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

"Snapped!"

In the imperial court, the last urgent report was slammed onto the gold bricks.

Yang Ming's hands were trembling, whether from anger or fear, it was hard to tell.

He stood up, supporting himself on the armrests of the dragon throne, his chest heaving violently, his gaze like a knife piercing the figure kneeling at the head of all the officials.

"Yuwen Hua".

Three words, neither too light nor too heavy, yet they sent a chill down the spines of all the civil and military officials in the hall.

Yuwen Hua crawled out of the ranks on his knees, his forehead touching the cool gold bricks, and the dark stain on the back of his official robes visibly seeped through.

"Raise your head," Yang Ming's voice suddenly softened. "Look at me."

Yuwen Hua had no choice but to look up and meet those bloodshot eyes.

"Who was it that confidently told me in this very hall that the front lines had been victorious and the rebels were no threat?"

Yang Ming walked down the imperial steps one by one, the sound of his boots echoing in the hall, each sound like a blow to everyone's heart.

"Who told me that Qin An had already terrified the rebels? Who told me that the imperial army had won a great victory and the rebels had no choice but to band together for self-preservation? Hmm?"

He walked up to Yuwen Hua and looked down at the old minister who was prostrate on the ground.

"Then tell me!" He suddenly raised his foot and kicked the urgent report beside him into Yuwen Hua's face. "What's going on at Yangkou Warehouse?"

The report struck Yuwen Hua on the forehead, leaving a bloody mark.

He dared not dodge, nor dared he wipe.

"What's going on in Hebei?!"

Yang Ming's voice suddenly rose, and the entire hall buzzed.

"What's going on in Los Angeles?!"

He bent down, grabbed Yuwen Hua by the collar, and practically lifted him up, his mouth almost touching Yuwen Hua's ear.

"Did you know that Luoyang is only three hundred li away from the capital?"

Yuwen Hua's lips trembled, his Adam's apple bobbed, and in the end he could only squeeze out a few words: "Your Majesty... I deserve to die..."

"You deserve to die!" Yang Ming shoved him aside, and Yuwen Hua fell heavily onto the gold bricks, his hair falling loose over his shoulders.

Yang Ming turned his back, looked up at the plaque above the throne, and suddenly let out a short, cold laugh.

"Oh."

He turned around, his gaze slowly sweeping over the two rows of civil and military officials. Whoever he looked at would lower their head an inch and fall down in unison.

"I want to quell the rebellion." He said each word slowly and deliberately, "Who dares to lead the army?"

Dead silence.

Even the sound of the wind blowing the banners outside the palace could be heard clearly.

The Minister of War studied the non-existent pattern on the boot tip repeatedly.

General Zuo suddenly started coughing violently, bending over as if he were coughing up his lungs.

The right general held his waist, his expression suggesting that his old injury had relapsed and he was in excruciating pain.

Even the usually eloquent civil officials were now speechless.

They understood the current situation in Daxing better than Yang Ming did.

It's no exaggeration to say that a broken drum is beaten by ten thousand men.

The rebels have gained overwhelming momentum, and this situation is beyond the control of any single individual.

The risks of going to the front lines are simply too great; those in high positions of power do not want to put themselves at risk.

As Yang Ming looked at the clay and wooden puppets in the hall, the smile on his lips grew colder and colder.

"What's wrong? You're all so talkative when you're fighting for power, aren't you? Why are you all so damn mute now!"

The sound echoed around the hall several times before gradually dissipating.

It was clear that Yang Ming was indeed in a hurry; as the emperor, he actually swore in court.

On the gold brick, Yuwen Hua lay prone on the ground, deliberately suppressing his breathing.

Just then, a figure stepped out from the ranks of military officers.

The metallic scraping of armor was particularly jarring in the deathly silent hall.

All eyes were on that person.

This person was Yuwen Rong.

He didn't look at his father kneeling on the ground, or even at his colleagues on either side.

He walked to the center of the hall, knelt on one knee, and smashed the iron plate on his armor onto the gold bricks with a crash.

"This humble general is willing to go."

Those four words were like a stone thrown into stagnant water.

Yang Ming did not respond immediately.

He looked at the young man kneeling in the hall and remained silent for a long time.

The young face was expressionless, neither generous nor passionate, as if he were simply stating a mundane matter.

Yang Ming's mind became even more tangled.

Yuwen Hua had just been thoroughly berated by him, and before he could even settle accounts with the Yuwen family, Yuwen Rong stepped forward.

What is this?

Can one atone for one's crimes with meritorious deeds?

Or is this yet another scheme by the Yuwen family?

But when his gaze swept over the entire court of officials, no one else stepped forward.

The rebels won't wait. The country won't wait.

Yang Ming closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, there was a hint of determination in them.

Although Yuwen Hua's actions of covering up the truth and deceiving his own spies greatly angered Yang Ming, a rift had already formed between them.

However, he still trusted Yuwen Rong very much.

Yang Ming knew that this was a pure martial artist, and he had always been quite friendly to Yuwen Rong, who was not the kind of person who was ungrateful.

Currently, all the officials in the court are turning a blind eye, but Yuwen Rong has stepped forward, which makes him willing to trust him one last time.

"Issue the decree." Yang Ming's voice regained its composure, resounding in the hall with each word distinct and clear.

"Yuwen Rong is appointed as Grand General, in charge of the front-line battles and in command of all troops. Half of the Imperial Guards in the capital will be assigned to accompany him on the expedition. All units must cooperate fully and without fail."

After announcing the order, Yang Ming looked at Yuwen Rong, who was kneeling in the hall: "I have only one request: quell the rebellion as soon as possible!"

"This humble general obeys the order." Yuwen Rong kowtowed, his armor making a heavy sound.

……

As the court bell rang to signal the end of the session, civil and military officials filed out as if granted a pardon, each one walking faster than usual.

Yuwen Rong strode ahead.

Suddenly, he heard hurried footsteps behind him, and a hand grabbed his arm from behind.

"Come with me."

Yuwen Hua's voice was hoarse and deep. Before Yuwen Rong could respond, he pulled him into a side hall next to the main hall.

The door was pushed shut with a thud, silencing the scattered footsteps in the corridor.

The side hall was dark and gloomy, with only a few pale rays of sunlight filtering in through the window, illuminating Yuwen Hua's ashen face.

"Who gave you permission to act on your own?" Yuwen Hua's voice was extremely low.

He stared intently at Yuwen Rong, his eyes almost overflowing with anger.

Yuwen Rong stood ramrod straight, not flinching at his gaze: "The battle at the front is critical; someone has to step forward. Are we just going to sit idly by and wait for the rebels to storm the capital?"

"Wait and wait?" Yuwen Hua sneered. "You think I'm just sitting around waiting?"

He grabbed Yuwen Rong by the sash binding his armor and pulled him sharply in front of him.

"I'm waiting, understand? Waiting until the situation gets as bad as it can get, until everyone in the world can see that this tyrant can no longer sit securely on the throne. By then, we, who control the Imperial Guards, will have already taken the initiative."

"And you, with just one shout, sent yourself to the front lines, ruining my entire plan!"

Yuwen Rong did not break free, but looked at his father with a deep gaze.

He already knew.

He always knew what Yuwen Hua was thinking, but he pretended not to see it.

On one side was the Yuwen family, who gave him birth and raised him, and on the other side was the emperor, who treated him like a brother.

The concepts of loyalty and filial piety had been twisting and turning in his heart countless times.

In the dead of night, he stared at the roof beams with his eyes wide open, but could not find the answer.

All he could do was to protect what his armor was meant to protect before the Yuwen family actually made their move.

"Father," Yuwen Rong said calmly, "someone has to fight this battle. I went, and the rebels were kept out of the capital. It did no harm to the Yuwen family."

"If we win, we'll have a large army under our control, giving us the power to conquer the world. If we lose, the capital will be vulnerable, and my father's men will have the opportunity to attack from behind. The battles on the front lines will be mine, and the situation in the capital will be yours. This isn't a bad thing; it's a win-win situation."

This statement was perfectly worded, offering a way out while also highlighting the advantages and disadvantages.

Someone else might have taken the opportunity to back down.

But Yuwen Hua just stared at him, his eyes growing colder and colder.

"Eloquent and persuasive."

He loosened his armor sash, took a step back, and looked at his son seriously for the first time, his eyes full of scrutiny, but not of any satisfaction.

"Who taught you these lines? Or..." He narrowed his eyes, his voice suddenly turning dangerous, "Do you think you're all grown up now, able to make decisions for me?"

Yuwen Rong's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he lowered his eyelashes: "This child dares not."

"Dare not? What else wouldn't you dare to do?" Yuwen Hua's voice grew louder with each shout. "To volunteer for the army in court—what a glorious thing that would be! The entire court saw it, and you're the only one who dared!"

"You think this is giving the Yuwen family face? You're stabbing me in the back! I've painstakingly set up this whole scheme for so long, and you just... "

He coughed violently, couldn't catch his breath, and swayed.

Yuwen Rong instinctively stepped forward and reached out to help.

"Get out of here!"

Yuwen Hua slapped his hand away, an unnatural flush rising on his pale face.

He was breathing heavily, staring intently into Yuwen Rong's eyes: "Do you even consider me your father anymore?"

Yuwen Rong's hand froze in mid-air, then slowly withdrew and hung at his side.

He wanted to say something, but in the end he just silently endured that gaze.

Yuwen Hua waited for him to speak for a long time.

Only the uneven breathing of two people remained in the side hall, one heavy and one light.

Finally, Yuwen Hua raised his head, closed his eyes, as if he had swallowed something back down.

"The imperial decree has been issued, and military orders are absolute. It's too late to say anything now." He turned around, his back to Yuwen Rong, and his voice suddenly seemed distant. "Go."

He paused, didn't turn around, and coldly uttered his final words, "There won't be a next time!"

The door was suddenly ripped open, and sunlight rushed in, making Yuwen Rong squint instinctively.

When he opened his eyes again, he only saw Yuwen Hua's figure disappear at the end of the long corridor.

Yuwen Rong stood still, motionless.

The side hall darkened again, and dust slowly rose and fell in the beams of light that leaked in.

After a long while, he raised his hand and slowly pressed it against the armor sash on his chest, the spot where his father had just grabbed him.

He pressed hard, as if trying to push something back into his chest cavity.

Then he straightened his armor, turned around, pushed open the door, and strode towards the Imperial Guard camp!