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

Faced with Cai Zhen's constant pleading and her restless appearance, Qin An gave her a hard slap on the bottom in annoyance.

"Be honest, your mother is doing this for your own good, so don't be ungrateful."

Qin An was not as weak as Cai Yan; with one slap, Cai Zhen's body trembled.

She looked at Qin An with a pitiful expression, "I just like playing with weapons and practicing archery, Father, please help me."

Cai Zhen was speaking from the heart.

For most people, practicing martial arts is a tough job, but Cai Zhen is different; she enjoys it.

It was the other, seemingly easier, learning tasks that were torture for her.

Looking at the pitiful Cai Zhen, Qin An was in a dilemma.

Fortunately, Cai Yan spoke up at this moment and helped him out of the predicament.

"Little sister, while we're still young, we should learn as much as possible. Mother taught us needlework, Aunt Qingwan taught us music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and Aunt Tong taught us so much knowledge. When we grow up, we'll be able to put all of that to good use."

Upon hearing this, Qin An nodded repeatedly: "That's right, now is the time for you to focus on your studies. We can talk about other things later."

Seeing that they had all said that, Cai Zhen had no choice but to give up.

The three of them chatted casually like that.

Qin An ultimately stayed up all night.

That night, they were quite concerned about Qin An's physical condition, and only felt relieved after confirming that he was alright on the battlefield.

Qin An also learned about their growth and changes from their words.

This made him sigh with emotion. Although it had only been a short year since he last saw them, they had indeed grown up quite a bit!

……

The next morning, Qin An felt a little tired because he had stayed up all night.

However, he still kept his promise and checked Cai Zhen's progress over the past year on his own.

Cai Zhen's talent in martial arts is indeed quite good.

In addition, they have now entered adolescence, so they are growing in all aspects.

Qin An was absolutely certain that as long as Cai Zhen persisted, once she fully matured, she would definitely surpass Shan Bing in martial arts and become one of the world's top female generals.

Although he had no intention of sending Cai Zhen to the battlefield, it would be good to have more means of self-defense.

After spending time with Cai Zhen, Qin An wanted to go back to sleep.

But just as he lay down, Yang Yuyan, who had already gotten up, came in.

"Husband, you're probably not going to get any sleep. Li Jing and the others have arrived."

Upon hearing that Li Jing and the others had arrived, Qin An immediately became more alert.

He quickly put his clothes back on, and with Yang Yuyan's help, he fastened his belt before striding towards the front hall.

Before even entering the door, I could hear Cheng Zhiyuan's hoarse voice.

"I told you long ago, after fighting for half a year, how could the general not be up even a day late? Why did you have to wake him up so early in the morning!"

"You talk too much." That was Luo Kai's voice.

Qin An lifted the curtain and went in. Everyone looked over at him, some laughing, some coughing, the room filled with unspoken understanding.

Qin An glanced at them, said nothing, and walked to the head seat to sit down: "What are you all doing here so early in the morning?"

"It's still early morning, almost lunchtime. General, you must have been so busy last night that you didn't have a moment to spare," Cheng Zhiyuan said with a wink and a mischievous grin.

"Stop talking nonsense!" Luo Kai nudged him, then looked at Qin An, "Where are my nephew and niece? We came here specifically to see them."

Could it be that they came to see the child? A happy smile immediately appeared on Qin An's face.

"It's time to introduce them to you uncles and elders."

As Qin An spoke, he sent someone to inform Li Qingwan and Shan Bing so that they could bring the child out.

Soon, the front hall became lively.

The two little ones had just finished eating and were sitting side by side on two soft mats.

One stared wide-eyed, looking around, while the other yawned, fists clenched.

A group of rough-looking men in the army gathered around, finding it even more unusual than looking at a military formation map.

"Tsk tsk tsk... The general's offspring are really something else. He's exceptionally handsome, much better than us roughnecks. I wonder how many young men and women he'll charm when he grows up." Cheng Zhiyuan was the first to come closer.

He uttered words of praise, but his hands were not idle. He took out a pair of jade pendants and placed them beside the baby's swaddling clothes.

Clearly, they all came prepared.

Since they were coming to see their nephew and niece, they naturally wouldn't come empty-handed.

"I, Lao Cheng, am a rough man and don't have much of a possession. This pair of jade pendants was seized from the Wang family's warehouse. The general examined them and said they were of decent quality. Consider them a small gift for my nephew and niece."

With Cheng Zhiyuan setting the tone, the others followed suit without hesitation.

Xue Ju smiled and took out a pair of large gold bracelets from his sleeve. They were not only heavy but also extremely finely crafted.

"I bought this overnight. It's said to be an old craft from the capital. I'm giving one to each of my two children."

Luo Kai, usually so composed, pulled out two strings of agate beads from his pocket, their color a bright red: "These were also confiscated; I'm giving them to the children to wear and play with."

Everyone took out the gifts they had prepared beforehand—gold, silver, jade, and pearls—and piled them up next to the cushions, quickly forming a small heap.

Li Qingwan and Shan Bing were momentarily at a loss when they saw this series of precious gifts, and subconsciously looked at Qin An.

These items look extremely valuable.

If this were an ordinary family, they could probably live a life of comfort and ease just from these gifts.

"These are some gifts from their uncles and elders. Please accept them. Don't let their unkempt appearance fool you; they're incredibly wealthy."

Qin An was naturally aware of the value of these items, but he didn't pay them much attention.

Others might not know, but how could he not?

The battlefield is dangerous, but it also holds great opportunities.

The so-called imperial rewards were utterly insignificant compared to the enormous spoils gained after the city fell.

Qin An was fully aware of the fact that the spoils of war were being hoarded, but he turned a blind eye to it.

With Qin An's approval, the two women accepted the gift with peace of mind and quickly expressed their gratitude.

The two little ones were completely unaware that they had already made a fortune shortly after their birth.

One was sucking on its finger, while the other had already fallen asleep again.

Li Jing was the last to step forward. He took out two short knives from his pocket. They had ebony scabbards and blades that were only about a foot long, but the craftsmanship was extremely fine.

He placed the short swords side by side beside the children and said to Qin An, "These aren't for you to play with now. They'll be useful when your eldest niece and nephew turn six and begin their martial arts training."

Qin An glanced at it and nodded: "You're very thoughtful."

……

After the two children were taken away, the crowd did not rush to leave.

Qin An knew perfectly well that while they had come to see the children, that wasn't the whole story.

"Speak freely, is there anything else?"

Li Jing stood ramrod straight, his face no longer showing the excitement of yesterday, but instead carrying a rare solemnity.

"Brother-in-law, I've been thinking about this all night, and there's something I need to tell you as soon as possible."

"explain."

Li Jing glanced around to make sure no one else was present before saying, "The imperial court's rewards this time seem like a favor, but in reality, they've scattered us all. Everyone looks like they've been promoted, but when it comes to actually going to war, how many people will my brother-in-law have left by his side?"

"I suspect this is the work of Prime Minister Yuwen. He seems to be promoting my brother-in-law, but he is also keeping a close watch on you."

This is very clear.

The laughter in the hall gradually subsided.

Qin An picked up the tea beside him, took a sip, and said slowly, "It's already quite good that you could think of these things."

"Brother-in-law, what should we do? I'm afraid we can't refuse this time." Li Jing frowned. "The imperial decree was issued in public yesterday. If we go to plead our case today, that would be defying the imperial decree."

Qin An put down his teacup and looked around at everyone: "So, just go your separate ways. The capital is only so big, it's not like we're going to be scattered to the four corners of the earth. We've parted ways publicly, but privately we'll continue as before."

Luo Kai interjected, "But if we go elsewhere, and General Qin really has some trouble, it won't be a solution to his immediate problem."

Qin An waved his hand: "If it really comes to the point where I need your help, it doesn't matter whether you're by my side or not. The right thing to do is for everyone to take charge of their new jobs."

Although these words were unpleasant to hear, everyone present had fought alongside him on the battlefield and knew he wasn't just saying discouraging things.

Cheng Zhiyuan scratched the back of his head and managed to say, "If you ask me, staying in the capital as a general is more damn tiring than fighting in the war. I really don't understand the ins and outs of officialdom."

"If you don't understand, just read it and talk less," Qin An said.

After exchanging a few more words, everyone took their leave. Li Jing was the last to leave, and just before he did, Qin An called out to him, "Wait a minute."

Li Jing stopped and turned around: "Brother-in-law, is there anything else you need?"

Qin An walked up to him and reached out to adjust his shoulder armor.

"You are now General Anyuan, no longer the deputy general who followed me. In the future, when you move around in the capital, be careful in everything you do. As for my affairs with the Yuwen family, don't interfere. I have my own plans."

Li Jing nodded: "I've got it."

"Go."

Li Jing turned around and strode out the door.

Qin An stood at the entrance of the hall, looking at his back, which was already showing some human features, and felt a mix of emotions.

The boy who told me to divorce my wife the moment we met has grown up somewhere I can't see.

He was lost in thought when he heard soft footsteps behind him.

Yang Yuyan came over with a bowl of soup and handed it to him: "Have a bite first. You haven't eaten anything since last night."

Qin An took it and drank it all in two or three gulps.

"I overheard what Li Jing said," Yang Yuyan said in a low voice. "He's right. The Yuwen family probably doesn't have good intentions towards us."

"Whether they have good intentions or not, they're already on the ship." Qin An handed the empty bowl back to her. "Right now, the most important thing is for you."

Yang Yuyan was taken aback: "Us?"

Qin An turned to look at her, his gaze carrying a rare seriousness.

"The imperial tour is most likely not far off. If the emperor really wants to leave the capital, the situation in the capital can change in an instant. You need to have a plan for the people and things in your residence."

Yang Yuyan was silent for a moment, then nodded gently: "I understand. I will make proper arrangements at the manor in the next two days."

Qin An held her hand: "Don't panic. Even if something bad is going to happen, it won't be in this short time. Just keep living your life as usual. The sky won't fall."

Yang Yuyan grasped his fingers and squeezed them tightly.

Neither of them spoke again.

Outside the courtyard, the sun was high in the sky, illuminating the entire Qin residence.

But Qin An knew that the sky over the capital city probably wouldn't clear up for much longer.