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

Liao Bing and his group didn't take action not because they didn't want the money.

Rather, they knew that this was the moment for their lord to unleash his power.

How could they steal the spotlight?

"Hehe, you must be Shen An. It's not that I look down on you, but I'm more than two hundred paces away from you. What right do you have to kill me?" Wang Meng laughed loudly.

He was definitely professionally trained; his voice was loud and carried far.

The people living near the city walls heard it all clearly!

It is clear that his purpose in coming here was not to persuade them to surrender, but to humiliate them!

However, this humiliation only elicited a burst of laughter!

"Hahahaha! You think you're safe after just two hundred steps?" Shen Xiaoqi laughed, clutching her stomach.

"Where did these wild monkeys come from? These days, arrows can't even reach two hundred paces. Even if someone is born with superhuman strength and manages to shoot an arrow at me, I would have already whipped my horse and left. You can't do anything to me!" Wang Min's voice was long and loud.

"You ignorant fool, you'll regret this soon!" Liao Bing flipped open a repeating crossbow: "My lord, please kill this traitor and uphold our army's prestige!"

Shen An nodded and pulled the trigger of the repeating crossbow.

Several bone arrows shot towards the fierce pool.

At first, Wang Meng hummed a little tune and teased the enemy, just like he always had.

But the bone arrow hurtled towards him at a speed he could not have imagined.

Wang Meng's heart sank suddenly!

not good!

They have such powerful weapons! We must hurry back and inform the military commander!

He exerted all his strength to turn around, but he still didn't understand the terror of the repeating ballista.

He had just finished turning around and hadn't even had a chance to run away.

He was pierced by three bone arrows, and even his horse was not spared, falling to the ground.

"My lord, well done!" Liao Bing's voice boomed!

"Well done! Well done!"

Killing him greatly boosted the morale of the soldiers in the city's defense camp.

Just now, facing their first large-scale war since their formation, they were filled with anxiety and tension. But when they saw their lord personally kill the local envoy who had surrendered, their hearts trembled and they were filled with intense excitement, which made them forget their anxiety and tension.

All they had was a desire for war!

They also wanted to make a name for themselves through this war and let the world know the strength of their Qingyang County!

"Bring that man's body over here, and hang his head on the city wall!" Shen An ordered.

"yes!"

To Shen An and the others' surprise, Wang Meng, who had been pierced by three bone arrows, was still not quite dead when he was pulled over.

"You're still alive, it's an absolute medical miracle!" Shen An gave a thumbs-up.

"Brother, I've come to see him off on his final journey!" Shen Xiaoqi drew his sword.

Shen An, however, stopped Shen Xiaoqi and asked, "General Liao, do we have any loud-voiced envoys in our city's garrison to persuade people to surrender?"

Liao Bing recalled for a moment, then said somewhat awkwardly, "This humble general originally intended to recruit them, but I haven't had the chance yet."

"So there isn't one yet? How loud is this person's voice compared to the surrender envoys you've met?" Shen An asked again.

"That bastard certainly deserves a beating, but his voice is definitely the loudest I've ever heard," Liao Bing said, undeniably.

Upon hearing this, Shen An stomped on Wang Meng's face: "Since you're not quite dead yet, I'll give you a chance. If you can keep your dog's life, I, Shen An, am willing to make you my envoy for surrender. Are you willing?"

"My lord, this man cannot be trusted! He is one of Li Huaiyi's men!" Liao Bing hurriedly reminded him.

“Weren’t we all under Li Huaiyi’s command before? This man is quite talented. Sending him to persuade them to surrender, if he does it well, can damage their morale. To exaggerate a bit, his abilities are comparable to a thousand troops!” Shen An said.

"My lord, you are absolutely right!" Liu Wenyuan hurriedly stepped forward to agree.

Liao Bing, embarrassed, said, "My lord, I..."

"Suppress him. If he can't hold on and dies, that's his fate! There's no need to force it!" Shen An waved his hand.

"yes!"

Half an hour later.

It is a flat area about 20 miles from Qingyang County.

Yang Ke's army is resting here.

Wang Meng has been away for a long time and has not yet returned.

Yang Ke's deputy, Zhao Ji'an, couldn't contain himself any longer. He approached Yang Ke, who was gnawing on a lamb leg, and asked, "Commander, Wang Meng hasn't returned yet. Has something happened to him?"

"What could possibly happen? Even in times of war, envoys are not killed. Shen An, a mere county magistrate, would he dare to break this rule?" Yang Ke said nonchalantly.

"But if he's not dead, shouldn't he have returned sooner? Should we stop waiting for him and set off instead?"

"The purpose of sending him there is to mock Shen An and the others and demoralize them. We must despise the enemy in attitude but take them seriously in tactics, even if they are nothing compared to us. We must use all the tricks we can."

"He hasn't come back yet; he's definitely playing Shen An and the others for fools!" Yang Ke said, personally pouring a bowl of wine and handing it to Zhao Ji: "Come on, drink up. We can set off again when Wang Meng returns!"

However, an hour later.

Wang Meng hasn't returned yet.

"Commander, Wang Meng hasn't returned yet. I'm afraid he's met with some terrible fate?" Zhao Ji said again.

This time, Yang Ke also sensed a problem and immediately dispatched the assassin to investigate.

When he returned, he learned that Wang Meng had been killed and his head was hanging on the city wall.

Yang Ke's veins bulged. In his more than ten years of fighting, he had never seen anyone as arrogant as Shen An.

"That damned Shen An! He dared to break the rule of not killing envoys in war! He deserves to die! Set out! We must capture Qingyang County tonight! Capture Shen An alive!"

"Commander, why didn't you just kill him?" Zhao Ji asked.

"The military governor also wants to use Shen An as a model to write his book, so he needs to bring Shen An to him."

"That's too good for you, you scoundrel!"

"He won't get away with this easily. Once he sees the military governor, he'll suffer a fate worse than death, and then be slowly tortured to death!"

"Haha, this is even more satisfying!"

After Zhao Ji finished speaking, he immediately informed the entire army of Wang Meng's death.

This incident was a disgrace to them, which greatly boosted their morale. Everyone wanted to break through Qingyang County and teach these arrogant fools a lesson!

Ten thousand people set off in a grand procession toward Qingyang City.

Soon, the scouts Shen An had sent to the front lines returned with a report: "My lord, Yang Ke's army has set out, and it numbers approximately ten thousand men!"

"How much longer until we arrive?"

"At most 45 minutes!"

"All troops, prepare! This time, we will surely display our military might!"

Shen An's words ignited a fighting spirit in everyone's eyes.

The people inside the city were terrified when they heard that the enemy numbered 10,000. They feared that if the city fell, they would be massacred by the Black Spirit Army as accomplices in the rebellion!

Before Yang Ke's army even reached the city, some civilians had already secretly gathered, preparing to launch a coordinated attack from within and without once Yang Ke's army arrived.

At that time, with just a little effort, once the city gates are breached, they won't need to be massacred as rebels!

"Knock knock knock..."

After 45 minutes, the ground began to tremble slightly.

Ten thousand troops appeared in perfect unison within Shen An and the others' field of vision.

This was the first time Shen An had ever seen an army of ten thousand men.

The development of this era was indeed poor; apart from some siege ladders, there were no other siege machines.

Yang Ke cautiously observed his surroundings and, only after confirming there were no ambushes, did he order his army to continue advancing.

They stopped three hundred paces from the city.

He shouted loudly, "I am Yang Ke, the military commander under the Jiedushi. You little brat Shen An, you killed the envoy, you deserve to die! You have half a quarter of an hour to open the city gates and surrender!"

People inside the city, listen up! If you collude with Shen An, after we break through the city, you will be considered fellow rebels and will all be killed!

Your only chance is to cooperate with us from within and kill the traitor Shen An and his men!

Although Yang Ke's voice was not as loud as Wang Min's, he had been fighting in the army for many years, and his voice carried a sense of solemnity and killing intent, making his intimidating effect far greater than Wang Meng's.

Some people in the city who were already restless could no longer sit still.

They immediately launched a rebellion, attempting to storm the city gates and open them.

Shen An was already prepared. He didn't care whether these people were commoners or not; anyone who opposed him would die!

Fifty archers were immediately dispatched to the streets, armed with single-person crossbows, and began firing.

As their screams echoed one after another, Yang Ke, outside the city, also heard them.

A slight smile played on his lips. A bunch of fools, they've fallen for it!

He knew Shen An would not leave the city to surrender.

Then take advantage of his confusion and kill him!

He immediately drew his sword: "Kill!"

"kill!!!"

His men had been holding their breath for a long time, and they needed to vent.

At Yang Ke's command, ten thousand Black Spirit soldiers charged forward with overwhelming momentum and deafening battle cries!

Seeing them arrive, Shen An felt his hair stand on end. It was completely different from the feeling of being a special forces soldier on the battlefield in his previous life!

The clash of cold weapons is even more exhilarating!

Shen An saw that they had entered the area where the repeating ballistae were most powerful!

He then gave the order: "Fire!"