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

Hearing Qin An's regret, Zhang Xu laughed and said nonchalantly, "It's not too late now. At worst, we can put on another show and let Shan Tong know that his sister is still on the road being ambushed."

Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this.

Now that Xinyang City is isolated and communication is cut off, coupled with the fact that Shan Bing's army has been completely annihilated, no one is there to inform them.

There is indeed enough time to rearrange it again in a short period of time.

Immediately, everyone began to discuss this idea.

With everyone pooling their wisdom and efforts, they quickly came up with an effective plan.

After the agreement was reached, Zhang Xu made the decision: "Then proceed according to plan. All parties should go and make preparations, and remember not to leak the news."

"This humble general obeys!" Everyone stood up to accept the order.

"As for Shan Bing..." Zhang Xu looked at Qin An, "I'll leave her in your care. That girl is a troublemaker, and I'm afraid no one else can control her."

"This is an important piece in our game; we can't afford to let anything happen to her."

Qin An nodded in agreement.

After the meeting, he had someone bring Shan Bing to his central command tent, untied the ropes binding her, but left her wrists still bound.

"Qin An! What exactly do you want?" Shan Bing rubbed her numb wrist, glaring at Qin An with eyes full of anger and resentment. "Kill me if you dare, otherwise my brother will make you pay!"

Qin An sat behind the desk, slowly wiping his halberd, and said without looking up, "Kill you? That's too easy on you. Didn't you want your brother to come and save you? I'll give you that chance."

He raised his head, his gaze sharp as a knife: "When we have another fight, I'll inform your brother so he knows you're in danger. If he's stupid enough, he'll bring people to rescue you. And then..."

"So you'll set up an ambush then?" Shan Bing's expression changed drastically. Even with her arrogant nature, she understood Qin An's meaning. "You're despicable! You're actually using me to blackmail my brother!"

"All's fair in war," Qin An sneered. "On the battlefield, it's either you die or I live. What's the point of all the rules? Do you think you're so noble by bringing ten thousand men to their deaths?"

Dan Bing was speechless, but her eyes reddened: "My brother wouldn't fall for that! He's so smart, he'd definitely know it's a trap!"

"Is that so?" Qin An put down his halberd, stood up and walked to her, looking down at her. "Your brother is very good at fighting, but he cares about you too much. Even if he knows he will die, he will definitely come to save you."

Dan Bing's face turned deathly pale instantly. She then realized that her willfulness might kill the brother who loved her the most.

Tears streamed down her face like broken beads, her sobs filled with regret: "No...no...my brother will be alright..."

She suddenly knelt down in front of Qin An, grabbing his trouser leg with both hands, and choked out, "Qin An, I beg you, please spare my brother! I know I was wrong, I shouldn't have brought the troops here so recklessly. If you want to kill or torture someone, come at me, don't hurt my brother!"

Seeing the once arrogant young lady crying her heart out, Qin An felt nothing at all.

He had witnessed too many tragic scenes of families being torn apart and people dying because of war, and in his eyes, Shan Bing's tears were nothing more than self-inflicted.

"Beg me?" Qin An bent down, grabbed her chin, and forced her to look up. "Weren't you so arrogant just now? Didn't you say your brother was invincible? Now you know to beg me?"

His eyes were icy, and his tone was filled with undisguised sarcasm: "Shan Bing, do you think this is child's play? You brought ten thousand men to their deaths, so you should have thought about the consequences. If your brother really dies because of you, it's your fault."

"I've never seen anyone as presumptuous and brainless as you before."

"You..." Shan Bing blushed deeply, feeling both ashamed and angry.

However, Qin An's comment that "big breasts, no brains" immediately stirred something in her heart.

Why would he lift up my chest for no reason? Could it be...?

Thinking about it this way, Shan Bing felt that she had discovered something.

She suddenly stood up, still crying, but a hint of arrogance ignited in her eyes. "Qin An, don't go too far! I know what you mean! You just have your eye on me, don't you?"

She puffed out her chest, the curves of her figure barely concealed beneath her red dress, exuding an unconscious allure: "If you spare my brother, I... I might consider marrying you! For a military general like you to marry a woman like me is already an immense blessing!"

Qin An couldn't help but laugh when he saw her self-righteous appearance.

He had seen arrogant people, but he had never seen anyone so naive.

"Miss Shan, do you think all the men in the world should revolve around you?"

Qin An's smile vanished, his eyes turning icy cold. "What I, Qin An, seek is to achieve great things, not some arrogant young lady like you. Who do you think you are? Do you think you're qualified to negotiate with me?"

His words were like a sharp knife, piercing Shan Bing's heart.

She was pampered by Shan Tong since childhood, and everyone around her flattered her. No one had ever dared to speak to her like that.

"You..." Shan Bing trembled with rage, but her tears flowed even more fiercely. "What do I have to do for you to let my brother go?"

Qin An watched as she finally let go of all her arrogance, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

He was silent for a moment, then said, "It's not that I won't let him go, it's that you and he won't let yourselves go. If Shan Tong really cared about you, he should have defended the city to the death, but he won't."

He turned and walked to the desk, picked up a document: "You stay here and watch how your brother jumps into the trap I dug. Perhaps only after he dies will you understand what it means to be ruthless on the battlefield."

Dan Bing slumped to the ground, staring at Qin An's indifferent back, finally despairing completely.

She then realized that the man in front of her was completely different from the spoiled young men who fawned over her.

His heart was as hard as iron; her tears and pride were worthless in his eyes.

"Qin An..." Shan Bing's voice was choked with sobs, yet unusually firm, "I beg you, give my brother a way out. If you agree, I... I'll do anything..."

As she spoke, she slowly raised her hand and untied the sash of her red dress.

The red robe slipped down, revealing the girl's youthful yet alluring curves.

She bit her lip, her eyes filled with humiliation and pleading, and looked into Qin An's eyes: "Would you... be willing to do this?"

The flickering candlelight inside the tent cast Shan Bing's slender figure onto the tent wall, creating a fragmented yet beautiful effect.

Looking at her fair, milky skin and her curvaceous figure, Qin An's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

Any man would be moved by such a scene, and he was no exception.

Not to mention in a military camp, a place where even a sow could rival Diao Chan.

With just one glance, Qin An felt an intense urge, wishing he could pounce on the woman in front of him and pin her down.

But this impulse only flashed through his mind for a moment before he forcibly suppressed it.

He had experienced schemes that used beauty as bait; on the battlefield, the more tempting the trap, the more deadly the blade it often concealed.

He walked slowly to Shan Bing, picked up the red dress from the ground, and threw it at her harshly: "Put it on!"

His voice was like a cold winter wind, carrying a chilling edge: "Shan Bing, who do you think you are? What do you think this place is?!"

"On the battlefield, victory or defeat is determined by swords and spears, not by the clothes you take off! If your brother knew you were humiliating yourself like this for him, he would die with his eyes wide open in disbelief!"

Dan Bing was stunned by his shout. Seeing the undisguised disgust in Qin An's eyes, she suddenly covered her face and burst into tears.

This time, she cried her heart out, not just out of fear, but also out of shame. She finally understood that her so-called strengths were nothing but a joke in the face of true power.

Seeing her weeping, Qin An's anger gradually subsided, leaving only a trace of helplessness.

He turned and walked out of the tent, saying to the guards outside, "Keep an eye on her, don't let her try to kill herself, and don't let anyone get close."

Inside the tent, Shan Bing's crying gradually subsided, leaving only suppressed sobs.

She curled up on the ground, clutching the red dress tightly, as if it were her last refuge.

As night deepened, the sound of patrolling soldiers' footsteps could be heard outside the tent.

She knew that her and her brother's fates were likely to be sealed in this absurd rescue effort.

……

For the next two days, Qin An had people keep a close watch on Shan Bing in the tent, only bringing her simple meals each day, neither beating or scolding her nor speaking much to her.

At first, Shan Bing cried and cursed, but when she saw that Qin An remained unmoved, she gradually calmed down, though the worry in her eyes grew stronger day by day.

On the morning of the third day, after confirming that everything was ready, Qin An ordered Shan Bing to be put on a prison cart, and then counted two thousand prisoners, and set off in a grand procession towards Luoma Slope.

When the group reached Luoma Slope, Qin An ordered the release of several prisoners who had "luckily escaped".

These were all surrendered rebel soldiers who had been bribed beforehand. They were beaten black and blue and ran towards Xinyang City crying.

"It's terrible! Miss Shan is surrounded by Qin An at Luoma Slope! Quickly send troops to rescue her!"

The news spread like wildfire, quickly reaching the top of Xinyang City Wall.

At this moment, Shan Tong was standing on the arrow tower of the west gate, gazing absently at the open fields outside the city.

Having been besieged for so long, he really did miss his cute little sister a bit.

When those "deserters" stumbled down to the city walls and cried for help, his face turned deathly pale.

"What did you say? My sister is surrounded?" Shan Tong grabbed a deserter by the collar, his eyes bloodshot. "How many men did Qin An bring? How is Bing'er?"

"Qin An... Qin An brought at least five thousand cavalry!" the deserter wailed. "Miss Shan's forces were scattered, she... she was captured by Qin An, and she's about to be taken back to the camp! General, please go and save her!"

Dan Tong felt a buzzing sound in his head, and his vision went black.

He abruptly released the deserter, turned, and rushed towards the city walls: "Prepare the horses! muster the troops! Follow me out of the city to rescue people!"

"General Shan! You mustn't!" Xu Mao, who had arrived upon hearing the news, immediately intervened. "This is clearly Qin An's treacherous scheme! He deliberately spread the news to lure you out of the city!"

"So what if I know it's a trap?" Shan Tong turned back, his eyes red and his voice trembling with tears. "She's my only sister! I can't just watch her fall into Qin An's hands!"