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

After Qin An explained the situation he was facing, the tent fell silent instantly.

Everyone was heavy-hearted and didn't know what to say for a moment.

"We can't wait for them to encircle us." Finally, Cheng Zhiyuan spoke first, his voice booming, "We must choose one path and concentrate our forces to break through! As long as we break through one path, we can escape!"

Luo Kai nodded: "General Cheng is right, we must focus on making a breakthrough. The question is, which route should we choose?"

He pointed to the north of the map: "Dou Xia's rebels are deeply popular in the north and are united internally. Fighting them may not necessarily bring any advantage."

"I suggest we go from the west. The Wang family has only recently started their rebellion, and their foundation is unstable. Although they have 40,000 men, many of them are greenhorns. This is the weakest of the three directions!"

Before he could finish speaking, Cheng Zhiyuan shook his head.

"General Luo is mistaken. Although the Wang family's foundation is unstable, they have 40,000 troops, making them the most powerful of the three factions."

"And don't forget, the Wang family just captured three cities, including Luocheng, and their morale is high. Going to attack them now would be like walking into a trap."

He paused, then pointed to the south side of the map: "In my opinion, we should turn back and attack Xu Mao! We've fought him many times and are familiar with his tactics. Besides, he's just lost a lot of men, so this is a good opportunity for us to avenge General Zhang!"

"But Xu Mao is the most cunning in his military tactics. The fact that he dared to stop and not pursue shows that he is confident," another general interjected. "Moreover, he has Ligang Village behind him and can receive reinforcements at any time. Attacking him would be tantamount to walking into a trap."

"What about beating Dou Xia?"

"Dou Xia was deeply loved by the people, and his soldiers were extremely loyal to him. They were all brave warriors from the Yan and Zhao regions, fearless and extremely difficult to deal with."

Each person held their own opinion, and no one could convince the others.

The oil lamp flickered amidst the arguing, casting shifting shadows.

Qin An listened quietly, his gaze slowly moving across the map, his fingertips lightly tapping the table, without rushing to express his opinion.

Just then, a voice rang out from the corner.

"General."

Everyone turned their heads and saw Li Jing standing at the edge of the tent, holding his sword in his hand. He looked somewhat nervous, yet also resolute after a moment of hesitation.

Qin An looked at him: "Do you have something to say?"

Li Jing took a deep breath, stepped forward, his voice trembling slightly, yet exceptionally clear.

"In my opinion, we should take Wang Chong as the breakthrough point."

There was a moment of silence in the tent, and everyone's eyes fell on the young bodyguard.

"The Wang family seems powerful, with 40,000 troops, but they have only recently started their rebellion and their foundation is not yet stable."

"Their soldiers were mostly private troops from powerful families and scattered local militias. They were undisciplined and poorly trained, and could not be compared with Xu Mao's elite troops and Dou Xia's soldiers."

Li Jingyue's voice grew increasingly steady as he spoke, revealing all his innermost thoughts.

"Moreover, the Wang family comes from a prominent clan and has been pampered for generations. They are arrogant and look down on Xu Mao and Dou Xia, who led peasant uprisings. They probably look down on us defeated generals even more. An arrogant army is bound to be defeated."

Cheng Zhiyuan frowned: "That's true, but they outnumber us and have the upper hand. If we charge in head-on, we might not come out on top."

"General Cheng is right. That's precisely why we must attack them." Li Jing raised his head, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. "To attack the Wang family, we don't need to charge head-on. We only need to blunt their arrogance to intimidate them. They are proud and arrogant. Once they are thwarted, their formation will surely fall apart."

"Xu Mao's troops became more and more stable with each battle, Dou Xia's troops became more and more courageous with each setback, only the Wang family's troops, though they looked intimidating, were the most afraid of death at heart."

He looked around, cupped his hands, and said, "This humble general dares to offer a suggestion; please, General, consider it carefully."

Everyone looked at each other.

This usually taciturn young man, who only served Qin An diligently, suddenly spoke such words, which were clear, logical, and to the point.

Luo Kai was stunned for a moment, then clapped his hands and laughed, "Good lad, as expected of Qin An's brother-in-law! Those words hit the nail on the head!"

A barely perceptible smile appeared on Qin An's lips, and a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

He had long recognized Li Jing's military talent.

This brother-in-law of his wife is usually not talkative, but he always manages to hit the nail on the head at crucial moments.

Today, speaking eloquently and confidently in front of all the generals, he already shows the demeanor of a great general.

"What do you all think?" Qin An asked, looking at the crowd.

Luo Kai was the first to speak: "I admit it. Li Jing is right. Wang Chong is indeed the easiest point of attack among the three directions."

Cheng Zhiyuan nodded in agreement: "The Wang family's troops are indeed weak. Last time, that brat Wang Teng was routed by our General Qin in a single charge."

Qin An stood up, walked to the map, and pressed his finger heavily on the spot marked with the character "王" (Wang).

"Then let's fight Wang Chong."

His voice was not loud, but it was firm and resounding.

"Xu Mao has the makings of a great general, and his military tactics are profound, making him extremely difficult to deal with. Dou Xia is deeply loved by the people, and his internal and external forces are united. It would be too difficult to break through their defenses."

He paused, "Only the Wang family, seemingly powerful, is actually weak inside. They are different from Xu Mao and Dou Xia."

"Those two families rebelled because they couldn't survive. They had a ruthless streak in their bones. The Wang family was different. They raised an army because they felt there was an opportunity. To put it bluntly, they were opportunistic. Once they found the cost was too high, they were the first to waver."

Luo asked, "Then how do we fight?"

"Feint to the east, strike in the west, then strike in the east again." Qin An drew two arcs on the map with his finger. "First, send the main army towards the Wang family's direction, making them think we are going to break out from the west. The Wang family will be greatly alarmed and urgently summon the other two routes to come to their aid."

"Once their attention is focused on the west, we'll suddenly turn around and go after Xu Mao."

Cheng Zhiyuan was stunned: "Attack Xu Mao? Didn't you just say you were going to attack Wang Chong?"

"That's the first step." A glint of light flashed in Qin An's eyes. "Taking down Xu Mao isn't about destroying him, but about making them believe that our target is the south. Once their forces have been mobilized, we'll launch a counterattack and head straight for the Wang family."

He slapped his hands together on the map with a snap: "This back and forth will mobilize the rebels at least three times. During the mobilization, there will inevitably be gaps, and our opportunity lies in those gaps."

Everyone was silent for a moment, then simultaneously gasped.

This plan is too audacious.

Repeated maneuvers could lead to utter ruin if not handled carefully. But if successful, the rebels' encirclement would be forcibly breached.

"It's settled then." Qin An's gaze swept over everyone. "We'll begin the operation tomorrow."

……

Three days later, at the rebel camp in Ligangzhai.

The camp gates were wide open, and banners fluttered in the wind. Soldiers lined up on both sides of the camp, their armor gleaming, their swords and spears like a forest.

Pei Ji rode a chestnut horse and entered the camp gate with dozens of followers.

He was Wang Chong's top general, around forty years old, with a fair complexion and no beard, and a pair of shrewd eyes.

Cao Deren followed closely behind, his towering figure making his mount's steps heavy.

The gate opened again, and the last person to enter was Qin An's "old friend," Shan Tong.

He represented the Li Gangzhai camp and went straight to the central command tent.

Three tables had already been set up inside the tent, with maps spread out on them.

Xu Maogao sat in the main seat. When he saw the two men enter, he stood up and cupped his hands in greeting: "You two have come from afar, thank you for your hard work."

"How dare I complain? It's all for the sake of eliminating that scoundrel Qin An." Pei Ji returned the greeting with a forced smile and sat down to the left of the main seat.

Cao Deren casually sat down on the right, grabbed the wine pot on the table, took a swig, and wiped his mouth.

"Damn it, Qin An is as slippery as an eel. He escaped from Black Mountain City! The scouts I sent out said he's hiding in a ravine in the northwest, who knows what kind of bad scheme he's plotting."

"He can't escape." Xu Mao sat down in the main seat and pointed to the location of the government troops marked on the map. "With the combined forces of the three of us, nearly 100,000 men, we could drown him with just a spit from each of us."

Pei Ji raised an eyebrow as he looked at the distribution of his own troops on the map.

The Wang family's 40,000-strong army was stationed on the west side of the defense line, occupying the most fertile area.

He was secretly pleased with himself, as he had asked Wang Chong for this job.

As long as one can achieve merit in this battle, one's status in the Wang family will rise accordingly in the future.

"Report—"

A scout rushed into the tent, knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Reporting to the Marshal, Qin An's army has broken camp and is marching westward, their banners pointing directly at the Wang family's defenses!"

Pei Ji suddenly stood up, his sleeve flipping the teacup over, which rolled onto the carpet.

"He chose us?" His face was ashen, a glint of malice flashing in his eyes. "So, Qin An, does he think the Wang family is easy to bully?"

Xu Mao frowned slightly and looked at the scout: "Did you see it clearly?"

"It's absolutely true! The entire government army has been mobilized and is heading towards the Wang family's location. They haven't made any attempt to conceal their presence along the way, as if they're deliberately trying to let us see them."

"Arrogant!" Pei Ji slammed his fist on the table, making the wine cup rattle and spill the wine, wetting a corner of the map.

"My Wang family's 40,000-strong army—does he think he can just charge through? Since he dares to come, let him never return!"

He turned to Xu Mao and Cao Deren and cupped his hands, saying, "Gentlemen, since Qin An has chosen the west, it is now a matter for my Wang family. I will personally lead the army to meet him in battle and make sure he is defeated by me."

"At that time, I hope the two of you will cooperate to blockade his east, west, and north sides, leaving him nowhere to escape!"

Cao Deren grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth: "General Pei, rest assured, leave the north to me. I guarantee not even a fly will get out."

Xu Mao did not rush to express his opinion; his gaze remained fixed on the scouts.

"Qin An marched westward in such a grand manner, making no attempt to conceal his route. What do you think he was trying to achieve?"

Pei Ji sneered, "What else can they do? They're just desperate. His remaining troops are demoralized and short of supplies. If they don't fight to the death, are they just going to sit and wait to die?"

"That's not right." Xu Mao slowly shook his head. "I've dealt with Qin An a few times. He's a cunning and treacherous military strategist, and his specialty is taking things by surprise."

He stood up, walked to the map, and slowly moved his finger along Qin An's marching route.

"His high-profile westward march was either a deliberate attempt to lure us in, or... his real target wasn't south at all, but rather a way to divert our attention!"

Pei Ji waved his hand dismissively: "Marshal Xu is being overly cautious. Qin An is nothing but a stray dog ​​now. What waves can his few remaining troops possibly make?"

Cao Deren also burst into laughter, his voice booming: "Who cares which way he runs? We're surrounded on all sides now. Ten thousand men are blocking ten thousand of them. Can he even escape to the sky?"