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

Chapter 521 Grand Military Review 2
"Welcome to the exemplary officials of the Dragon Kingdom!"

Welcome, princes of the Dragon Kingdom, and princesses!

"Welcome, representatives of the diplomatic corps from all nations, to the Imperial City!" After three drumbeats, the figure standing in front of the loudspeaker on the city wall proclaimed once more.

"Boom boom boom!" Immediately afterwards, another burst of intense war drumming resounded!

As the war drums sounded, countless familiar figures appeared on the city walls. Led by the Second Prince, the King of Joseon, the Third Prince, and the Prince of Ning, a group of princes who had been enfeoffed appeared one by one on the city walls, dressed in formal princely robes with embroidered dragons and wearing golden crowns!

Led by the third brother, the King of Luzon, and his nephew, the King of Ryukyu, a group of princes, also dressed in the same embroidered dragon court robes and wearing golden crowns, appeared one by one on the city wall along with the princes!

Following closely behind the prince were the princesses, led by Princess Yushu, who had been enfeoffed to various islands. They were also dressed in magnificent embroidered phoenix court robes and wore phoenix ornaments on their heads as they appeared on the city wall!

Next came a group of founding veterans of the Dragon Kingdom, such as Xia Yuanji being helped along, Mu Sheng leaning on a cane, and other aged figures! Of course, there was also Zhang Dazhu, the stubborn fellow mentioned by Emperor Longwu! And he was standing very close to the center of the city wall!

Next came the representatives of the various countries' delegations. Among them, the most familiar figure was Li Xian, the Grand Secretary of the Ming Dynasty during the Tianshun era!

Behind Li Xian were representatives from various countries, dressed in strange costumes and with different skin colors!

At this moment, although Li Xian looked somewhat unpleasant because the Dragon Kingdom had arranged for him to be among the foreign nations, he still resolutely climbed the city wall and stood in the position he had marked!

After three drumbeats, a group of princes who had already taken up their fiefs, the eldest princess, important officials of the Dragon Kingdom, and representatives of delegations from various countries stood firmly on the city wall of the Dragon Capital!

After another deep howl, this time, the armored warrior's powerful voice did not resound. Even the figure of the armored soldier had vanished!

The deep, resonant sound of the horns did not stop, and then the sound of war drums, like raindrops, rang out again!

Such a fierce scene naturally attracted attention. Countless people looked up at the towering imperial city of Longdu. Even the officials on and off the city walls bowed their heads and stood in awe, facing the direction of the imperial city.

Amidst the intense anticipation of everyone, the first thing that caught the eye was a magnificent and splendid bright yellow canopy slowly rising from the city wall!

Behind the canopy, a large banner, a symbol of the Dragon Emperor's status, also slowly rose up.

At this point, even without anyone announcing it, everyone knew that the founding emperor of the Dragon Kingdom, Emperor Longwu, had arrived!

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Greetings, Father Emperor!

"Greetings, Your Majesty the Emperor!" Officials of the Ming Dynasty, princes, princesses, and envoys from many foreign countries all knelt down and kowtowed to Emperor Longwu to show their respect.

These three distinct yet sequential shouts, deep and resonant, were still incredibly awe-inspiring, even amidst the powerful sounds of horns and war drums.

"Grand Secretary Yang!" Li Xian, the Grand Secretary of the Ming Dynasty, who was kneeling on the ground, felt a pang of sadness as he looked at the appearance of Emperor Longwu. He silently murmured the name of Yang Shiqi.

Perhaps, at this moment, Li Xian also sensed Yang Shiqi's regret from back then!

If Emperor Longwu were the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, how wonderful that would be! If Emperor Longwu... At this moment, Li Xian's mind was filled with unbelievable imagination!

But imagination is ultimately an illusion. Soon, Li Xian was jolted awake by an even more awe-inspiring shout!

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!!!"

Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!" Following the voices of the many ministers, below the city walls, countless members of the observation group shouted in unison!

The terrifying roar was so overwhelming, it was deafening, and even the blazing sun in the sky couldn't dampen their fervent emotions! At that moment, the sounds of war drums and horns abruptly ceased!

"Rise, my lords!" After the drums and horns stopped, Emperor Longwu, dressed in a dragon robe and wearing an imperial crown, with one hand on the sword at his waist, waved his hand and ordered his many ministers to stand up.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" This time, the chorus of thanks from everyone was truly awe-inspiring! It sent shivers down the spines of countless people! Afterwards, all those who had knelt and bowed respectfully rose and stood upright once more in their places!

Emperor Longwu glanced around at the people watching the spectacle on the city tower who were also on the same platform as him.

On the left are the younger brothers who have already been enfeoffed, as well as the princes. Further to the left are the younger sisters who have already been enfeoffed.

On the right, lined up in order, were the old ministers of their own Dragon Kingdom, Xia Yuanji, who was unsteady on his feet and was given a seat, and Mu Sheng, who was leaning on a cane, followed by Zhang Dazhu, that stubborn mule! Then came Qian Zhongcai and some other important court officials!

Further to the right are the foreign envoys led by Li Xian, the Grand Secretary of the Ming Dynasty. Among them are Esen, the leader of the Oirat Mongols, several current Khans of the Mughals, several current Khans of Tibet, and representatives from dozens of countries including Britain, France, Portugal, Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire.

Before long, everyone who had come to pay homage to Emperor Longwu had stood still again!

At this moment, Emperor Longwu stood unsurprisingly in the very center of the city tower!

To the surprise of the officials standing on and off the city wall, since the emperor's appearance, they had not seen the crown prince Zhu Qiyu at all!

Yes, the Crown Prince disappeared after Emperor Longwu appeared! Everyone knew that the figure in full armor who greeted everyone on the city wall was His Highness the Crown Prince of the Dragon Kingdom!

But before everyone could continue their thoughts, they were interrupted by the voice of the Dragon Emperor!

"My esteemed officials! My esteemed envoys from all nations!"

My Dragon Kingdom! It has been established for twenty-two years!

Currently, all the princes, dukes, and even princesses of my Dragon Kingdom have established ancestral temples to protect their territories beyond the borders!

Since its founding, although our Dragon Kingdom has had some minor frictions with its friendly nations, it has remained generally stable and has not caused any major damage.

"Hereby I proclaim, 'May the world be unified and all nations be friendly!'" The Dragon Emperor's voice, like a dragon's roar, resounded throughout the entire Dragon Capital Square, even without the aid of loudspeakers.

After hearing Emperor Longwu's words, it's believed that if it weren't for the awe of Emperor Longwu and the powerful national strength of the Dragon Kingdom, someone would have already pointed at Emperor Longwu's nose and cursed him!

But the truth is, none of them dared to! They could only continue to silently endure it!

After a slight pause, Emperor Longwu continued speaking!

"To demonstrate our Dragon Kingdom's determination to maintain unity across the world and harmony among all nations!"

Today, I, the Emperor, have invited delegations from all nations to this capital city to demonstrate to you the might and strength of my Dragon Kingdom's army and navy in upholding the friendship between all nations! The Dragon Emperor stood beneath the canopy, clad in a dragon robe and wearing an imperial crown, his hand resting on his sword. His deep voice resounded throughout the entire Dragon City square, clearly audible to everyone.

If Emperor Longwu's words just now only left everyone feeling frustrated, then his current words are a blatant threat! He's clearly telling everyone to witness the immense power of the Dragon Kingdom, and to swallow any grievances they may have against him!

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!!!"

Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!" Emperor Longwu's words were both heroic and inspiring, and his three resounding shouts directly shocked everyone! So much so that after these three shouts, some people on the city walls of Longdu felt their ears ringing and trembling!

(End of this chapter)