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

The sounds of fighting, like a flood bursting its banks, instantly engulfed the streets and alleys of the northern part of Cangzhou City.

The clanging of swords and spears, the whistling of arrows piercing the air, the neighing of warhorses, and the shouts of soldiers fighting to the death all blended together into a chilling symphony of death.

The flames spread from the direction of the city gate, turning half the sky red and illuminating the entire city of Cangzhou as if it were daytime.

The east wing of the government office in the backyard.

Tuoba Lie suddenly sat up in bed.

His eyes snapped open in the darkness, without the slightest hint of sleepiness.

"Your Highness! Something terrible has happened!" The guard's voice outside the door was urgent and distorted, almost a shout. "The Daqian people have broken through the gates! They've already stormed into the city!"

Tuoba Lie's pupils suddenly contracted.

He threw off the covers, stepped barefoot onto the cold floor tiles, grabbed the robe hanging by the bed, draped it over his shoulders, and strode out while tying the belt.

Pushing open the door, flames shot into the sky from the direction of the city wall, and shouts of battle rose like a tide, one wave higher than the next.

His brows were furrowed.

For the first time, panic appeared in his eyes.

How did the people of Daqian manage to break in?

"Third brother! Third brother!"

Tuoba Han rushed out of the side room, his hair disheveled, his clothes in disarray, and his face full of terror.

He rushed to Tuoba Lie, grabbed his arm, and his voice was trembling.

"What...what's going on? How did the Daqian people break in? We defended the city gates fiercely, and the city walls were covered in water and frozen solid; they couldn't even climb over them! How did they get into the city?"

His face grew even paler, and his voice became distorted.

"Could it be...could it be that they flew down from the sky?"

He does not mean that.

Tuoba Lie's body jolted violently. He turned his head, his gaze sharp as a knife, and looked at the towering Black Mountain next to Cangzhou City in the west.

The mountaintop was covered in snow, which gleamed pale in the moonlight.

"They really did fly down from the sky."

Tuoba Han was stunned, his mouth slightly open, his face full of disbelief.

"What do you mean? Fly down? Third brother, what nonsense are you talking about?"

Tuoba Lie pointed to the high mountain, his gaze deep.

"Look at that mountain, hundreds of feet high, with sheer cliffs, ordinary people can't climb it, but the soldiers of the Great Qian Dynasty did. They used kites to glide from the top of the mountain, flew into the city from the sky, and opened the city gates under the cover of night."

"We all underestimated the willpower and ability of the Daqian soldiers, and we also underestimated that old man Su Mu."

Tuoba Han followed his finger to look at the mountain, opened his mouth as if to say something, but his throat seemed to be blocked by something, and he couldn't squeeze out a single word.

His face was ashen, and his hands were trembling slightly.

"Then... what do we do now?"

Tuoba Lie took a deep breath, suppressing all the shock and panic in his heart.

He straightened his robes, drew the long sword from his waist, its blade gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

"Further words are useless. Organize the troops and rebel immediately!" He turned around and shouted into the courtyard, "Kubtai!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Kublai Khan led a dozen personal guards as he ran in from outside the courtyard, his armor plates clattering.

"Gather all troops and follow me out to fight our way out! Join up with the city's defenders and retake the city gates!"

"Yes, sir!"

Kublai Khan turned and ran out, and the sound of horns rang out in the government office, extremely urgent.

Tuoba Lie's personal guards poured out from the various rooms, donned armor, and brandished swords, quickly forming ranks.

Tuoba Lie mounted his horse and glanced back at Tuoba Han, who was still in a daze.

"Second brother, let's go! Are you going to wait here to die?"

Tuoba Han gritted his teeth, mounted his horse, and followed behind Tuoba Lie.

……

On the city wall.

Qin Hao had already led the vanguard battalion to the top of the city wall.

Torches were planted in a row on the city wall, their orange-red light illuminating the entire section.

The Northern Di garrison on the city wall had all been cut down.

Qin Hao stood in front of the battlements, gazing at the darkness outside the city, took a deep breath, and suddenly waved his hand.

"Ignite it! Signal Elder Su!"

Several soldiers immediately lit three piles of firewood doused with oil, and flames shot into the sky, standing out conspicuously in the night.

……

The Great Qian Army Camp.

Su Mu was fully armed.

He was wearing a suit of iron armor, with a black iron armor covering it.

The armor was jet black and shiny, with seamless plates that gleamed with a bluish luster under the moonlight.

The Dragon-Slaying Saber hung at his waist, its dark gold patterns faintly visible on the blade.

The Akhal-Teke horse was already prepared, snorting and pawing the ground with its front hooves, as if it couldn't wait to rush out.

Behind him, 50,000 troops were lined up in formation.

Cavalry in front, infantry behind, and archers on both flanks.

Banners fluttered in the wind, and the torchlight stretched out in a continuous line, illuminating the entire military camp as if it were daytime.

The Third Prince, Xiao Jingyu, stood beside Su Mu. Seeing the three piles of fire on the city wall, his eyes reddened with excitement, and his voice trembled.

"Old Su! We did it! We did it!"

Su Mu nodded.

He didn't speak, but suddenly raised the Dragon-Slaying Saber, its tip pointing towards Cangzhou City.

Then, he spurred the horse's belly, and the Akhal-Teke horse neighed loudly, its front hooves raised high, and it charged forward like a white lightning bolt.

He shouted as he rushed.

"All troops, heed my command! Charge into Cangzhou! Recapture Cangzhou!"

His voice was hoarse, yet it overpowered all the noise and clearly reached the ears of every soldier.

"kill!"

The 50,000-strong army roared in unison, their voices shaking the surrounding fields like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing.

The thunderous sound of hooves and the surging footsteps of footsteps, along with the torchlight forming a fiery dragon, swept towards Cangzhou City.

quickly!

Su Mu took the lead and rushed into the city gate.

The Akhal-Teke horse was incredibly fast, like a white lightning bolt weaving through the flames and smoke.

Su Mu lay prone on his horse, his white hair fluttering in the wind.

At the city gate, a few Northern Di soldiers were still putting up a stubborn resistance.

They saw the old man with flowing white hair riding a white horse rush in and instinctively raised their knives to stop him.

Su Mu drew his Dragon-Slaying Saber.

A flash of light, like golden lightning cleaving through the night.

The three Northern Di soldiers at the forefront didn't even have time to scream before they were cut in half at the waist, blood gushing out, their bodies falling to the ground.

The aura of the Dragon-Slaying Saber exploded among the crowd; wherever the blade passed, blood and flesh flew everywhere, and severed limbs were scattered all over the ground.

"The devil...he's the devil..."

"Run! Run!"

The remaining Northern Di soldiers were terrified and fled in all directions, abandoning their weapons.

Su Mu did not give chase.

His target wasn't these lowly soldiers, but Tuoba Lie and Tuoba Han.

"Zhou Huchen, lead a thousand iron cavalry with me! Let's march on the Cangzhou government office!"

He turned his horse around and charged along the main street toward the city center.

Behind them, thousands of cavalry followed closely, the sound of their hooves shaking the houses on both sides of the street.

Along the way, there were fleeing Northern Di soldiers everywhere.

Some people hid in the alley, trembling with fear; some lay on the rooftops, too afraid to move; and some knelt on the ground, raising their hands in surrender.

The soldiers of the Great Qian Dynasty surged into every street like a tide, clearing out the Northern Di soldiers street by street and alley by alley.

Su Mu's horse hooves trod across the bluestone pavement, over discarded weapons, and over the still-burning flags.

As he passed the entrance of an alley, several Northern Di soldiers rushed out of the alley, intending to launch a sneak attack.

Su Mu didn't even look. He swung his sword backhand, and the sword energy swept across the area. Before those people could even reach his horse, they were cut down to the ground.

"Old Master Su is truly awe-inspiring!"

"Follow Su Laochong!"

The cavalrymen behind him were filled with fervor, shouting slogans and brandishing their long swords as they charged wildly behind Su Mu.

……

Cangzhou City, Central Street.

Tuoba Lie, accompanied by his personal guards, was rushing towards the city gate.

He sat on his horse, his long sword drawn, his face cold and stern.

Kublai Khan followed closely behind, while Tuoba Han walked in the middle of the procession, his face ashen.

"Report!"

A scout rode up from the front, dismounted, and turned pale.

"Your Highness! The Daqian army has already reached the city center! Leading them is that white-haired old man, Su Mu! He's riding a white horse, wielding a large sword, and has already cut down hundreds of our brothers!"

Tuoba Lie's pupils contracted sharply, and he tightened the reins.

"Su Mu? He's that fast?"

"Yes! He's leading several thousand cavalry and is charging towards the government office! Your Highness, you must retreat!"

Tuoba Lie gritted his teeth, about to order a turn, when Kublai pointed ahead and shouted, "Your Highness, look!"

At the end of the street ahead, flames soared into the sky.

A white horse burst forth from the flames, and on its back sat an old man with white hair and a hunched back.

The old man was holding a long knife, and blood was still dripping from the blade.

Behind him, a dark mass of cavalry surged forward like a tide, their hooves thundering deafeningly.

Tuoba Lie and Tuoba Han saw that figure at the same time.

It's Su Mu!