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

Xiao Mei eventually entered the camp.

Her embroidered shoes stepped into the muddy water, splashing mud onto the hem of her skirt, but she was completely unaware.

She stopped in front of the first tent, bent down to look at the old man huddled inside, and asked him a few questions softly.

The old man's lips moved, and tears streamed from his cloudy eyes.

Such a commotion naturally attracted everyone's attention.

At first, everyone was terrified, worried that the government troops were there to wipe them out.

It was known that the Empress herself had come, and coupled with Xiao Mei's gentle attitude, more and more refugees gathered around.

At first, they just watched from afar, but later, the bolder ones gradually approached and stretched out their thin, bony hands.

A woman knelt on the ground and kowtowed, her forehead hitting the muddy ground with a dull thud, repeatedly chanting "May Your Majesty the Empress enjoy boundless blessings."

"Food!" Xiao Mei straightened up, her voice suddenly becoming loud and firm. "Give them all the edible food in the caravan."

The palace maids and eunuchs looked at each other in bewilderment.

The officials from the Ministry of Rites were so anxious that they kept rubbing their hands together, saying that this was against the rules.

Xiao Mei didn't even glance at him, turning to Qin An and saying, "General Qin, did you hear what I said?"

Faced with such a troublesome empress, Qin An had no desire to say anything more. He simply turned to the imperial guards and ordered, "Unload the grain and distribute it."

The entire camp erupted in cheers as the food was unloaded from the trucks.

The refugees surged in like a tide.

At first, there was still some semblance of order, but when the first bag of grain was torn open, the scene instantly spiraled out of control.

Dozens of hands reached out at the same time, pushing, shoving, and stepping on each other.

Some people were crying, some were shouting, and some children were knocked down; their cries were drowned out by the cacophony of voices.

Seeing this situation, Qin An immediately felt a little anxious.

He pulled Xiao Mei behind him, drew his waist knife with his right hand, and swept it in an arc in front of him with the back of the blade facing outward.

His voice could be clearly heard by everyone in the noise.

"Guards, listen to my command! Form a human wall to separate the crowd! Maintain order! Everyone line up for rations. Anyone who cuts in line or pushes will be struck without mercy!"

The guards moved swiftly, with shield bearers in front and spearmen behind, carving a path through the crowded throng.

Several of the most aggressive burly men were knocked to the ground by the shield, groaning as they got up. When they saw the gleaming blades pointing at them, they immediately became obedient.

A tall, thin man who tried to force his way through was grabbed by the collar, lifted up, and thrown out of the crowd, rolling twice on the ground before stopping.

"Stop!" Xiao Mei's voice rang out behind her, filled with anger. "Qin An! These are all my subjects! How can you be so violent?"

Qin An, his mind already on edge, was extremely agitated by the chaotic scene.

Hearing someone interrupt him while he was maintaining order, he instinctively snapped, "Shut up! What do you know? You…"

The moment these words were spoken, the surroundings fell silent.

The palace maids stared wide-eyed, the eunuchs gaped open, and even the official from the Ministry of Rites looked as if he had choked on something, his face deathly pale.

Qin An then belatedly realized who he was talking to.

He abruptly stopped himself from speaking, his expression stiffening for a moment.

He took a deep breath and spoke again, his voice lowered, but his tone remained cold and hard.

"Your Majesty, please forgive us. The situation is extremely urgent. These refugees are starving and fear no authority. If they are not controlled, it will lead to a stampede, resulting in countless deaths and injuries."

"My duty is to protect Your Majesty. If anything were to happen to Her Majesty, I would lose ten heads. Therefore, I beg Your Majesty to allow me to maintain order first!"

As Qin An said this, he felt a chill run down his spine.

Although I had a feeling beforehand that this wouldn't be a good job.

But no one expected that this Empress would be so difficult to deal with, always causing trouble.

But in this chaotic situation, he couldn't care less about anything else.

After saying that, he continued to direct the guards to maintain order.

Xiao Mei stood there, the anger on her face gradually fading, replaced by a complex silence.

She watched Qin An's tall figure with his back to her, and watched him command the guards without hesitation to separate the crowd.

Watching the originally chaotic displaced people gradually form several crooked lines under his iron-fisted methods.

She suddenly realized that her passionate love for the people had almost led to a disaster.

Once things had finally stabilized somewhat, Qin An faced Xiao Mei again. Just as he was about to clasp his hands in apology, she spoke first.

"General Qin, it was my oversight! You did the right thing. Professional matters should be left to professionals."

Her voice was soft, and her tone lacked the empress's authority over her subjects; instead, it conveyed a quiet apology.

"I entrust everything here to you; I will no longer interfere."

Qin An was stunned for a moment, then clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

He didn't say anything more and turned around to continue arranging manpower.

But as he turned around, a sense of surprise flashed through his mind.

This empress was certainly not the kind of fool who only knew how to give orders.

She was a bit naive, but at least she listened to advice and admitted her mistakes.

After order was restored, Xiao Mei personally stood in front of the table where the food was distributed.

The refugees lined up, one by one stepping forward. She took the food from the palace maid and personally handed it to each of them.

He bent down and gave a few words of advice, asking how many people were left in the family and where they had fled from.

Her skirt was covered in mud, and her hair was disheveled by the wind, but she always had a gentle smile on her face.

Her smile, like the food she handed to the refugees, was genuine and heartfelt.

Qin An stood closely behind her, keeping an eye on the order of the queue while scanning the surrounding crowd.

His hand never left the hilt of the knife at his waist.

Just as the line was halfway through, an eight- or nine-year-old boy squeezed out of the queue.

The child was as thin as a stick, with high cheekbones, but his eyes were surprisingly bright.

Xiao Mei handed him a plate of food.

He took it and wolfed it down, swallowing it almost without chewing.

The food that was distributed was gone in the blink of an eye.

The boy looked up and then at the other food that Xiao Mei hadn't yet handed out.

His eyes darted around, and in the next instant, he charged at Xiao Mei like a starving beast, trying to snatch the food from her hand.

Xiao Mei gasped and leaned back.

Fortunately, at the crucial moment, she found support behind her.

The sudden turn of events caused Qin An, who had been on guard, to react instinctively, pulling her into his arms.

His right hand gripped the halberd tightly, his eyes already fixed on the boy.

But he did not act rashly; he always remembered his mission, which was to protect the Queen's safety.

"Protect the Emperor!" Qin An gave the order, and two imperial guards rushed towards the boy at the same time, trying to subdue him.

But who knew that the child, though small and thin, was surprisingly strong.

He suddenly swung his arm, sending two armored guards flying five or six feet away, helmet and all, until they rolled to the ground.

Qin An's eyes turned completely cold.

I didn't expect the other side to be so powerful, able to easily take down two Imperial Guards.

This moment made him, as the leader, feel ashamed and he decided to take action personally to prevent further trouble.

But he did not forget his mission, fearing that he might accidentally frighten the empress again.

He didn't let go of Xiao Mei, but instead took a step forward with her.

His right hand had already raised the halberd, the blade drawing an arc in the air.

"Stop!" Xiao Mei's voice rang in his ears, so close it was almost touching, filled with obvious urgency. "He's still a child! Don't kill him!"

Qin An's halberd stance abruptly changed mid-air.

The halberd was originally aimed at the boy's skull, but upon hearing Xiao Mei's command, he flipped his wrist.

The halberd blade swung horizontally, changing from a slash to a strike, and the halberd shaft swept heavily across the boy's back.

With a muffled thud, the boy flew out like a kite with a broken string, rolling several times on the ground before coming to a stop.

But he quickly got up, rubbed his back, and kept his eyes fixed on the food in his hand.

His mouth was smeared with bits of grain, and his clothes on the back were torn by the halberd shaft, revealing the skin underneath. There was only a red mark, and no blood flowed.

Qin An narrowed his eyes slightly.

Although he held back his strength when he hit him, it was enough to knock out an ordinary adult.

The child was hit, but not only was he unharmed, he even managed to knock two guards to the ground.

This instantly drew his gaze to the other person, and he curiously investigated, momentarily forgetting the presence of the Empress.

At this moment, Xiao Mei felt her whole body go weak, and her heart was beating so fast it felt like it was going to jump out of her throat.

However, Qin An was so protective of his master that he held her in his arms.

Unfortunately, Qin An had taken her along earlier, which caused the distance between them to shift slightly.

In addition, Xiao Mei does indeed possess the qualities of an empress, with a broad mind.

This caused Qin An's hand, which had been protecting her, to press firmly against her chest.

Qin An's overwhelming masculine aura and the warmth of his hand stirred endless ripples in Xiao Mei's heart.

Fortunately, Xiao Mei was no ordinary woman; as the Empress, she possessed a resilient character.

She took a deep breath, forcibly banishing the sensation of that hand from her mind, and kept her voice as steady as possible.

"General Qin, I am alright now, you can release me."

Hearing Xiao Mei's words, Qin An finally realized what was going on.

Then, he felt a sensation coming from his left hand.

The softness and warmth were clearly transmitted to his palms through the fabric.

"I actually assaulted the Empress?"

Qin An's mind was instantly filled with only this one thought, and his body stiffened involuntarily.

He then abruptly withdrew his hand, took a step back, knelt on one knee, bowed his head, and said in a deep voice, "This humble general has been disrespectful; please punish me, Your Majesty."