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

Seeing Shan Tong kneeling before the enemy lines, the entire battlefield fell silent for a moment.

It seemed like a long time had passed, yet it also seemed like an instant, but the bearded old soldier in the front row remained the same.

"What are you saying, General! We've fought alongside you through thick and thin for so many years, how can we just watch you go and die alone?"

"That's right! Qin An is a scoundrel! He even bullies women! I'll fight him to the death!"

"If we can't rescue Miss Shan, we'll die with them!"

"..."

Roars rose and fell, igniting a resolute fighting spirit within the previously bewildered ranks.

The soldiers raised their weapons, their fear replaced by fierce courage.

They might fear Qin An's cavalry, but they would not tolerate anyone humiliating their general like this.

Dan Tong looked at his brothers in front of him, and his eyes instantly reddened.

He kowtowed again, his voice choked with emotion: "Shan Tong...thanks to all my brothers! If I die in battle today, I, Shan Tong, will repay this kindness in my next life, even as an ox or a horse!"

"General, rise!" the crowd shouted in unison.

Dan Tong suddenly stood up, mounted his horse, and pointed his long spear directly at Qin An: "Brothers, follow me and kill!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" Five thousand infantrymen surged forward like a tidal wave, their footsteps making the earth tremble.

They knew that what lay ahead was a mountain of knives and a sea of ​​fire, yet not one of them retreated.

Qin An's eyes sharpened, and he swung his halberd forward: "Form ranks! Prepare for battle!"

"Drink!" Five thousand cavalrymen exerted their strength at the same time, their warhorses advancing in orderly steps, the sound of their iron hooves forming a muffled thunderclap.

The cavalrymen in the front row drew their sabers, the blades gleaming with a deathly cold light in the sunlight.

"kill!"

Qin An swung his halberd forcefully.

The cavalry, who had been waiting in ambush, quickly dispersed and surged forward like a torrent towards the rebel army.

The two troops collided with a loud crash in front of Luoma Slope!

The cavalry's charge was like a flood bursting its banks, instantly tearing apart the rebel army's formation.

As the sabers swung, heads rolled, blood splattering onto the dry ground, instantly spreading a dark red stain. Rebel soldiers were knocked off their feet and horses, but roared and charged forward, hacking at the horses' legs with their makeshift spears and short swords.

Even if their bones are crushed by horses' hooves, they will take a cavalryman down with them.

"Kill!" A rebel soldier clung to the cavalryman's leg, being dragged forward by the warhorse, his mouth still tightly gripping the cavalryman's boot.

It only opened its mouth when its head was trampled by another warhorse.

Dan Tong charged left and right through the chaos of battle, wielding his long spear like a windmill and thrusting his lance like a dragon, instantly felling seven or eight cavalrymen.

His personal guards protected him closely, using their bodies to shield him from stray arrows. One by one they fell, and another immediately took their place.

"Qin An! Come out here!" Shan Tong roared, the tip of his spear knocking off the helmet of a cavalryman, revealing a terrified face underneath.

He kicked the cavalryman aside and spurred his horse to charge towards Qin An.

Qin An reined in his horse and stood at the front of the formation, coldly watching Shan Tong charge towards him.

Only when Shan Tong rushed close did he raise his halberd to meet him.

"Clang!" The long spear and the halberd collided, sparks flying.

Dan Tong felt his arm go numb, and his hand almost split open. He was secretly horrified.

Qin An's strength was even greater than during their last encounter.

"General Shan is more courageous than your sister." Qin An sneered, and with a flick of his wrist, his halberd swept across the room with a whistling sound.

Dan Tong quickly ducked to avoid it, the crescent blade grazing his scalp and lifting a few strands of hair.

He seized the opportunity to thrust his spear straight at Qin An's heart, but Qin An dodged it by sidestepping.

The two fought back and forth, locked in combat.

Dan Tong was determined to die, and his moves were ruthless and left no room for retreat.

Qin An, however, remained calm and composed, his halberd techniques agile, always managing to evade fatal attacks at the last possible moment.

"You don't dare to fight me for real?" Shan Tong roared, his long spear like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, aimed straight for Qin An's throat.

Qin An suddenly reined in his horse and retreated, at the same time pulling Shan Bing from the horse's back to his front and using his arm to strangle her neck.

Dan Tong's long spear suddenly stopped in mid-air, only an inch away from Dan Bing's cheek. If it had been any closer, it would have pierced his own sister first.

"You!" Shan Tong trembled with rage, his long spear shaking. "Qin An! You are shameless!"

"Shameless?" Qin An looked down at Shan Bing, who was struggling in his arms, and deliberately patted her face with the end of his halberd. "Compared to your sister taking off her clothes and begging me, what are my little tricks?"

He leaned close to Shan Bing's ear, his voice so soft that only the two of them could hear: "Your brother loves you, but unfortunately, he's too stupid."

As Shan Bing watched Shan Tong hesitate because of her, his long spear repeatedly stopping just inches away from her, her eyes already red and swollen from crying.

She shook her head desperately, making a "woo-woo" sound in her throat, tears rolling down her cheeks and dripping onto Qin An's hand, hot with sweat.

"Brother! Don't worry about me!" she screamed in her heart, her eyes pleading almost tangible.

But the gag in his mouth blocked all sound.

She could only watch helplessly as Qin An's halberd followed her like a shadow, leaving wound after wound on Shan Tong's body.

Dan Tong's left arm was slashed open by the crescent blade, leaving a deep gash that exposed the bone. Blood flowed down his arm, staining half of his clothes red.

He seemed oblivious to the pain, wielding his spear with increasing urgency, each move carrying a ruthless, all-or-nothing ferocity.

"Qin An! If you have the guts, let go of my sister and fight me fair and square!" Shan Tong's voice was hoarse like a broken gong, and veins bulged on his forehead.

Qin An sneered, reining in his horse to avoid Shan Tong's long spear, while simultaneously tightening his grip on Shan Bing: "Honest and honorable? On the battlefield, only victory matters. Your sister is in my hands, do you dare touch her?"

As he spoke, the halberd suddenly slashed down, aiming straight for Shan Tong's right hand, which was holding the spear.

Dan Tong hurriedly parried with his spear, but due to his injured left arm, he lost most of his strength and was forced to retreat repeatedly.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Qin An thrust his halberd straight at Shan Bing, the tip of which grazed Shan Bing's side, leaving a trail of blood.

"Bing'er!" Shan Tong's eyes widened in horror, and he almost fell off his horse.

Dan Bing shuddered in pain, but suddenly looked up and glared at Dan Tong with all her might. Her eyes were no longer filled with fear, but only with determination.

That look was like a key, instantly unlocking the knot in Shan Tong's heart.

He could no longer afford to hesitate; if he delayed any longer, not only would he fail to save his sister, but he would also lose the lives of five thousand brothers.

"Qin An, you're asking for death!" Shan Tong suddenly roared, sweeping his long spear horizontally, attacking Shan Bing and Qin An simultaneously!

The spear tip whistled through the air, and judging by its momentum, it seemed poised to pierce both of them!

Qin An's pupils shrank sharply; he hadn't expected Shan Tong to be so ruthless.

In a moment of haste, he abruptly reined in his horse and turned around, simultaneously throwing Shan Bing behind him.

"Clang!" The long spear slammed into Qin An's breastplate, causing his blood to surge.

Using the force of the impact, Shan Bing tumbled off Qin An's horse and crashed heavily to the ground.

"Bing'er!" Upon seeing this, Shan Tong quickly retracted his spear, intending to help his younger sister.

It was in that moment of hesitation that Qin An seized the opportunity.

The halberd, like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, pierced Shan Tong's right shoulder with a sharp whistling sound!

"Pfft!"

Blood gushed out, and Shan Tong screamed as his spear fell from his hand to the ground.

He looked down at the tip of the halberd on his shoulder, then at Shan Bing lying on the ground, the light in his eyes gradually fading.

"Brother!" Shan Bing finally broke free of the gag in her mouth and let out a heart-wrenching cry.

She struggled to crawl toward the path, but was held down by the charging cavalry.

Qin An drew his halberd, and blood dripped from its tip, splattering onto the ground.

He watched as Shan Tong tumbled from his horse to the ground, a cold smile curving his lips: "General Shan, you flatter me."

Dan Tong lay on the ground, the excruciating pain in his shoulder almost making him faint, but he still stared intently at Qin An, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

"Qin An...you've won...but my sister...if you dare hurt her...I'll haunt you even as a ghost..."

Qin An ignored his threat and simply told the soldier beside him, "Tie him and his sister up together, and keep a close watch on them."

As the sun set, the fighting at Luoma Slope finally subsided.

The five thousand rebel infantrymen were almost completely wiped out, their corpses littering the field. Only a handful of survivors remained, all of whom were bound up like dumplings and squatting on the ground, trembling.

Shan Tong and Shan Bing were held in solitary confinement in a prison van. The brother and sister looked at each other through the fence, their eyes filled with despair.

Qin An reined in his horse amidst the mountain of corpses and sea of ​​blood, his black cloak stained dark red with blood.

He looked at the carnage before him, his face expressionless. He simply said to Xue Ju, "Take stock of the casualties, clean up the battlefield, and return to camp."

"Yes!" Xue Ju accepted the order and left.

When Qin An escorted Shan Tong and his sister, along with hundreds of prisoners, back to the western camp, Zhang Xu was already waiting at the camp gate with his generals.

Upon seeing Shan Tong in the prison van, Zhang Xu clapped his hands and laughed loudly, "Good! Good! Qin An, you've done another great service!"

Luo Kai stepped forward and looked at Shan Tong, whose clothes were soaked in blood, and couldn't help but sigh, "Shan Tong is a real man, it's a pity he chose the wrong side."

Qin An dismounted and cupped his hands, saying, "It was just luck, but what about Xinyang City..."

Zhang Xu's smile faded slightly: "That old fox Xu Mao is quite composed. Not a single person has appeared on the city wall. It seems he has seen through our plan."

Everyone felt regretful. If Xu Mao had dared to leave the city to provide assistance, Zhang Xu's ambush forces would have annihilated him in one fell swoop, and the capture of Xinyang City would have been just around the corner.

Back in the command tent, Zhang Xu had Shan Tong brought in.

Despite his severe injuries, Shan Tong stood tall with his head held high, his eyes showing no sign of submission.

"General Shan," Zhang Xu personally untied him and had medicine brought, "I respect you as a man of honor. As long as you are willing to submit to the court, your past crimes will be forgiven. What do you say?"

Dan Tong sneered and brushed aside the medicine offered to him: "Stop talking! I, Dan Tong, was born a man of Li Gang Village, and I will die a ghost of Li Gang Village. Kill me or torture me, it's all up to you!"

"Why are you doing this?" Zhang Xu frowned. "Li Mi is nothing but a rebel. Following him will only lead to your death. If you surrender to the court, you can at least save your sister's life."

Mentioning Shan Bing, Shan Tong's eyes flickered, but he still said firmly, "My sister is protected by me, General Zhang need not trouble yourself! Kill her if you must, but don't use my sister as an excuse!"

Seeing that he was unmoved by reason, Zhang Xu's face darkened: "Shan Tong, don't be so stubborn!"

The atmosphere inside the tent immediately became tense. Luo Kai couldn't help but say, "General, keeping such stubborn elements around is just a waste of food. We should take them out and execute them; it will serve as a deterrent to the rebels in Xinyang City!"

The other generals echoed, "That's right! Kill him!"

Dan Tong raised his head, showing no fear: "Come on! If I even flinch, I'm no hero!"

Just then, Qin An suddenly spoke up: "General, wait a moment."

Everyone looked at him, and Zhang Xu asked, "Qin An, what are your thoughts?"

Qin An said in a deep voice, "General, have you forgotten that the rebels still have a trump card?"