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

Chapter 363 Zhu Zhanhe's Methods of Winning People's Hearts 3
From the gate of the training ground, a terrifying black figure was slowly approaching the center of the training ground.

As the black figure drew closer, Yu Qian could see clearly that it was an incredibly terrifying, enormous, and ferocious beast!

From afar, its jet-black scales looked to be the size of a bowl! Its mouthful of sharp teeth were probably longer than a soldier's sword! Its thick limbs were even thicker than Yu Qian's own waist! Its long tail swung with each step, raising a thick cloud of dust! More importantly, Yu Qian actually saw a pair of bull-horn-shaped horns about two feet long on the top of this behemoth's head!

Alligator Dragon?

Is it really a crocodile dragon?

But how could there really be dragons in this world?

At this moment, Yu Qian stared blankly at the alligator dragon climbing towards the high platform, his mind completely blank!
"I am Zhang Zhengheng from Longhu Mountain. I have returned from preaching in Annam with the Prince's True Dragon, as ordered by the Prince!"
"Now, the true dragon is entrusted to Your Highness!" This resounding voice seemed to jolt Yu Qian awake from his daze. Only then did Yu Qian see that, in front of the alligator dragon, there had been a figure incredibly small compared to the real dragon, walking ahead of it, as if guiding its steps. And now, after hearing the old Taoist priest's words leading the alligator dragon into the arena, Yu Qian realized that this alligator dragon truly belonged to the Prince of Han!
Is this dragon the Prince of Han's? Not this old Taoist priest's?!
The princes who were granted fiefdoms were accompanied by a real dragon! But the emperors who ascended the throne had nothing?!

Yu Qian stared in disbelief at the Han Prince on the high platform, dressed in a dragon-embroidered robe, feeling utterly bewildered!
"Teacher, you've worked hard. Please join the ranks." Seeing his teacher bowing to him, Zhu Zhanhe gently raised his hand, gesturing for him to rise and join the line. The old Taoist priest readily complied, joining the ranks of the many officials from the Han Prince's residence.

Looking at the elderly Taoist priest, whose voice was loud and clear and whose steps were agile, Yang Shiqi couldn't help but think of the Taoist temples built throughout Annam! Yang Shiqi knew that this was another major move by the Prince of Han to rule Annam, and even to rule more other regions in the future!
"Roar~~" Just as the old Taoist priest stood still among the officials, the previously swaying and slow-moving alligator dragon suddenly displayed its sharp side. To everyone's astonishment, the alligator dragon, which was climbing the high platform, raised its head and let out a deafening roar. Then, it leaped from the spot, flicked its tail as if it could fly, and in a single bound, it leaped from the middle of the platform, covering a distance and height of several meters, and arrived beside the Prince of Han on the platform.

"It can... it can... it can fly!" Yu Qian felt his heart fly out with the dragon as he watched it leap into the air. He turned to Fan Zhong in disbelief, his face blank, and stammered as he asked.

"His Highness said that Lord Alligator Dragon can't fly! It just jumps a little higher!" Fan Zhong stared intently at the magnificent figure on the high platform as Yu Qian asked his question. After a moment of silence, Fan Zhong finally repeated to Yu Qian what the Prince of Han had told him long ago.

"This... this isn't flying?" After hearing Fan Zhong's words, Yu Qian pointed at the alligator dragon that was already prostrate at the feet of the Prince of Han with an incredulous expression, and asked in astonishment.

However, Fan Zhong did not respond at this moment. Instead, he continued to gaze solemnly at the high platform. Seeing this, Yu Qian's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't help but guess that things might not be over yet!
Looking at the high platform, the alligator dragon immediately noticed the offerings prepared on it after jumping onto it.

Immediately, it became interested and twisted its large head, ready to begin eating. Zhu Zhanhe commented that the alligator's eating manners were unsightly and utterly disgraceful! Besides, Zhu Zhanhe had other uses for the tribute!
So, to avoid exposing the alligator's lack of class, Zhu Zhanhe had no choice but to leap onto its head, landing firmly between its protruding horns. He then told the alligator that someone would feed it later. Hearing this from its leader, the alligator reluctantly but expectantly agreed. Immediately, it obediently closed its massive mouth and, as Zhu Zhanhe instructed, slowly moved its enormous body, presenting its ferocious yet majestic face to the officials and soldiers below!

However, the scene of Zhu Zhanhe leaping onto the dragon and standing atop its head, then turning the dragon to face the crowd, further excited the countless soldiers below the platform! The civil officials, in particular, were incredibly thrilled!

After all, those who are well-versed in the classics clearly remember that, according to historical records, the legendary Yellow Emperor ascended to heaven on a dragon!
And now, our prince, at such a young age, can control a giant dragon and ride it! Doesn't this mean that our prince will surely become a wise ruler comparable to the ancient sages in the future?

In other words, could this also be interpreted as meaning that those who assist the prince can, like the ministers of the Yellow Emperor in historical records, achieve lasting fame?
Or, to think even more radically, if we perform well, when our prince rides the dragon to the heavens, could he take some of us with him?

Upon realizing this, countless people became excited and their eyes even welled up with tears!

Almost instantly, countless officials who were seeing the alligator dragon for the first time felt their hearts burning with excitement, and their eyes revealed their anticipation of being remembered in history and flying into the sky with the prince on the dragon.

At this moment, Yu Qian, who was seeing the alligator dragon for the first time, stared blankly at everything before him. Originally, Yu Qian thought that the terrifying alligator dragon was merely a dragon head devoid of human understanding! However, seeing the actions of the Prince of Han on the high platform, Yu Qian realized that the alligator dragon could hear and understand human speech! At least, it could understand the Prince of Han's commands!
A crocodile dragon that can understand human speech and has its own thoughts?! In an instant, Yu Qian was once again plunged into deep shock!
After all, a thinking alligator dragon and a mindless alligator dragon are completely different things! Worlds apart! At this moment, Yu Qian suddenly recalled the contents of the edict left by Emperor Taizong, which stated that the edict should be passed down to future generations and that the Emperor could use it to seek help from the current Prince of Han. Didn't this mean that this intelligent alligator dragon was capable of inheriting the legacy?!

Upon realizing this, Yu Qian's recently cleared mind once again fell into boundless silence!
"Since everyone is here today..."

"Then I'll be so bold as to trouble you all to help me feed this alligator dragon." Looking at the eager gazes of everyone below the platform, Zhu Zhanhe decided to offer a small perk: have his subjects help feed the dragon! This was also why Zhu Zhanhe hadn't allowed the alligator dragon to eat on its own earlier. After all, in Zhu Zhanhe's view, this was also a way to win over his subjects!
At this moment, after hearing the prince's words from the high platform, the rows of soldiers standing below were filled with envy! They knew that not everyone had the opportunity to get close to and feed this magnificent alligator dragon!
Just as Zhu Zhanhe finished speaking, Xiao Xizi appeared out of nowhere, carrying a tray lined with golden silk. On the tray were two items: a small bowl containing a pool of red liquid and a small box containing several rings.

"By imperial decree! Commander-in-Chief of the Army, General Hu Tian, ​​please step forward and feed the dragon!" The moment Xiao Xizi appeared and stood still, he loudly called out the first person to step forward and feed the dragon.

(End of this chapter)