I, Liu Bian, Sanxing Han Dynasty

Chapter 505 Figure it out
After spending a few days with Wei Yan, Wang Can discovered that Wei Yan was indeed a man with great potential and his martial arts skills were also quite good, and it was obvious that he had been carefully polished.

However, Wang Can had spent a lot of time with Sun Ce and Ma Chao, and was used to seeing competitions between the two, so he was not amazed by Wei Yan's martial arts.

Wang Can felt that Wei Yan was very similar to Ma Chao.

Of course, it’s not the current Ma Chao, but the Ma Chao he met after coming to Luoyang.

Wei Yan was at this stage, skilled in martial arts but reckless and sensitive. In fact, due to his humble status, he was even more sensitive than Ma Chao.

Wang Can had no lack of experience in dealing with such people, and his approach to Wei Yan was just two words - control.

Thinking of this, Wang Can silently thanked Ma Chao in his heart——

"A-choo, A-choo!" Ma Chao rubbed his nose after sneezing twice, and then looked at the Northern Army soldiers behind him.

He clenched the wooden stick wrapped in a white rag in his hand, smashed the other side hard on the ground, and asked loudly: "Who else?"

Most of the soldiers in front of him were passed down from father to son from generation to generation, and they have always been arrogant towards outsiders.

Ma Chao planned to take this opportunity to completely defeat them.

When the soldiers saw that the most capable fighter among them had been knocked down by Ma Chao in just a few moves, no one dared to go up and embarrass themselves.

As one person shouted "The military commander is mighty!" the others followed suit.

Although the Northern Army has not been in battle as frequently as the Western Garden Army in recent years, it has still been in battle. Especially now, it is undoubtedly more likely to survive when following a military commander with outstanding martial arts skills in the battlefield.

What Ma Chao did was just one of the things that happened. The former Yulin Lang gradually gained a foothold in various armies.

……

That night, the torches burned brightly.

"Are you convinced?"

"I give in! I give in! Please forgive me, sir!"

Seeing this, Wei Yan threw the person in front of him to the ground, but he still stared at him closely... If the other party dared to run, don't blame him for being ruthless.

He continued to curse mercilessly: "How dare you, little thief, steal from me, don't you even know who I am!"

"Okay, Wen Chang," Wang Can said, "Look at his ragged clothes. I guess he has to become a thief because of his life!"

Wang Can's words touched the little thief's heart. He didn't want to run away anymore. He just lay on the ground and cried, "You are right. If I were not hungry and cold, how could I be willing to be a thief who is despised by everyone?"

Looking at this scene, Wang Can thought of what the emperor told him before he left Luoyang: "Zhongxuan should keep a low profile in his daily life. Only in this way can you discover problems that you cannot find at other times."

This is another task of his besides investigating the case.

What the emperor sees when he goes on tour may not be the true sentiment of the people, but this is different for him, an official who was demoted after offending a powerful official.

Now it seems to be true. On the first night they arrived in Chenliu State after leaving Henan Yin, they stayed in a farmer's house and encountered thieves.

Thinking of this, Wang Can stopped Wei Yan from cursing and scolding him, and asked patiently: "As far as I know, last year the court summoned the people without land or with little land to go to the south. Since you are from a poor family, why didn't you go?"

The thief replied, "My mother is old and sick at home, so I can't go."

Wei Yan interrupted, "Don't be fooled by this little thief. I don't know if he even has a mother at home!"

The thief was furious when he saw this, and he cursed and swore, "If I hadn't been worried about my mother dying on the road, I would have gone south last year. If what I said is false, I will die from a thousand arrows piercing my heart."

Wei Yan wanted to say more, but Wang Can said, "You can tell whether it is true or not at a glance."

"Well, if you really fell into this state for your mother, after I have seen your mother, not only will I not pursue your crime of stealing, but I will also give you some money for your filial piety."

"How?" the thief asked in disbelief, "Are you serious?"

"Do I have to lie to you?" Wang Can held his head high. "In my life, I value filial sons the most!"

"Then I will take you to see my mother now."

"Lord Wang!" Wei Yan reminded.

"Leave tomorrow morning."

Only after hearing Wang Can's decision did Wei Yan shut up.

But he followed Wang Can again and said, "Wang Jun, the look on that little thief's face when he spoke just now showed that he was lying. You have been in the school affairs department for a long time, can't you see that?"

Wang Can didn't care: "Whether it's true or not, since he uses this as an excuse, there must be such people in the countryside."

"What I want to see is how these people make a living now."

Seeing Wei Yan's thoughtful expression, Wang Can patted Wei Yan on the shoulder and said, "Wen Chang, the road ahead is long and difficult. You must study hard along the way. Captain Jia has high hopes for you, and so do I!"

"Thank you, Lord Wang!"

Looking at Wei Yan's moved face, Wang Can silently said in his heart - grasp it!
The next morning, Wang Can and his group followed the thief they had caught last night.

The thief was a local and was very familiar with the area. He led Wang Can and others further and further away.

When we walked to some places, the road was covered with dead weeds. Only the narrow section in the middle without grass proved that this was really a road walked by people.

"How long are you going to walk, bastard?" Wei Yan, who understood what Wang Can was thinking, played the role of a competent villain.

"It's almost there, it's almost there, just ahead!"

After turning two more bends, the group saw people again.

What caught the eye were dilapidated houses. Only the smoking chimneys on some of the houses and the wheat seedlings that had already grown in the fields next to them proved that this was not a deserted village.

Arriving at the entrance of the village, the little thief immediately shouted: "Mom, Mom, I'm back!"

He ran while shouting, and his speed was getting faster and faster.

Although Wei Yan was prepared to chase after him immediately, the enemy still took advantage of the terrain and disappeared after climbing over a wall.

In addition, Wei Yan was worried that Wang Can might be in danger, so he did not dare to pursue him further, and thus let the thief escape.

When Wei Yan came back, he saw Wang Can and his followers chatting with an old man.

When he got closer, he realized that the old man was the village head.

According to the village head, most of the people here are tenants who farm the land for others.

Wang Can happened to ask, "Since you were a tenant farmer, why didn't you go to the south and get your own land last year?"

The village head replied, "It's hard to leave our hometown, and the owner has promised to collect less rent if we stay. Besides, some people here have their own land. Although it's less, it's enough to make a living. Why risk your life again!"

"The master's family is not an ordinary family. I heard that this is the Queen's clan. Of course they won't lie."

"If the owner really doesn't want to reduce the rent... isn't this a reduction?"

"As for that little thief, he has been doing nothing since he was young. His mother has been dead for several years..."

(End of this chapter)