When the two of them reached the entrance and exit of the west town, there were already several enclosed carriages parked there, as well as several ox - carts.
Moreover, quite a number of commoners had gathered around, arguing heatedly about who should be the first to leave.
"We were the first to come. We should leave first!"
"My mother is ill and weak. Such heavy rain could be fatal! We should be allowed to leave first!"
"That won't do. Everything should follow the rule of first - come, first - served. Whoever comes first gets to choose first!"
The scene was in a complete mess. Although it was a critical moment, the atmosphere was so tense that it seemed a fight would break out at any moment.
Xiao Wuchen immediately understood Xiao Jingcheng's concerns.
The situation was sudden, and the weather was bad. If there was no one in charge to maintain order, there might be a big chaos before the commoners could be evacuated.
Over there, Zhao Hu saw Xiao Jingcheng's figure and quickly walked towards him with a bitter face.
"Boss, you're finally here. If you hadn't come, these carriages might have been snatched away by others!"
Boss?
Xiao Wuchen couldn't help but glance at Xiao Jingcheng. Were these the people his elder brother had in Dongli Town? They looked more like hooligans.
Xiao Jingcheng didn't notice Xiao Wuchen's gaze. He asked Zhao Hu, "Did you only manage to find these few carriages?"
Zhao Hu held up the oil hat on his head and immediately started complaining, "Boss, you don't know. We've searched the whole Dongli Town, and these are all we could find. Dongli Town isn't a wealthy town. Many people would rather walk than spend money on a carriage."
Xiao Jingcheng said, "It's okay. It's enough."
He looked at Xiao Wuchen and said, "Wuchen, it's up to you."
Xiao Wuchen nodded, rode his horse forward, held up the gold medal in his hand, and shouted, "I am the Prince Ning of the Great Sheng Dynasty, and the person beside me is the Crown Prince of the Sheng Dynasty. Everyone, be quiet!"
The guards shouted in unison, "His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Prince Ning have arrived. Everyone, be quiet!"
The commoners were extremely in awe of the royal family. As soon as they heard that the Crown Prince and the Prince Ning had come, those who had been shouting just now immediately fell silent. A large number of them knelt down on the spot.
Zhao Hu was completely stunned. Out of reverence for the royal power, he immediately knelt down with the others.
The Crown Prince? Where was the Crown Prince?
Wasn't the Crown Prince already dead?
His body had rotted and stunk, and it had even been washed up on the river beach of Dongli Town.
Apart from Xiao Jingcheng, there was no one else coming with the Prince Ning. Could it be that the boss they had recognized, the mysterious "General Devouring the Sun", was actually His Highness the Crown Prince?!
The next moment, Xiao Wuchen answered everyone's questions.
He didn't say much to the commoners. He only said that the body was a ruse set up by the killers who wanted to harm the Crown Prince. But the Crown Prince had already seen through their scheme and had been hiding in Dongli Town. He only stood up to take charge when the commoners were in danger.
The commoners in Dongli Town really didn't recognize Xiao Jingcheng, but many of them had seen Xiao Wuchen. His words were like authority and imperial edicts in the hearts of the commoners. How could they dare to doubt anything?
Xiao Jingcheng stepped forward in time and shouted, "I've been in Dongli Town for quite some time and have developed feelings for this place. Now that I see Dongli Town facing the threat of floods, as the Crown Prince of the Great Sheng, I will never sit idly by."
"Dongli Town is everyone's homeland. We should work together to overcome this difficulty. I know everyone is very anxious and wants to leave as soon as possible. But the number of carriages is limited. To solve this problem, you must follow my orders."
His voice was clear and calm, cutting through the rain curtain and reaching everyone's ears.
"Now, the elderly over fifty, children under fifteen, pregnant women, and the sick should gather on my left side."
"Everyone else, stand on my right side."
Captain Cui led the guards forward. Under the pressure of the two princes, Xiao Jingcheng and Xiao Wuchen, and the guards, the commoners didn't dare to cause trouble anymore and obediently followed his instructions.
Soon, the people at the scene were divided into two groups.
"The elderly, children, the sick, and pregnant women will leave first by carriage. Does anyone have any objections?" Xiao Jingcheng asked.
How could the people dare to have any objections? They all nodded and said, "We will follow His Highness the Crown Prince's instructions."
There were only three carriages on the scene. Even though the people had been divided into two groups, they still couldn't fit everyone.
Moreover, there was a problem now.
The elderly who had been separated didn't want to share a carriage with the sick, for fear of catching the illness. The scene became noisy again.
Xiao Wuchen frowned and looked at Xiao Jingcheng. "Elder brother, what should we do now?"
Xiao Jingcheng only thought for a moment and then stepped forward to direct personally.
He first let the sick board a carriage. These sick people just filled one carriage.
Then, he let the pregnant women board the second carriage.
There weren't many pregnant women, and there were still empty seats in the carriage. So Xiao Jingcheng asked the old women to fill the remaining seats and hold the children under six in their arms or on their laps. In this way, another carriage was filled.
The rest were some male elders and children between six and ten years old, which was just enough to fill another carriage.
After settling these people, Xiao Jingcheng turned around to settle the other group.
Ordinary women and unmarried girls would take an ox - cart, and the rest would take the remaining ones. Only then were all the people at the scene packed in.
Xiao Jingcheng whistled. In the rain curtain, several dogs ran over and obediently squatted in front of Xiao Jingcheng.
Two guards were responsible for escorting each of the three carriages and five ox - carts. After reaching a safe place in the night, they would return. And the dogs that Xiao Jingcheng had called would lead the way in front, guiding everyone to a safe and sheltered place.
During this time, more and more commoners were still coming from the town. In just a short while, a large number of people had gathered at the scene again. But the carriages that had transported the commoners away had just left not long ago.
If they really waited for those carriages and ox - carts to come back, it might be dawn. Moreover, there were still people waiting for him in Huichuntang.
"Zhao Hu." Xiao Jingcheng called out.
Zhao Hu gave a start and trotted over from a distance. He stood in front of Xiao Jingcheng, trembling and saying, "Your, Your Highness the Crown Prince, w, what, what are your instructions?"
"Find all the carpenters in the town. I need them urgently."
Zhao Hu hurriedly replied, "Y, yes, this one will go and do it right away."
Xiao Wuchen asked, "Elder brother, this is..."
"Since there aren't enough carriages, we'll build them on the spot." Xiao Jingcheng said, "If one is not enough, we'll build five. If five are not enough, we'll build ten. If there are no horses, we'll use donkeys and sheep to pull them. There must be a way."
"Before dawn, we will definitely be able to take everyone out." He said with great certainty.