As soon as Xiao Jingcheng finished speaking, everyone was taken aback.
So General Tunri had summoned them not to make them act like despicable cowards who would abandon their hometown and flee secretly, but to save people?
Fearing that these people might be reluctant to do this, Xiao Jingcheng deliberately said,
"If the townspeople can keep their property because of you, after this is over, they will surely remember what you've done today. They'll spontaneously offer you money and cloth as thanks, and in the future, they'll look up to you. You won't be seen as hooligans anymore, but as saviors."
Hearing this, most of them were tempted.
They were used to the disgusted looks from the townspeople. Even their own relatives gritted their teeth in hatred for them. If they could gain respect and praise because of this, no one would call them scoundrels or pests anymore, right?
"But... but the townspeople hate seeing us the most on normal days. Will they listen to what we say?" Someone voiced their concern.
"So what?" Xiao Jingcheng replied. "You've fulfilled your obligation to warn them. Whether they believe you or not is their business. You're not Buddhas or Bodhisattvas. Not everyone will trust you, but it's better to save one person than do nothing."
Finally convinced by his words, they clenched their fists and expressed their determination one by one. "Alright, we'll go! Just give us your orders, boss!"
"We'll follow your instructions, boss!"
With their responses, Xiao Jingcheng finally felt relieved.
He took out the incompletely drawn map and calmly made his arrangements.
"You four will be responsible for this area, and you four will take charge of this place..."
Each small team consisted of three people. The one with a loud voice would be in charge of shouting, the fast - running and strong - bodied one would knock on doors, and the other would handle any unexpected situations.
"Leave immediately after notifying the people. Don't get entangled or stay longer. There will be a dog leading each of you. It will guide you to complete this task."
For some reason, this arrangement made everyone feel excited. A sense of being needed welled up in them, and they immediately replied loudly, "Yes, boss!"
Sang Biao and the dogs barked twice as if in response to Xiao Jingcheng's arrangement.
Only the unassigned group, Zhao Hu, and his confidants were left at the scene.
"Boss, what should we do?" The unassigned group consisted of very young men.
Xiao Jingcheng said, "You have good eyesight, strong physical strength, and loud voices. I want you to each take a gong and keep watch at various water areas in Dongli Town. As soon as you notice the water level rising, immediately sound the gong to give a warning."
"For every zhang the water rises, strike the gong five times. Stop when the water level stops rising and strike it ten times."
Xiao Jingcheng looked at those responsible for notifying the townspeople. "Remember? If any townspeople are reluctant to leave, let them listen to the gong. They'll believe then."
Everyone immediately replied, "Yes!"
Noticing that the area Xiao Jingcheng had assigned avoided Liuxiang Tower, someone asked, "Boss, there are two princes staying in Liuxiang Tower. Shouldn't we inform them?"
Xiao Jingcheng slightly raised his eyes and said, "Why not ask if they've ever thought of sending someone to warn the townspeople about the flood and to make preparations in advance?"
The person who asked the question tightened his face and immediately stood at attention. "We'll follow your instructions, boss!"
After each group was assigned, a dog would lead them away. Everyone put on their coir raincoats, held up their bamboo umbrellas, and rushed into the rainy night without hesitation.
Finally, Xiao Jingcheng looked at Zhao Hu.
"The water level of the river has started to rise. Based on the situation of the Xijiang River and the Caisang River, the highest flood peak hasn't arrived yet. We still don't know how high the water will rise. We need to immediately arrange vehicles to evacuate the townspeople."
"Find vehicles and horses for the evacuation and park them at the west exit of the town. Also, find a few sturdy boats."
Zhao Hu thought this task was not difficult and quickly replied, "Okay, we'll go right away."
After Zhao Hu left, Xiao Jingcheng was alone in the room. He looked up at the heavy night sky and the rain curtain, put on his coir raincoat, held up his umbrella, and walked out of the door.
Before long, Xiao Jingcheng arrived at Liuxiang Tower.
Lifting the edge of his umbrella, he looked at the tower through the rain curtain. The tavern, which was usually strictly guarded by soldiers, was now completely quiet. Not a single light was on in the rooms upstairs.
Normally, it would take some effort to get inside, but now Xiao Jingcheng easily stepped through the main entrance.
The carriages parked in the yard and the horses in the stable were all gone.
Xiao Yixuan had left without a trace.
Xiao Jingcheng pushed open the door of the tavern's main hall. The waiter, who was taking a nap with his eyes closed behind the counter, heard the sound and drowsily opened his eyes. Seeing Xiao Jingcheng, he was startled and quickly stood up.
"Sir, are you here to stay?"
As he got closer and clearly saw Xiao Jingcheng's appearance, the waiter's eyes widened in shock.
Xiao Jingcheng put away his umbrella. Rainwater streamed down the umbrella and his coir raincoat. He said calmly, "I'm acquainted with the Prince of Xuan. I've come here specifically to find him on urgent business."
The waiter came to his senses and said with a hint of regret, "You're too late, sir. His Highness the Prince of Xuan left in the middle of last night. By now, he's probably already out of Tianyuan County."
"Really?" Xiao Jingcheng asked. "Has the Prince of Ning returned?"
Scratching his head, the waiter replied, "I didn't see the Prince of Ning among them. Only a young master and a young lady who were also staying in our tavern left with the Prince of Xuan."
Calculating the time, Xiao Wuchen should be coming back soon, right?
Xiao Jingcheng threw a string of coins to the waiter and said, "Bring me a pot of hot tea." Then he took off his coir raincoat and sat down in a seat near the bed in the main hall.
Seeing his extraordinary bearing and outstanding appearance, the waiter didn't dare to be negligent and quickly went downstairs to prepare the hot tea.
Xiao Jingcheng sipped the hot tea while looking at the rain outside the window, patiently waiting...
...
In the night, the dogs led Zhao Hu's men through the alleys. Everyone braved the rain and knocked on one door after another.
"Wake up, everyone! Don't sleep!"
With the heavy rain, only a few townspeople could sleep soundly. Their natural sensitivity to danger made them sleep lightly, so they were easily awakened by the slightest noise.
When they opened the door and saw the hooligans who used to bully them in the town and extort protection fees standing outside, most of the townspeople's expressions changed. Some immediately slammed the door shut out of fear, while others cursed loudly, scolding them for being heartless and still coming to extort money in such heavy rain.
Remembering Xiao Jingcheng's instructions, they didn't explain much. They just repeated over and over again, "The rain is too heavy. The water level of the Caisang River may rise sharply. Quickly pack your valuables. Don't sleep too soundly and be ready to evacuate at any time!"
"If you don't believe us, listen carefully. We have people guarding the river. For every zhang the water rises, they'll strike the gong five times. Then you'll know we're not scaring you!"
After saying that, regardless of whether others believed them or not, they turned around and went to the next house. They said the same thing after knocking on the door.
At first, the townspeople didn't believe them. But when they returned to their houses and saw the rain pouring down as if the sky had a hole, they felt uneasy. Some people waited in their houses for a while and indeed heard five harsh gong sounds from outside, which meant that the river water was really rising!
Some people even went to the riverbank themselves and found that most of the road had been flooded. They immediately turned around and ran, shouting,
"The water is rising! The water is rising! The river is really flooding. Run for your lives!"