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

After Shan Tong was entangled by Qin An, the situation on the battlefield became completely one-sided.

Although the rebel cavalry had a numerical advantage, they were no match for the regular cavalry led by Qin An.

My mental state was completely shattered.

"Run! We can't stop them!"

Someone shouted, and it was like a drop of water being poured into boiling oil.

The rebel cavalry, already demoralized, crumbled completely when their formation was broken.

Some men turned their horses around and fled frantically along the mudflats, only to be cut down from behind by Qin'an's cavalry.

Some people panicked and jumped into the river, only to be swept away by the swift current, leaving behind only a few bubbles before disappearing without a trace.

When Shan Tong turned around, his eyes widened in fury.

More than half of his cavalry had been killed or wounded, and the rest were like stray dogs, only concerned with escaping for their lives. They had no fighting power left.

He tried to step forward to stop him, but Qin An's halberd clung to him like a leech, making it difficult for him to even move.

"It's over..." A wave of despair washed over Shan Tong. He knew that he had lost the battle, and lost it completely.

"Shan Tong, you've lost again!" Qin An's voice pierced Shan Tong's heart like an ice pick. "Aren't you going to surrender?"

Shan Tong suddenly looked up, a glint of madness flashing in his eyes: "I, Shan Tong, was born a rebel general and will die a rebel ghost. I will never surrender to a mere brat like you!"

He roared and thrust his spear straight forward, making a final struggle.

Qin An stopped wasting words and wielded his halberd with lightning speed, exchanging more than ten blows with Shan Tong in the blink of an eye.

This exchange made Shan Tong realize that his plan to kill Qin An had completely failed.

"If one is born peaceful, why be born with access..."

Dan Tong looked at Qin An's figure, a trace of unwillingness flashing in his eyes.

Seeing that his troops were already in complete defeat, he no longer hesitated, turned his horse around, and joined the fleeing group.

Qin An watched his disheveled figure but did not chase after him.

He knew in his heart that although his strength was improving rapidly, he still hadn't surpassed Shan Tong's.

With his current combat strength, he is still powerless to kill Dan Tong in battle.

Rather than wasting our energy on him, we should eliminate the rebel cavalry as much as possible.

"Chase them down! Leave no one alive!" Qin Anle turned his horse around, pointing his halberd at the fleeing rebel cavalry.

The eight hundred cavalrymen, like tigers descending from the mountain, relentlessly pursued and killed their prey along the mudflats and riverbanks.

The fleeing rebel cavalrymen completely lost their will to fight, and some even threw down their weapons and knelt down to beg for mercy.

Some panicked and rushed into deep water and drowned.

Others were cut down by the cavalrymen who caught up with them, and their bodies floated away on the river.

As the sun completely sank below the horizon, the sounds of battle gradually subsided.

Qin An looked at the corpses scattered on the ground and the blood-stained river. His black cloak was covered in blood, and blood was still dripping from the crescent blade of his halberd.

"General, the inventory is complete." Xue Ju rode up to his side, his voice tinged with fatigue but unable to hide his excitement.

"We killed 1,200 rebel cavalrymen and captured 300. Only Shan Tong escaped with less than 300 men. We... lost 200 brothers."

Qin An nodded silently.

The loss of two hundred men was not insignificant for his eight hundred cavalrymen.

However, being able to annihilate the main force of the rebel cavalry in one fell swoop and completely destroy the enemy's mobile force makes this a worthwhile deal.

He looked up toward Xinyang City. Night had already fallen, and the outline of the city in the distance was faintly visible in the darkness.

He has done his best to catch up to this point.

"Return to base." Qin An turned his horse around. "Find the bodies of our brothers and give them a proper burial."

Eight hundred cavalrymen silently followed behind him, retracing their steps.

The moonlight shone on them, and the bloodstains on their armor gleamed with a dark red light. Each of them looked exhausted, yet their faces radiated a triumphant air of victory.

In the river bend, only scattered corpses, broken weapons, and blood-stained water remained, silently recounting the brutal battle in the night.

……

"General, we are now in Yangkoucang territory."

Xue Ju reined in his horse, pointed to the faint outline of the city ahead, his voice filled with undisguised weariness.

After several days of continuous raids and battles, even the toughest men couldn't keep up. Many cavalrymen swayed on their horses, their hands gripping the reins with bulging veins.

Qin An nodded slightly, his halberd leaning against his shoulder, the hem of his black cloak stained with mud.

He glanced back at the ranks behind him. The six hundred cavalrymen were scattered about, but each one had a resolute look in his eyes, and even though they were wounded, they stood up straight.

This is what it looks like after being tempered by blood and fire; even with only one breath left, it still exudes a terrifying sharpness.

When they were still three miles away from Yangkoucang, a sudden burst of rapid hoofbeats came from ahead.

Qin An frowned slightly, about to order a precaution, when he saw a troop of light cavalry escorting a large banner with the character "Zhang" galloping towards them.

The leading general, clad in gleaming silver armor and with a resolute face, was none other than Zhang Xu, the commander-in-chief of the imperial reinforcements.

"Qin'an boy! We've been waiting for you to come back!" Zhang Xu dismounted from his horse from afar and strode up to greet him with a hearty smile on his face.

"I heard that you defeated the rebel cavalry at Sanchahe, killing more than a thousand. You have truly boosted our army's morale and have not disgraced us."

Not long after Qin An led his troops in pursuit, he arrived with his main force.

He was still very worried when he learned that Qin An had only led eight hundred cavalrymen to pursue the enemy.

Fortunately, after the Battle of Sancha River ended, Qin An sent someone on horseback to return with urgent news, which put his mind at ease.

Now that Qin An has returned safely, the anxiety in my heart can finally be put to rest.

Qin An quickly dismounted and bowed, saying, "This humble general Qin An greets General Zhang. I only won by chance and dare not accept your praise."

"A fluke?" Zhang Xu laughed heartily, patting his shoulder with considerable force. "The battle at Yangkoucang was exceptionally well-fought. If it weren't for you, the consequences would have been unimaginable. How can you say it was a fluke?"

The generals behind him also stepped forward to pay their respects, their eyes filled with admiration as they looked at Qin An.

Everyone knows that Yangkoucang was able to be defended entirely because Qin An's cavalry was able to conduct guerrilla warfare and contain the enemy.

Now, having annihilated the main force of the rebel cavalry in one fell swoop, this achievement is enough to make anyone take notice.

"Let's go back to the city and talk about it." Zhang Xu held Qin An's hand, his tone affectionate. "Zhou Yi, the garrison commander of Yangkou Warehouse, talks about you every day. He said if you don't go back soon, he'll personally lead a group to look for you."

The group escorted Qin An toward Yangkou Warehouse. The soldiers guarding the city wall had already seen the commotion and cheered.

Zhou Yi stood atop the city wall, leaning on his spear. When he saw Qin An return, a smile appeared on his war-blackened face, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothed out.

Upon entering Yangkou Warehouse, Zhang Xu directly invited Qin An to the temporary commander's residence.

A simple banquet had already been set up in the Marshal's Mansion. Although there were only a few dishes and a pot of wine, it was filled with a warm atmosphere.

"General Qin, let me offer you a toast." Zhang Xu raised his wine cup, his eyes gleaming. "The battle of Yangkoucang was of immense significance!"

Qin An raised his glass in return, awaiting the next development.

Zhang Xu downed his drink in one gulp, put down his cup, and said, "First you launched a night raid on their camp, burning their supplies, then you tied up their main force, and now you've wiped out their cavalry, which is like cutting off Li Mi's leg! Now, let alone attacking, they'll be lucky if they can even hold onto Xinyang City!"

Luo Kai, who was standing nearby, chimed in, "General Zhang is right. I have learned that after Li Mi and Xu Mao retreated to Xinyang City, they did not even dare to open the city gates. They only knew how to strengthen the city's defenses all day long. They were obviously terrified by General Qin."

Upon hearing this, Qin An simply smiled faintly: "The rebels still have a strong foundation, and Xu Mao is a cunning and shrewd man. We cannot let our guard down."

Seeing his composure despite his young age, Zhang Xu admired him even more: "You're right, but right now, what you should do most is rest."

He changed the subject, his tone becoming serious, "Your cavalry has dwindled from five thousand to only two thousand. I feel sorry for you for these losses."

He paused, then said in a deep voice, "There is still a lot of grain stored in the granaries of Yangkou Granary, and there are also spare armor and weapons in the warehouse. I will replenish you with three thousand veteran soldiers. They have a good foundation in horsemanship, so take them back and train them well."

"In addition, you captured nearly a thousand warhorses at Sanchahe, which is just enough to make up for your previous losses."

Qin An felt a warmth in his heart, stood up, and cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you for your consideration, General Zhang!"

He knew that Zhang Xu was replenishing his energy.

Three thousand veterans and nearly a thousand warhorses—this is no small number, enough to allow his cavalry to regain their fighting strength in a short period of time.

"What are you thanking me for?" Zhang Xu waved his hand. "You have made such a great contribution, the court will surely reward you. What I did was simply to go with the flow."

He looked at Qin An with expectation in his eyes, "Rest well. Once your troops have recovered, we'll fight side by side again to take Xinyang City and completely wipe out this rebel army!"

After the banquet, Qin An returned to the barracks that Zhou Yi had arranged for him.

Not long after they sat down, Luo Sheng led several cavalrymen in, all of them with excitement on their faces.

"General! General Zhang has allocated us three thousand men! And nearly a thousand warhorses!" Luo Sheng's booming voice made everyone's ears ring. "Now we can assemble an elite cavalry force again!"

Qin An smiled and nodded: "Yes, we can fight side by side again."

He looked at his brothers who had risked their lives with him, a hint of tenderness flashing in his eyes. "But right now, we need to heal our wounds and get our spirits back. Training new recruits isn't something we need to rush into."

In the following days, Yangkoucang returned to a rare period of calm.

The cavalrymen of Qin'an removed their armor and soaked in hot water to dispel their fatigue from the past few days.

The wound was treated with the best wound medicine, and he had meat and grain for every meal. Gradually, his face regained its color.

Qin An rarely had a moment of leisure. Every day, besides checking on the wounded soldiers, he would go to the temporary horse farm on the outskirts of the city to select warhorses.

Most of the warhorses captured from Sanchahe were forcibly conscripted from the people by the rebels, and their quality varied greatly, but he remained extremely patient.

I personally tested each one and selected the most spirited and intelligent of them.

Three thousand veterans were quickly sent to the cavalry battalion.

These men were all selected from the army led by Zhang Xu; they were all veterans who had seen bloodshed.

For them, being able to transition from infantry to cavalry was a stroke of luck!