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

Realizing this, Xu Mao sighed softly, put down his pen on the table, and stood up. "Wu Yun, Wu Tian, ​​Shan Tong, come with me!"

The three people who were taken aside felt a little uneasy.

They thought Xu Mao would fly into a rage.

After all, their actions could already be considered a coup.

However, the other party's reaction was beyond their expectations.

"I understand how you feel. Since no one wants to risk their lives for the Wang family, then let's leave!"

Clearly, Xu Mao had finally made his decision.

Although he knew he could persuade everyone by arguing for the greater good, the generals in the army would likely understand.

But such a thought only flashed through his mind before being dismissed.

No need.

Even if the military commanders could understand, the ordinary soldiers under their command wouldn't think that much about it.

They only think that since they don't eat the Wang family's food, there's no need for them to risk their lives for the Wang family.

If morale is low, everything is in vain.

Upon hearing that Xu Mao was willing to leave, everyone's eyes lit up instantly.

But before they could say anything more, Xu Mao's next words instantly weighed heavily on their hearts.

"Don't be too happy yet. Even if we want to leave, Qin An won't let us leave too easily."

"There will definitely be another battle between us and him, and this battle is destined to see many brothers fall."

Clearly, Xu Mao had thoroughly figured out Qin An's intentions and realized that being forced to leave would come at a significant cost.

The three of them, Shan Tong and his companions, were not without intelligence, so how could they not understand this?

The three of them exchanged a glance.

Wu Yun said, "In war, people always die. We'll take as many as we can. I think the brothers can understand that."

Dan Tong said in a deep voice, "General, just give the order, we will all obey you."

The Wu brothers both nodded.

Although they were dissatisfied with the status quo, they still admired Xu Mao's military skills and would be willing to serve him when the time came.

Seeing that they were all mentally prepared, Xu Mao said no more.

The four walked to the small table beside the tent. Xu Mao spread out the map and pointed to the line he had marked several times.

"Qin'an's cavalry will definitely be waiting outside. He won't let us leave smoothly. After leaving the city, the cavalry should go first. Don't fight Qin'an head-on. Break through the gap and retreat. Run as far as you can."

He pointed his finger toward Los Angeles, "The infantry will follow in three waves. There will definitely be losses, but how many can be saved depends on their own fate."

Wu Tian frowned slightly: "The cavalry will go first? What about our infantry?"

Xu Mao glanced at him and said, "If the cavalry gets bogged down, none of us will be able to escape. The best arrangement is to send the cavalry first to preserve the fastest foot soldiers, while the infantry cover the rear, holding out for as long as possible."

Clearly, Xu Mao had already thought this through very well.

To escape from Qin An's cavalry pursuit, it was impossible without the cavalry to keep them occupied.

Moreover, even if the worst-case scenario were to occur, the cavalry would be the most likely to escape.

Wu Yun nodded in agreement.

Dan Tong remained silent, but after Xu Mao finished speaking, his gaze lingered for a moment on the arrow symbol on the map indicating that the cavalry had advanced first.

His lips moved, but he ultimately said nothing.

But he was reminded of the cavalry battle at Yangkoucang.

That time, he commanded the cavalry and faced off against Qin An, and was almost traumatized by the defeat.

Xu Mao closed the map, looked up at the sunlight streaming through the tent ceiling, and said, "Since we've decided to leave, the sooner the better. Let's set off after dark."

……

Outside the city of Los Angeles, Qin An led five thousand cavalrymen in formation on a gentle slope near the city.

He chose this position so that he could see the movements in the direction of the city gate, but not be seen by the people on the city wall.

Five thousand men were all ready, poised to strike at any moment.

Qin An didn't try to hide it much; there was no need for it.

He believed that Xu Mao must have guessed that they would be ambushed and killed by him when they left the city.

Now, both sides are playing with their own brand names.

Qin An was certain that Xu Mao would leave the city, and Xu Mao also guessed that Qin An would intercept and kill him.

This time, Li Gangzhai will definitely pay a price for leaving the city.

What is truly uncertain is the magnitude of the cost.

Just as Qin An was staring at Luoxi City, Cheng Zhiyuan stood to his left, holding the handle of a large axe in his hand, his eyes fixed on the direction of Luoxi City's gate.

He would look up at the position of the sun every now and then, then look down at the city gate, repeating this process over and over again.

"General, when do you think that old bastard Xu Mao will come out?" he asked in a low voice, his anxiety barely concealed.

The current situation reminded him of the battle of Black Mountain City.

That time, they were the ones forced to break out.

This time, however, the situation was completely reversed.

This gave him a sense that his luck had finally turned around, and he could finally get revenge for what he had done before.

This feeling of revenge excited him, but also made him somewhat anxious and uneasy.

Qin An simply said, "No rush. We are the hunters now, and the most important thing for hunters is to be patient."

As both sides waited, the sky slowly sank from daylight into dusk, and then from dusk into night.

The gates of Losi remained closed.

The torches on the city wall were still lit as usual, and the figures of the night patrol soldiers moved back and forth behind the crenellations, showing no signs of anything unusual.

Luo Kai crawled over from the other side, squatted down next to Qin An, and whispered, "General, it's getting dark. What if they don't come out?"

Qin An glanced at him sideways: "Don't worry, I have a feeling they'll come out tonight. Let's wait and see."

He looked towards the city gate, from dusk until the moon was high in the sky, and then from the high moon until the moon began to set in the west.

In the middle of the night, the city gates suddenly opened.

It's the East Gate.

It wasn't the main gate, but a small gate on the east side, which was usually only used by grain transport carts.

The door opened slowly and silently, without even a torch.

Qin An's gaze snapped shut, and his fingers touched the halberd.

Cheng Zhiyuan moved almost simultaneously, looking towards the city gate, his breathing becoming heavy.

"Don't rush." ​​Qin An pressed his hand down, his voice low. "Wait for them to come out."

People began to pour out of the city gates.

The cavalry came out first, their hoofbeats muffled in the night wind, their hooves wrapped in cloth.

One group after another filed out of the city gate and quickly lined up in the open space outside the city.

Under the moonlight, their faces were obscured, but the silhouettes on their backs were clear, and their movements were swift and agile.

After the cavalrymen lined up, they did not stop and began to move south along the official road.

They walked very fast, clearly trying to create as much distance as possible under the cover of night.

Following the cavalry were the infantry, but their numbers were noticeably smaller.

Qin An counted the heads of the people coming out of the city gate. There were about three or four thousand infantrymen, which was nearly half less than expected.

Qin An's lips curled up slightly.

"Is Xu Mao pinning his hopes on their cavalry? Using infantry to entangle me, and having the cavalry advance first, making me hesitant to act—quite a clever arrangement."

In an instant, Qin An understood the purpose of Xu Mao's arrangement.

The cavalry had already run more than a mile south, with the infantry following behind, creating a clear gap between them.

Cheng Zhiyuan gripped the axe handle tightly and turned to look at Qin An: "General, which group should we attack?"

Qin An turned his gaze away from the cavalry that was accelerating in the distance and onto the infantry behind them.

"Attack from the rear. Let the cavalry go, block the infantry, scatter the infantry. If the fighting is fierce, they will have to come back to provide support. If they don't come back, all of these men will perish here."

After he finished speaking, he grabbed the halberd and was about to give the order to attack.

Just as he was about to give the order, a rapid sound of hooves came from behind him, growing louder as it approached.

Han Quan rode his horse up the slope, stumbled when he landed, quickly walked up to Qin An, and said in a low voice.

"General, someone claiming to be a messenger from the capital says he has important letters to deliver to you personally."

Qin An's gaze remained fixed on the moving column ahead, without turning his head: "We'll talk about it after this battle."

"He said..." Han Quan lowered his voice even further, "The letter was specifically instructed by Her Majesty the Empress to be delivered to you as soon as possible."

Qin An's fingers paused on the shaft of the halberd.

A letter sent by Xiao Mei?

At this particular time, unless there's something urgent, I wouldn't choose this moment.

He glanced at Han Quan and asked, "Where is he?"

"He's in the back, being held by his personal guards."

Qin An loosened his grip on the halberd, glanced again at the moving black line on the official road to the south, and said in a low voice.

"Keep an eye on them, don't let them get away." After saying that, he turned his horse around and followed Han Quan down the slope.

In a low-lying area behind the slope, a middle-aged man dressed in cloth was being held down by two guards, squatting on the ground, clutching a brocade box tightly in his arms.

Seeing Qin An approach, he struggled to get up, but was pressed back down by his personal guards.

Qin An waved his hand, and the guards released their grip.

The middle-aged man stood up, looked Qin An up and down before speaking, "Is it General Qin An in person?"

"it's me."

The middle-aged man handed over the brocade box he was carrying with both hands, and then took out a letter sealed with wax from his sleeve and handed it over as well.

"This was sent on the orders of Her Majesty the Empress. There are also several letters from various parts of the capital that were sent to the army. Her Majesty instructed that they be brought along as well."

Qin An took the brocade box and the letter, but instead of opening the box, he tore open a letter inside.

Because he was very familiar with the handwriting; it was Yang Yuyan's.

Qin An opened the letter, his eyes scanning the first line of text, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

"My lord, it is as if you are seeing me in person upon reading this letter. Both of my younger sisters have given birth smoothly, bearing you a son and a daughter..."

Qin An's fingers tightened suddenly as he gripped the letter.

So, I'm going to have an heir?