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

After temporarily repelling the offensive of the rebel army in Ligangzhai, Heishan City regained a brief period of peace.

The setting sun, like blood, made the mottled bloodstains on the city wall even more glaring.

The air was thick with the stench of blood, mixed with gunpowder smoke and sweat, making one want to vomit.

Zhang Xu was carefully supported by two bodyguards. His face was as pale as paper, and blood was seeping from the wound on his left arm. Dark red bloodstains meandered down his clothes and accumulated at his waist.

He remained oblivious, gritting his teeth as he ordered the messenger beside him, "Pass on my command: all generals must immediately proceed to the city tower for a meeting, without delay!"

Qin An stood by the battlements, watching the rebel camp outside the city gradually recede.

The black tents, like lurking wild beasts, appeared and disappeared in the twilight. Sentinels could be seen patrolling back and forth at the edge of the camp, indicating that it was only a temporary rest and not a retreat.

He frowned. Although the fighting had temporarily repelled the enemy, it was only the calm before the storm. The real battle was yet to come.

"General Qin, General Zhang requests your presence." A bodyguard walked quickly over, the bloodstains on his armor still untouched, and reported in a low voice.

Qin An nodded, turned around and followed his personal guards toward the city wall.

As soon as I climbed the city wall, I saw a dozen generals sitting around a dilapidated table.

The table was hastily put together, with a piece missing from one corner. A crumpled map, somewhat blurred by blood, was laid on it.

It was clear that everyone was in a bad situation; almost everyone was injured.

Cheng Zhiyuan's left arm was slashed by a knife, and the blood soaked through the bandage, leaving a large dark red stain.

He nonchalantly pounded the table with his right hand: "Xu Mao is too cunning! He actually used a catapult to collapse the southeast corner! If General Qin hadn't arrived in time, we'd probably be sitting ducks by now, chopped into mincemeat by the rebels!"

He aggravated his wound as he spoke, wincing in pain, but he still held his neck straight, his eyes filled with lingering fear.

As soon as Luo Kai sat down, he couldn't help but cough violently.

With each cough, the wound in his chest felt as if it were being torn apart, causing him to break out in a cold sweat and gasp for breath.

"Dou Xia's Cao Deren is no pushover either. If it weren't for Qin An, my men would have been wiped out on the way."

Zhang Xu waved his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.

He took a deep breath, and the wound in his chest made him groan involuntarily: "Tell me, tell me your situation, there's no need to hold back."

Qin An spoke first, briefly recounting his experiences escorting Yuwen Zhi back to the capital, his journey home, his joining forces with Luo Kai, and his capture of Wang Teng at Qingshiyu.

His tone was calm, yet he clearly depicted the perilous nature of several fierce battles.

Luo Kai continued, "Initially, I led two thousand cavalry and ten thousand infantry northwards. As a result, we fought dozens of battles, large and small, and lost more than half of our infantry and only a little over a thousand cavalry."

Cheng Zhiyuan sighed, his voice low: "When I came to Black Mountain City with General Zhang, we only had less than 20,000 men left. We were besieged by Xu Mao and had no peace day or night. Now... less than 10,000 men are still able to take up arms."

As he spoke, he pointed to the crooked and injured soldiers outside the city gate, his eyes filled with helplessness.

Everyone chimed in with their own opinions, and the numbers they reported were shocking.

Zhang Xu listened silently, and finally said in a deep voice, "Our army of 50,000 men left the capital to quell the rebellion, but now, even if we add them all up, we have less than 15,000 men."

As soon as he finished speaking, the city gate tower fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone's face was etched with heaviness, and even their breathing became cautious.

From 50,000 to 15,000, this is not just a decrease in numbers, but also the loss of countless brothers' lives on this land.

Those vibrant faces seem to still be right before my eyes, but now they have turned into piles of white bones.

"What about the rebels?" Zhang Xu's gaze swept over everyone, a hint of seriousness in his eyes. "How many men does Xu Mao have left?"

Cheng Zhiyuan gritted his teeth and said, "At least 30,000, all of them are elite troops from Ligang Village, with extremely strong combat capabilities."

"What about Dou Xia and Wang Chong?" Zhang Xu pressed, a bad feeling creeping into his heart.

Luo Kai said, "Dou Xia has gathered more than 30,000 men in the north. After Wang Chong captured the three cities, his forces have expanded to 40,000."

He paused, then looked at Qin An, "General Qin, although you have won two great victories, the rebels are still very powerful and developing very quickly. Given the current situation in Daxing, they can easily replenish their losses. Our small victory cannot damage their foundation at all."

"Forty thousand plus thirty thousand plus thirty thousand..." Cheng Zhiyuan muttered to himself, his face growing paler and paler. "Adding in other scattered rebel forces, there are probably more than 100,000 troops eyeing our Black Mountain City."

With 100,000 men against 15,000, the disparity in troop strength was so overwhelming that it was despairing.

The atmosphere inside the city gate tower grew increasingly heavy, as if the air itself had solidified under the weight of the atmosphere.

Zhang Xu sighed heavily and said in a deep voice, "What's worse is that we're besieged in Black Mountain City. Our food supplies are only enough to last three days, our arrows are almost gone, and we're nearly out of logs and stones. We simply can't afford to wait any longer!"

"What should we do then?" a young general couldn't help but ask, his voice trembling. "Are we just going to sit here and wait to die?"

"No one can wait to die!" Qin An abruptly stood up, his gaze sharp as a knife as he swept over the crowd. "We are soldiers of Daxing, the sharp blade of the imperial court. Even if we fight to the last man, we will not surrender!"

Luo Kai nodded in agreement, then slammed his hand on the table: "Qin An is right! Rather than sitting and waiting to die, we might as well take a gamble! Even if we die, we'll take a few down with us!"

"Fight? How can we fight?" Cheng Zhiyuan smiled bitterly and shook his head. "One hundred thousand rebels. Without reinforcements, our numbers aren't even enough to fill a gap between their teeth."

He wasn't cowardly; he simply couldn't see any chance of winning, and his eyes were filled with helplessness.

After a long silence, Zhang Xu finally said slowly, "There's only one way: break through."

He knew very well that, given the current situation, being deep in the heart of the enemy territory surrounded by rebels, there was no way to win this battle.

If they cannot break out of the rebels' encirclement, everyone will be worn down and die here.

"Break through?" The group looked at each other, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes, which was then overwhelmed by despair.

Black Mountain City is completely surrounded. How can we break through?

"Good, break through!" Zhang Xu's voice carried a hint of determination, as if he had made a great decision. "Some of us will break through, while the rest will stay behind to cover the retreat and delay the rebels' pursuit."

"Covering the rear?" Everyone gasped.

Everyone knows what it means to stay behind to cover the retreat; it's a matter of life and death, or even certain death. It's about using your own flesh and blood to buy your comrades a little time.

The city gate fell silent for a moment, but soon became lively again.

Covering the rear meant certain death, but no one flinched, for they were soldiers, brothers who had fought side by side for years, and had long since disregarded life and death.

"I'll stay!" Luo Kai spoke first, his voice booming and breaking the silence. "It's worth it to buy the brothers a little more time!"

As he spoke, he patted the wound on his chest, wincing in pain, yet laughing heartily.

"No, I'll stay." Cheng Zhiyuan stood up, patted his chest, and his armor made a dull thud. "I still have some brave brothers under my command, all of whom have crawled out of piles of corpses. They can definitely hold off the rebels for a while."

"Stop arguing, all of you." Qin An also stood up, his gaze resolute. "My cavalry is highly mobile and best suited for covering the rear. They are swift as the wind and can cause the greatest trouble for the rebels. Let me stay."

"No way!" Luo Kai refused decisively. "You're the best fighter among us, and you're the best person to lead the brothers out of here."

The group argued back and forth, each wanting to leave the hope of survival to others and take the danger of death upon themselves. This is the bond between comrades-in-arms; they might quarrel over the distribution of provisions in ordinary times, but in a life-or-death situation, they would never hesitate to shield their brothers from harm.

Looking at the arguing crowd, Zhang Xu's eyes flashed with a hint of emotion, and then he said in a deep voice, "Stop arguing, I've already made up my mind."

Everyone immediately fell silent, their eyes all turning to Zhang Xu.

Zhang Xu took a deep breath, his eyes unusually firm: "I'll stay behind to cover the rear. You lead the brothers to break through."

"General! No!" Qin An and the others objected in unison, their voices filled with anxiety. "You are the commander-in-chief, the backbone of the entire army. How can you stay?"

"Precisely because I am the commander-in-chief, I should stay behind." Zhang Xu's voice was tinged with fatigue, but exceptionally clear. "The responsibility for this battle reaching this point rests on my shoulders. I must take it on. Besides, I am familiar with the rebels' tactics, so staying behind to cover their retreat is the most suitable option."

He looked at Qin An with expectation and trust in his eyes: "Qin An, you are the youngest, but you are the most resourceful and the most skilled. The important task of breaking through the encirclement is entrusted to you."

"General..." Qin An wanted to dissuade him, but Zhang Xu interrupted him.

"My mind is made up, no need for further words." Zhang Xu waved his hand, his tone leaving no room for argument. "I'll leave five thousand men behind, enough to delay the rebels for a while. Remember, you must break through the encirclement. In the future, when you have the chance, avenge our fallen brothers!"

He paused, then suddenly burst into laughter, a hearty laugh that seemed to make him forget his injuries and the desperate situation he was in.

"Don't be too discouraged. Covering the rear doesn't necessarily mean death. Maybe I'll be lucky and fight my way out. Then we'll celebrate in the capital!"

Looking at Zhang Xu's resolute face, everyone knew that further persuasion would be useless, so they could only nod silently, their eyes reddening.

Several young generals turned their heads away and secretly wiped their faces.

Zhang Xu's gaze swept over everyone, finally landing on Qin An, Luo Kai, and Cheng Zhiyuan.

"Qin An is the youngest, but his military talent is the most outstanding. I have decided to appoint him as the commander-in-chief of the breakout army to provide unified command. Do you have any objections?"

Luo Kai immediately replied, "I have no objection! I'm completely convinced of Qin An's abilities!"

Cheng Zhiyuan nodded and solemnly clasped his hands in a fist and said, "It is my honor to serve under General Qin."

Normally, they might have some thoughts in their minds, but at this moment, they didn't have as many sordid ideas.

Qin An's heart sank. He knew that being the commander-in-chief was no easy task. He carried the lives of more than ten thousand brothers on his shoulders, and he could not afford to make a single mistake.

But he did not back down. He stepped forward, solemnly clasped his hands, and said, "This humble general will certainly not fail in his mission and will definitely lead the brothers to break through the encirclement! Please take care, General. We will be waiting for you in the capital to celebrate our victory!"

Zhang Xu nodded in satisfaction: "Alright, then let's split up and prepare. Let the brothers rest, eat and drink their fill, and conserve their energy so they can find an opportunity to break through at any time!"