If Xiao Fan did not do anything he was not sure about, not only would he not be able to kill the two of them, but he would instead put himself in a dangerous situation. Furthermore, since the Yan people could bribe Vice General Wang, they could also bribe other people.
Xiao Fan could deduce from their conversation that someone in the empire had been bribed, and his power was much greater than that of Vice General Wang. Otherwise, the Yan man would not have said that someone in the imperial court would deal with Vice General Wang.
"It seems that this matter still needs to be considered. Even if we can kill Lieutenant General Wang, it will not help. If he dies, the Yan people will definitely find their next target. Since this is not far from Jingzhou City, I might as well walk up the road
Go ahead and remind General Liu, the defense commander, and ask him to be careful. This is the best policy."
Xiao Fan thought to himself. Originally, this was none of his business, but when he thought of the scenes he saw on the way to Tianxuan Sect with Lu Qingya, he felt an unspeakable touch in his heart.
This land is full of flames, wars are raging, the ground is full of hungry people, bones are piled up, and the people are in dire straits. If he had not seen this scene with his own eyes, maybe Xiao Fan would not have felt much. But he had seen it with his own eyes, and what a tragic scene it was.
.
A dignified man stands in this world, and as a member of the empire, he naturally has a passion for it. Although Xiao Fan will not join the army and fight on the battlefield, he will not ignore such things.
After Vice General Wang finished talking with the Yan people, they left separately. Xiao Fan also quickly left here and headed towards Jingzhou City.
Jingzhou City - the fortress city of the Longteng Empire. This city is backed by mountains on both sides and has only two east and west gates. If you want to capture the imperial capital, you must first capture Jingzhou City, then go all the way east and capture a few more cities.
As close as Kyoto.
It is easy to defend but difficult to attack here. Although the Yan people's cavalry is like a tiger and wolf division with strong armor and sharp weapons, they have repeatedly attacked the city but failed to capture Jingzhou. For defense, General Liu led 80,000 defenders to fight to the death and hold on to this place.
The city lasted more than five years.
The Yan people had no choice but to continue the attack and lose a lot of troops. Finally, they bribed Wang Wangjiao, the deputy general of Jingzhou City, in order to obtain maximum benefits with minimum casualties.
Xiao Fan ran like a tiger and a leopard, and soon arrived outside Jingzhou City. Since the Yan Empire's army had already withdrawn hundreds of miles away, the gates of Jingzhou City were not closed. There were signs everywhere on the city gates and walls.
With the traces left by the war, Xiao Fan successfully entered the city after being inspected and interrogated.
Looking at the sergeants guarding the city at the city gate, Xiao Fan secretly sighed in his heart. The armors of these sergeants were worn out and their weapons were a little deformed. However, they used such equipment to withstand no less than a hundred attacks by the Yan Empire's 100,000 cavalry divisions.
.
Looking at those faces and pairs of eyes, Xiao Fan realized what it means to protect one's family and country and what it means to be a soldier.
"It seems that the imperial court is also somewhat corrupt. I am afraid that the emperor is also a fatuous and incompetent person. Otherwise, how could he allow these city-defending soldiers to wear worn-out armors and hold broken weapons to defend against the enemy."
Xiao Fan muttered to himself, thinking of the bustling scenes he and Lu Qingya saw when they passed through several cities near the imperial capital, and couldn't help but shake his head secretly.
Although ten years of war have devastated this land and severely damaged the country's strength, there is still enough money to repair armors for soldiers and make weapons. Just look at the prosperous cities around the imperial capital.
However, the sergeants did not receive new equipment and materials, which shows how stupid the emperor is today, and it can also be imagined that a traitor is definitely in power now.
There are a large number of refugees in the city, all of whom fled from the area occupied by the Yan people in front. They are all sallow and thin, and look like haggard. Of course, there are also people in bright clothes walking on the streets, and there are also a lot of tea in those teahouses and restaurants.
Guests and diners.
Xiao Fan had an indescribable feeling in his heart. In the past, he lived in a small mountain village and had no idea about the outside world. He had longed for the outside world several times. Now that he saw it, he realized that many people in the outside world were not as prosperous as the people in the small mountain village.
Xiao Fan walked slowly on the street, looking at the scenes here, his heart felt a little heavy. At this time, he felt his clothes tightened, as if he was being held by someone.
"Big brother."
A weak and childish voice came from behind.
Xiao Fan turned around and saw a pitiful little girl looking at him timidly with her big eyes open. She was only over three years old. She had delicate features, but was sallow, thin, and malnourished. She was wearing a pudding-covered shirt.
The clothes were old and worn. They had been washed so many times that the fabric had turned white. A pair of small shoes on his feet were so worn that a few little toe holes were exposed.
"Little sister, is something wrong?"
Xiao Fan's heart trembled, and he suddenly felt a sore nose. Looking at the little girl in front of him, he thought of his own life experience. If his mother had not met her aunt, Shangguan Lanruo, and entrusted herself to others, what would have happened to her in her childhood?
That may be the case.
The little girl shook her head, her eyes always timid, and whispered: "Brother, don't go forward, there are bad people there."
"Gugu..."
Just as Xiao Fan was about to speak, there was a growling sound from the little girl's stomach.
"Brother, I'm hungry. I have to go to Zhang Yuan's house to wash clothes, otherwise my mother won't give her food."
After saying that, the little girl let go of Xiao Fan's clothes and turned around to leave. Only then did Xiao Fan notice her small hands, and his heart suddenly trembled.
The little hands were in a state of disfigurement. There were marks everywhere on the fingers, backs of hands, and palms. They were extremely red and swollen, and the skin was broken in many places.
"四囝, why are your hands like this?"
Xiao Fan pulled her and knelt down to look at the poor little guy.
Tears welled up in little Nunu's eyes, and she said aggrievedly: "Every day Nunu has to wash clothes for her mother, father and sister, and she also has to go to Zhang Yuan's house to wash clothes to earn money. If she doesn't do it well, mother won't give her money.
Let's eat. I'm so hungry, sleepy, and want to sleep."
"Are all the injuries on your hands from washing?"
Xiao Fan held Nunu's little hand and looked at the red, swollen and scarred hands. It was hard to imagine how a three-year-old girl could survive such a life. She did things that many teenage children never did.
She had to work hard every day and endure hunger. How could her parents be so cruel?
"Does it hurt?"
Xiao Fan kissed Nunu's little hand and could feel her hand trembling slightly. It was obvious that such a slight touch would cause pain. You can imagine the pain she had to endure when using these hands to do laundry.
"Well, it hurts." Little Nunnun nodded, with tears in her eyes, and said: "But Nunnun is so hungry. Nunnun can only eat after finishing her work. Otherwise, Nunnun will fall asleep and never wake up.
.”
Xiao Fan raised his head slightly, feeling sour in his heart and his throat was choked. He wanted to take the poor little Nunu to eat something, but he didn't have any money with him.
"囝囝, big brother, here is a pill. If you eat it, you won't be hungry. But you have to tell big brother where you live."
"Really?"
Little Nuan's eyes were filled with hope. She had been hungry every day since she could remember, and she never knew what it was like to be without hunger.
"of course it's true."
Xiao Fan nodded with a smile, but his eyes were slightly moist.
"Big brother, don't you lie to me?"
"Well, big brother won't lie to you."
Xiao Fan said with a smile, his eyes very soft.
"Brother, look over there." Xiao Nuan pointed to the end of the street. There is a large residential area. The houses are pretty good, but it is not a place that people living in poverty can afford to live.
"Nunnuan's home is right there, the second house from the right."
"Well, big brother knows where Nunu's home is." Xiao Fan nodded, then took out a Bigu Pill and put it in Nunu's little hand, saying: "Eat it, Nunu will not be hungry anymore."
"Brother, you are so kind. I will never forget you for the rest of my life."
The little Nunu laughed with tears in her eyes, and couldn't wait to swallow the pill into her belly. Soon a knowing smile appeared on her little face, she patted her belly, and smiled so happily.
"Brother, I'm not hungry anymore. I'm really not hungry anymore. It turns out that this is how it feels to not be hungry. It's really good."
Such words made Xiao Fan extremely sad. The fact that Xiao Nuan was so happy even though she was not hungry showed how difficult her life was.
"Big brother, goodbye, Nuannun will remember you."
The little girl waved to Xiao Fan, her big eyes full of reluctance.
"Goodbye, 囝囝."
Xiao Fan waved his hand and watched the little Nunu walk into a mansion with three steps and one turn. He knew that the poor little guy went to Zhang Yuanwai's house to do laundry and earn money.
"How could there be such parents in this world who torture their children like this."
Xiao Fan gritted his teeth, thinking of little Nuan's parents, and a cold feeling arose in his heart. According to his guess, little Nuan was probably not the biological child of her parents as she claimed, but even so, he could not treat her like this. Not to mention adoption.
, even a stranger with some conscience would not treat a three-year-old child so cruelly.
It was still early in the morning, exactly at noon. Xiao Fan didn't have any money with him, so he naturally wouldn't go to a restaurant to eat. Besides, he had Bigu Pill on him.
Walking along the street, there was a faint noise. Xiao Fan walked forward and saw a young man in brocade clothes standing there with his hands folded. Several of his men were beating a man in his forties.
"Master Wang, please spare me, please!"
The middle-aged man had bleeding from his mouth and nose, wounds all over his body, and kept begging.
"I can spare you." The young master in Jinyi narrowed his eyes slightly and laughed, "Send your daughter to my residence in person tomorrow, otherwise you know what the consequences will be."
"No, Mr. Wang, please let me go. She is only sixteen years old."
The middle-aged man begged.
"You don't know how to praise things. Your daughter can be suppressed by our young master. It is a blessing she has gained in her previous life. If you don't deliver it in person, we will pick it up in person tomorrow. Don't blame us for being ruthless then."
One of Mr. Wang's men said, his eyes flashing coldly, his expression fierce and ferocious.
Xiao Fan frowned, he could see bullying of men and women wherever he went, but he did not intervene in such trivial matters.