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

Qin An had no idea how many people he had killed.

On such a chaotic battlefield, he had only one thought: to completely defeat all the enemies in front of him.

Until, faintly, he heard someone calling, "Commander Qin... Commander Qin, sound the retreat! Sound the retreat!"

Qin An suddenly came to his senses and realized that he had already fought his way to the vicinity of the city wall. He was left with only a dozen or so soldiers, all of them wounded, but all looking at him with admiration.

On the city wall, countless eyes stared at him, some in shock, some in fear, and some in admiration.

But Qin An had no time to care about that at the moment.

The sound of the retreat bell was still ringing out.

A quick glance revealed that their siege equipment had been almost completely destroyed. If they didn't retreat soon, they really wouldn't be able to get back.

He looked at the pile of corpses at his feet, then at the city gate so close at hand, his eyes filled with resentment.

That frenzied charge just now has torn a hole in the city wall. If we can hold on for a little longer, we might be able to gain a firm foothold.

But military orders are absolute, and a stern command is a death sentence, allowing no room for hesitation.

"Retreat!" Qin An roared, his voice hoarse like a broken gong.

He turned and stood guard at the rear of the column, his iron spear flashing like a blur, forcing back the surging Bai Ji soldiers.

Han Quan, supported by two soldiers, was deathly pale, his armor soaked with blood from his shoulder, yet he still gritted his teeth and shouted, "Quick! Follow Qin Sima!"

The surviving soldiers helped each other as they retreated along the ramp towards the next vehicle.

Upon seeing this, the Baiji soldiers on the city wall rushed forward like madmen, raining down arrows.

As soon as a soldier stepped onto the platform, he was shot through the back by an arrow and fell screaming into the pile of corpses below the city.

Another soldier raised his shield to block in order to cover his comrade, but was hit by a rolling stone and his shield was thrown into the air. His fate is unknown.

Qin An's eyes widened in fury as he watched. He hurled his iron spear, piercing the throat of a Bai Ji archer who was drawing his bow.

He grabbed a soldier's longsword from beside him, swung it, and cut down two men, shouting, "Retreat! Don't linger!"

The wooden planks of the carriage were riddled with arrows, and the carriage shook violently from the constant impacts, as if it would fall apart at any moment.

Fortunately, the vehicle was indeed sturdy; although it was covered in scratches, it was not completely destroyed.

As the last soldier jumped onto the adjacent vehicle, Qin An turned and leaped in, then shouted, "Retreat!"

The soldiers who retreated first pushed the chariot with all their might, slowly retreating amidst the rain of arrows.

Qin An stood close to the arrow slit, constantly slashing down incoming arrows with his sword. His arm was so sore and numb that he could barely lift it, and his wounds, soaked in sweat, sent waves of stinging pain through him.

It wasn't until the chariot retreated to its own camp and was escorted back to the camp by the soldiers that Qin An's tense nerves suddenly relaxed. His vision went black, and he almost collapsed to the ground.

"Qin Sima!" Han Quan struggled to help him up, but the movement aggravated his wound, causing him to wince in pain.

Qin An waved his hand, forcing himself to stand firm: "I'm fine... Let's count the number of people first."

The guards quickly counted the number, but the result made Qin An's heart sink.

The group started with 500 men, but only 340 returned, all of them wounded to varying degrees.

Although the spear wound on Han Quan's shoulder was deep, it did not reach a vital spot.

There were also a dozen or so soldiers with broken arms and legs, lying on the ground groaning.

Even worse, some had arrows piercing their abdomens and were barely breathing.

"Send them to the wounded soldiers' camp immediately!" Qin An ordered, his voice filled with barely concealed exhaustion.

He was escorted by his personal guards to the wounded soldiers' camp, where the army doctor cut open his blood-stained armor to reveal his wounds.

There were more than ten wounds of varying sizes, including knife wounds, arrow grazes, and blunt force injuries from being hit by stone fragments.

Fortunately, the armor provided protection, so most of the injuries were just superficial wounds. However, there was a deep knife wound on his left arm that exposed the bone, which was a shocking sight.

"Commander Qin, this wound needs to be treated carefully, otherwise it will fester." The military doctor instructed while cleaning the wound.

Qin An gritted his teeth and let the military doctor apply medicine and bandage him. He was in so much pain that cold sweat beaded on his forehead, but he didn't utter a sound.

His gaze fell outside the tent, where stretchers were constantly being carried by, and screams and groans rose and fell. The air was thick with the smell of blood and herbs, making his heart ache.

The loss of over a hundred brothers in one battle, and the fact that some of them might not be able to remain on the battlefield, was too heavy a price to pay.

He recalled those familiar faces, their shouts during the charge, and their despair as the city fell. His heart felt as if a boulder was pressing down on it, making it hard to breathe.

"Kid, not bad." Luo Kai's voice rang out from outside the tent. He lifted the curtain and came in, also injured, his left arm in a sling.

Qin An looked up at him and gave a bitter smile: "Losing nearly two hundred brothers, what's so bad about that?"

"Nonsense." Luo Kai sat down next to him and tossed him a piece of fruit.

"That's how siege warfare is. If half of them come back alive, it's already a great victory. You fought your way through the enemy lines on the city walls, tearing a gap in the enemy lines. Even Commander Zhang praised your bravery in front of me. Isn't that enough?"

Qin An remained silent and did not respond.

Luo Kai sighed: "I know you feel sorry for the brothers, but you have to understand that this is how the battlefield is. We are soldiers, and when we pick up a knife, we must be prepared to die. The fact that you brought more than three hundred men back alive is already much better than most people."

Luo Kai had more experience than Qin An, and he clearly understood what Qin An was thinking at that moment.

We've long been used to this situation.

He patted Qin An on the shoulder, his tone tinged with excitement.

"Moreover, you really made a name for yourself this time. Not only did Commander Zhang notice you, but even Marshal Yuwen asked, 'Who was that fast-moving leader who fought the fiercest at the East Gate?' He also said you were a good general."

"After hearing this, many generals started asking about you. Our unit also benefited from it, and we just received a new batch of medicine and rations, which is much better than other units."

Qin An's heart stirred slightly. Yuwen Shu already knew his name?

This was unexpected.

But he didn't feel much joy; he simply nodded and said, "Thank you for your guidance, sir."

"Don't be so polite with me." Luo Kai smiled. "Take good care of your injuries. There are still tough battles to fight."

Watching Luo Kai's departing figure, Qin An clenched his fists.

He knew Luo Kai was trying to comfort him, but he could not forget the blood of his brothers.

This burden will become his driving force, making him even more eager to become stronger.

Only by becoming stronger can we save more lives on this brutal battlefield.

……

Life in the wounded soldiers' camp was slow and arduous.

Besides recuperating from his injuries, Qin An visited his soldiers, feeding the seriously wounded brothers water and medicine, and listening to the lightly wounded soldiers recount the battles fought on the city walls.

Han Quan is in good condition. Although he was seriously injured, it was not fatal and will not have much impact on his future.

This is good news for Qin An.

The next day, Luo Kai returned to the wounded soldiers' camp with a grave expression.

Seeing his expression, Qin An knew that he wanted to talk about serious matters, so he dismissed his guards.

"The casualty statistics are in," Luo Kai said, his voice hoarse. "Our 10,000-strong force suffered over 1,200 casualties in this battle, with more than 3,000 wounded. Three centurions alone were killed in action."