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

Chapter 294 Wang Jinghong is about to meet the real dragon
"######" Just as the old Taoist priest was about to ride away on his dragon, he suddenly heard an unusual sound coming from behind him. Although he didn't know what the other party was saying, he knew that the sound must be the result of his waving gesture to the fishermen earlier.

So, the old Taoist priest turned his head slightly and saw a young fisherman, about twenty years old, rowing hard to get past the many fishing boats around him, ignoring the whispers of the other fishermen around him, and rowing towards him.

The old Taoist priest smiled kindly and gently beckoned to the young fisherman who had spoken, signaling him to steer his boat and follow him. The young fisherman, seeing this, rowed even harder with renewed determination, striving to keep up with the immortal riding the dragon.

Before leaving, the young fisherman from another tribe, unaware of his future fate, looked back at his fellow villagers, who were just as ragged as he was. Little did he know that this departure would set him on a completely different path in life!

The old Taoist priest, riding the dragon, watched the young fisherman following behind. He had also carefully observed the young fisherman's every little movement, and seeing the expression on the young fisherman's face as he looked back, the old Taoist priest felt even more pleased with him. After all, in the old Taoist priest's eyes, a foreigner who still harbored feelings of attachment was a good foreigner! And that was the most suitable, the best candidate for a promising young man!

At this moment, the old Taoist priest had made up his mind that he must train the young fisherman from another ethnic group behind him into a qualified Taoist master, and place him in a high position within a certain scope!

After all, in the old Taoist's eyes, what could be more inspiring for the foreign people than a poor fisherman being chosen as a disciple by a Taoist master of the Celestial Empire, and through his own hard work and struggle, eventually becoming a high-ranking Taoist priest capable of governing a prefecture for the Celestial Empire? Isn't this a perfect example of a poor person's rise to success? Isn't this the epitome of Taoist virtue?

Moreover, in the old Taoist's view, this young man from another race would inevitably become an important pawn and a hidden force in Yunnan's future development! After all, all goodwill and dedicated cultivation come at a price, don't they?! Besides, this was just an experiment for the old Taoist. If it succeeded, then the development of other lands in the future could be learned from by him!
The young fisherman from another race who silently followed the old Taoist priest probably had no idea that his life, his destiny, had come to a perfect end the moment he followed the true dragon and the immortal before him, creating a world of difference between him and the fishermen of the past! And this gap was an insurmountable chasm that ordinary people could not cross even with a lifetime of effort, or even several generations of effort!
On the sea, many Annamese fishermen watched their companions leave with what appeared to be immortals, and they couldn't help but reveal a variety of complex emotions, such as regret, relief, hope, or disdain.

From that day onward, starting in Hue and Thang Hoa provinces, legends of immortals, dragons, and golden scriptures began to circulate throughout the vast land of Annam. Later, an unknown person even built a magnificent temple on this beach to commemorate the grand spectacle of encountering immortals and dragons. Of course, that's a story for many years to come.

As the old Taoist priest, guided by the young fisherman from another tribe, led the terrifying and ferocious alligator dragon into Hue Prefecture, it immediately caused a huge sensation. Both the old Taoist priest's appearance and the terrifying alligator dragon were incredibly eye-catching! This sensation quickly spread throughout Hue Prefecture and to the surrounding towns and prefectures.

And soon, news of the old Taoist priest, the alligator dragon, and the golden scriptures reached the ears of the navy.

"Go and invite the immortals back." Admiral Wang Jinghong of the Navy had naturally received a message from Hu Tian of the Army beforehand. Of course, Wang Jinghong also met with Uncle Wei and the others who had come specifically from the Army. However, Wang Jinghong himself was still very interested in the creature of the true dragon. In his view, after all, it was a true dragon that only existed in legends! How could such a creature exist in the real world?! The information was being transmitted so quickly; it must be some extraordinary, unorthodox invasion of Annam launched by His Highness the Crown Prince and those Taoist priests, with the aim of quickly occupying the entire Annam with the help of both the army and navy!

Therefore, Wang Jinghong remained skeptical about the existence of the alligator dragon from the very beginning. Besides, he, Wang Jinghong, had accompanied Zheng Dajian on numerous voyages; what kind of storms and events hadn't he seen? He had seen countless strange beasts, even the auspicious Qilin! Why would he be afraid of a creature that might resemble a real dragon?! As long as it wasn't a giant crocodile or a snake or any other wild beast, he was fine!

"Yes, sir!" After hearing Wang Jinghong's instructions, the naval messenger quickly accepted the order and went to carry it out.

"Commander Xia, regarding the selection of naval personnel to assist the Prince's Palace in surveying and developing various lands, I'll need your help to expedite the selection process. For the army, General Qian is tentatively chosen. This old man is getting on in years and doesn't have the energy, so I'll have to trouble you." After the messenger left, Wang Jinghong turned his gaze to Xia Xuan and entrusted him with the task of selecting naval personnel for land surveying.

"Yes." Xia Xuan did not refuse Wang Jinghong's arrangement. After all, this matter required absolutely loyal personnel, absolutely loyal to the Wang family. Xia Xuan also understood that Wang Jinghong's reluctance to get involved was not due to a lack of energy; after all, who doesn't like land? He simply wanted to distance himself from the matter. However, Xia Xuan was quite pleased with this.

After all, Xia Xuan is the eldest brother-in-law of the Crown Prince, and his younger sister, the Crown Princess, is already several months pregnant. If she really gives birth to a boy, he will be the eldest son of the third generation of the Han Prince's Mansion! He will also be the eldest grandson of the Prince! And Xia Xuan will be the maternal uncle of the eldest grandson of the Prince!
Therefore, Xia Xuan is a born die-hard supporter of the Crown Prince's faction, and a future die-hard supporter of the Crown Prince's faction! He is one of the most trusted people of the current Crown Prince of Han, and one of the most trusted people of the future Crown Prince's faction!

"The personnel review for the navy also needs to be expedited. After all, the navy needs to select some officers and soldiers to enter the military academy, and at the same time, they need to provide the Taoist temple with a list of fallen soldiers!" Wang Jinghong also entrusted Xia Xuan with another matter: the selection of naval personnel to enter the military academy, as well as the large-scale naval personnel review. It can be said that Wang Jinghong is now basically only responsible for the combat command of the fleet, while he has left all the clerical work, such as that of a political commissar, to Xia Xuan.

"Your subordinate obeys!"
However, Lord Wang, before I came to the Navy, my father said that His Highness the Crown Prince has a terrifying true dragon in his possession!
"So, Lord Wang, I believe the rumors circulating in various prefectures recently about the real dragon are likely true!" Faced with Wang Jinghong's repeated attempts to curry favor, Xia Xuan offered a warm reminder. Although Xia Xuan himself hadn't personally witnessed the dragon his father spoke of, he trusted his father's character; he wouldn't joke or deceive him about such a thing!

"What?!" Upon hearing Xia Xuan's words, Wang Jinghong was completely stunned. He never expected Xia Yuanji to say such a thing to his own son. After all, the Xia Yuanji that Wang Jinghong knew was an extremely cautious person! Unless he had witnessed something with his own eyes, Xia Yuanji would never say such a thing to his own son for no reason!
"Lord Xia himself said that His Highness really has a dragon?" Wang Jinghong looked at Xia Xuan with an incredulous gaze. At this moment, his eyes were as wide as copper bells.

(End of this chapter)