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

As Wang Chong and Pei Ji were talking, the sound of rapid hoofbeats suddenly rang out in the distance.

Luo Kai led a troop of cavalry from the direction of the official road and was taken aback when he saw Qin An fighting with a young man.

Cheng Zhiyuan, with his sharp eyes, recognized Pei Ji, and seeing the boy's double hammers flying, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Whose kid is this? He's incredibly strong!"

Seeing the government reinforcements approaching, Pei Ji's expression changed, and he shouted urgently, "Qing'er! Don't linger! Come with me!"

Pei Qing was caught up in the killing spree and wouldn't listen: "Father! Let me kill him! Avenge my elder brother!"

"Qing'er!" Pei Ji's voice suddenly turned stern. "Your elder brother's revenge isn't urgent! You're only fourteen; you'll have plenty of opportunities later! Run!"

Pei Qing gritted his teeth, launched two fierce attacks to force Qin An back, and suddenly turned his horse around, retreating to Pei Ji's side.

He turned to look at Qin An, his bloodshot eyes filled with hatred: "Qin An, remember this, I'll take your head sooner or later! Go back and wash your neck clean and wait!"

Before he could finish speaking, Pei Ji had already ridden away with him. Wang Chong was grabbed by the back of the collar by Pei Ji and dragged onto the horse like a sack.

The wrecked carriage was left standing there, with only the coachman's corpse and broken wood scattered all over the ground.

Luo Kai and the others caught up with Qin An and stared blankly at the departing figures of Pei Ji and his group.

Cheng Zhiyuan spoke first: "General, how old is that kid? How could he fight you like this? What kind of monster is he!"

Xue Ju also joined in, clicking his tongue and saying, "If Pei Qing were two more years older, he would probably be even more difficult to deal with."

Qin An shook his numb wrist, looked in the direction where the young man disappeared into the twilight, and after a long while said, "He is indeed talented, but he is young and impetuous. Just because he can leave today does not mean he can leave tomorrow."

Qin An was somewhat surprised by Pei Qing's talent.

It feels like there are countless geniuses in this world.

Ahead of them was Yuwen Rong, who was as strong as a monster, so overwhelming that it was impossible to breathe and there was no hope of catching up.

Later came Pei Qing and Li Xuanfu, who were exceptionally talented and had unlimited potential.

If this were an ordinary person, they would probably have given up hope long ago.

Fortunately, Qin An knew where his confidence lay. No matter how outstanding the other party's talent was, he was always able to keep up, so he was not discouraged.

He withdrew his gaze, shook the dust off his halberd, and turned to look at everyone: "Clean up the battlefield and return to Luocheng first."

The sunset glowed like blood, dyeing half the sky crimson.

Qin An mounted his horse, glanced back at the direction Wang Chong had fled, and ultimately did not pursue him.

With Luoyang fallen, Wang Chong is all alone. Even if he escapes, he won't be able to cause any more trouble.

He also needed to rush back to Luoyang to meet up with Yuwen Rong.

……

When Qin An led his army to Luocheng, it was already dark.

Torches illuminated the city walls, and the banners of the government troops fluttered in the night wind.

On the open ground outside the North Gate, traces of the battle from the previous night still remained. Broken arrows were half-buried in the ground, and several trampled shields lay askew on the banks of the moat, the water of which shimmered dark red in the firelight.

"General Qin has arrived!"

Someone shouted at the top of their lungs from the city gate, and then the drawbridge slowly lowered, and a troop of cavalry came out to meet them.

The person in charge was Li Jing.

He spotted Qin An in the distance, spurred his horse to gallop closer, and as the two horses drew near, he dismounted, his face beaming with barely concealed excitement: "Brother-in-law!"

Qin An looked at him, his gaze lingering on Li Jing's face, which still bore traces of cigarette ash, and then suddenly smiled.

"I heard that General Yuwen has handed over command of tens of thousands of troops to you?"

Li Jing scratched the back of his head, a rare hint of embarrassment on his face: "It's because the General trusts me, I... I'm just following orders."

"Don't give me that." Qin An dismounted and patted his shoulder. "Let's go, take me to see the General."

Cheng Zhiyuan, Luo Kai, Xue Ju, and others followed closely behind, escorting the prisoners into the city.

The streets of Los Angeles have been brought under control by government troops, and soldiers with guns can be seen standing every so often.

People were clearing away the corpses and scattered weapons piled up in the streets and alleys, and the air was filled with the lingering smell of blood and burnt flesh.

Wang Chong's residence was requisitioned as a temporary military headquarters. Half of the stone lions in front of the gate were missing, the main gate was wide open, and the courtyard was brightly lit.

When Qin An walked in, Yuwen Rong was sitting on the stone steps of the main hall, with one arm on his knee and a wine bag in his other hand.

A roll of map was spread out on the ground in front of him, with several areas circled in charcoal.

"General," Qin An said, clasping his hands in greeting.

Yuwen Rong looked up at him, paused for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Good lad, you've come pretty fast! I've heard about what happened in Luoxi City. You chased that old bastard Xu Mao like a rabbit, and he almost ran into the Wang family's territory."

As he spoke, he tossed the wine flask toward Qin An: "Take a sip first."

Qin An took the liquor and gulped it down. The strong liquor went down his throat, carrying a fiery warmth that spread throughout his body, making him feel much more comfortable.

"The fall of Luoyang was also beyond my expectations." Qin An handed the wine bag back. "I intercepted Wang Chong's routed army on the way, but unfortunately he escaped."

Yuwen Rong's smile faded slightly: "They ran away? Tell me more."

Qin An then picked out the most important points to discuss.

From discovering the routed army to recognizing Wang Chong, and then being stopped by Pei Ji and a boy wielding double hammers during the pursuit.

"That boy was named Pei Qing, Pei Ji's youngest son. He was fourteen years old and his double hammers were heavy. I fought him for thirty rounds but did not gain the upper hand."

Qin An spoke these words calmly, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary.

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Rong's eyes lit up with an alarming brightness.

"Pei Ji has a son like this?" He sat up straight, tapping his fingers twice on his knee. "Fourteen years old, and he could fight you for thirty rounds. In terms of strength alone, he's no less than you?"

"In terms of pure strength, he is only stronger, not weaker," Qin An said. "If he has a few more years, he might even be able to challenge your position as the greatest warrior in the world, General."

These words are spoken frankly, without any reservations or intention to flatter or harm.

Qin An knew how powerful Yuwen Rong was; it was beyond the reach of ordinary people. If anyone could catch up with him, it would probably only be Li Xuanfu and Pei Qing.

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Rong not only wasn't angry, but instead laughed out loud: "Good! Good indeed! This Pei family is truly interesting. Pei Yan is dead, and now Pei Qing has emerged. When he comes again, I'll have to meet this brat!"

As he spoke, he turned to look at Qin An, a hint of amusement in his eyes: "You say he can challenge my position, so what about you? When are you going to challenge for the title of number one in the world?"

Although Qin An described Pei Qing's talent as terrifying, Yuwen Rong also had high expectations for Pei Qing.

But compared to Pei Qing, he was more optimistic about Qin An.

Others may not be aware of Qin An's potential, but he is well aware of it.

Back when they were on the Baiji battlefield, Qin An was just a promising newcomer in his eyes, someone who at most deserved a second glance.

In just a few years, Qin An has grown into a top-notch general.

Although he is not yet a threat to me, his growth seems to have no limit. If he grows in a few more years, he might really be qualified to fight me.

Qin An simply smiled and said, "General, you overestimate me. Compared to you, I am far from being worthy of your praise."

After realizing that he had grown into a top-notch warrior, Qin An did feel a little arrogant.

After battling several powerful opponents, his previously wavering mindset finally settled down.

I am indeed very powerful, but it is still far from enough.

Currently, among those I know, there are Wu Tian, ​​Wu Yun, Xiong Zi, and Pei Qing whose strength is no less than mine.

As for Yuwen Rong, he was still someone I could hardly hope to reach.

Not to mention, there's also Li Xuanfu, who is growing rapidly.

Moreover, this is only what I already know.

The world is vast and full of hidden talents; who knows how many more formidable figures there are?

My goal of becoming the world's number one is a long and arduous journey.

Yuwen Rong rolled his eyes speechlessly: "You, still so modest. I really don't know how you could have grown to this level with your personality. We martial artists should have the spirit of being invincible."

Qin An didn't refute anything, which made Yuwen Rong feel like he had made a fool of himself.

The two walked into the hall side by side. Qin An briefly explained the situation of Luoxi City and the remnants of Xu Mao's forces, and Yuwen Rong then recounted the process of the fall of Luoxi City.

"A few old bastards traded the secret passage for their lives." Yuwen Rong said, a smirk playing on his lips. "I thought they would wait and see for a couple more days, but I didn't expect them to bring the people in the very night Zhao Liu returned."

"These powerful families are best at changing their stance depending on the wind," Qin An said.

"That's right." Yuwen Rong nodded. "But there's no need to settle accounts with them this time. The city has just fallen, so we need to use their names to stabilize the situation."

Qin An understood: "After we deal with the rebels, we'll go back and dig out their assets."

Yuwen Rong patted him on the shoulder and said nothing more.

That night, government troops took full control of Luoyang.

Li Jing and his men worked through the night to count and register the prisoners, keeping them extremely busy.

Qin An did not rest and went to the prisoner-of-war camp that very night.

Over the course of the night, he personally interrogated many surrendered generals, gaining a general understanding of the Wang family's troop deployment, the location of their funds and provisions, and the attitudes of their various affiliated families.

The next morning, he went to various parts of the city wall to inspect the defenses, noted down several sections of the wall damaged by the war, and ordered people to repair them as soon as possible.

"General, although we have captured Luocheng, Wang Chong has escaped, and the remnants of the Wang family are still outside. We cannot give them time to catch their breath," Qin An said at the morning meeting.

Yuwen Rong sat in the main seat, his hand supporting his chin, and nodded upon hearing this: "Go on."

"I propose that Li Jing lead 10,000 troops to press on and, before the Wang family can react, wipe out all the counties near Luocheng."

"Don't be greedy. Take them out one by one, and then retreat. Don't give them the opportunity to besiege the stronghold and attack reinforcements."

Li Jing was standing to the side. Hearing this, he was stunned for a moment, then his body straightened up and he looked intently at Yuwen Rong.

Yuwen Rong gave Qin An a half-smile: "You've really gone to great lengths to cultivate this brother-in-law!"

Qin An remained unfazed: "When it comes to recommending the worthy, one should not avoid relatives. In terms of familiarity with the terrain around Luocheng, he is second to none. If this battle is won, he should lead an army on his own."