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

The group traveled for two days, and the journey was relatively peaceful.

Qin An had the cavalry take turns on guard duty, while the new recruits under the supervision of his personal guards underwent simple drill training.

Han Quan did not disappoint. He quickly adapted to the rhythm of the cavalry and was even able to perform simple horsemanship with the other cavalrymen.

That evening, the group arrived at a sloping valley.

Qin An reined in his horse, surveyed the terrain, and frowned slightly: "This place is treacherous; there might be an ambush. Everyone, be on your guard."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a hail of arrows came flying through the air!

"Watch out!" Qin An shouted, brandishing his iron spear to deflect all the arrows aimed at him.

The cavalrymen reacted quickly, raising their shields to protect themselves and their horses.

The recruits were thrown into chaos, with many falling to the ground wounded by arrows, screaming in agony.

"You Baekje traitor, you're asking for death!" Qin An roared and charged out first.

Hundreds of Baekje soldiers rushed out from both sides of the slope, wielding swords and spears, and charged down with howling cries.

They were clearly a disorganized mob, poorly equipped and in disorganized formation, but they had the advantage of sheer numbers.

Moreover, the slope also gave them a geographical advantage.

"Cavalry, charge!" Qin An swung his iron spear, sending a Baekje soldier flying. "Target: left side of the hillside, kill!"

More than a hundred cavalrymen charged toward the left hillside like a surging torrent.

The deafening sound of horses' hooves and the gleaming tips of spears sent Baekje soldiers sprawling and falling wherever they went.

Qin An's iron spear was like the scythe of death; every swing was accompanied by blood and screams.

He charged into the enemy ranks as if they were empty, and no one could stop him wherever his spear pointed.

Han Quan followed closely behind. Although he was not as brave as Qin An, he was not afraid at all. He wielded his long sword with great force, cutting down one enemy after another.

Seeing the cavalry's ferocity, the new recruits gradually regained their composure and, led by their guards, formed a simple formation to resist the Baekje's onslaught.

The battle lasted less than half an hour.

When the last Baekje soldier was pierced through the chest by Qin An's spear, the valley was already filled with corpses.

The blood flowed down the hillside, forming a small river of blood.

Qin An reined in his horse and looked around.

The cavalry suffered minimal losses, with only a dozen or so wounded.

The new recruits suffered heavy casualties, with nearly a hundred falling to the ground.

"Captain, all these Baekje people have surrendered. What should we do?" a guard asked, pointing to a group of Baekje soldiers kneeling on the ground, trembling.

Qin An didn't even glance at them, coldly uttering two words: "Kill them."

"What?" The guard was stunned. "They've already surrendered..."

"I said, kill them." Qin An's voice was devoid of any emotion. "Keeping them alive will only waste food, and they might even stab us in the back. On the battlefield, being merciful to the enemy is being cruel to yourself."

"Perfect! Let them give the new recruits a taste of blood, so they won't be afraid to wield their swords once they get to the front lines!"

Han Quan felt a chill run down his spine; he hadn't expected Qin An to be so ruthless.

But he didn't say much, he just silently raised the knife.

Although the new recruits felt somewhat reluctant, they still carried out the orders despite seeing the casualties on their side.

The screams rang out again, then quickly fell silent.

After the execution, the new recruits were terrified and turned pale; many even vomited.

They looked at Qin An's retreating figure with eyes filled with awe, and even a hint of fear.

This young centurion was not only brave and skilled in battle, but also terrifyingly bloodthirsty.

Qin An seemed oblivious to their reactions, and simply said to Wang Hu, "Clean up the battlefield, collect all usable weapons and equipment, carry the wounded brothers away, and let's leave here as soon as possible."

"yes!"

The procession continued forward, but the atmosphere became unusually oppressive.

The new recruits kept their heads down, no one dared to speak, and they even walked cautiously, for fear of angering the "living devil".

Han Quan glanced at Qin An, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but didn't.

He knew Qin An had his reasons for doing so, but he still felt a little uneasy.

Qin An seemed to see through his thoughts and said calmly, "Do you think I'm too ruthless?"

Han Quan nodded, then shook his head: "I don't know, but I know you must have your reasons for doing this."

Qin An sighed: "On the battlefield, being soft-hearted will get you killed. These Baekje people hate us Daxing people to the bone. Keeping them around will only cause endless trouble. You'll understand when you've seen more life and death."

Han Quan fell silent.

He looked up and saw the night deepening, as if countless eyes were watching them from the darkness.

He gripped the knife tightly. Perhaps Qin An was right; in this chaotic world, only by being ruthless could one survive.

In the following days, the group encountered no further attacks. Perhaps the previous battles had intimidated the scattered soldiers, or perhaps they were simply lucky and had a smooth journey.

Two days' journey from the logistics battalion, a cavalryman galloped up from the front, dismounted, and knelt on one knee: "Captain, a battlefield has been spotted ahead!"

Qin An's heart tightened: "What's going on?"

"It is our Daheung army fighting against the Baekje people. Both sides have a large number of troops, and the battle is fierce."

"Understood!" Qin An nodded and said to Wang Hu, "You lead the three brothers and the new recruits to stand by and strengthen the guard. I'll take the others to check it out."

"Captain, let me go with you," Han Quan said quickly.

"Alright." Qin An mounted his horse. "Cavalry, follow me!"

Nearly a hundred cavalrymen followed Qin An, spurring their horses onward at full speed.

Before long, deafening shouts of battle could be heard.

They came to a high place and looked down.

On the plain below, two armies were locked in fierce combat.

On the left is the army of Daxing, about eight hundred men, each wearing fine armor and wielding sharp weapons. Their formation is orderly, and they advance and retreat with precision, clearly the elite of the elite.

Surrounded by the Baekje people, they remained calm and composed, repelling their attacks time and again with their tight formation.

On the right is the Baekje army, numbering about two thousand. Although their equipment is inferior to that of the Daehung army, they have the advantage of sheer numbers and overwhelming force, crashing against the Daehung army's formation wave after wave.

The two sides exchanged blows, their battle cries deafening.

Blood stained the earth red, and corpses piled up like mountains.

"What impressive combat power!" Han Quan couldn't help but exclaim. "To be surrounded by so many people and still hold on, this unit is truly remarkable."

Qin An nodded: "Judging from their equipment and tactics, they should be the elite of the Jingying garrison. To be able to push the Jingying garrison to this point, this Baekje army is no ordinary force."

"Captain, should we go up and help?" a cavalryman asked.

"No rush," Qin An waved his hand. "Let's see how things go first."

He carefully observed the battlefield, his brows gradually furrowing. Although the Daehyeong army was brave, its numbers were too few, and facing the overwhelming number of Baekje soldiers, victory would not be easy.

Even though the Baekje army suffered greater casualties, it continued to send in more troops, clearly intending to swallow this elite Daehung force whole.

"Captain, what should we do now?" Han Quan asked Qin An.

Although he was Qin An's older brother before, Han Quan quickly adjusted their positions after enlisting and stopped acting like the older brother.

Qin An didn't rush to answer, his eyes fixed on the battlefield, a thoughtful expression on his face!