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

Chapter 295 A Sudden Shock

"I have never seen a real dragon. However, my father gave me this advice before I came to the navy."

Therefore, I surmise that the immortals and dragons currently active in Annam and the two provinces are none other than His Highness the Crown Prince's teacher, the old Taoist priest Zhang Zhengheng, and His Highness the Crown Prince's alligator dragon.

After all, His Highness the Crown Prince has specially trained dragon tamers! Uncle Wei, who is currently resting, is one of the dragon tamers trained by His Highness the Crown Prince, and the two young men beside him are his apprentices, also second-generation dragon tamers trained by His Highness the Crown Prince. They can briefly control and command the dragon using the token given to them by His Highness the Crown Prince. Since they can control the dragon, the old Taoist priest should be able to as well!

Therefore, I surmise that the legendary dragon must actually exist!
As for whether the immortal is real, we'll only know when Elder Zhang arrives," Xia Xuan told Wang Jinghong in advance about some information he knew.

"Uh~~" After hearing Xia Xuan's words, Wang Jinghong was like a stunned puppet, staring blankly at Xia Xuan in front of him without saying a word. He was so stunned by Xia Xuan's words that he could only listen to Xia Xuan's explanation as if it were a foreign language.

"Phew~~" After a long while, Wang Jinghong finally let out a breath and recovered from Xia Xuan's words, but at this moment, he still had an incredulous look on his face.

"When I accompanied Grand Supervisor Zheng on his voyages to other countries, I was fortunate enough to witness the Azure Dragon patrolling the sea and even witness the Azure Dragon battling the sea!" Wang Jinghong slowly stood up, paced back and forth in the cabin, and turned to Xia Xuan as he spoke.

"At that time, it was also a huge alligator dragon that fought fiercely with a giant merman in the sea."

At that moment, the alligator dragon soared into the sky, battling the merman, and ultimately slaying the ferocious merman in the vast ocean. Afterward, the alligator dragon vanished. It was never seen again!

The ship's painter also painted this scene as "Dragon Fighting the Sea" and presented it to the late Emperor Taizong.

Time flies, and I never imagined I'd hear news of the alligator dragon again in this lifetime! Wang Jinghong recounted to Xia Xuan with a sigh that he had personally witnessed the scene of the true dragon battling the sea. Xia Xuan listened in a daze, never expecting that Commander Wang would have such a remarkable experience.

At this moment, Xia Xuan suddenly developed an unusually strong interest in ocean shipping.
Two days later, the sky was clear and the sea was calm. Wang Jinghong, Xia Xuan, and Wei Jizhong, along with their two apprentices, were resting in the cabin. They had received news that the renowned immortal and alligator dragon of Hue and Thang Hua prefectures would be making their personal appearance in the navy that day! Therefore, they were waiting for someone!
"Uncle Wei, I will gather all officers of the rank of commander and above to explain the land allocation documents clearly on the ship. As for the matters concerning the military academy and morale boosting, I will leave them to you, Uncle!" Moreover, while waiting for others, everyone was not idle, and Wang Jinghong arranged the main tasks for the day in advance.

However, after learning that the previously unknown Uncle Wei was actually the dragon tamer trained by the Crown Prince, Wang Jinghong's attitude towards Wei Jizhong became even more enthusiastic. After all, although he didn't know if the alligator dragon was real, this Uncle Wei was going to be stationed in the Navy! What's more, the legend said he was bringing an alligator dragon with him! If that were true, the impact would be no less than a terrifying super bomb!

"Of course, I will follow General Wang's arrangements." Wei Jizhong remembered Zhu Zhanhe's instructions before his departure: in the navy, observe more and speak less, do more and ask less, and obey the command of the naval commander in battle. Wei Jizhong remembered these words very clearly. Wei Jizhong also knew that this was His Highness the Crown Prince telling him, an outsider, not to participate in military affairs to avoid causing chaos. Therefore, Wei Jizhong obediently chose to obey orders. Seeing that Wei Jizhong did not reject his work arrangements, Wang Jinghong actually breathed a sigh of relief. After all, if this Uncle Wei was really the Dragon Tamer, then he really was a master! And the biggest master in the navy! If this master was unruly, then that would be the biggest trouble in the navy! Seeing that Uncle Wei obeyed the work arrangements, Wang Jinghong was very happy. He knew that at least Uncle Wei could get along peacefully with everyone in the future.

"Commander Xia, perhaps later, regarding..." Feeling relieved, Wang Jinghong turned his head to Xia Xuan, who was sitting upright beside him. He wanted to delegate the task of reading documents to Xia Xuan so he could have some peace and quiet. But before he could finish speaking, an unexpected situation occurred outside the cabin!
Suddenly, a commotion erupted outside the cabin, spreading rapidly in all directions, including the main ship, interrupting Wang Jinghong's words. Upon hearing this, Wang Jinghong and the others' expressions changed, and they abruptly stood up.

"What's going on?!" Everyone was startled, thinking: Could it be a camp raid?! A camp raid is the most critical problem in the army!
"My lords, you'd better go out and see for yourselves." Before anyone could get up to check the situation outside, a messenger rushed in from outside the cabin. In his panic, he tumbled and scrambled into the cabin. Before he could get up, he lay on the ground, still in shock, and begged Wang Jinghong and the others to go outside and take a look.

"Let's go!" Seeing this, Wang Jinghong narrowed his eyes and led everyone out of the cabin. Xia Xuan and the others followed closely behind, wanting to see what was happening outside.

Upon exiting the cabin, the loud noise of the naval soldiers reached everyone's ears. Looking up, they saw soldiers all leaning on the ship's railings, gazing at the sea. This undisciplined scene made Wang Jinghong and the others frown.

"Generals, look over there!" One of the officers on the ship who was closest to Wang Jinghong and his men quickly came to their side after spotting them, pointed to the sea not far away, and gestured for them to look in that direction.

Wang Jinghong looked in the direction indicated and saw a figure rapidly approaching on the undulating sea. The figure floated straight on the water without even a small boat beneath its feet! What was most unbelievable was that, under the sunlight shining on the sea, Wang Jinghong actually saw a golden light shimmering in front of the figure! Such a scene was bound to be terrifying.

"Master, Daoist Master is back! His Highness the Crown Prince's dragon has finally returned!" At this moment, Xiao Huzi, who had been staying behind Wei Jizhong, couldn't help but shout out in surprise after seeing the scene at sea.

Although the sound was not loud, it was like a thunderclap in the ears of Wang Jinghong, Xia Xuan and the others!

"Yes, Daoist Master is finally back, and His Highness the Crown Prince's dragon is back too! If Daoist Master hadn't returned, the token His Highness gave us would have almost expired!" Wei Jizhong looked at the scene not far away with a sigh of relief. After all, the token His Highness gave us was indeed about to expire, and if Daoist Master hadn't returned, he didn't know what to do. Fortunately, Daoist Master returned in time, and now the blood sent by His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived.

"That's a dragon?!" Wang Jinghong asked Wei Jizhong incredulously. He had only seen a person floating on the sea, not a trace of a dragon!
"Once the immortal arrives, please have General Wang send someone to fetch him. Then, please watch how the three of us, master and disciples, perform." Wei Jizhong didn't directly tell Wang Jinghong whether what was below was a dragon. After all, things never seen before should be witnessed firsthand! Let them see for themselves; they will judge for themselves then!

"Alright!" Wang Jinghong did not hesitate. With a wave of his hand, soldiers quickly ran down the ship. Clearly, they were going to fetch the old Taoist priest back to the ship.

(End of this chapter)