At 100 years old, he joined the army in place of his granddaughter, and became a national war god.

Night fell, and the sky became completely dark.

Outside Cangzhou City, the Daqian military camp was completely silent.

There weren't many torches lit between the tents; only a few dim lanterns swayed in the cold wind.

This was a special instruction given by Su Mu, with the aim of preventing the Northern Di people on the city walls from discovering any unusual activity in the camp.

Inside the central command tent, candlelight blazed brightly.

Su Mu stood in the center of the tent.

You Zhongyi, Gu Changfeng, Zhao Tieniu, and special forces soldiers stood neatly in front of him, their backs straight and their eyes piercing.

Everyone was waiting for Su Mu to give the order.

Su Mu turned around, walked to the map hanging on the wall, and pointed to the high mountain west of Cangzhou City.

Then he began to explain the mission.

"You fifty men are the elite troops that I personally trained."

"You are proficient in everything: the long-handled sword formation, the hand crossbow, the mace, rock climbing, swimming, and night travel."

"But tonight's mission is more dangerous than any you've ever done before."

"Tonight, you will jump down from the top of a mountain hundreds of feet high, carrying kites on your backs."

"Gliding through the air, over the city walls, and landing in Cangzhou City."

When you land, you may not have a single comrade by your side; you'll be surrounded by Northern Barbarians on all sides.

"You will face tens of thousands of enemy troops alone, find the city gate in the darkness, open the gate, and let the army into the city."

He paused, his voice becoming even deeper.

"If anything goes wrong, you could all be killed."

"No reinforcements, no way out, no one can save you!"

"Now I'm asking you, are you afraid?"

You Zhongyi took a step forward, then clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice booming.

"As Old Su said, a soldier's duty is to obey orders! In our special forces, there are no cowards who fear death! Even if only one person remains, we will complete the mission and open the city gates!"

"Yes! Don't be afraid!"

"Don't worry, Mr. Su!"

The special forces soldiers behind him all expressed their support.

"Good, I was right about you."

He walked to the tent entrance, lifted the curtain, and pointed to the dark, towering mountain in the distance.

"You set off now, take your kites, and head up the mountain in the dark."

"Remember, assemble the kite when you get to the top of the mountain. It's windy there, so be careful not to let it get blown away."

He turned to look at You Zhongyi and gave him some instructions.

"Zhongyi, once we reach the mountaintop, you'll be in charge of counting the number of people, making sure all the kites are loaded, and then flying them one by one. You'll arrange who flies first, who flies last, and where we'll meet after we land. You'll have all that planned out."

You Zhongyi clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This subordinate understands!"

Su Mu then turned to the others, his voice serious.

"After landing, the first thing to do is not to rush to the city gate, but to hide yourself."

"Change into the civilian clothes you brought, blend into the city, observe the surroundings, and only take action when it is safe to do so."

"I will have three bonfires lit outside the city. Once you see the fires, then you can make your move."

"Remember, you all have to come back alive."

Fifty people clasped their hands in unison, their voices perfectly synchronized.

"Yes, sir!"

With a wave of his hand, You Zhongyi sent fifty dark figures silently emerging from the tent and disappearing into the night.

They carried neatly bound kite frames and oilcloths on their backs, crossbows at their waists, and short knives in their hands; their black outfits blended seamlessly into the night.

No one lit torches, no one spoke, only the rustling sound of footsteps on the sandy ground.

Su Mu stood at the entrance of the camp, watching them depart into the distance.

"God," he murmured to himself, "please bless these young people."

He turned around and walked towards Qin Hao's tent.

……

Vanguard Battalion's Garrison.

Qin Hao is currently mustering his troops.

The three thousand elite vanguard troops are fully prepared and ready to go, all dressed in black night clothes, with their weapons wrapped in cloth.

They crouched behind the tents, completely silent, like cheetahs lurking in the darkness.

"General Qin." Su Mu walked over, his voice hoarse.

Qin Hao quickly stood up, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Elder Su, the vanguard battalion is ready and can depart at any time."

Su Mu nodded, his gaze sweeping over the soldiers squatting on the ground, and lowered his voice.

"You lead your men to the base of the city wall and lie in ambush along the moat."

"Don't make a sound, don't let the guards on the city wall spot you. Once the special forces have taken control of the city gates, you can all rush in and storm the city."

Qin Hao nodded emphatically: "This subordinate understands!"

Su Mu patted him on the shoulder.

"I await your good news outside the city."

Qin Hao took a deep breath, turned around, and faced the three thousand vanguard soldiers, his voice low but firm.

"Brothers, tonight we're taking Cangzhou! Cheer up, follow me!"

Three thousand people stood up silently and followed Qin Hao, slowly moving towards Cangzhou City.

……

The city walls were brightly lit by candlelight.

Tuoba Lie and Tuoba Han stood behind the battlements, wearing thick fur cloaks, gazing at the dark plains outside the city.

In the distance, only a few faint lights flickered in the Daqian military camp, like fireflies shimmering in the darkness.

Tuoba Han sneered and pointed outside the city.

"Third brother, look."

"The ice on the city wall is already an inch thick, and it's so slippery that you can't even hold on with your hands."

"They want to use ladders to attack the city? No way! We're on high ground, and a volley from our archers will leave them with corpses strewn across the battlefield."

Tuoba Lie remained silent, his gaze deep and his brows slightly furrowed, as if he were deep in thought.

Tuoba Han noticed his unusual behavior and asked, "Third brother, what are you thinking about?"

Tuoba Lie remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking.

"Second Brother, if you were Su Mu, how would you break through the city?"

Tuoba Han was taken aback, then frowned.

"How do we breach the city?"

"Yes." Tuoba Lie turned around and looked at Tuoba Han. "Cangzhou City has strong walls that reach into the clouds. The north and south gates are heavily guarded. To the west are high mountains with cliffs that people cannot climb. To the east is a large river with a rapid current."

"A direct frontal assault would result in heavy losses, while encirclement without attack would outlast them."

Tuoba Han frowned, thought for a long time, and finally shook his head.

"I... can't think of a way. The terrain of Cangzhou City is a natural fortress. I can't think of any other way but to attack it head-on."

He raised his head and looked at Tuoba Lie, a hint of doubt in his eyes.

"Third brother, what are you thinking about?"

Tuoba Lie shook his head and gave a bitter smile.

"I didn't expect that either..."

He turned around and gazed into the darkness beyond the city, his eyes fixed on the distance.

"Let's go, second brother, it's getting late, let's go back and rest."

"Su Mu can't come up with a way to break through the city in the short term, so let's conserve our energy and discuss it again tomorrow."

Tuoba Han nodded, and the two walked down the city wall side by side.

Behind me, the soldiers on the city wall were still splashing water onto it. The sounds of buckets clattering and water splashing on the stones were exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

……

mountain top.

The wind was incredibly strong, carrying ice shards that felt like knives cutting into your face.

The temperature was much lower than down the mountain, and the breath condensed into white mist instantly, forming a thin layer of frost on the eyelashes.

You Zhongyi squatted behind a large rock, leaning against the rock to block the wind blowing in his face.

He gritted his teeth, his hands, frozen purple, rapidly assembling the kite frame.

"Faster! Faster!" he urged in a low voice.

Behind them, forty-nine special forces soldiers were also assembling kites behind their respective rocks.

No one spoke; the only sounds were the clacking of bamboo strips, the friction of knotted hemp ropes, the rustling of oilcloth being unfurled, and the heavy breathing of the crowd.

In the time it takes to burn half an incense stick, all fifty kites were assembled.

You Zhongyi stood up, walked to the edge of the cliff, and peered down.

The cliff drops vertically, with no bottom in sight; it's just a dark, bottomless expanse.

The wind surged upwards from below, carrying a chilling whistling sound.

He took a deep breath, turned around, and looked at his brothers behind him.

"Is everything ready?"

"Ready!"

"Okay!" You Zhongyi slung the kite over his back, tied the rope tightly across his chest, and checked it again. "I'll fly first, and you all must follow closely. Don't rush, don't try to overtake, keep your distance, understand?"

"clear!"

You Zhongyi turned around, facing the cliff, and took a deep breath.

"Let's go!"

He leaped down, carrying the large kite with him.

The wind suddenly rushed into his ears, whistling loudly.

His body suddenly sank, and then the kite was blown up by the wind, like a giant wing, carrying him forward.

With his eyes wide open, he stared intently at the faint outline of the city visible in the darkness ahead.

On the mountaintop, one after another, dark figures leaped into the darkness.

Fifty kites glided silently in the night sky, like fifty giant night birds, soaring over the sky above Cangzhou City and flying into the city.