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

Qin An woke up early the next morning.

Looking at the sleeping mother and her two children, his eyes flickered, he sighed, and ultimately decided not to think about it anymore, turning and leaving.

After being appointed as Yuwen Rong's deputy general, he had many things to do before the army set off.

Now is not the time to think so much about romantic relationships.

He stood by the tatami mat and took one last look.

Then he turned around, pushed open the door, and went out.

The door closed with a very soft sound.

On the couch, Yang Yuyan slowly opened her eyes.

Her gaze swept over her daughter's innocent sleeping face, then lingered on the closed door for a long time.

She neither got up nor made a sound.

She simply placed her hand gently on her lower abdomen and rubbed it back and forth.

"Mother." Cai Yan woke up at some point, turned to look at her mother, and said softly, "Don't rush, just let nature take its course."

She was clearly aware of her mother's longing for a child.

Therefore, I even took the initiative to ask for help last night.

Because they deeply understood their mother's anxious state of mind, they also contributed some of their modest efforts to help.

"Mother knows!" Yang Yuyan gave a bitter smile, then hesitated before speaking, "About last night..."

Before she could finish speaking, Cai Yan interrupted her: "Mother, there's no need to say more. It's only right that we daughters help you!"

Seemingly having heard their voices, Cai Zhen turned over, smacking her lips repeatedly, as if dreaming of something delicious.

Then, rubbing her eyes sleepily, she mumbled something and buried her face in Yang Yuyan's arms: "Mother, don't be afraid, you still have the two of us. We will always help you and we will definitely make your wish come true."

As she spoke, Cai Zhen had fully regained consciousness.

Recalling what happened last night, she subconsciously licked her lips, a happy smile spreading across her face, like a kitten that had just stolen some fish, still seeming a little unsatisfied.

Yang Yuyan lowered her head, looking at her sleeping little daughter with messy hair in her arms, and then at her eldest daughter who was quietly watching her from the side. Suddenly, her eyes welled up with tears.

Since things had come to this, she decided not to think about it anymore and embraced her daughters.

"Yes, you've all grown up and can help out now..."

……

Qin An originally thought that given the current situation in Daxing, the departure of the army would not be something that could be accomplished in a short period of time.

But he underestimated Yang Ming's determination.

This ambitious emperor could not tolerate those rebellious rulers opposing him and was very concerned about suppressing the rebellion.

To this end, he personally took charge and gave the green light in various ways.

As a result, preparations for the army's departure progressed rapidly.

In less than half a month, an army of 100,000 was mobilized, and the corresponding supplies and logistics were prepared. The army was ready to go.

"His Majesty has ordered us to set off in three days!"

When Qin An heard the order brought by Yuwen Rong, he was a little stunned.

This is too fast!

The thought of having to say goodbye to his wife and daughter in three days made him sigh.

Seeing Qin An's reaction, Yuwen Rong patted him on the shoulder understandingly.

"Thanks to you during this time, you've been very busy. Leave the rest to me, you can go home and spend some time with your younger siblings."

The news that Qin An had an heir could not be kept secret.

After all, knowing you're going to have a child changes your entire state of mind.

Furthermore, since Qin An had no intention of hiding it, Yuwen Rong naturally knew about it as well.

Now that everything is almost ready, and given that Yuwen Long is quite satisfied with his deputy, he doesn't mind doing him a favor.

Qin An nodded and did not refuse.

As before, after returning home, he went to Li Qingwan and Shan Bing's courtyard first.

Two pregnant women were leaning against the couch making baby clothes. When they saw him come in, they tried to get up.

Qin An quickly stepped forward and pressed them down, "Don't get up, I just came to see you and them."

His gaze fell on their slightly protruding bellies, and the reluctance in his eyes was almost overflowing.

Upon seeing his reaction, the two women froze instantly.

"Husband, are you leaving?" Shan Bing asked first.

Qin An nodded: "Yes, the army will set off in three days!"

The two women's eyes instantly turned a little red.

Although Qin An has been busy lately, he has managed to come back occasionally.

But once the army sets off, who knows when we'll meet again?

Seeing their reaction, Qin An smiled and said, "Don't worry, you all know my abilities. I'll be back soon after this battle."

Her tone was as relaxed as if she were just going to inspect a camp in the suburbs and would be back in ten days or half a month at most.

Li Qingwan pressed her face against the back of his hand, her eyes red-rimmed, but she smiled and hummed in agreement, not revealing her feelings. Shan Bing bit her lower lip, nodding with tears in her eyes, "My husband is the most capable; we're not worried at all."

After leaving Li Qingwan's courtyard, Qin An returned to the main house.

Yang Yuyan was sitting by the couch waiting for him, while her two daughters had already gone to bed.

When he entered, she didn't say anything, but simply extended her hand.

Qin An pulled her up and, as usual, bent down to kiss her.

Yang Yuyan's response was more forceful than ever.

After the curtains were lowered, she became more proactive than usual, as if she was trying to remember his temperature and weight with her body.

When she no longer had the strength to even move a finger, Qin An pulled her into his arms and buried his face in her loose, long hair.

Then he spoke, his voice very soft, yet it sent a shiver down Yang Yuyan's spine.

"My wife, this battle... I don't know how long it will last. Maybe a year, maybe two, maybe..." He paused, "I certainly won't be able to live to see the children born."

In front of Yang Yuyan and her daughter, he did not pretend to be relaxed as before, but chose to tell them the truth.

To be honest, he wasn't very optimistic about the court's suppression of this rebellion.

Even if we win, this battle will not be over in a short time.

Yang Yuyan suddenly looked up, reached out and covered his mouth, tears rolling down her cheeks without warning, landing on the back of his hand, burning his heart.

She bit her lower lip and took several deep breaths before she could steady her voice.

"Listen to me, I'm here in this family, my two younger sisters are here, Yan'er and Zhen'er are here. Leave everything in this family to me, we'll wait for you to come back, no matter how long it takes."

Qin An removed her hand from his mouth, clenched it in his palm, and squeezed it tightly without saying anything more.

Everything that could be said has already been said; all that remains is a promise and waiting.

Just then, the two women also poked their heads out from under the covers and looked up at Qin An.

"Father, we're waiting for you to come back!" Cai Yan said with a determined look in her eyes.

Cai Zhen playfully flashed a set of white teeth, giving a threatening look: "Father, you can't forget about us, and don't keep us waiting too long, or else, hehe..."

Qin An reached out and stroked their heads. "How could I possibly forget you? I still want to see what you'll look like when you've grown up!"

……

Qin An originally intended to use these last three days to spend quality time with his wife and daughter.

But plans are no match for changes.

Despite Xiao Mei's decree, he still had to set aside a day to bring Yang Yuyan to the palace.

When they arrived, Xiao Mei was lounging on a soft couch, completely lacking the nobility and dignity of an empress.

Before Qin An and Yang Yuyan could even bow, she said directly, "Alright, let's skip the formalities."

Just as Qin An was about to leave as usual, Xiao Mei called out to him, "Wait a moment, there's a gift I'd like to give you, take a look!"

Qin An curiously followed her gaze.

On the table to the side, there was a brocade box.

At Xiao Mei's prompting, Qin An stepped forward and opened the brocade box.

Inside was a neatly folded gold-threaded soft armor, which gleamed with a deep, dark gold color in the sunlight streaming through the window.

"Your Majesty, this..." Qin An was somewhat surprised. He looked up at Xiao Mei, not expecting her to give him such a gift.

This was clearly something she prepared specifically because she knew she was going to the battlefield.

He naturally knew about soft armor.

However, the item that Xiao Mei prepared was clearly not an ordinary item and was quite valuable.

He was about to say something when Xiao Mei interrupted him: "Stop talking nonsense. Just take it. This soft armor is worn under your battle robe, and ordinary arrows can't penetrate it. I don't want Yu Yan to be a widow."

Qin An closed the brocade box again and took it into his hand.

He opened his mouth, about to express his gratitude, but Xiao Mei waved her hand and turned her face away.

"Alright, stop with the formalities." She stood up, grabbed Yang Yuyan's wrist, and without even glancing at Qin An, said, "You may leave now. I need to have a proper talk with Yuyan."

As soon as Qin An stood down in the corridor with the brocade box, he heard Xiao Mei's excited voice faintly coming from behind.

"Come on, tell me quickly, did you use the position I taught you last time?"

Upon hearing this, several black lines instantly appeared on Qin An's forehead.

The more he interacted with Xiao Mei, the more his idealized image of her as an empress shattered.

It turned out that Xiao Mei had learned about Yang Yuyan's eagerness to have a child through their frequent conversations.

After learning about the situation, Xiao Mei demonstrated exceptional initiative.

The dignified Empress herself became Yang Yuyan's strategist, offering advice and suggestions.

Moreover, she pays great attention to feedback on the results, and she asks Yang Yuyan about it every time she comes over.

Yang Yuyan was clearly helpless about this: "We've tried everything, we've tried everything. His tricks are far more numerous than you can imagine. There's nothing he can't do, only things you can't think of."

"Impossible!" Xiao Mei immediately retorted, somewhat unconvinced. "I've flipped through countless treasured books in the palace; what haven't I seen? I refuse to believe I'm inferior to him!"

Yang Yuyan no longer holds Xiao Mei in the same awe as before.

Seeing that she was still unconvinced, he immediately gestured, and Xiao Mei was speechless.

But her eyes gleamed with excitement, and she murmured unconsciously, "It can even do that?"

Watching Xiao Mei's behavior, Yang Yuyan felt that her best friend, the Empress, was becoming increasingly strange!