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

Realizing the urgency of the situation, Qin An didn't hesitate for a moment. He mounted his horse and ordered in a deep voice, "Speed ​​up! Travel day and night!"

The team set off again, moving at a faster pace than before, and even their rest stops were only brief.

The soldiers gritted their teeth and persevered, hoping to reach the front line as soon as possible and join up with the main force.

That evening, the troops reached a valley and encountered a group of soldiers fleeing from the front lines.

Qin An hurriedly stepped forward to inquire, and upon receiving the news, his expression changed drastically, and he tightened his grip on the reins.

It turned out that during the time he was away, the situation on the battlefield of Xinyang City changed drastically.

Xu Mao, who had been holding firm and refusing to come out, suddenly led the entire rebel army of Ligangzhai out of the city to meet them in battle.

Although Zhang Xu fought back fiercely, he was caught off guard by the enemy's rapid offensive and suffered heavy losses.

Fortunately, Zhang Xu was indeed capable and managed to stabilize the situation for the time being.

But what's even more critical is that Dou Xia, the Prince of Chang Le in the north, has already led his army south, heading straight for Xinyang City, intending to join forces with Xu Mao and completely surround Zhang Xu's troops.

Left with no other option, Zhang Xu had to send Luo Kai with a portion of his troops to intercept them.

Now the government troops are scattered and stretched thin, making even defense extremely difficult.

"When it rains, it pours," Li Jing sighed, his face grave. "General, we're caught between a rock and a hard place. Our five hundred men are hardly enough to put up a fight. What do we do now?"

Qin An silently processed the news he had received, remaining speechless for a long time.

After a moment, he took a deep breath, his voice filled with unwavering determination: "Keep moving forward, target: Xinyang City!"

"But..." Li Jing wanted to say something, but Qin An coldly interrupted him.

"No buts." Qin An's voice was resolute, his gaze sharp as a knife. "General Zhang and General Luo are still waiting for us, the brothers at the front are still waiting for us. Even if we're down to just one man and one horse, we'll charge in!"

Just then, another cavalryman galloped up from the rear of the column, looking flustered and terrified.

From a distance, he shouted hoarsely, "General, something terrible has happened! The Wang family has rebelled!"

Qin An was startled: "The Wang family? Which Wang family?"

"It's the Wang family of Luocheng! They suddenly rebelled, captured three cities in the rear, cut off the government army's supply lines, and are now marching towards Xinyang City!"

Qin An felt a sudden dizziness.

The Wang family was a prominent clan in Daxing, wielding considerable military power. Their rebellion would only exacerbate the already precarious situation.

Zhang Xu's army was already caught in a pincer movement from the north and south, and now the Wang family had stabbed them in the back from behind, putting them in a desperate situation.

"General, we can't go any further," Li Jing hurriedly advised. "The Wang family rebels have already cut off our retreat. If we go any further, we'll be walking into a trap!"

The surrounding cavalrymen echoed this sentiment, their faces showing fear.

Everyone knows that going to Xinyang City now is like a lamb entering a tiger's den.

Qin An fell silent; he knew Li Jing was right.

Going to Xinyang City now would mean certain death. But could he not go?

Luo Kai's kindness in promoting him, Zhang Xu's trust, and the brothers who followed him through thick and thin...

He closed his eyes, and the image of Luo Kai patting him on the shoulder and saying "Do a good job" appeared in his mind, as did the trusting look in Zhang Xu's eyes when he handed over the cavalry to him.

The images of brothers charging into battle on the battlefield come to mind.

"I can't not go." Qin An opened his eyes, a resolute glint in them. "General Luo has been kind to me, General Zhang has trusted me greatly, and there are thousands of brothers waiting for me on the front lines. I can't abandon them."

"But General..."

"Stop talking," Qin An interrupted Li Jing. "Pass down the order to speed up, bypass the Wang family's defenses, and get to Xinyang City as soon as possible."

"General!"

"This is an order!" Qin An's voice carried an unquestionable authority.

Seeing the determination in his eyes, Li Jing knew further persuasion was futile, so he could only grit his teeth and say, "Yes!"

The procession continued forward, but the atmosphere grew heavy.

Everyone knew that death was likely what awaited them.

Qin An led his troops, carefully bypassing the Wang family's rebel army's defenses, and sped towards Xinyang City.

Along the way, they saw more traces of war.

The village was burned down, the city was breached, and everywhere was ruins and corpses strewn about, with a heavy stench of blood filling the air.

"General, there seem to be members of the Wang family ahead," a cavalryman whispered.

Looking around, Qin An saw a large flag with the character "王" (King) planted on a hillside not far ahead, with hundreds of soldiers patrolling under its banner.

"Go around it," Qin An whispered.

The group quietly circled around to the back of the hillside, preparing to continue their journey, when they suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves.

"Halt! Who goes there?"

Qin An felt a chill run down his spine, realizing he had been discovered.

He made a decisive decision: "Charge!"

Five hundred cavalrymen charged forward like arrows released from a bow.

The Wang family's soldiers were caught off guard and panicked when they encountered the imperial army here.

"Fire arrows! Fire arrows!" a captain shouted.

Arrows rained down, but Qin An brandished his spear, deflecting them one by one while shouting, "Charge with me!"

The cavalrymen fought bravely and quickly broke through the royal soldiers' defenses.

Qin An glanced back and saw that the Wang family's soldiers were gathering, clearly intending to catch up.

"Ignore them, keep moving forward!" Qin An shouted.

The column galloped on, finally shaking off the Wang family's pursuers. But they paid a price; more than a dozen cavalrymen were hit by arrows and fell from their horses, never to rise again.

Qin An looked at the hillside receding into the distance behind him, his heart heavy.

The situation was even worse than I had imagined.

……

The journey ahead was indeed not looking promising for Qin An and his group.

Along their journey, large swathes of territory fell into the hands of the royal rebels.

Fortunately, the other side had just started their uprising and wasn't fully prepared yet.

The five hundred cavalrymen led by Qin An were swift in action and their combat strength should not be underestimated.

The journey was fraught with danger but ultimately safe.

But we did encounter quite a few obstacles.

That night, Qin An led his cavalry like a black lightning bolt, galloping across the wilderness.

The sound of horses' hooves pounding on gravel was deliberately suppressed, but it was still hard to hide their urgency.

"General, the third blockade line of the Wang family rebels is just ahead."

Li Jing rode closer to Qin An and lowered his voice, saying, "The scouts report that the garrison here is almost twice as large as the previous two locations. It seems they consider this place a top priority."

Qin An reined in his horse and, by the faint starlight, gazed at the distant pass.

The faint glow of torches could be seen flickering like will-o'-the-wisps, and the shouts and curses of soldiers could be heard in the distance, indicating that the defenses were tight.

He paused for a moment, a ruthless glint in his eyes: "Split into two teams. The left team will follow me through the flank mountain path, while the right team will be led by you. Launch a feint attack from the front to draw their attention. Remember, finish this quickly and decisively, don't linger."

"Yes!" Li Jing clasped his hands in acceptance and turned to make arrangements.

A moment later, the sound of hooves from the right wing suddenly became more frequent, accompanied by shouts as they charged toward the pass.

The defenders at the pass were indeed drawn to the attack and turned their attention to deal with the frontal assault.

Qin An seized the opportunity and led the left team to quietly circle around to the side of the mountain road.

The mountain path was narrow and steep, allowing only one person and one horse to pass at a time. Fortunately, the cavalrymen were skilled horsemen and carefully climbed up.

As they approached the top of the pass, Qin An made a gesture, and the group stopped instantly.

He drew a short knife from his waist, signaled everyone to be quiet, and then led the charge.

The defenders at the top of the pass were focused on the battle below and had no idea that someone would launch a surprise attack from behind.

Qin An's short knife precisely slit the throat of a guard, blood gushing out, but the guard covered his mouth tightly with his hand, making no sound.

The remaining cavalry followed suit.

In a short while, the defenders at the top were silently eliminated.

Qin An stood at the top of the pass and made a gesture to Li Jing below.

Li Jing understood and shouted, "Brothers, charge!"

The cavalry charged forward bravely, while Qin An, at the top, led his troops down into the fray.

The Wang family's rebel army was attacked from both sides and was thrown into chaos. They were no match for the enemy and soon collapsed and fled.

"General, you've broken through!" Li Jing rode up to Qin An's side, his face showing a hint of fatigue but unable to hide his excitement.

Qin An nodded, but there was no sign of relaxation in his eyes: "Don't be too happy yet, this is just the beginning. Keep moving forward and get to Xinyang City as soon as possible."

The team traveled day and night, breaking through two more lines of blockade by the Wang family rebels, and finally saw the outline of Xinyang City in the distance on the morning of the third day.

Just then, a soldier covered in blood staggered up from the front. When he saw Qin An's group, a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes, and then he collapsed to the ground.

Qin An quickly dismounted, helped the soldier up, and asked anxiously, "What happened? How is the situation in Xinyang City? Where is General Zhang?"

The soldier coughed up blood a few times, his voice weak: "General... General Zhang... has been defeated..."

Qin An's heart sank: "What did you say? Say it again!"

"Xu Mao and the Wang family rebels of Ligangzhai attacked from both sides, leaving General Zhang besieged on all sides and suffering a crushing defeat... He is now leading his remaining troops in a desperate escape to the east, with the rebels hot on his heels..."

After saying this, the soldier's head lolled to the side, and he died.

Qin An was struck dumb, frozen in place.

He never expected that Zhang Xu would be defeated so quickly and so miserably.

"General, what do we do now?" Li Jing's voice trembled, clearly shocked by the news.

Qin An took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

Zhang Xu has already fled, so going to Xinyang City now is pointless.

A thought flashed through his mind: Luo Kai!

Luo Kai was still blocking Dou Xia, the Prince of Chang Le in the north.

Now that Zhang Xu has suffered a major defeat, Luo Kai's situation will inevitably become even more difficult.

"We can't go to Xinyang City," Qin An decided immediately. "Change direction and head to General Luo's side!"

"But General, we don't know General Luo's exact location!" a cavalryman asked worriedly.

Qin An's eyes were firm: "If we follow the official road to the north, we will eventually find them. General Luo must be in dire need of support right now, and we must get there as soon as possible."

The group changed direction and sped off northwards.