An hour later, everyone reached Xiaoxiwa in Xin'an County.
Xiaoxiwa was the easternmost stretch of land in Xin'an County, lying closest to Mengjin County.
When the Yellow River burst its banks at Mengjin that year, Xiaoxiwa became the area of Xin'an County that suffered the worst devastation.
The entire region was submerged. At its deepest, the floodwaters were several meters high.
After the water finally receded, it left behind a thick layer of yellow mud and sand. The sediment piled up to more than half a meter deep.
Immediately afterward came a drought.
The scorching sun baked the mud day after day until it hardened into a crust as solid as stone.
How could disaster victims possibly have the strength to dig through such a thick and rock hard layer?
Jiang Cheng knelt down, drew his waist knife, and stabbed it fiercely into the ground. The blade pierced the surface of the mud crust, but that was as far as it went. No matter how hard he pushed, it would not sink any deeper.
"It's incredibly hard," Jiang Cheng exclaimed.
The Magistrate of Xin'an County had been badly frightened earlier and still had not fully recovered. He nodded absentmindedly, his voice slightly dull. "Yes, it's very hard. Human strength cannot dig through it."
"Hmm. Then I shall handle it."
Dao Xuan Tianzun chuckled softly. "Spectators, step back."
The instant he spoke, Jiang Cheng and the militia soldiers turned and ran without hesitation. In the blink of an eye, they had cleared the entire mud crust area.
The Magistrate of Xin'an County and his yamen runners, however, were still standing there blankly, not moving at all.
Jiang Cheng shouted, "What are you standing around for? Hurry over here and join us. Don't just stand there blocking Dao Xuan Tianzun's divine work."
The Magistrate froze. "Ah? Ah? Right, right."
Only then did he react. He hastily waved his hands and led the yamen runners away.
Just as they stepped clear of the mud crust, the clouds overhead suddenly parted.
From within the clouds, a colossal golden hand emerged and descended slowly toward the earth.
The Magistrate of Xin'an County froze for a brief moment. Then overwhelming excitement surged through him.
"This is exactly the scene from The Heavenly Lord Dao Xuan's Demon-Slaying Saga. The great hand descending from the heavens to save the world. I never imagined that I, an official of the court, would witness it with my own eyes."
The golden colossal hand descended, curled its fingers slightly, and tapped gently on the hardened mud crust.
Boom.
With a deafening roar, the ground trembled violently. The miles long mud crust shattered instantly under the impact. Cracks spread rapidly across the yellow earth, racing outward in every direction. It was a breathtaking sight.
Then the golden hand reached down and carefully lifted a massive slab of the broken mud crust.
To ordinary people, this layer of earth was thick and unyielding. Before the golden colossal hand, however, it was no more than a thin, brittle sheet. It looked as though applying even a little more force would cause it to crumble apart completely.
If it shattered into fragments, clearing it away would become troublesome.
Controlling strength while wearing gloves was difficult.
Li Daoxuan withdrew the golden colossal hand, removed his glove, and extended his bare hand back into the box. With slow and careful movements, he lifted the broken pieces of mud crust out one by one.
To the people below, what they saw was Dao Xuan Tianzun using supreme divine power to shatter the mud crust, followed by an invisible force gathering the massive fragments and drawing them up into the clouds.
Everyone watched in a daze.
After a long time, all the large pieces of mud crust had disappeared, leaving behind only scattered fragments. These were small enough for the people to handle themselves. Li Daoxuan decided there was no need to intervene further.
He went to the bathroom to wash his hands, scrubbing thoroughly with fragrant soap. Only after his hands smelled clean did he return.
Inside the box, the people were still staring blankly, unable to recover from the shock.
The Magistrate of Xin'an County spoke with a trembling voice. "This official… a problem that has troubled this official for several years… miles upon miles of mud crust… Dao Xuan Tianzun solved it in the blink of an eye?"
Jiang Cheng laughed loudly. "That was a divine feat from Dao Xuan Tianzun. Of course it was resolved quickly. I still remember when the Yellow River overflowed its banks. I was sailing on it, and my boat was about to capsize. Dao Xuan Tianzun reached down and lifted both me and my boat into the sky, saving my life. What a spectacle. It's a pity you didn't witness it yourself, Your Honor."
The Magistrate sighed deeply and looked up at the sky. "If I had known it was this simple, what was I worrying about all these years? I should have sought Dao Xuan Tianzun's help long ago."
Jiang Cheng burst into laughter. "A few years ago, you hadn't watched The Heavenly Lord Dao Xuan's Demon-Slaying Saga, had you?"
"Er… that's true…"
Jiang Cheng patted him on the shoulder. "It's not too late to become a devout follower of the Dao Xuan Tianzun Sect now."
That same evening.
Bai Yuan returned to Xiaolangdi from Luoyang. After hearing Jiang Cheng recount what had happened, he learned that Dao Xuan Tianzun had revealed his true form in Xin'an County. He was immediately filled with excitement.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun has finally come to Henan. This is wonderful. I have an idea I've wanted to suggest for a long time."
"Oh?" Dao Xuan Tianzun's voice sounded from the device on his chest. "What idea?"
Bai Yuan said, "Ever since Wu Shen took office, the entire province of Shanxi can be considered territory of the Dao Xuan Tianzun Sect. Xiaolangdi is separated from Shanxi by only one river. Relying on boats for transport is extremely inconvenient. If Dao Xuan Tianzun could bestow another bridge across the river…"
"So that's your request," Li Daoxuan laughed. "Very well. Granted."
Bai Yuan was overjoyed.
The next day, at the Yellow River Three Gorges not far west of Xiaolangdi, a massive bridge descended from the heavens, linking the two banks of the Yellow River. Land transportation between Xiaolangdi and Shanxi was finally opened.
Just as Dao Xuan Tianzun's attention remained focused on the area around Luoyang…
Far to the northeast.
A young man was leading an army of ten thousand southward.
His name was Dorgon.
That year, Dorgon was twenty three years old, at the height of youthful ambition.
Not long before, Dorgon had proposed a strategy to Huang Taiji. Each year, they would gather their forces and wait for the grain to ripen. Then they would invade Ming territory, besiege Beijing, cut off its reinforcements, destroy its fortresses, and steadily drain the strength of the Ming state. Once the Ming Dynasty was sufficiently weakened, they would seize Beijing in a single decisive strike and claim the empire.
Huang Taiji found the proposal highly reasonable. However, the Ming Dynasty had stationed heavy forces in Liaodong and controlled key passes such as Shanhaiguan, making a direct breakthrough extremely difficult.
In the end, Huang Taiji chose to bypass them through Mongolian territory.
At that time, more than half of the Mongol tribes had already submitted to Huang Taiji. Only the Chahar tribe still refused to surrender.
Thus, Dorgon arrived.
As night fell, ten thousand Jin troops were encamped on the grasslands. Scouts were dispatched in all directions. The surroundings were utterly quiet. The Mongols did not even dare attempt sneak attacks or raids. They had been completely cowed by the Jin forces.
Dorgon felt a surge of pride. "Yue Tuo, this time when we go there, the Chahar tribe will definitely not dare resist. They will surrender immediately."
Yue Tuo coughed several times before nodding. "The Chahar tribe has indeed been intimidated and is no longer a serious threat. Cough, cough. However, recently I've heard of a small tribe in the Hetao region called the Wushen Tribe. For some reason, they have risen rapidly. Cough. They have already unified the Ordos Tribe. This may affect our efforts to pacify the Chahar tribe."
Dorgon, only twenty three and full of arrogance, believed himself invincible. What enemy could possibly withstand his iron fist? He burst into laughter.
"Yue Tuo, you're worrying too much. We've already conquered nearly the entire grassland. What is there to fear from a tiny Wushen Tribe?"
Yue Tuo tried to speak. "Do not underesti… cough… mate… cough, cough…"
Dorgon waved him off. "You've grown timid because of your illness. Just watch me deal with this Wushen Tribe."
As they spoke, a soldier entered the tent to report. "General, Mongols from the Tumed tribe have come with news. They say that Ombo, the chief of the Western Tumed tribe, is in contact with an envoy from the Great Ming."
Yue Tuo's eyes narrowed. "Hm? The Western Tumed still dare to stir up trouble? Send a cavalry unit to intercept them. See if you can capture that envoy."