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

After entering the county town, Han Quan was not in a hurry to go to the clinic for treatment.

He had Qin An take the prisoners, maps, letters, and the bag of left ear fungus, and then had Li Zhuang and others carry him straight to the county government office.

Upon hearing that Han Quan and his companions had returned and had performed such a great service, the county magistrate personally greeted them at the entrance of the county government office.

When he saw the bag of left ears, maps, and letters, an excited smile appeared on his face.

"Good! Good! Good!" the magistrate exclaimed three times. "Han Quan, you have indeed not disappointed me! You have rendered such a great service this time; your contribution is indispensable!"

The magistrate could not hide his joy.

During this period, Bai Ji's spies were frequently active, which put him under tremendous pressure.

They didn't have high hopes for sending the constables to lead the hunters into the mountains.

Now that Han Quan has brought back so much, he can finally give an account and no longer worry about losing his official position.

Han Quan, appearing weak and struggling to his feet, said, "My lord, I dare not take credit; it is all thanks to Qin An and the brothers who fought bravely against the enemy!"

"Lie down, don't move!" The magistrate, now relaxed, was very amiable: "Come, tell me what happened!"

Han Quan didn't hide anything and truthfully recounted the experiences of his team.

When the county magistrate heard that Qin An had single-handedly killed more than ten spies, he was quite surprised.

His gaze swept over Qin An, sizing him up: "Well, I didn't expect there to be such a burly man under my jurisdiction!"

The more he looked, the more satisfied the magistrate became.

Qin An is so young, yet he already has such a strong physique and great strength. Once he grows up, he will definitely be a fierce general.

The thought that the world was not peaceful and that even he, as the county magistrate, was not safe made him want to recruit people.

"You have rendered such a great service, I cannot treat you unfairly. There is currently a vacancy for a constable in the county government. Would you be interested in working here?"

It seemed like a question, but the tone carried a condescending, condescending air.

Qin An's heart skipped a beat.

I had already decided to join the army, but now this has happened?

He instinctively wanted to refuse.

But this magistrate was clearly no pushover; to refuse in public would be to slap the other party in the face.

A county magistrate who ruined his family, a prefect who exterminated his entire clan.

The position of county magistrate may not seem like a big deal, but it's not something I can afford to mess with right now.

Not knowing what to do, he turned to look at Han Quan.

"Have you gone mad from hunting? Why are you looking at me like that!" Han Quan laughed and scolded, "The lord is just rewarding you because he loves your talent. Hurry up and thank the lord for his kindness."

As he said this, he kept winking at people.

Although Qin An was not entirely happy about it, he knew he couldn't argue with the powerful. "Thank you for your kindness, sir. I am willing to serve you faithfully!"

"Good job! I have high hopes for you!" Seeing that Qin An had agreed, the magistrate smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

Then he turned to Han Quan and said, "Wang Yong sacrificed himself, didn't he? Give him a good talking-to when you're better!"

"Yes, sir!" the two replied hastily.

After giving a few brief instructions, the magistrate didn't linger. He waved his hand and said, "Alright, you can go and bandage your wounds now. I'll take care of the rest."

After saying that, he ignored Han Quan and Qin An and left.

……

On the way to the clinic, Qin An asked impatiently, "Brother Han, if I become a constable, what about joining the army...?"

He was indeed a little puzzled. Han Quan had clearly said he would help him join the army, but now he had become a constable. What was going on?

"Don't rush into this. Taking on the position of constable isn't necessarily a bad thing," Han Quan explained patiently, without keeping anyone in suspense.

"I spoke too confidently before. If you were just an ordinary immigrant, joining the army would naturally be no problem, but I didn't expect you to marry the family of a convicted official. You'll have to get past this first."

On the way back, Han Quan also learned about Qin An's family situation.

When they learned that there were even convicted officials' relatives in his family, they were also troubled and didn't know how to explain it.

But unexpectedly, a new path opened up before us.

The magistrate's sudden move made things much easier for him.

Seeing Qin An's puzzled look, Han Quan smiled and said, "Your family background was indeed very poor before, but if you get an official identity first, then you'll be one of us, and things will be much easier in the future."

"I see!" Qin An suddenly realized why Han Quan had asked him to agree first.

But the thought of his original plans being disrupted again still made him somewhat unhappy.

Just then, Han Quan said quietly, "Besides, the magistrate has personally invited you. How could you refuse such a favor from someone in a higher position?"

Upon hearing this, Qin An felt completely relieved.

As they walked and talked, the two soon arrived at the clinic in the county town.

Before they could even begin bandaging, a clerk walked in with a smile.

"Brother Qin, with the magistrate's special approval, your reward has been delivered to you immediately. Please accept it, sign and affix your seal!"

As he spoke, he slipped a silver note into Qin An's hand.

Qin An was initially very happy to see the rewards being distributed so quickly.

However, his heart sank instantly when he saw the number on the banknote.

In last night's battle, he killed thirteen Baiji spies and captured one alive.

The official reward is fifty taels of silver per person.

In other words, his reward should be seven hundred taels.

But the silver note in front of me now is only worth one hundred taels, the difference is just too great.

After a moment of hesitation, he didn't ask any further questions.

He glanced at the document handed to him, ignoring the clearly stated seven hundred taels of silver, and signed and sealed it directly.

After signing the document, he said gratefully, "Thank you so much for bringing it in person, sir!"

Seeing Qin An's straightforwardness, the other party was somewhat surprised, and then the smile on his face became even brighter.

"Don't mention it. From now on, we're all family, so we should help each other out!"

He didn't linger, carefully put away Qin An's signed document, and then turned and left.

Qin An carefully kept the hundred-tael silver note close to his body.

Just then, Han Quan's voice rang out behind him: "Are you very angry?"

"I'm not angry, just a little disappointed. But whatever the amount, it's a gain. I'll take whatever they give me!"

What Qin An said was what he truly felt.

He could understand that his income would be significantly reduced.

How can official quotes and actual income possibly be the same?

He just didn't expect it to be this ruthless.

Seeing his calm demeanor, Han Quan became even more satisfied with him.

"My brother is quite clever!" Having already accepted Qin An as one of his own, he still explained, "The official bounty offer is definitely not inflated, but the higher-ups take half first, and we middlemen also have to go through a few hands. So, we'll be lucky to actually receive a quarter of it!"

Although he had expected it, Qin An still felt a bit of a toothache when he heard Han Quan's words.

That's really ruthless.

But he quickly realized: "A quarter?"

Han Quan gave him a meaningful look: "You don't actually think that the position of constable was given to you for free, do you?"

Qin An was completely speechless, having truly witnessed what bureaucracy meant.