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

Luo Kai knew Qin An was right, but after days of fierce fighting, he had lost most of his troops and was utterly exhausted.

Qin An walked to the tent entrance, lifted the curtain, and looked at the campfire burning in the camp outside, his voice tinged with sorrow.

"These brothers have risked their lives with us, shedding their blood, not to flee in panic in this desperate situation. General Zhang is still fighting hard in the east, he hasn't given up; the imperial banner hasn't fallen yet, we cannot retreat!"

Luo Kai looked at his tall, straight back, which appeared particularly resolute in the dim light. After a long silence, he finally let out a long sigh.

"Fine, I'll trust you this once. From now on, you will have full command of this unit. I only hope that you can lead the brothers to truly carve out a way to survive."

Qin An turned around, a hint of gratitude flashing in his eyes: "Thank you for your trust, Brother Luo! I will certainly not fail in my mission!"

With Luo Kai's words, Qin An did not stand on ceremony and immediately began to take over the army.

He immediately ordered the team to assemble and assess the overall situation.

Once everyone had gathered in the center of the valley, Qin An's gaze slowly swept over the surroundings.

The soldier, his armor tattered, clutched his broken spear in silence, his eyes vacant.

The wounded soldier huddled in the haystack, groaning softly, his face contorted in pain.

Some people sat slumped over, too weak to even lift their heads.

The team was quite large; at a glance, there were several thousand people.

However, their mental state was completely different from before he left, as scattered as loose sand.

He walked to the open space in the center of the crowd and said loudly, "Brothers, I am Qin An."

The words had barely left his lips when a commotion arose in the crowd. His cavalrymen abruptly raised their heads, their eyes gleaming as if they had seen stars in the darkness. One of them staggered to his feet and hoarsely called out, "General!"

The shout was like a stone thrown into a lake; the sound gradually spread, and more and more people looked up.

More people struggled to their feet, their eyes rekindling with hope, like sparks igniting withered grass.

Looking at his old subordinates, Qin An felt a pang of heartache.

He had already learned from Luo Kai that when Zhang Xu divided his troops, he had specifically asked Luo Kai to take two thousand cavalrymen with him.

But now, the number of cavalrymen standing here is only a little over a thousand, and nearly half of them have been lost, which can be described as a heavy loss.

The team's morale and spirit were almost shattered.

Fortunately, now that their leader has arrived, their morale, which had been crumbling, has gradually begun to rebuild.

"General Luo is injured and unable to command. From today onwards, I will temporarily take command of this force." Qin An didn't waste any words and directly announced that he would take over command of this remnant army.

There were no obstacles in the process.

After all, most of the people present recognized him, not to mention that many of them were his former subordinates whom he had personally trained and who already held him in high esteem.

Qin An looked around, his gaze lingering on the faces of every soldier.

The remaining soldiers were ragged and covered in blood and dust. Their weapons were chipped and broken; some knives had blunt blades, and some spears had broken tips.

Even so, their faces still revealed an undiminished ferocity, the indomitable spirit of warriors who had been through many battles.

He took a deep breath and raised his voice: "Brothers, I know you have fought hard for many days and are exhausted, wishing you could collapse and sleep for three days and three nights. But now is not the time to back down!"

"General Zhang is still fighting the rebels at the front, without retreating. The banner of the imperial court still flies, it has not fallen! We are the soldiers of Daxing, the people's support, how can we abandon them at this moment?"

He paused, then his voice suddenly rose, carrying a penetrating power: "Now that things have come to this, I won't hide anything from you. Those who want to leave will be given three days' worth of rations, and you will not be forced to stay. You can go home and reunite with your families. But those who wish to stay, pick up your weapons and fight with me, Qin An!"

"Either we fight our way out and join General Zhang to defeat the rebels, or we die on the battlefield, wrapped in our horses' hides, rather than become prisoners of the rebels and disgrace the honor of soldiers!"

"I am willing to fight to the death with the general!" A veteran with a broken arm roared first, his voice hoarse but full of power.

"We are ready to obey the general's orders!"

"We believe in General Qin!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

A deafening roar erupted from the mountain valley, the sound waves soaring into the sky.

Even the wounded soldiers lying on the ground struggled to raise their fists, their eyes flashing with determination.

Not one hesitated, not one retreated. Even knowing that the road ahead was fraught with danger, they were willing to follow this young general and fight one more time.

Luo Kai, who had followed them out, stood at the tent entrance, looking at the scene before him. There was no resentment on his face; instead, he murmured something with satisfaction.

"I knew I hadn't misjudged him... This unit still has hope in his hands."

In the following time, Qin An quickly began reorganization. He ordered his personal guard captain, Li Jing, to take a headcount, separating the wounded from the soldiers who could still fight. He then reorganized the cavalry and infantry, registering them and keeping a record. He was busy but not chaotic.

When the statistics were reported, even Qin An couldn't help but gasp.

Of the two thousand elite cavalrymen Luo Kai initially brought, only a little over 1,100 remain, and they have also suffered heavy losses of warhorses.

Including the remnants of the infantry, the total number was less than five thousand, and most of them were wounded.

"General, we have lost nearly 30% of our warhorses, and the rest are mostly exhausted. Food supplies are also scarce; the grain in the warehouse will only last for three days."

Li Jing held a tattered account book, his voice hoarse, his brows furrowed.

Qin An frowned deeply, his gaze falling on the soldiers who, though exhausted, still stood tall, and he made a silent resolution.

No matter what, we must live on with these brothers.

"Gather all the warhorses together, have them cared for and looked after by designated personnel, and prioritize their allocation to the cavalry to ensure they have sufficient combat capability."

Qin An made a decisive decision: "Distribute grain and fodder by half per person, use it sparingly, and we can last as long as we can."

He turned to Luo Kai beside him and asked, "Brother Luo, do you know which direction General Zhang broke through?"

Luo Kai coughed a few times, his face growing even paler, and pointed to the northeast direction on the map.

"They should be heading towards Black Mountain. The terrain there is treacherous, with many cliffs and precipices, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. Perhaps they can temporarily hold off the rebels' pursuit."

Qin An nodded, about to begin outlining the next steps of the plan, when a scout stumbled and ran from outside the ravine, looking flustered.

"General! Something terrible has happened! The vanguard of Dou Xia's rebel army is already three miles away. Judging from their banners, it's Cao Deren's troops!"

Everyone's expression changed drastically. The nerves that had just relaxed tightened up again, and the atmosphere in the air became heavy once more.

Qin An remained unusually calm. After a moment of contemplation, he turned to Luo Kai and said, "Brother Luo, I have a plan. You lead the infantry and most of the wounded soldiers, pretending to be the main force, and retreat southeast to lure Cao Deren's troops there."

As he spoke, he squatted down and drew a route on the ground with his finger.

"You lead the wounded soldiers along the ridge, where the dense trees provide good cover. I will lead the cavalry to flank them. Once Cao Deren's attention is drawn to you, we'll attack from behind and catch him off guard!"

Luo Kai immediately exclaimed, "No! You've just arrived; the troops aren't fully organized yet, and the strength is unstable. Launching a rash attack now would be far too dangerous!"

"Don't worry, Brother Luo." A sharp glint flashed in Qin An's eyes. "I won't act rashly. My cavalrymen are best at raids and charges; they're highly mobile. Cao Deren wants to swallow us whole? He'll have to see if he has the teeth!"

Luo Kai frowned, still worried: "Although Cao Deren is not a famous general, he is cunning and suspicious. He may not fall for this plan."

"He assumes we are a defeated army and will surely underestimate us." A sharp glint flashed in Qin An's eyes, his tone resolute. "Besides, we have no other choice but to seek victory through risk."

Luo Kai gazed at his young yet remarkably composed profile, remained silent for a moment, and finally nodded slowly: "Alright, I trust you. You must be careful."

He was eventually persuaded by Qin An's determination, and without further hesitation, he immediately gathered his men, and led the wounded and infantry to retreat to the southeast according to Qin An's plan.

Qin An assembled over 1,500 cavalrymen. Most of these men were his old subordinates who had followed him through thick and thin. Their helmets and armor gleamed, their eyes were sharp, and although their faces were covered in dust, their fierce and courageous spirit was undeniable.

They cooperated seamlessly with each other, often understanding each other's intentions with just a glance or a gesture, their formation as solid as iron.

"Brothers!" Qin An leaped onto the Snow-Treading Black Horse. The warhorse seemed to understand its master's intentions, raising its neck and neighing loudly.

He pointed his halberd straight ahead, its cold gleam flashing in the twilight. "It's time for us to fight side by side again. After days of fierce fighting, you haven't been scared out of your wits yet, have you?"

"No!" the cavalrymen shouted in unison, their voices echoing across the plains and startling the birds roosting in the woods.

They raised their weapons high, spear tips like a forest, horses' hooves pounded the ground, and their fighting spirit burned fiercely.

"Good!" Qin An suddenly cracked his whip, the crisp sound slicing through the air. "Follow me and charge out! Let those rebels know how powerful the men of Daxing are!"

The sound of hooves thundered as over 1,500 cavalrymen swiftly formed a sharp wedge formation.

Qin An took the lead, standing at the forefront of the formation, like a black lightning bolt, and charged towards the rebel army.

The Snow-Treading Black Claw's four hooves flew, its mane billowing, raising a cloud of dust behind it.

Meanwhile, rebel general Cao Deren was leading his troops in pursuit.

He was a burly man with a face full of menacing features. Upon hearing the scouts report that the government troops were fleeing southeast, he immediately reined in his horse, a sinister smile creeping onto his lips.

"A pack of stray dogs, defeated and abandoned, thinking you can escape? Today we will wipe you all out!"

He led his troops in hot pursuit. Ten thousand rebel soldiers, like dark clouds pressing down on the border, their banners obscuring the sun, rushed towards the "main force" of infantry led by Luo Kai.

The rebels marched in disarray, their shouts deafening, as if they intended to trample the plains.

Meanwhile, Qin An was leading 1,500 cavalrymen, who had quietly circled around to the rear of the rebel army.