At 100 years old, he joined the army in place of his granddaughter, and became a national war god.

Early morning, on the wide waters in front of Longjiang Wharf.

An official ship is slowly approaching the shore.

The waves cleaved by the bow left a long white trail at the stern, which was then slowly smoothed out by the surging river water.

Wang Ben stood at the bow of the boat, his eyes fixed on the dock ahead.

His eyes held an undisguised excitement.

He was already feeling excited, muttering to himself, "Ten years have passed, and I'm back here again."

Xiao Jingyu walked to Wang Ben's side and followed Wang Ben's gaze toward the dock.

He asked with a smile, "Lord Wang, how does it feel to be back in this place?"

Wang Ben slightly opened his arms, embracing the gentle breeze blowing in his face, and replied with excitement, "To be honest, Your Highness, the happiest days since I entered officialdom were the ten years I spent as the supervisor at Longjiang Shipyard."

"You only need to focus on blueprints and timber each day, without having to worry about the power struggles in the court."

"Although I'm always covered in dirt, my mind is completely at peace."

"Later, I was transferred to the Ministry of War. Although I was still serving the country, I always felt that I was getting further and further away from what I really wanted."

He paused, a hint of self-deprecation in his voice.

"In the first few years after I took office, I often dreamed at night that I was standing in the dock, holding a plane in my hand."

Xiao Jingyu was deeply moved upon hearing this, for he felt the same way.

"Why!"

"If the Great Qian Dynasty had more officials like Lord Wang, it wouldn't have been so riddled with problems in recent years."

Wang Ben smiled slightly, withdrew his outstretched arms, and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Xiao Jingyu: "Your Highness is too kind. Although I am the Minister of War, I am but an ant trying to shake a tree in the court."

"To talk about the changes in Daqian, we still have to rely on the Prince and Elder Su."

"Since the recapture of the northern border, the entire Great Qian Dynasty seems to have been transformed, no longer as decadent as before."

"Now, I see hope."

Xiao Jingyu's gaze was also on the river, and he sighed deeply: "Yes... many things have changed since Elder Su came."

"However..." He turned around and looked at Wang Ben, his tone returning to its previous calmness, "Let's not dwell on the past. Now that the Great Qian Dynasty is on the rise, those of us in the court should focus our efforts on practical matters."

Wang Ben nodded: "Your Highness is absolutely right. We see hope. We, the officials of the court, should strive even harder to bring peace and prosperity to the people."

Hahaha!

Then, the two looked at each other and burst into laughter.

……

As the official ship docked, Wang Ben, Xiao Jingyu, and others stepped onto the pier, looking up towards the shipyard without stopping.

Several rows of people were already standing on the dock.

The man in the lead was in his early forties, with a rather robust build. He wore a slightly worn blue official robe with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing a thick, calloused wrist that he had developed from years of working with wood.

This person is Lu Yuan, the current director of Longjiang Shipyard.

Wang Ben was a former subordinate and junior. The two had not seen each other for many years, and Lu Yuan recognized the figure at a glance.

He immediately stepped forward and bowed.

"Your humble servant Lu Yuan greets Your Highness and Minister."

Without any pleasantries, Wang Ben approached and went straight to the point: "Director Lu, are all the craftsmen here?"

Lu Yuan nodded firmly and replied, "Lord Wang, after receiving the news, I notified all the craftsmen in the shipyard overnight. They are all here now, awaiting your instructions."

Wang Ben looked at Xiao Jingyu, his eyes asking for instructions.

Xiao Jingyu nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

Then the two followed Lu Yuan across the dock's walkway and headed into the shipyard.

The Longjiang Shipyard is larger than any other dock seen along the way. Several semi-dry docks are arranged in a row along the riverbank, and the deepest dock can accommodate hulls that are nearly three or four times larger than ordinary warships.

Bundles of timber and iron were piled on the wooden frames all around. Some had been sawed and piled low, while others remained in their original log form, with the bark still peeled off, glistening with moisture in the morning light.

The craftsmen stood in twos and threes near their respective workstations; some were tidying up their tools, while others chatted idly together.

When Xiao Jingyu and the others appeared, all eyes quickly turned to them.

Then, everyone immediately gathered together.

Lu Yuan led Wang Ben and Xiao Jingyu to the high platform in the center of the shipyard.

The platform was made of thick wooden planks and was about ten feet above the ground. Standing on it, one could see most of the shipyard.

The crowd below was dense and silent. The moment Wang Ben stepped onto the platform, they all turned their gazes toward him.

Xiao Jingyu patted Wang Ben on the shoulder, gestured towards the open space in front of the platform, and then stepped back half a step, leaving the space in front of the platform for him.

Wang Ben did not refuse again.

He walked to the front of the stage, his gaze slowly sweeping over every face in the audience, before he began to speak:

"Brothers, the Eastern barbarian bandits have invaded our Great Qian land, burning, killing, and looting. Their crimes are heinous."

"Fortunately, General Su led the eastern expedition, killed the bandits, and drove them out of the East Sea of ​​Daqian."

"But before those Dongyi people left, they massacred Wanhu City and Zhenhai Pass, sparing not even the old, weak, women and children."

"How could we, the Great Qian Dynasty, not collect this debt?"

"General Su has decided to cross the East China Sea and crush the Eastern Barbarians."

"We build ships not just for show."

"Each of these ten warships must be able to withstand the wind and waves, break through enemy lines, and carry the brave soldiers of the Great Qian Dynasty who cross the sea to collect debts."

There was a moment of silence in the audience, then a deafening roar of agreement erupted from below.

Some raised their hammers, some gripped their rulers and swung them upwards, and some shouted, "Build! Build the best ship!"

"So that the soldiers of the Great Qian Dynasty can crush the Eastern Barbarians and make them pay for their blood debts."

"Yes, blood must be paid for blood!"

Wang Ben stood on the stage until the chorus of applause subsided slightly before turning around and nodding to Lu Yuan.

"Commander Lu, let's get to work."

Lu Yuan walked to one side of the high platform, where a long table had already been set up.

A red cloth was laid on the table, and a bronze incense burner was placed in the center. On each side stood an unlit vermilion candle, and in the corner of the table was a wooden mallet wrapped with red silk. The mallet head was larger than that of an ordinary hammer and was placed in the center of the tray.

Lu Yuan lit the incense and handed three sticks of incense to Wang Ben.

Wang Ben accepted the incense and bowed three times, facing the river.

He muttered to himself:

I bow to Heaven, Earth, and the Water!

I bow twice to the master craftsmen of our ancestors!

Three bows to the destiny of the Great Qian Dynasty!

Then he got up and inserted the incense sticks into the burner.

Lu Yuan performed the same ceremony. Next, several craftsmen stepped forward one by one, each holding incense and bowing solemnly.

Then, Lu Yuan picked up the wooden mallet wrapped in red silk from the tray and walked up to Wang Ben.

Wang Ben took the mallet, turned around and walked to the front of the platform, where a ship's keel wrapped in red cloth was placed, symbolizing the keel of the warship.

He glanced at the ship's beam, raised his mallet, and tapped it three times, neither too hard nor too softly.

The mallet struck the red cloth-covered ship's barge, producing three short, deep thuds that echoed throughout the shipyard and were carried away by the wind along the river.

"The Great Qian Dragon Warship has officially commenced construction!"

An even louder cheer erupted from the audience.

As Wang Ben stepped down from the stage, Xiao Jingyu stepped forward and cupped his hands, saying, "Lord Wang, I entrust the matter of the Youlong warship to you."

Just as Wang Ben was about to return the greeting, Xiao Jingyu turned to look at the two people behind him: "Qingzhou, Changfeng, you two will protect Lord Wang closely during this period. You must ensure his safety."

Ye Qingzhou stepped forward and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Your Highness, rest assured, General Su gave me special instructions before we came."

Gu Changfeng also clasped his hands and nodded.

Wang Ben quickly waved his hand: "Your Highness, there's no need for such trouble. I'm at the shipyard, and the brothers will take care of me..."

Xiao Jingyu raised his hand, interrupting his refusal.

"Lord Wang, this is Elder Su's order."

"Now that you bear the heavy responsibility of the Dragon Warship, your safety is of paramount importance."

"Qingzhou's underwater skills are superb, and Changfeng's swordsmanship is a true inheritance from Master Su. With the two of them by your side, Master Su and I can rest assured."

Wang Ben glanced at Ye Qingzhou and Gu Changfeng, then at Xiao Jingyu's expression that left no room for refusal, and finally cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness and General Su... I will do my utmost to build the Youlong warship."

Xiao Jingyu nodded and said, "I will return to the government office to report to Elder Su. Lord Wang, the shipbuilding is entirely up to you."

After saying that, he left the shipyard and headed towards the dock.

After watching the Third Prince leave, Wang Ben turned around and shouted to the craftsmen!

"Brothers, let's get to work!"