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

Qin An knew about Black Mountain City; it was just a small county town.

Zhang Xu's army was surrounded in a small town.

He turned his horse around and said to Luo Kai, "Brother Luo, you lead the infantry to escort the supplies and follow behind. Make sure you get there as quickly as possible. I'll take the cavalry ahead to break through the defenses!"

"Be careful!" Luo Kai warned, his eyes full of worry. "Xu Mao is very cunning. Be careful, he might be up to no good."

Qin An said no more and led 1,500 cavalrymen like arrows released from a bow towards Black Mountain City.

From afar, the top of Black Mountain City was covered with black flags of the rebels, standing densely like a forest.

Outside the city, there was a dark mass of rebel camps stretching for dozens of miles. The shouts of battle were deafening, and the sounds of drums, screams, and the clanging of metal mingled together, creating a symphony of hell.

"General, the rebels have completely surrounded the city!" Li Jing pointed to the rebel formation below the city, his brow furrowed.

"The attack is fiercest from the southeast. A section of the city wall there has already collapsed, and the rebels are pouring in like a tide through the breach. The brothers on the walls are fighting desperately, but they are gradually losing ground and probably won't be able to hold out for much longer!"

Looking around, Qin An saw that a section of the city wall in the southeast corner had indeed collapsed, revealing a gap about ten feet wide.

Rebel soldiers charged forward, stepping over the corpses of their comrades, amidst the flashing of swords.

Although the government troops on the city walls fought bravely, they were outnumbered and their defensive line was being compressed little by little, and it looked like they were about to fall.

"That's it!" Qin An pointed his halberd straight at the southeast corner, his voice booming like thunder. "Follow me and charge in! Tear open a breach and get General Zhang's support!"

"Kill!" shouted the 1,500 cavalrymen in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

They spurred their warhorses forward, charging into the rebel camp like a black torrent. The sound of their hooves shook the earth, and the dust they raised blotted out the sky.

The rebels were caught off guard by the sudden appearance of a cavalry unit, and their formation was thrown into chaos.

Many people were trampled into mincemeat by the horses' hooves before they could react.

Qin An took the lead, wielding his halberd like a cluster of silver flowers, its cold light flashing. Wherever he passed, rebel soldiers fell from their horses, their screams echoing everywhere.

His halberd skills became increasingly fierce, and his Snow-Treading Black Claw was imbued with spiritual power, always managing to evade attacks at the last second. His four hooves flew as if he were in an empty field.

He charged straight toward the breach in the city wall, his cavalry behind him like a sharp awl, tearing a gap in the rebel ranks.

Upon seeing the familiar "Qin" banner, the government troops on the city wall erupted in thunderous cheers: "It's General Qin! General Qin has come to our rescue!"

Morale soared, and the previously exhausted soldiers seemed to be infused with new strength, raising their swords and spears to fight again.

Xu Mao was directing the siege in the central command tent when he heard that Qin An had arrived. His expression changed drastically, and he slammed his hand on the command desk, knocking over the teacups and spilling tea all over the floor.

"Qin An? It's Qin An again. How did he show up so quickly? Those good-for-nothings from the Wang family, how could they let him get here so easily?"

Xu Mao still pays close attention to Qin An, his old rival.

He already knew that Qin An was escorting Yuwen Zhi back to the capital and was not on the front lines.

Even when Qin An returned to the front lines, he remained on guard.

However, he breathed a sigh of relief when he learned that Qin An had gone to Luo Kai's place first.

The battlefield over there is separated from our side by the Wang family's defensive line.

In Xu Mao's view, Qin An had no chance to come and cause trouble for him.

This relieved him, and he focused all his thoughts and attention on Zhang Xu.

But to everyone's surprise, Qin An still came.

It was at a crucial moment in the battle between the two sides.

Upon learning that Qin An had arrived, Shan Tong, who was standing to the side, had mixed feelings.

His position was naturally opposed to Qin An's, but his younger sister, Shan Bing, had already gotten together with Qin An.

Although deep down he wanted to fight Qin An again and get revenge.

But he didn't want Qin An to be here.

The situation has developed to such a point that it is clearly very unfavorable to the imperial court.

In Shan Tong's view, Qin An coming at this time was no different from suicide.

Just then, a general ran up: "Marshal, Qin An is too fierce! His cavalry is like a pack of tigers and wolves; the brothers can't stop them at all! The breach in the southeast corner is about to fall; Qin An's cavalry is almost at the city walls!"

Xu Mao slammed his fist hard on the desk, causing a crack to appear in the wooden surface: "Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, a ruthless glint in his eyes. "Pass on my order: deploy five thousand elite troops from the right wing to plug the breach. Whoever can cut off Qin An's head will be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold!"

To be honest, Xu Mao wasn't sure himself when he relayed this order.

He had witnessed Qin An's power firsthand.

On our side, perhaps only Shan Tong can rival him.

However, he did not send Shan Tong out at this time, because he was worried that something unexpected might happen.

It will be much harder to deal with Qin An then.

A generous reward will surely attract brave men. Sure enough, a shout rang out from the rebel camp, and five thousand elite soldiers, carrying swords and spears, surged towards the southeast corner like a dark tide, attempting to block Qin An's path.

However, the rebel army had already been terrified by Qin An's attacks. Although the elite troops were brave and fierce, they were no match for Qin An's halberd.

Qin An swept down more than ten soldiers in the front row with a single halberd strike, forcefully cleaving a path through the human wall.

The cavalry behind them followed closely, continuously expanding their gains.

"Those who block my way shall die!" Qin An roared, his halberd aimed straight at a rebel lieutenant.

The lieutenant raised his sword to parry, but the impact caused his tiger's mouth to split open, and the sword flew out of his hand.

He was then pierced through the chest by Qin An's halberd, sent flying, and knocked over a group of soldiers behind him.

In the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Qin An's cavalry reached the breach in the city wall.

"General Zhang! I'm here!" Qin An shouted loudly, his voice piercing through the sounds of battle and reaching the city.

He swept his halberd across the gap, killing all the rebels at the breach and clearing the way for the cavalry that followed.

Hearing Qin An's voice, Zhang Xu, who was on the city wall, struggled to his feet.

His battle robe was stained with blood, and his face was as pale as paper, yet he still gripped his longsword tightly, his eyes resolute.

Upon seeing Qin An, his chapped lips moved, revealing a slight smile: "Qin An... you've finally arrived... I knew you wouldn't disappoint..."

However, he quickly frowned.

Currently, they are surrounded, and Qin An's forces are few in number.

Cavalry can only play its greatest role on flat plains.

Even if his small force enters the city, it won't be of much help.

Ideally, it would be like the Battle of Yangkoucang, where Qin An led his cavalry to harass the enemy constantly, in order to create a glimmer of hope for survival.

"Qin An, you don't need to enter the city..."

He tried to persuade Qin An to turn around and leave, but Qin An had his own plans.

Before Zhang Xu could finish speaking, he led his men through the breach they had created and quickly rushed into the city.

The words of dissuasion that Zhang Xu was about to utter were instantly swallowed back.

"You..."

Seeing Qin An approach, Zhang Xu sighed, feeling both anxious and relieved.

Qin An dismounted and rushed up the city wall, supporting the swaying Zhang Xu: "General, don't worry, I'm here!"

He had someone fetch wound medicine and personally treated Zhang Xu's wounds, his movements gentle yet swift.

"Quickly...quickly hold the breach..." Zhang Xu gasped for breath, pointing to the rebel army surging towards the city below. "Xu Mao's main force is all here; they want...they want to break through from here..."

"General, rest assured, leave it to me!" Qin An handed Zhang Xu over to his personal guards, then turned to Li Jing and said, "Hold the breach! Have the cavalry dismount and form a shield formation, with archers providing cover from behind! Once General Luo's infantry arrives, we'll attack from both inside and outside, and we'll surely crush the rebels!"

"Yes!" Li Jing accepted the order and immediately directed the cavalry to deploy defenses.

The cavalrymen dismounted and raised their shields, forming a solid shield wall.

Archers climbed the city walls, drew their bows, and accurately shot down the rebels who tried to approach the breach.

Qin An stood atop the city wall, gazing at the densely packed rebel army outside the city, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

He took the bow and arrow from his personal guard, nocked the arrow, and aimed at Xu Mao, who was giving orders in the distance.

"Whoosh!"

The arrow shot out like a meteor, whistling through the air. Xu Mao was roaring at the front of the battle when he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and instinctively dodged to the side.

An arrow grazed his shoulder and pierced the throat of a messenger behind him.

Xu Mao was terrified and quickly hid behind his shield, not daring to show his face again: "Qin An! You despicable scoundrel! Come out and fight me one-on-one if you dare!"

Qin An sneered, too lazy to pay attention to his clamor.

The most important thing now is to hold the breach and wait for Luo Kai's reinforcements.

Time passed slowly, and the rebels' offensives grew increasingly fierce, making the battle at the breach extremely brutal.

The government troops' shield wall was breached several times, but was retaken each time with desperate efforts. The area beneath the city wall was littered with corpses, and blood flowed down the wall in streams.

Just when the government troops were about to give up, a deafening shout came from afar.

Luo Kai's infantry finally arrived!

"Brothers! Reinforcements have arrived! Kill them!" Qin An shouted from the top of the city wall.

The morale of the government troops on the city wall immediately soared, while the rebel army's expression changed drastically, and their formation began to falter.

Luo Kai took the lead, leading his infantry to charge towards the rebels' flank, like a blunt knife cutting into their formation.

The rebels were attacked from both sides and immediately fell into chaos.

"Now!" Qin An's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he said to Li Jing, "Pass down the order: cavalry, mount your horses, and follow me out to fight our way out!"

"kill!"

Two thousand cavalrymen quickly mounted their horses.

That's right, it was two thousand cavalry.

As mentioned before, Qin An's original five thousand cavalrymen were divided, with two thousand given to Luo Kai and more than two thousand left behind by Zhang Xu.

Although the defeat had cost them a lot, they still managed to save over a thousand.

Now that Qin An has returned, these cavalrymen naturally returned to his camp immediately.

Two thousand cavalry followed Qin An out of the gap, forming a pincer movement with Luo Kai's infantry.

The rebels were already in disarray, and this charge completely neutralized all their offensive.

The siege of Black Mountain has been temporarily lifted!