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

Wang Teng squinted and saw a horde of black cavalry surging in like a tidal wave bursting its banks.

The dust kicked up by the horses' hooves blotted out the sky, and the armor of the vanguard gleamed in the sunlight—it was Qin An's army!

"Perfect timing!" Wang Teng excitedly drew his jeweled longsword from his waist, the blade gleaming faintly in the morning light. "Kill them! Let them taste the might of the Wang family's elite warriors!"

The rebel army's drums thundered, the "thump thump thump" of the war drums so loud it hurt people's eardrums.

The soldiers, shields in hand, advanced in orderly formation, attempting to halt the cavalry charge with their dense ranks.

Before the two sides could make contact, Qin An's cavalry suddenly split into two groups like flowing water, like two agile black pythons, and burrowed into the relatively weak flanks of the square formation.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The sound of clashing weapons instantly echoed across the plain, as if countless iron objects were striking at the same time.

Qin An took the lead, his halberd dancing like a cluster of silver flowers.

Wherever they went, rebel soldiers fell from their horses, screaming in agony.

His halberd skills, honed through countless battles, became increasingly fierce and ruthless, specifically targeting vital points such as the enemy's throat and heart.

Seeing Qin An's unstoppable momentum, a rebel junior officer roared and swung his knife at Qin An's face, the blade whistling through the air.

Qin An neither dodged nor evaded; with a flick of his halberd, the tip of the halberd emerged like a poisonous dragon from its lair, striking the opponent squarely in the heart.

With a flick of his wrist, he sent the halberd flying upwards, sending the junior officer's corpse soaring through the air like a parabola, knocking over several soldiers behind him and tearing a gap in the formation.

The Snow-Treading Crow is exceptionally intelligent, seemingly able to predict enemy attacks. Its four hooves fly, always managing to dodge incoming blades and spears at the last second.

He would even use his horse's hooves to precisely kick the enemy's wrists, coordinating with Qin An's offensive, like an invisible warrior.

In the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Qin An had already killed more than three hundred enemy soldiers. His armor was stained red with blood, which only added to his murderous aura.

He felt his internal strength growing rapidly, each swing of the halberd more powerful than before, and his vision becoming increasingly clear.

Even the expression on Wang Teng's face, which went from smug to panic, was clearly visible from afar.

"This...how is this possible?"

Wang Teng looked at Qin An, who seemed to be moving through the formation as if it were empty, and his face turned deathly pale. His hand holding the sword hilt trembled slightly.

He had never seen such a fierce general. Those elite royal soldiers, whom he considered to be incomparably elite, were as vulnerable as chickens and dogs in front of Qin An. It was as if they were not fighting a war, but being slaughtered unilaterally.

The rebel army was thrown into chaos. The soldiers in the front ranks were terrified by Qin An's killing, and many began to instinctively retreat, causing the originally orderly formation to loosen.

Qin An's cavalry, like sharp razors, constantly sliced ​​through the rebel army's formation, shattering their once-solid square into pieces.

"No retreat! Anyone who retreats will be killed!" Wang Teng was furious and personally charged to the front of the formation with his sword, killing several soldiers who tried to retreat.

Blood splattered on his face, making him look somewhat ferocious, but it did nothing to salvage the collapse of morale.

The more he tried to stop them, the more fiercely the soldiers retreated.

The formation completely collapsed, and the soldiers pushed and shoved each other, only caring about running backward. Many even threw down their weapons, only concerned with saving their lives.

Qin An keenly sensed the chaos among the rebels and locked his gaze on Wang Teng in the midst of the formation.

Next to the commander's flag embroidered with the character "王" (King), was the enemy's central command.

He abruptly turned his horse around, pointing his halberd directly at Wang Teng, and shouted, "Brothers, follow me to slay the generals and seize the flag!"

The cavalry followed Qin An closely, like a sharp awl, charging towards the center of the rebel army.

The rebel soldiers had long been terrified by Qin An's ferocity.

Seeing Qin An charging towards them, they instinctively made way, clearing a path through the formation, with no one daring to step forward and block him.

"Stop him! Stop him now!" Wang Teng was terrified, his face ashen, and he hurriedly ordered his personal guards to step forward and block him.

Those guards were all elite warriors carefully trained by the Wang family, fearless of death, and they all drew their swords and charged forward.

But as soon as those personal guards rushed in front of Qin An, they were all knocked away by his halberd.

Some were pierced through the chest, some had their arms severed, and screams of agony rose and fell. Not a single one could survive a single blow from Qin An.

"Qin An! How dare you hurt me? My father is Wang Chong! He won't let you get away with this!"

Wang Teng roared fiercely, his voice trembling with fear, his previous arrogance gone. He turned his horse around, intending to flee.

Qin An sneered, then suddenly pulled on the reins, and the Snow-Treading Black Claw came to a stop.

He took the longbow from beside the saddle, held it in his left hand, and nocked an arrow with his right, all in one fluid motion. The arrow gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

"Whoosh!"

The arrow shot out like a meteor chasing the moon, whistling through the air, and accurately struck Wang Teng's shoulder.

"Ah!" Wang Teng screamed in agony. The intense pain caused him to lose his grip on the reins and fall off the horse, crashing to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

The guards rushed to rescue Wang Teng, but were blocked by Qin An's cavalry, and a fierce battle ensued.

Qin An dismounted and walked step by step toward Wang Teng, who was lying on the ground. His footsteps were steady, but they struck Wang Teng's heart like a heavy hammer.

When the rebels saw their commander fall from his horse, they completely lost their will to resist.

Qin An ignored Wang Teng's wails and walked to the central flagpole, looking up at the large "Wang" flag fluttering in the wind.

With a swipe of his halberd, the rope securing the flag was severed with a snap.

The banner symbolizing the royal family's rebel army slowly fell to the ground, where it was excitedly trampled underfoot by the charging cavalry, who cheered loudly.

"Those who surrender will not be killed!" Qin An's voice echoed across the battlefield like a thunderclap.

Upon hearing this, the rebels who were still putting up a stubborn resistance laid down their weapons, knelt down, and surrendered, crying out for mercy.

He then walked up to Wang Teng and looked down at him.

Wang Teng clutched his bleeding shoulder, wincing in pain, his eyes filled with fear, yet he remained defiant.

"Qin An! You dare to hurt me? My father will soon lead his army to slaughter you, tear you to pieces, and make you wish you were dead!"

Qin An scoffed, his tone icy: "Don't worry, I won't kill you. Keeping you alive is far more useful than killing you."

He turned to Li Jing and said, "Tie Wang Teng up and keep a close watch on him. Don't let him escape. Immediately take stock of the spoils of war. This unexpected gain has saved us a lot of trouble; we no longer need to divide our forces with General Luo!"

Li Jing excitedly replied, "Yes! General, you are wise!"

Half an hour later, the results were tallied.

Of the 10,000 troops of the Wang family rebels, more than 5,000 were killed in battle, their corpses piled up in layers on the plain.

More than 3,000 people surrendered and were placed under centralized custody.

Only a little over a thousand soldiers were routed and fled into the deep mountains.

On the government side, casualties were less than two hundred, most of whom were lightly wounded, making it a resounding victory. More importantly, they captured over a thousand warhorses and countless supplies, enough to sustain the entire army for half a month.

There were also many fine weapons and armor, which were just enough to replenish the soldiers.

Qin An stood on the hillside, looking down at the mountain of spoils below, then at Wang Teng, who was tied to a horse and looked pale, and a smile appeared on his lips.

With Wang Teng as their trump card, the Wang family was hesitant to act rashly.

The road to Montenegro should be much easier from here on out.

……

After the battlefield was cleared and his men had rested briefly, Qin An immediately issued new orders.

"Everyone, follow me back. There's no need to split up. Take the prisoners and spoils and rendezvous with General Luo."

The cavalrymen immediately regrouped, and the sound of their hooves shattered the silence of the battlefield.

They divided the three thousand prisoners into three groups for guarding, with each group escorted by a hundred cavalrymen.

The grain and fodder were then packed into more than thirty captured horse-drawn carts, which creaked as they turned.

Qin An deliberately had Wang Teng tied up even tighter and stuffed a dirty rag into his mouth.

This spoiled brat kept cursing and making a lot of noise along the way, lest he shout and reveal his whereabouts.

As evening approached, the setting sun bleeds like blood, and the army finally caught up with Luo Kai's infantry in a river valley.

The soldiers were eating dry rations around the campfire, the firelight illuminating their tired faces, and many of them had blood-soaked strips of cloth wrapped around their bodies.

When Qin An returned with a large entourage, his carriages piled high with provisions, and a prisoner in fine clothes was being escorted by him, the crowd erupted in uproar.

The chatter around the campfire surged like a tide.

"That's... someone from the Wang family? Judging by that silver-threaded armor, they must be a very important person!"

"Could it be that General Qin captured a general from the Wang family? I knew General Qin's arrival would guarantee a great victory!"

"That's great! With supplies, we won't go hungry anymore!"

"..."

Luo Kai emerged from the makeshift military tent, leaning on his spear, the shaft leaving a shallow mark on the ground.

He was startled when he saw Wang Teng tied to the horse's back, and his cloudy eyes suddenly widened.

He quickly stepped forward, the bronze plates on his armor clanging rapidly: "Qin An, this is…"

"Young Master Wang, Wang Teng." Qin An dismounted with clean and swift movements, his voice carrying a hint of weariness from battle, yet unable to conceal his sharpness. "In the Battle of Qing Shi Yu, we killed five thousand enemies, captured three thousand, and seized countless grain and warhorses."

Luo Kai gasped, his eyebrows raised high, staring intently at Wang Teng's terrified face.

Although the young man was in a sorry state, he could not hide his arrogance.

He turned sharply to Qin An, his voice trembling slightly: "You mean... you defeated the Wang family's army of ten thousand with just over a thousand cavalrymen?"

"Yes." Qin An nodded, a faint smile playing on his lips. He pointed at Wang Teng and said, "This kid is ignorant of his own limitations. Instead of defending the natural barrier of the valley, he insisted on forming an army on the plain to meet the enemy. This gave us a perfect opportunity. Our cavalry can charge through the enemy lines as easily as cutting melons and vegetables."

Luo Kai circled Wang Teng twice, then suddenly clapped his hands and laughed, "Good! Good! Well done, Qin An! I knew you could always create miracles!"

He abruptly stopped laughing, a sly glint in his eyes, and leaned closer to Qin An, whispering, "What do you plan to do with him? Like Li Gangzhai, use him as a hostage to force the Wang family to retreat?"