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

Chapter 366 Grand Secretary Yang! Since ancient times, the strongest army and the most powerful horses have always been kings!

Of course, Yu Qian, Yang Shiqi, and others also returned to Anzhou City with the main force. However, after returning to their resting place, Yu Qian immediately pulled Yang Shiqi and Fan Zhong aside. He had a lot to say to them.

"Grand Secretary Yang~"
General Fan~
This is the secret you two were talking about!?
"So this is the secret you two were talking about!" At this moment, after returning to his lodgings and pulling Yang Shiqi and Fan Zhong into his room, Yu Qian was practically in a state of frenzy. After all, he had witnessed a horrifying scene that he would never be able to shake off. Ignoring his composure, Yu Qian questioned Yang Shiqi and Fan Zhong with near-madness!
What did Yu Qian see?
He saw that the Prince of Han had a dragon!
A dragon!

A living, breathing alligator dragon!
It was a crocodile dragon that was over ten zhang long!

Yu Qian personally fed the alligator! He personally confirmed that it was a crocodile!
Even more terrifying is that the Prince of Han was able to merge with that ferocious alligator dragon!
The fact that the alligator dragon could appear outside the training ground with the old Taoist priest means that the alligator dragon can still separate from the Prince of Han!
If the scene Yu Qian witnessed today were to occur in Beijing during the Ming Dynasty, Yu Qian believes the entire Ming Dynasty would go crazy!
No wonder King Zhuang of Han rebelled!

No wonder Emperor Taizong changed his mind on his deathbed and wanted to pass the throne to Prince Zhuang of Han!

No wonder Emperor Taizong left behind a contingency plan, leaving behind that strange edict on his deathbed!

No wonder Emperor Renzong allowed the two princes to rebel! He was even willing to cede Beijing for them! And even when the two princes were rebelling, he still allowed the entire Han Prince's family to go to their fiefdom!

Everything, everything, is because the Prince of Han's mansion has a dragon!
There is a real dragon!
A real, living dragon!
Under such circumstances, how could King Zhuang of Han be persuaded to willingly give up everything?

Putting aside King Zhuang of Han, even an ordinary person, if they obtained such a terrifying true dragon, would probably go mad! ? ?
Seeing Yu Qian descend into madness, Yang Shiqi and Fan Zhong fell silent. They knew that a true dragon was alive! To expect Yu Qian to accept such an unbelievable event—a true dragon entering his body—was indeed quite difficult, given that he was completely unprepared.

After all, when the two of them first saw the alligator dragon, they were just as shocked and at a loss as Yu Qian is now.

But! Facts are facts!
This is reality! A reality that Yu Qian is unwilling to believe, but has no choice but to accept!

"Yu Qian~~" Yang Shiqi stood up, his hunched figure seeming to age instantly, turning him into an old man in his eighties. He called out softly to Yu Qian, hoping that Yu Qian could quickly regain his senses.

"Huff~, huff~, huff~, huff~, huff~, huff~," Yu Qian seemed to realize his loss of composure after hearing Yang Shiqi's calls. Immediately, Yu Qian took deep breaths, trying to calm his turbulent emotions.

Finally, after about fifteen minutes, Yu Qian slowly regained his composure.

"Grand Secretary Yang, General Fan."

Is this the secret you've been talking about?!
Such a terrifying existence exists.

"As long as the Prince of Han is willing, he can overthrow the court at any time!" Even though Yu Qian had calmed down, his face was still filled with horror. He gripped the table with both hands, his eyes full of resentment as he spoke to Yang Shiqi and Fan Zhong about the most pressing issue: as long as this terrifying dragon existed, the Prince of Han possessed the power and confidence to overthrow the court at any moment!

"Minister Yu, the Prince of Han once promised Emperor Taizong that he would not raise an army! He did just that during the Yongle reign."

He also accomplished this during the Hongxi era;
"I believe he can do it during the Xuande reign!" Yang Shiqi was well aware of Yu Qian's question, but at this moment, he could only hope that Prince Zhu Zhanhe of Han would continue to keep his promise. Therefore, Yang Shiqi replied to Yu Qian in a somewhat weak tone.

"Grand Secretary Yang! Are you pinning your hopes on the Prince of Han's compassion?!"
When Emperor Taizong was alive, the Prince of Han was still the Crown Prince of Han. He had a personal agreement with Emperor Taizong, and the promise was still valid, so he naturally would not raise an army.

During Emperor Renzong's reign, he was known for his magnanimity and benevolence. Even when Prince Zhuang of Han rebelled, he continued to bestow honors and favors upon the Prince of Han's family, and this promise still held some weight. At that time, the Prince of Han was still the heir apparent. Therefore, even out of consideration for Emperor Taizong's past relationship, he most likely would not have raised an army.
But don't forget, we've come to Annam to deliver the remains of King Han Zhuang!

The previous Prince of Han died during the reign of Emperor Xuande! He died at the hands of the current emperor! This is a blood feud!
"Under such circumstances, how can you still hope that the Prince of Han will be merciful and continue to keep his promise?!" Yu Qian retorted without hesitation after hearing Yang Shiqi's words.

After all, in Yu Qian's view, the future of the court could not be pinned on the mercy shown by others!

Besides, the current emperor is unaware of such a secret. If conflict were to break out again someday, how would the court and the Prince of Han's residence resolve the situation? Would they all have to cede territory to the princes and sue for peace, just like Yang Shiqi did? This was Yu Qian's biggest concern!
Yang Shiqi was well aware of Yu Qian's problem, but he had no other choice. At this moment, Yang Shiqi chose to remain silent.

"Grand Secretary Yang! Since ancient times, the one with the strongest army and the most powerful horses has been king!"

You understand this principle far better than I do!

Look at the scene of Prince Han inspecting troops at the drill ground today!

"If the Prince of Han were to raise an army, who in the world could subdue him?!" Yu Qian said to Yang Shiqi with a pained expression. After all, in Yu Qian's view, judging from the military review held at the Prince of Han's residence today, it was an invincible army! No one could stop it!

"So, that's why I let you see this secret!"

Yu Qian, I hope you can take over from me and inherit this secret! To pass on this secret!
However, this secret must not be known to the current emperor or any future emperor! No one could understand Yang Shiqi's pain! He had to ensure the secret was passed down, yet he couldn't let the current emperor or any future emperor know it! He also had to maintain friendly relations between the Prince of Han's residence and the Ming imperial family; how difficult this was! It was simply a bottomless pit!
"Why can't His Majesty know?" Upon hearing Yang Shiqi's words, Yu Qian instinctively wanted to retort. However, he swallowed his words halfway through.

At that moment, Yu Qian suddenly understood. This terrifying secret truly must not be known to the current emperor, or even to any emperor in future generations!
Because even though this secret is the greatest guarantee for the Ming Dynasty, it is also the greatest threat and obstacle to imperial power!
Yu Qian knew perfectly well that no emperor would allow such a secret to exist! If such a terrifying threat could not be kept in his own hands, Yu Qian could even guess without thinking that any competent emperor would choose to eliminate this huge hidden danger to prevent future troubles!

However, Yu Qian knew in his heart that this secret was not a hidden danger, but the Ming Dynasty's last trump card for a comeback! It absolutely could not be disposed of! Therefore, this secret must never be known to any emperor!
Another point is that even the current King of Han was able to resist the temptation and, with the alligator dragon in hand, chose external expansion rather than internal rebellion. However, this does not guarantee that future Kings of Han will continue to uphold this promise!

After all, vows are often not tested!
Especially considering that the current Xuande Emperor murdered Prince Zhuang of Han!

Even Emperor Taizong (Yongle Emperor) managed to break through the siege of Baima Temple, the stronghold of Emperor Gaozu of Han (Liu Bang), in order to conquer the grasslands! It's hard to guarantee that a future Han prince might, for the sake of the fertile lands of the Ming Dynasty, bring up the death of Prince Zhuang of Han as a reason to raise an army!
(End of this chapter)