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

Emperor Yang Ming was already very interested in the tour, and with Yuwen Hua's encouragement, the court acted with exceptional efficiency once the matter was settled.

In less than half a month, all preparations for the parade were completed.

During these two weeks, Qin An hardly returned home.

The arrangements for the tour, the deployment of the Imperial Guards, the relay of messengers along the route, and the overall coordination of supplies—all these things weighed heavily on the mind, making it even more exhausting than fighting a major battle on the front lines.

Yuwen Rong was left in the palace by Yang Ming to accompany him, so most of the trivial matters outside fell on Qin An's shoulders.

The day before his departure, Qin An, unusually, returned home before dark.

The government has already received the news, and preparations are almost complete.

Yang Yuyan, along with Li Qingwan, Shan Bing, and Tong Rong, led the Cai sisters, Cai Yan and Cai Zhen, to re-wash and fold Qin An's several sets of clothes, and also carefully wiped his armor.

Looking at the row of neatly arranged chests and boxes in the main room, Qin An felt a strange mix of emotions.

Who knows when I'll be able to return after this departure, or perhaps...

He suppressed the ominous thought, bent down and picked up the two children from the cushions, one in each arm.

The son was awake, his bright black eyes following his movements, and he was making babbling sounds.

His daughter was fast asleep, her little face rosy. When he held her like that, she only wrinkled her nose slightly before falling asleep again.

"When you're at home, you must listen to your mother," Qin An said in a low voice, regardless of whether they understood or not.

Li Qingwan stood to the side, her eyes reddening, turning her head away so no one could see.

Dan Bing was still able to maintain a smile, only occasionally looking down to wipe the corners of her eyes.

Cai Zhen squeezed in from behind and tugged at Qin An's sleeve: "Father, you're leaving again. Last time it was almost a year, how long will it be this time?"

Qin An handed the two children to Li Qingwan and Shan Bing, then turned around and ruffled Cai Zhen's hair.

"It could be as short as two or three months, or as long as half a year. You must listen to your mother at home and not cause any trouble."

Cai Zhen gave a muffled "Oh," unusually not arguing back.

Cai Yan stood behind her and added quietly, "We won't let you down."

Qin An smiled, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the women one by one, finally settling on Yang Yuyan.

Yang Yuyan didn't cry. She simply stepped forward to straighten his clothes and whispered, "Don't worry about me at home, I'll take care of things here!"

She knew more than anyone else.

After all, Qin An had basically nothing to hide from her.

Yang Yuyan naturally understood that Qin An's departure meant he was at a crossroads in his life, facing a huge choice.

She knew she couldn't be of much help; all she could do was help him settle things behind him so he wouldn't have any worries.

Qin An nodded and pulled Yang Yuyan into his arms: "With you here, I have no worries!"

That night, Qin An stayed in Yang Yuyan's room.

The two didn't say much, squandering the last bit of peace before parting.

Yang Yuyan couldn't hold back any longer and buried her face in his chest, shedding a few tears, but she quickly wiped them away herself.

The next day, before dawn, Qin An got up and changed his clothes.

Several women got up and took the children to the second gate.

Qin An did not turn around, but strode out of the mansion gate.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and the streets were quiet except for the crisp sound of horseshoes striking the bluestone slabs.

Once outside the main street, Li Jing was already waiting at the intersection. He was leading a black horse, a sword at his waist, and two servants from the Qin family following behind him.

"Brother-in-law, let me see you off," Li Jing said.

Qin An reined in his horse, not continuing on, but instead dismounted and gestured for Li Jing to come aside and talk.

The two walked to an old locust tree by the roadside, and Qin An took out a slightly worn brocade pouch from his pocket and handed it to Li Jing.

"Keep this."

Li Jing took it, but didn't dare to open it immediately. He just looked up at Qin An and asked, "Brother-in-law, this is..."

"Remember this." Qin An looked into his eyes, his expression unusually solemn. "If anything happens in the capital, immediately open the brocade pouch and do as it says. Don't hesitate, don't worry about me, and don't send anyone to the south to look for me."

Li Jing's heart skipped a beat: "What could have happened in the capital?"

From Qin An's actions, he had clearly sensed something.

Unfortunately, while Li Jing possessed exceptional military talent, he was somewhat slow to grasp political matters.

They were unaware of the undercurrents brewing behind the emperor's upcoming tour.

"I don't know." Qin An shook his head. "If nothing happens, keep this brocade pouch as is, and I'll return it to you when I get back. But if something really happens, you must do as I say, without delay."

Li Jing's Adam's apple bobbed as he carefully put the brocade pouch away from his body: "I've got it."

Qin An raised his hand and patted his shoulder: "You're an uncle now, so be steady in everything you do. The rest of the family is counting on you."

Li Jing nodded emphatically: "With me here, no one will dare to harm our home."

Qin An said no more, remounted his horse, pulled on the reins, and headed towards the city gate.

He had ridden for less than half a mile when he saw two horses stopped at the street corner ahead.

Li Zhaoning, dressed in plain blue riding attire, sat upright on his horse.

Li Xuanfu stood to the side, leading his horse, and peered in this direction on tiptoe.

Upon seeing Qin An approach, the boy's eyes lit up, and he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Master!"

Qin An reined in his horse and stopped, his gaze falling on Li Zhaoning's face.

Before the dawn had fully broken, half of her face was hidden in the thin mist, only her eyes shone brightly, like two pools of cold water.

"You waited for me here on purpose?" Qin An asked.

Li Zhaoning turned his horse around and rode alongside him, saying, "I'll see you off, and while I'm at it, I'll have Xuanfu call you 'Master' one more time."

Li Xuanfu quickly stepped forward: "Master, I heard you're going to accompany the Emperor on a trip to Jiangnan. Is Jiangnan fun?"

"I'm going there on business, not for leisure," Qin An said. "You should stay in the capital and practice your martial arts diligently. I'll check your skills when I get back."

Li Xuanfu immediately deflated, but still puffed out his chest: "I'll definitely train hard!"

Li Zhaoning chuckled softly, but her gaze never left Qin An's face.

The two walked side by side for a while, then she suddenly said, "After this parting, I wonder when we will meet again?"

Qin An was slightly taken aback.

But he quickly realized that Li Zhaoning's words had a hidden meaning.

It's obvious that the Li family is about to make a move.

At least, the Li family is prepared to wait and see.

Previously, Li Zhaoning, as the apple of the Li family's eye, was a weakness if she remained in the capital.

Now that the Li family has prepared for the upheaval and is going to come out into the open, Li Zhaoning and her brother naturally have to run away in advance.

"Take care!" Qin An simply uttered these words.

Li Zhaoning turned her head to look at him, her gaze somewhat complicated: "Don't you have anything else to say to me? I... I still hope that we will have another chance to meet again."

Qin An immediately understood her unspoken meaning.

Clearly, she did not want to be enemies with the Li family.

If the two of them were to become enemies, they would likely never have the chance to meet again.

At this point, Li Zhaoning no longer tried to hide her feelings; she admitted that she had indeed fallen for Qin An.

Even though she knew there would be no future between them, she couldn't help but reveal her feelings.

Qin An knew perfectly well that the situation she was worried about would not happen, and that he and she would definitely meet again.

However, Qin An was not prepared to reveal that he had already pledged allegiance to Li Zheng.

Therefore, he could only remain silent in response to Li Zhaoning's hints.

The glimmer of light in Li Zhaoning's eyes flickered as if blown by the wind, and then dimmed.

She pursed her lips and said softly, "Qin An, I only hope that next time we meet, we can still talk like this."

Qin An did not respond.

Li Xuanfu, listening from the side, was confused and tugged at his sister's sleeve: "Sister, what kind of riddle are you and Master talking about?"

Li Zhaoning didn't answer him, but instead spurred his horse: "Let's go."

After walking quite a distance, she looked back one last time.

Qin An remained standing in the same spot and slightly raised his hand towards her.

Li Zhaoning didn't look back and rode far away.

Qin An stood there for a moment until the sound of horses' hooves could no longer be heard before dismounting and heading straight for the guard camp.

……

The guard camp for this tour was located south of the imperial city. When Qin An arrived, the camp was already bustling with activity.

Colorful flags fluttered in the wind, and the camp stretched as far as the eye could see.

As soon as he arrived at the camp gate, a military officer stepped forward to check his waist tag.

Upon entering the camp, Qin An sensed something was amiss after only a few steps.

The troops here are too mixed.

Besides the Imperial Guards and city defense troops he was familiar with, there was another completely unfamiliar force in the camp.

Those men were clad in bright armor, wielded numerous spears and halberds, and rode only tall, magnificent horses; it was clear at a glance that they were no ordinary people.

The soldiers stood tall and proud, their arrogance undisguised as they swept their gazes over the Imperial Guards and city defense troops.

"Who is that?" Qin An asked the captain beside him.

"Reporting to the General, it is the Imperial Guard, the Purple Feather Guard." The captain lowered his voice, "It is said to be an elite force passed down through generations of the Imperial Family, who only obey the Emperor and do not usually show their faces. His Majesty specially dispatched a contingent to accompany the Emperor on this tour."

Qin An nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Just by looking at the equipment of those Purple Feather Guards and their arrogant demeanor, you can tell that they are all someone important.

These kinds of people are the hardest to manage.

Even Yuwen Rong might not be able to command them wholeheartedly.

Just then, a personal guard hurried over: "General Qin, the General requests your presence."

Qin An followed his personal guards to the front of the central command tent, where he saw Yuwen Rong standing outside the tent, wearing only a thin black outfit and carrying a gilded halberd that inspired fear.

The moment Qin An saw Yuwen Rong, he sensed that something was amiss.

In the past, Yuwen Rong, as the number one warrior of Daxing, was always full of fighting spirit and vigor.

But today, General Yuwen gave him a very oppressive feeling, like a volcano on the verge of collapse.

"You're here." Yuwen Rong slammed the golden halberd in his hand on the ground when he saw him coming, turned around and said, "Perfect timing, I was just itching for a fight."

Seeing Yuwen Rong's posture, Qin An felt increasingly uneasy, and a guess flashed through his mind.

"General, let's talk this out. The tour is about to begin, isn't it inappropriate to take action now?" he said tentatively.

"What's wrong with that?" Yuwen Rong strode towards the training ground. "It's still early. Let's have a match to wake up. Come with me."

Qin An had no choice but to follow.

Upon arriving at the training ground, Yuwen Rong mounted his horse, held his halberd in one hand, and pointed at Qin An: "Mount up and fight freely."

"General..."

"Stop rambling." Yuwen Rong interrupted him. "I won't hold back today. You'd better show me what you're capable of, so you don't embarrass yourself in front of everyone. I'll also show you just how big the gap is between you and me."

Qin An was shocked. He could be absolutely certain that Yuwen Rong already knew about Yuwen Hua's plan to take action.

He also realized that he was destined to be in a situation where he could not balance loyalty to the country and filial piety!