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

Luo Kai glanced at the five centurions and saw that they all seemed indifferent to the matter, so he understood that he had no other choice.

His gaze fell on Qin An, who was full of fighting spirit, and he finally nodded: "Alright! Since you are willing to go, then this mission is entrusted to you. If you need any support, just let me know."

"Thank you, sir!" Qin An cupped his hands in thanks. "This humble general only needs some provisions and medicine. I would also appreciate it if you could coordinate with the surrounding towns to ensure their cooperation in our operations."

"no problem."

When the five centurions saw that Qin An had accepted the mission, they breathed a sigh of relief and their gazes toward Qin An became more amiable.

"Commander Qin is indeed young and promising; we admire him greatly," Commander Zhang said first. "If you need manpower, just let me know, and I will definitely support you."

The other centurions echoed this sentiment, promising to support Qin An's actions.

They suddenly realized that it wasn't such a bad thing that Luo Kai had such a direct subordinate team.

At the very least, if there are any troublesome tasks, I can still shirk them.

Thinking about this, those who were originally somewhat unhappy about Qin An's high position at such a young age felt much more at ease.

Qin An smiled and thanked them one by one.

He knew that these people were just doing him a favor.

But at least on the surface, he seemed to have secured his position as Sima.

……

After the meeting, Luo Kai kept Qin An behind.

"Are you stupid?" Luo Kai couldn't help but explode as soon as he walked in. "Those five old foxes didn't want to take on the mission, so why did you take it? Those defeated soldiers are a bunch of scoundrels. Even if you wipe them out, you won't get much benefit. If something goes wrong, you'll be the one to take the blame!"

Qin An listened silently, and only spoke slowly after Luo Kai had vented enough.

"My lord, I know this task is troublesome, but someone has to do it. Besides, what I said is true; my cavalry does need real combat experience."

Qin An was very clear in his heart that now that he had come to the front line, war was inevitable.

Both oneself and one's subordinates must improve as quickly as possible in order to have sufficient power to protect themselves.

This task, for example, carries some risks, but they are still within a controllable range.

This is a perfect opportunity to hone our skills and those of our subordinates, preparing us for an even more brutal battle.

Having made up his mind, Qin An looked at Luo Kai with a firm gaze.

"My lord, as you know, cavalry and infantry are different. They cannot develop real combat strength through training alone. Only by fighting on the battlefield with real swords and spears can they truly grow up."

"We've come to this frontline battlefield to achieve great things. All we need to do is maximize our strength; everything else is irrelevant!"

Luo Kai was stunned; he hadn't expected Qin An to think so far ahead.

Upon careful consideration, Qin An's words do indeed make sense.

An army that has not been tested in actual combat, no matter how elite, is just a paper tiger.

"What do you plan to do?" Luo Kai's tone softened.

"Let's find out the situation first," Qin An said. "Where are those defeated soldiers hiding? How many are there? Who is their leader? We need to find out all of this. Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory in every battle."

Luo Kai nodded: "Alright, be careful. If you encounter any trouble, send someone back immediately to report, and I will send troops to support you."

"Thank you for your concern, sir."

……

Early the next morning, Qin An led five hundred cavalrymen out of the camp.

"Commander Qin, shall we go and mop up the defeated soldiers now?" Han Quan asked, riding up to Qin An.

He has now been promoted by Qin An to be a personal guard and stays by Qin An's side every step of the way.

"No rush!" Qin An shook his head. "Let's go to a few nearby towns first and find out what's going on."

They went to the nearest town first.

This area was originally Baekje territory, but after it was captured by Daehung, a small number of troops were left behind.

Most of the Baekje people in the town looked worried and were wary of Qin An and his group.

Qin An found the local garrison leader and inquired about the situation of the defeated soldiers.

"Don't even mention it!" the leader complained bitterly. "Those defeated soldiers are like flies, they're so annoying. They even attacked our granary a few days ago. Although we repelled them, we still suffered considerable losses. They're so elusive, we can't catch them at all."

Qin An asked about the whereabouts and habits of the defeated soldiers, and he remembered them all.

After leaving the town, Qin An led his team to explore the surrounding mountains and forests.

They discovered several camps where the defeated soldiers had once been stationed, and judging from the remaining traces, there were quite a few of them.

Along the way, they also encountered a small group of fleeing soldiers who were robbing civilians.

Without hesitation, Qin An ordered a charge.

The routed soldiers were no match for the well-trained cavalry. They were quickly routed, with more than a dozen killed and the rest fleeing in disarray.

From the prisoners, Qin An learned more about the Baekje resistance.

These rebels were mostly defeated soldiers and some civilians who refused to surrender. They were led by several former Baekje generals and scattered in various mountains and forests.

With their homeland occupied and food supplies scarce, their lives were very difficult, and they often had to resort to robbery to survive.

"It seems that what they lack most is food." Qin An pondered, and a plan gradually took shape in his mind.

"Commander Qin, where do we go next?" Han Quan asked.

"Find a battlefield!" Qin An said.

"Find a battlefield?" Han Quan was stunned for a moment, not understanding what this meant.

"You'll find out then!" Qin An smiled mysteriously, offering no further explanation.

……

Three days later.

Qin An led a team of a hundred men, escorting more than three hundred laborers, and dozens of horse-drawn carts loaded with grain, toward the front-line camp.

Judging from their appearance, this is clearly a small team transporting supplies.

It turned out that after learning about the situation of the defeated soldiers, Qin An devised a strategy to lure them out.

Now, they are deliberately using food and supplies to lure the Baekje rebels out.

As they passed a treacherous spot, Qin An suddenly reined in his horse and whispered to the group, "Be alert, there might be an ambush ahead. If any enemies appear, follow my orders and proceed according to plan."

The soldiers nodded and gripped their weapons tightly.

Han Quan leaned closer to Qin An and whispered, "Commander Qin, how can you be so sure there's an ambush here?"

"Because this is the best place in the area to ambush someone," Qin An said calmly.

He wasn't just saying he wanted to find a battlefield.

After examining the terrain, he pinpointed the location precisely.

Those defeated soldiers were severely lacking in food.

If a grain transport team appears nearby, they either don't show up, or if they do, they can only stay in this place.

Han Quan suddenly realized what was going on and stopped asking questions, instead cautiously observing his surroundings.

As soon as Qin An gave the order, the atmosphere in the entire team became somewhat heavy!