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

After making the decision, Qin An led his cavalry on a loop around the right side of the official road.

Before the formation was fully assembled, the horses had already turned around and pressed back towards the infantry formation.

This time, Wu Tian positioned himself diagonally to Qin An's path, his halberd pointed in front of the saddle, his entire body taut like a fully drawn bow.

Seeing that Qin An had returned so quickly, he couldn't care less about anything else and rushed over directly.

"Qin An, die!" The voice rang out before the man even arrived.

The sharp boring bar slants up from the lower right corner at a tricky angle.

Qin An's halberd was held horizontally, the shaft pressing down on the spear.

The two weapons clashed with a piercing metallic shriek.

Wu Tian thrust his arms upwards with all his might, trying to use the force to pry open Qin An's halberd shaft.

Qin An, however, took the opportunity to lower the halberd shaft and, using the horse's speed, pulled it to the side, causing the two horses to cross paths.

Wu Tian retaliated with a backhand thrust, the tip of his halberd grazing the armor plate under Qin An's ribs, leaving a shallow white scratch.

Qin An parried with his halberd, and the two weapons tangled together, producing a teeth-grinding scraping sound.

Although he hated Qin An intensely, Wu Tian's expression gradually became serious.

Qin An's strength was not as great as he had expected, but he was more agile than he had anticipated.

Each handover was timed to coincide with the gap in his exertion, preventing him from fully utilizing his brute force.

"This Qin An is indeed a troublesome enemy!" Wu Tian thought to himself.

Before this, he had not taken Qin An's personal martial prowess seriously.

Based on Qin An's performance when he killed Pei Yan, he concluded that the other party was no match for him.

Just now, Qin An didn't even dare to fight him head-on, which made him even more confident and less inclined to underestimate him.

But now, this real clash has made him realize that Qin An's strength is far greater than he had imagined.

Even when two people are fighting, it is not something that can be decided in a short time.

A multitude of thoughts flashed through his mind, and Wu Tian couldn't help but sigh, "I underestimated you a little before. I admit, you are already one of the top warriors of our time."

As he said this, a hint of envy appeared on Wu Tian's face.

It wasn't because of Qin An's ability, but because of his age.

She's only in her early twenties.

They hadn't even reached their peak yet, but they had already become top-tier warriors of their time. This kind of talent was something all military generals dreamed of.

Upon hearing Wu Tian's words, Qin An was momentarily stunned.

"A top-tier fighter? Have I already reached that level?"

Although he knew that the system existed and that as long as he didn't die, he would eventually be able to stand at the top of the world, he never expected that this day would come so soon.

Just as Qin An was about to feel smug, two figures suddenly appeared in his mind, instantly cooling his burning passion.

"Top in the world? I'm far from that. Only when I'm able to kill you will I be qualified to consider this question," Qin An replied coldly.

He said this aloud, but inwardly he sighed, "What a formidable opponent! Too bad, time waits for no one!"

He was actually quite excited about the prospect; such an opponent would be a perfect opportunity to test his current abilities and help him improve.

But Qin An hadn't forgotten that he had just said he wanted to finish the battle quickly.

After a brief exchange of ten rounds, he finally decided to shake off Wu Tian, ​​regroup with his own troops, and charge out again.

Although this attack was very short, it put a lot of pressure on the rebels.

The number of deserters was increasing, and morale was almost completely crushed.

……

When they fought their way out again, it was obvious that all the government troops had an unnatural flush on their faces.

Xue Ju caught up from behind, panting, and shouted, "General, let's keep charging!"

His voice trembled slightly as he spoke these words, a sound that lingered after he had reached the pinnacle of joy.

This time, he truly enjoyed the killing, and even vaguely felt that he had broken through his limits and his strength had improved further.

This feeling of becoming stronger was so irresistible to him that he was willing to die on the battlefield.

Qin An did not answer, but his ears suddenly twitched.

There was something extra in the sound of the wind, very light, very distant, but getting closer.

He reined in his horse from the formation and turned his head to listen for two breaths towards the direction of the official road to the south.

The sound is becoming clearer and clearer.

"Their cavalry is back," Qin An said.

Xue Ju's smile froze on his face. He tilted his head to listen for a moment, then scoffed indifferently.

"The cavalry commander is Shan Tong, right? He's just a defeated opponent. We were able to crush him in the last cavalry duel, and we can do it again this time."

Luo Kai approached from the other side, blood still dripping from the tip of his spear. He glanced south and then at Qin An, making a joke.

"General Qin, please don't go easy on him just because Shan Tong is your child's uncle."

Qin An had no time for jokes and glanced at the men behind him.

He could see the traces of sweat and blood mixed together on his men's faces, and he could also see that everyone's breathing was much heavier than when they set off.

Three charges, five thousand men have fought for so long without stopping or resting. Maintaining their formation and charging this far is already their limit.

More importantly, while the battle was indeed fierce and satisfying, it was not without its losses.

Of the original five thousand cavalry, it is unknown whether four thousand remain intact.

Under such circumstances, he would naturally not make a rash decision out of passion.

"Withdraw." Qin An turned his horse around and pointed to the wilderness on the right side of the official road. "Go northeast, don't take the official road."

Cheng Zhiyuan sighed, "They were just getting into the swing of things, what a pity!"

Qin An interrupted him: "There's nothing to regret. When their cavalry returns, our troops will be exhausted. It's not worth it to charge head-on."

He glanced to the south, where the dark line was rapidly approaching. He could now make out the outlines of the horses' heads at the very front. "There will be plenty of opportunities to wear him down. This is only the first day."

After Qin An finished speaking, he rushed out into the wilderness to the northeast.

Cheng Zhiyuan gritted his teeth, turned his horse, and followed.

Five thousand cavalrymen drew an arc on the official road.

The sound of hooves gradually faded, cutting diagonally from the official road into the fields on both sides, crushing large patches of withered grass and shrubs, and retreating into the depths of the night to the northeast.

Xu Mao's troops watched from the official road as Qin An's cavalry disengaged from the battlefield.

When Wu Tian reined in his horse and returned to Xu Mao's side, Qin An's torch had already retreated to a distance of half a mile and was getting further and further away.

He felt a fire burning fiercely in his chest.

Xu Mao looked down at the battlefield beneath his feet. Corpses lay scattered haphazardly on the official road, armor, broken spears, and shattered shields strewn all over the ground.

The survivors were gathering in twos and threes towards the center; some were helping the wounded, while others were collecting the scattered weapons.

He glanced at the flickering fire in the northeast, which was growing farther and farther away, and after a moment of silence, he spoke: "Take a headcount. Everyone who can leave, leave. Don't stop."

When Dan Tong's cavalry charged to the side of the infantry, he reined in his horse.

He looked at the chaotic battlefield before him, then glanced at the torches receding into the distance to the northeast, and turned to Xu Mao: "General, shall we pursue them?"

Xu Mao shook his head: "Don't chase him. He retreated cleanly without leaving any openings. Chasing after him would only make it easier to fall into his ambush."

When the group started moving again, there were nearly 30% fewer people than when they started.

The infantry followed the cavalry in a scattered formation, much slower than before.

Some carried their wounded comrades on their backs, while others used broken spears they had picked up as crutches. The entire procession stretched southward in a winding line, like a taut string.

Xu Mao walked in the middle of the group, glancing to the northeast several times.

The light of those torches had completely disappeared into the night.

A few miles to the northeast, Qin An led his cavalry to a stop on a slope.

When Cheng Zhiyuan dismounted, his legs went weak, and he sat down heavily on the grass. He looked up at the sky and panted for a while before he could speak.

"Damn it, I've been playing all night, my hands are sore, but I still haven't had enough."

Luo Kai, who was squatting down nearby drinking water, replied without looking up, "Then why don't you go back and fight me?"

Cheng Zhiyuan waved his hand but didn't reply.

Qin An led his black horse, Ta Xue Wu Zhui, to the top of the slope and looked south.

Under the moonlight, the official road stretched out in a winding path, and Xu Mao's troops were moving slowly. The firelight formed a broken line, slower and shorter than before.

"Alright." Qin An turned and glanced at everyone. "Take a break. For the next few days, we'll follow him, resting during the day and fighting at night."

"I want them to be stabbed in the back while they're walking, to wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of horses' hooves, to have no peace even while eating a meal. I want to see how many people Xu Mao can take away!"

Hearing this, Cheng Zhiyuan sat up straight and grinned, "Okay, we're good at this!"

……

In the following days, Qin An kept his word, and the land of Losi became an endless killing field.

He would occasionally lead his troops into battle, without any discernible pattern.

The cavalry came and went like the wind, making them impossible to guard against.

Xu Mao also attempted to fight back.

They either sent Shan Tong to lead cavalry as an escort, or they sent cavalry out to attack, but to no avail.

Qin An didn't engage with the rebel cavalry at all, which made Xu Mao grit his teeth in hatred.

He dared not let the cavalry run too far, fearing that the cavalry would not be able to return in time to provide reinforcements.

They dared not let the cavalry and infantry go together, for fear that Qin An might wipe them all out if they were not careful.

Under such circumstances, Xu Mao aged considerably in just a few days.

Xu Mao was in distress, while Qin An was making final preparations.

He stood atop a slope, his gaze fixed on the direction of Xu Mao's military camp.

He was also extremely exhausted from days of pursuit.

Because the enemy is in the open while we are in the dark, our men are able to take turns resting.

But Qin An, the commander-in-chief, dared not relax in the slightest.

During these five days, he had very little rest. His body could recover through the system feedback from killing enemies, but his spirit was starting to give out.

But looking at the enemy camp ahead, he was ultimately unwilling to give up. After taking a deep breath, he issued the latest military order.

"Rest for 25 minutes, feed the horses and replenish their water. No one should remove their armor or take off their weapons. This is our last chance."