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

At dusk, at the government office of Mozhou.

Qin Hao sat at his desk, holding a calligraphy brush in his hand, with a half-written memorial spread out in front of him.

He frowned, carefully choosing his words, and occasionally glanced up at Su Mu sitting to the side.

"Elder Su, what do you think? If the Northern Barbarians are willing to cede territory, pay reparations, and send envoys to sue for peace, we believe this is a godsend opportunity that can guarantee thirty years of peace in the northern border. Is this a suitable way to write it?"

Su Mu nodded and said:

"Let me add one more sentence: 'Peace is of paramount importance, and the people are of utmost importance.'"

Qin Hao nodded and added a sentence to the memorial.

"Old Master Su, do you think the imperial court will agree? If the Northern Barbarians cede territory and pay reparations, His Majesty will surely be overjoyed, won't he?"

Su Mu remained silent.

He felt a vague unease in his heart.

He felt that this matter was somewhat unexpected.

Will the King of the Northern Barbarians really cede territory and pay reparations?

For a country, having peace is not a glorious thing.

Would a Northern Di king, a man of such spirit and courage, willingly endure this?

Su Mu's intuition told him that the chances of success were slim.

"Report!"

A hurried shout came from outside the door, breaking the tranquility of the main hall.

Zhou Huchen strode in, his face full of anxiety, shouting in a booming voice:

"Old Su! General Qin! Something terrible has happened!"

Qin Hao jumped up and asked urgently, "What happened?"

Zhou Huchen took a deep breath and replied:

"Scouts report that the Northern Di King Tuoba Feng has personally led an army of 100,000 and has already set up camp and is resting fifty miles outside Mozhou City! He is expected to be at the gates of Mozhou City tomorrow!"

Qin Hao's face turned pale instantly.

"One hundred thousand? One hundred thousand troops?"

Su Mu frowned sharply, slowly stood up, his face filled with worry.

"An army of 100,000... Tuoba Feng has mobilized his entire force."

Zhou Huchen was sweating profusely and looked very nervous.

After all, this time it was the Northern Di King who personally led the expedition, and he led a full 100,000 troops.

"Old Su, the Northern Di King has arrived so quickly, what should we do? Mozhou City only has 30,000 garrison troops, 30,000 against 100,000, the disparity in strength is too great! Moreover, the Northern Di are leading the expedition in person this time, their morale is high, and their iron cavalry should not be underestimated."

Su Mu raised his hand, interrupting him.

"Tiger Minister, calm down, don't panic."

Zhou Huchen shut his mouth, his chest heaving violently.

Su Mu turned around and looked at Qin Hao.

"Qin Hao, there's no need to continue writing that memorial."

Qin Hao paused for a moment, looked down at the memorial stained with ink, gritted his teeth, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it into the charcoal brazier.

"Old Master Su, what should we do now? Should we ask the court for help? The Third Prince has already returned to the capital. If he can persuade His Majesty to send troops to reinforce us..."

"It's too late." Su Mu shook his head. "Distant water can't quench immediate thirst. By the time the imperial reinforcements arrive, Mozhou City will have already been captured."

He turned around, looked at Qin Hao and Zhou Huchen, his eyes firm and his tone serious.

"We can't rely on the imperial court; we can only rely on ourselves."

"Thirty thousand against one hundred thousand, it's not that we can't fight."

"Back then, at the gates of Yuzhou, we had less than 30,000 men, yet we repelled Tuoba Han's 50,000-strong army. This time, although the Northern Di King has come in person, our troops are much stronger than before."

He paused, then two flames ignited in his eyes.

"Tiger Minister, issue the order: the entire army is on high alert!"

"The number of defenders on the city walls has tripled. All archers and crossbowmen are on the walls. We have prepared enough rolling stones and logs. We have also inventoried and cataloged our provisions. Our medics must be ready at any time. Tonight, we must reorganize our troops and be prepared for battle!"

Zhou Huchen clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This humble general obeys!"

He turned and ran out.

"Qin Hao".

"Your subordinate is here."

"Go to the cavalry and Mo Dao battalions and take stock of the troops. The cavalry and Mo Dao battalions are key to this battle, and their combat effectiveness must be guaranteed."

"Understood, sir!"

Qin Hao also clasped his hands in a fist salute and left.

Only Su Mu remained in the main hall.

After Qin Hao walked away, Su Mu suddenly spoke to the air, "Since you're here, come out and meet me. I've been waiting for you for a long time."

"General Su, it's been a long time. How have you been?"

A dark shadow silently floated down from the beam of the main hall and landed outside the main hall door.

The man wore a bamboo hat, dressed in black, with a long sword at his waist. His face was covered by a black veil, revealing only a pair of deep eyes.

This person was the black-clad swordsman from the Listening Wind Pavilion.

He walked slowly into the main hall, bowed respectfully, and spoke with a hint of reverence in his voice.

"General Su's perception is truly astonishing. I consider myself unparalleled in the world in terms of lightness skill and concealment, but in front of General Su, it is like child's play."

Su Mu turned around, looked at the black-clad swordsman, and got straight to the point.

"You've taken this risk to come to Mozhou; you must have some important news to tell me."

"Or are you trying to negotiate with me? We agreed that once I reclaim the northern border, I would grant you one request."

The black-clad swordsman shook his head and cupped his hands, saying, "General Su is a man of his word, and I have never doubted him. Therefore, I will not mention my request for the time being, because General Su has more important matters to attend to right now, which concern the safety of the entire Northern Territory."

Su Mu's brow twitched slightly.

"explain."

The black-clad swordsman lowered his voice and spoke faster.

"I have received news that Sikong Yu, whom General Su released, has been killed by Tuoba Qingtian, the King of the Northern Di, on charges of 'disrupting the morale of the army and undermining the fighting spirit'."

Su Mu's pupils suddenly contracted, quite surprised.

Sikong Yu... is dead?

He released Sikong Yu in the hope that he could persuade Tuoba Feng to turn hostility into friendship.

Unexpectedly, Tuoba Feng not only ignored the advice but also killed Sikong Yu.

"Anything else?" Su Mu's voice deepened.

The black-clad swordsman continued, "Tuoba Lie has been operating in the Northern Di for many years and has a group of experts under his command. They have already set off from the Northern Di and secretly infiltrated Mozhou City."

"Old Su, you must be careful."

A cold glint flashed in Su Mu's eyes.

The Northern Barbarian army will be at the city gates early tomorrow morning.

However, Tuoba Lie's men infiltrated Mozhou City.

These two events are by no means a coincidence.

Their plan was to secretly break into the prison and rescue Tuoba Lie and his companion before the main army attacked the city.

If those people were to rescue Tuoba Lie and Tuoba Han, the morale of the Northern Di army would be greatly boosted, while the morale of the Daqian soldiers would be dampened by the capture of their prisoners.

With one side gaining and the other losing, this battle will be even more difficult.

"Thank you for informing me."

Su Mu clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice sincere.

The black-clad swordsman returned the greeting with a bow.

Just as Su Mu was about to ask another question, hurried footsteps came from outside the door.

The black-clad swordsman's ears twitched, and he cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "General Su, I shall take my leave now. Farewell!"

Before he finished speaking, his figure, like a falling leaf, drifted out of the window at the back of the main hall and disappeared into the twilight in the blink of an eye.

"Old Su! Old Su!"

You Zhongyi strode into the main hall, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Elder Su, with a formidable enemy at hand, what missions do our special forces brothers have? Please give your orders!"

Su Mu turned around and looked at You Zhongyi.

His mind was racing.

The Northern Di King's army of 100,000 is pressing in and will attack the city tomorrow.

Tuoba Lie's men infiltrated the city tonight with the goal of breaking into the prison.

These two things must be addressed simultaneously.

With Qin Hao and Zhou Huchen in charge of the city's defenses, he felt reassured as the army attacked.

But tonight, someone has to deal with those assassins who have infiltrated the city.

The best approach is to turn the tables on them.

Let those guys think they have an opportunity, wait for them to walk into the trap, and then wipe them all out.

"Zhongyi, tonight all of you special forces will go to the military camp to assist General Qin Hao in reorganizing the troops and strengthening the city's defenses."

You Zhongyi was stunned.

"Old Su, should we send everyone to the military camp? What about the prison..."

"I will go to the prison myself."

"After tonight, the fates of Tuoba Han and Tuoba Lie will be sealed."

You Zhongyi gritted his teeth, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "This subordinate obeys!"

Then he turned and strode away.

Su Mu stood in the main hall, gazing at the gradually darkening sky outside the window, his eyes reflecting the last rays of the setting sun.

"Tuoba Feng... if you want to start a war, this old man will accompany you to the end."

"Neither of your two younger brothers will leave here alive."

After saying that, he walked out of the main hall and headed towards the prison.

Tonight, a storm is sure to break.