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

Zhang Xu made the decision immediately upon speaking.

"Your subordinate obeys!" Qin An and Song Gang replied in unison, their eyes meeting in the air, a hint of tension in their gazes.

"Meeting adjourned!" Zhang Xu waved his hand. "Qin An, Song Gang, go back and prepare well; don't slack off!"

"yes!"

After the meeting, Qin An followed Luo Kai back to his camp.

Luo Kai patted Qin An on the shoulder and laughed, "Good lad, you've got guts! I was worried you'd get stage fright."

"Thank you for the recommendation, Captain. I am deeply grateful," Qin An said sincerely.

He knew that if it weren't for Luo Kai's strong recommendation, he might not have had this opportunity.

"Why thank me?" Luo Kai laughed. "I'm doing this so that our unit can achieve more military merits. You're capable, kid. I can see that. As long as you can get this cavalry commander position and make achievements in the future, I, as a captain, can also benefit from it."

He paused, his tone becoming serious, "However, Song Gang is no pushover either. He does have some expertise in cavalry tactics, so you must not be careless."

"This subordinate understands," Qin An nodded.

"Let's go, gather everyone and have a meeting," Luo Kai said.

Soon, all five centurions under Luo Kai's command gathered inside the main tent.

They had attended the meeting beforehand and naturally knew that Qin An was going to compete with Song Gang for the position of cavalry commander.

Everyone felt an indescribable envy towards this, but that was all they felt was envy.

Those who are family know their own situation best; either they lack ambition and are unwilling to take risks, or they simply do not engage in cavalry warfare.

Under such circumstances, no matter how envious they were, they could not compete with Qin An for this qualification.

Since they couldn't do it themselves, Qin An was still one of their brothers, so while they were envious, they could only choose to support him.

"Commander Qin, this is a great opportunity!" a commander exclaimed excitedly. "If we can become the cavalry commander, there will be plenty of opportunities to earn merit in the future!"

"Yes, cavalry is much more valuable than infantry. If we can make a name for ourselves in front of Marshal Yuwen, our future will be limitless!" Another centurion chimed in.

Luo Kai coughed, and the tent immediately fell silent. "Gentlemen," he said, "Qin An's fight for the cavalry commander position is not only about him personally, but also about the honor of our entire unit! If we lose, we won't be able to hold our heads high in front of that old bastard Zhou Lang! Therefore, this battle can only be won, not lost!"

"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.

"Qin An!" Luo Kai looked at Qin An, "Just say the word if you need anything. Manpower, warhorses—as long as we have them, we'll give you priority in allocating them!"

"Thank you, Captain!" Qin An stood up, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "This humble general needs to select some experienced cavalrymen from your ranks to form a force of four hundred men."

"No problem!" the other four centurions immediately agreed. "Centurion Qin, feel free to choose, we won't hesitate!"

Qin An felt a warmth in his heart and clasped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you, my colleagues."

Next, Qin An immediately began selecting his men.

He first selected from his former subordinates, those cavalrymen who had survived with him from Pingxiang City. Although more than half of them had been lost, they already had experience in mounted combat and worked well together.

Then, he selected some skilled and experienced veterans from other centurions to make up the number of four hundred men.

After the selection was completed, Qin An immediately led the four hundred cavalrymen to an open area outside the city to begin training.

He knew that Song Gang had been in the army for a longer time and had more experience in mounted combat than him. To win, he had to work on tactical coordination.

"Listen up, all of you!" Qin An, mounted on his horse, swept his gaze across the crowd. "Tomorrow's competition concerns the honor of all of us! I don't need you to fight one-on-one; I need teamwork! Formation!"

He began to explain his tactical thinking: how to charge, how to change formations, how to flank, and how to defend.

The soldiers listened attentively, nodding occasionally.

Most of these soldiers are veterans who have experienced many battles and have a deep understanding of tactical coordination; they can grasp things very quickly.

"Now, let's practice the wild goose formation!" Qin An gave the order.

The four hundred cavalrymen swiftly changed formation, like a wild goose spreading its wings, head to tail, wings outstretched, creating a magnificent sight.

"Very good!" Qin An nodded in satisfaction. "Now, change to a cone formation!"

The cavalrymen quickly adjusted their positions, forming a sharp cone shape pointing straight ahead, full of momentum.

"Change to a circular formation again!"

The formation changed again, and the cavalrymen formed a circle, creating a solid defensive formation.

For the entire afternoon, Qin An led his soldiers in practicing various formations and tactics, from charging to defending, from flanking to dividing, refining every detail repeatedly.

Although the soldiers were exhausted, they were all in high spirits, their eyes sparkling with excitement.

They knew this was a rare opportunity; if they could win the competition, they would become members of the elite cavalry, with unlimited potential for the future.

As the sun set, Qin An finally ordered the troops to retreat.

Looking at the soldiers drenched in sweat, he felt a surge of confidence.

So what if Song Gang is experienced?

With the system's support, my personal combat strength far surpasses that of the opponent. Coupled with the cooperation of these elite soldiers, I may not be without a chance of victory.

……

The following morning, the open area outside Pingxiang City was packed with people.

Zhang Xu led all the generals in the tent to stand on the high platform, looking down solemnly.

On either side of the high platform stood Qin An's and Song Gang's cavalry units, respectively.

The four hundred cavalrymen of Qin'an were dressed in uniform leather armor, carrying long clubs wrapped around their heads. Although their warhorses varied in height, they were all spirited.

The soldiers had calm expressions and firm eyes, clearly indicating that they had been well prepared.

The same was true for the four hundred cavalrymen opposite them.

Song Gang rode a black warhorse, holding a long staff, looking at Qin An with a cold expression and a hint of disdain in his eyes.

"Commander Qin, you are still young and have a lot of room for growth. Why rush things?" Song Gang said loudly from dozens of meters away.

Qin An smiled faintly: "Commander Song, it's still uncertain who will emerge victorious."

Standing on the high platform, Zhang Xu shouted, "Qin An! Song Gang! Listen up! This competition is to stop when you've made your point; no one should be killed! Whoever can break the opponent's formation and force them to surrender will win!"

"Yes!" the two replied in unison.

Zhang Xu took a deep breath and swung the command flag down sharply: "Begin!"

"kill!"

Almost the instant the command flag was waved, Qin An and Song Gang simultaneously gave the order to charge.

Qin An's cavalry quickly formed a goose-shaped formation, like a nimble wild goose, and charged towards Song Gang's troops.

He took the lead, positioned at the "head of the goose," gripping a long staff tightly, his eyes sharp as an eagle's.

Song Gang's cavalry formed a tight square formation, like a solid rock.

Clearly, Song Gang knew that Qin An was formidable and that he couldn't confront him head-on, so he ultimately chose to adopt a defensive formation.

The two cavalry units, like two sharp swords, rapidly approached each other, and a tense atmosphere filled the air.

"Accelerate!" Qin An roared, squeezing his legs tightly around the horse's belly. The warhorse neighed and suddenly increased its speed.

"Hold on!" Song Gang shouted, "Raise the stick!"

The cavalrymen at the front of the formation raised their long clubs, forming a solid barrier.

Soon, the two teams clashed!