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

The sounds of fighting in the camp gradually subsided, leaving only the wails of the wounded and the howling of the night wind.

Luo Kai descended from the high ground with his personal guards, his face expressionless, as if the previous raid had merely driven away a few noisy insects.

"Take stock of the casualties and clean up the mess." Luo Kai's voice was as cold as ice. "Wake up everyone who can move. Drag the dead to be burned. See if the wounded can be saved. If they can't be saved... give them a quick death."

The guards obeyed the order and began working in the camp littered with corpses.

The flickering torchlight illuminated faces filled with fear or pain.

Qin An stood beside his team, looking at the ten familiar corpses on the ground. His heart felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on it, making him feel suffocated.

Those were all brothers he had personally trained, who had followed him all the way from Baishantun. Yesterday they were laughing and saying they would follow him to achieve great things, and today they have become cold corpses.

One of the men, named Wang Er, had a blind old mother waiting for him to return home, and now...

Qin An closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, all that remained in his eyes was a cold calm.

He knew that this was war, and there was no room for sentimentality.

But when he saw that Wang Er's stiff fingers were still in the position of holding the gun, his throat still tightened.

"Instructor..." a surviving militiaman's voice trembled, "We...we shouldn't have come?"

Qin An didn't answer, but simply patted him on the shoulder.

What could he say?

Regret?

But now, is it any use to regret it?

At this moment, several guards escorted over a dozen trembling men, who were the new recruits who had just tried to escape in the chaos.

Luo Kai glanced at them, a cold smile playing on his lips: "Military law enforcement will be applied."

"Mercy, Commander!"

"We'll never do it again!"

"We have elderly parents and young children waiting for us at home!"

Cries for mercy rose and fell, but Luo Kai remained unmoved, coldly watching his guards pin them to the ground.

"Pfft!"

"ah--!"

With a swift movement, the knife fell, splattering blood everywhere. The person who had been crying and screaming just moments before fell silent instantly.

The surrounding recruits turned pale with fright, many covered their mouths, and some even vomited on the spot.

Qin An frowned as well. He knew that military law was merciless, but he did not expect Luo Kaihui to be so decisive and efficient.

"Watch closely, all of you!" Luo Kai's voice echoed throughout the camp. "This is what deserters pay for! From the moment you put on this leather armor, your lives belong to the army! Anyone who dares to desert in the face of battle, endangering their family, will be a prime example!"

His gaze swept over the crowd, carrying a strong sense of intimidation: "Those who don't want to die, you'd better perk up! Either kill your enemies and achieve merit on the battlefield, or die on the battlefield! There is no third option!"

These words made the already demoralized recruits even more fearful, but also gave them a sense of resolute determination.

They knew it was too late to back down now, so they had no choice but to grit their teeth and move forward.

Luo Kai nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Qin An and said, "Qin An, you take your men and be on guard to prevent the Baekje people from launching another sneak attack."

"Yes!" Qin An accepted the order and turned to gather the troops.

Looking at his still-shaken brothers, Qin An said in a deep voice, "Stay alert, stand firm at your posts. Remember, we're not in Baishantun now, we're on the battlefield. If you want to get back alive, you can't afford to let your guard down for even a second."

The group nodded silently, picked up their weapons, split into several teams, and headed to different parts of the camp.

Qin An stood on a high place, looking at the busy figures and corpses scattered all over the camp, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

Although he had gained a great deal from the recent massacre, he felt no joy. These improvements in data were achieved at the cost of his brothers' lives.

"War... is indeed no child's play." Qin An muttered to himself, gripping the spear in his hand tightly.

……

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Luo Kai summoned all the surviving recruits.

After last night's raid and cleanup, the original force of over four hundred people was reduced to just over three hundred.

"Starting today, we will begin reorganization." Luo Kai stood at the front of the ranks, his voice booming. "Five men form a squad, with a squad leader; ten men form a platoon, with a platoon leader; fifty men form a hamlet, with a hamlet leader; and one hundred men form a team, with a team leader."

He paused, then continued, "I will assign the veterans around me to serve as officers at various levels and guide you through the rules and regulations of the military."

At his command, dozens of veterans stepped out from behind and took their assigned positions.

These veterans were all battle-hardened men, exuding a fierce aura that made the new recruits afraid to look them in the eye.

"Next, I will announce the appointments." Luo Kai's gaze swept over the crowd. "Those who performed exceptionally well last night will be promoted."

He read out several names, all of whom were brave or well-organized during the raid the previous night, and appointed them as squad leaders or platoon leaders respectively.

Those whose names were called all showed excited expressions.

Finally, Luo Kai looked at Qin An: "Qin An!"

Qin An's heart skipped a beat, and he stepped forward, saying, "Your subordinate is here!"

"Your performance last night was evident to everyone," Luo Kai said with approval. "You remained calm under pressure, commanded effectively, and repelled the Baekje attack with minimal losses. Your contribution is invaluable."

He raised his voice: "Qin An is hereby appointed as the captain of a squad, commanding one hundred men, effective immediately!"

"What?"

"How old is he? How can he be the team leader?"

"Isn't this... a bit too hasty?"

A murmur arose from the crowd, and many people showed expressions of surprise and dissatisfaction.

Although the title of captain may not sound very high, he is in charge of a hundred men, which is equivalent to a centurion, a junior officer in the army.

Many people may not be able to reach this position even after a lifetime of hard work.

Qin An is just a newcomer, he has only been in the army for a short time, yet he has already achieved this level?

Moreover, he is so young.

To put it bluntly, it's like it hasn't even grown its first hair yet.

How could anyone not be envious and jealous of this?

Luo Kai coldly glanced at the people discussing: "What? Anyone have a problem with this?"

Everyone fell silent after being swept over by his icy gaze.

Qin An's performance last night was truly remarkable. When everyone else was in a panic, only his team was well-organized and managed to hold off the main attack of the Baekje people, making a great contribution.

He certainly deserves to be rewarded for his merits.

Luo Kai nodded in satisfaction and said to Qin An, "Qin An, from now on, this team is in your hands. Don't let me down."

"Your subordinate will do his utmost to live up to the commander's trust!" Qin An was moved and bowed deeply to Luo Kai.

He never imagined that he could rise to the top and become a centurion.

Although Han Quan had said that bringing people into the army would give them a higher starting point, the speed of this recruitment still exceeded his expectations.

"Alright." Luo Kai nodded. "Team captains, take your men and begin training."

Once the order was given, the new recruits were divided into three teams according to their assigned roles and began their training.

Qin An looked at his hundred men, forty of whom were his brothers from Baishantun, and the other sixty were militiamen from other villages.

"From today onwards, we are one team." Qin An stood at the front of the team and said in a deep voice, "I don't care which village you were from or who you followed before. From now on, you must obey my orders. On the battlefield, only by uniting as one can you survive. Understand?"

"Understood!" everyone responded in unison.

Although some people were still dissatisfied, Qin An's performance last night set an example, and they dared not openly disobey him.

Qin An nodded in satisfaction: "Good, let's begin basic training now: drills, assassination, physical fitness—nothing can be omitted!"