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

Realizing Yuwen Rong's current situation and mindset, Qin An said no more. He turned around, retrieved his halberd, and mounted his horse steadily.

"Please enlighten me, General."

Yuwen Rong grinned: "That's more like it."

Before he finished speaking, he had already spurred his horse and charged forward.

The gilded halberd in his hand shot out with a deep whistling sound, aiming straight for Qin An's face.

Qin An was prepared and raised his halberd with both hands to the side.

"when!"

A loud bang, sparks flying everywhere.

Qin An felt an immense force, like a mountain, pressing down on the halberd shaft, almost breaking his arms.

He gritted his teeth and held on, but the horse couldn't withstand the force. Its hooves buckled, and it moved half a step to the side.

"Couldn't even withstand the first blow?" Yuwen Rong laughed, flipping his wrist as his golden halberd swept across.

Qin An dared not take the blow head-on again. He jerked the reins, leaned back, and the golden halberd swept past him three inches above the tip of his nose, the force of the wind making his face sting.

"Good!" The training ground was already surrounded by people, including the Imperial Guards, the City Defense Army, and the Purple Feather Guards, all of whom were gathering in this direction.

Sharp-eyed observers recognized the two men immediately, and an announcement of "The General and General Qin are exchanging blows" caused an uproar throughout the training ground.

Qin An paid no attention to the commotion outside, simply pushing his horse back to create some distance.

He twirled the halberd in his palm, took a deep breath, and launched a preemptive attack.

Since Yuwen Rong is really going to fight, then he has no choice but to strike first.

Once Qin An made his move, he held nothing back.

The halberd shot out like lightning, each strike aimed at Yuwen Rong's weaknesses.

He knew that Yuwen Rong was strong, and if he only defended, he would eventually be crushed by that golden halberd.

Only by launching a preemptive attack can we force Yuwen Rong to lose focus.

The two men spun around on horseback, the sounds of their weapons clashing as dense as a sudden downpour.

In just over ten exchanges, Qin An had used all his skills, but Yuwen Rong remained calm and composed.

His golden halberd, whether thrusting or pressing, was as heavy as a mountain, yet he controlled it with ease.

Qin An grew increasingly alarmed as the fight progressed.

He was fast enough, but Yuwen Rong always managed to block his path at the last moment.

Several times, Qin An clearly saw his opponent open an opening and thrust his halberd, only to have the golden halberd sweep in from nowhere, nearly knocking him and his horse to the ground.

"Not enough, not enough!" Yuwen Rong seemed to be aroused by Qin An's offensive, and shouted loudly, his offensive suddenly increasing.

As the golden halberd danced, Qin An felt as if there were shadows of halberds all around him, each shadow carrying a real killing intent.

He used all his strength, struggling to stay upright.

At the edge of the training ground, the once noisy crowd gradually quieted down, leaving only the clanging of weapons and the heavy breathing of warhorses.

A captain of the Purple Feather Guard stared wide-eyed and whispered to the person next to him.

"This Qin An... I had only heard that he was brave and strong before, but I never thought that he could actually fight the general to this extent."

A man nearby sighed, "It's more than just strength. Look at how methodical every strike of his halberd goes; it's not just brute force. With such skill, I doubt anyone in the Purple Feather Guard could be his match."

"But look, the general hasn't even used his full strength yet."

"You think Qin An went all out? At their level, we're just watching the show."

The murmurs were barely audible, but the wind had already shifted.

In the arena, Qin An had already fought Yuwen Rong for more than thirty rounds.

His arm grew heavier, and his breathing became slightly erratic. On the other hand, Yuwen Rong, though also sweating, showed no sign of weakening; in fact, his fighting spirit grew stronger with each blow.

"Is that all you've got?" Yuwen Rong suddenly shouted, rising abruptly from his horse, raising his golden halberd high above his head, and bringing it crashing down on his head.

This strike was more powerful than any of the previous ones.

Qin An raised his halberd to parry.

"boom!"

Qin An felt as if his arms had been struck by lightning. The halberd in his hand was violently jolted out of his grasp, spun several times in mid-air, and then stuck diagonally into the ground more than ten steps away.

At the same time, his mount could no longer hold on, let out a mournful cry, and its front hooves fell to the ground.

Qin An rolled over and landed on his feet, one knee on the ground, panting heavily.

"good!"

"The Great General is invincible!"

A burst of cheers erupted from the sidelines of the drill ground.

Qin An slowly raised his head. Yuwen Rong had already put away his golden halberd and was sitting high on his horse.

The morning light shone down from behind him, outlining his silhouette with a dazzling golden edge.

"Thirty-three rounds," Yuwen Rong said. "Qin An, you've done very well."

Qin An propped himself up on his knees, wiped the sweat from his face, and said nothing.

Yuwen Rong dismounted, stuck his golden halberd into the ground, walked up to Qin An, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Throughout the world, there are very few who can fight me head-on for thirty rounds. Your progress is already faster than mine was at your age."

Qin An caught his breath and looked up at him: "The Great General is the number one warrior of Daxing, and that title isn't given lightly."

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Rong's smile faded slightly. He turned around and looked at the soldiers gradually dispersing by the training ground, his back to Qin An.

"The greatest warrior of Daxing?" Yuwen Rong murmured, "But even if he were the greatest in the world, what then?"

Qin An's heart stirred slightly.

He was about to speak when Yuwen Rong interrupted him, saying, "You're strong, but not strong enough. If that's all you've got, you're far from being able to challenge me, the number one in the world."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an indescribable sense of desolation.

Qin An saw that the lines of Yuwen Rong's profile were extremely taut in the morning light, and his jaw twitched slightly.

There was anger and resentment in his eyes, but more than anything, there was an emotion that Qin An had never seen in Yuwen Rong before.

Will to die.

Qin An felt a chill on the back of his neck.

"General," he stepped forward, lowering his voice, "if there's anything you need to say, feel free to tell me."

Yuwen Rong remained silent for a while before turning around, his expression returning to its usual coldness.

"It's nothing, just prepare well and don't be late."

Having said that, he picked up his golden halberd, strode away, and never looked at Qin An again.

Qin An stood there, watching Yuwen Rong's receding figure, and felt that the mountain that had always been as stable as a mountain was now showing cracks that seemed about to collapse.

The sun has risen high.

The yellow earth on the drill ground was trampled into a mess, and a few flags fluttered listlessly in the wind.

Qin An looked down at his still slightly trembling hands and slowly clenched his fists.

It's not strong enough.

That's definitely not enough.

But some things no longer have time to wait for him to become stronger.

.........

As dawn broke, the main camp in the south of the city began to move.

The scout cavalry were dispatched first, heading along the imperial road designated by the emperor.

Immediately afterwards, the city's defense troops marched out of their camp and sealed off all intersections, bridges, and streets.

The Imperial Guards were divided into two wings, front and rear, protecting the middle section of the Imperial Road. The Purple Feather Guards formed their own unit, dressed in fine clothes and riding spirited horses, guarding the innermost layer.

Qin An also donned his armor and mounted his horse early, following Yuwen Rong to the designated location outside the palace gate.

In the morning mist, the bright yellow imperial carriage was ready to depart, its canopy high and its banners obscuring the sun.

He waited on horseback for about half an hour before the palace gates opened wide.

Yang Ming ascended the imperial carriage amidst the kneeling farewell of the officials.

Yuwen Rong, clad in gleaming armor, rode his horse to the right of the imperial carriage.

Qin An followed behind, his eyes fixed on the surroundings of the imperial carriage.

Seeing their immediate alertness, Yang Ming laughed heartily: "No need to be so nervous. With the two of you here, I feel more secure on this journey than if I were in the palace."

Yuwen Rong bowed slightly: "Your Majesty flatters me."

Just then, a soft female voice came from inside the imperial carriage: "Your Majesty is right. With the General here, I am at ease. However, I still feel a little unsatisfied."

The carriage curtain moved slightly, revealing half of Xiao Mei's face.

Today she wore a vermilion phoenix-patterned narrow-sleeved palace dress, her hair was styled in a high bun, and she only had a kingfisher feather hairpin inserted. Although she was not dressed up, she looked even more radiant and stunning.

Yang Ming turned to look at her: "What does Your Majesty mean by this? With Minister Yuwen here, who could possibly alarm you?"

"The General is His Majesty's primary protector, so naturally he cannot look after me every moment."

Xiao Mei glanced outside the carriage, seemingly unintentionally sweeping over Qin An. "The last time I left the palace, I encountered danger, and I still feel lingering fear when I think about it. Fortunately, General Qin protected me well, and I was able to escape unharmed."

Yang Ming stroked his chin: "So, what do you want?"

Xiao Mei smiled slightly: "Your Majesty has a great general by your side, so I would like to ask Your Majesty for a favor and have General Qin guard me at your side. In that case, I will have nothing to fear."

Yang Ming was in a good mood, so why would he argue with her over such a trivial matter?

He immediately waved his hand dismissively: "What's the big deal, Qin An? Did you hear that? The Empress's safety is entirely in your hands from now on."

Recalling his previous intimate moments with Xiao Mei, and now hearing Yang Ming's order, he felt an indescribable sense of unease.

"Wouldn't this count as the aggrieved party demanding a face-to-face encounter with a necromancer?"

Although he thought this in his heart, Qin An showed no sign of it on his face, and clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your subject obeys."

Before Xiao Mei lowered the carriage curtain, she gave him a half-smile.

That one glance ignited a fire within Qin An.

Yuwen Rong remained silent, only pulling the reins slightly to the side, bringing him closer to the imperial carriage.

Qin An turned his horse around and landed beside the Empress's carriage.

The Empress's carriage was slightly smaller than the imperial palanquin, but it was still drawn by six horses, with vermilion wheels and embroidered curtains.

A dozen or so palace maids and four elderly nannies stood beside the train, while more than twenty guards with purple feathers surrounded the outside.

As soon as Qin An arrived, a Purple Feather Guard general stepped forward and scrutinized him from head to toe with a critical look.

"General Qin, this is a sacred place for the Empress. No general may enter without her summons."

Before Qin An could speak, the carriage curtain was lifted halfway.

Xiao Mei's voice came from inside: "General Qin was personally appointed to me by His Majesty, so don't cause any trouble."

The Purple Feather Guard general's expression changed slightly, and he quickly lowered his head and stepped aside.

Qin An led his horse to a position three steps away from the carriage and followed at a leisurely pace.

The imperial carriage slowly started moving, accompanied by the sound of drums and music. The entire procession resembled a long dragon adorned with gold and colorful decorations, heading from the palace gate towards the city gate.

The people on the roadside had long been driven to a distance, only peeking out from a great distance.

Qin An sat on his horse, facing forward, but he could always feel a faint gaze from behind, falling on his back through the carriage curtain, unusually hot.

"Has this woman completely given up on acting?" Qin An muttered to himself, feeling that he would have to live in constant fear as he continued down this path.