Marshal Chang recruit these Imperial Troops… this is like recruiting a gluttonous beast!"

As the setting sun fell, Shiniu had already changed into his uniform and sat in his own berth.

The uniform was a bit small, stretched tight, but still wearable.

The Imperial Troops sharing the tent gradually returned.

General Chang's Personal Guard Unit had fifty men, and this tent housed ten.

Everyone, seeing the newcomer Shiniu, gathered around curiously.

"You are the Shiniu that Marshal Chang recruited exceptionally?"

"I heard you ate five people's worth of rice in one sitting?"

"Your hammer… really weighs over a thousand jin?"

Shiniu answered each question in a goofy manner.

He wouldn't speak fancy words; he answered whatever was asked.

Seeing his sincerity, everyone laughed.

An older Imperial Troop patted his shoulder and said, "Brother Shiniu, from now on we're brothers under the same tent. I'm Wang Gui; just call me Old Wang. If there's anything you don't understand, ask me."

"Thanks, Brother Wang," Shiniu said.

Wang Gui asked again, "You're really fourteen?"

"Mm."

"Then you must be careful. The army has rules: at fourteen you're not supposed to go into battle, only serve as auxiliary troops. Marshal Chang made an exception to take you into the Imperial Troops. Some people are already dissatisfied; tomorrow's training will surely have someone looking for trouble."

Wang Gui lowered his voice to warn.

Shiniu, half‑understanding, said, "Looking for trouble… what does that mean?"

"It means they'll pick a fight with you, you clumsy kid… never mind, tomorrow stay close to me, speak less, watch more," Wang Gui sighed.

Shiniu nodded and replied, "I'll do as Brother Wang says."

At night, snoring rose from within the tents.

Shiniu lay on his mat, eyes open, staring at the tent ceiling.

The jade pendant in his bosom pressed against his chest.

He pulled it out and felt it in the darkness.

"Father, I've joined the army, the food's delicious, General Chang is a good man, Brother Wang also looks after me. Rest assured, I'll work hard and won't cause trouble," he whispered to himself.

He carefully stored the jade pendant and closed his eyes.

From afar came the clank of night‑patrol soldiers' metal gongs.

The next day, before sunrise, the Horn Sound rang out.

Shiniu rose with the Imperial Troops sharing his tent, donned his uniform, and lined up outside the tent.

The morning mist had not yet lifted, and the Training Ground was densely packed with people.

Chang Yuchun stood on the Pointing Platform, clad in Mingguang Armor, a sword hanging at his waist.

He scanned the crowd below, his gaze lingering on Shiniu, then began his address.

The speech was brief; in essence, Northern Yuan had not been defeated, and the soldiers must train diligently, ready to march at any time.

After the address, each unit trained separately.

The Personal Guard Unit, led by Vice General Li Cheng, went to the Training Ground on the west side of the camp.

The Training Ground was vast, its floor covered with yellow earth, and various training apparatuses were set up along the edges.

Stone locks, wooden stakes, arrow targets, sword and spear racks.

Fifty Imperial Troops stood in formation, and Li Cheng began assigning training tasks.

"Today we practice three items: lifting stone locks, chopping wooden stakes, and shooting arrows, Shiniu!" Li Cheng called out in a booming voice.

"Present!" Shiniu stepped forward.

"You're a newcomer; start with basics. Over there, lift the stone lock one hundred times."

Shiniu looked in the direction Li Cheng pointed.

In a corner of the Training Ground stood a row of stone locks, ranging from small to large; the smallest weighed fifty jin, the largest three hundred jin.

He walked over, glanced, and headed straight for the largest three‑hundred‑jin stone lock.

The surrounding Imperial Troops watched.

Shiniu bent, grasped the stone lock's handle with one hand, lifted, and the weight floated lightly over his head.

Lowered, raised.

Lowered, raised.

The motions were not fast, but they were steady.

One time, two times, three times…

Li Cheng watched at first, then his mouth twitched, and he turned to attend to others.

After a hundred lifts, Shiniu's face showed no flush, his breath unlabored.

He placed the stone lock back, walked up to Li Cheng and said, "Vice General, I'm done lifting."

Li Cheng, who was guiding an Imperial Troop in archery, turned, stared blankly for a moment, then asked, "…which one did you lift?"

"The big one," Shiniu pointed at the three‑hundred‑jin stone lock.

Li Cheng remained silent for Three Breaths, then said, "Go chop the wooden stakes over there, fifty of them."

On the other side of the Training Ground stood a row of wooden stakes, as thick as a bowl's mouth and a person tall.

On a nearby rack lay a wooden sword for training.

Shiniu picked up a wooden sword, weighed it, and found it too light.

He set the wooden sword down, looked at Li Cheng and said, "Vice General, may I use my hammer?"

Li Cheng glared, "Training wooden sword!"

"But the wooden sword is too light, it can't deliver force."

A few Imperial Troops nearby laughed out loud.

Li Cheng's face darkened as he said, "If I let you use a wooden sword, then you use a wooden sword!"

Shiniu scratched his head, picked up the wooden sword, and walked to a wooden stake.

He assumed a stance; this was the most basic chopping motion from the Hammer Method Diagram in his mind.

He swung the wooden sword down.

"Crack!"

The wooden stake split in the middle, falling to both sides.

The Training Ground fell silent for a moment.

Li Cheng opened his mouth wide.

That Wooden Sword is made of elm, sturdy, but it shouldn't be able to cleave a Wooden Stake as thick as a bowl's mouth in a single slash!

Shiniu looked at the Wooden Sword in his hand, then at the cracked Wooden Stake, and said earnestly, "Vice General, this Wooden Stake… isn't very sturdy."

"…"

Li Cheng inhaled deeply and said, "Replace it with another!"

Shiniu walked to the second Wooden Stake, this time holding back his force; the Wooden Sword cut in halfway and got stuck.

He pulled it out, then struck again, and only then did the Wooden Stake fall.

Li Cheng's expression softened slightly and said, "That's it, continue."