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

Seeing that everyone was full of energy, the magistrate nodded in satisfaction.

He then ordered the constables behind him to come forward and begin dividing the group into teams.

"Listen up, everyone! We're starting to divide into groups of twelve, led by two constables. Those whose names are called, step forward and stand in line!" one of the constables shouted.

Soon, the dozen or so constables dispersed and began selecting their own team members.

They mostly chose hunters who looked experienced and strong.

Qin An was tall and conspicuous, carrying a brand-new ox-horn bow.

Almost every yamen runner who passed by couldn't help but glance at him a couple of times.

"Hey you big guy, come here!" A burly constable with a sword at his waist shouted, pointing at Qin An.

Qin An looked up and saw that the yamen runner was about thirty years old, with a resolute face and sharp eyes, clearly a person with real skills.

The hunters around looked on with envy when they saw Qin An being chosen; clearly, this yamen runner held considerable weight in their eyes.

Qin An walked over, and the constable looked him up and down before nodding: "Not bad, you look quite sturdy. My name is Han Quan, and I'm the head constable of the county government."

"Qin An." Qin An's words were concise and to the point.

Standing next to Han Quan was a young yamen runner who looked to be under twenty years old. He had a somewhat immature look on his face and smiled shyly when he saw Qin An looking over.

Soon, Han Quan selected eight more hunters, and together with Qin An and Li Zhuang from Baishantun, they made a total of ten.

Li Zhuang was clearly relieved to be assigned to this team and whispered to Qin An, "That's great, Brother Qin An. It'll definitely be safer following Officer Han."

Qin An didn't speak, but silently observed the other members of his team.

Among these people were two experienced hunters and several strong young men.

Their expressions varied, but all carried a hint of excitement and nervousness.

Half an hour later, all the hunters had divided into teams. Each team received a small flag with a number on it for easy identification.

Han Quan, holding a flag with the number "seven," said to the crowd, "Alright, everyone's here. Follow me."

Led by Han Quan, the group headed towards the mountains outside the city.

The young constable followed Han Quan, appearing somewhat reserved.

Han Quan glanced at him and introduced him to everyone: "This is Wang Yong, he's new here, it's his first time with the team, please take care of him."

Wang Yong quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "Brothers, please guide me in the future."

Han Quan continued, "In our team, I'm the leader, and Wang Yong is assisting me. Now, everyone, please introduce yourselves so we can get to know each other better and cooperate more once we're in the mountains."

Everyone spoke in turn.

The two old hunters, one named Old Man Sun and the other named Old Man Liu, were both experienced hunters with decades of experience.

Besides Li Zhuang, the group of young men included Zhang Ergou and Zhou Tie, all of whom were hunters from nearby villages.

When it was Qin An's turn, he simply said two words: "Qin An".

Han Quan glanced at him, but didn't mind his taciturn nature.

After everyone finished introducing themselves, he said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, once we enter the mountains, you will follow my orders. Bai Ji's spies are extremely cunning and adept at concealing their tracks. Everyone must be on high alert and carefully observe any traces around you. If you discover anything suspicious, do not act on your own; report to me first!"

"Remember, our mission is to search for spies, and once you find them, send a signal immediately and wait for reinforcements. We're not sending you to be heroes and go it alone!"

"Also, the terrain in these mountains is complicated, so be careful not to get separated. Every half hour, I will have Wang Yong blow a whistle. When you hear the whistle, gather at the nearest assembly point."

Han Quan spoke clearly and logically, his words filled with authority.

Everyone listened attentively and nodded repeatedly.

"Alright," Han Quan glanced at the sky, "It's getting late. Let's head into the mountains this way and set off!"

He pointed to a dense forest on his left and stepped into it first.

Wang Yong followed closely behind, holding a short knife, and cautiously observing his surroundings.

Qin An and the other hunters followed, keeping their distance and maintaining a vigilant formation.

The road into the mountains was not easy to walk; the dense forest was full of thorns, and the withered branches and leaves were up to knee-deep.

Old Sun and Old Liu walked ahead, using their rich experience to identify the direction and clear away the thorns blocking their way.

Qin An walked in the middle of the group, cautiously observing his surroundings while keeping an eye on the movements of the two old hunters.

Old Sun would squat down from time to time to examine the footprints and marks on the ground, muttering to himself.

"These are rabbit tracks, we just passed by last night... those are marks left by a wild boar, not far from us..."

Liu Laoshuan looked up to observe the branches and vines, trying to determine if anyone had passed by.

"The branch of this tree is broken off; the cut is very fresh, as if someone bumped into it and broke it off..."

Qin An silently remembered their methods, and felt a growing respect for the two old hunters.

These seemingly insignificant details can often reveal the target's whereabouts, making them far more reliable than simply relying on system prompts.

The hunting dogs in the group also came in handy, sniffing the ground from time to time and barking in a certain direction.

Old Sun's old yellow dog was particularly sharp and found abandoned animal bones in the grass several times.

Qin An looked at the hunting dogs and felt a pang of envy. A good hunting dog could not only track prey but also warn of danger in advance, providing an extra layer of protection in these deep mountains.

He thought to himself that if he could save enough money when he went back this time, he would definitely buy a good hunting dog, preferably one that was intelligent and had a keen sense of smell.

The group walked and stopped, searching for traces of Bai Ji's spies.

However, Bai Ji's spies were clearly extremely cautious. Apart from the vague traces that Qin An had discovered earlier, they found no other valuable clues along the way.

Li Zhuang was getting impatient: "Officer Han, we've been walking for most of the day and haven't seen a single ghost. Those Bai Ji spies probably ran away long ago, right?"

Han Quan said in a deep voice, "Don't let your guard down. Since they dared to massacre the village, they won't leave easily. The calmer it is, the more likely there is an ambush."

Qin An also found it strange.

Logically speaking, it's impossible for Bai Ji's spies to operate in the mountains without leaving any trace, unless they deliberately concealed their movements.

Or... are they waiting for them to walk right into their trap?

He felt a vague unease, slowed his pace, and observed his surroundings more carefully.

As evening approached, the setting sun cast dappled light and shadows through the gaps in the leaves.

The group found a relatively flat open space and decided to rest for a while and eat something to replenish their energy.

Old Sun and Old Liu skillfully gathered dry branches and started a fire.

Zhang Ergou and Zhou Tie skillfully handled the prey they had casually hunted.

With so many hunters together, there's absolutely no need to worry about going hungry in these resource-rich mountains.

Han Quan sent Wang Yong to keep watch nearby, while he sat by the fire, took out a map, and studied it carefully.

Just then, a sharp whistle pierced the sky and echoed through the air.