Three-Headed Flood Dragon Demon King

Over the next few days, Mingzhou was abuzz with activity.

A wealthy man in the city found a plain written message inside a fish's belly. It bore the words "King of Mingzhou, prosperity across the land." He was astonished, took it as a heavenly sign, and spread the news.

Then a craftsman heard foxes in the wilderness calling toward Mingzhou Prefecture by night. They cried out, "The Mandate of Heaven has appeared; Grain Protection Yang!" In great packs, they faced Mingzhou Prefecture and bowed again and again.

Someone else, walking along the road at night, heard little ghosts chatting in a graveyard by the roadside. They had crawled out from their graves. "A true dragon is about to be born. Mingzhou is a blessed land indeed..."

"Alas, we were born under an unlucky star. If only we'd died a few years later and lived to see the King of Mingzhou's protection, we wouldn't have ended up lying dead in the wilderness..."

"..."

One story after another spread through the streets and alleys. Storytellers, teahouse women, laborers, and merchants all talked about how the Mandate of Heaven had come to the Grain Protection Great General.

To top it off, plenty of insiders revealed that once the Grain Protection Great General was crowned king, Mingzhou would enjoy favorable weather and abundant grain and fodder for at least several years.

Some even claimed that upon being crowned, he would thank the people by exempting Mingzhou from taxes for three years. The common folk were nothing if not practical, and they submitted petitions by the thousands, demanding that the Grain Protection Great General be crowned king.

Some village elders even came to the city gates and refused to get up unless the Grain Protection Great General was crowned.

How could the Grain Protection Great