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

"I am Qin'an's woman!"

The moment that sound came out, the noise in the courtyard stopped abruptly.

The soldiers who were sorting the prisoners stopped at the same time.

The soldiers holding the woman also stood there, stunned.

They all turned to look at the closed door, then glanced at Qin An.

Even the row of women kneeling on the ground, sobbing, forgot to cry and exchanged surprised and uncertain glances.

Qin An's face darkened instantly.

Who is ruining their own reputation?

All his women are in the capital now, where would he find other women?

He didn't care about anything else and strode straight in.

Qin An's sudden appearance startled Yuwen Rong in the room.

Looking at Qin An who rushed in, he had suspicion in his eyes, as well as a hint of barely suppressed curiosity.

"Qin An, you've come at the perfect time!" He gestured with his chin towards a woman in the room and asked, "Do you know him?"

Qin An followed Yuwen Rong's gaze.

The woman was wearing a dress that, while not particularly luxurious, was of fine quality.

A few strands of her hair were disheveled and draped over her shoulders, and although there were tear stains on her face, her beautiful features were still undeniable.

She was slender with delicate features and a soft, endearing appearance.

Qin An glanced at her.

I don't know him, I've never seen him before.

From the frontier to the capital, from the Baiji battlefield to the breakout from Heishan, he had never seen this face before.

Just as he was about to deny it, the woman rushed to his side and knelt down after learning that the man in front of her was Qin An.

She looked up at Qin An, tears streaming down her face, her voice urgent and clear, like beans pouring from a bamboo tube.

"General Qin, my name is Tong Rong! I am Wang Chong's adopted daughter! When he recruited you, he promised to marry me to you!"

"From that time on, I've always considered myself the general's woman... Although there were reasons for it, it's not a lie to say that I'm General Qin's woman..."

Qin An looked down at the woman kneeling in front of him and was slightly taken aback by her words.

Wang Chong's daughter?

He did remember that Wang Chong had indeed said something like that from the city wall when they broke through the siege.

He was promised a high-ranking official position and a generous salary, and his daughter was to be betrothed to him. At the time, he thought it was just a recruitment pitch and responded with a few jokes, never taking it seriously. He had no idea that Wang Chong was not just making things up.

Unexpectedly, Wang Chong actually had such a plan, and had even already chosen the candidate.

Although she is only an adopted daughter, she can indeed be considered a daughter.

The room remained quiet for several breaths.

Then Yuwen Rong burst into laughter, patted Qin An hard on the back twice, making him stagger forward half a step.

"Hahaha... Qin An, didn't you shout on the battlefield that you were leading troops to welcome the bride?"

He gestured with his chin toward Tong Rong, his eyes full of a mocking smile.

"Now they're really here! What's that called again? A self-fulfilling prophecy! You're something else!"

Although Yuwen Rong had already realized that Tong Rong was trying to force a connection in order to protect herself.

But he still chose to approve.

It's just a woman. If this one can't get a turn, there's always another one. There are plenty of others.

He didn't mind giving Qin An that much face.

Qin An looked at Tong Rong, who was kneeling in front of him and clutching his clothes tightly, and then at Yuwen Rong, who was laughing so hard he was slapping his thigh. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.

He admitted that Tong Rong was indeed beautiful.

She was slender and had delicate features. Her crying did not ruin the beauty of her face; instead, it added a touch of pitiful fragility.

But he already has enough women now.

Yang Yuyan, Li Qingwan, Shan Bing, and even Jin Ping—aren't they all top-tier beauties?

The allure of beauty to him was no longer as strong as it once was.

Moreover, the woman in front of us is of unknown origin, and what she says is only one side of the story.

Who knows if she's telling the truth or not?

But if she doesn't admit it, her fate is predictable.

After all, Yuwen Rong's brothers were already lined up, eager to try.

"General," Qin An turned to look at Yuwen Rong, his tone tinged with helplessness, "this matter..."

"Alright, alright, stop dawdling." Yuwen Rong waved his hand and made the decision for him directly. "Since she's your woman, you can take her back. A gentleman doesn't take what belongs to others; I understand that principle."

As he spoke, he gestured with his chin toward Tong Rong, his eyes full of mischievous amusement.

"Qin An, you'd better make sure they're settled in properly, don't let that old bastard Wang Chong's good intentions go to waste."

Qin An's lips twitched, and he lowered his voice, saying, "General, she is Wang Chong's adopted daughter. Her identity is sensitive, and it may not be appropriate for her to stay by my side."

"So what if she's an adopted daughter?" Yuwen Rong scoffed dismissively. "Don't even mention an adopted daughter, so what if she's your own daughter? In war, women are always spoils of war. Wang Chong has already run away; do you think he'd jump out and argue with you? Take him away, don't stand here and get in my way."

Having said all that, Qin An knew that further refusal would only seem pretentious.

He glanced down at Tong Rong; the woman was still kneeling on the ground, looking up at him with eyes full of fear and pleading.

He sighed and held out his hand to her: "Get up, come with me."

Tong Rong felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She grabbed his hand and stood up, her body still trembling slightly and unsteady on her feet. She bit her lower lip tightly to stop herself from crying out loud.

Qin An didn't look at her anymore, but turned to Yuwen Rong, his expression returning to a somewhat solemn state.

"General, there is one more thing. Han Quan and Li Jing returned from chasing Wang Chong and reported that the rebel reinforcements have arrived. They saw the banners of Xu Mao and Cao Deren, and their numbers are considerable."

Yuwen Rong's eyes lit up instantly.

The excitement that had just been worn down by the siege battle surged back up.

He put his hands on his hips, threw his head back, and laughed loudly, his voice echoing across the rooftops: "Good! Siege work is so frustrating. We've been fighting for five whole days, and I've been wondering when these cowards will dare to come out of the city! Once we're in the open, I'll see how many of them can take my spear!"

Qin An looked at him quietly, and a thought suddenly flashed through her mind.

Yes, I can move freely among thousands of troops, so Yuwen Rong is far superior to me.

If it were a field battle, with Yuwen Rong's combat prowess, charging into enemy lines and slaying generals would be as easy as taking candy from a baby.

Even if the rebels outnumber them, they may not necessarily gain the upper hand.

Even though Xu Mao was cunning in his military tactics, when facing a warrior who could walk freely in the enemy ranks, even the most ingenious plan needed someone who could stop him.

Thinking of this, the gloom that had been weighing on Qin An's heart for half a day suddenly dissipated, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.

"The General is right. If it's a field battle, we're not afraid of anyone." He clasped his hands and said, "This humble general will settle the people first, and then come back to discuss the strategy for meeting the enemy with the General."

Yuwen Rong waved his hand and turned around to take another look at the row of kneeling women.

Qin An did not linger any longer. He took Tong Rong out of Wang Chong's residence and walked along the street full of rubble and bloodstains toward their temporary lodging.

Tong Rong followed behind him, not daring to make a sound, and had to jog a few steps after every few steps to keep up with his pace.

Her skirt trailed on the muddy, cobblestone street, already filthy beyond recognition.

Qin An's residence was in a house in the south of the city that had luckily escaped the ravages of war.

In the small courtyard, a thick branch of an old locust tree had been broken off by a catapult, and smoke was still rising from the broken end. He pushed open the courtyard gate and pointed to the west wing: "You'll stay here tonight. There's water in there; wash yourself up. I'll have someone bring you food."

After saying that, he turned and went into the main room, leaned the halberd against the wall, took off his armor, washed himself haphazardly with a basin of cold water, and went to sleep.

During the five-day siege, he barely had any rest and dared not relax for a moment.

After all, Yuwen Rong only cared about charging into battle; the pressure of commanding and coordinating the 100,000-strong army rested entirely on his shoulders.

During the day, they had to observe the battle formation and adjust their troops; at night, they had to redeploy the next offensive. They even ate dry rations on horseback.

Even someone with an iron body would find it hard to endure such a strain.

The moment my head touched the pillow, my consciousness sank into darkness.

Qin An was awakened by an extremely soft and gentle noise, though he didn't know how long he had been asleep.

He sensed someone was beside him, seemingly doing something to him.

Qin An instinctively raised his hand and grabbed the other person.

Then he suddenly opened his eyes.

In the darkness, Tong Rong's body was almost within reach, her long hair cascading over her bare shoulders.

More importantly, she was completely naked.

With the help of the moonlight, Qin An could clearly see that the other person's smooth skin seemed to be coated with a layer of cold silver light.

Qin An's sudden awakening startled Tong Rong, but even though she was being held up in mid-air, she stubbornly refused to let go.

What made Qin An even more uneasy was that he discovered his clothes had been undone at some point.

The two were separated by just one last bit of distance!

Upon recognizing Tong Rong, Qin An released his grip on her hand, but still held her up.

"What are you doing?" Qin An's voice was hoarse and cold.

Tong Rong was supported by Qin An, but she did not back down. She bit her lower lip, her voice trembling but unusually stubborn.

"I said I was General Qin's woman, and I have to keep my word."

Hearing that Tong Rong's reason was only this, Qin An felt a little relieved.

He also fully understood her plan.

Seeing Tong Rong's proactive stance, Qin An swallowed hard, but his voice carried a hint of restraint.

"You don't need to do that. Now that I've brought you out, I won't let anyone harm you. Once the war is over, I'll have someone send you back to your family."

"I have no family ties." Tong Rong's eyes were red like a rabbit's, but she didn't shed any tears. She just stared straight at him.

"I was adopted by Wang Chong when I was a child. Although I was nominally his adopted daughter, I was actually just a tool he carefully cultivated. Now he has run away and abandoned me here. I have nothing left. Where can I go except to be a general?"

Her voice suddenly lowered, becoming choked with sobs.

"If the general doesn't want me, I really have nowhere to go."

As she said this, Tong Rong looked at Qin An with a pleading expression, as if hoping that he would let go and allow her to complete what she wanted to do!