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

Upon hearing Luo Kai's opinion that Qin An was worried about being a kept man and damaging his reputation, Qin An was both amused and exasperated: "That's not what I'm concerned about!"

He trusted Luo Kai completely and had nothing to hide, so he chose to tell him everything.

"But... I don't know much about the Han family, and I'm afraid their resources aren't so easy to obtain, which could cause trouble in the future."

Luo Kai shook his head: "You're overthinking things. I know a little about the Han family's situation. They have few direct descendants, and most of them are useless. Now they rely entirely on General Han to keep them afloat. It can be said that the females are more numerous than the males."

"The reason they're trying to win you over is because they want someone to protect them. A marriage between you and them would only be mutually beneficial."

"The Han family's resources will only be an asset to you, never a liability."

Qin An fell silent.

Luo Kai's words coincided with his own thoughts. After three months of consideration, he was actually inclined to accept the marriage proposal.

"I understand, Brother Luo. I will consider this matter carefully and make a decision after the war is over," Qin An said.

Seeing that he had relented, Luo Kai smiled with relief: "That's right."

Just then, a personal guard rushed over: "Captain, General Luo, General Zhang requests your immediate presence in the central command tent; they have important matters to discuss!"

"Oh? What's the matter that's so urgent?" Qin An and Luo Kai exchanged a glance, both somewhat puzzled.

The two dared not delay and quickly walked towards the central command tent.

Upon entering the tent, they saw Zhang Xu talking quietly with a scholar, a look of joy on his face.

Seeing Qin An and Luo Kai enter, Zhang Xu quickly waved, "Qin An, Luo Kai, you've come at the right time. Song Yu has sent an envoy, saying that preparations are complete within the city and requesting our army's cooperation to take Qishan City in one fell swoop!"

Qin An and Luo Kai were both invigorated. After waiting for so long, they had finally reached this moment!

"Where is the envoy? Let him in quickly!" Qin An said anxiously.

Zhang Xu pointed to the scholar beside him: "This is Wu Zhi, a trusted confidant of Song Yu. He was the one who contacted us last time, and he is also the one who risked leaving the city to deliver the message this time."

Wu Zhi stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting to Qin An and Luo Kai, and said in a deep voice, "I pay my respects to Colonel Qin and General Luo. My general has instructed me to tell you that the rebels in the city are already demoralized. He has contacted many generals, and they will use the fire on the city wall as a signal to open the city gates and welcome the government troops into the city."

Qin An looked at him sharply: "Is the situation inside the city truly reliable? Has Wang Bo noticed anything?"

When Wu Zhi saw Qin An, he was genuinely a little intimidated.

To these rebels, this man was an absolute ruthless villain.

Most of his 108 brothers died at his hands.

Faced with Qin An's question, he naturally dared not hold back in the slightest.

"Captain Qin, rest assured, my general is extremely cautious. All plans are carried out in secret, and Wang Bo will not be aware of them."

"Moreover, the city is short of food and supplies, and the soldiers have long lost their will to fight. As soon as the government troops arrive, they will surely defect one after another."

Zhang Xu exchanged a glance with Qin An and Luo Kai, all of whom saw the determination in each other's eyes.

"Good!" Zhang Xu slammed his hand on the table. "Pass down the order: the entire army must prepare to attack Qishan City at any time!"

"Yes!" the generals responded in unison, and the atmosphere in the tent instantly became exciting.

Seeing that the imperial army had no doubts about his and Song Yu's arrangements, Wu Zhi breathed a sigh of relief.

They thought the imperial court genuinely wanted to recruit them, and their hearts were filled with anticipation.

He didn't linger at the imperial army camp, and hurriedly left, preparing to make even greater contributions to the court.

In this way, their treatment would be better after being granted amnesty.

What Wu Zhi didn't know was that after he left, many court generals, including Qin An, immediately changed their expressions.

……

Inside the central command tent, candlelight flickered, reflecting the varied expressions on the faces of the generals.

The atmosphere inside the tent became somewhat heavy.

Everyone already knows that Song Yu is about to take action.

Zhang Xu had previously appeared decisive and trusting in front of Wu Zhi, but he seemed very nervous in the face of such an important matter.

After giving an explanation of the situation, Zhang Xu tapped the table lightly with his fingers and glanced at everyone.

"Song Yu is willing to be an inside man, which is a good thing in itself, but do you all think he is trustworthy?"

These words sent a chill down the spines of the generals in the tent.

They all sensed something else in it.

Clearly, although Song Yu chose to come to Zhang Xu's side, Zhang Xu did not have a good impression of him.

This simple sentence reveals a hint of wanting to discard those who have helped them after they've served their purpose.

After a moment of silence in the tent, Han Anjiao spoke first, his aged voice carrying a hint of disdain.

"General Zhang, you are wise. Song Yu is a traitor. First, he retreated in the face of battle, which led to Lu Lin's defeat and death. Now he wants to betray Wang Bo. Such a traitor who sells out his master for personal gain deserves to be punished."

"Now that he sees the rebels are on their last legs, he wants to use the opportunity of being granted amnesty to curry favor with the imperial court and seek wealth and glory. This is utterly delusional!"

Clearly, not only Zhang Xu disliked Song Yu, this fickle and unreliable person, but Han Anjiao was no exception.

No one in this world likes someone who lacks loyalty and morality.

Luo Kai nodded in agreement: "General Han is absolutely right. Song Yu is a cold-blooded and fickle man. He can betray Wang Bo today, and he may betray us tomorrow. Keeping him around will only make him a menace in the end."

"In my opinion, it would be better to let them fight like dogs and both suffer heavy losses," Cheng Zhiyuan interjected. "Once chaos breaks out in Qishan City, we can hold back and delay for a while, letting Song Yu and Wang Bo fight to the death."

"At that time, our army can take advantage of the situation and seize Qishan City in one fell swoop. This will not only wipe out the rebels but also eliminate the threat of Song Yu. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"

These words were immediately met with approval from the generals.

In their eyes, Song Yu, a traitor by birth and a villain devoid of loyalty, was not worthy of the court's forgiveness.

Even if he could help the government army capture Qishan City, it would only mean a different way of dying.

Qin An stood silently to the side of the tent.

He had long seen through the thoughts of these court generals. They wanted to use Song Yu to take the city, but they also despised his background and behavior. They wished to use him as a tool to kill him as well.

However, he had no objection to this act of crossing the river and then destroying the bridge.

Song Yu is indeed not a kind person, and keeping him around poses a great threat.

Seeing that everyone agreed, a hint of satisfaction flashed in Zhang Xu's eyes.

"Very well! As you all agree, three days from now, at night, once the city is ablaze, we will hold back and observe the situation. We will wait until the fighting within the city is fierce and both sides are severely weakened."

"Qin An, you will lead the cavalry as the vanguard and be the first to storm into the city. Act according to the situation. Remember, whether it's Song Yu or Wang Bo, anyone who resists is to be killed without mercy!"

"Your subordinate obeys!" Qin An replied, clasping his hands in a fist salute, his voice firm and powerful.