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

Although the new recruits were all veterans, Qin An did not immediately teach them horsemanship skills.

Instead, they were first taught by veterans how to feed and groom horses and practice riding skills, starting from the very basics.

The transition from infantry to cavalry is no easy feat.

Moreover, Qin An's remaining cavalry had finally been trained into an elite force, and he didn't want to simply add more men as before.

"General, isn't this training too slow?" Luo Sheng asked, somewhat puzzled. "Why don't we teach them slashing and thrusting techniques directly and develop their combat capabilities as soon as possible?"

Qin An was watching the "new recruits" practice horsemanship on the sidelines when he heard this and said without turning his head, "Cavalry, cavalry, first you need a good horse, then good riding skills, and finally the ability to kill. If you can't even ride a horse steadily, you're just asking to die if you're carrying a sword or spear."

He pointed to a new recruit who had fallen off his horse: "Look, he couldn't even get his footing in the stirrups before trying to run. No wonder he fell. Our cavalry isn't about a sudden charge, but about being able to maneuver freely on the battlefield. This takes time and can't be rushed."

Having followed Qin An for so long, Luo Sheng naturally understood this principle as well.

I was indeed a little anxious.

Since Qin An had already considered his options, he said no more.

He knew that Qin An always had his own reasons for training troops. The reason why those five thousand cavalrymen were able to transform from scattered soldiers into elite troops was because of this patience and strictness.

……

While Qin An was resting at Yangkou Warehouse, Zhang Xu's army had already begun its operations.

Forty thousand imperial troops advanced towards Xinyang City like a surging torrent, their banners obscuring the sun and their armor forming a forest.

Wherever they went, small groups of rebel soldiers fled at the mere sight of them.

Outside Xinyang City, Li Mi and Xu Mao stood on the city wall, looking at the dust rising on the distant horizon with solemn expressions.

"Zhang Xu arrived so quickly." Li Mi's voice was a little hoarse. Ever since the main force of the cavalry was wiped out at Sanchahe, he had been unable to eat or sleep properly.

With the imperial army now at the city gates, a huge weight was pressing on his heart.

Xu Mao, holding a riding whip, pointed to the open fields outside the city: "He wants to take Xinyang City in one fell swoop while we are still recovering our strength."

He paused, then said in a deep voice, "Pass down the order: all archers are to be moved to the city wall, and rolling stones and logs are to be prepared. No one is to fire an arrow without my command."

"Are we just going to let them get closer?" Li Mi frowned.

"Otherwise what?" Xu Mao retorted. "Our cavalry is gone. Going out to fight would be suicide. Xinyang City has high walls and thick fortifications. As long as we can hold it, we can wear Zhang Xu down."

Li Mi fell silent.

He knew Xu Mao was right, but the thought of his 20,000 troops being holed up in the city and surrounded and attacked by 40,000 imperial troops made him feel uneasy.

He especially hated Qin An and that ghostly cavalry.

"What about Shan Tong?" Li Mi suddenly asked. "Let him lead the remaining troops to harass Zhang Xu's supply lines. We can't just let them besiege the city peacefully like this."

Xu Mao shook his head: "Shan Tong only has less than two hundred cavalrymen left. Going there would be a waste. Zhang Xu is cunning and has definitely deployed heavy troops along the supply route. What we need to do now is preserve our strength, not make pointless sacrifices."

Li Mi gritted her teeth, but ultimately suppressed her anger: "I'll do whatever you say."

Two days later, Zhang Xu's army arrived at the city of Xinyang. Fifty thousand soldiers set up camp outside the city, stretching for more than ten miles, creating a magnificent sight.

Zhang Xu did not rush to attack the city, but first sent a thousand-man team to the city to challenge and test the strength of the rebel army.

"Li Mi! Xu Mao! You cowards! Come out and fight if you dare!" The centurion shouted from below the city wall, his voice echoing throughout the entire city.

The rebel soldiers were furious and shouted, clamoring to fight, but Xu Mao suppressed their pleas.

"Ignore them," Xu Mao said coldly. "This is Zhang Xu testing us. If we make a move, it will be the same as telling them about our defenses."

Sure enough, after cursing for half an hour and seeing no reaction from the city walls, the centurion could only retreat back to his camp in a huff.

Sitting in the command tent, Zhang Xu listened to the scouts' report, his brows furrowing slightly: "That old fox Xu Mao, he actually didn't fall for it."

Luo Kai said, "General, why don't we try attacking the city directly? With 40,000 against 20,000, we have a huge advantage."

Zhang Xu pondered for a moment: "Very well, pass down the order: tomorrow at dawn, the entire army will attack the city, starting with the east gate, to see what their strength is."

The next day, just as dawn broke, the bugle call to attack the city resounded through the sky.

Two hundred million imperial troops surged toward the east gate of Xinyang City. Sling ladders sprang up like mushrooms after rain, battering rams crashed into the city gate with a whooshing sound, and archers lined up below the city walls, their arrows raining down on the walls like locusts.

"Fire!" Xu Mao stood on the city wall, his expression unchanged, and waved the command flag in his hand.

The rebel archers on the city walls were already in position. Upon hearing the order, they unleashed a barrage of arrows, the dense rain of arrows merging with the rain of arrows from below, forming a deathly barrier. Many imperial soldiers, having just climbed the ladders, were shot through the throat by an arrow and fell screaming in agony.

"Push!" Xu Mao waved the flag again.

The prepared rolling stones and logs tumbled down the city wall like a waterfall, crashing onto the ladders and sending wood chips flying.

Many ladders were smashed, and the soldiers on them fell instantly, their bodies shattered.

"Keep ramming!" Zhang Xu's roar came from below the city.

The car continued to pound against the city gate.

The loud "thump-thump" sound was like the beating of drums, making the city bricks tremble.

The iron sheeting on the city gate was dented from the impact and looked like it was about to be knocked open.

"Pour the oil!" Xu Mao's eyes flashed sharply.

The rebels on the city wall immediately poured buckets of boiling oil down, and with a series of agonizing screams, a sea of ​​fire erupted below the city. The battering rams were set ablaze, and the soldiers pushing them retreated, no longer daring to approach.

Zhang Xu watched this scene from a distance, his face gradually darkening.

He had initially thought that the rebels, having just suffered a defeat and with low morale, would find it easier to capture the city. However, he hadn't expected Xu Mao to be so skillful in his deployment, making the city's defenses so impenetrable.

His 20,000 troops launched a fierce attack for an hour, but not only did they fail to scale the city walls, they also lost nearly a thousand men.

"Sound the retreat." Zhang Xu sighed, a hint of helplessness in his voice.

The bugle sounded again, and the attacking army retreated like a tide, leaving behind only corpses and burning ladders, a scene of utter devastation in the morning light.

On the city wall, the rebel soldiers erupted in cheers, and a smile appeared on Li Mi's tense face: "Old Xu, you're still the best!"

Xu Mao, however, did not relax at all: "Don't be too happy yet. Zhang Xu is just testing the waters. The real attack is yet to come. Send down the order to speed up the repair of the city defenses. Soldiers on rotation should eat and rest immediately, and be ready to meet the next attack at any time."

Li Mi stopped smiling and nodded solemnly: "Okay."

Inside the commander's tent outside the city, Zhang Xu was holding a military meeting.

"As you all have seen, Xu Mao is a tough old man to deal with."

Zhang Xu looked at the generals in the tent and said in a deep voice, "Xinyang City is well-defended. Although the rebels have lost their cavalry, they still have 20,000 infantrymen. If we attack head-on, we will probably have to pay a heavy price."

Luo Kaidao asked, "General, what should we do? Just keep surrounding them like this?"

"We can only surround them." Zhang Xu nodded. "Xinyang City doesn't have much food. Li Mi and Xu Mao definitely won't last long. We'll set up camp outside the city, cut off their supplies, and wait for internal strife before taking the opportunity to attack. That way, we can achieve twice the result with half the effort."

He paused, then added, "In addition, send a force to guard the main road leading to Ligang Village to prevent them from sending reinforcements from their stronghold. Also, send scouts to closely monitor the city's movements and report back immediately if there is any disturbance."

The generals all accepted the order in unison, and the military meeting quickly ended.

Zhang Xu stood outside the tent, gazing in the direction of Xinyang City, his brows furrowed.

He knew that siege warfare was the most grueling, testing not only troop strength but also patience.

But he had no choice. Xu Mao's command ability far exceeded his expectations, and a direct confrontation would only result in heavy losses for the imperial army.

"Qin An, Qin An, you'd better hurry up and train your cavalry," Zhang Xu muttered to himself. "When the time comes, I'll still need your sharp blade to tear a hole in my defenses."

……

In the cavalry battalion of Yangkou Warehouse, one could hear orderly shouts every day.

The training in Qin'an was exceptionally rigorous; from dawn till dusk, the new recruits barely had a moment's rest.

They practiced riding on horseback or slashing in open spaces. Sweat soaked their clothes, and their bodies bore one wound after another, but their eyes grew sharper.

That afternoon, Qin An was watching the new recruits practice their riding skills on the sidelines.

Two new recruits rode horses and wielded wooden swords, slashing at each other within a designated area. Although their movements were still clumsy, they already resembled cavalrymen.

"General, look at that kid, Xiao Sanzi, he's improved so fast." Luo Sheng pointed to one of the thin recruits and laughed, "When he first came, he didn't even dare to mount a horse, but now he dares to take the initiative to attack."

Qin An nodded: "He's a good prospect, with a ruthless eye."

He paused, then added, "But that's not enough. The real battlefield won't give them any room to maneuver; one wrong move and they're dead."

He mounted his horse and brandished his halberd: "Stop, all of you, and watch me demonstrate."

The new recruits reined in their horses and looked at Qin An with curiosity.

He spurred his warhorse, galloping around the arena at increasing speed. Suddenly, he bent down, grabbed the horse's mane with one hand, and wielded his halberd with the other, striking a wooden stake at the edge of the arena.

"clang!"

With a crisp crack, the wooden stake, as thick as a bowl, snapped in two, leaving a smooth, flat cross-section.

The new recruits gasped in surprise, their faces showing admiration.

"In mounted combat, the key is the unity of man and horse." Qin An reined in his horse and said in a loud voice, "The horse's speed is your speed, the horse's strength is your strength. When you strike, you need to use the momentum of the horse's running to unleash the greatest power."

He pointed to the two new recruits who had just practiced: "You two do it again. Remember, you have to follow the rhythm of the horse."

The two new recruits stepped forward as instructed. This time, they were noticeably more composed, and their wooden swords were wielded with more force.

Although it's still a bit rough around the edges, I've already got the hang of it.

Qin An nodded in satisfaction and was about to say something more when Li Jing rushed over: "General, General Zhang has sent someone, saying he has important matters to discuss."