She's skilled in medicine, martial arts, and even understands animal language—the abandoned dau

After hearing Shen Man's words, Mi Huang's gaze shifted between Meng Qi and Shen Man, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

The Kingdom of Mi is geographically small, and arable land is even scarcer. As the ruler of Mi, he naturally harbored a dream of expanding the kingdom's territory.

The military and economy of the Kingdom of Kami were relatively backward, and since he ascended the throne, he could only stick to the old ways.

If we could acquire some powerful firearms, although we wouldn't be able to compete with the two great powers of Qi Rong and Chi Yan, it shouldn't be a problem to gain some benefits from other smaller countries in the surrounding area.

However, Meng Qi was not only a powerful general of the Mi Kingdom, but also the husband of the eldest princess.

At first, Meng Qi was able to behave himself, but in recent years, as his power has grown to its zenith, he has become increasingly disregarded as the ruler of the country, which has made the Mi Emperor more and more wary of him.

Using him as a bargaining chip to go to Chi Yan would indeed be a good opportunity to weaken his power; however, it would be difficult to explain to the Princess.

Just as Emperor Mi hesitated, Shen Man spoke up again: "Your Majesty, I don't need General Meng to stay in Chiyan Border City for a long time. He only needs to stay for two or three months to train the army to a general level."

"To acquire such powerful firearms in just one or two months with General Meng's time is an extremely worthwhile deal!"

Meng Qi's forehead was covered in cold sweat; he knew that Shen Man was pressing him relentlessly.

At this time, the ministers in the court were divided into two factions. One faction felt that the deal was worthwhile, as firearms were rare and peace on the border was something they could only hope for.

The other faction worried that if Meng Qi returned to Chi Yan and helped Shen Man train an army as powerful as the Meng family army, it would endanger the safety of Mi Kingdom.

An old minister stepped forward first and said, "Your Majesty, what Lord Ding said makes sense, but General Shenwei is of utmost importance to our dynasty, and I believe that he should not be exchanged lightly."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a younger minister stepped forward to retort: ​​"Lord Zheng, you are mistaken! General Meng may have made great military achievements, but despite the peace on the borders in recent years, our military strength has not increased but decreased."

Now that Chi Yan has offered up firearms, if this opportunity is missed and the country is gradually encroached upon by neighboring nations, how long can General Meng protect them?

He turned abruptly, his eyes gleaming with fanaticism as he faced the Mi Emperor: "By exchanging General Meng's two or three months for ten years of peace in my Mi Kingdom, we've won this battle no matter how you look at it!"

The old minister surnamed Zheng was so angry that his beard trembled. He stomped his foot heavily on his white jade tablet and said, "Foolish! Back then, the Meng family army was famous all over the world, relying not only on tactics, but also on the morale of the army!"

If General Meng goes to Chiyan, who can guarantee he won't be coerced or bribed? Once he reveals all of our army's strengths and weaknesses, what will Mi Kingdom use to defend itself?

"Ha, is Lord Zheng perhaps just worrying unnecessarily?" Another military officer suddenly sneered, his armor gleaming coldly in the candlelight. "General Meng, as the husband of the Princess and a confidant of His Majesty, how could he possibly betray the country?"

Lord Ding was merely using him to train his troops. With firearms in hand, our army's strength has greatly increased. On the contrary, it's the Crimson Flame that should fear us!

Hearing the discussions of these ministers from the Mi Kingdom, Shen Man couldn't help but find it utterly laughable. The Mi Kingdom was located in a remote and isolated place, and its people were like frogs in a well, with a narrow-minded perspective.

If she wanted to annex the Mi Kingdom, the Crimson Flame Dynasty wouldn't need to intervene at all. She could easily take it over by simply leading the garrison from the border city.

The arguments in the court grew increasingly heated, like a pot of boiling water.

Mi Huang's temples throbbed, and his gaze swept over the silent Meng Qi in the crowd—he saw that Meng Qi was gripping the double maces at his waist tightly with both hands, his knuckles turning white from the force.

Emperor Mi's Adam's apple bobbed, and he was about to agree to Shen Man's conditions when he suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside the hall.

A moment later, Princess Su Jingrou, dressed in a scarlet dress, burst in with a gust of wind, her phoenix hairpin swaying on her head, reflecting tiny blades of light.

"Your Majesty, please wait!" Her voice trembled with suppressed emotion as she lashed her long whip against the dragon pillar, scattering a few specks of gold dust. "If you were to exchange my husband for these firearms of dubious origin today, how would the history books record it in the future? Would they say that my Mi Kingdom discarded loyal ministers and generals like worn-out shoes for petty gains?"

"This..." Emperor Mi was speechless after Su Jingrou's words.

Shen Man's expression remained unchanged as she lightly tapped the wooden box with her fingertips: "Your Highness is mistaken. General Meng is only temporarily going to the border city. Once the new army is formed, I will definitely return the treasure intact."

Her tone was gentle, yet sharp: "Your Highness, please don't let your personal feelings interfere with His Majesty's grand ambitions."

Princess Su Jingrou turned to look at Shen Man, her eyes flashing with overwhelming anger. "You woman, what is your purpose in coming to my Mi Kingdom? Why did you bring my husband back to Chi Yan?"

Upon seeing this, the Emperor slowly rose, his dragon robe sweeping across the gilded dragon-patterned table.

His gaze lingered on Su Jingrou's pale face as he spoke softly, "Does Your Majesty still remember? When you encountered General Shenwei in the Dragon Ridge Mountains, what he was tightly protecting in his arms was the tattered banner of the Meng Family Army. His loyalty to his former troops is something I will never forget."

The Emperor's words caused Su Jingrou to stiffen instantly, and her hand gripping the whip trembled slightly.

Standing next to her, Meng Qi had a few beads of sweat on his forehead.

The ministers in the court listened intently, and the hall became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Shen Man's lips curled into a faint smile. She thought to herself that Meng Qi was truly a rare and excellent actor. He had caused the Meng family army to be completely wiped out, yet he still pretended to be so affectionate towards the Meng family army in front of outsiders.

"Lord Ding is eager to find talented people and wants to rebuild the Crimson Flame New Army with the spirit of the Meng family army."

The Emperor turned to look at the firearms box that Shen Man had brought and continued, "If Meng Qing can go to the border city in person, it will not only fulfill his wish to revitalize his old troops, but also bring ten years of peace to both countries. Your Majesty is thinking of your husband wholeheartedly, shouldn't you help him achieve this wonderful thing?"

Finally, he sighed softly, "After all, the glory of the Meng family army should not remain only in the past."

"Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty!" Shen Manying bowed gracefully, but her gaze turned defiantly towards Meng Qi.

Meng Qi's face turned ashen. After a long while, he knelt on one knee and said loudly, "Your Majesty, this humble general is willing to go to the border city of Chiyan to contribute to the peace between the two countries and the revival of the Meng family army."

He spoke with great passion, and his eyes seemed to be glistening with tears.

Su Jingrou looked at him in disbelief, her lips trembling, but she couldn't say a word.

Emperor Mi nodded in satisfaction, "Very good. General Shenwei will certainly live up to my expectations this time."

Shen Man's lips curled up, her eyes filled with smugness. She knew that Meng Qi had no choice but to comply due to the circumstances.

In the imperial court, ministers who supported the deal shouted that His Majesty was wise, while those who opposed it shook their heads and sighed.

Suddenly, Su Jingrou slammed her long whip onto the ground in front of Shen Man. "Without my permission, no one is allowed to take my husband away!"