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

Xu Mao was startled awake from his sleep. He grabbed his long sword and rushed out of the command tent. Just as he was about to organize the defense, he saw that Qin An had already attacked the front of the central command tent.

"Qin An!" His eyes widened in fury as he drew his sword and charged forward.

The swords and halberds clashed, sparks flew, and a deafening roar was heard.

"Xu Mao." Qin An's voice was as cold as iron as his halberd whistled down. "This is for General Zhang!"

Xu Mao gritted his teeth and blocked the attack, but the shock made his hands go numb, and he almost dropped the long sword.

He retreated repeatedly, his face pale.

"Shoot the arrows! Stop him!"

Archers rushed out from both sides, and arrows rained down on Qin An like locusts.

Qin An swung his halberd to deflect the attack, glanced back at the cavalry that had already broken through three walls of the stockade, and then looked at the rebel army of Ligang Village that was urgently assembling. He made up his mind.

The deterrent effect has been achieved; there's no need to dwell on it.

"Retreat!" Qin An shouted, turned his horse around, and led his cavalry in a retreat like a tide.

Xu Mao watched Qin An's departing figure and suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

He leaned on the knife, barely managing to stand, his eyes terrifyingly gloomy.

……

Wang Family Camp.

Pei Ji was supervising the battle at the front when he suddenly heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats behind him.

"Report—!" The messenger scrambled to his feet, his voice trembling, "General, Qin An... Qin An has appeared in the south!"

Pei Ji turned around abruptly: "What?"

"Qin An led several thousand cavalry in a surprise attack on the Li Gangzhai camp, breaching three walls in succession, and capturing Marshal Xu's central command banner! Qin An shouted 'Avenge Zhang Xu!' all the way, his offensive was extremely fierce! Marshal Xu urgently requested reinforcements!"

Pei Ji was stunned for a moment, then a look of realization flashed in his eyes.

A feint to the east while attacking in the west!

Qin An's real target was not in the west, but in Xu Mao in the south!

His previous high-profile westward advance was merely a ploy to mislead himself and make everyone believe he was planning a breakout from the west.

In reality, he left a contingent of infantry to launch a feigned attack in the west, while he led his cavalry to circle around to the south to attack Xu Mao!

Qin An is quite something; he even fooled him.

At the same time, Cao Deren also received the same message.

He immediately sent a message to Pei Ji, and the two of them decided that Xu Mao must hold on, and they would immediately send troops to support him.

Under no circumstances can we let Qin An escape.

Qin An stood in front of the central command tent, looking at the military report brought by the scouts.

Li Gangzhai has sent out three waves of messengers seeking help, and Pei Ji and Cao Deren have begun to move troops south.

The first step was to use a feint to lure Xu Mao into a trap.

The second step was to launch a surprise attack on Ligang Village, making everyone believe that his target was the south.

Now, it's time to proceed with the third step.

However, carrying out this third step is not an easy task.

He knew he couldn't simply lead all his cavalry away in a straightforward manner.

Otherwise, Xu Mao would definitely pursue them relentlessly, and if he discovers that they have left again, all their efforts will be in vain.

Therefore, it is necessary to leave a large force behind to continue to contain Xu Mao.

This choice of person to keep him in check made it difficult for Qin An to make a decision.

At this point, he suddenly realized that he still had too few capable people at his disposal.

Currently, his cavalry force is reduced to only two centurions, Han Quan and Xue Ju, who are barely usable.

To be honest, Qin An didn't have high expectations for them.

Of the two, Han Quan was previously just a constable.

He was able to climb to his current position as a centurion only because of the favors he had done for him.

He promoted people based on their personal connections.

Otherwise, with Han Quan's abilities, he would never have reached this point today.

Xue Ju was relatively better, but in Liu Yi's mind, he was just a decent general.

In terms of command ability, he is probably no better than Han Quan.

Under such circumstances, Qin An was naturally unwilling to leave them behind to lead the troops and restrain Xu Mao.

With many thoughts flashing through his mind, Qin An was truly in a dilemma.

Finally, his gaze settled on his brother-in-law, Li Jing.

He had long recognized Li Jing's talent for leadership and had been training him by his side for quite some time.

Although still young and inexperienced, they have already begun to show their talent.

"Perhaps, with his talent, he might actually be able to bring me a pleasant surprise."

After much deliberation, Qin An finally made a bold decision.

He summoned Han Quan, Xue Ju, and Li Jingquan and announced his decision.

"Xue Ju, lead 1,500 cavalrymen and continue to create momentum on the border. Don't hold back your horsepower. Keep moving around the perimeter of Ligang Village so that everyone thinks I'm still on your side."

He paused for a moment, looking slightly hesitant, but finally spoke firmly: "Li Jing will cooperate with you; he will serve as the temporary commander this time."

Everyone was shocked by these words.

I never expected Qin An to make such a decision.

"Me?" Li Jing pointed at himself in surprise, and said somewhat flusteredly, "Brother-in-law... no, General, can I do it?"

Li Jing naturally longed to lead troops on his own, but the more experience he gained, the more composed he became, no longer as ignorant and arrogant as before.

He also knew that he did have some talent in military affairs.

He was about to lead 1,500 cavalrymen to contend with the renowned general Xu Mao, and he was still not confident in his abilities.

Han Quan and Xue Ju were also surprised, never expecting that Qin An would entrust such an important task to Li Jing, a mere teenager.

However, they didn't say anything more.

They did not believe that Qin An was truly practicing nepotism.

After spending so much time together, they realized that Li Jing was indeed a very talented young man.

The higher you climb, the more you realize the importance of talent.

Since Qin An made such a decision, it shows that he had thought it through carefully and that Li Jing was a better choice than the two of them.

Seeing Li Jing's panicked state, Qin An patted him on the shoulder: "Believe in yourself, you can do it. Do you want to be my personal guard forever?"

Encouraged by Qin An, Li Jing gradually calmed down, his eyes burning with a fierce flame.

"This humble general accepts the order and will never let the general down!" Li Jing solemnly accepted the mission.

He then asked, "And you, General..."

Qin An had already mounted his horse, followed by three hundred cavalrymen.

Three hundred people is enough.

"Me?" Qin An's lips curled into a chilling smile. "Go and deal with what needs to be dealt with."

His halberd drew an arc in the air, its tip pointing straight south.

The three hundred cavalrymen vanished silently into the night like swords drawn from their sheaths.

……

On the western front.

Luo Kai had lost count of how many people he had killed.

All he knew was that his knife was dulled, and the old wound on his left arm had reopened, with blood flowing down his fingers.

But he couldn't care less, because the rebels in front of him were still surging up, a dark mass, like an endless swarm of locusts.

Cheng Zhiyuan stood guard beside him, his iron spear piercing the chest of a rebel soldier. He was then struck in the right shoulder by another rebel soldier. With a muffled groan, he swung his sword backhand and cleaved the man to the ground.

"How much longer can we hold out?" Cheng Zhiyuan asked at the top of his lungs, his voice barely audible amidst the sounds of battle.

"Hold on until General Qin returns!" Luo Kai roared in reply, slashing down a charging rebel soldier with his blade. "He said he'd come back, and he will!"

But there were just too many rebels.

The Wang family's 40,000-strong army has already fully committed itself, while Luo Kai and his 7,000 infantrymen are vastly outnumbered.

The defensive line was compressed inch by inch, soldiers fell one after another, and the formation began to crumble.

If things continue like this, defeat is only a matter of time.

Pei Ji stood on the high platform behind him, watching the government troops' formation gradually loosen, a smile appearing on his lips.

"Give it another push." ​​He licked his chapped lips, a greedy glint in his eyes. "Send the order: all troops attack and annihilate the government forces!"

The Wang family rebels launched an even fiercer offensive, and the government troops' defenses were on the verge of collapse.

Just then, a cloud of dust suddenly rose from the side and rear of the battlefield.

The smoke and dust obscured the sky, like a sandstorm.

Countless cavalry figures could be vaguely seen moving through the dust, their hooves thundering like lightning, shaking the earth.

"It's cavalry!" someone in the Wang family's rebel army shouted in a shrill voice, his voice filled with terror.

"Qin'an's cavalry! Qin'an is back!"

"The cavalry are charging! Run!"

Pei Ji turned his head abruptly, his pupils shrinking sharply.

Qin'an?

Isn't Qin'an in the south?

Wasn't he fighting Xu Mao? How did he end up here?

No, not possible!

His gaze was fixed on the cloud of smoke, trying to discern what was inside.

But the smoke and dust were too thick, and one could only vaguely see countless flags waving, hear the dense sound of horses' hooves like a torrential rain, and feel the oppressive feeling that made one's scalp tingle.

The next moment, a tall figure appeared in everyone's sight.

It's Qin'an!

Although it's not clear yet, the momentum of their charge and their fearless fighting style—who else could it be but Qin An?

That bastard... he tricked him again!

Feint to the east while attacking the west, then strike the east again.

He thought Qin An was going to attack the Wang family, but Qin An ended up attacking Xu Mao instead.

He had just transferred his troops to support Xu Mao when Qin An returned to attack!

This isn't fighting a war; it's treating the three rebel armies like monkeys!

Pei Ji gritted his teeth, a chill he had never felt before rising in his heart.

He thought he was cautious enough, but in the end, he was still led by the nose by Qin An.

Qin An didn't care what Pei Ji was thinking.

Upon arriving here, he charged directly into the battlefield all by himself.

As for the three hundred cavalrymen he brought, they did not rush to show themselves.

They were each dragging tree branches, running back and forth behind Qin'an.

Branches dragged across the dry ground, raising clouds of dust and creating the impression that the cavalry had all returned to reinforce the area.

As for the fact that only Qin An charged into the battlefield, it can be entirely attributed to Qin An's superior skills and daring, coupled with the outstanding quality of his warhorse.

"kill--!"

Qin An roared angrily, his voice like thunder.

The Snow-Treading Crow stood upright, pawed twice in the air with its front hooves, and then charged into the enemy ranks like an arrow released from a bow!