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

"On the battlefield, if you fall off your horse, you're the one who dies!"

On the training field, Qin An stood on a high platform and roared at the soldiers who were falling and getting dizzy, "The more you fall now, the faster you learn, and the greater your chances of surviving on the battlefield in the future!"

In addition to horsemanship, there is also training in swordsmanship, spearmanship, and archery.

Qin An shared his experience from the Baiji battlefield with his soldiers without reservation.

He had veterans mentor new recruits, teaching them one-on-one and guiding them step by step.

Luo Sheng watched Qin An arrive at the training ground first and leave last every day, his voice hoarse from shouting, his eyes filled with admiration: "Captain, your dedication is truly admirable."

Qin An wiped the sweat from his face, looked at the soldiers who were training hard, and said calmly, "This is our capital, and we can't afford to make any mistakes."

A little incident occurred a month into the training.

A group of civil officials transferred from the interior saw that the cavalry battalion's training was so harsh that some soldiers were even seriously injured, so they impeached Qin An for "mistreating soldiers and disregarding human life".

Zhang Xu put down the memorial and found Qin An: "There are people watching us from above, so you should be a little more discreet."

Qin An shook his head: "General, if we restrain ourselves now, people will die on the battlefield later. These civil officials sit in their offices in the capital; how could they know the dangers on the border?"

"If there's another war and our soldiers can't even ride their horses properly, then that would truly be treating human life like dirt!"

Zhang Xu was silent for a moment, then sighed: "I know what you mean. I'll suppress the memorial, but you have to be careful not to cause a real death and give others leverage against you."

"Understood, sir," Qin An replied. "I will have the physician keep a close eye on things and try to minimize casualties."

Despite this, the intensity of the training did not decrease. Qin An knew that mercy towards the enemy was cruelty towards one's own people.

He would rather be impeached by civil officials now than see soldiers die needlessly on the battlefield in the future.

As time went by, the soldiers in the cavalry battalion made rapid progress.

From initially being too afraid to even mount a horse, he later became skilled at wielding swords and spears on horseback, and even able to conduct simple formation drills.

Their skin was tanned dark, their hands calloused, but their eyes grew sharper and sharper, and they gradually exuded the aura of soldiers.

Three months later, Zhang Xu personally came to the drill ground to inspect the troops.

As three thousand cavalrymen rode their warhorses across the drill ground in neat formation, their swords flashing and their hooves thundering, a satisfied smile appeared on Zhang Xu's face.

"Good! Good! Good!" He said "good" three times in a row, patting Qin An on the shoulder. "Qin An, you really didn't disappoint me! This unit is even better than I expected!"

Qin An said, "General, you flatter me. It is only in its initial stages and is still far from being a true elite force."

"Take your time, no rush." ​​Zhang Xu looked at the galloping cavalry, a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes.

Just as Qin An was about to say something, Zhang Xu suddenly turned to look at him, his tone tinged with emotion.

"Do you know that although your achievements are great, your seniority is still somewhat lacking? Many people secretly say that I'm biased in promoting you to cavalry captain!"

Qin An was taken aback, then lowered his head and said, "This humble general did not know, but only that I am fortunate to have the trust of the general, which is why I am here today."

"Looking back now, I was right." Zhang Xu laughed and patted him on the back. "These past three months have been tough on you, and the brothers have suffered along with you. I'll remember your contribution."

He changed the subject, his eyes softening, "You've been in the army for over a year now. Aside from the occasional letter home, you probably haven't been back, have you?"

Qin An's heart clenched suddenly, as if something had gripped it.

The word "home" lingered in his mind.

The images of his wife and daughter were so clear that it was as if they were right in front of him.

His heart was naturally filled with longing, but he had indeed been too busy during this period.

He was so busy that he simply didn't have the energy to think about these things.

Now, Zhang Xu suddenly brought up this matter, and his heart skipped a beat.

"This humble general...does indeed feel a little homesick." His voice was somewhat hoarse.

"That's right." Zhang Xu nodded, his tone serious. "I heard you've set up a household on the border, not far away. Would you like to go home and visit?"

Although he had already guessed it, Qin An's heart still skipped a beat when he heard Zhang Xu mention it.

He looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with incredulous surprise: "General, you mean...?"

"That's right." Zhang Xu's smile deepened as he looked at his excited expression. "You've worked hard and deserve this. I'll give you half a month's leave to go back, see your wife and daughter, and get some rest."

"Use the pretext of a training exercise to lead a large contingent back, consider it a triumphant homecoming, and let them see your current prestige and achievements."

"This humble general...thanks, General!" Qin An was too excited to speak. "Thank you so much for your kindness, General!"

He hadn't expected Zhang Xu to be so generous, not only giving him a two-week vacation but also arranging for people to accompany him so he could return home in glory.

This arrangement is indeed very thoughtful.

"Get up." Zhang Xu helped him up. "Why are you being so polite with me? Go home and reunite with your family. In half a month, I want to see a fully-spirited Captain Qin, leading your cavalry battalion, ready to be deployed at any time."

"This subordinate obeys!" Qin An straightened his back, but his eyes were a little hot.

……

That afternoon, Qin An made the arrangements.

He gathered all the old brothers who had come out with him back then.

Of the fifty men who were originally under his command, only about ten remained after the Battle of Baiji.

Since Zhang Xu had asked him to take a cavalry battalion back with him, Qin An naturally wouldn't forget them.

This will also allow them to go home for a visit.

After gathering his men, Qin An couldn't wait to set off.

Luo Sheng and the others came to see him off, jokingly saying, "When you go back, Captain, your wife and niece probably won't recognize you."

"Keep an eye on things at the camp for me." Qin An patted Luo Sheng on the shoulder, his eyes full of gratitude. "Don't let those kids slack off."

"Don't worry, I'll train them all to be as fierce as tigers," Luo Sheng grinned. "Go early and come back early; we can't be without the captain for too long!"

Qin An mounted his horse and led a large cavalry unit south along the official road.

The spring breeze caressed my cheeks, carrying the fragrance of earth, unlike the bloodshed of the battlefield or the sweat of the drill ground, but a comforting scent.

He urged his horse onward, his heart pounding like a rabbit in his chest.

It has been more than half a year since we last parted ways.

He returned home countless times in his dreams, seeing his wife leaning against the door looking out, and his daughter chasing butterflies in the yard.

Now, these dreams are finally about to come true.

The thought of seeing his wife and daughter again soon filled Qin An's heart with excitement.