Chapter 452: That Absolutely Must Not Be Done
“Set off at once!” Wang Cheng'en’s command rang out.
The army mobilized, hastening towards the Dragon Gate Ferry in Han City.
The Dragon Gate Ferry was the most crucial crossing on the upper reaches of the Yellow River.
The ancient saying, “a fish leaping over the Dragon Gate,” originated from this very place, symbolizing a transformative achievement.
During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the Qin state crossed the Yellow River here to deliver a decisive blow to the Jin state, capturing Duke Hui of Jin.
Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Yuan, also traversed the Yellow River from the Dragon Gate Ferry during the Great Ye era of the Sui Dynasty, marching directly into Guanzhong.
In another parallel timeline, Li Zicheng would also cross eastward from this spot to strike directly at Youyan, ultimately overthrowing the Great Ming Dynasty.
Li Daoxuan’s perspective, following Shi Jian and Bai Mao, moved towards the Dragon Gate Ferry. He was genuinely a little intrigued, wanting to see what this strategically vital point, renowned throughout history and the origin of the "fish leaping over the Dragon Gate" legend, truly looked like. He treated the diorama box as his personal travel companion.
However, just as he heard the scout report, “The Dragon Gate Ferry is straight ahead,”
Boundary reached!
Li Daoxuan muttered, “Damn it, my trip.”
He watched as five thousand government soldiers, arrayed in a long column, marched to the edge of the box, passing one by one through the invisible glass wall and disappearing outside the box. Shi Jian and Bai Mao, along with Wang Cheng'en’s main army, quickly followed suit, vanishing from sight.
Li Daoxuan stretched his hands forward, palms facing upwards, fingers spread wide, “Aaaah! My box travel...”
To be unable to visit such an important and fascinating travel destination—it was enough to make him furious.
Wait, don't panic. Think of a way.
Li Daoxuan suddenly remembered that Shi Jian had a small, palm-sized cloth doll of Dao Xuan Tian Zun hanging from his belt. It was a handicraft, much like a cloth tiger, made by the women of Chengcheng County as Chengcheng embroidery—a piece of intangible cultural heritage.
Shi Jian had solemnly brought it with him when he left Gao Family Village, to bless and protect him.
Could this object allow for co-sensing?
He decided to try it instantly...
Li Daoxuan stabbed a finger onto the "Co-sensing" button.
In an instant, a cascade of shifting light and phantom images!
The scene before him sharpened. Li Daoxuan found himself hanging from Shi Jian's belt, suspended by a piece of string, swinging back and forth in mid-air...
Shi Jian was on horseback, and the horse’s movement caused significant swaying, so Li Daoxuan swung along with it, left and right. "Ah, I feel so dizzy. Why would a cloth doll get dizzy?"
No, that wasn't right. It wasn't the doll that was dizzy, but his own body, because the scene viewed through the doll's "eyes" kept swaying. This perspective was relayed back to his true self, and his true self also saw the swaying scene, which caused the dizziness.
He quickly reached out, wanting to grasp the string above his head to steady himself.
But upon extending his "hands," he realized they were short, round, and had no fingers. A doll’s hands were just two stitched-on spheres, very much like Doraemon’s hands.
These damned hands couldn't possibly grab the string!
Alright, time for a special move.
Li Daoxuan, in a creative 'empty-handed' maneuver, brought his two spherical cloth hands together. Plop! They clutched the string. Using both his 'hands' and 'feet,' he began to climb. Soon, he had scaled up to the edge of Shi Jian's lower armor plates, where he found a protruding piece and settled down.
The swaying was much less now, and his dizziness subsided.
Looking left and right, he spotted the small dagger Shi Jian had tucked into his belt. He moved closer and sawed the string that suspended him against the dagger, snapping it.
Now, nothing restrained him.
Clinging to the armor plates on Shi Jian's body, he continued to climb upwards. Before long, he surprisingly reached Shi Jian's shoulder guard and sat down.
Shi Jian himself remained completely unaware, but Bai Mao, riding beside him, jumped in alarm. “Hey? Hey, hey, hey? Shi Jian! Shi Jian!”
Shi Jian replied, “Wang Xiaohua, what’s wrong?”
Bai Mao’s brow slicked with sweat. “This isn't the time to make fun of my name. Look at your shoulder!”
Shi Jian turned his head, only then spotting the cloth Heavenly Lord perched on his shoulder guard.
The shock was considerable.
Li Daoxuan spoke. “Don't make a fuss. Be quiet and enjoy the view.”
Shi Jian was speechless.
Bai Mao was speechless.
The two men froze for a long moment, finally processing the astonishment of "the Heavenly Lord possessing a cloth doll" and sorting out their thoughts.
Shi Jian then whispered, “Has the Heavenly Lord come to issue a divine decree?”
Li Daoxuan replied, “I’m just here to have some fun.”
Shi Jian was speechless.
Alright, the Heavenly Lord is merely amusing himself among mortals!
Soon, everyone arrived at the Dragon Gate Ferry.
Li Daoxuan had read a good deal of travel guides and had imagined this place to be incredibly impressive. It turned out to be just a relatively narrow section of the upper Yellow River, where the channel was only 120 meters wide, and sandy banks lined both sides, making it convenient for ferry boats to dock.
Li Daoxuan cursed silently in his heart: "Scammed again! Sure enough, every 'famous scenic spot and historical site' is a total rip-off. They cordon off any old mountain and dare to call it a top-tier tourist attraction; add a temple on top, and it becomes even more prestigious! Aaaah!"
Five thousand soldiers needed to cross the river, and even though it was only 120 meters wide, it was quite a hassle. First, men were sent across to string several long ropes across the water. Then, using these ropes, they constructed a pontoon bridge...
He watched for only a short while before he started yawning uncontrollably, utterly bored. “Boring, boring,” he thought. He withdrew his co-sensing connection. “I'll go play something else first and come back later.”
Meanwhile, in Hejin County, Shanxi.
Bu Zhan Ni had just led his army in breaking through the defenses of Hejin County city.
Hejin County city, also known as Longmen County, was renowned for its proximity to the Dragon Gate Ferry. It had historically been called Longmen Commandery and Longmen County, until it was renamed Hejin in the Song Dynasty.
Unfortunately, this historic city could not escape the ravages of the rebels.
Now, corpses littered the city. Large bands of rebels were pillaging, burning, and killing throughout the city, while some of the bandits were tearing down the city walls of Hejin County, toppling the already modest and unimposing ramparts section by section.
This was a long-standing rebel tactic: after capturing a city, they would flatten its walls, destroying its defenses to make it easier to plunder a second time later.
Bu Zhan Ni sat in the county yamen, on the county magistrate's grand chair. The Hejin magistrate, meanwhile, lay dead before him, a corpse.
His chief general, Shuangchi Hu, strode in from outside and cupped his fists in salute. “Boss, all the yamen runners, hangers-on, and local militia in Hejin County city have been wiped out. Everyone is now searching for grain.”
Bu Zhan Ni nodded. “It's not far from Yongji and Xing Honglang, is it?”
“Not far at all!” said Shuangchi Hu. “Another two hundred li south, and you’ll reach Yongji. Xing Honglang is stationed at the Gudu Ferry in Yongji. She's built a wooden stockade there to defend the position.”
Bu Zhan Ni snorted coldly. “Good. After we’ve plundered Hejin, we'll continue south and pay a visit to the Gudu Ferry.”
Shuangchi Hu lowered his voice. “Boss, Xing Honglang of Yongji has already pledged allegiance to Wang Jiayin and been incorporated into one of his Thirty-Six Camps. If we go looking for trouble with her now, we'll be disrespecting Big Brother Wang Jiayin.”
Bu Zhan Ni scoffed, “His ‘face’ means nothing to me! If I get angry, I’ll deal with Wang Jiayin too.”
As the two were speaking, Li Zicheng, captain of the Old Eighth Squad, walked in from outside and said quickly, “Boss, what you just discussed—that absolutely must not be done.”
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