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

Zhu Shigui immediately sat up, his face beaming with joy: "The news is absolutely true?"

"Absolutely true!" Qian Guangzhi replied.

Zhu Shigui stroked his beard and said, "Something's not right. If the Western barbarians retreated, it means that Qingyang County must have been defended. With Liu Wenyuan being such a useless person, it's impossible for him to have held it. This means that Li Huaiyi sent reinforcements."

If I were taken over by Li Huaiyi's men and they discovered that I, the county magistrate, had fled, they would definitely cut off my head if I went back. At that time, I could settle things with money, but the price I would have to pay would be far too high.

Forget it, I'm not replying!

Qian Guangzhi said, "Grandpa, you don't know this. At first, Qingyang County was not defended. That Liu Wenyuan was a useless person. But later, Deputy General Liao Bing cooperated with Shen An and fought back. It was not Li Huaiyi who sent people."

"Who are you talking about?"

"Deputy Generals Liao Bing and Shen An!"

"Shen An? That constable we used as a scapegoat?"

"Yes, that's him!"

"Is this kid really that good?" Zhu Shigui exclaimed in shock.

"Grandpa, you're overthinking it. How much could this have to do with Shen An? It's definitely Liao Bing who's in charge, and Shen An is just an assistant," Qian Guangzhi said matter-of-factly. "Besides, what does leading troops into battle have to do with a constable? Does he have to obey Liao Bing's orders? He can't possibly obey someone who was originally just a corpse carrier, can he?"

"What you say makes sense; I was overthinking it!" Zhu Shigui shook his head. "It seems that when I'm a little away from officialdom, my thoughts start to go astray."

"Brother, how could you be wrong? Didn't you predict that Liu Wenyuan would definitely fail? You think Shen An was just surprised? If you calmed down and thought about it carefully, you would naturally be able to figure out that the mastermind behind everything was Liao Bing, not Shen An," Long Tian flattered again.

"Hahaha!" Zhu Shigui was very pleased with these words.

"Grandpa, shall we go back to Qingyang City?" Qian Guangzhi asked again.

"What do you think of Liao Bing? He's not under my jurisdiction!" Zhu Shigui hesitated. "He belongs to the city's garrison outside the city."

"It's precisely because he's not under your jurisdiction that he'll have to return the power to you once the war is over. You are the administrator of Qingyang County, the local official. As long as you go back, he'll have to obediently step back," Qian Guangzhi said. "If he doesn't get out of there in time, you can report him to the military governor, and he'll suffer the consequences!"

"Hehe, you're right!" Zhu Shigui was relieved. "Then let's pack our bags and prepare to return to the city. If anyone asks where we went, just say we went to get reinforcements and treat the disaster victims."

"yes!"

at the same time!

Shen An called Liao Bing over: "You're from the garrison in Qingyang County, right?"

"My lord, I was originally a member of the City Defense Battalion, but when the Western Barbarians attacked, the commander of the City Defense Battalion fled at the mere sight of them. I have become extremely disappointed in the City Defense Battalion and I want to leave it behind. I want to follow you!" Liao Bing said with a firm gaze.

"Absolutely not, I need your position!" Shen An said, shaking his finger.

Although he now controls Qingyang County, he is not the magistrate yet. If he continues to occupy the city, he will be seen as a rebel. At present, they do not have enough strength, so it is best not to be treated as a rebel.

Although the city defense camp could not directly govern the county seat, they could find a reason to say that they needed to continue to control the county seat in order to prevent the Western barbarians from returning.

In this way, the county can truly be under Shen An's control, and the people can be mobilized to seek development!

Shen An told Liao Bing about his idea.

Liao Bing suddenly understood: "My lord, I understand. From now on, I will take command of the city garrison. I will use the excuse that the commander of the city garrison is no longer here and that I will take command to control the entire Qingyang County. Everyone and everything will have to obey my orders!"

However, wouldn't that mean others wouldn't know your prestige?

"The real power I want is not empty words."

"I see!"

"Go ahead and do it. Remember, if we want to become powerful, we must control Qingyang County with legitimate reasons!"

"yes!"

After Liao Bing did this, no one objected, and even when the people returned later, they felt it was reasonable.

After all, it was rumored that Liao Bing and a constable named Shen An fought back, so the real controller must be his deputy.

And given his achievements, it's only a matter of time before he becomes the commander of the city defense battalion.

Besides, they were also afraid that the Western Barbarians would attack again, so having Liao Bing control the entire county was much better than having the previous county magistrate.

Although Liu Wenyuan did not know Shen An's plan, he guessed it pretty much, and he also stood up to support Liao Bing.

The news quickly reached Zhu Shigui, who was on his way to Qingyang County.

"Damn it, what is Liao Bing trying to do?" Qian Guangzhi cursed. "He really thinks he's something special!"

Zhu Shigui remained calm: "Guangzhi, there's no need to be angry. That Liao Bing is just a soldier who just wants to have a taste of power. It's easy to get rid of him. I just need to tell the military governor that I'll write a letter to him, and he'll have to obediently leave!"

This news also reveals that the person who recaptured the city was Liao Bing, not that Shen An.

"That's true, but sir, why are you bringing up Shen An again?"

"Hehe, this kid is rumored to be the main force in the fight back. I guess he put in a lot of effort. He put in so much effort, but in the end Liao Bing reaped all the rewards. How can he be happy about that?"

If Liao Bing refuses to leave, we can incite Shen An and Liao Bing to become enemies, letting them fight like dogs, and we can reap the benefits!

"Grandpa, you're really brilliant! It seems that Shen An, that good-for-nothing, has far more value than I imagined!" Qian Guangzhi's eyes lit up.

"I hadn't thought of that either! That piece of trash may look useless, but the timing of his appearance is crucial! However, since we've encountered him, let's make good use of him!" Zhu Shigui calculated. "By the way, Long Tian, ​​are your men ready? I need your fighting strength for this trip. If anyone disobeys me, I need you to secretly take care of them!"

"Boss, don't worry, all the people from our Black Dragon Stronghold have been disguised as ordinary civilians fleeing back to the city. They've already infiltrated the city before us!" Long Tian said, bowing and scraping.

"Very well, let's set off then. We must reach Qingyang City before nightfall! Delay could lead to unforeseen circumstances!"

After saying this, Zhu Shigui comfortably lay down in the carriage, his mind starting to think about how to use this war to enhance his political achievements and how to use it to gain credit for himself!