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

Upon hearing this number of casualties, Qin An was shocked.

The 10,000-strong force had lost nearly half its men, a devastating blow. He thought of the soldiers who had charged through the hail of arrows, and his comrades who had been turned into burning figures by boiling oil, and a chill ran down his spine.

"Then... what about our part?" Qin An asked with difficulty.

Luo Kai sighed: "Six hundred and thirteen men, forever left on the walls of Pingxiang. Neither Commander Zhang nor Commander Li returned."

Qin An fell silent.

He knew the battle would be fierce, but he hadn't expected the losses to be so heavy.

Those vibrant faces have now become cold, hard numbers.

"My lord, what's next..." Qin An's voice was hoarse.

"What else can we do but keep fighting?" Luo Kai said with a wry smile. "Pingxiang City hasn't fallen yet, and His Majesty is still watching from behind. No one can rest."

He looked at Qin An with a complicated expression. "However, it's not all bad news."

Qin An looked up at him, his eyes full of confusion.

"Because two centurions died in battle, I recommended you to the commander of ten thousand, and he agreed. He has already submitted a document to the Marshal's Office recommending you to take over as centurion."

"Your performance at the East Gate is evident to all, and you have also received personal praise from Marshal Yuwen. This position is practically guaranteed."

Qin An was stunned.

Centurion?

He never imagined it would happen so quickly.

Although he longed for a higher position, the fact that it was earned at the cost of more than six hundred lives weighed heavily on his heart.

"What, you don't want to?" Luo Kai raised an eyebrow.

"No," Qin An shook his head, "It's just... I'm feeling down."

[Skills: Intermediate Archery, Intermediate Hunting, Intermediate Swordsmanship, Intermediate Horsemanship, Advanced Marksmanship]

Overall combat strength: 90

Looking at the system panel, Qin An felt slightly relieved. His overall combat strength had reached 90, which meant he had entered the ranks of fierce generals.

He is only one step away from becoming a "hundred-man enemy".

The strength, agility and other attributes have been slightly improved, which is obviously a reward for this life-or-death battle.

What surprised him most was his marksmanship, which had actually improved from "intermediate" to "advanced".

He opened the system log and found that it was a message that appeared after achieving fifty kills.

Fifty-man kill?

Qin An was somewhat surprised.

He only remembered that he was in the heat of the moment killing, but he never expected to kill so many.

This advanced marksmanship was indeed much smoother than before, with more fluid transitions between spear techniques and more skillful application of power, subtly conveying a sense of effortless mastery.

"It's just... getting promoted is getting harder and harder," Qin An sighed softly.

Killing fifty people only leveled up my marksmanship by one level, and my attributes only increased by that much.

Compared to the rapid progress when I first got the system, my progress now is like a snail's pace.

But he was not discouraged.

This precisely demonstrates that he is climbing towards a higher level.

How could someone with the strength to "defeat ten thousand men" like Yuwen Rong be easily achieved?

He has plenty of time and opportunities; he just needs to keep fighting and keep breaking through.

One day we will be able to catch up with or even surpass that golden figure.

"A match for a hundred men...a match for ten thousand men..." Qin An murmured to himself, his eyes gleaming with determination.

He closed the system panel and clenched his fist.

Tomorrow will be a new beginning.

……

For the next period of time, the siege and defense of Pingxiang City remained fierce.

Yuwen Shu seemed to have gone mad, sending different teams to attack the city every day, relentlessly depleting the strength of Baiji's garrison.

Qin An's team suffered heavy losses and was arranged to rest in the rear, which gave him time to recover from his injuries and regroup.

Qin An recovered quickly from his injuries, and his 90% physique advantage was fully demonstrated at this moment.

In just ten days, the wound had scabbed over, and apart from not being able to exert too much force on his left arm, he was able to move around without any problems.

As his injury healed, good news arrived.

The official document appointing him as the new commander of a thousand men was issued, and Luo Kai held a simple inauguration ceremony for him.

The ceremony was simple, held in an open area of ​​the camp, where more than 300 surviving soldiers stood in neat rows, their eyes filled with awe and anticipation.

They had all survived the ordeal with Qin An at the walls of Pingxiang, and had witnessed his bravery and loyalty firsthand. They had no objection to him taking over as commander of a thousand men.

"From this day forward, I, Qin An, am your commander of a thousand men." Qin An stood at the front of the ranks, his voice booming. "I dare not promise that every one of you will return home alive, but I can guarantee that as long as I, Qin An, am here, I will never let any of my brothers die in vain! Follow me, kill the enemy, earn military merit, and survive!"

"Kill the enemy! Earn military merit! Survive!" The soldiers shouted in unison, their voices deafening, and their long-suppressed morale exploded instantly.

Han Quan was promoted to captain by Qin An to assist him in managing the team.

Luo Kai did indeed take care of Qin An. Despite the shortage of personnel everywhere, he still managed to fill Qin An's ranks to a full strength, making him a true centurion.

Qin An did not slack off at all, and every day before dawn he would lead the team to do exercises and training.

He shared all the experience he had gained on the battlefield, teaching them how to protect themselves in the melee on the city walls, how to coordinate attacks, and how to take advantage of the terrain.

To his surprise, these surviving veterans, who had been through the battle of Pingxiang City, seemed to have been reborn. Not only had their combat strength increased significantly, but their teamwork had also become more seamless.

Often, a single glance is enough to understand the other person's intentions.

"Indeed, the battlefield is the best training ground," Qin An thought to himself.

Those who survived the mountains of corpses and seas of blood were all elites.

They had seen death, were not afraid of death, and only thought about how to kill the enemy and how to survive.

Soldiers like these are the most terrifying.

During this time, he also went to the front lines to watch the battles, seeing other teams repeat their previous humiliations.

The walls of Pingxiang City still stood firm, but Qin An could tell that Bai Ji's garrison was at its last gasp.

The number of soldiers on the city walls dwindled, with even the elderly, women, and children being pushed to the front lines, and bows and arrows and rolling stones becoming increasingly scarce.

"It'll be soon," Qin An muttered to himself. "Pingxiang City won't hold out for much longer."