Navy Major Xiao Zheng transmigrated into a book.
In the story, he was the Crown Prince of Great Qi, deeply loved and trusted by his father, Emperor Qi Shao, and a handsome, accomplished man in both letters and arms. Countless noblewomen in the capital were smitten with him.
Unfortunately, imperial power had fallen into other hands. As the tragic male supporting character, he was devoted to the heroine, but when he married her as his Crown Princess, he earned the male lead's envy. In the end, the usurping minister had him torn apart by horses, a truly horrific fate.
Xiao Zheng: Who the hell could put up with that!
With the fall of his country and family imminent, there was no time to clean up the mess at home.
Xiao Zheng decisively returned to his old line of work, assembled a fleet, and sailed south to sea.
The court officials scoffed. The Crown Prince was just fooling around. After he had suffered enough, he would come back on his own.
The officials imagined the Crown Prince's voyage west like this:
Barely surviving the storms at sea, never knowing where the next meal would come from, with the crew falling ill, mutinying, and dying until more than half were gone.
The Crown Prince's actual voyage west:
A port of call every three days, a stop on shore every five. There was more tribute from the coastal natives than they could possibly eat.
A year later, he returned with mountains of rare treasures, enough gold and silver to dazzle the eye, and a few disobedient kings in tow for his father to behead.
After the Crown Prince's first voyage west, the empty treasury bounced back in no time.
After his second voyage, the small countries in the southeast all submitted to Great Qi and paid tribute.
After his Nth voyage west... he had become emperor of the countries in the Eastern and Southern Seas, with an invincible army and navy at his command.
*
When the Northern Barbarians invaded south and struck at Great Qi's capital, the city was on the verge of falling. Loyal ministers wept in anguish, while the young emperor took a white silk sash and hung it from a beam, intending to die for his country. Then a mighty fleet appeared on the river. Its cannons thundered, turning the tide in an instant, and the enemy fled in terror.
The dragon banners flying high over the river belonged to the Crown Prince!
The court officials wept with joy:
The Crown Prince has returned! Great Qi is saved!
Emperor Qi Shao: I thought I was going to be the ruler who lost his country. I never expected my son to carry me to victory!
The original male lead: What happened to my throne?
Theme: Technology is the primary productive force