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

A large crowd gathered in front of the military camp.

Rows of strong men dressed in coarse linen clothes stood in a long line, like a string of grasshoppers strung together. Each of them wore the same expression: numb, desperate, and resigned.

In their eyes, they were captured, not sent to serve as soldiers, but to die.

The registrar sat behind his desk, not looking up, scribbling on the register with his pen.

"Wang You, Infantry Battalion!"

"Zhang San, Changshui Camp!"

"Li Si, supply battalion!"

The voice was so mechanical, like reading a court verdict.

Su Mu led his horse and stood at the end of the procession.

He was surrounded by young and strong people, while he, an old man with white hair and a hunched back, stood in the middle like a withered tree growing in a bamboo forest.

Many people secretly watched him, their eyes filled with curiosity.

What's this old man doing here?

Looking at the endless rows of tents ahead, Su Mu silently calculated in his mind: We've arrived, we've found the military camp. Next, I need to figure out how to register for military service and complete my mission.

Just then, two people walked out from the crowd on the right and went straight up to him.

"Old man, what brings you here?"

The man's voice was honest and had a northern accent.

Su Mu raised his head and sized up the person who had come.

The man was in his early twenties, broad-shouldered and burly, with a dark face covered in a thick beard, and large, round eyes like copper bells.

His coarse cloth clothes were stretched taut, and the muscles in his arms made the sleeves bulge, clearly indicating that he had been doing manual labor for many years.

Standing next to him was a young man of similar age, slender, with fair skin and a scholarly air about him.

Although he was dressed in coarse cloth, his hands were fair and slender, making him look more like a scholar than a farmer.

Su Mu glanced at the two of them and said calmly, "What's wrong? Is there something you need?"

The slender young man bowed respectfully, saying, "Please don't be offended, sir. We brothers noticed you the moment you appeared."

"Seeing you leading a tall horse and carrying a horse-slaying sword, may I ask, are you here to join the army?"

His gaze fell on Su Mu, filled with both curiosity and respect.

Su Mu's lips curled up slightly, thinking to himself that this young man had good eyesight.

"Yes, I am indeed here to join the army." He nodded.

Although the two had suspected it beforehand, they still couldn't help but show their shock when they actually heard these words.

The dark-skinned, burly man sized Su Mu up and down, then gave him a thumbs-up and boomed, "Old man, you're this one!"

His face was full of admiration: "Judging from your age, you must be at least eighty or ninety, right? At this age, you still want to join the army to defend your country. I, Zhao Tieniu, am truly impressed!"

He circled Su Mu, clicking his tongue in amazement: "Changfeng and I were just guessing if you were here to find your relatives, but it turns out you really are here to join the army. You're bolder than even a roughneck like me!"

As he spoke, he scratched his head, grinning somewhat sheepishly, "But old man, you're so old, how could we let you go to the battlefield?"

He patted his massive, muscular chest, making a thumping sound: "These things are for us young people to handle! You, old man, can go back to wherever you came from, stay home, drink tea, bask in the sun, and wait for the good news of our victory!"

Su Mu looked at the honest and burly man, a hint of warmth flashing in his eyes.

Along the way, everyone who heard that he wanted to join the army either mocked or ridiculed him; no one took him seriously.

But the young man in front of him, Zhao Tieniu, although he also felt that Zhao was too old to go to the battlefield, spoke with respect and goodwill.

In a world ravaged by war, this kindness is more precious than gold.

"Thank you for your kindness, young man," Su Mu said with a smile. "The rise and fall of a nation is the responsibility of every citizen. Although I am over a hundred years old, I still have a heart that yearns to fight for my country."

"If I can kill one enemy, I will have gained something; if I can kill two enemies, it will be a gift from God."

Zhao Tieniu was stunned.

He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word for a long time.

The handsome young man next to him also changed his expression.

He looked intently at Su Mu, bowed respectfully, and said solemnly, "What a profound statement, 'The rise and fall of a nation is the responsibility of every citizen.' Elder, your words fill Changfeng with deep respect."

He sighed, his gaze dimming slightly: "If the court had even half your mindset, the people of Daqian wouldn't be suffering so much."

These words contained resentment, helplessness, and unwillingness.

"And you?" Su Mu asked back, "Judging from your appearance, you don't seem to have been conscripted."

Zhao Tieniu grinned and replied, "Old man, you have a good eye for people! We weren't captured; we joined the army on our own!"

He clenched his fist, veins bulging on his arm: "Those barbarians from the North are burning, killing, and looting on our land. Are we young people supposed to cower at home like cowards?"

"No! I, Zhao Tieniu, want to join the army and drive these barbarians out of the Great Qian territory!"

Gu Changfeng nodded, his tone steady: "Tie Niu and I are from the same hometown and grew up together. When the Northern Barbarians invaded our borders and our hometown suffered, we couldn't stay at home any longer. We agreed to come to Qinghe County to join the army. Even if we were just foot soldiers, it would be better than staying at home and doing nothing."

Su Mu looked at the two young men, a glimmer of light appearing in his eyes.

What the Great Qian Dynasty lacks is precisely this kind of passionate young people.

"Old man, my name is Zhao Tieniu!"

"My brother's name is Gu Changfeng!"

Let's go register together!

Su Mu nodded: "Okay."

The three walked side by side toward the registration area.

After walking around for a while, all three of them frowned.

In the vast military camp, there wasn't a single sign that said "volunteer registration".

Everywhere there were "Conscription Registration Offices," and the queues were full of people who had been conscripted and looked miserable.

Zhao Tieniu scratched his head and looked around: "This is strange, why isn't there even a place to volunteer?"

Gu Changfeng snorted coldly, a mocking smile on his lips: "That's normal. These days, the conscription has scared the people so much that who would dare to volunteer for the army? The imperial court doesn't believe anyone would voluntarily come to their death, so they haven't set up any registration points at all."

As soon as he finished speaking, a soldier in armor walked over.

He had a knife at his waist and a long black whip in his hand, and he walked like a swaggering rooster.

He looked Su Mu and the other two up and down, then pointed at the ranks with his whip.

"What's wrong with you three? Why aren't you queuing properly? What are you doing wandering around here?"

Gu Changfeng stepped forward, cupped his hands in salute, and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Sir, we are not conscripts; we have volunteered to join the army."

"Voluntary?" The soldier paused, as if he'd heard something unusual, his brows furrowing. "People still volunteer for the army these days? You wouldn't happen to be spies for the Northern Barbarians, would you?"

"What did you say?" Zhao Tieniu's eyes widened instantly, like two copper bells.

He took a step forward, his towering figure looming in front of the soldier, which was quite intimidating.

"You scoundrel, you can't say anything nice! We joined the army to protect our country, and you call us spies?"

He clenched his fist, the size of a sandbag, veins bulging: "I think you're asking for a beating!"

Gu Changfeng quickly reached out to stop him, lowering his voice: "Tie Niu, don't be impulsive. This is a military camp, we can't cause trouble here."

The soldier shrank back, his face turning pale, intimidated by Zhao Tieniu's imposing manner.

He swallowed hard, and with a blustering but weak voice, he said, "You wait here, I'll go back and report to my superior!"

After saying that, he turned and ran, his feet seemingly oiled.

Zhao Tieniu snorted at the retreating figure, "Coward."

A short while later, the soldier returned with a captain.

The man was in his thirties, lean and wiry, with a pointed chin like a cone, and a pair of triangular eyes that revealed shrewdness and meanness.

He was dressed in full armor, with a long sword hanging at his waist, the armor plates rustling as he walked.

The captain stood in front of the three men, his gaze sweeping from Zhao Tieniu to Gu Changfeng, and finally stopping when it landed on Su Mu.

He looked the white-haired, hunched-over old man holding the horse's reins up and down, his eyes full of doubt and disdain.

"So, the three of you volunteered for military service?"

Gu Changfeng cupped his hands in greeting: "That's right."

The captain ignored him, walked straight up to Su Mu, pointed at him, and said, "Old man, don't tell me you're going to join the army too."

Su Mu had anticipated this.

"Reporting back to the general," Su Mu said in a calm and humble tone, "this old man has also come to join the army."

"Hahaha!"

The captain threw his head back and laughed loudly.

He pointed at Su Mu, then turned to the soldiers beside him and said, "Listen to this! This old man says he wants to join the army! A man who's about to enter his coffin, running off to join the army!"

The soldiers laughed along, their laughter echoing and drawing the attention of the surrounding able-bodied men and soldiers.

"What a ridiculous joke!" The captain's smile vanished, his eyes turning scathing. "Old man, what are you thinking? Are you starving at home and want to come to the army to mooch a meal? Or are you tired of living and want to kill yourself?"

He circled around Su Mu, as if examining a piece of junk.

"Look at you, your hair is all white, you can't even straighten your back, you stagger when you walk. Someone like you wants to join the army? Tell me, what can you do? Can you carry a knife? Can you draw a bow?"

"I think you're just here to scam funeral expenses!"

Zhao Tieniu's face flushed red, his large, round eyes fixed on the captain. His voice was low but full of anger: "Sir, don't go too far! The old man's good intentions are invaluable! What do you mean by 'scamming funeral expenses'? That's too harsh!"

The captain glanced at him, but didn't respond, continuing to stare at Su Mu.

Su Mu was not angry.

In a hundred years of life, what unpleasant things haven't I heard?

"General, although I am old, I practiced some martial arts when I was young and still have some strength. Although I can't fight as well as the young men, I can still be of some use for guarding the camp, feeding the horses, and tending the fire."

"I hope the general will take me in."

To everyone's surprise, the captain scoffed, "Who hasn't been young? But that was when you were young. Now, you're just a corpse about to be buried."

He waved his hand dismissively, like shooing away flies: "Go, go, go, don't waste our time here."

He then pointed to Zhao Tieniu and Gu Changfeng: "You two, go over there to register. That's the conscription registration office. You're volunteering for the army, so go over there too."

Zhao Tieniu opened his mouth as if to say something, but Gu Changfeng stopped him.

Seeing the captain's resolute attitude, Su Mu knew that there was no point in saying anything more.

He lived for a hundred years and understood one thing best: arguing with unreasonable people is a waste of time.

He nodded without arguing, turned around, took the reins, and prepared to try his luck at another registration office.

He had only taken two steps when a voice came from behind him: "Old man, stop."

Su Mu stopped and looked back at him.

The captain crossed his arms, a smile playing on his lips—a smile that contained greed, contempt, and an unwavering certainty that he had the captain's back.

"Old man, you can leave now!"

"Leave that horse."

Su Mu's expression sharpened.

"You're almost in your coffin, you don't deserve such a good horse."

The captain walked over, reached out and patted the neck of the black steed, his eyes gleaming.

"Keeping this horse in your hands is a complete waste!"

"Keep it here for me to use on the battlefield. That will be your contribution to the Great Qian Dynasty."