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

Qin An looked at the bunch of keys, a thought stirring in his heart.

He did feel that Baishantun was too remote, and it was not convenient for his wife and daughter to live there.

More importantly, now that he has become successful, there are bound to be safety issues for his wife and daughters living in that remote mountain village.

This world is not short of reckless madmen.

He Qiang's suggestion was exactly what he wanted.

But he also knew that He Qiang was offering him benefits in an attempt to win him over.

After a moment's hesitation, Qin An took the key and said calmly, "Thank you for your kindness, Magistrate He. I will remember this favor."

Seeing that Qin An had accepted his gift, He Qiang's smile became even brighter, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew he had made the right move; at least he had established a connection with Qin An.

"Of course, of course!" He Qiang quickly replied, "It is my honor to be able to share the burden with you, Captain!"

The banquet ended in a harmonious atmosphere.

As they left the county office, Han Quan couldn't help but say to Qin An, "Captain, this He Qiang is a greedy official who extorts money from everyone. How could you accept his gifts? Just seeing his fawning attitude made me sick! Back when you first became a constable, he extorted a lot from you, didn't he?"

Qin An glanced at Han Quan and said calmly, "Of course I know he's a corrupt official, but you have to understand, although I'm a captain now and have troops under my command, I'm not in the same system as him."

"He is the local official in charge of civil affairs in Xingye County. If I really anger him, he will secretly sabotage me, and I will be helpless."

"What we need now is stability. There's no need to make enemies over a petty squabble. Maintaining a semblance of harmony and not interfering with each other is the best option."

Qin An paused for a moment, then continued, "As for his greed, so what? As long as we have enough strength and climb high enough, these things won't be a problem. It's too early to worry about them now."

After listening to Qin An's words and thinking about them carefully, Han Quan felt that they made a lot of sense.

He originally thought that Qin An, having achieved success at a young age, would be somewhat arrogant and complacent, but he did not expect him to be so calm, rational, and thoughtful.

"The captain is right, I was rash," Han Quan said sincerely, his respect for Qin An growing even stronger.

Qin An smiled and said, "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. I'll grant you five days off so you can go home and spend some time with your family."

"Thank you, Captain!" Han Quan was overjoyed and quickly expressed his gratitude.

After arranging for 500 cavalrymen to set up camp and rest outside the county town, Qin An selected a dozen or so old brothers who had come out with him, mounted their warhorses, and eagerly headed towards Baishan Village.

He was eager to return home, longing to see his wife and daughter whom he missed day and night.

……

Baishan Village is nestled in a mountain valley, a remote and tranquil little mountain village.

That afternoon, under the old locust tree at the village entrance, several villagers were chatting together, while several children chased and played nearby, creating a peaceful scene.

Suddenly, the sound of rapid hoofbeats approached from afar, breaking the tranquility of the mountain village.

"What's that sound?" A villager looked up in confusion, gazing towards the village entrance.

Soon, a dozen or so figures riding tall horses appeared at the village entrance. They were dressed in armor, with long swords at their waists, and exuded an imposing aura.

"He's...he's a soldier!" A villager turned pale with fright and quickly pulled the child next to him back.

As the saying goes, bandits pass by like combs, and soldiers pass by like fine combs.

In this world, encountering a soldier is not a good thing.

The villagers were also alarmed and rushed out of their homes, looking at these uninvited guests from a distance with fear and unease on their faces.

They had never seen so many soldiers in their lives, let alone soldiers on horseback wearing armor.

"What...what are they doing in our village?" someone asked, trembling.

Just then, the tall figure at the head reined in his horse, his eyes scanning the village as if searching for something.

Upon recognizing the face, an older villager suddenly exclaimed, "That...that's Qin An!"

"Qin An? Which Qin An?" the person next to him asked hurriedly.

"That's Qin An, the one who was drafted into the army more than a year ago! Look at him, isn't he?"

Upon closer inspection, everyone realized it was true!

Although he was much taller and more composed than before, his face was still vaguely the Qin An they remembered.

Qin An also saw the villager who recognized him, a smile appeared on his face, he reined in his horse and stepped forward, calling out loudly, "Uncle Li, it's me, Qin An, I'm back!"

Hearing Qin An's voice, the villagers finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It turns out Qin An has returned!

But then they were stunned by the attire of Qin An and the soldiers behind him.

Qin An, dressed in a gleaming suit of armor, rode a magnificent black horse, looking incredibly imposing. He was a far cry from the destitute man he had been when he first immigrated to the village.

The soldiers behind him were all in high spirits and well-equipped; they were clearly not ordinary soldiers.

"Qin...Qin An, what...what is this?" Uncle Li stammered, his eyes filled with shock.

Qin An dismounted and said with a smile, "I've come back to visit relatives."

At this moment, an old soldier following behind Qin An dismounted and smiled at the villagers, saying, "Folks, my captain is a big shot now! He's a captain commanding three thousand cavalry! This time, he specially gave us leave to come home and visit!"

"A captain of three thousand cavalry?"

The villagers were completely shocked. They stared at Qin An with wide eyes, their gazes filled with disbelief and awe.

Although they didn't know exactly how high a rank a colonel was, the words "commanding three thousand cavalry" were enough for them to understand how high Qin An's status was.

When Qin An first immigrated to Baishan Village, he was just a penniless young man. Later, he became a constable, which made the villagers think he was very accomplished.

When he returned last time, he was already a high-ranking figure like a centurion.

But who could have imagined that in such a short time, he would become a high-ranking officer commanding thousands of cavalry?

"That's...that's amazing!"

"That young man from the Qin family is really promising!"

"Who would have thought that such a big shot would emerge from our Baishan Village!"

The villagers were talking amongst themselves, their eyes filled with envy and admiration as they looked at Qin An.

Qin An didn't care about the crowd's reaction. He turned to his old buddies behind him and said, "I'm giving you five days off. Go home and spend time with your families. We'll meet here in five days."

"Yes, Captain!" the old comrades replied in unison, their faces beaming with excitement as they ran toward their homes.

As the villagers watched their fellow villagers run home, they turned their gazes to Qin An with even greater eagerness.

"Captain Qin, you've really made something of yourself now!"

"Yes, yes, from now on, our Baishan Village will be counting on your help!"

"Now you're a big shot commanding three thousand cavalrymen, so don't forget your fellow villagers when you have good news!"

"..."

At this moment, Qin An had become an unapproachable figure in the eyes of the villagers!