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

On the Imperial Guard side, Qin An was training his soldiers in the camp.

Just as he finished a routine with his halberd, his body steaming with heat, he saw Yuwen Rong stride into the camp gate, his cloak fluttering in the wind behind him.

Yuwen Rong walked up to him, stopped, and said something that stunned Qin An: "Get ready, come with me to the front lines, you will be my deputy."

Qin An tightened his grip on the halberd slightly.

The news came so suddenly that he was somewhat dazed.

The scene of the 50,000-strong army marching out of the capital in a grand procession involuntarily came to mind.

At that time, everyone thought the rebels were nothing more than a rabble.

Later, Zhang Xu died, and his army of 50,000 was reduced to 5,000 remnants. He himself begged for shelter in front of the Yuwen Mansion.

I thought I would be unable to return to the battlefield for some time, but this day has come so quickly.

This left Qin An with mixed feelings.

There is joy, the joy is that I no longer have to stay cooped up in the capital counting tiles.

There are also worries, namely that the family had only been stable for half a year, and now they have to leave again.

Seeing that he remained silent, Yuwen Rong frowned: "What's wrong? Don't you want to go?"

Qin An snapped out of his reverie and grinned, "The battlefield, huh? As a military general, how could I not want to go?"

Although he didn't know what had happened, seeing the fighting spirit in Yuwen Rong's eyes, Qin An naturally wouldn't back down.

He then asked Yuwen Rong what had happened.

Yuwen Rong did not hide anything and recounted what had happened in the court.

Of course, his interactions with Yuwen Hua and his son are omitted.

Upon hearing that Yang Ming had actually appointed Yuwen Rong to lead the frontline battle and ordered all units to cooperate fully, Qin An was surprised, but a thought suddenly occurred to him.

"General Yuwen, since we're going to the front lines, what about my old troops...?"

The remnants of his troops that he had brought from Black Mountain City rested in Anyang City for a while before being recalled by Yuwen Hua with a single order.

They naturally had no chance to enter the Imperial Guard, and were not even stationed in the capital, but they were not far from the capital.

Now that Qin An has learned of Yuwen Rong's immense power, he naturally has designs on him.

Yuwen Rong nodded in agreement, "No problem. Your five thousand old troops will be brought along and incorporated into your main force, under your command."

Qin An hadn't expected things to go so smoothly, and he solemnly clasped his hands in thanks: "Thank you, General."

Since Yuwen Rong was so accommodating, Qin An naturally wouldn't let him down.

They immediately began making preparations for the expedition.

……

It was dusk when they returned to the Qin residence.

Qin An stood at the door, looking at the plaque that read "Qin Mansion" above the door. He stood there for a while before pushing the door open and going inside.

The main hall was brightly lit. Yang Yuyan was teaching Cai Yan how to read the account books, while Cai Zhen was leaning over the table, gesturing with an unopened dagger.

Li Qingwan and Shan Bing sat to one side doing needlework.

The whole family was waiting for Qin An, the head of the family, to return, so that they could feel at ease.

Qin An stood at the doorway, taking in the scene before him, and then coughed softly.

Everyone looked up at him.

His expression was calm, so calm that Yang Yuyan put down her account book and Li Qingwan and the others stopped their needlework.

Qin An never goes home at this time unless something comes up.

"Husband... has something happened?" Yang Yuyan asked anxiously, noticing something was wrong.

Qin An naturally wouldn't hide such a thing, which is why he made a special trip home.

Otherwise, with the army setting off and so many things to do, he would almost wish he could stay in the military camp.

"His Majesty has decreed that General Yuwen shall lead the army to quell the rebellion, and I shall be his deputy, accompanying the army on the expedition."

The hall fell silent for a moment upon hearing this.

Although I had sensed something was amiss from Qin An's unusual behavior before, hearing him say it with my own ears was like a thunderbolt.

Cai Zhen was the first to jump off the chair, ran over and hugged his waist, looked up at him, her lips trembled and her eyes were already red.

"Father, we've finally reunited, why are you leaving again?"

Cai Yan also stood up, her eyes slightly red, but she bit her lip and didn't say anything. She just walked behind Cai Zhen and reached out to grab Qin An's sleeve.

Qin An squatted down and hugged his two daughters together, resting his chin on Cai Zhen's head without saying a word.

He knew that nothing he said would make a difference.

I owe them so much; any further words would be mere excuses.

After all, over the years, I have been constantly saying goodbye to them.

This caused them to follow him, moving from place to place.

Yang Yuyan stood up, walked over and gently pulled her two daughters away from his arms. Her voice was gentle, yet carried a hint of composure.

"Alright, stop crying. Your father is going to war, it's not like he's never coming back. What kind of behavior is this, crying like this?"

She looked up at Qin An, her eyes shining but without tears, and whispered, "When are you leaving?"

"We don't know yet; it depends on when the logistics team is ready!"

Qin An was indeed a little uncertain.

As is well known, an army's supplies must be prepared before it can move.

During the heyday of the Great Xing Dynasty, with government granaries scattered throughout the land and abundant supplies, people could set off at any time.

But now, with war raging everywhere, the imperial court is clearly in a bit of a predicament.

The army will not set out rashly without thorough preparation.

"Okay." Yang Yuyan nodded without asking a single further question.

She turned to Jin Ping and ordered, "Go and prepare the general's luggage!"

Then she looked at Li Qingwan and Shan Bing and said, "Let's cook a lot of dishes as a farewell gift for my husband. He definitely won't have much time left."

Yang Yuyan spoke calmly, as if she were arranging an ordinary family dinner.

However, it was obvious to anyone with eyes that her chest was heaving violently, and her heart was far from calm.

Li Qingwan put down her needlework and tried to stand up, but her body swayed slightly. She grabbed the edge of the table next to her with one hand and covered her mouth with the other.

She bent over, gagged twice, and her face instantly paled.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Qin An reacted quickly, supporting her with concern in his eyes.

Li Qingwan waved her hand: "It's alright, husband, there's no need to worry!"

Dan Bing took Li Qingwan from Qin An's hands: "Sister, perhaps you're too nervous knowing your husband is about to leave!"

But before she could finish speaking, perhaps infected by Li Qingwan, she felt a wave of nausea rise up, clutching her chest and turning pale.

The two women, one supporting the other, were bent over and dry heaving, creating a momentary chaotic scene.

Cai Yan quickly went to pour hot tea, while Cai Zhen stood there, looking at this and that.

Qin An strode over and helped the two of them up, his brows furrowed. Just as he was about to ask what was wrong, Yang Yuyan suddenly spoke up.

"Don't touch them." Yang Yuyan walked over, took Li Qingwan and Shan Bing's wrists respectively, carefully looked at their faces, touched their foreheads, and then turned to look at Qin An with a smile on her lips.

There was joy in her smile, but also a hint of bitterness that she couldn't hide.

"Husband, go and fetch a doctor."

Seeing Yang Yuyan's actions, Qin An also realized what was happening, and his heart jumped into his throat.

The doctor was so frightened that he was dragged into the mansion on a jog. He was still panting when he entered the main hall, and Yang Yuyan invited him to stand before Li Qingwan.

The old doctor took Li Qingwan's pulse, closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment, then switched to his other hand. He then released his grip, stood up, cupped his hands, and said with a smile, "Congratulations, General, this lady is pregnant, and has been pregnant for nearly two months."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shan Bing was helped up.

The old doctor took her pulse again, and after a moment, bowed in the same manner: "Congratulations, General, this lady is also pregnant, and the time is similar."

The main hall remained quiet for several breaths.

Qin An stood there, looking somewhat bewildered.

He glanced at Li Qingwan, then at Shan Bing. Both of them were blushing and looking down, their hands unconsciously resting on their lower abdomens, their expressions a mixture of joy and embarrassment.

He then looked at Yang Yuyan.

Yang Yuyan was smiling when she walked over, took his hand, and gently placed his palm on Li Qingwan's lower abdomen.

She then took Shan Bing's hand and placed it together, her voice gentle and frank: "Husband, you have an heir. You have your own flesh and blood."

Qin An lowered his head, looking at his hands resting on the lower abdomens of the two women, his hands trembling slightly.

Do you have offspring now?

This left him with indescribable feelings.

Li Qingwan looked up at him, tears streaming down her face, yet she smiled, her voice breaking as she squeezed out, "Husband...you're going to be a father..."

Shan Bing bit her lip, a rare hint of softness appearing on her usually cold and hard face, and whispered, "You must come back safely and see our child."

Qin An gently pulled the two women into his arms, his touch light, as if afraid of hurting them.

He opened his mouth as if to say something grand and impressive, but found that his throat was blocked by something, and he couldn't say a word. He could only nod vigorously.

Then, he released the two of them and walked up to Yang Yuyan.

Yang Yuyan was still smiling, but she couldn't hide the bitterness in her eyes.

She stroked her flat stomach and said softly, "I'm really useless. I've been with you for the past few years, but my two younger sisters have gotten there first."

Qin An pulled her into his arms, his voice low and husky but firm: "What nonsense are you talking about? You've already given me two of the best children."

Yang Yuyan buried her face in his chest, without saying a word, but reached out and tightly gripped the back of his robe.

Cai Zhen stood to the side, looking at Li Qingwan and then at Shan Bing, her expression changing from blank to excited.

She suddenly clapped her hands and exclaimed, "I'm going to be a big sister? I'm going to be a big sister!"

Cai Yan gently tugged at her sleeve, making a shushing gesture, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up.

That night, a banquet was held at the Qin residence.

It was more like a victory celebration than a farewell ceremony.

During the meal, Li Qingwan and Shan Bing were restrained by Yang Yuyan and were not allowed to drink alcohol, but only soup.

Cai Zhen held up a cup of honey water and insisted on toasting with her father, saying that when he came back, she would have two younger brothers and she would teach them martial arts.

Cai Yan, unusually, did not correct her sister's nonsense, but quietly placed a piece of braised pork, Qin An's favorite dish, on her plate.

Qin An held his wine glass, looking at his family members at the table, and suddenly felt that the burden on his shoulders had become heavier, but also warmer.

He tilted his head back and drank the wine in his glass in one gulp, and suddenly felt a little reluctant to go to the battlefield!