Su Fan searched the brothels in Beiling City one by one. All the soldiers were captured and locked in the dungeon before he quickly returned to provide support.
Due to their limited manpower, they simply wouldn't have enough people otherwise.
Su Fan led his men into another brothel. His subordinates were already skilled, needing no instruction from Su Fan. Li Changmin waved his hand, and the soldiers rushed in to find their targets.
Their objective was clear: they ignored everyone else and only apprehended soldiers who were frequenting the brothels.
"Oh, officers! What are you doing? This is the City Lord's property. Don't cause trouble!"
The madam, her face full of alarm, approached and tried to leverage their connections, but Su Fan remained unmoved.
The bandit suppression team was his primary force for future bandit suppression and equipment farming. Anyone who dared to obstruct him was his enemy!
*Bang!*
A soldier who had gone to apprehend someone suddenly crashed through a door and window, falling from the second floor.
Su Fan, being the closest, immediately reached out and caught him, absorbing the impact to prevent further injury.
"You dare to arrest me? Don't you know who I am!"
A young, arrogant voice echoed from a room on the upper floor.
Everyone's gaze was drawn to the sound, and they all looked towards the room where the door and window had been shattered.
A young man, wearing a crooked military uniform, emerged from within.
"Young Master Fang! Save us!"
The other captured soldiers immediately cried out to Young Master Fang for help.
"You dare to arrest my men? Who gave you the audacity!"
The young man, known as Young Master Fang, glared at the soldiers with a furious expression, scolding them.
The soldiers hesitated, their eyes flicking towards Li Changmin.
Li Changmin, in turn, looked at Su Fan, awaiting his decision.
"What are you looking at? Take them all back!"
Su Fan's words clearly stated his stance: no matter who he was, they were to be arrested!
With Su Fan's directive, Li Changmin felt emboldened and immediately waved his hand, issuing the order.
"Take them back!"
Receiving Li Changmin's command, the soldiers no longer hesitated and efficiently escorted the captured soldiers away.
"I'll see who dares!"
The young man roared, leaping from the second floor and blocking the stairwell.
"Chen Fang, I'll trouble you. Break both his legs and keep him quiet. Throw him in the dungeon."
Su Fan didn't care who the man was. Was he a prince?
Su Fan had already killed the son of the Grand Commandant; could this man have a higher status?
Chen Fang nodded.
Hearing Su Fan's words, Chen Fang nodded slightly and immediately charged forward.
Seeing Chen Fang attack, Young Master Fang threw a punch towards him.
Chen Fang remained unfazed. He grabbed the man's fist, sidestepped behind him, applied an armbar to one of his arms, and then kicked his knee with a *crack*. One of his legs snapped instantly.
"Ah!!!"
Young Master Fang let out a piercing scream.
Chen Fang didn't stop, breaking the other leg with another kick.
Chen Fang was a ruthless individual. He had said he would break both legs, and he did. Having risen from the bottom, he would have been crushed long ago if he weren't.
"Ah!!!"
Young Master Fang's screams were so agonizing that they made anyone listening feel pain. He soon lost consciousness.
"Take him back."
Su Fan calmly instructed the soldiers below.
Regardless of Young Master Fang's identity, he was currently a soldier under Su Fan's command. He would be taken back to the barracks first.
"Young Master... Young Master Fang!"
The madam was so terrified she nearly fainted. These people had actually beaten Young Master Fang like this.
"You... you're all dead! How dare you lay a hand on Young Master Fang! The City Lord will not let you go!"
The madam pointed at Su Fan and his men with a fierce expression.
Su Fan tilted his head slightly and looked at Li Changmin.
"Who is the City Lord?"
Li Changmin nearly fainted upon hearing Su Fan's question.
So you didn't even know Young Master Fang's identity? He had thought Su Fan knew but simply wasn't afraid of the City Lord. He hadn't realized Su Fan was just a reckless fool!
"Fang Shijie, the City Lord of Beiling City, the only non-royal prince of the Tianlong Dynasty."
Before Li Changmin could speak, Chen Fang, who was beside Su Fan, explained to him.
Chen Fang was responsible for bringing Su Fan to Beiling City and was naturally aware of everything in the city.
Su Fan's heart stirred.
He pondered the purpose of Xiao Yan sending him here.
It couldn't possibly be just to suppress bandits. If that were the case, he could have gone anywhere else. Yet, he was specifically assigned to the territory of a non-royal prince, which was unusual.
"A non-royal prince, what power does he hold?"
Su Fan asked Chen Fang.
"Everything in Beiling City belongs to Fang Shijie. All tax revenue is not submitted to the national treasury."
Chen Fang seemed well-prepared. As soon as Su Fan asked, he provided the answer.
"Does he have military power?"
Su Fan inquired again.
"No, but..."
Chen Fang hesitated and glanced around.
"Speak."
Su Fan ignored the surroundings and urged Chen Fang to continue.
"However, Fang Shijie has been frequently traveling between war zones recently."
Chen Fang relayed the information the Crown Prince had entrusted him with to Su Fan.
Lately, Fang Shijie, the City Lord of Beiling City, had been frequently moving between war zones with impure intentions. Xiao Yan suspected Fang Shijie might be planning a rebellion.
When he informed Xiao Yuan of this, Xiao Yuan paid no heed, as there was no concrete evidence.
After listening, Su Fan understood Xiao Yan's intention.
Why couldn't this guy just say what he meant directly? He had to wait until they arrived at their destination to tell him.
Xiao Yan wanted him to investigate Fang Shijie in Beiling City and find evidence of Fang Shijie consolidating military power with the intent to rebel.
"So, this Young Master Fang is Fang Shijie's son?"
Su Fan asked Li Changmin.
Li Changmin nodded.
"Yes."
"Take him back and look after him well."
Su Fan instructed Li Changmin.
Li Changmin breathed a sigh of relief, thinking Su Fan had backed down. As long as they didn't confront Fang Shijie directly, their bandit suppression camp could survive in Beiling City.
"Keep him in the dungeon, don't let him starve. Let his father come to ransom him."
Su Fan's next sentence made Li Changmin freeze.
Su Fan paid them no mind. Feeling that they had captured enough people, he headed back.
After Su Fan left, Fang Shijie soon arrived at the brothel with his men, Feng Sheng. They arrived almost at the same time.
"Where is he!"
Fang Shijie angrily questioned the madam.
"City Lord! Young Master Fang was captured by those people from the bandit suppression camp!"
The madam, seeing Fang Shijie, immediately poured out her grievances.
Fang Shijie had no time to attend to her. He waved his hand and, with his men, marched towards the bandit suppression camp.
Su Fan returned to the barracks. The dungeon was almost full, with over a dozen people crammed into each cell.
When Su Fan and his group arrived, they immediately drew everyone's attention.
"Camp Commander, why are you arresting us? We haven't broken any military discipline, have we?"
They had personally witnessed Young Master Fang being brought in with broken legs. Without Young Master Fang's backing, they no longer dared to be arrogant and complained to Li Changmin with worried expressions.