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

Looking at the panicked soldiers, Song Yu felt a pang of pain in her heart.

He knew in his heart that if things continued like this, his troops would collapse before the imperial army could even attack.

"Quiet down, all of you!" Song Yu roared, temporarily suppressing the chaos. "What's the panic! We've only lost a few generals; we still have tens of thousands of troops!"

He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Immediately send someone to request reinforcements from the general. Tell him that Qin An is exceptionally fierce and request that General Lu Lin, the Flying Tiger, be dispatched to provide support!"

"Yes!" The guards quickly responded and left.

Song Yu stared in the direction Qin An had left, a fierce glint in her eyes: "Qin An, you just wait! When General Lu arrives, he'll tear you to pieces!"

However, the situation was quite different within the imperial army's camp.

Qin An was warmly welcomed as soon as he returned to the camp.

The soldiers swarmed around him, lifted him high, and tossed him into the air amidst cheers.

"Commander Qin is mighty!"

"Captain Qin is invincible!"

Zhang Xu personally came out to greet him, and looking at Qin An, a gratified smile appeared on his face: "Good lad, well done! You've slain four generals in one battle, greatly boosting the morale of our army. You've made a great contribution!"

Qin An dismounted and cupped his hands, saying, "This humble general has only done his duty and dares not claim credit."

Zhang Xu patted him on the shoulder: "Don't be modest. In today's battle, you not only killed several rebel generals, but more importantly, you dealt a blow to their morale, which is extremely beneficial to our upcoming battles."

He paused, then said in a deep voice, "However, you should also be careful. It is said that Lu Lin, the Flying Tiger under Wang Bo, is extremely powerful. Song Yu will probably ask for help. If he does, there will likely be a fierce battle soon."

A glint of fighting spirit flashed in Qin An's eyes: "This humble general is ready to fight at any time!"

As the sun set, the imperial army's camp was brightly lit, and the soldiers were in high spirits, their laughter and cheers filling the air.

The rebel camp, however, was deathly silent, with only patrolling soldiers walking back and forth, their faces filled with fear and unease.

A duel between generals and a patrol altered the balance of power between the two armies. Qin An's name, like a resounding brand, was deeply etched in everyone's heart.

But when Qin An returned to the camp, although he received a warm welcome, his mind was not on that.

Instead, it landed on the system.

When he saw that the combat power displayed on the system had reached 120, a smile couldn't help but appear on his face.

"It's improved by such a large margin! It seems the rewards for defeating experts are greater than I imagined!"

His combat strength had already exceeded 100 when he was on the Baiji battlefield.

However, after more than half a year, Qin An did find that the speed at which his strength improved had suddenly slowed down.

It's certainly because he's been training the team for the past six months and has rarely made a move.

But more importantly, Qin An also discovered that as his strength increased, the growth from killing ordinary people was no longer so obvious.

Unless one can personally kill dozens or hundreds of people in a single battle, it will not bring about a significant increase in combat power.

Qin An felt anxious after discovering this.

If things continue like this, how many people would I need to personally kill to become a true warrior capable of taking on ten thousand men?

But just now, he only killed four people, yet it brought a boost of more than ten points in combat power. Such a boost immediately gave Qin An a shortcut to become stronger quickly.

"This rebel group is actually a good leveling spot for me!" Qin An muttered to himself, a cold smile appearing on his face.

……

Qin An's victory made him famous, not only deterring the rebel army but also winning over the generals of the imperial army who had previously fought independently.

Taking advantage of the situation, Zhang Xu used his status as an imperial envoy to consolidate the various departments.

In just three days, the military strength was expanded to more than 30,000 men, and the army was becoming increasingly powerful.

Inside the central command tent, Zhang Xu tapped his finger heavily on the map, marking the location of the Qishan rebel vanguard camp: "Song Yu must have already requested reinforcements from Wang Bo. We absolutely cannot give them a chance to regroup. Pass down the order: at dawn tomorrow, a full-scale attack!"

The generals under his command responded in unison, and Luo Kai rubbed his hands together eagerly: "General, you are brilliant! These rebels were terrified by Captain Qin yesterday, let's take them down in one fell swoop!"

Qin An stood to the side of the tent, his brows slightly furrowed: "General, although the rebels' morale is low, their camp is well-fortified and they have the advantage of terrain. A direct assault would likely come at a considerable cost."

Zhang Xu looked at him, his eyes filled with expectation: "I know you have ideas, tell me about them."

"This humble general is willing to challenge them again on the front lines. If we can kill a few more enemy generals, the enemy's morale will surely collapse. At that time, a strong attack will be much more effective," Qin An said in a deep voice.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Qin An led his cavalry to the rebel camp and began to hurl insults at them. He cursed Wang Bo's ancestors for eighteen generations and the numerous crimes of his subordinate, Mo Xing. His words were so harsh that they made the rebels' teeth itch.

No matter how much he provoked them, the camp gates remained tightly shut.

Song Yu decided to stay put and only sent archers to shoot arrows from a distance to drive them away.

Seeing that Qin An's challenge had failed, Zhang Xu knew he couldn't wait any longer.

That morning, he climbed to the top of a high slope, looked out at the endless rebel camps, and shouted the order: "Beat the drums! Attack!"

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The war drums thundered like a tidal wave as 30,000 imperial troops surged toward the rebel camp.

Luo Kai led 5,000 infantrymen as the vanguard, pushing ladder carts and battering rams straight towards the camp gate.

Cheng Zhiyuan's rear guard set up catapults and hurled huge rocks at the camp, smashing the wooden fence with a crackling sound.

Inside the rebel camp, Song Yu personally took command, roaring orders to fire arrows.

A dense barrage of arrows rained down on the imperial army like locusts. Soldiers at the forefront were struck by arrows and fell to the ground, their blood instantly staining the ground in front of the camp.

"Build a ladder!" Luo Kai brandished his longsword, slashing down several arrows, and roared as he charged forward.

Dozens of ladders were quickly erected on the rebel army's walls, and the imperial army soldiers climbed up like ants.

The rebels on the stockade wall poured boiling water down and threw down lit torches, and screams of agony rose and fell.

"Crash it! Break down the camp gate!" Luo Kai turned the vehicle around and directed dozens of soldiers to push the crash vehicle and smash it against the camp gate.

"Boom! Boom!" The sounds of impact were deafening, and the wooden planks of the camp gate gradually loosened.

Seeing this, Song Yu was shocked and personally took up his broadsword to stand guard behind the door: "Hold on! Anyone who takes a step back, I'll chop him down!"

Just then, Cheng Zhiyuan's catapult finally came into play, and a huge rock accurately smashed into the stockade wall on the left side of the camp gate, shattering a section of the fence.

"Brothers, charge in!" Luo Kai was overjoyed at the sight and was the first to rush in through the gap.

The soldiers on both sides instantly clashed, swords flashing and blood flying everywhere.

Although the rebels were poorly equipped, they were numerous and determined to fight to the death, and for a time they managed to hold back the imperial army's offensive.

On the high slope, Zhang Xu frowned: "This Song Yu is quite capable, managing to hold out until now."

Beside him, Qin An's sharp gaze swept across the battlefield: "General, although the rebels are putting up a stubborn resistance, they are already at their last gasp. This humble general is willing to personally lead the charge to open a breach!"