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

That morning, Qin An was training his troops when a guard rushed in: "Commander, Colonel Luo wants you to go to the commander's tent immediately. He says there's an urgent meeting."

Qin An's heart skipped a beat, knowing that something big was about to happen.

He instructed Han Quan to continue training, and then strode quickly toward the commander's tent.

The tent was already packed with people, all of them generals of the rank of centurion or higher, each with a solemn expression.

Zhang Xu sat in the main seat, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

"As you've probably guessed," Zhang Xu said bluntly, his voice hoarse, "Marshal Yuwen has just given the order: Pingxiang City must be captured within three days!"

The tent was silent; no one spoke, but everyone's face was solemn.

The city fell in three days, which means that the next three days will be an unprecedented bloody battle.

"To boost morale, the marshal also issued an order," Zhang Xu paused, then said, enunciating each word clearly, "After the city falls, swords shall not be sheathed for three days!"

"Hiss—" A collective gasp of cold air rose from inside the tent.

The fact that the swords were not sheathed for three days meant that after the city was breached, they could burn, kill, loot, and commit all sorts of atrocities.

This was the most direct temptation for the soldiers, and also the cruelest order.

Qin An felt no pity whatsoever.

He had experienced too many life-and-death situations and understood the cruelty of war long ago.

The Daxing army suffered heavy casualties, and the soldiers had accumulated too much resentment and fear, needing an outlet for their anger.

Massacre of a city is the best way.

This not only allowed the soldiers to vent their frustrations, but also deterred the Bai people in other cities, preventing them from resisting further and thus reducing casualties in subsequent battles.

It's cruel, but it's effective.

"Listen up, everyone!" Zhang Xu slammed his hand on the table. "Tomorrow morning, my unit will be the main force on the left flank, cooperating with the central army to launch a strong attack on the east gate! Everyone, be on your guard! Anyone who dares to back down will be court-martialed!"

"Your subordinate obeys!" the generals replied in unison.

After the meeting, Qin An returned to his camp and immediately summoned all officers of captain rank and above.

"Tomorrow we will launch a general offensive, targeting Pingxiang City. We will not cease our attacks for three days!" Qin An said in a deep voice.

The officers were taken aback at first, then their eyes blazed with fanaticism.

They all came from poor backgrounds and fought desperately on the battlefield, all for military merit and wealth.

Not sealing the sword for three days means countless treasures of gold and silver, and an opportunity to vent one's anger.

"Chief, just give the order! The brothers can't wait any longer!" a veteran squad leader shouted excitedly.

Qin An nodded: "Pass down the order, tell the brothers to get a good rest tonight, assemble at dawn tomorrow, and follow me into the city to seize all the spoils!"

"Yes, sir!" the officers responded in unison and turned to relay the orders.

The camp instantly erupted in excitement. Upon learning that their swords would not be sheathed for three days, the soldiers were all eager and excited.

The emotions that had been suppressed for so long finally erupted, and even the air was filled with a restless atmosphere.

Qin An stood outside the tent, watching the excited soldiers, but his eyes remained unusually calm.

He knew that after the city fell, Pingxiang would become a living hell.

But he had no choice; this was war, a world of survival of the fittest.

……

The next morning, before dawn, the army had already assembled.

Outside Pingxiang City, banners blotted out the sun, armored soldiers stood like a forest, and the dark army formation stretched as far as the eye could see. The air was thick with the oppressive atmosphere of an impending storm.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The war drums sounded, more powerful and urgent than ever before.

"The general offensive begins!" Yuwen Shu's order resounded throughout the entire army.

Two hundred thousand troops surged toward Pingxiang City like a flood bursting its banks.

This time, there was no testing, no holding back; everyone, with bloodshot eyes and roaring, charged toward the crumbling city wall.

For three whole days, the siege continued without the slightest pause.

The troops on the Daxing side took turns fighting, giving the Baiji garrison no chance to catch their breath.

Such intense fighting resulted in heavy losses for Daxing.

However, due to their large numbers and the incentive of not stopping the sword for three days, their morale was not affected at all; instead, everyone seemed to be on steroids.

On the other hand, Bai Ji's side, after such intense fighting, had long since become exhausted.

The original soldiers are almost all gone, and now only the elderly and weak are left to defend the city.

Everyone could see that Pingxiang City was no longer able to hold on.

On the third day of the general offensive, Qin An once again led his troops, following behind Luo Kai, as the second echelon on the left wing.

He watched as the first wave of soldiers surged toward the city wall like a tide, only to be swallowed up by a hail of arrows and rolling stones, yet he felt no emotion whatsoever.

"This is the final battle." Luo Kai's voice rang out beside him, tinged with weariness.

"Yes." Qin An nodded. "Once the city falls, it will all be over."

The Bai Ji garrison on the city wall was powerless to resist; their arrows were sparse as if it were child's play, and they had very few rolling stones left.

All they could do was brandish their broken swords and spears, using their bodies to block the advance of the Daxing soldiers.

"Build a ladder!"

"Battering ram, charge!"

Shouts of battle rose and fell, ladders were erected one after another on the city wall, and soldiers frantically climbed upwards, stepping on the corpses of their comrades.

The elderly, weak, women, and children on the city wall roared, biting with their teeth, throwing stones, and ramming with their bodies, but it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot; they were cut down and trampled by the ever-surging Daxing soldiers.

Qin An's unit soon had its turn to charge. He took the lead, climbing up the swaying ladder, his iron spear flashing in his hand, deflecting the swords and spears thrust at him from the city wall.

As he approached the city wall, he suddenly exerted his strength, leaped, and landed on the wall.

Soldiers from other directions also poured onto the city walls in a steady stream.

"kill!"

Qin An roared and swept his iron spear, knocking down three Bai Ji soldiers beside him.

The soldiers behind him surged forward like a tide, quickly establishing themselves on the city wall and launching an attack on both sides.

At this point, the Pingxiang City garrison was already at its last gasp and was no match for the ferocious Daxing soldiers.

Qin An led his troops in a fierce charge, encountering almost no significant resistance.

He saw that the eyes of the Baiji soldiers on the city wall were filled with despair; some knelt down and begged for mercy, while others offered their necks for execution.

Some rushed forward clutching oil tanks, intending to die together with the victims.

"Get out of the way!" Qin An roared, his iron spear piercing the chest of a Bai Ji soldier who was holding an oil fryer, and then kicking him off the city wall.

With a deafening roar, the soldier exploded beneath the city walls, transforming into a fiery figure.

Qin An didn't pause for a moment and continued charging forward. His target was clear: the city gate tower.

Once the city gates are opened, the army can march straight in and completely occupy Pingxiang City.

The scenery along the way was appalling.

The soldiers of Daxing were like wild beasts that had been unleashed, killing anyone they saw and looting anything they could find.

The house was set on fire, flames shooting into the sky.

The screams of women, the wails of children, and the curses of men mingled together, creating a tragic elegy of hell on earth.

Qin An turned a blind eye to this.

He had only one thought in his mind: to open the city gates.

This is war; only the victors have the right to talk about mercy, while the losers are left to be slaughtered.

Just then, a deafening battle cry erupted from ahead.

Qin An looked up and saw a golden figure fighting his way in and out of the city gate tower. It was Yuwen Rong!