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

Yuwen Bingyu was being sprayed face-to-face by Shen An!

Her face was covered in spittle.

The anger she felt was palpable.

She took a step back, her face grim, and said, "County Commandant Shen, this is my Nanling Prefecture, and I am the military governor of this prefecture. You'd better watch your words and your tone when you speak!"

"That's just how I am. If you don't want to talk to me, you're free to stay away!" Shen An yawned and half-reclined in his chair.

Looking at Shen An, she didn't seem afraid of her at all.

Yuwen Bingyu's face darkened: "Shen An, aren't you afraid of me? Have you angered me?"

Shen An shook her head and said, "When I first came to your Nanling Prefecture, I heard that you loved the people like your own children, and I thought you were a heroine among women. But now I see that you are nothing special."

If you can't reach an agreement, you resort to threats? Your behavior is worse than your brother's. I believe that if I met your brother, he would treat me with courtesy.

Besides, do you think you can threaten me?

As he spoke, Shen An instantly drew his sword.

Before Yuwen Bingyu could react, Shen An's knife was already at her fair neck.

The coldness of the blade sobered Yuwen Bingyu up considerably.

She then realized that the man in front of her was far more capable than she had imagined.

If he decides to lay a hand on her, she will definitely not survive.

But as the military governor of the prefecture, how could she possibly back down like this?

But she didn't want to lose the opportunity to make their Nanling Prefecture stronger and increase grain production by 30%.

Her attitude softened: "Shen An, if you lay a hand on me, you will definitely not be able to leave Nanling Prefecture alive. I don't think there's any need for us to do this. Put away your knife, and we can have a proper talk."

"No, no, no, if I wanted to kill you, I could put a knife to your neck and kidnap you to Qingyang County. I think no one would dare to lay a hand on me for your sake!"

"It's not too late for me to make my move once we reach Qingyang County."

As he spoke, Shen An's knife was once again pressed against her neck.

The speed was astonishing; Yuwen Bingyu couldn't react at all.

She comes from a military background!

This sent a chill down her spine.

Only now did she truly realize that ever since she chose to talk to Shen An alone...

Her life and death were now in Shen An's hands.

Just as she was pondering Shen An's purpose in coming here, she wondered what it was.

Shen An suddenly released her, revealing an innocent smile: "It was just a joke, don't take it seriously!"

Yuwen Bingyu was unable to adapt for a while.

Why does this person change so much every now and then?

But just as she was about to speak, she suddenly realized that Shen An's actions had fundamentally changed the course of their negotiations.

She has no right to make excessive demands on Shen An now.

Even leaving this place easily has become a problem for her.

This made her truly understand why this man could make both the Western Barbarians and Li Huaiyi suffer a setback.

But she still wanted to make excessive demands on this man.

That's really overestimating themselves.

She sighed and said, "Shen An, you certainly have your methods. I've also realized that my demands were a bit excessive. That divine weapon should be your bottom line; it's absolutely impossible for you to trade it away, right?"

"Isn't that obvious? If I were willing to hand it over, plenty of people would beg me to cooperate with them. Why would it be your turn?" Shen An retorted.

Yuwen Bingyu gave a self-deprecating laugh and said, "What you said makes no problem."

"Then let's have a good talk." Shen An's smile returned.

"Give me your method for increasing production, and I can send troops to help you resist or restrain Li Huaiyi and my brother."

"You're dreaming. The method I'm giving you will completely change the current situation of your Nanling Prefecture and make you rich and powerful in the future. Just send troops once."

If you truly wish to obtain a solution, you must send troops to assist me whenever I require it.

"You've thought it through. If you can team up with me and eliminate either of them, you'll benefit immensely, not just by helping me!"

Yuwen Bingyu naturally thought of this as well, and the fact that she didn't bring it up herself was because she wanted to impose conditions.

Now that Shen An has brought it up, she can no longer pretend she doesn't know.

She thought for a moment and said, "Alright, you want to entrust the increased production to me. I'll find someone to do it your way. If the results are as you say, I'll send troops to help you when you need them, until your conflict with them is completely resolved. How about that?!"

"No!"

"Still not enough? I've already shown enough sincerity!" Yuwen Bingyu couldn't help but exclaim.

"Look, you're in such a hurry again!"

Shen An's expression remained relaxed.

But the more Shen An acted this way, the less Yuwen Bingyu could control her emotions. She was usually calm, composed, and in control of everything in front of others.

Why did she become so impatient in front of Shen An?

She forcefully suppressed the impulse in her heart and said, "Then tell me, what would be acceptable?"

"To prevent you from going back on your word after obtaining the method to increase production, I need to deal with Li Huaiyi and the others before I tell you!"

"This is impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Yuwen Bingyu's expression darkened.

Shen An knew she wouldn't agree, and seeing her strong reaction, he said, "How about this? After you launch five military campaigns, I'll give you a solution. That way, both of us will be protected!"

"No, not even five times! What if we fight two or three times and you get wiped out? Then I'll get nothing!"

"So, you look down on me, Shen An?"

"Even if you wiped out 10,000 of Li Huaiyi's men before, so what? Li Huaiyi still has over 100,000 troops. Your chances of winning are very low, okay? Not to mention my brother is also watching you like a hawk! How can I possibly respect you?" Yuwen Bingyu chuckled.

After a pause, he said, "How about this, if you two fight in the future, I'll first see how Qingyang City performs!"

If you and I can fight them to a standstill, then after five rounds, you can give me a solution!

If you don't play well, then you must give me a solution the first time I help you!

In addition, you also need to give me the seeds of your radishes, pumpkins, winter melons, and so on—no! Give me all the seeds of crops!

Shen An smiled with satisfaction. Giving her seeds was fine. She didn't know how to fertilize them. Even if she planted the seeds, they would be useless by the second generation.

As for how well he would fare if he were to go to war with Li Huaiyi?

He might not be good at taking the initiative to attack, but if he defends, he'll surprise them!

Shen An laughed loudly and readily agreed, "Alright, as you say."

Yuwen Bingyu breathed a sigh of relief, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

At first, she thought that Shen Anlai could only bring her increased grain production, but upon closer reflection, she realized that their cooperation would indeed have an opportunity to alleviate the threat posed to her by her brother and Li Huaiyi.

After all, even without Shen An, the two of them were still eyeing her covetously. With Shen An, it was like having an ally.

Otherwise, she would never have agreed to Shen An's request based solely on increased grain production.

She put on a look of utter disappointment and said, "County Commandant Shen, you are truly extraordinary. Your art of negotiation is something I can't even begin to match. Come, I toast you!"

"Lord Yuwen, you flatter me. I'm just a little thick-skinned," Shen An said modestly before downing his drink in one gulp.

Yuwen Bingyu cursed inwardly, "So you know you're shameless!"

But she covered her mouth and chuckled, "County Commandant Shen, you're quite the joker. Come, let's discuss the specific details of our cooperation!"

One hour later.

Yuwen Bingyu escorted Shen An out of the city and into the Nanling Mountains. The two chatted and laughed, but after they parted...

Shen An immediately ordered that the horses be put into service at top speed and enter the mountains as quickly as possible.

Yuwen Bingyu immediately ordered his men to secretly pursue them.

They were instructed that they should only act when they were absolutely certain they could catch it.

If it weren't for that, I would never have taken action!

She did this because she felt that although she had reached an agreement with Shen An, she was now free and no longer controlled by him.

If she could control Shen An, wouldn't she be able to get whatever she wanted without paying any price?

Of course, she had to ensure that her first attempt would be successful.

If you are not absolutely certain, you must not make a move. Otherwise, if Shen An escapes back, the two sides will have a falling out, and the previous cooperation will be over.

"My lord, I have a feeling that someone is chasing us from behind! It's that wretched woman Yuwen Bingyu trying to go back on her word!" Black Six cursed.

"Who wouldn't want to get what they want for free?"

Shen An was not surprised at all. His original plan was to kidnap Yuwen Bingyu and take her to Qingyang County before letting her leave.

However, during the subsequent negotiations, Yuwen Bingyu's group grew larger and larger.

If Shen Anru insists on doing this, things could easily fall apart between the two sides.

Even if he killed Yuwen Bingyu, they would have a hard time returning alive. But if they separated in the Nanling Mountains, he believed they would still have a chance to escape back.

Shen An looked back and saw that there were only about a hundred people chasing them.

Shen An gripped his crossbow, his face filled with the excitement of impending bloodshed: "They underestimated me, Shen An. They only sent these men. If they catch up, I'll teach them a lesson!"