The Cao family uncle and nephew stared at the enormous glass cup before them, both wearing rather strange expressions.
"What a gigantic glass cup," Cao Wenzhao muttered. "Could this be the Jade Lamp that Sha Wujing smashed in Journey to the West? The Jade Lamps of the heavens are truly something else."
"Uncle!" Cao Bianjiao cried out. "Can you please focus on what actually matters? Is this really the time to be thinking about Journey to the West? We're basically being held hostage here!"
Cao Wenzhao corrected him with a serious face. "No. You're the one missing the point. We aren't being threatened by people. We're being threatened by a god."
Cao Bianjiao could only gape at him.
It was an incredibly awkward moment. His uncle usually had a talent for missing the heart of any situation, yet this time he had somehow nailed it perfectly.
Cao Wenzhao went on, "If it were ordinary people threatening us, when have we ever been afraid? Hmph. But since it's a god holding us hostage, then we…"
Cao Bianjiao swallowed. "Uncle? Are we going to fight?"
"We surrender," Cao Wenzhao declared without hesitation.
Cao Bianjiao froze.
"Come on," Cao Wenzhao urged. "Let's go to class."
"Wait, what?" Cao Bianjiao blurted out.
The Cao family uncle and nephew immediately broke into a run, skirting around the massive glass cup and hurrying after Gao Jie.
Watching their rather undignified retreat, Gao Yiye could not help letting out a small laugh. "Dao Xuan Tianzun, you've scared them half to death."
"Oh?" Li Daoxuan replied calmly.
Gao Yiye smiled. "Dao Xuan Tianzun, you're usually so gentle with everyone and never bully us ordinary people. Why are you being so harsh with Gao Jie and the Cao uncle and nephew?"
Li Daoxuan let out a soft sigh. "Imperial officials and military generals must be handled firmly. Without discipline, they will not amount to anything. If they do not seriously attend their ideological lessons, then in the future they will not only be useless, they will become obstacles to building a new era. Forget about them. Go enjoy yourself."
"Alright!" Gao Yiye replied cheerfully.
She ran straight into a snack shop by the roadside. "Shopkeeper," she called out, "bring me one of everything tasty you have!"
"Coming right up!"
In the days that followed, Cao Wenzhao, Cao Bianjiao, and Gao Jie all obediently attended lessons at Fan Shangzheng's governor's yamen.
Their instructor was a military officer from the Gao Family Village Militia, holding the peculiar title of "Political Commissar."
None of the three had ever heard of such a position before, nor could they tell whether it was considered high-ranking or low-ranking. Still, judging by the man's confident bearing, he seemed quite important.
The content of the lessons was extremely dull. Most of the lectures revolved around concepts such as the nation, ethnic unity, justice, and good versus evil. Cao Wenzhao, Cao Bianjiao, and Gao Jie yawned endlessly through it all, yet none of them dared to skip a single session. No matter how tedious it was, they had to sit through it.
Time passed quickly.
Before they knew it, the ninth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign arrived.
From the very beginning, the year felt ominous.
Once again, the heavens withheld rain.
Spring rain was already as precious as oil, but when not a single drop fell, it became even more valuable than gold. In both Shanxi and Henan, there was not a trace of rainfall.
This left Li Daoxuan extremely busy.
He had no time to relax at all, constantly producing artificial rain inside the Diorama Box.
Although the size of the box had not been mentioned for quite some time, as the Salvation Index continued to rise, the Diorama Box had expanded twice more. It now measured ten meters long and six meters wide, filling the entire second floor of his large villa.
With the expanded space came expanded coverage.
Each rainfall now covered an enormous area, roughly two kilometers long and 1.2 kilometers wide. Li Daoxuan simply needed to place additional atomizers around the perimeter of the box, then use stands to extend hoses toward the center, spraying mist directly over the core of the miniature land.
As a result, the people inside the Diorama Box often witnessed a miraculous scene.
Countless dragon heads appeared in the sky, their mouths open wide as rain and mist poured down upon the earth.
The people below were filled with awe.
"How many Dragon Kings have been summoned this time?" they wondered.
Even the Four Dragon Kings surely would not be enough. It seemed that Dao Xuan Tianzun had summoned every Well Dragon King, Lake Dragon King, and obscure rain deity from every forgotten corner of the celestial realm to assist.
The villagers marveled not only at Dao Xuan Tianzun's boundless divine power, but also at his vast connections within the immortal realm. Or rather, his overwhelming divine network.
Yet even with Li Daoxuan working tirelessly, he could not save all of Shanxi and Henan.
His expanded field of vision still covered only half of Shanxi and a small portion of Henan. Beyond those areas, conditions remained dire.
The Governor of Shanxi quickly mobilized large amounts of silver and grain, desperately organizing disaster relief. Thanks to his efforts, the situation in Shanxi was alleviated somewhat. Taxes were waived, porridge kitchens were set up, and relief operations proceeded in an orderly fashion.
In Henan, Governor Fan Shangzheng was also doing everything he could to help the people. Unfortunately, his efforts could not cover the entire province.
The reason was simple.
Henan was not fully under his control.
Seventy-two bandit armies still roamed across Henan, Hubei, and Anhui, wreaking havoc wherever they went.
Fan Shangzheng's relief measures could only be carried out in regions firmly held by the imperial court. In areas where supply convoys could not safely reach, there was nothing he could do.
Large numbers of suffering civilians were once again swept up by the bandits, swelling the ranks of the rebel forces.
The bandit armies grew larger and stronger by the day.
January, ninth year of Chongzhen.
A fast rider galloped wildly toward the governor's yamen.
The rider leaped from his horse before it had fully stopped and rushed inside, shouting as he ran, "Military dispatch! Urgent military dispatch!"
At that moment, Fan Shangzheng, Cao Wenzhao, Cao Bianjiao, and Gao Jie were all seated in a classroom, enduring yet another ideological lecture from the Political Commissar.
Yes, even Governor Fan Shangzheng himself was attending.
The four were on the verge of nodding off when the messenger burst in, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Military dispatch! Urgent military dispatch!"
The Political Commissar immediately halted his lecture.
All four "students" turned their heads toward the messenger at the same time.
The messenger froze for a moment, utterly confused. Four high-ranking officials sitting obediently in a lecture hall?
He quickly shook off the distraction. This was no time to dwell on such things.
"The bandit armies, led by Chuang Wang and Chuang Jiang," he reported rapidly, "have marched east to besiege Luzhou. They have already captured Hanshan and Hezhou. Their camps stretch for ten li, with hundreds of thousands of men!"
All four men shot to their feet.
"What?" they exclaimed. "They dare to attack Luzhou?"
Luzhou, known in later times as Hefei, was an extremely important city.
For months, the bandits had remained in the mountains, engaging only in small-scale skirmishes. The imperial court had assumed they were incapable of mounting any major offensive. No one had expected them to suddenly gather hundreds of thousands of troops and strike directly at Luzhou.
Fan Shangzheng frowned. "Luzhou lies far beyond my Luoyang. As Governor of Henan, this matter is outside my jurisdiction."
The messenger nodded. "Indeed, Governor. This report is not meant for you, but for the generals. Supreme Commander Lu Xiangheng has issued orders. General Cao and General Gao are to depart immediately and join General He Renlong at the front. Together, they are to advance on Luzhou and encircle the bandit forces."
Cao Wenzhao, Cao Bianjiao, and Gao Jie all stepped forward at once. "Your humble generals accept the order!"
Without another word, the three turned and rushed toward the exit. The order had clearly stated "depart immediately." There was no room for delay. Even a moment's hesitation would be considered defiance.
But just as they reached the doorway, an unusual sound came from above.
Li Daoxuan, dressed in a swordsman's robe, descended from the sky and landed lightly before the entrance, blocking their path.