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

While Qin An was deeply moved by the brutal war before him, the fighting on the front lines did not cease.

Instead, it escalated.

"Mount Lin, Mount Battering Ram, Charge!"

Under the cover of archers, dozens of siege engines were pushed to the front of the city.

Especially at the city gate, a huge siege vehicle stood out conspicuously.

After getting close to the city wall, the huge wooden mallet slammed into the city gate, making a loud "bang bang" sound.

The city gate swayed, but it remained unbroken.

On the city wall, Baekje soldiers kept throwing torches and boulders at the rams and battering rams, and several rams were instantly set ablaze and turned into fireballs.

The battle lasted for the entire morning. The Daxing army launched wave after wave of fierce attacks, but they were unable to breach the walls of Pingxiang City.

The corpses piled higher and higher beneath the city walls, and wounded soldiers were carried back to camp in an endless stream. The medics were overwhelmed with work, and groans echoed throughout the camp.

Luo Kai stood beside Qin An, his face solemn, and remained silent.

The five centurions remained silent, their eyes filled with fear and unease.

They all understood that if this offensive continued, even if they eventually breached the city, the Daxing army would pay an extremely heavy price.

Qin An stared intently at the battlefield, witnessing the devastating casualties. He strongly disapproved of this relentless fighting.

This is entirely about using human lives to fill the gaps.

If things continue like this, even if we win, it will inevitably be a Pyrrhic victory.

But he didn't say anything.

He knew that in such a large-scale battle, he, a mere Sima, had no say whatsoever.

In the afternoon, Yuwen Shu ordered another fierce attack.

This time, he deployed more troops and even used catapults.

The boulders hurtled towards the city walls, smashing bricks and stones into the air and causing the Baekje soldiers to cry out in pain.

The defenses on the city wall began to falter.

Just then, Yuwen Shu personally spoke: "Pass on my command: continue the siege! Whoever breaches the city first will be appointed general and rewarded with ten thousand gold pieces!"

These words, carried by the wind, resounded before the 200,000-strong army, each word striking a chord in their hearts.

The offensive, which had been somewhat hampered by the rain of arrows and rolling stones from the city walls, was instantly ignited by the generous reward.

Countless soldiers roared with bloodshot eyes, charging forward over the corpses of their comrades, seemingly oblivious to the excruciating pain of their armor being pierced by arrows.

Under the reward, there must be a brave man.

As long as one can achieve this initial success, one can instantly achieve a leap in social class and secure a comfortable later life.

Even Qin An felt a little tempted upon hearing of such a generous reward.

But he quickly calmed down.

"Slaying generals, capturing flags, charging into battle, and being the first to scale the walls! These four military merits sound exhilarating, but they're not easy to obtain. You really have to risk your life to earn them; you have to survive to enjoy them!"

……

Amidst the deafening shouts of battle, a golden figure rode forward beside the central army's banner.

"This humble general, Yuwen Rong, requests permission to fight!"

His voice was as loud as a bell, drowning out the clamor in front of the battle.

Qin An squinted and looked up. The young man sat upright on a magnificent black horse, wearing a golden chainmail. The layers of armor gleamed coldly in the sunlight, making his handsome face even more striking.

A gilded halberd hangs from his waist, its body carved with ferocious beast patterns, clearly indicating its extraordinary weight.

Yuwen Shu reined in his horse and looked back, his brows furrowed slightly: "Rong'er, why did you have to venture into such a dangerous place?"

"Marshal!" Yuwen Rong clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice resounding, "Our soldiers are shedding blood at the front; how can I sit idly by at the rear? Moreover, Pingxiang City has been under siege for so long, and we desperately need someone to break this deadlock!"

He turned and glanced at the hundred guards behind him. "I will lead my personal guards up the city walls; we will surely break through the defenses for the army!"

Yuwen Shu stared at him for a moment, then finally nodded: "Alright! Be careful. If things don't go well, retreat immediately!"

"Yes, sir!"

Yuwen Rong immediately dismounted, twirling his gilded halberd in his hand, drawing a half-golden arc, and shouted, "Follow me and kill!"

A hundred guards responded in unison and followed Yuwen Rong toward the city wall.

The golden figure stood out starkly against the gray-black military formation, like a bolt of lightning cleaving through chaos.

"That's... General Yuwen?" Luo Kai exclaimed in a low voice, his eyes filled with astonishment. "I heard he's been accompanying the emperor for many years, how come he's here?"

Qin An's gaze was fixed on the figure as he asked, "Is this person very powerful?"

"More than impressive!" Luo Kai exclaimed in amazement. "Yuwen Rong could draw a bow with a strength of three stones at the age of thirteen, and at fifteen, he accompanied his father on a campaign against the Northern Barbarians, single-handedly charging into battle and beheading the enemy chieftain. His Majesty personally bestowed upon him the title of 'Young Tiger General' and allowed him to always be by his side!"

"It is said that his martial arts skills have reached a state of perfection; ordinary generals cannot last more than three rounds against him. He is truly a match for ten thousand men!"

Qin An's heart skipped a beat, and his grip on the gun tightened.

He considered himself to be quite strong, but the words "a match for ten thousand men" still made his heart pound.

At this moment, Yuwen Rong had already rushed to the side of a siege engine.

The Baekje soldiers on the city wall saw his extraordinary armor and knew he was an important figure, so they turned their crossbows and catapults on him and started hurling arrows at him.

Arrows flew like locusts, and boulders thundered like lightning, threatening to engulf the golden figure.

"Well done, Yuwen Rong!" Luo Kai exclaimed in admiration.

Yuwen Rong remained calm and composed, his gilded halberd dancing in front of him like a golden blur, the clanging sounds ringing out incessantly.

Arrows were deflected upon impact with the halberd, and even boulders the size of heads were deflected by the halberd shaft, crashing to the ground and kicking up dust half a person's height.

"kill!"

With a roar, he leaped onto the siege engine and quickly reached the top.

After pushing aside the Daxing soldiers in front of him, the gilded halberd swept out, bringing with it a gust of bloody wind.

Five Baekje soldiers who were defending the city wall were swept away by his spear and sent flying backward, crashing into the parapet behind them, spitting blood and dying.

Yuwen Rong leaped onto the city wall, and his guards followed suit, shielding themselves with their shields, and began to fight the defenders on the city wall.

Yuwen Rong, however, moved like a tiger among sheep, wielding his gilded halberd with wide, sweeping movements. Wherever the tip of the halberd pointed, Baekje soldiers were either killed or wounded.

Under his overwhelming force, he carved out a blank area and, with his personal guards, quickly established a foothold.

As long as the city falls and he survives, Yuwen Rong will be able to secure the credit for being the first to scale the walls.

However, it is clear that the credit for being the first to scale the walls is not so easy to obtain.

The situation here quickly attracted the attention of the garrison.

A large number of Baiji soldiers rushed towards them, trying to drive them away.

A Baekje soldier wielding a halberd was thrusting forward when Yuwen Rong flipped his wrist, wrapped his halberd around the shaft, and pulled hard. The soldier, who was already off balance, was struck in the face by Yuwen Rong's halberd, his brains splattering out.

Qin An was dumbfounded.

Yuwen Rong's moves may seem simple, but they carry immense power. Each strike feels like it weighs a thousand pounds and is impossible to defend against.

What's even more terrifying is his agility; he moves with ease through the crowded city walls, always managing to avoid vital points while delivering the halberd to the enemy's most vulnerable spot.

"This is the strength of a top-tier warrior..." Qin An murmured, feeling both shocked and filled with an indescribable longing.

He gripped his iron spear tightly: "When will I be able to fight with such strength?"