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

As Qin An explained, Luo Kai's brows gradually relaxed, and a look of understanding flashed in his eyes.

"You mean, use the fighting spirit to stall the Wang family, making them think they can hold out on their own?"

"Exactly." Qin An tossed the water bag back to Li Jing. "Pei Yan is Pei Ji's son and is indeed a rare and fierce general. If we kill him, Wang Chong will surely be so frightened that he will send someone to ask for help overnight."

"But if I fight him to a standstill and the outcome is uncertain, Wang Chong will think, 'So Qin An is nothing special. With Pei Yan in my Wang family, we might not be unable to fight him.'"

"As long as he hesitates for even one day, the reinforcements will arrive one day later. If our main force arrives before the reinforcements, Shaanxi will be trapped like a turtle in a jar."

Cheng Zhiyuan suddenly realized, slapped the bridge with his hand, and burst into laughter.

"So the general had planned this all along. In that case, let's fight! Let him come back with a better horse; we'll fight to the bitter end!"

As they were talking, the city gates of Shaanxi opened wide again, and the drawbridge was lowered with a roar.

Pei Yan changed to a tall, chestnut-red horse with glossy mane and snow-white hooves, clearly a top-quality steed.

On the city wall, Wang Chong held onto the crenellations, a hint of smugness on his face.

This precious horse was a gift he personally bestowed upon Pei Yan, so that he could save face for him on the battlefield.

Pei Yan spurred his horse out of the city, pointed the tip of his spear at Qin An, and said in a booming voice, "Qin An, your horse is ready. Let's fight again!"

Qin An mounted his horse, twirling his halberd in his hand. The blade flashed a cold light in the sunlight. Without saying a word, he spurred his horse forward to meet the enemy.

The two horses clashed again beneath the city walls, the sparks flying from their halberds and spears even more intensely than before.

The sound of metal clashing was continuous, like someone striking a huge anvil below the city.

They fought from afternoon until the sun began to set, and then from the sun beginning to set until dusk.

Torches lit up one after another on and below the city walls, illuminating the battlefield as if it were daytime.

The two changed three warhorses, and ate dry rations on horseback. They even drank water by taking a few sips while passing by other horses.

The soldiers on the city wall were so engrossed in watching that they forgot to eat their dinner.

The government troops below the city were also thrilled, raising their torches and shouting in unison, the sound so loud that the surface of the moat trembled slightly.

That night, the two fought for another thirty rounds by lamplight, until their horses were too exhausted to run any further, and then they each withdrew their troops.

When Qin An returned to the camp, his undergarments were already soaked with sweat when he took off his armor; you could wring water out of them.

Cheng Zhiyuan handed him a towel from the side, clicking his tongue in amazement: "Pei Yan is really a tough nut to crack. He's been able to fight you for so long without being at a disadvantage. He's got some skill."

As Qin An grew stronger, these old brothers had long been convinced of his abilities.

While not invincible, it has few rivals.

The sudden appearance of Pei Yan, who was able to fight Qin An to such an extent, left him speechless with disbelief.

As Qin An wiped the sweat from his halberd, he replied, "Indeed, he is a rare and fierce general. The Wang family, as the first aristocratic family to stand up and rebel, certainly has some foundation."

As Qin An said this, he also felt a little emotional.

The heroes of this world are truly as numerous as carp crossing a river.

He could clearly feel that as he grew older and his body fully matured, coupled with the system's help, his strength had become terrifying.

As a result, a random but formidable general from the rebel side was able to fight him to such an extent, which made him lose all his arrogance.

Luo Kai brought in two bowls of hot soup, handed one to Qin An, and sat down opposite him with the other bowl in his own.

"You fought him at least a hundred times today. If you keep fighting like this, what about the day after tomorrow? And the day after that?"

"Fight." Qin An took a sip of hot soup, his gaze steady. "A small battle every three days, a major battle every five days. The more intense the fighting, the better. The more Wang Chong thinks Pei Yan can stop me, the less willing he is to swallow his pride and ask for help."

"By the time our main force arrives, even if he sends someone to request reinforcements, it will be too late."

……

In the following days, the area outside Shancheng became the exclusive arena for Qin An and Pei Yan.

They fought small battles every three days and large battles every five days, each engagement lasting no less than fifty rounds, yet they could never determine a victor.

Qin An seems to have completely clashed with Pei Yan, determined not to give up until he utterly defeats him.

Pei Yan was the same.

As his strength was demonstrated, his status and prestige within the Wang family's rebel army rose steadily, and his father, Pei Ji, also benefited from it.

This made him even more determined to kill Qin An.

The rivalry between the two has thoroughly piqued everyone's curiosity.

Everyone wants to know who will ultimately come out on top.

As a result, in each battle, the soldiers on both sides fought for their own side.

The government troops waved and shouted slogans while holding up large banners with the character "Qin" on them.

Meanwhile, the rebels beat drums and shouted Pei Yan's name.

The two sides shouted like they were competing, and when their voices got hoarse, they would switch to another group to shout.

On the evening of the fifth day, the two fought again, and the battle ended in a draw.

Qin An withdrew his troops and returned to camp. He had just dismounted when a messenger galloped up to report: "Reporting, General Yuwen has led the main force to within ten miles and is expected to arrive tomorrow morning."

The main force arrived as scheduled the following morning.

Ninety thousand infantrymen set up camps stretching for miles west of Shaanxi City. Banners covered the sky, and wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys, turning half the sky grayish-white.

Yuwen Rong rode straight into the central command tent, dismounted, and without even removing his cloak, eagerly asked, "Qin An, how has your battle with Pei Yan gone these past few days?"

Qin An recounted the events of his encounters with Pei Yan over the past few days.

Yuwen Rong's eyes lit up as he listened, his fingers tapping lightly on the table. After Qin An finished speaking, he suddenly looked up and asked, "Are you sure you didn't hold back?"

"No, this man's lance is indeed unique, with powerful and fierce strikes, and his moves are skillful. In terms of true ability, he is no less than me," Qin An said frankly.

Yuwen Rong remained silent for a moment, then slowly grinned, revealing an expression Qin An had never seen on his face before.

It was the pure, burning excitement of finally finding prey.

He stood up, took off his cloak and threw it on the table, cracked his knuckles as he stretched his wrists: "Tomorrow, I'll go and meet him; you command the army."

Although he had expected this to happen, Qin An still found it both funny and exasperating to see Yuwen Rong so impatient.

This head coach... I really don't know what to say.

But Yuwen Rong's order was exactly what he wanted.

This is the command of an army of 100,000.

If we can seize this opportunity to completely turn this unit into our own people, there will be great potential for future endeavors.

……

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Yuwen Rong, fully armed and carrying a gilded halberd, rode his horse to the city walls.

He reined in his horse and stopped by the moat, pointed the horn of his spear at the city walls, and shouted in a booming voice, "Listen up, those on the walls, tell Pei Yan to come out!"

The soldiers on the city wall peeked out and saw that the one challenging them was not Qin An, but a burly, unfamiliar general carrying a golden halberd. Someone ran off to report this.

Pei Yan had been locked in a fierce battle with Qin An these past few days, and in his heart, he had long regarded Qin An as his only rival. When he heard someone challenging him on his behalf, he climbed up the city wall with some impatience, looked down, and was stunned for a moment.

It's not Qin An.

The man was half a head taller than Qin An, with broad shoulders and a thick back. When he sat on his horse, he was like an iron tower. The gilded halberd in his hand gleamed with a deep, dark gold in the morning light.

Pei Yan frowned, about to ask who the visitor was, when the general below the city wall announced his identity.

"Yuwen Rong is here, Pei Yan, do you dare to fight me?"

The moment the name Yuwen Rong was uttered, a brief silence fell over the city wall, followed by a chorus of whispers. Yuwen Rong?

The number one warrior of Daxing, Yuwen Rong, who was known as a warrior capable of defeating ten thousand men?

The other party actually came to challenge us personally.

The impatience in Pei Yan's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a fighting spirit more intense than ever before.

He had heard this name countless times, until his ears were calloused from hearing it.

Today I finally have the opportunity to personally test the mettle of this so-called number one warrior.

"Prepare the horses."

He uttered only two words, then picked up his spear and headed down the city wall. Wang Chong stopped him at the city gate, his face grim: "Pei Yan, Yuwen Rong is personally challenging us; it might be a trap..."

Pei Yan glanced down at him.

That glance held neither contempt nor impatience, only an almost innocent bewilderment, as if asking: "You want me to avoid his sharp edge?"

Wang Chong's lips moved, but in the end he did not try to dissuade him further.

These past few days, Pei Yan and Qin An have been locked in a fierce battle, and the morale of the army is high. Everyone is saying that Pei Yan is the fiercest general in Daxing, and even Qin An can't do anything to him.

If we stop him now, it would only make us seem cowardly.

Moreover, if we can truly defeat Yuwen Rong on the battlefield, we will become famous throughout the world today.

The city gate creaked open a crack, and Pei Yan rode out alone on horseback.

He reined in his horse fifty paces from Yuwen Rong, slowly raised the lance in his hand, its tip gleaming coldly in the sunlight, pointing directly at Yuwen Rong's face, a hint of eager anticipation even playing on his lips.

"Yuwen Rong? Your title as the number one warrior of Daxing is likely to be taken by someone else today."

Yuwen Rong did not answer.

He slowly removed the gilded halberd from the victory hook, his movements slow yet impeccably steady.

Then, he spurred the horse's belly, and the warhorse charged out like a black lightning bolt.

Pei Yan also spurred his horse to meet him.

The two riders charged at each other. Pei Yan roared and his lance shot out like a black python, aiming straight for Yuwen Rong's chest.

This spear strike embodied all his lifelong learning, and was faster and more ruthless than any move he had made in his previous encounter with Qin An.

He wanted to find out the true strength of this invincible warrior in the very first move.

The halberd and the spear collided in mid-air.

A deafening clang of metal clashing echoed across the wilderness.

Pei Yan felt a tremendous force coming from the shaft of the spear, a force completely different from Qin An's halberd.

Qin An's force was heavy, like being entangled by water; Yuwen Rong's force was explosive, like being hit head-on by a mountain.

Pei Yan's hand instantly split open, and blood flowed down the shaft of the spear. His entire right arm went numb from his wrist to his shoulder.

He gritted his teeth, gripped the horse's belly tightly with his legs, and leaned back to dissipate the force. The lance trembled violently in his hand and almost flew out of his grasp.

With just one move, the difference in skill was immediately apparent.