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

Not long after Saki Musashi led his troops away, the strategist Takenaka Hyōe stood up from his seat.

He slowly closed the iron fan in his hand, walked to the center of the hall, and bowed to Shimazu Ryunosuke.

"General, it's time to send troops to Ninghai."

These words immediately caused an uproar in the hall.

Otomo Tetsumaru was the first to stand up and raise questions:

"Strategist, what did you say? Send troops to Ninghai? Zuo Mu just left, taking three thousand elite soldiers with him to wipe out that guerrilla force. We're not even ready yet, why are you suddenly sending troops?"

Murakami Kaito frowned, put down his wine glass, and asked doubtfully, "Strategist, isn't your plan a bit too hasty? Although that guerrilla force only has about a thousand men, they are familiar with the terrain and have been playing hide-and-seek with us in the mountains for more than ten days."

"Whether Saki can wipe them out is still unknown. If we send out all our main forces and leave our rear vulnerable, what if they launch a surprise attack on Wanhu City..."

Takenaka Bei tapped his palm lightly with his iron fan, a confident smile playing on his lips.

"General Murakami, you're right!"

"That guerrilla force did harass us in the rear for more than ten days, and it really gave us a headache."

"But have you ever wondered why they've been able to harass us for so long?"

Murakami Hideto frowned but did not answer.

Takenaka Heibe continued, "Because they are familiar with the terrain, because they fire and move, because they dare not engage us in direct combat, we do not know where they are hiding."

"But what about now? We already have spies who have found out where they are hiding, and General Sasaki has personally led three thousand elite troops to surround and annihilate them."

"One thousand against three thousand, do you think they can escape?"

As he spoke, his gaze swept over the generals in the tent, and he raised his voice.

"Generals, that guerrilla force is nothing more than a thousand remnants. Even if they had three heads and six arms, they wouldn't last more than a few days under General Saki's blade."

"Are we really going to sit here in Wanhu City waiting for these thousand defeated soldiers? The Crown Prince of Daqian is waiting for us in Ninghai City!"

He turned around and bowed to Shimazu Ryunosuke.

"General, the opportunity to fight is fleeting."

"The Crown Prince of Daqian has just arrived in Ninghai and his foothold is not yet secure. If we seize this opportunity to launch a full-scale attack and catch him off guard, Ninghai City will be ours for the taking!"

"Once Ninghai is captured, Haizhou City will be within reach, and the gates to Jiangnan will be wide open!"

"General, I once spent two years in the Great Qian Dynasty and know that Jiangnan is the most prosperous region in the Great Qian Dynasty."

"Gold is everywhere, and beautiful women are as numerous as clouds."

"The reason why the Great Qian Dynasty has been able to survive for so many years is entirely due to the taxes and grain from Jiangnan."

"If we can advance unimpeded and conquer Jiangnan, half of the entire Daqian territory will be ours!"

When the generals in the camp heard the words "gold everywhere, beauties as numerous as clouds," their eyes lit up.

Otomo Tetsumaru licked his lips, his hesitation vanishing instantly, and grinned, "Strategist, you should have said so earlier! I've wanted to see the beauties of Jiangnan for ages!"

Murakami Kaito laughed, his smile cold and greedy: "The strategist is right. A thousand defeated soldiers are not worth us waiting here."

"General, let's send out the troops!"

Takenaka Hyōe stepped back and bowed deeply to Shimazu Ryūnosuke: "General, please give the order."

Ryunosuke Shimazu stood up and glanced at the assembled generals.

"Order that three thousand soldiers remain to garrison Wanhu City, and the rest of the troops prepare for battle!"

"Tomorrow morning, we will march on to Ninghai City!"

"Yes, sir!"

……

The next morning, at the east gate of Wanhu City.

As dawn broke, the camp of the Dongyi army was already in an uproar.

The 30,000-strong army was arrayed, a dark mass stretching as far as the eye could see.

Ryunosuke Shimazu rode a black warhorse, clad in dark red iron armor, with a samurai sword hanging at his waist, and sharp eyes.

He spurred his horse to the front of the formation, took a deep breath, and shouted:

"Warriors of the Eastern Barbarians!"

The 30,000-strong army raised their heads in unison, their eyes fixed on their commander.

"Beneath your feet lies Wanhu City! Land we carved out with our swords!"

"But this is just the beginning! Ahead lies Ninghai City, Haizhou City, and the most prosperous region in the entire Daqian Dynasty, Jiangnan!"

He drew his horse-slaying saber from his waist, the tip pointing south, his voice even more impassioned.

"The Crown Prince of Daqian, a useless man who has never fought a battle, wants to lead the army and stop the advance of my Dongyi warriors?"

"Absolutely impossible!"

"Once we take Ninghai City, all the gold and silver treasures inside will be ours."

"You can choose any woman from Jiangnan!"

"As long as you follow me and charge forward, half of the Great Qian's territory will belong to our Eastern Yi Kingdom!"

His katana swung suddenly in mid-air:

"Let's go! March on to Ninghai City!"

"kill!"

The bugle call tore through the sky, and the war drums thundered.

The 30,000-strong Dongyi army surged out of the gates of Wanhu City like a black tide, sweeping towards Ninghai City.

Dust filled the sky, obscuring the sun.

……

Beside the official road leading from Wanhu City to Ninghai City, several figures were quietly lurking in a dense thicket.

Qin Hao, You Zhongyi, Gu Changfeng, and Zhao Tieniu lay on the hillside, peering through the gaps in the branches and leaves at the vast and imposing army of the Eastern Yi below.

Warhorses, infantry, archers, and supply wagons stretched as far as the eye could see.

Zhao Tieniu swallowed hard and lowered his voice, "Good heavens, how many people are there? Thirty thousand? Forty thousand? These Eastern Barbarian bandits have really come out in full force!"

He turned his head abruptly, his large, round eyes filled with boundless excitement.

"General Qin, since they've mobilized all their forces, Wanhu City must be completely undefended!"

"Should we take advantage of this situation and seize Wanhu City? Taking Wanhu City would be a great achievement!"

Qin Hao did not answer immediately, but looked at the long, dragon-like army with a deep gaze.

You Zhongyi spoke first, his voice extremely low: "Tie Niu, you're right, Wanhu City is indeed empty."

"But have you considered this? With just a few dozen men, even if we take Wanhu City, can we hold it?"

"The Dongyi people couldn't take Ninghai City, and when they turned around and found their stronghold had been destroyed, do you think they'd let us go?"

"What if a few dozen people are surrounded in the city by tens of thousands of troops? How are they supposed to escape?"

Gu Changfeng nodded, his gaze steady: "Zhongyi is right."

"Old Su specifically instructed that our mission is to rescue the Third Prince and his two sons, and not to interfere in the East China Sea war."

"How can we disobey Elder Su's orders?"

Zhao Tieniu scratched his head and chuckled sheepishly, "I was just saying it casually, don't take it seriously. Saving the Third Prince is the most important thing, saving the Third Prince is the most important thing!"

Qin Hao smiled and patted Zhao Tieniu on the shoulder: "Tieniu, your idea is good, but sometimes, fighting a war isn't just about having a lot of enthusiasm."

"Old Su told us to come and rescue people, so we'll focus on rescuing them."

"We'll see what happens after we rescue the Third Prince."

As he spoke, Qin Hao's gaze fell on the receding Eastern Yi army, his eyes filled with solemnity.

"The Eastern Barbarian army has marched on Ninghai City. This battle will likely result in rivers of blood."

"However, this actually makes our task simpler."

"With their main force gone, their rear forces are left vulnerable, giving us a greater chance to infiltrate behind enemy lines."

You Zhongyi nodded: "General Qin is right. Let's continue our journey now and find the Third Prince's whereabouts as soon as possible."

The four pushed aside the bushes and silently retreated into the depths of the forest, continuing eastward!

Meanwhile, on the official road, the 30,000-strong Eastern Yi army was still advancing in a mighty procession.

……

At dusk, in the central command tent of Ninghai City.

Crown Prince Xiao Yunfeng sat in a chair, holding a military report that had just been delivered.

His face was extremely pale, his lips were tightly pressed together, and the veins on his forehead were bulging faintly.

Xu Cheng stood before him, his expression grave and his voice urgent.

"Your Highness, the Eastern Barbarian army of 30,000 men, personally led by Shimazu Ryunosuke, has departed from Wanhu City and is advancing at full speed towards Ninghai City."

"By noon tomorrow at the latest, their army will be at the city gates!"

"Thirty thousand men? Where did they get so many soldiers?" the prince asked in bewilderment.

He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and then suddenly stood up.

"By my order, the entire army is to prepare for battle, fortify the city's defenses, and deploy all archers to the city walls. Prepare ample rolling stones and logs! If the Eastern Barbarians come tomorrow, I will ensure they never return!"

"Yes, sir!"

Xu Cheng bowed and withdrew, then quickly summoned his generals and conveyed his orders.

Soon, outside the camp, the sound of bugles rang out urgently.

Looking at the commotion outside the tent, the crown prince grabbed the military report and sneered, "A mere 30,000 men dare to challenge my 50,000-strong army."

"Ryunosuke, you're really arrogant."

"I, the Crown Prince, will make you suffer a crushing defeat!"