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

Nowadays, Zhang Xu values ​​Qin An even more.

Seeing that Qin An had not spoken, they still wanted to hear his thoughts and opinions.

"This plan to sow discord and break the deadlock was first proposed by Commandant Qin. Now that the situation has changed drastically, it is a golden opportunity. Everyone agrees to accept their surrender and attack them from both inside and outside."

"Qin An, do you have any different opinions or follow-up plans?"

All eyes immediately turned to Qin An, waiting for him to speak.

In recent days, Qin An has repeatedly performed outstanding feats, demonstrating both wisdom and courage, and has already won the respect of the entire army.

His opinion was enough to influence the course of the entire battle.

Qin An stepped forward, his posture upright, his expression calm and composed, showing none of the ecstasy and restlessness of the others. His eyes were clear, and he spoke slowly and logically.

"General, colleagues, Song Yu's surrender in dire straits is indeed the inevitable trend of the times, and most of his intentions are genuine. However, it would be a waste and a squandering of talent to merely use his defection to defeat Lu Lin's main force."

His words instantly silenced the jubilant atmosphere in the tent, leaving everyone puzzled and waiting for his further analysis.

Qin An continued his deep analysis.

"Although Lu Lin's troops are elite rebels with strong combat power, they are only a detachment under Wang Bo. Even if they are defeated and their defenses are broken with the help of Song Yu, it will only be a defeat of one detachment."

"Wang Bo's main force, entrenched deep in the Qishan Mountains, remains intact. The rebels' foundation is not broken and their core remains intact. Even if our army achieves a small victory, we will still have to face Wang Bo's main force and fight another tough battle. The campaign to quell the rebellion will still be time-consuming, laborious, and result in heavy casualties."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Zhang Xu's eyes showed even greater approval: "What you say is absolutely right. In your opinion, how should we plan to decisively resolve the situation and completely eradicate the chaos?"

A sharp glint flashed in Qin An's eyes as he unleashed a far more profound and ruthless overall plan.

"In my humble opinion, there is no need to let Song Yu immediately turn against us and expose her identity."

"We will pretend to agree to his request to surrender for the time being, and reach an agreement with him to allow him to continue to lie low among the rebels, maintain his identity, and not reveal any flaws."

"When our army launches a major offensive against Lu Lin's defenses tomorrow, and the two armies are locked in a fierce battle, order him to flee without a fight and lead his troops to withdraw from the battlefield. This will directly disrupt Lu Lin's morale, create a breach in the defenses, and help our army defeat Lu Lin."

"After Lu Lin's defeat, Song Yu did not need to join our army. Instead, he took the opportunity to gather his remaining troops and headed straight for the depths of Qishan Mountain to join Wang Bo's main force."

Everyone was stunned, their faces showing confusion: "Let him go back and reunite with Wang Bo? Isn't that like letting a tiger return to the mountains?"

"It's not about releasing a tiger back into the mountains, but about nurturing a treacherous enemy within!" Qin An's voice was resounding. "Keeping Song Yu, this hidden pawn, lurking beside Wang Bo, is a hundred times more valuable than using her now!"

"At that time, Wang Bo will gather all his remaining troops and believe that he still has the strength to defend Qishan and fight a decisive battle with our army."

"Song Yu was at the core of their camp, possessing all the secrets of the rebel army's troop deployment, food stockpiles, terrain fortifications, and combat plans."

"When our army and Wang Bo's main force are engaged in the final decisive battle, at the critical moment when both sides are fighting with all their might, we will order Song Yu to suddenly defect and coordinate an attack from within and without, disrupting the rebel army's entire plan, cutting off their supplies, shaking their morale, and disintegrating their formation!"

"In this way, we can annihilate Wang Bo's 100,000-strong main force in one battle, uproot them completely, quell the Qishan rebellion, and eliminate future troubles forever! There will be no need for a second hard battle; we can settle the score in one fell swoop!"

The generals in the tent were deeply moved and full of admiration as they looked at Qin An.

Ordinary generals only seek short-term victories, acting opportunistically and pursuing only what is advantageous.

Only Qin An planned the overall situation carefully, proceeding step by step, disregarding temporary gains and losses, and only seeking to determine the final outcome in one battle.

Zhang Xu clapped his hands and laughed heartily, his face full of praise: "Excellent! Excellent plan! Far-sighted and thorough, decisive and ruthless! Let's proceed according to Qin An's plan!"

"Now that we have this foolproof plan, let us proceed accordingly, reply to Wu Zhi, agree to Song Yu's request to surrender, set the battle plan for tomorrow, and act accordingly!"

……

Late at night, Wu Zhi returned to the remnant camp of the rebel army and reported to Song Yu word for word the court's promise and the agreement between the two sides.

Upon learning that the imperial court had accepted his surrender and promised to reward him for his merits, and that he only needed to withdraw his troops from the battlefield, disrupt the war, and then return to Wang Bo's main force to lie low and wait for an opportunity, without having to fight to the death and defect immediately, Song Yu felt a huge weight lifted from his heart and breathed a long sigh of relief.

This result was far better than he had expected.

All it takes is to desert in the face of battle and return to the ranks, which is the first step in surrendering. The risk is extremely low, the flaws are minimal, and it will hardly arouse any suspicion. It also allows one to perfectly preserve one's own strength, lie infiltrate the core of the rebels, and wait for the best opportunity.

While seemingly working for the imperial court, he was actually leaving himself ample room for maneuver, allowing him to advance or retreat at will.

The thought of betraying his ally and sacrificing tens of thousands of Lu Lin's troops tomorrow still stirred a complex emotion in Song Yu's heart.

In an instant, Wang Bo's suspicions, Lu Lin's indifference, the desperate situation of the past few days, and the crisis of destruction all rushed into his mind.

In chaotic times, survival is a matter of the strong preying on the weak, and everyone has to find their own way to survive. Since the other party was ruthless first, don't blame them for being unrighteous later.

There's no turning back once the arrow is released; having already embarked on this path, there's no going back.

"Pass down the order: secretly reorganize the troops, gather all remaining forces, and prepare to withdraw from the battlefield at any time. The great battle begins tomorrow. There is no need for a desperate fight. Once the two armies are locked in a stalemate, retreat with me immediately and head straight for the main peak of Qishan to join Wang Bo's main force." Song Yu coldly gave the order, completely severing the last trace of distraction in his mind.

Nothing was said that night. Both armies rested and regrouped, but undercurrents were surging and murderous intent was lurking.

……

The next day, just as dawn broke, the morning light pierced through the thick clouds and spread across the fields.

The battlefield, silent for many days, was instantly awakened by the deafening war drums.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The powerful and stirring sound of war drums continued endlessly, resounding across the fields and shaking heaven and earth.

The imperial army of 30,000 men was arrayed in formation, their armor gleaming, their weapons like a forest, their banners fluttering, stretching across the open field, their chilling aura reaching the heavens.

After days of rest and reorganization, the entire army was in high spirits and full of fighting spirit. Everyone knew that today was the day of the general offensive and the decisive beginning to quell the Qishan rebels!

Zhang Xu, clad in his general's armor, stood atop a high slope, command flag in hand, his sharp gaze sweeping over the rebel lines ahead. He issued a command in a deep voice:

"All troops, listen to my command! Launch a full-scale attack! Sweep through Lu Lin's defenses! Raze the enemy camp and annihilate the rebels!"

"Crush the enemy camp and annihilate the rebels!"

A deafening roar erupted, sweeping across the fields with magnificent force.

Tens of thousands of imperial troops charged simultaneously, with infantry advancing with shields, archers providing ranged suppression, and cavalry forming ranks and preparing for battle, sweeping towards the rebel main camp where Lu Lin was stationed like a tidal wave.

Arrows rained down, boulders shattered the air, and swords flashed—a fierce battle suddenly erupted!