Ming Dynasty: The Crocodile King of Han Prince Zhu Gaoxu's Family

Chapter 292 Old Taoist Zhang Borrows a Dragon!

In an instant, everyone's eyes lit up with eagerness. Some even turned their gazes to the usually low-profile Second Prince, Zhu Zhanqi, because they knew that if the Prince wanted to secure his position at the Martial Arts Academy, all the princes of the Prince's residence, including the Second Prince, would definitely be sent there to study! Even the two Mu brothers standing nearby would certainly be sent, because they were young! They were the Prince's future support!
The soldiers gathered on the training ground now had fervent eyes. They knew that the so-called selection and the available spots were definitely reserved for high-ranking officials and nobles. But since His Highness the Crown Prince had released this information, it meant that some of those spots would definitely be reserved for them, the unwanted lowly soldiers! This was their chance! A chance to fight with their lives!

After all, it's a gamble. If you gamble well, it's not just about getting a spot in the military academy; once you're selected, you'll be a key member of the army with an unimaginable future! But if you don't gamble well, it's okay too. After all, if you gamble more, you can get a share of land! Why not?

Since they have a way out both ways, why don't they risk their lives to create wealth and prosperity for themselves and their children and grandchildren?

In an instant, the eyes of the many soldiers below the platform burned with fervor.

"Long live His Highness the Crown Prince!" Those soldiers nearby clearly heard Wei Jizhong's message, and their eyes instantly burned with fervor. In a flash, word spread, and although the drill ground gradually became noisy, the atmosphere grew increasingly enthusiastic. Finally, one soldier excitedly shouted "Long live His Highness the Crown Prince!" once again.

His shouts clearly resonated with the soldiers on the frontier! In an instant, the vast training ground was filled with shouts!
"Long live Your Highness!"

"Long live Your Highness!"

"Long live His Highness the Crown Prince!" The clamor grew increasingly fervent. Finally, all the shouts slowly merged together, forming an even more breathtaking wave!

"Long live His Highness the Crown Prince! Long live His Highness! Long live His Highness!"

"Long live His Highness the Crown Prince! Long live His Highness! Long live His Highness!"

The chants of "Long live the Crown Prince! Long live the Crown Prince! Long live the Crown Prince!" echoed continuously and for a long time.

Once the initial enthusiasm subsided, everyone dispersed and got back to work. After all, Annam was still under development and the country was still at war!
Just like now, with the important tasks completed, Fatty Qian and Jiang Xiaohu led their cavalry out on another expedition; the civil officials, led by Yao Guan, began stabilizing the prefectural offices they had captured; the Imperial Guards were busy collecting and summarizing information from various regions; and the Taoist temples were busy taking over the largest temples in each prefecture and starting renovations. Of course, they all had an even more important task: to survey all the land in the occupied areas! After all, that was the most crucial issue!
While everyone was busy, Hu Tian, ​​Zhu Zhanqi, Zhang Laodao, and several of Zhang Laodao's apprentices gathered outside the Anzhou government office. Zhang Laodao was going to visit the navy with Wei Jizhong!

"Master, the sea is rough! You can just send a few disciples over. Why make the trip?" Wei Jizhong earnestly advised the old Taoist, hoping he would change his mind and stay obediently with Hu Tian.

"Master, Uncle Wei is right. After all, the Taoist temple in Anzhou Prefecture has only just chosen a location, and we still need your presence." Hu Tian was trying to persuade the old Taoist to stay. After all, he was almost eighty years old, and he couldn't bear the responsibility if anything happened to him.

"No need for further persuasion! My mind is made up!" The old Taoist stubbornly declared that he was going to the navy, and no one could stop him. But it was no use! In fact, the old Taoist even impatiently flicked his whisk, trying to prevent anyone from pulling him away!
“Moreover, on this trip to the navy, I also need to borrow the power of the alligator dragon to fully promote the True Dragon Sutra. I'd rather you handle this personally.” In fact, in the past few days, Old Taoist Zhang had already begun spreading the True Dragon Sutra in Anzhou Prefecture and other places, but the results were rather mediocre. This was probably due to the language barrier. Therefore, the old Taoist decided to borrow the alligator dragon for his naval propaganda mission. “Of course.” Wei Jizhong didn't object to the old Taoist's request to borrow the dragon; instead, he happily agreed. After all, the alligator dragon was the boss, and whether or not it could be borrowed depended on the alligator dragon's mood.

"This old Taoist priest plans to take the golden scripture with him, ride a dragon-like creature, and land on the coast. On one hand, he'll spread the message about the precious scripture, and on the other hand, he'll draw the army's attention." In just eleven sentences, the old Taoist priest had elevated his prestige to the highest level!
Hu Tian and his companions were stunned by the old Taoist's words, mainly because they were shocked by his wild imagination. They could easily picture a figure wielding a golden scripture, riding a ten-foot-long alligator dragon from the sea, bringing a breathtaking spectacle to the world! Who knows, this Taoist priest might conquer one or more cities effortlessly!

"The Taoist priest is mighty!" Wei Jizhong exclaimed in admiration after hearing the old Taoist's words.

"It would be best to take Nan'an as soon as possible. After all, it would be difficult for Yunnan to sustain the combined forces of land and sea!"

"Take it first, we have plenty of time to rebuild!" Looking at the several military commanders in front of him, the old Taoist priest sighed and couldn't help but offer a word of advice. After all, with his decades of experience, he could see that Yunnan's supplies to the army were now far from sufficient. So the old Taoist priest's words really struck a nerve with Hu Tian.

"Thank you for your guidance, Immortal Master!" Hu Tian's expression froze upon hearing the old Taoist's words. He had been following his nephew's instructions, proceeding cautiously and slowly. However, the old immortal's words had awakened a side he had never considered: the depletion of military supplies!
In the eyes of the old Taoist priest Zhang Zhengheng, the generals before him were still military commanders, not yet at the level of a supreme commander. This was because they did not yet understand how to manage the overall situation. The imperial court, too, was part of this overall picture!

"Alright, enough of that. The disciples I left behind will first disperse to the prefectures we've already occupied, such as Anzhou, to begin building Taoist temples. I ask General Hu to look after them. As for the locations of the temples, they've already been decided."

Once the Taoist temples are built, we would like General Hu to provide a list of soldiers who died in the pioneering efforts, the more detailed the better. The old Taoist will, as Yanhe requested, arrange hero monuments in each temple to commemorate their pioneering contributions.” After finishing his casual remarks, the old Taoist turned to his more important tasks. After all, this was a good way to win over the people!
"Of course!" Upon hearing the old Taoist's words, Hu Tian's heart skipped a beat. He knew that while the old Taoist's actions seemed to be a way to commemorate the fallen soldiers, they were actually a way to indirectly check whether there were any cases of falsely reporting the number of soldiers in the army. After all, the practice of embezzling funds was a long-standing one. And the list of fallen soldiers reported by the army to the court had to match the list submitted to the local Taoist temples! This must be His Highness's doing, Hu Tian thought to himself.

"Alright, that's enough. I would also appreciate it if General Hu could send someone to inform the navy in advance of our upcoming departure." The old Taoist priest bowed to Hu Tian and said.

"Rest assured, Immortal Master, there will be no problem with this matter." After suppressing his shock, Hu Tian quickly returned the greeting to the old Taoist priest and assured him.

"Uncle Wei, let's set off." Looking up at the sky, the old Taoist priest waved goodbye to Hu Tian and grabbed Wei Jizhong, eager to leave.

"General Hu, Second Prince, we take our leave." Seeing the old Taoist priest eager to leave, Wei Jizhong stumbled after being pulled by the old Taoist priest, and turned to say goodbye to Hu Tian with a twitch of his lips.

"Have a safe journey." Hu Tian looked at the anxious old Taoist priest with a helpless expression and could only offer his parting words. Then, Hu Tian and Zhu Zhanqi watched helplessly as the old Taoist priest pulled Wei Jizhong onto the carriage and drove away, leaving only a trail of dust in his wake.

(End of this chapter)