Chapter 60: I Want to Learn How You Use a Hammer!

Hongwu Third Year, May 20th.

The sky hadn't fully brightened yet; a faint fish‑belly white was just appearing in the east, and at the gate of Wu Wang Fu a "Bang bang" knocking sound came.

"Second Prince! Second Prince, open the door!"

"We agreed to train at the Mao hour, open the door quickly!"

Zhu Yong, half‑asleep, was woken by the noise, rubbed his eyes and sat up, realizing how loud those little brats were.

From outside came Xiao Zhu's voice: "Prince, the Third Prince and Fourth Prince have arrived."

"Just now…" Zhu Yong muttered as he got out of bed.

He pushed open the window and saw the sky still dim, estimating that the Mao hour was about two quarters away.

Dressed and heading to the front yard, Hu Bo had already opened the gate; Zhu Shuang, Zhu Gang, and Zhu Di, the three brothers, stood at the doorway, followed by two little ones.

Ten‑year‑old Zhu Su and Zhu Zhen.

"Second Prince!" Zhu Di was the first to rush in, his eyes sparkling.

Zhu Shuang and Zhu Gang followed, and Zhu Shuang, yawning, said: "Second Prince, we aren't late, are we!"

Zhu Yong glanced at the sky and said: "It's not yet Mao hour; why did you come so early!"

"Couldn't sleep! The thought of learning martial arts from Second Prince kept me up last night!" Zhu Di exclaimed excitedly.

Zhu Gang added: "Second Prince, we're all ready!"

Only then did Zhu Yong notice that the five boys were all wearing short training robes and thin‑soled fast boots, truly the attire for martial practice.

Even the youngest, Zhu Zhen, was properly belting his waist, though the belt was so long that he wrapped it twice around his waist and a tail hung down.

"Fifth Prince and Lao Liu, are you two joining the fun?" Zhu Yong asked, looking at Zhu Su and Zhu Zhen; although both were already ten, they were as slender as Zhu Biao, tiny and thin.

They certainly couldn't compare to Zhu Shuang and the others.

Zhu Su nodded seriously and said: "Second Prince, I also want to learn martial arts."

Zhu Zhen also raised his hand and called out: "Second Prince, I also want…"

Zhu Yong rubbed his forehead and shouted: "Fine! Everyone, listen up—training is hard; if anyone cries 'I'm tired', they may not come back later."

"Never say I'm tired!" the five said in unison.

Zhu Yong led them to Yan Wu Chang.

This Yan Wu Chang was specially commissioned by Empress Ma; the ground was paved with blue bricks, weapon racks lined the perimeter, and in the corners lay Stone Lock and stone carrying poles.

"First loosen your bodies, follow me," Zhu Yong said, demonstrating a few stretching moves.

The five boys copied him exactly; Zhu Shuang and Zhu Gang performed fairly standardly, Zhu Di was especially diligent, while Zhu Su and Zhu Zhen looked rather comical—perhaps neither had ever done such training, they couldn't even touch their toes when bending.

After the warm‑up, Zhu Yong said: "To learn martial arts, first train the lower stance; Horse Stance is the foundation. Come, follow me."

He spread his legs, bent his knees and squatted, assuming a standard Horse Stance.

The five followed suit; Zhu Shuang and Zhu Gang barely managed to stay squatted, Zhu Di held the most stable stance, Zhu Su wavered, and Zhu Zhen simply plopped his bottom onto the ground.

"Lao Liu, get up… squat steady," Zhu Yong walked over and lifted him up.

Zhu Zhen wore a pained expression: "Second Prince, my legs are sore…"

"Sore or not, you must squat; how can you learn martial arts if you can't squat steady?" Zhu Yong said sternly.

Zhu Zhen had no choice but to grit his teeth and squat again.

After less than half a quarter‑hour, Zhu Shuang couldn't endure any longer; his legs trembled as he said: "Second Prince… how much longer…"

"One quarter‑hour," Zhu Yong replied, standing at the front, also holding his Horse Stance, motionless.

Zhu Shuang let out a wail, yet gritted his teeth and persisted.

Zhu Gang fared no better; sweat beaded on his forehead and his body began to sway.

Only Zhu Di, though also sweating, squatted firmly and steadily, his gaze resolute.

He truly lives up to being the future Yongle Emperor.

After finally enduring a quarter‑hour, Zhu Yong shouted "Rise", and the five, as if granted a pardon, scrambled to their feet and massaged their legs.

"This is just the beginning; continue tomorrow, add a quarter‑hour each day, and when you can squat for half a shi‑chen, I'll teach you something else," he said.

Zhu Yong looked at them and said.

"Half a shi‑chen!" Zhu Shuang's face turned pale.

"What… don't you want to train?" Zhu Yong asked, looking at him.

"Train! Train! I was just saying…" Zhu Shuang hurriedly replied.

After a short rest, Zhu Yong took a white wax rod from the weapon rack and said: "Come, today I'll first teach you how to handle a spear."

He grasped the spear shaft, performed the opening stance of a mid‑level straight spear, and said: "The spear is the king of weapons; it emphasizes thrust, block, seize, break, point, pierce, slash, and so on. Today we'll start with thrusting."

As he spoke, he thrust forward, and the spear tip whooshed through the air, fast as lightning.

The five boys stared with eyes widened.

"Here, one each," Zhu Yong took several shorter white wax rods from the rack and handed them out.

Zhu Di took the spear, mimicking Zhu Yong's grip, looking the part.

Zhu Shuang and Zhu Gang could barely hold steady, while Zhu Su and Zhu Zhen struggled; their constitutions weren't as good as Zhu Shuang's, so their hands trembled as they held the spear shafts.

"First practice gripping the spear: thumb pad to the tip, rear hand steady…" Zhu Yong corrected their posture.

While teaching, Zhu Shuang suddenly said: "Second Prince, your spear is too light; do you have a heavier one? I want to learn you using a hammer!"

Zhu Yong glanced at him and said: "You can't even hold a spear steady, yet you want a hammer? My pair of hammers each weigh six hundred jin; can you lift one?"

Zhu Shuang shrank his neck and said: "Six hundred jin… then never mind."

Zhu Gang's eyes lit up as he said: "Second Prince, no wonder a single charge of yours can slay over a hundred enemies; that's truly formidable…"

Zhu Yong scratched his head and said: "Close enough! When you charge, swing the hammer, and anyone you hit dies."

The five boys listened with faces full of admiration.

"Second Prince, then… how many people have you killed?" Zhu Zhen asked with a curious expression.

Zhu Yong shook his head and said, "Never counted; I don't even remember what it was for."

While speaking, a voice came from the entrance of Yan Wu Chang: "Yo, so lively."

Everyone turned their heads and saw Zhu Biao walk in, with Chang Wan following behind.

"Big brother!" Zhu Di shouted first.

Zhu Biao smiled as he came over: "I could hear your voices from far away—coming to train so early?"

"Big brother, we're learning spear technique from Second Prince!" Zhu Shuang rushed out.

Zhu Biao glanced at the white wax rods in their hands, nodded, and said, "It's time to learn some martial skills, strengthen the body, but…"

He looked at Zhu Shuang and Zhu Gang and asked, "Did the two of you finish today's homework?"

Zhu Shuang's face stiffened: "Big brother, it's only the Mao hour…"

"The Mao hour? What's wrong with that? When I was your age, I was already studying at Wenhua Hall at the Mao hour," Zhu Biao said sternly.

Zhu Gang whispered, "Big brother, we'll just train for a bit, then go study after."

"Finish training and go right away; I have an inspection this afternoon," Zhu Biao said.

"Yes…" the two bowed their heads dejectedly.

Chang Wan covered her mouth and giggled beside them, saying to Zhu Yong, "Prince Wu, I heard your spear technique is also impressive?"

Zhu Yong chuckled naively, "It's okay; I mainly use a hammer, and I learned the spear from Uncle Xu, just the basics."

"You're being modest," Chang Wan said with a smile.

Zhu Yong scratched his head, not knowing what to say.

Zhu Biao watched the five younger brothers practice spear thrusts for a while, then said to Zhu Yong, "Second younger brother, teach yours; you don't need to worry about us."

Zhu Yong nodded and continued teaching the five to practice spear thrusts.

Zhu Di learned the fastest, already able to thrust a few spears properly.

Zhu Shuang and Zhu Gang were still lacking; their spear thrusts were soft and limp.

Zhu Su and Zhu Zhen were just playing, hugging the spear shafts and laughing merrily.