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

While the fighting raged outside, Yuwen Zhi was being protected by several personal guards and was hiding in a nearby tent.

Terrified by the sounds of fighting outside, he cowered in a corner, trembling: "What's going on? What's going on? How did the rebels get in?"

The guards panicked and could only comfort him, "Don't be afraid, sir, reinforcements will be here soon."

The words had barely left his mouth when the tent flap was suddenly ripped open, and several rebel soldiers rushed in. Leading them was one of Wang Dang's trusted men: "We've found Yuwen Zhi! Capture him!"

The guards immediately drew their swords to fight back, but they were no match for the rebels and were cut down in a few moves.

Yuwen Zhi collapsed to the ground in terror, crying out, "Don't kill me! I am a direct descendant of the Yuwen family! If you dare touch me, the Yuwen family will not let you get away with it!"

The rebel soldiers grinned and stepped forward, reaching out to grab him.

Just then, a dark shadow flashed by like lightning, and the halberd cleaved through the air with a whooshing sound, cutting the rebel soldiers in two.

"Qin An!" Yuwen Zhi saw the newcomer and rushed towards him as if he were a savior, shouting, "Help me! Help me!"

Qin An kicked him aside to prevent him from blocking his way, then brandished his halberd and fought the rebels. His movements were swift and ruthless, and in the blink of an eye, he had driven back the rebels who rushed into the tent.

"Come with me!" Qin An grabbed Yuwen Zhi by the collar and dragged him out of the tent.

The fighting outside was fierce, with flames shooting into the sky.

Seeing Qin An leading Yuwen Zhi in a breakout, Wang Dang immediately ordered, "Stop them! Capture Yuwen Zhi!"

Several rebel soldiers immediately rushed forward. Qin An brandished his halberd to defend himself, while deliberately pushing Yuwen Zhi into the chaotic crowd.

"Ah!" Yuwen Zhi screamed as he tripped over a fallen rebel soldier and crashed into a spear next to him.

The tip of the gun sliced ​​through his thigh, and blood gushed out instantly.

"My leg! My leg!" Yuwen Zhi cried out in pain, tears and snot streaming down his face.

Qin An reacted swiftly, using his halberd to send the rebel soldier flying, then bent down to hoist Yuwen Zhi onto his back and rushed out of the camp, shouting, "Hold on! We're retreating!"

Seeing this, Cheng Zhiyuan knew his objective had been achieved and immediately ordered, "Let them go!"

The government soldiers deliberately made way for him. Although Wang Dang was suspicious, he dared not linger and quickly led his remaining troops out of the government army camp.

The sounds of fighting gradually subsided, leaving only the crackling of burning tents.

Qin An placed Yuwen Zhi on the ground. He saw that the wound on Yuwen Zhi's thigh was so deep that the bone was visible, and his face was as pale as paper. He had already fainted from the pain.

Zhang Xu and Cheng Zhiyuan rushed over and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Yuwen Zhi's appearance.

"Quickly call the army doctor!" Zhang Xu said in a deep voice.

The military doctor arrived quickly and bandaged Yuwen Zhi's wounds. After half an hour of this, Yuwen Zhi finally woke up. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Zhang Xu and the others and immediately began to cry out.

"Zhang Xu! Qin An! You bunch of useless trash! You actually let the rebels storm our camp! My legs! If anything happens to me, the Yuwen family will never let you get away with this!"

Zhang Xu immediately feigned fear and bowed deeply, pleading for forgiveness: "It is my incompetence that has frightened you, sir. Please forgive me."

Qin An also bowed: "This humble general has arrived late to protect Your Majesty, and deserves to die a thousand deaths."

Yuwen Zhi cursed for a long time, until he was panting heavily. The wound on his thigh started to hurt again, making him grimace in pain.

"I don't care! I can't stand this awful place anymore! I'm going back to Beijing! I'm going to find the best doctor to treat my leg!"

Zhang Xu was just waiting for these words, and immediately went along with it: "What you say is true, sir. The battlefield is dangerous, and it is indeed not advisable to stay long. I will arrange for men to escort you back to the capital to recuperate."

Yuwen Zhi suddenly glared at Qin An: "I want him to take me back!"

Everyone was taken aback.

Zhang Xu frowned slightly: "General Qin still needs to stay at the front line..."

"I don't care!" Yuwen Zhi retorted, "He's the one who saved me, I trust him! Besides, he's strong, I only feel safe with him escorting me! If you don't agree, I'm not leaving!"

He was now extremely nervous, terrified of being captured by the rebels again, and only wanted to find someone with high martial arts skills to protect him.

In his view, Qin An was able to rescue him from the chaos of battle, so he must be quite capable and the best person to escort him.

Qin An cursed this incompetent fool in his heart, but he knew he couldn't refuse.

If we provoke him to change his mind, all our previous plans will be in vain.

"This subordinate obeys the order," Qin An said in a deep voice.

Zhang Xu nodded: "In that case, General Qin, please take five hundred elite soldiers and escort Lord Yuwen back to the capital safely."

"Yes."

Yuwen Zhi was finally satisfied, and was lifted onto a stretcher while groaning in pain.

……

When Qin An returned to his tent, the candlelight inside was flickering.

Dan Bing sat on the edge of the tatami mat, still clutching the half-used cloth in her hand. When she saw him come in, she hurriedly got up, her dark face and eyes full of questions.

"Pack your things," Qin An said, his voice tinged with weariness, yet unusually firm.

He walked to the wooden crate in the corner and packed a few changes of clothes and some commonly used wound medicine into it, his movements swift and efficient.

Dan Bing paused, then stepped forward: "Packing your things? Where are you going?"

Qin An looked up at her, his gaze calm: "Yuwen Zhi wants to return to the capital to recuperate, and he specifically asked me to escort him."

Dan Bing's heart sank suddenly, as if something had gripped it.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found her throat tight and she couldn't utter a single word.

Although I've been at odds with Qin An all these days, when he's about to leave, I feel a void in my heart, as if something important is missing.

Qin An leaned the halberd against the box, turned around, and looked at her directly: "Now you have two choices, the decision is yours."

Dan Bing raised her head, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

"Firstly!" Qin An said slowly, "I will set you free. You can leave here and go wherever you want. From now on, we will be even."

Dan Bing's fingers tightened suddenly, her nails digging into her palm.

leave?

Where can she go?

Her brother, Shan Tong, is in Xinyang City and is at odds with the government troops. Her going back would only cause him trouble.

Go back to my hometown?

The flames of war have long since engulfed the area, and it has probably already turned into scorched earth.

Moreover, if she left Qin An, how long could she, a woman, survive in this chaotic world?

"Secondly!" Qin An's gaze fell on her face, carrying an undeniable force. "Come with me, I'll take you back to the capital and find you a quiet place to settle down. But you must remember, once we're in the capital, you can only be my woman. Cut off all other thoughts, especially your brother. As long as he's still on the side of the rebels, you can only be enemies."

Dan Bing's breathing faltered.

Go with him?

Go to that unfamiliar capital city and become his woman?

She instinctively wanted to refuse, but images from the past few days flashed through her mind.

The throbbing sensation she felt when he brutally took her was a mixture of hatred and turmoil.

She realized that she had already accepted the man's existence without even realizing it.

"I..." Shan Bing bit her lip, her eyes filled with conflict, "My brother..."

"Your brother's affairs are none of your business," Qin An interrupted her, his tone icy. "He chose the rebels, so he has to bear the consequences. If you still care about him, you can leave now and go find him to see if he will put down his knife for you."

Dan Bing fell silent.

She knew her brother wouldn't.

Dan Tong's heart was filled with the rebel army's grand cause, his so-called "loyalty and righteousness." In his heart, his sister had probably long since become a pawn that could be discarded. On that day at Luoma Slope, his words, "From now on, it has nothing to do with the Dan family," although meant to protect her, were like a knife piercing her heart.

"I...I don't know..." Shan Bing lowered her head, her voice trembling slightly, "The capital is too far away, I'm afraid..."

"What are you afraid of?" Qin An pressed on, "Afraid I'll treat you badly? Or afraid I'll sell you off?"

He stepped forward, grabbed her chin, and forced her to raise her head.

In the candlelight, her dark face was framed by shimmering, watery eyes, like those of a startled fawn, which stirred something within him.

"Shan Bing," Qin An's voice lowered, with a barely perceptible hoarseness, "Stop deceiving yourself. You know in your heart that you can't live without me anymore."

Dan Bing's face flushed instantly, as if her secret had been exposed. She quickly turned her face away, saying, "You're talking nonsense! I didn't..."

"No?" Qin An sneered and suddenly pulled her into his arms.

Dan Bing gasped and struggled to push him away, but he held her even tighter.

His kisses, with their familiar roughness, landed on her lips and neck, as if he wanted to devour her.

"Let go... Qin An, you bastard..." Shan Bing's curses were intermittent, but they lacked their usual strength, and her struggles gradually turned into symbolic pushing and shoving.

Qin An could clearly feel her body soften, her rapid breathing, and her slightly trembling fingertips.

He knew that this woman already had the answer in her heart, but she was just being stubborn.

He picked her up horizontally, threw her onto the couch, and leaned down to press himself against her.

The candlelight inside the tent flickered violently again, casting their shadows in a tender and ambiguous manner.

"Since you can't make a decision, then I'll choose for you." Qin An's voice rang in her ear, burning with passion. "Come with me, be my woman, and you'll never escape again in this lifetime."

A tear slid down Shan Bing's cheek, a mixture of humiliation and a secret joy.

She cursed him as a "beast" and a "bastard," but under Qin An's advances, she gradually closed her eyes and her body involuntarily began to respond.

She knew that she couldn't escape it in the end.

Perhaps, from the moment he first caught her on Luoma Slope, her fate was already inextricably linked with this man.

After an unknown amount of time, things gradually calmed down inside the tent.

Dan Bing curled up in Qin An's arms, her whole body aching and weak, too lazy to even move a finger.

The red marks on her neck contrasted with the face paint, creating a strange blend of dishevelment and allure.

"You're a robber..." Shan Bing's voice was hoarse, with a strong nasal tone.

Qin An played with the strands of her hair scattered on the pillow and said calmly, "At least a robber will tell you what he's going to steal. I'm different. What I wanted, you already gave me."

Dan Bing blushed again, but didn't argue. She buried her face in Qin An's chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, and felt a calmness she had never felt before.

Going to the capital is fine too.

Only by leaving this place filled with war and hatred, and leaving the battlefield of my brother and Qin An, can I truly catch my breath.