The God of War Who Protects the Nation: Starting with Saving a Mother and Daughter in Distress

Yang Yuyan's cheeks burned bright red after she finished speaking. She would never have said such things under normal circumstances.

But the thought that Qin An's journey would take anywhere from several months to a year, or even longer...

She dared not think further, gritted her teeth, and decided to steel herself.

"Although Yan'er and Zhen'er are girls, they can share your burdens in the future." Her voice gradually lowered, but each word was exceptionally clear. "Right now, I only hope that you can be safe and have someone to rely on."

Qin An understood.

It's not that she isn't jealous, but rather that she's more afraid of losing it than of being jealous.

Rather than clinging to a hollow reputation and spending her life alone, she would rather he have something to care about in this chaotic world.

A concern that would make him fight to the death to survive even in dire circumstances.

That's why she took the initiative to bring up the matter of taking a concubine.

After figuring this out, Qin An swallowed hard, but instead of speaking, he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.

After calming down a bit, he immediately wanted to say, "I..."

But before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted.

Yang Yuyan seemed to have guessed what he wanted to say, and shook her head in front of his chest, her voice muffled.

"There's no need to rush into anything. If such an opportunity arises in the future, just let nature take its course. You only need to remember that this will always be your home."

Qin An took a deep breath and solemnly replied, "Okay, I'll remember."

Military orders are absolute; though I was extremely reluctant to leave, I had to go eventually.

He hugged his wife and daughters one by one, then mounted his horse.

The black horse pawed restlessly. In the morning light, Yang Yuyan held Cai Zhen in her arms, while Cai Yan stood to the side. The three figures were so frail that it was hard to bear looking at them.

"Father! Come back soon!" Cai Zhen's cries echoed far and wide, following the sound of the horse's hooves.

Qin An didn't turn around, but simply raised his arm high and waved it forcefully until the sound completely dissipated in the wind.

The sound of horses' hooves faded into the distance, and the alleyway returned to silence.

Yang Yuyan remained standing at the door, gazing in the direction where Qin An had disappeared, without moving for a long time.

Cai Zhen was still wiping away tears when Cai Yan silently took her mother's arm and said softly, "Mother, it's windy outside, let's go inside."

Yang Yuyan then came to her senses, lowered her head to wipe the corner of her eye with her sleeve, and led her two daughters back to the courtyard.

The moment the latch was pulled down, the huge house suddenly felt empty.

The mother and her two daughters sat in the main room, none of them speaking first.

Cai Zhen lay on the table, her fingers unconsciously drawing circles, her eyes still red.

Cai Yan kept looking at Yang Yuyan, her gaze carrying a calmness beyond her years.

"Mother!" Cai Yan suddenly spoke, her voice not loud, but every word clear, "What you said to Father at the door just now... Yan'er understood."

Yang Yuyan stiffened slightly and looked up at her eldest daughter.

Cai Yan met her gaze, her expression unusually serious: "Are you thinking that if you can't give Father a child, this task will fall to us?"

These words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake.

A hint of panic flashed across Yang Yuyan's face. Her lips moved, but she couldn't utter a word of explanation.

Cai Zhen also suddenly raised her head, her big eyes darting back and forth between her mother and sister, not quite reacting for a moment.

The main room was quiet for a moment.

Looking into Cai Yan's clear, bright eyes, Yang Yuyan ultimately did not deny it.

"Yan'er, you've always been clever." She sighed, reaching out to pull her two daughters to her side, her voice gentle yet sincere, "Mother did indeed have this thought in mind. It's just... I just haven't figured out how to tell you yet."

"This is no ordinary matter after all. If word gets out, people will gossip about us behind our backs. But I'm really afraid. I'm afraid I won't be able to have children. I'm afraid that your father will become successful in the future, but he won't even have a son or daughter. I'm afraid he..."

She paused, her eyes slightly reddening, "I'm afraid he'll dislike this family because of it."

Cai Zhen finally understood, her face flushed red, but she didn't jump up and shout. Instead, she bit her lip and twisted the hem of her clothes with her fingers.

"Mother!" Cai Yan's voice remained calm. "You don't need to worry that we won't respond. My sister and I know in our hearts that if Father hadn't taken us in, the three of us would have suffered a terrible fate long ago. The good life we ​​have now is something Father earned with his life."

She paused, lowered her eyes, and a faint blush finally appeared on her face, but she still continued to speak, word by word.

"In Yan'er's heart, there is no man in this world more worthy of entrusting her with than her father. Yan'er... is willing to undertake this mission."

When Cai Zhen heard her sister say this, she puffed out her cheeks and hesitated for a long time before finally replying in a muffled voice, "Me too, Father is the best person in the world. I don't want Father and Mother to have any grudges."

Looking at her two daughters, Yang Yuyan finally shed tears.

She pulled them both into her arms, holding them very tightly.

"Good children... all are your mother's good children."

She choked up, kissed each of them on the head, then let go and said seriously, "But remember, this is just a thought, it's not going to happen yet, so no one is allowed to tell anyone. What we need to do right now is not to think about these things, but to become better versions of ourselves."

She looked at Cai Yan, then at Cai Zhen, and her gaze suddenly became more solemn than ever before.

"Your father is destined to be no ordinary man. He will go further and further, and the people around him will become more and more outstanding."

"The women who will surround him in the future will probably be far superior to us. If we don't live up to our potential, even if we have that title, we will be surpassed sooner or later."

Cai Yan nodded first, a glint of light appearing in her eyes.

"Yan'er understands. From today onwards, Yan'er will study harder. There are practical principles in books. In the future, when Father is out fighting, he will always need someone who can advise him. Yan'er may not be able to fight on the front lines, but she can be his support."

Hearing her sister speak so forcefully, Cai Zhen jumped up in response, not to be outdone.

"Then I'll keep practicing! Father says I have talent and am cut out for martial arts. When I grow up, I'll not only protect Mother and Sister, but I can also fight alongside Father and become a female general!"

Seeing her clenched fists and serious expression, Yang Yuyan smiled through her tears and reached out to tidy up the stray hairs on her forehead: "Alright, Mother is waiting to see our Zhen'er become a female general."

She sat up straight and said seriously, "Now that we've finished talking, it's settled. From now on, each of us will have our own responsibilities and no one is allowed to slack off. Yan'er, study hard; Zhen'er, practice martial arts diligently; and I won't be idle either, I'll take care of this household for you. As for other things, let nature take its course."

"Understood!" the two sisters replied in unison.

From that day on, the quiet courtyard in Xingye County began to stir with unusual activity.

Cai Yan would get up before dawn every day, light an oil lamp, and sit at her desk, studying not only classics and historical texts, but also military strategies and tactics.

Cai Zhentian was practicing his horse stance and swinging his wooden sword in the backyard martial arts training ground at the crack of dawn, his clothes soaked with sweat.

While busy in the kitchen, Yang Yuyan would occasionally look up through the window and see her two daughters, one studying hard by the window and the other sweating in the yard. She felt both gratified and bittersweet, but also more determined.

They were all waiting for that man to come back.

When he returns, they will all be better than before.

……

Qin An was naturally unaware that Yang Yuyan had already had a completely frank conversation with her daughter, which had ignited their fighting spirit.

At this point, he had temporarily set aside his personal feelings and focused his attention on the war.

Outside Xingye County, five hundred cavalrymen had formed a neat square formation. Their armor gleamed silver in the sunlight, their warhorses snorted, and their momentum was overwhelming.

Qin An spurred his horse to the front of the formation. The black horse reared up and let out a long neigh.

"Is everything ready?"

"Ready!" Five hundred people shouted in unison, their voices echoing across the surrounding area.

Qin An drew his sword from his waist and pointed it westward: "Destination: Liaodong City. Let's go!"

The horses' hooves thundered, kicking up clouds of dust as they galloped westward.

Traveling by day and resting by night, they saw the city gate of Liaodong City in just three days.

Zhang Xu had already received the news and personally waited for them at the city gate.

He looked Qin An up and down, observing the disciplined and imposing cavalry formation behind him. He patted Qin An on the shoulder with satisfaction: "Good lad, you certainly didn't disappoint me."

"This humble general has not failed in his mission." Qin An dismounted and bowed.

Upon returning to the military camp, Qin An immediately threw himself into training the troops.

Most of the three thousand cavalrymen under his command were newly recruited soldiers. Although they had some basic skills, they had no practical combat experience.

Qin An used all the methods he had accumulated from training troops on the Baiji battlefield and in the border areas.

He personally demonstrated everything, including horsemanship, swordsmanship, formation coordination, and long-distance raids.

They would arrive at the drill ground before dawn and return to their tents at midnight. When their voices became hoarse from shouting, they would suck on a handful of throat lozenges. When their wounds reopened, they would hastily bandage them and continue training.

Lieutenant Luo Sheng felt sorry for him and advised, "Captain, take a rest. The brothers are all watching."

"The more you practice, the better your chances of survival on the battlefield." Qin An shook his head. "If you slack off now, you'll have to pay with your life later."

Under such harsh conditions, the three thousand cavalrymen were transformed.

The once loosely organized ranks became disciplined and orderly. The timidity in the recruits' eyes faded, replaced by the sharp edge of warriors.

Meanwhile, the situation in Daxing was deteriorating day by day.

The three eastern expeditions emptied the national treasury. Instead of taking a break, the emperor embarked on massive construction projects and imposed numerous exorbitant taxes.

The people, unable to bear the burden any longer, rose up in rebellion from south to north, and the flames of rebellion spread like wildfire.

In the imperial court, the emperor and powerful clans were locked in a power struggle, and local officials were acting independently, with no one truly committed to suppressing the rebellion.

"The rebels in the south have captured three states and declared themselves kings!"

"The north is also in turmoil, with a force of 100,000 gathering, and the troops sent by the imperial court were driven back."

Such discussions could be heard everywhere in the military camp, and the soldiers all wore uneasy expressions.

Everyone can see that the world is truly about to descend into chaos.

Qin An observed coldly, knowing that Zhang Xu had been keeping a close eye on the court's movements and would make a move sooner or later.

Sure enough, one day six months later, while he was training troops on the drill ground, a messenger suddenly rode up and announced: "General Zhang summons him to the main tent for a meeting!"