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

Upon hearing Wu Xing's words, Guan Da Dao took a big gulp of strong liquor, the liquid dripping down his chin and soaking his shirt.

He was well aware of the risks involved, but he had no choice but to endure it.

"Just hold on for a few more days!" He slammed the wine bowl down on the table, the porcelain shattering with the sound. "I've already sent someone to urge them on; reinforcements will arrive in three to five days at most! Once they arrive, we'll attack from both sides and chop that brat Qin An into mincemeat!"

Despite this, Qin An's harassment only intensified.

During the day, he would seize the moment when the rebels were eating, preventing them from eating in peace. This infuriated the rebels, who could only watch the cavalry ride away.

At night, they come up with even more elaborate schemes.

Sometimes a few mournful bugle calls pierced the night sky, and sometimes a dozen or so warhorses dragged tree branches as they galloped wildly through the camp, creating the impression of a massive army that terrified the rebels so much that they dared not close their eyes all night.

After three days of this commotion, the rebel camp was no longer as orderly as it used to be.

The soldiers' eyes were sunken, their cheekbones were high, and their once spirited faces were now only filled with numbness and exhaustion.

A man leaned against a wooden stake in the abatis, his spear planted diagonally on the ground, nodding his head and muttering, "Damn it... I can't live like this anymore... I might as well fight them to the death..."

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" His companion quickly tugged at him, glancing nervously towards the main camp. "If the general hears you, he'll skin you alive!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a series of rapid hoofbeats came from outside the camp, approaching from afar like thunder rolling across the ground.

"Qin An is here again!" the sentry on the watchtower roared at the top of his lungs, his voice trembling with sobs.

Guan Da Dao suddenly sprang up from the camp couch, yanked open the tent flap, and let the cold wind rush into the tent, causing the candlelight to flicker violently.

"All hands on alert!" He charged out of the tent, sword in hand, and roared hoarsely, "That brat has been causing trouble for so long, he must be running low on arrows! This might really be a full-scale attack! Hold them off!"

The rebel soldiers, like balloons pricked by needles, struggled to their feet, grabbed their weapons, and staggered into formation.

Some people's hands were trembling, their fingers gripping the knife were white from excessive force, and their eyes were bloodshot.

In front of the camp, Qin An stood in black armor, holding a bright silver spear, the tip of which gleamed coldly in the moonlight.

Behind him, three thousand cavalrymen formed a neat square formation, their warhorses snorting and pawing the ground restlessly as they charged menacingly toward the camp.

"Brothers, follow me and charge in!" Qin An roared, his voice shaking the heavens.

He spurred his horse on its flanks, and the warhorse reared up, letting out a long neigh, and charged ahead towards the rebel camp.

"Fire! Fire now!" Guan Dadao roared from the top of the camp, pointing at Qin An, who was charging at the forefront. "Shoot the leader first!"

In an instant, arrows rained down from the rebel ranks like locusts, densely packed and aimed at the cavalry formation.

Qin An was prepared and shouted the order: "Wedge formation! Charge!"

The three thousand cavalrymen swiftly changed formation, like a sharp awl, with Qin An at the tip.

They held their shields diagonally in front of them, managing to withstand the first wave of arrows.

The cavalrymen in the front row brandished their long swords, smashing the barricades blocking their path to pieces and tearing a gap in the rebel camp.

"Qin An, stop your arrogance!" Guan Da Dao brandished his heavy broadsword and led his personal guards to meet him. The wind from the blade howled as it aimed straight for Qin An's face.

Lu He, carrying an iron rod, flanked from the left, while Wu Xing, gripping a precious sword, silently circled around to the right.

The three men formed a triangular shape, surrounding Qin An in the center.

Qin An remained calm and composed, twirling his spear in a flourish before deflecting the heavy blade of the broadsword with a clang.

Using the momentum, he flipped over, and the tip of his spear, like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, pierced straight into Lu He's chest.

Lu He hurriedly swung his stick to block, but was forced back by the immense force of the spear, his hands going numb.

At the same time, he felt a gust of wind on his right and caught a glimpse of Wu Xing's precious sword slashing towards him. He stomped his foot on the stirrup, and his warhorse shifted half a foot to the left, just avoiding the sword's edge.

At the same time, he swung his spear back, the shaft sweeping horizontally and slamming heavily onto the back of Wu Xing's sword, nearly knocking the precious sword out of his hand.

Despite facing three opponents alone, Qin An held his own against them.

The spear danced with incredible speed, sometimes like a dragon emerging from the sea, unstoppable in its momentum.

At times, it moved like a snake spitting its tongue, cunning and unpredictable, forcing the three to barely defend themselves, cold sweat gradually seeping from their foreheads.

Upon seeing this, the rebel soldiers shouted and surrounded Qin An, attempting to overwhelm him with sheer numbers.

The three thousand cavalrymen were also bloodthirsty. They drew their ring-pommel swords and galloped across the camp. With a flash of their blades, rebel soldiers fell with screams.

Warhorses trampled over tents and overturned haystacks, turning the entire rebel camp into a bloody meat grinder in an instant.

After half an hour of fierce fighting, although the rebels suffered heavy casualties and their bodies were strewn all over the field, they gradually stabilized their position and forced the cavalry's offensive back little by little, thanks to their absolute numerical advantage.

Qin An glanced at the sky, his brow furrowing slightly, and suddenly shouted, "Withdraw!"

Upon receiving the order, the three thousand cavalrymen fought and retreated like a tide, quickly withdrawing from the rebel camp, crossing the valley again, and disappearing into the dense forest on the opposite bank.

Guan Dadao leaned on his broadsword, panting heavily, his chest heaving, but a smile still appeared on his face.

"Hahaha... Qin An... he finally retreated! I knew he was at his last gasp! He couldn't hold on any longer!"

Lu He wiped the blood from his face and breathed a sigh of relief: "The general is right! As long as we hold out for a few more days, we'll definitely wear them down once reinforcements arrive!"

Upon hearing that Qin An had retreated, the rebel soldiers' tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and they could no longer hold on. They collapsed to the ground, some even lying down next to the corpses, snoring loudly.

They didn't even bother to clean up their companions' bodies, nor did they bother to repair the destroyed abalone fortress; they just wanted to take advantage of this moment of peace and get a good night's sleep.

However, what they didn't know was that all of this was part of Qin An's plan.

After retreating to a safe area, Qin An immediately ordered the cavalry to rest on the spot, feed the horses water, and leaned against a large tree to close his eyes and rest.

Half an hour later, he suddenly opened his eyes, a fierce glint in them: "Brothers, are you all rested? Follow me back!"

At this moment, the moon was high in the sky, and its cold light shone on the valley. The rebel camp was deathly silent, with only the occasional snores coming from all directions. Even the sentries were slumped in the corners, fast asleep.

Three thousand cavalrymen, like ghosts in the night, their horses' hooves wrapped in cotton cloth, silently crossed the valley and sneaked into the rebel camp.

"kill!"

A furious shout suddenly ripped through the night sky, like a thunderclap from a clear sky.

Qin An took the lead and rushed to the front of the camp in the blink of an eye.

Because the previous offensive had destroyed almost all the traps, and the enemy hadn't replenished them, Qin An was able to reach the camp very easily!