Chapter 86: The Arduous Journey Across the Frozen Wasteland

This time, Chen Mu led five thousand Invincible Flying Troops, three thousand Wudang Flying Troops, and two thousand reserve forces, the latter currently responsible for carrying the supplies. As soon as they left the northeast region, the weather turned bitterly cold—Chen Mu estimated it was at least minus twenty degrees Celsius. After the soldiers relieved themselves, the ground would quickly freeze over.

Fortunately, they had down jackets to keep warm, but their faces still felt the biting chill. Observing this, Chen Mu ordered the entire army to halt and had pork fat melted. Once it cooled, he instructed the soldiers to spread it on their faces.

After applying the fat, the soldiers immediately felt their faces were no longer numb with cold, as if the icy wind had been blocked out.

The Donghu envoy, Ulira, watched with astonishment. “Your Highness, how did you come up with such a clever idea, to apply pork fat to the face?”

Chen Mu smiled faintly. “That’s a secret.”

The army pressed on, the sky gradually darkening, and Chen Mu gave the order to make camp for the night.

While the soldiers busied themselves, Ulira stood beside Chen Mu, quite idle. He was surprised to find that even when standing still, he didn’t feel cold at all.

“Your Highness, these thick clothes are truly marvelous. They’re so warm!”

Chen Mu smiled again. “This is called a down jacket. It doesn’t keep you warm by its mere thickness, but rather by using a fluffy structure to trap a layer of air around your body, thereby insulating you from the cold.”

Ulira grew more confused. “Down jacket?”

He understood the words individually, but together, they made little sense. As for this talk of air and insulation, he was all the more lost.

After a while, the soldiers had set up the tents and begun to light fires and prepare dinner. Ulira noticed that the soldiers of Daxia primarily ate meat, supplemented with some vegetables and grains.

“Your Highness, what kind of vegetable is this? Why does it look so small when it goes into the pot, but after cooking, it quickly expands?”

Chen Mu patiently explained, “This is just ordinary leafy greens, but after being air-dried and dehydrated, it shrinks and is easier to carry. When you cook it, it absorbs water, the cells swell up, and it returns to its original shape.”

“Also, once the moisture is removed, it doesn’t oxidize easily and is preserved better—even in this cold, it won’t freeze.”

Ulira’s mouth hung open in amazement, unable to find words. He had heard tales that the Crown Prince of Daxia was learned and resourceful, and today’s encounter proved the rumors true. The down jacket and dehydrated vegetables were both remarkably practical inventions.

Once the stew was ready, the soldiers began to eat, and Ulira spotted another novelty.

“Your Highness, what is this white, fluffy food?”

Chen Mu replied with a smile, “This is something new from Daxia as well—Northeastern rice. It’s grown in the region we just passed through.”

Chen Mu had a soldier serve Ulira a bowl of rice and a bowl of stew. As soon as Ulira caught the fragrance of the rice, he eagerly grabbed his chopsticks and took a bite. After that first mouthful, his eyes lit up; he quickly scooped up the entire bowl of rice, barely touching the stew.

Wiping his mouth, he belched contentedly, only then realizing he’d eaten nothing but rice, yet found it so delicious.

Chen Mu laughed. “The crispy crust at the bottom of the pot is even more fragrant—here, taste a piece.”

With that, Chen Mu picked a piece of the crust from his own bowl and placed it in Ulira’s. Ulira tasted it and found it indeed crisp and aromatic, with a smoky flavor mingling with the fragrance of rice.

“Wait—Your Highness, you eat the same food as your soldiers?”

“Of course,” Chen Mu replied. “What I give my soldiers is the best and most nutritious food, so they have the strength and health to fight. Since it’s good, I eat it too.”

Ulira was deeply moved. Whether among the Xiongnu or the Donghu, the leaders always ate the finest meats and fruits, accompanied by the best wines. The soldiers, by contrast, subsisted on grains, heavily seasoned vegetables, and only got a bit of meat before battle. Yet here, Chen Mu’s soldiers had bowls of stew with half the contents being meat. And Chen Mu himself, as the Crown Prince and sole heir to the throne, ate exactly the same as his men.

Ulira began to understand why the soldiers respected Chen Mu so deeply.

Yes—respected.

It wasn’t fear or flattery, but genuine respect from the heart.

Such an army was truly formidable.

The first night passed peacefully. The cotton tents were very warm, and the down quilts provided further comfort. In the morning, they donned their down jackets, down pants, and thick cotton boots, ate the same Northeastern rice and stew, and pressed on, warm and full.

By afternoon, the army reached a riverbank. The river was already frozen solid, but Chen Mu did not order an immediate crossing. Instead, he commanded the troops to make camp and build rafts.

Ulira was puzzled—why build rafts when the river was frozen?

But the soldiers followed orders without a question and set to work. Ulira asked, “Your Highness, why are you having them build rafts? Why not just walk across the ice?”

Chen Mu explained, “We will cross on the ice, but first, we’ll lay the rafts down and walk on top of them. If you walk directly on the ice, your feet make a small contact area, which increases pressure. The rafts spread out the weight, reducing the pressure.”

“Oh, oh, oh…” Ulira responded, but he didn’t really understand; he could only offer a polite smile.

The rafts were soon ready, but by then night had fallen. The army rested, and the next morning, after a meal, Chen Mu ordered the river crossing.

The soldiers first laid out the rafts, tied ropes around themselves, and crossed in loose formations—usually only two or three men to a raft. One by one, the soldiers crossed the ice and reached the far side.

But just as the last of the army was about to finish crossing, a soldier carrying supplies fell into the river. He had been walking in the center of the raft with only two other men, but as they lingered too long in one spot, the ice cracked and the raft slid toward an opening.

Fortunately, everyone was tethered with ropes, and the soldiers before and behind pulled quickly to keep hold of him. But the crack widened, and with a crash, the raft fell into the icy water, forcing the others to jump to the edge of the opening.

The soldier was now fully submerged in the freezing water. He flailed instinctively, but his body quickly stiffened from the cold. The others tugged at the rope, but couldn’t pull him up, and the submerged soldier no longer had the strength to climb.

Chen Mu, who was crossing the river behind them and saw what was happening, shouted, “Drop your pack!”

The soldier suddenly understood, shrugged his shoulders, and let the pack of frozen meat slip into the river.