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

Hearing Tong Rong say this suddenly, Qin An looked down at her curiously: "Why?"

"He's like this when he's in the mansion. He talks a big game, but when it comes to actually standing up for himself, he chickens out the fastest."

As she said this, Tong Rong's face showed undisguised contempt.

Others might not know, but she knew exactly what kind of person Wang Teng was.

Although she was good-looking and was Wang Chong's favorite, she was also the future of the Wang family in Wang Chong's words.

In reality, this is a classic case of all that glitters on the outside, but rotten inside.

Tong Rong traced a circle lightly on Qin An's chest with her fingertips. "Back then, he and Wang Cong argued because of me. Wang Cong slapped him, and he didn't even dare to fight back. He only dared to complain about it afterwards."

"This kind of person is a typical example of someone who is all bark and no bite, a bully who picks on the weak and fears the strong. Even if you gave him ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare disobey Xu Mao's orders."

Qin An was somewhat surprised to hear Tong Rong offer such an analysis.

Although he had realized before that Tong Rong was a smart woman who could protect herself from the wolves surrounding the Wang family and even bewitch the Wang father and son.

But now it seems I underestimated this woman's wisdom.

Qin An laughed and touched her forehead: "Okay, let's play with someone else then."

The group changed direction and headed south along the official road.

Behind him, the city walls of Losi were deathly silent, with only Wang Teng still lying on the battlements, staring intently at the dust kicked up by the departing horses' hooves.

Over the next two days, Qin An took Tong Rong on another trip to Luocheng.

This time he cursed even more harshly.

They even went so far as to embellish and spread the scandalous story of Wang Chong coveting their adopted daughter.

The sound was so loud that the soldiers guarding the city walls could hear every single word clearly.

The soldiers guarding the city walls of Los Angeles looked at each other in confusion, some of them secretly glancing in the direction of the city tower.

Wang Chong listened to the incense stick burn for a while on the city tower, and his face went from ashen to pale before returning to normal.

It must be said that Wang Chong's rise to such a position is certainly not due to him being a mere incompetent fool.

Faced with Qin An's close and aggressive approach, most people would not have been able to tolerate it.

But Wang Chong ultimately chose to swallow his pride and bear the insult.

Not only that, he also quickly came up with a solution.

In response to Qin An's clamor, he clapped his hands, leaned on the crenellations, and replied to the crowd below.

"My dear son-in-law, you are mistaken. When I left Rongrong in Shancheng, it was specifically to betroth her to you. Why do you misinterpret your father-in-law's good intentions like this?"

"Father-in-law?" Qin An raised an eyebrow.

"Qin An, now that you have joined the Wang family, you are now the Wang family's son-in-law." Wang Chong's voice was calm and composed, even carrying a hint of a smile.

"If you're willing, you can come to Los Angeles anytime. Your father-in-law will open the door for you. Can't we sit down and talk things out as a family?"

The soldiers guarding the city wall burst into laughter. Someone shouted, "Young master, come up and have a seat!"

Qin An cursed under his breath, "Old fox."

He glanced at Tong Rong, who was also looking at him with a helpless, bitter smile on her lips.

The two men looked at each other for a moment, then Qin An turned his horse around and waved his hand.

"withdraw."

As the team set off towards Qiaotoucheng, Qin An's expectations did not diminish despite the previous two setbacks.

He looked back at the scouts following far behind him on horseback; they traveled back and forth every day, bringing news back to various places.

He already knew about the reaction from Losi City, and he had also witnessed the situation in Los City. The only remaining issue was Bridgehead City.

"Wang Cong should have received the news by now, right?" Qin An asked Tong Rong, who was in his arms, as he looked down.

"Qiaotou City is close to Luo City; it can be reached in a day by fast horse." Tong Rong looked up and thought for a moment. "Wang Cong has a temper, but he has one more thing than Wang Teng: he really dares to take action."

"That's good." Qin An's lips curled up slightly. "What I was afraid of was that he wouldn't dare to make a move."

Tong Rong indeed knew the Wang family men very well.

On the afternoon that Qin An was still arguing with Wang Chong outside Luocheng, things were in an uproar in Qiaotoucheng.

When Wang Cong rushed into Cao Deren's tent, Xiong Zi was squatting at the door eating a sesame seed cake.

Wang Cong kicked open the tent flap and stepped inside, the iron plates on his armor rattling loudly, the sound almost like a shout.

"General Cao, give me two thousand men, I want to leave the city!"

Cao Deren was looking at a map in his tent when he was startled by the shout, causing the charcoal stick in his hand to tremble.

He looked up at the young man, whose face was flushed, and his eyelids twitched: "General Wang, what's the matter that's so urgent?"

"What is it?" Wang Cong slammed his fist on the table, causing the teacup on the table to jump up and overturn, spilling tea all over the table.

"Qin An was flaunting Tong Rong outside the city. Didn't you receive the news? She's a member of my Wang family. He was holding her in his arms in front of everyone. You expect me to just stand here and watch?"

Cao Deren rubbed his temples: "General Wang, calm down, this is a provocation."

"I know it's a provocation!" Wang Cong took a deep breath, lowering his voice slightly but his anger remained undiminished.

"If I'm not mistaken, he will definitely come to Bridgehead City, and he will put on an act with that woman under the city walls, just like before."

"Since you know he's going to put on a show, this might not be a bad opportunity. You should know that the best time to put on a show is often when everyone is most relaxed."

Cao Deren looked at him, his brows furrowing.

Wang Cong took a step forward and pressed his finger on the map.

"Qin An came from Luocheng, and there are only three suitable places to camp along the way. The most likely place is the flat land at Pingyang Slope."

"He will definitely set up camp when he gets there, and people will be most scattered when he sets up camp. I will take two thousand men out of the city ahead of time and go around to the back of Pingyang Slope to wait for him."

"Just as he finished setting up camp and sat down to eat dinner, I set it ablaze."

Clearly, Wang Chong's praise of Wang Cong as the "unicorn son" of the Wang family was not unfounded.

He was quite skilled in military matters; at the very least, he had a thorough understanding of the surrounding terrain.

Cao Deren's gaze lingered on Wang Cong's face for a long while.

Although he had dealt with Qin An quite a bit, he knew that this man was not so easy to deal with.

However, he wasn't particularly afraid of Qin An; in fact, he was somewhat eager to try.

More importantly, he felt that Wang Cong's plan did sound feasible.

Having experienced the previous two times, Qin An would probably think that his side, like the other two, would not dare to leave the city.

The more this is the case, the more likely it is to launch a surprise attack.

If we can really achieve a great victory over Qin An, we will be able to demonstrate the might of the Chang Le Army, which would be a great achievement.

But he always felt that something was not quite right.

Before he could think it through, Wang Cong stared straight at him and said, "General Cao, if you are worried, you can send Xiong Zi to accompany me."

Wang Cong knew what Cao Deren was hesitating about, so he simply stated it plainly: "He's looking at me, and I can't cause any trouble."

Having said all that, it would be excessive for Cao Deren to refuse again.

He was silent for a moment, then finally nodded: "Two thousand men, leave the city within an hour. Xiong Zi will go with you. If things don't go well, retreat immediately, understand?"

Wang Cong grinned, clasped his hands in a fist salute, turned around, and left.

Xiong Zi poked half his head in from outside the tent, nodded at Cao Deren, and then followed Wang Cong.

That evening, Wang Cong led two thousand men out of the west gate of Qiaotou City, circled around halfway along a dry riverbed, and made his way to the dense forest behind Pingyang Slope.

He scattered his men and horses, hiding them in the woods. He put bridles on the horses' muzzles and forbade the men to light any fires. They simply lay on the hilltop, watching the direction of the official road.

As dusk fell, dust indeed rose from the distant official road.

A cavalry unit of about three thousand men was slowly making its way along the official road toward Pingyangpo.

At the very front of the procession, on a jet-black warhorse, rode a man and a woman together.

Wang Cong lay on the top of the slope, clenching his fists.

Xiong Zi, who was standing nearby, peeked over and muttered under her breath, "You were right."

"That's right." Wang Cong lowered his voice, his tone filled with undisguised smugness. "Qin An thinks he's a smart man, that everyone in the world is as stupid as him. I told you long ago, he only knows how to play these petty tricks."

"Look at him now, parading around with a woman. Does he think Bridgehead City is like Losi City, where nobody dares to mess with him?"

Xiong Zi didn't reply, but just gripped the iron rod tighter.

He wasn't really sure whether the battle should be fought, but Cao Deren had asked him to keep an eye on it, so he did.

Qin An, who was at the bottom of the slope, reined in his horse, looked up and surveyed the terrain of Pingyang Slope, and then turned to give a few instructions to the guards beside him.

The group gradually stopped; some people were choosing places to pitch tents, while others were gathering firewood to prepare a cooking pot.

It looked no different from any other caravan that was resting on its journey.

Wang Cong's hand was already on the hilt of the knife, and the corners of his mouth slowly turned up.

Xiong Zi didn't consider that much at all.

Seeing that Qin An had indeed stopped here as Wang Cong had predicted, Qin An began to have more faith in this young master of the Wang family.

Seeing that the enemy had appeared, he immediately felt a surge of excitement and was eager to try his hand at fighting.

Just as the Wu brothers were not afraid of Qin An, Xiong Zi did not think Qin An was that scary.

As a reckless man, he even had a slight desire to fight Qin An.

Wang Cong is indeed quite capable; even at this point, he is still able to remain patient.

"No rush, let's wait a bit longer. We'll make our move after they've set up camp and relaxed."

Xiong Zi nodded and didn't say anything more.

Under their watchful eyes, tents began to spread out around the campfire.

A ring of wooden stakes was planted around the perimeter, and the horse reins were tied to the stakes.

The warhorses were grazing on hay in twos and threes.

Smoke rose from between the tents, mingling with the aroma of meat broth, as soldiers gathered in small groups around the fire, eating, chatting, and laughing.

Wang Cong lay motionless in the grass at the top of the slope, his eyes fixed on the camp.

The two thousand men behind him were also lying in ambush in the shadows, their horses' hooves wrapped in cloth, their men's mouths gagged, and even the iron plates on their armor were edged with strips of cloth, waiting for a command!