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

Looking at Li Jing kneeling in front of him, Qin An reached out and helped him up.

"Get up!" The voice wasn't loud, but all the surrounding generals heard it clearly.

"To tie down Xu Mao's more than 20,000 troops with 1,500 cavalry for a whole day and still bring the troops back intact, this battle was well fought."

He paused, glanced at the soldiers who had surrounded him, and suddenly raised his voice.

"When I, Qin An, employ people, I never look at who they are, but only at what they can do. You all saw Li Jing's battle today, so I don't need to say anything more."

After saying that, he suddenly raised his hand and punched Li Jing in the chest. It wasn't hard, but his voice carried a hint of teasing.

"But don't get too cocky, kid. You need to take a good look at those delaying tactics and reflect on them. There are still many areas where you can improve."

Li Jing's eyes welled up with tears, but he gritted his teeth and held them back.

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

During a brief respite for the army, Qin An summoned his key generals and announced Li Jing's appointment in front of everyone.

"I have always recommended virtuous people regardless of kinship." Qin An looked around at everyone, his tone calm but unquestionable. "Li Jing's performance in leading the cavalry alone to restrain Xu Mao is evident to all of you. He has proven his ability to stand alone. From today onwards, he will no longer serve as my personal guard."

All eyes were on Li Jing, who stood ramrod straight, his expression tense yet restrained.

Qin An continued, "This time, we decisively defeated the Wang family's rebel army and captured over a thousand warhorses. These warhorses will be handed over to Li Jing to establish a separate cavalry battalion, tentatively with a strength of a thousand men. This independent army will be under my direct command."

He turned to Han Quan and Xue Ju, then changed the subject: "As for the position of cavalry commander..."

Han Quan and Xue Ju straightened their backs at the same time.

However, everyone knew in their hearts that Qin An was now the commander of an army and was considering the overall situation.

He will definitely have to relinquish his previous position as commander of the cavalry.

After all, as the commander-in-chief, he can no longer lead from the front every time as he did before.

Especially when multiple troop types need to cooperate, you can't just abandon the other troops and lead the cavalry in a charge.

After a brief pause to build suspense, Qin An continued, "The cavalry commander will not be appointed for now! From today onwards, the three of you will each lead a battalion. Whoever performs best in the upcoming battles will become the future commander of that cavalry unit. It will be a fair competition!"

Han Quan clasped his hands in a fist salute first: "General, rest assured, this humble general will certainly live up to your expectations!"

Xue Ju grinned, his eyes gleaming with eager anticipation: "Hey, then I'm going to have a good spar with Little Li."

Li Jing looked at the two men and solemnly cupped his hands in greeting: "I would appreciate your guidance, brothers."

Qin An watched this scene, a satisfied smile curving his lips.

This was the best arrangement he could give Li Jing.

It is both an opportunity and a test.

How far he can go depends entirely on himself.

After a moment, Qin An's smile faded, and his expression turned serious again.

"Rest is complete. Order the entire army to move out immediately. Target: Wang Family Defense Line!"

"Let's seize this opportunity and break through completely in one fell swoop!"

……

The army set off again.

This time, morale is completely different from before.

The prisoners were placed in the middle of the column, and the captured supplies were loaded onto the carts. The soldiers' pace was more than three times faster than before.

Because they saw hope.

General Qin led them to a great victory. The Wang family's 40,000 men were defeated. What else can't they defeat?

While you are sick, I will kill you.

This is Qin An's creed.

Qin An gave the Wang family no more chance to breathe.

He personally led the cavalry to clear the way, with the infantry following closely behind, and launched a fierce attack on the last line of defense of the Wang family.

The rebel strongholds encountered along the way either collapsed at the first contact or surrendered without a fight.

The Wang family had just suffered a major defeat, with their 40,000-strong army routed by Qin An.

When Pei Ji rallied the remaining troops, his lieutenants were all ashen-faced, and the soldiers were utterly demoralized.

Many new recruits, upon hearing that Qin An had returned, dared not even leave their camp and instead threw down their weapons and ran away.

Pei Ji killed several deserters before he could barely stabilize the situation, but morale is something that cannot be restored by killing.

Qin An's cavalry swept through the enemy lines as if they were in an empty field, breaking through three of the Wang family's temporary defensive lines, each of which could not hold out for more than half an hour.

The infantry followed closely behind, advancing steadily and widening the breach, giving the rebels no chance to block it.

By dusk on the fourth day, Qin An's army had reached the last line of defense of the Wang family.

This defensive line is different from the temporary stockade wall in front.

Built against the mountainside, it has a high wall made of rammed earth on the front and cliffs on both sides, with only a narrow passage in the middle that can allow a large army to pass through.

The walls were covered with banners and spears, and countless archers could be vaguely seen crouching behind the battlements.

This was the last barrier for the Wang family, and also the final door between the government troops and freedom.

Qin An reined in his horse, gazing at the high wall with a slight frown.

This defensive line is not easy to breach.

A head-on assault would inevitably result in significant casualties.

If they take a detour, it will take at least three to five more days, and Xu Mao and Cao Deren won't give him that much time.

Just then, a group of people appeared on the city wall.

The leader was a tall, middle-aged man dressed in a bright armor trimmed with gold thread, with a long sword inlaid with gemstones at his waist. He walked to the front of the battlements, surrounded by a group of generals.

This is Wang Chong, the leader of the Wang family's rebel army.

His own army suffered repeated losses at Qin An's hands, which made him unable to sit still any longer, and he risked his life to go to the front line.

Looking down at Qin An's army from his high vantage point, his gaze lingered on the tall, imposing figure at the front of the formation.

The figure, clad in chainmail and wielding a halberd, remained as steady as a mountain despite having endured days of fierce battles.

Wang Chong squinted his eyes.

He had heard of this name long ago, heard about Qing Shiyu capturing his son alive, and heard about how Pei Ji's 40,000-strong army was routed by him in one blow.

At first he thought it was an exaggeration, but now it seems that this person is indeed extraordinary.

"General Qin," Wang Chong spoke, his voice carried by the wind down the city wall and echoing across the battlefield, "do you know that the court behind you is rotten to the core?"

Qin An did not answer, but simply reined in his horse and looked up at the city wall.

Wang Chong continued, "The fate of the Great Xing Dynasty has run its course. Look at what has happened in recent years: the emperor is incompetent, court officials are scheming against each other, treacherous officials are causing chaos in the government, and the people are displaced."

"The court you risk your life for can't even feed its own soldiers. How long have your rations and pay been delayed? How many times have your weapons been repaired? Has the court ever even inquired about your wounded soldiers?"

He paused, then his tone became earnest: "General Qin, you are a talented person. I have been paying attention to you from the beginning. You are the 'Ten Fortresses of Qin' on the Baekje battlefield, the young general who single-handedly defeated my son Wang Teng's army of ten thousand. A person like you should not be buried with a dying court."

"If you are willing to surrender, I, Wang Chong, guarantee with the reputation of the Wang family for hundreds of years that you will receive high official rank and generous salary, wealth and honor. My Wang family has an estate in Luocheng with thousands of acres of fertile land and hundreds of servants, all of which will be yours."

"If you wish to stay, you will be an honored guest of the Wang family; if you wish to leave, I can provide you with travel expenses and send you on your way."

He paused for a moment, as if he had made a great decision, and his voice carried a hint of coaxing.

"I have a daughter, who is sixteen years old and has outstanding looks and talents. If you are willing to enter my Wang family, I will betroth her to you."

The generals behind Qin An fell silent for a moment, then looked at Qin An almost simultaneously.

Qin An was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

"Chief Wang's offer is indeed quite high." He raised his head, his voice not loud, but it carried clearly to the city wall.

"High-ranking official position, generous salary, fertile land and beautiful mansion, and a rich young lady—to be honest, I'm quite tempted."

Wang Chong's eyes lit up: "So General Qin means..."

"What I mean is, since Chief Wang is so sincere, why don't we come down and talk face to face?"

Qin An's tone was so sincere that Luo Kai almost burst out laughing.

There was a moment of silence on the city wall.

Qin An continued, "Chief Wang, you see, although I, Qin An, am a rough man, I know that marriage is a serious matter and should not be taken lightly."

"You said you wanted to marry your daughter to me, so I should at least meet my future father-in-law first, right? You're standing so tall, it's tiring for me to talk while I'm craning my neck. Come down, let's sit down and talk slowly. I think this marriage has a chance."

Wang Chong's smile froze.

Come down?

Go down to Qin An?

He had heard how fierce Qin An was on the battlefield, and how he had charged into battle single-handedly more than once.

Countless renowned generals have perished beneath that halberd.

If he really went down there, he'd probably go straight from father-in-law to corpse.

"General Qin is joking." Wang Chong coughed lightly. "It doesn't matter whether you're on the city wall or not. If you're sincere, you can give me a definite answer now."

Qin An's smile deepened, and his voice rose so that everyone could hear him.

"Chief Wang, you don't even dare to come down and talk to me face to face, so what sincerity are you talking about?"

He glanced back at the soldiers behind him, his voice suddenly becoming louder, filled with undisguised sarcasm.

"Although I, Qin An, am not a big shot, I know that to attract talent and treat scholars with respect, one must at least personally welcome them."

"Your son, Wang Teng, once shouted that he wanted to take my head, but what happened? I shot him off his horse with an arrow, tied him up like a pig, and made him cry his eyes out. Now you, as his father, want me to be your son-in-law, but you don't even dare to look me in the eye."

Qin An looked up at him, his smile turning cold: "Wang Chong, are you afraid of me?"

Wang Chong, standing on the city wall, instantly blushed.

"You are afraid of me because you know that your soldiers cannot stop me. You are afraid of me because your 40,000 troops have been crippled by me."

"You're afraid of me because you, Wang Chong, make it sound good, but in reality, you're someone who wouldn't even dare to show your face on the battlefield..."

Qin An paused deliberately, then slammed his halberd to the ground. The dull thud echoed across the fields, the sound suddenly rising to a crescendo like a thunderclap.

"Coward!"