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

The night was as dark as ink, and the cold wind was as sharp as a knife.

Outside the Daqian military camp, it was pitch black.

Su Mu, wearing an old cotton robe and hunched over, stood on a small earthen slope at the forefront of the military camp.

His eyes were fixed on the direction of Cangzhou City, on the dark night sky.

He had been standing here for almost an hour.

Behind him, the Third Prince Xiao Jingyu, also wearing a thick cloak, stood quietly beside him.

He didn't speak, but simply stayed with the centenarian, gazing into the darkness together.

The wind blew from the north, carrying a biting chill, causing their robes to flutter loudly.

"General Su," Xiao Jingyu finally spoke, "please go into your tent and rest for a while. I will keep watch for you and call you immediately if there is any movement."

Su Mu shook his head, his gaze never leaving the direction of Cangzhou City.

"I will keep a close eye on this myself."

"The opportunity is fleeting. Zhongyi and the others should have already entered the city and could open the gates at any moment. I need to see the signal as soon as possible and give the order to charge immediately."

He paused, his voice becoming even deeper.

"I cannot miss this opportunity, otherwise those children will be isolated and helpless, with no chance of survival."

Looking at his wrinkled face and his still sharp, though cloudy, eyes, Xiao Jingyu felt a surge of indescribable sorrow.

At this moment, he understood even more why this centenarian was so respected by the soldiers throughout the entire army.

It wasn't because he was a master of martial arts, nor because he was a brilliant strategist, but because he treated every soldier like his own child.

They charged into battle, and he was deeply concerned.

They were in grave danger, and he stayed up all night.

"General Su," Xiao Jingyu said in a low voice, "Don't worry, Captain You and the brothers of the special forces are the elite of the elite, trained by you. They will definitely be able to complete the mission."

Su Mu didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly.

He trusted You Zhongyi and others.

Being trustworthy doesn't mean there's no need to worry.

……

On the city wall.

The Northern Barbarian garrison is changing shifts.

The soldiers who had been on duty during the day were relieved and dragged their tired bodies down the city wall to their barracks inside the city to sleep.

The night shift soldier rubbed his sleepy eyes, climbed up the city wall, leaned against the battlements, and yawned.

"It's damn cold today." A soldier hunched his shoulders, tucked his hands into his sleeves, and stamped his feet. "Those Daqian soldiers are camping in the open outside the city. They must be freezing."

Another soldier scoffed and spat in the dark direction outside the city.

"They deserve to freeze to death. They think they're so tough? Let them fight God himself."

"Stop talking nonsense and focus on your patrol." The centurion walked over, glared at the two men, and said, "The prince said that old man in the Daqian army is cunning and treacherous; who knows what kind of trouble he might cause? Be on your guard!"

The two soldiers quickly stood up straight, agreeing verbally, but inwardly they didn't take it seriously.

The fields outside the city were pitch black, without a single ghost in sight.

Those Daqian soldiers are so frozen they're practically brain-dead, what kind of trouble could they possibly cause?

An hour has passed.

Two hours have passed.

On the city wall, there was nothing but the sound of the wind.

Suddenly, firelight appeared in the distance outside the city.

Three fires burned in the darkness, their flames small but remarkably bright.

"Look! There's fire outside the city!" a soldier shouted, pointing into the distance.

The city guard strode to the battlements, squinted at them for a moment, and then chuckled.

"Hahaha! These damned dogs finally couldn't withstand the cold wind and had to light a big fire to keep warm! Your Highness is truly a genius! Wait a few more days, and when the weather gets even colder, and these people are frozen solid, we'll storm out of the city and wipe them all out!"

He turned and shouted to the soldiers behind him.

"Brothers, did you all see that? Da Qian Gou can't hold on any longer! Let's wait until it gets colder, then head out of the city and harvest some heads!"

"Hahaha!"

On the city wall, the Northern Di soldiers roared with laughter.

Laughter echoed in the night sky, carrying far and wide.

They didn't see that in the dark corners where the three fires couldn't reach, countless eyes were staring intently at their city gate.

……

Outside the city gate.

Qin Hao led three thousand elite vanguard troops, crouching by the moat, lurking in the darkness.

They endured the cold without making a sound, even suppressing their breathing.

Three thousand people lay quietly on the ground, waiting patiently.

Their swords were already drawn; they were just waiting for the city gates to open so they could rush in.

Qin Hao lay on the ground, his ear pressed against the earth, listening to the sounds coming from inside the city.

"General, those Northern Di dogs on the city wall are still laughing," a captain beside him said in a low voice, his tone tinged with anger.

Qin Hao's expression was cold and stern.

"Don't speak!"

His gaze was fixed on the city gate, his heart pounding steadily in his chest.

He thought to himself: Zhongyi, you must succeed.

……

Inside the city, inside the city gate.

The darkness was as black as ink.

There were over a thousand Northern Di soldiers guarding the city. Some were dozing against the wall, some were squatting on the ground warming themselves by the fire, and some were idly fiddling with the spears in their hands.

The city gate's bolts were two thick ironwood bars, placed horizontally behind the gate, weighing hundreds of kilograms, and requiring ten people to lift them together.

They didn't think anything would happen.

There were guards on the city walls and the Great Qian army outside the city, but they were still far from the city gate.

Besides, with such high city walls and such heavy city gates, who could sneak in unnoticed?

In the darkness, several dark figures silently slipped out from the shadows of the city gate.

You Zhongyi had already seen the signal given by Su Mu outside the city.

He knew that Qin Hao's vanguard battalion was already in position, just waiting for them to open the city gates.

He lay motionless on the crossbeam of the city gate, his body pressed against the cold stone wall.

His eyes gleamed in the darkness, like a cheetah lurking in the shadows.

His hand slowly reached for the short knife at his waist; the blade was jet black and had no luster.

Below are more than forty Northern Di soldiers.

Some were dozing, some were warming themselves by the fire, and some were chatting quietly. No one noticed the strange thing above them.

You Zhongyi stretched out his hands and gestured to both sides.

In the darkness, dozens of shadowy figures moved simultaneously.

Gu Changfeng led a group of men out of the shadows on the right side of the city gate and silently approached the soldiers who were dozing against the wall.

Zhao Tieniu led another team to flank from the left, targeting the group of people squatting on the ground warming themselves by the fire.

No one spoke, no footsteps were heard, and even breathing was kept to a minimum.

You Zhongyi silently leaped down from the crossbeam, landing behind a Northern Di soldier who was dozing against the wall.

His left hand covered the soldier's mouth, while his right hand thrust the dagger under his ribs straight into his heart.

The soldier's body stiffened abruptly, his eyes snapped open, but no sound came out.

A few breaths later, his body went limp and was gently placed on the ground by You Zhongyi without making a sound.

Meanwhile, Gu Changfeng also made his move.

He covered the mouth of a Northern Di centurion with his left hand, while his right hand slashed horizontally with his short knife, causing blood to gush out, but it was blocked by his palm and did not splatter.

The centurion struggled a couple of times, then stopped moving.

Zhao Tieniu's movements weren't as nimble as theirs, but they were just as swift and decisive.

He grabbed a Northern Di soldier by the neck with one hand, twisted it hard, and with a crisp "crack," the soldier's neck snapped. He leaned the corpse against the wall, pretending to doze off.

One by one.

Silently.

The blade flashed in the darkness, and with each flash, a Northern Di soldier fell.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, all forty-odd soldiers guarding the city were killed.

Not one screamed, not one had time to resist.

Zhao Tieniu took a breath, wiped the blood splattered on his face, and said in a low voice, "Captain, it's all taken care of."

You Zhongyi nodded, strode to the city gate, and grabbed the bolt with both hands.

"Someone, remove the door bolt!"

Ten special forces soldiers stepped forward at the same time, grabbed the two thick ironwood bolts, and lifted them up sharply.

The latch was removed and the door was leaned against the wall.

You Zhongyi took a deep breath, braced his hands on the city gate, and slowly pushed it open.

The city gate was very heavy, made of iron sheet wrapped in wood, weighing at least a thousand pounds.

Dozens of special forces soldiers worked together, and the city gate opened silently, then widened and widened.

The cold wind blowing in from outside the city gate carried a biting chill, but also the hope of victory.

You Zhongyi poked his head out and made a gesture towards the darkness outside the city.

The door opened!

……

By the moat, Qin Hao lay prone on the ground, his ear pressed tightly against the earth.

He heard the sound of the city gates opening.

He suddenly raised his head, his eyes shining like two lamps in the darkness.

"The door's open!" His voice was low, but filled with barely suppressed excitement. "Brothers, charge!"

The three thousand vanguard soldiers stood up at the same time and surged toward the city gate like a flood bursting its banks.

On the city wall, the Northern Di soldiers were chatting and laughing when they suddenly heard thunderous shouts of battle coming from outside the city.

They turned their heads sharply and looked down at the city!

In the dim light, the dark mass of Daqian soldiers surged across the moat like a tide and rushed into the city gate.

"Oh no! The enemy has broken in!"

"The city gate! Why is the city gate open?!"

"Fire the arrows! Fire the arrows!"

Chaos erupted on the city wall.

The archers frantically drew their bows and nocked their arrows, but the Daqian soldiers were too fast. The first wave of men who rushed in had already reached the city gate, and the arrows couldn't reach them at all.

"Quickly report to the Prince! The Great Qian army has breached the city!"

The Northern Di soldiers panicked. Some threw stones down, others shot arrows, but in the chaos they could not organize any effective resistance.

Qin Haochong was at the forefront, sweeping his spear horizontally and knocking down a Northern Di centurion who charged forward.

"Brothers! Charge in! Leave no one alive!"

"kill!"

Three thousand vanguard soldiers surged into the city gate like a tide, and then lit torches.

The torchlight illuminated the entire street.

The Northern Di soldiers were awakened from their sleep. Some of them didn't even have time to grab their swords and were cut down before they could figure out what was happening.

In the city, screams, footsteps, and shouts of killing mingled together, shattering the tranquility of the night.

Cangzhou City has fallen!