The carriage suddenly stopped as it approached the city gate.
The coachman suddenly pulled the reins. Dongli Xiaoxiao, who was used to riding in a sedan chair, lost her balance and fell straight forward into the bumpy carriage for the first time. She landed squarely on Shanqiu, and the atmosphere in the carriage was instantly tinged with ambiguity.
Danqiu blushed and said, "I'll go out and take a look."
Sun Miao'er also lifted the carriage curtain and looked out. She saw that the city gate, which should have been wide open, was now closed from the inside, and the soldiers guarding the city were standing under the gate, with twice as many men as before.
"What's going on?" Shan Qiu asked in a deep voice.
The officer replied truthfully, "In response to Constable Shan, this morning the number of refugees outside doubled. I had no choice but to temporarily close the city gates. Because it happened so suddenly, I didn't have time to report to Lord Zhang."
Sun Miao'er vaguely heard the soldiers guarding the city talking about the number of refugees doubling. So there must be at least a hundred refugees outside the city today, and the eighty-odd portions of food she brought were obviously not enough to go around.
The number of refugees was visibly doubling. More than a hundred refugees and the soldiers took it upon themselves to close the city gates. If hundreds or thousands of refugees came, Pingnan City would probably be completely cut off from the world. Before that, she had to make a trip to Fushui Village to prepare everything she could for Grandma Sun.
Shan Qiu then spoke up, "I am on the orders of Lord Zhang to go outside the city to provide relief to the refugees. Open the gate."
As soon as he finished speaking, several soldiers guarding the city squeezed a small gap in the city gate, and the two of them slipped through the gap.
Just then, the refugees outside the city could be seen trying to take this opportunity to rush in. Fortunately, the soldiers raised their spears and shouted at the swarming refugees, pointing their sharp spears at them, which frightened the refugees into taking a few steps back.
The city gates were wide open, and the carriage was finally able to leave the city.
The soldiers formed a human wall to keep the refugees several feet away from the city gate. Only after the carriages slowly drove out of the city did the city gate close again.
The four constables escorting the oxcart, plus Shan Qiu, made a total of five people.
As soon as the oxcart reached the road, refugees began to eagerly eye the supplies on it.
As Sun Miao'er sat in the carriage, the sounds around her grew increasingly chaotic: the wails of women, the screams of children, and the arguing of men.
She couldn't bear to lift the carriage curtain, because she could roughly guess what was outside.
Judging from Dongli Xiaoxiao's expression, Sun Miao'er had always assumed that she was a pampered young lady who would be afraid or terrified at the sight of such a scene.
But Dongli smiled without showing any emotion; she appeared unusually calm.
The constables outside had no choice but to draw their swords; only in this way could they maintain order.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Shan Qiu jumped onto the oxcart, focused his energy, and said in a loud voice: "We are constables from the South City. We are here on the orders of the county magistrate to deliver some supplies to you. Please line up on my left and come one by one."
Sun Miao'er was still hesitating whether to get off, but Dongli Xiaoxiao next to her had already lifted the curtain and jumped off the carriage.
Dan Qiu frowned suddenly, looking at the young man walking towards him, and said, "What are you doing here? It's so noisy outside, go back to the car!"
Sun Miao'er chased after them. After all, Dongli Xiaoxiao had come out with her. In case Hu Tingzhi blamed her later, she felt it was only right and proper to protect Dongli Xiaoxiao.
Before Shanqiu could finish speaking, Dongli Xiaoxiao had already climbed onto the oxcart and was skillfully distributing supplies to the refugees.
Dongli smiled gently, looking very approachable. "Here, Grandpa, this is yours."
Sun Miao'er joined in, helping Dongli Xiaoxiao with the work. "Xiaoxiao, let me do it. If you get tired, Manager Hu will definitely chop me up with a knife!"
Dongli smiled, busy with her hands, and turned around to say, "If my brother knew, he would definitely understand me."
She said, "Actually, Miao'er, you don't know, my brother and I were once refugees. Our parents died on the way to escape famine, so I know better than anyone that these people have no choice in their own lives. If no one helps them, these children will most likely die in the end."
Dan Qiu stood behind them, yet she heard their conversation clearly. It turned out that she had once been just like them.
When the supplies were halfway distributed, a dispute suddenly broke out among the refugees. A man rushed out and shouted, "Don't just keep giving us these. Ask your superiors if we can go into the city!"
"It's getting colder and colder, and the elderly and children don't even have a place to stand. Aren't they going to freeze to death in this freezing weather!"
"Yes! We are all citizens of the Great Shang Dynasty. Why should the people in the city live comfortably while we have to suffer here!"
Seeing that the situation was about to spiral out of control, Shan Qiu raised his hand, drew his long sword, and plunged it into the ground. The blade reflected a blinding light as he shouted, "Quiet down, everyone!"
"Our Lord Zhang has come up with a good plan. Among the refugees, those who are young, strong, and healthy, and who voluntarily submit to Pingnan City and join the militia to protect the city, can bring their families into the city to settle down!"
The voices among the refugees fell silent abruptly, followed by a burst of skepticism: "What? Such a good thing exists?"
Most of these refugees originally lived on the border of Kezhou. After the war in Kezhou, their homes were destroyed. They went to Shangjing, but Shangjing did not want them. They could only run south and escape to Licheng, but were turned away again.
They suffered countless hardships and displacements, with many dying or being maimed along the way.
In short, no matter where they went, no city would accept them.
It wasn't until Ping An City that they heard for the first time that someone was willing to take them in.
"Rest assured, Lord Zhang is a man of his word and would never deceive you."
After Shan Qiu finished speaking, Sun Miao'er stood on a high place and glanced back. Among the refugees, most of them were young and strong, and Pingnan City could still accommodate them for the time being.
Dongli Xiaoxiao did everything herself, and after taking care of everything, she even became friends with several children among the refugees.
"Handsome brother, what brings you here?" The children were eating the hamburgers that Sun Miao'er had brought, looking extremely satisfied.
Dongli Xiaoxiao and Sun Miao'er sat on the ground and chatted with them. She replied, "Because I was once like you, homeless and unable to get enough to eat."
Sun Miao'er's attention was focused on the refugees. After all, it was her idea for Zhang Shengmin, and she had to handle the cleanup afterwards. In fact, she not only had to take in these refugees, but also make them create value for Pingnan City.
"Who burned down your houses and fields?" Sun Miao'er had been wondering. It was supposed to be a small skirmish, so why had it escalated so badly, leaving tens of thousands homeless?
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