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

Feng Zihuan grasped at this as if it were a lifeline.

He didn't believe that Shen An's army could compare to the Black Spirit Army.

This incident provides a chance to save one's life.

Once he leaves here alive, he will definitely kill Shen An and the others!

He chuckled and said, "Alright, let me go take a look. I'll give you an objective and neutral comparison. If I find that your army is just a ragtag bunch, far inferior to the Black Spirit Army in combat strength, then release me immediately. I can forgive and forget what you did to me!"

"If you're objective and neutral, and you're not even as good as that damn Black Spirit Army, I might let you go. But if you're spouting nonsense, I'll kill you on the spot!" Shen An warned.

"Hehe, don't worry, I'll be absolutely objective and neutral!"

Even though Feng Zihuan felt that Shen An was no ordinary person, despite his unassuming appearance, he was actually the person behind Liu Wenyuan and Liao Bing.

But so what?

In this chaotic world, he has seen too many self-righteous ragtag armies that want to challenge the regular army.

The results of it?

They were either recruited as cannon fodder or wiped out.

He could completely understand Shen An's arrogance about his abilities!

By the way, Shen An's confidence must also stem from their victory over the Western Barbarians' attack.

That's fucking hilarious! A little over a thousand of those Western barbarians came, and they actually think they're something special?!

Not only Feng Zihuan thought so, but Hu Demiao thought so too!

Both men looked down on them, thinking that after they saw Shen An's army, they would obediently let them go!

They might even beg someone to put in a good word for them to avoid Li Huaiyi pursuing the matter!

With this in mind, the two men walked confidently and followed them to the city's garrison.

But as soon as they arrived, they realized something was wrong.

They remembered that when the Western Barbarians attacked Qiangbei County, the vast majority of their troops had been transferred away by Li Huaiyi.

The city defense battalion consisted of only a few hundred people.

Why does the number of people look like it's increased tenfold now?

"What? You can tell it's different?" Shen An asked.

"So what if there are a lot of people? Are there five thousand?"

"Good eye, exactly five thousand!"

"You think you can challenge the military governor with only five thousand? I thought you had fifty thousand!" Feng Zihuan said disdainfully.

"Then you must not oppose the military governor, otherwise none of you will survive! Release us now, and we might put in a good word for you. If you continue to be stubborn, we won't be able to put in a good word for you!" Hu Demiao urged.

"No rush!"

Shen An clapped his hands and said, "Bring ten soldiers!"

"yes!"

Soon, ten people arrived; they were strong and had bright eyes.

"War is not a beauty pageant!" Feng Zihuan deliberately reminded him.

"Draw your sword and fight their knives!" Shen An ordered.

"What do you mean? Don't tell me their swords can compare to my precious sword!" Feng Zihuan drew his sword, his expression arrogant. "This sword was bestowed upon me by the military governor; it's called Black Blood! It cuts through iron like mud, and it has killed at least eight thousand, if not ten thousand! Are you sure you want to compare it to mine?"

"Enough with all this nonsense! I'll just chop off your dog's head right now!" Liao Bing said viciously.

"Alright! Let's have a competition!" Feng Zihuan squinted and chose a soldier of similar build to himself: "You're the one, give it a try!"

The soldier approached Feng Zihuan with an excited expression.

Feng Zihuan also wanted to slap Shen An and the others in the face, so the two of them started fighting without any hesitation.

"Inspector Feng, let them see what you're capable of!" Hu Demiao shouted.

"rest assured!

A clang!

Feng Zihuan and Hu Demiao were dumbfounded. Feng Zihuan's prized Black Blood Sword was cleaved in two by the opponent's blade in a single blow.

"How...how is this possible?"

"With the facts laid bare, what is impossible?"

Liu Wenyuan said impatiently, "Our knives are far superior in hardness and toughness to yours, and all of us are equipped with them. What do you have to fight us with?!"

Feng Zihuan and Hu Demiao never dreamed that their weapons would be so powerful.

If your weapon is broken by someone's sword on the battlefield, it's not just a matter of losing your weapon; it will instill fear and destroy your morale.

Even if we send 10,000 men to fight against their 5,000, we might not be able to win!

"So what?! Even if your weapons are advanced, the military governor's side still has the advantage in numbers! They can still defeat you! Unless you hide in the city and don't come out? But if you hide and don't come out, your weapons won't have any use, and sooner or later the army will break through the city gates and rush in! In the end, you will still die!" Feng Zihuan said defiantly.

"That's based on the premise that defending the city is not feasible. If our defensive tools can inflict massive casualties on the Jiedushi's army from a distance, do you think they would still dare to attack the city?" Shen An asked.

"Then you need to have them too! Ordinary bows and arrows are useless for attacking with stones!" Feng Zihuan still felt he had a chance of winning.

"Then come with us to the city wall and take a look." Liao Bing gave Feng Zihuan a hard shove.

Once on the city wall, Shen An clapped his hands and lifted the tarpaulin covering the repeating crossbow.

"What is this thing? You're not planning to use it to resist the besieging army, are you?" Hu Demiao said disdainfully.

"Yes, that's it. But you seem to have doubts about its power!" Shen An said. "How about we let you test its power?"

Hu Demiao wasn't stupid. Judging from the weapons the city garrison soldiers had just used, even if Shen An's guy on the city wall wasn't particularly powerful, he could still kill someone. He wasn't going to test his strength: "There's no need. Let me go!"

"Heh, I think you're perfect for it. Someone, dress him in the armor worn by Liang soldiers!"

At Shen An's command, Liao Bing and the others forcibly put armor on Hu Demiao.

They pushed him to a distance of fifty meters from the crowd.

"Shen An! I am the county magistrate, how can you do this? I don't agree!" Hu Demiao said, and was about to run back.

Shen An picked up his own crossbow and fired several arrows in succession, all of which landed half a meter in front of Hu Demiao.

"Take one more step forward, and I'll hit you!"

Hu Demiao's heart sank. Not to mention those on the city wall, even the thing in Shen An's hand could fire in rapid succession, which was beyond his comprehension.

Feng Zihuan became increasingly uneasy, and he quickly tightened his conditions: "The weapon in your hand is indeed powerful, but it's impossible for it to penetrate the Black Spirit Army's armor! So, even if you have the weapon, it won't work!"

"So, according to you, only by breaking through their armor can we defend against their siege?" Shen An asked.

"This is the minimum standard. We also need to consider the quantity, sustainability, and so on! If any one of these is not met, you won't be able to hold on. I advise you to end this farce as soon as possible and let me go!" Feng Zihuan continued to escalate the situation.

"Let's see the power of the ballistae fired from the city wall first!" Shen An said with a smile.

"Let me do it, I've disliked this guy for a long time!" Liao Bing volunteered.

"good!"

Liao Bing ran to the city wall and made a gesture to land as Shen An did.

Liao Bing then aimed at Hu Demiao.

Hu Demiao knew he was in trouble and threatened again, "I am the county magistrate, and my cousin is the cousin of the military governor's concubine. If you kill me, you will be slapping the military governor in the face. If you want to live, stop!"

"Don't even mention being Li Huaiyi's concubine's cousin; even if Li Huaiyi himself came, I'd still use you as a test today!" Shen An gave Hu Demiao no chance: "Attack!"

Liao Bing pressed the trigger, and the next moment a huge bone arrow shot out.

Hu Demiao ran immediately, but it was too late.

The bone arrow pierced right through his armor and went straight through his body.

Hu Demiao's body tensed, and then he fell straight to the ground.

Even so, Liao Bing did not let him go, firing eleven more shots in succession, each one piercing through his body, making him look like a hedgehog, before finally stopping.

At this moment, Feng Zihuan's pupils suddenly contracted.

What exactly is this?

How can it be so powerful?

Not only can it break through armor, but it can also fire more than ten times in a row. If anyone tries to force their way into the city, they will surely die!

Where did Shen An get all this? And where did Shen An even come from?!

"Inspector Feng, how powerful is my crossbow?" Shen An patted Feng Zihuan on the shoulder and asked with a smile.