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

Chapter 296 The Naval Alligator Appears

"Greetings, everyone? This humble Taoist bows in greeting." A short while later, an elderly Taoist priest with an air of otherworldly wisdom approached, holding a whisk in one hand and a golden scroll in the other, amidst the soldiers' admiring gazes. He bowed and greeted the group. At the same time, everyone noticed a reserved young man following behind the old priest, his eyes lowered, appearing quite shy.

"Greetings, Immortal Master!" Upon seeing that the visitor was indeed the old Taoist priest Zhang Zhengheng, Wang Jinghong and the others widened their eyes in disbelief. However, in the end, everyone still respectfully bowed and greeted the old Taoist priest.

"No need to stand on ceremony, no need to stand on ceremony."

"Yansheng, come here. Greetings to all the generals of the Celestial Empire." The old Taoist priest smiled and gestured for everyone to relax. He then called over the reserved young man behind him to greet everyone.

"Yansheng has met all the generals." The young man who came out from behind the old Taoist priest greeted everyone in a strange tone and stammered, and raised his hand to make a strange bowing gesture.

"Please don't be offended, everyone. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. I've also taken on a disciple from Annam here. I hope you'll forgive my stammering." Seeing that his new disciple was stuttering a bit, the old Taoist priest didn't mind and even personally introduced him, thus helping his disciple out of the awkward situation.

"Congratulations, congratulations!" Everyone was a little surprised to see that the unfamiliar face was actually the old Taoist priest's newly accepted disciple, but they still politely offered their congratulations.

"Thank you very much, Uncle Wei and the two young men." As he spoke, the old Taoist priest took off the three rings he was wearing and returned them to Wei Jizhong and the other two, his face full of gratitude.

"You flatter me, Immortal Master. It was simply my duty." Wei Jizhong was very polite in the face of the old Taoist's profuse thanks.

"General Wang, General Xia, Immortal Master, please calm the soldiers and wait a moment. Next, please keep an eye on the sea!" Wei Jizhong took the ring from the old Taoist priest and quickly put it on his hand. He then turned to the crowd and said.

"Alright! Uncle Wei, please make yourselves at home. We will certainly make the arrangements properly!" After hearing Wei Jizhong's words, Wang Jinghong agreed with a serious expression.

"I'll go ahead first. You can all move to the bow of the ship and take a closer look!" Wei Jizhong reminded everyone present that they could go to the bow of the ship. Then, he led his two apprentices directly to the bow.

"Signal with flags!" Seeing Wei Jizhong's figure, Wang Jinghong, although he didn't know what would happen next, still chose to trust him and ordered the messenger to use flags to contact the soldiers on each ship to look carefully.

"Clang clang clang clang~" First came a series of crisp gong and drum sounds, followed by flag signals. Soon, the fleet that was originally on the outer perimeter slowly gathered around.

"By order of His Highness the Crown Prince, we respectfully request the appearance of the alligator dragon!" Wei Jizhong arrived at the bow of the ship and, seeing that the fleet had assembled, shouted loudly towards the turbulent sea. He then knelt on one knee, clasped his hands, and waited for the alligator dragon to descend.

"We respectfully invite the alligator dragon to appear!" Little Tiger and Little Dog, who had been standing behind Wei Jizhong, shouted the same thing after their master finished speaking. Then, they knelt down respectfully on the bow of the boat, just like their master.

"Immortal Master, what is this?" Wang Jinghong, who had never seen such a scene before, couldn't help but turn his gaze to the old Taoist priest beside him, his face full of surprise.

"His Highness sent the dragon to the navy so that everyone could see it. The sight of a real dragon emerging from the sea is truly rare!"
"Generals, watch closely and remember this moment." The old Taoist chuckled, stroking his long beard with a proud expression. After all, he certainly had reason to be proud.

"Thank you for the reminder, Immortal Master." Seeing that the old Taoist priest was unwilling to say more, Wang Jinghong could only exchange a helpless glance with Xia Xuan, and slowly walked to the bow of the treasure ship, looking towards the deep seabed. All the soldiers stared intently at the seawater, and after waiting for about two minutes without seeing any unusual phenomena, some of them began to grow impatient.

"There's something beneath the main ship." Just as everyone was getting impatient, suddenly, a soldier on the treasure ship carrying Wang Jinghong and the others spotted a large dark shadow moving rapidly beneath the ship. Instinctively, he immediately issued a warning. But before he could finish speaking, a scene that everyone would never forget unfolded.

"Roar~~~" Suddenly, a large black shadow burst through the azure sea below the main ship and soared into the sky, letting out a deafening roar the moment it emerged from the water.

This sound shook the surrounding area; this sound resounded through the sky; this sound was like a thunderclap!

For a moment, all the sailors on the ships were stunned and dumbfounded!
At this moment, everyone, under the scorching sun, stared intently at the majestic figure soaring into the sky!
Then, the towering figure, which had soared into the sky and was several dozen feet high, turned around and plunged straight into the sea.

A loud "thud!" echoed as a violent impact rang out, sending countless waves flying outwards across the vast ocean. Some seawater even splashed onto the soldiers and crew of nearby ships. But not a single soldier uttered a word; they simply stared intently at the still rippling sea with fervent eyes, hoping for a miracle.

"A dragon?!" Wang Jinghong, who had initially refused to believe in the existence of dragons, stared dumbfounded at the sky and the sea, even running to the bow of the ship to peer down and confirm. But all he saw was a rippling expanse of water. Unable to believe what he had just witnessed, Wang Jinghong turned to Wei Jizhong, asking in a bewildered voice.

“Since you generals didn’t see it clearly, let’s do it again. This time, please look carefully!” Wei Jizhong understood Wang Jinghong’s disbelief; after all, for those who had never seen a crocodile dragon before, this scene was truly astounding. So, the considerate Wei Jizhong decided to demonstrate it to everyone one more time.

"By order of His Highness the Crown Prince: Please summon the alligator dragon to the sea! To boost morale!" Wei Jizhong knelt on the ground, raised his hands again, and shouted loudly at the sea below.

"By order of His Highness the Crown Prince: Summon the alligator dragon to the sea! To boost morale!" The two little ones who had been kneeling behind him, Little Tiger and Little Dog, followed suit and shouted loudly.

This time, Wang Jinghong, Xia Xuan, and almost everyone else, as well as those who were visible to the naked eye, were all lying on the bow of the ship, staring intently at the sea.

Beneath the previously undulating sea surface, a huge dark shadow was seen moving rapidly! Then it suddenly sank into the sea and disappeared!
"Splash!" Just as everyone was puzzled, a loud crashing sound rang out as the water's surface was broken. Everyone stared intently at the broken surface, ignoring the spray of seawater, and saw a ferocious dragon with horns, black armor, sharp claws on its belly, and a majestic tail, rising from the sea and soaring into the sky!

"My God! A true dragon has appeared in the world!"

"There really is a dragon!" Under the sunlight, the shattered seawater formed a dense spray of droplets, outlining a magnificent rainbow in the sky. This scene sent shivers down the spines of countless naval officers and soldiers!

"Roar~~!" Above the rainbow, a majestic, jet-black dragon soared into the sky, letting out a resounding roar at the end of the rainbow! This scene would be an unforgettable moment for all the marines present!
"Long live His Highness the Crown Prince!" Suddenly, some clever soldiers on the main ship knelt on the deck and shouted loudly at the alligator dragon in the sky.

Although this shout seemed insignificant on the vast sea, it's important to remember that he wasn't the only one on board. The other soldiers were also taken aback by the cheer, then they recalled how Wei Jizhong had summoned a dragon to fly into the sky using the Crown Prince's decree.

In an instant, countless soldiers shouted in unison.

(End of this chapter)