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

Qin An paid no heed to the shock that Park Guk-chang was experiencing.

He gave them no chance to breathe; his iron spear was like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, each strike deadly.

Park Guk-chang managed to withstand a few blows, but gradually fell into a disadvantageous position, and had several wounds on his body.

"Who exactly are you?" Park Guk-chang gasped for breath, staring at Qin An in terror.

"The one who will take your dog's life!" Qin An sneered, and his iron spear suddenly accelerated, piercing through Park Guk-chang's chest.

Park Guk-chang stared wide-eyed, his face filled with disbelief, and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

"The general is dead!"

When the Baekje soldiers saw that Park Guk-chang had been killed, they were thrown into chaos.

Without their commander, they scattered like a swarm of headless flies.

But this is clearly not a wise choice.

How can two legs outrun four legs?

In front of the cavalry, the Baiji soldiers became sitting ducks.

They could only watch helplessly as the cavalrymen reaped the lives of their own men as easily as cutting melons and vegetables.

The battle ended quickly.

Of the more than two thousand Baekje rebels, all but a few who managed to escape were killed.

Qin An's cavalry battalion suffered fewer than twenty casualties.

"Commander Qin, we won!" Han Quan ran over excitedly, his face full of excitement.

Qin An didn't say much, only nodded lightly: "Back to camp!"

"yes!"

As the sun set, Qin An led his cavalry contingent, carrying the momentum of a great victory, and marched majestically toward the main camp.

The sound of horses' hooves trampled over the blood-soaked ground, leaving a deep trail of marks.

……

When Qin An led his cavalry back, kicking up dust, the sentries at the camp gate were stunned at first, then went crazy and blew their horns.

"Sima Qin is back!"

"A great victory! Qin Sima returns in triumph!"

The news spread like wildfire throughout the camp, and the soldiers who were training stopped what they were doing and rushed toward the camp gate.

When they saw the cavalry returning with their spoils, they erupted in deafening cheers.

Upon hearing the news, Luo Kai rushed out of the main tent and saw Qin An standing in front of the ranks from afar, his armor stained with dark red blood, but his face bearing a calm smile.

He rushed forward, grabbed Qin An's arm, and his voice trembled: "Qin An! You...you really did it?"

"I have fulfilled my mission." Qin An dismounted and handed over a record of his achievements: "More than two thousand Baekje soldiers were killed, and the enemy general's head is here. My troops suffered twenty-nine dead and more than eighty wounded."

Luo Kai stared at the numbers on the merit list, his eyes widening. He slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Good lad! I knew you could do it! I didn't expect you to achieve such merit so quickly!"

He shouted to the surrounding soldiers, "Pass down the order: extra food tonight! To celebrate Qin Sima's victory!"

The camp erupted in cheers.

Five centurions rushed over upon hearing the news, and upon learning of Qin An's victory, their shock was undisguised.

Commander Zhang stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said with a smile, "Commander Qin is truly skilled! We admire him!"

The other centurions echoed this sentiment, their words filled with flattery.

Although they were outwardly respectful, they couldn't help but underestimate Qin An's youth.

Only now, seeing him defeat two thousand fleeing soldiers with five hundred cavalry and suffer minimal losses himself, did he truly admire him.

The victory banquet was held in the open space outside the central command tent. A bonfire blazed, and the aroma of roasted meat filled the air. Luo Kai sat in the main seat, with Qin An and five centurions on either side.

"Commander Qin, this cup is for you!" Commander Li raised his teacup, a smile plastered on his face. "I was worried the task of mopping up the routed soldiers would be too difficult, but you accomplished it so quickly. You're truly a young man of great talent!"

Qin An raised his teacup and clinked it against his, saying calmly, "It was all the brothers who fought bravely against the enemy; I only did my small part."

"That's not how it works," Commander Wang interjected. "Those Baekje defeated soldiers are very cunning. If it were us, we would probably have to put in a lot of effort. Qin Sima was able to come up with a plan to lure the enemy and then launch a decisive counterattack. We are ashamed of our wisdom and courage."

Everyone nodded and took turns congratulating Qin An.

Qin An welcomed all who came, but he remained quiet, only occasionally responding with a few words, and his attitude was always calm.

Commander Zhang looked at Qin An and nodded inwardly. This young man was not only exceptionally capable, but also knew how to conceal his brilliance; no wonder Luo Kai valued him so highly.

He raised his cup and said, "Commander Qin, if you ever need our help in the future, please don't hesitate to ask. We are in the same army, and it is only right that we help each other."

The other centurions also expressed their willingness to help. Qin An stood up, raised his cup, and looked around at everyone: "Thank you all for your kindness. I am new here and will rely on you in many ways. If there is any war in the future, I hope we can all work together to defeat Baekje!"

"Great! Let's work together!" Everyone responded in unison, and the atmosphere became even more enthusiastic.

Looking at the scene before him, Luo Kai smiled with satisfaction, picked up his teacup, and drank it all in one gulp.

After the celebration banquet, Luo Kai called Qin An into his tent.

Inside the tent, only an oil lamp was lit, and in the dim light, Luo Kai's expression appeared somewhat complicated.

"Qin An, I've already reported your achievements in battle." Luo Kai paused for a moment before slowly speaking, "In theory, with such merit, you'd be more than qualified to be promoted to centurion. But..." He paused, "We already have five centurions under our command, the ranks are full, and there are no vacancies for the time being."

Qin An smiled and said, "My lord, there is no need to make things difficult for me. I have only recently become the Sima, and my position is not yet stable. If I were to be promoted again, it would inevitably attract criticism. Besides, I am currently in charge of these five hundred cavalrymen, and I feel that my current position is just right."

Luo Kai looked at him with some surprise: "You really think so?"

"Of course." Qin An nodded. "While the title of centurion is good, it may not necessarily mean that one can specialize in cavalry. I want to hone these five hundred cavalrymen well so that they can become an iron cavalry force that will strike fear into the hearts of the enemy. At that time, even without the title of centurion, the brothers can still follow me to achieve great things."

This was indeed Qin An's true inner thought.

Getting promoted is certainly good, but there's a question of the amount of power that comes with the position.

Commanding five hundred cavalrymen is a completely different situation from commanding one thousand infantrymen.

If Andij could command a thousand cavalry, even if he attracted a lot of attention, he could still compete for a position.

But this is obviously impossible.

It was already quite remarkable that Luo Kai had his own cavalry battalion under his command.

There can't be any more warhorses.

Since that's the case, it's better to focus on training the cavalry battalion under our command first.

Looking at the light in Qin An's eyes, Luo Kai's last trace of worry vanished.

He stood up and patted Qin An on the shoulder: "Good! I'm relieved that you think this way. I will do my best to get the best equipment and supplies for this cavalry battalion."

"Thank you, sir."

"No need to thank me," Luo Kai laughed. "You're someone I trained. The more capable you are, the more honored I am."

After Qin An left, Luo Kai sat alone in the tent, staring blankly at the oil lamp.

He recalled that when he first met Qin An, he was just one of the more conspicuous recruits.

Who could have imagined that in just six months, he would grow into a capable general who could stand alone?