In a chaotic and famine-stricken era, I picked up an empress to be my wife.

"County Magistrate Liu, if Blackie Liu is a spy sent by the Western Barbarian Kingdom, why would he come to me instead of reporting to the county government?"

At the very least, shouldn't he try to find Ma Tianming?

"Don't tell me he already knew beforehand that Ma Tianming had been killed and that I had become the head constable, right?" Shen An asked rhetorically.

"Huh? Officer Ma is dead? Officer Shen, you've become an officer?" Black Six was both surprised and delighted.

"Yes! He was killed by the Western Barbarians a few days ago while transporting grain. I don't know what the magistrate saw in me, but he made me the head constable," Shen An said modestly.

"Oh my, congratulations, Brother Shen, no, congratulations, Officer Shen." Blackie Liu immediately stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting.

Liu Wenyuan, who had just tried to pull Hei Laoliu away, softened his expression.

He felt that Shen An's analysis was correct; it was indeed impossible for Hei Lao Liu to know that Shen An had been promoted to head constable.

If he were a spy, he wouldn't have come here first.

"But, Black Six, why are you here?" Liu Wenyuan asked again.

"Hey, Brother Shen, oh no, Chief Constable Shen has been good to me. I have no relatives or friends here, so naturally I wanted to come and inform him after I ran away."

Hei Lao Liu slapped his thigh, exuding a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and outlaws) vibe.

Liu Wenyuan found it hard to believe. In his eyes, this chaotic world was all about profit and gain; where was there any affection left?

He actually saw it in Black Six today!

He shook his head and looked at Shen An: "Officer Shen, I really envy you, to have a brother who cares about you!"

Even though Shen An knew that Hei Lao Liu was a man of honor among the underworld, he never expected that the first person Hei Lao Liu would come to him after escaping.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't moved. These days, not many people remember you, and even fewer think of you while you're on the run.

Shen An patted Hei Lao Liu on the shoulder: "Brother Hei, I'll remember this time!"

"Then why don't you run away quickly? Are you going to stay here and wait to die?" Black Six was so anxious that he stomped his feet.

When Shen An realized that he still couldn't escape being a scapegoat, he really wanted to run away.

But after hearing that the Western Barbarian Kingdom would soon attack Qingyang County, he lost that idea and wanted to stay even more.

The reason is simple: this is an excellent opportunity to expand one's own power.

First of all, that bastard Li Huaiyi would never let ordinary people leave the city; he needs these people to help him weaken the Western Barbarians.

Based on his understanding of the officials in Qingyang County, if the Western Barbarians attacked, the county magistrate and his men would definitely flee.

When the people are desperate and leaderless, it is the perfect time for him to win over the hearts of the people and expand his power.

The risks are high, but the bigger the storm, the more valuable the fish; high risk comes with high reward.

If he dies here due to bad luck, he can only blame himself for his lack of ability.

If he succeeds, he will have his own territory and be able to truly gain a foothold in this chaotic world.

However, Liu Wenyuan must not be aware of these plans.

He patted Hei Laoliu on the shoulder again: "Brother Hei, let's think about this matter again. What if they don't attack? Don't underestimate the governor's abilities."

Hei Lao Liu was so anxious that he scratched his head and cheeks. In his eyes, Shen An was the kind of stupid person who blindly believed in the government!

He wanted to curse, but with Liu Wenyuan standing there, he couldn't speak up. He could only lower his voice and say, "Officer Shen, I heard it with my own ears! There's absolutely no mistake!"

"Hmph! So what if you heard it with your own ears? You were captured and came back alive, didn't you ever think about why?"

"I bet it's the Western barbarians who deliberately let you come back to spread the news so we'd fall into their trap!" Liu Wenyuan sneered.

Blackie Liu froze, his face instantly changing color: "So, I... I might have been tricked by them?"

"You've definitely been scammed. Don't spread this around, or I'll arrest you and punish you!" Liu Wenyuan said in a deep voice.

But Shen Anxin did not agree.

He had looked at the map of Yangnan Prefecture, and it was not only Qiangbei County that bordered Yangnan Prefecture to the Western Barbarians.

Qingyang County, Juhuai County, and Zhongting County also border it.

The difference is that Qingyang and the other two counties are surrounded by mountains, so it would take the Western Barbarians some time to invade.

However, if the attack on Qiangbei County fails after a prolonged siege, it would be perfectly normal for them to turn their attention to attacking these weaker counties.

Shen An didn't point this out.

He needs to start preparing before others do, so that he will have a better chance of winning in the future.

"Brother Hei, Magistrate Liu is right, you've definitely been deceived," Shen An added.

"Hey, this is a good thing, at least our Qingyang County is safe. It's a pity about my brothers. They scattered and fled for their lives, and we don't know if they're alive or dead." Hei Laoliu lowered his head dejectedly.

"Brother Hei, if you can come back, they can definitely come back too. Maybe you'll see them when you go back to Heishan Village," Shen An said.

"Yes, yes, it will take a few more days. I have a horse, but they don't. I'll go back and wait for them later." Black Six's expression softened slightly.

Upon hearing this, Liu Wenyuan lost interest and turned to Shen An: "Tomorrow you'll be taking over as head constable. Report to the county office first thing in the morning; we're waiting for you to raid Ma Tianming's house!"

"Ma Tianming was killed by the Western Barbarians, so he is considered a hero of our Qingyang County. Why should we confiscate his property?" Shen An asked.

"He's dead, so naturally no one is protecting him. I only presented a little evidence of his crimes, and he's already accused of heinous crimes!"

Liu Wenyuan replied, "This is a promise I made to you before, and I don't break my word! So, please carefully consider what I told you before; there's no harm in cooperating with me!"

"Rest assured, Magistrate Liu, I will arrive as early as possible tomorrow. As for what you mentioned, I will consider it carefully."

"Very well then, farewell!"

As soon as Liu Wenyuan left, Hei Laoliu's tense shoulders finally relaxed, and he plopped back into his chair, letting out a long sigh.

Before he could recover, Shen An spoke up: "Brother Hei, I actually think the news you brought is true. It won't be long before the Western Barbarians attack our Qingyang County."

Hei Lao Liu frowned deeply: "Brother Shen, didn't you just agree with Magistrate Liu's words, saying it was a treacherous plot by the Western barbarians? Why do you now think they'll attack our Qingyang County?"

Shen An explained his considerations about the terrain to Hei Lao Liu.

Hei Laoliu suddenly stood up: "So, the Western Barbarians are still going to attack our Qingyang County?"

"Then why don't we run? If they really attack, and that bastard magistrate runs away, it'll be too late for us to escape!"

"It's good that he ran away. Let's seize this opportunity to rally the people and fight the Western Barbarians."

"If we win, Qingyang County will be ours!" Shen An's voice was steady and clear, each word ringing out.

Hei Lao Liu was stunned. He suddenly felt that Shen An, who used to be afraid of officials, had changed at some point, and his ambition was about to overflow.

"Brother Shen, you're not kidding me, are you?" Blackie Liu gestured with his hand in front of Shen An's face.

"You treat me like a brother, why would I joke around with you?"

Shen An's expression remained unchanged as he continued, "Didn't you say before that if others can become officials, so can you? Now the opportunity is right in front of you, are you going to seize it or not?"

Hei Lao Liu swallowed hard: "But, but the Western Barbarians are powerful. You didn't see it. Their 30,000 troops forced the 50,000 Black Spirit Army soldiers to stay in the city and dare not come out!"

What do we have to compete with them?

"Run! As long as you're alive, you'll always have a chance to become an official someday!"

Shen An tapped his knuckles on the table: "Brother Hei, our Qingyang County is located in the southern part of Yangnan Prefecture, surrounded by towering mountains. It's better to attack Huai County and Zhongting County than us. They have larger territories and are easier to attack. So, we can only send a few thousand men at most, and the pressure on us will be much less than on the other counties."

"Several thousand men are not someone we can resist! Their weapons are powerful; we need at least twice their strength to fight them!" Blackie Liu shook his head.

Shen An said calmly, "If I told you I had a way to make our weapons more powerful than theirs, would you be willing to stay and work for me?"

Blackie Liu stared wide-eyed, stunned for a long while, then suddenly waved his hand: "Brother Shen, what nonsense are you spouting! If you really had that skill, you were a corpse carrier here before?"