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

The halberd drew a silver arc, cleaving the leading rebel soldiers in two, armor and all.

"It's Qin An! It really is Qin An!"

Some of the rebels recognized him, and screams erupted.

Qin An's bravery had already spread among the rebel army. In the Battle of Qingshiyu, he led more than a thousand cavalrymen to defeat the Wang family's army of ten thousand and captured Wang Teng alive.

Outside Heishan City, he charged through thousands of troops to rescue people, causing the elite soldiers of Ligang Village to cry out in despair.

Upon seeing Qin An's figure reappear on the battlefield, the Wang family's new recruits were terrified and lost all will to fight.

Those who surrender will not be killed!

Qin An's halberd swept across, cutting down a rebel captain who tried to resist.

The voice of one person actually drowned out the clamor of the battlefield.

Luo Kai wiped the blood from his face, looked at the familiar figure in the distance, and his eyes welled up with tears.

That kid actually came back.

"Brothers, General Qin is back!" Luo Kai roared with all his might, "Charge back!"

The morale of the government troops soared, their previously scattered formation was stabilized, and a counterattack surged forth like a tidal wave.

The soldiers with broken spears replaced them with captured weapons, and the wounded soldiers stood up again, leaning on their guns.

Meanwhile, the Wang family's rebel army began to disintegrate under the onslaught of Qin'an's cavalry.

The new recruits abandoned their armor and fled in panic; the veterans tried to hold their ground, but were swept along by the fleeing soldiers.

The army was defeated like a mountain.

Pei Ji watched as the situation on the battlefield deteriorated rapidly, his face turning ashen.

He knew the situation was hopeless; continuing the fight would only result in the complete annihilation of his 40,000-strong army.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!" he roared, turning his horse around and galloping away.

The Wang family banner fell with a crash, and the rebel army scattered and fled. Qin An led his troops in pursuit, capturing countless supplies and taking countless prisoners along the way.

In the end, they won this battle.

Qin An reined in his horse, looked at the fleeing rebel army and the cheering soldiers, and slowly placed his halberd on the ground.

General Zhang, did you see that?

He raised his head and looked at the distant mountains, his eyes slightly red.

The brothers didn't die in vain!

……

At the same time, Qin An defeated the Wang family's rebel army.

The southern battlefield, the Ligangzhai camp.

Xu Mao stood on the arrow tower of the camp, his gaze passing over the layers of the camp walls, looking towards the dusty land in the distance.

The government cavalry had been patrolling the perimeter for most of the day, their hooves sometimes near, sometimes far, their banners appearing and disappearing in the dust, but they had not yet launched a real attack.

"Marshal, they're stalling for time." Shan Tong climbed the arrow tower, his voice low.

Xu Mao did not answer.

He could obviously tell that this was a delaying tactic.

The question is, why is Qin An delaying?

"Send two light cavalry units to probe their reaction," Xu Mao finally spoke.

Moments later, the gates of Ligangzhai were opened wide, and two light cavalry units rushed out from the left and right flanks, heading straight for the flanks of the government cavalry.

The sound of horses' hooves was as dense as drumbeats, kicking up two plumes of dust.

The government cavalry reacted quickly.

They didn't even confront them directly; instead, they immediately turned their horses around and retreated.

The retreat was swift and decisive, without any hesitation, as if it had been planned all along.

The young general at the head rode a yellow horse, commanding with composure and displaying remarkable skill in maneuvering the formation.

Xu Mao frowned.

wrong.

The command style of the government troops is indeed very similar to that of Qin An.

The formation, the rhythm of advance and retreat, and the cavalry's maneuver routes all bear the mark of Qin An.

But after watching for so long, he still didn't see Qin An himself on the battlefield.

As his old rival, he knew that Qin An had a habit of always being at the forefront of battle.

That halberd was the banner of the government cavalry; as soon as they saw that cold glint, everyone knew which way to charge.

But now, that halberd has not appeared.

Xu Mao turned around abruptly, a fierce glint in his eyes: "Order the entire army to attack."

"The entire army?" Shan Tong was taken aback. "Marshal, isn't this a bit too hasty? What if it's a trap..."

"There's no 'what if'," Xu Mao's voice turned cold. "Qin An isn't here."

He pointed to the dusty ground in the distance: "He's stalling us, pinning us down here with a cavalry unit while he takes the main force elsewhere. As for where he went..."

Xu Mao clenched his fists: "Either it's the Wang family or Cao Deren. No matter which side he went to, we can't let him succeed. We must wipe out this cavalry before Qin An gets back."

Dan Tong's expression also changed: "This subordinate understands."

A deep bugle call rang out from the main camp of Ligangzhai, signaling the entire army to launch an attack.

The camp gates swung open, and the infantry marched out in formation, while the cavalry flanked them from both sides. The more than 20,000 troops formed a giant net, slowly closing in on the government cavalry.

Li Jing stood on a small earthen slope, looking at the dark mass of rebel troops in the distance, and his heart skipped a beat.

More than 20,000 people.

They outnumbered his cavalry by more than ten times.

His palms were sweating, and his hand holding the knife trembled slightly.

But when he remembered Qin An's hand patting his shoulder before he left, and the words "Believe in yourself, you can do it," he took a deep breath and suppressed his surging emotions.

He is Li Jing.

He is Qin An's brother-in-law.

He won't embarrass his brother-in-law.

"Pass on the order." Li Jing's voice was steadyer than he had expected. "No need to engage the enemy. Retreat while fighting. Archers, hold the rear. Cavalry, divide into three groups and take turns covering the rear. Remember, our mission is not to win, but to hold them off."

Han Quan and Xue Ju exchanged a glance, then simultaneously clasped their hands in a fist salute: "Yes."

The government cavalry began to retreat.

Their retreat was not a chaotic rout, but a methodical withdrawal.

Three cavalry units took turns covering the rear, one unit blocking the advance of the pursuers, while the other two units created distance.

Once the pursuers broke through the first team, the second team had already caught up.

The archers turned around on horseback and fired their arrows, which accurately struck the front ranks of the pursuers. The fallen warhorses and soldiers then became natural obstacles.

As Xu Mao watched the government troops' retreat route, the gloom in his eyes grew heavier.

The commander of this cavalry unit was no ordinary man. Every step of the retreat was perfectly timed, and every rearguard action was flawlessly executed.

Despite having only a little over a thousand men, he managed to keep his 20,000-strong army from catching up, holding them off, and attacking them.

He took advantage of the terrain, setting up ambushes in narrow mountain paths; a few rows of tripwires could delay the movement of an incense stick for the duration of a single stick of incense.

He divided his troops into multiple groups, leaving traces at the crossroads to confuse the pursuers about the direction of the main force.

He even pushed his few supply wagons into the river, blocking the most convenient crossing point for the pursuers.

Xu Mao had to stop repeatedly to clear roadblocks, determine directions, and send scouts to investigate.

This delay lasted for a whole day.

Xu Mao sat on his horse, looking at yet another damaged road ahead.

Li Jing had ordered the trees along the roadside to be cut down and placed haphazardly on the road.

The tree trunk was so thick that cavalry couldn't pass through it, and even infantry had to expend considerable effort to move it.

"Marshal, we'll have to wait another half an hour," the lieutenant said with a hint of helplessness.

Xu Mao, however, did not get angry.

He simply stared at the roadblock, remaining silent for a long time, before suddenly exclaiming, "The imperial court is indeed deeply entrenched. Even without Qin An, there are still such capable commanders. Overthrowing tyranny is a long and arduous task!"

"Marshal?" Shan Tong was somewhat surprised, not expecting Xu Mao to praise his opponent at this moment.

"If only such a person were in my army." Xu Mao's tone carried a complex regret, but he quickly concealed it, his gaze sharpening again. "Unfortunately, the more so, the less we can let him leave alive. If he joins forces with Qin An, he will surely become a great threat."

Just then, a fast horse came galloping from the northwest. The scout on the horse was covered in dust and almost lost his balance when he dismounted.

"Report—!"

The scout's voice was filled with barely suppressed panic: "The Wang family has suffered a crushing defeat! Pei Ji's army has been routed by Qin An, and the government forces have breached the Wang family's first line of defense!"

Xu Mao's expression suddenly changed drastically.

Almost at the same time, Li Jing, who was directing the retreat, also received the news.

Qin An's messenger brought the latest military order: "The Wang family has been defeated. Immediately shake off Xu Mao, rejoin the main force, and take advantage of the Wang family's recent defeat to launch a full-scale attack."

Li Jing's hand, gripping the military order, trembled slightly, not from fear, but from excitement.

My brother-in-law won.

Their plan succeeded.

"Everyone has it, let's retreat!" Li Jing turned around, his voice excited.

It was just a retreat, and the cavalry's advantages were immediately and fully realized.

By the time Xu Mao received news that the government troops had retreated, Li Jing had already led his cavalry thirty li away.

"Chase!" Xu Mao ordered through gritted teeth.

How could infantry possibly catch up with lightly armed cavalry?

Moreover, Li Jing traveled extremely fast, setting up no more ambushes or delays along the way, focusing all his efforts on getting there.

He has completed his mission; now all he has to do is bring his soldiers back alive.

……

Li Jing caught up with Qin An's main force in the evening of the second day.

The setting sun, like blood, shone on the still-wet bloodstains on the plains, reflecting a dim light.

The air was filled with the smell of burning, the lingering smoke from the burning supplies.

In the distance, one could see groups of prisoners being led away, heads bowed, their bodies covered in mud and blood.

Qin An's troops are resting.

The soldiers sat on the ground in twos and threes, eating the dry rations they had captured. Although their faces were tired, their eyes were shining.

That light only comes after a victory.

Li Jing rode his horse through the camp, and the soldiers all looked up.

Someone recognized him, whispered something, and then someone started clapping.

The applause gradually grew louder, accompanied by a few whistles and boisterous cheers.

Li Jing blushed slightly, but still straightened his back, rode his horse all the way to Qin An, dismounted, and knelt on one knee.

"General, I have successfully completed my mission. The cavalry suffered over three hundred casualties, but most of them were brought back. Xu Mao was not allowed to cross the defense line, and the plan was not ruined."

Qin An looked down at him.

This kid is darker and thinner than he was in Beijing.

There were several knife marks on his armor, and his left arm was wrapped with a blood-soaked strip of cloth.

But the way he knelt there was no longer like the naive young boy he once was; he now resembled a real soldier.

In this way, I can say that I have not let Li Qingwan down!