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

At this moment, Han Shixun suddenly reached out and blocked Xu Cheng's path.

"General! You can't go!"

Crown Prince Xiao Yunfeng turned his head sharply, his eyes filled with anger, and said sternly, "Han Shixun! How dare you! With a formidable enemy at our doorstep, you dare to disrupt the morale of the army. What exactly are you trying to do?"

Han Shixun did not stop, his gaze fixed on the Crown Prince, neither humble nor arrogant:

"Your Highness, this humble general dares not disturb the morale of the army."

"If General Xu also loses, the morale of our 50,000-strong army will collapse! At that point, even with 50,000 troops, our chances of victory will be greatly reduced!"

"Your Highness, please look. That Ōtomo Tetsumaru is burly and incredibly strong. Moreover, his iron staff technique is fierce and domineering, making him no match for an ordinary warrior."

"If General Xu were to fight head-on with such a brute force, even if he won, he would be exhausted."

"It would be better if our entire army launched a full-scale attack and wiped out the Eastern Barbarians without leaving a single one alive."

"Our army has a numerical advantage, even to the point of two against one, so why should we let General Xu take the risk?"

In fact, Han Shixun knew very well that although the Crown Prince was the commander-in-chief, Xu Cheng was actually the backbone of the army.

If Xu Cheng loses, the morale of his 50,000-strong army will plummet, and their greatest numerical advantage will vanish.

Rather than letting Xu Cheng challenge alone, it would be better to let him lead an army of 50,000 to fight the Eastern Yi army in one fell swoop.

In this way, their numerical advantage can be brought into play.

"That's enough!"

"Are you saying General Xu is inferior to a mere Eastern barbarian? Han Shixun, you're undermining morale! I'll settle accounts with you after the battle!"

The crown prince remained steadfast.

He abruptly turned his head and ordered Xu Cheng, "General Xu, go and kill that Eastern barbarian bandit, and bolster the prestige of our Great Qian!"

"Beat the drums...to cheer on General Xu!"

The war drums of the Great Qian Dynasty sounded once again, echoing through the sky.

Xu Cheng glanced at Han Shixun, his gaze complex.

He didn't speak, but gently pulled back the reins, shook his head slightly at Han Shixun, then spurred the horse's flanks and charged out of the battle.

Han Shixun stood there, watching Xu Cheng's departing figure, gripping his halberd tightly.

He had already made up his mind that if Xu Cheng showed signs of defeat, he would lead the elite cavalry to rush out and help him.

Xu Cheng spurred his horse to the front of the formation, brandishing his spear, the tip pointing directly at Otomo's Iron Ball:

"Xu Cheng of the Great Qian Dynasty is here! You Eastern barbarian thieves, cease your arrogance!"

Ōtomo Tetsumaru looked at the man before him and laughed, "Another one coming to die!"

Xu Cheng did not answer. He flicked his spear, and it shot out like a dragon, aiming straight for Da You Tiewan's throat.

The iron ball and iron rod were laid horizontally, and with a loud "clang," sparks flew everywhere.

He paused for a moment...

The strength of this Great Qian General is far greater than that of the two good-for-nothings from before.

Xu Cheng's marksmanship was sharp and steady. The tip of his spear was like a venomous snake spitting its tongue. He thrust, flicked, swept, and deflected, and every move was just right, forcing Da You Tiewan's iron rod away time and time again.

He was extremely experienced in combat and knew that he was no match for Otomo Tetsumaru by sheer force. So he used skillful techniques to break through Otomo Tetsumaru's strength, targeting the weak points of Otomo Tetsumaru's iron rod with the tip of his spear, making it difficult for Otomo Tetsumaru to defend himself.

Soon, the two fought for more than fifty rounds without a clear winner.

A deafening roar of cheers erupted from the Great Qian Formation, as if they had glimpsed the hope of victory.

"General Xu is mighty..."

After fifty moves, Otomo Tetsumaru gradually adapted to Xu Cheng's gunplay. The wariness in his eyes subsided, replaced by the excitement of a hunter who had seen through the weakness of his prey.

"Old man, you're a good shot."

Otomo Tetsumaru said with a smile, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"Unfortunately, you can't beat me in terms of strength!"

He suddenly sprang up, the iron rod spinning as it crashed down with tremendous force, aiming straight for Xu Cheng's chest.

Xu Cheng parried with his spear. The moment the two weapons collided, he felt an overwhelming force coming from the iron rod, which cracked his tiger's mouth and almost caused him to drop the spear.

His body was jolted backward, and his warhorse took a step back.

This step is the watershed between victory and defeat.

Otomo Tetsumaru's iron rod slammed down like a storm, one blow after another, each strike carrying the power to split mountains and shatter rocks.

Xu Cheng tried his best to block, but his strength was being rapidly depleted.

As the third blow landed...

"Bang!"

The iron rod slammed heavily onto the head of Xu Cheng's warhorse.

The warhorse let out a mournful neigh, its massive body suddenly overturning, throwing Xu Cheng off its back.

Xu Cheng's body tumbled halfway through the air before crashing heavily to the ground. He rolled twice, and before he could even stand up, Otomo Tetsumaru's iron rod was already right in front of him.

A loud "bang"!

The iron rod struck Xu Cheng in the chest.

The armor was smashed open, and Xu Cheng spat out a mouthful of blood. He flew several meters away and crashed heavily to the ground.

Within the Great Qian Formation, there was a deathly silence.

Everyone stared blankly at the vanguard general lying in a pool of blood, at his bent spear, and at the tall, strong Dongyi man raising his iron rod and laughing loudly.

They didn't expect that even General Xu Cheng would be defeated.

Upon witnessing this scene, Crown Prince Xiao Yunfeng's legs went weak, and he almost slipped off his horse.

Just then, Han Se-hoon, who had been preparing all along, made his move.

He did not look at the crown prince, nor did he wait for orders.

He suddenly raised his halberd high and roared at the top of his lungs, "The elite cavalry, charge with me! Rescue General Xu!"

Before he finished speaking, he rode off on horseback!

The three thousand soldiers of the Valiant Cavalry roared in unison and charged out of the front lines with Han Shixun.

With swords and spears drawn and horses' hooves thundering, they charged straight into the Eastern Barbarians' ranks like a sharp dagger.

The morale of the Daqian army was reignited by Han Shixun's roar.

Although Xu Cheng was defeated, some people are still charging forward.

Those soldiers who were initially overwhelmed by fear, gritted their teeth and charged out after seeing Han Shixun's halberd gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

"kill!"

The 50,000-strong army surged towards the Eastern Yi army like a flood bursting its banks.

In the Eastern Barbarian formation, Shimazu Ryunosuke, seeing the entire Daqian army pressing forward, dared not underestimate them and roared loudly:

"Beat the drums!"

"All troops, charge!"

"Let them see what a true warrior is!"

The war drums thundered, and the Eastern Yi army, like a pack of wild beasts released from their cages, charged forward head-on.

The two torrents collided violently in the wilderness, with flashing swords, flying blood and flesh, and deafening shouts of battle.

Han Shixun took the lead, wielding his halberd with left and right thrusts, slaying several Dongyi soldiers and carving a bloody path through them.

He grabbed Xu Cheng, who had fallen to the ground, and threw him onto the back of a cavalryman behind him, roaring, "Take General Xu and retreat!"

"General Han, what should we do?"

"Don't worry about me!"

Han Shixun turned his horse around, and with a sweep of his halberd, cut down two Dongyi soldiers who charged at him.

Then continue charging forward to kill the enemy.

The five thousand vanguard soldiers of the Eastern Barbarians were fierce in battle and their swordsmanship was strange and ruthless. Ordinary Daqian soldiers were no match for them.

These five thousand vanguard soldiers fought their way through the vast army of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Da You Tiewan was like a war god descending to earth, his iron rod sweeping across the battlefield, smashing four or five Da Qian soldiers away with a single blow.

The cavalry led by Murakami Hoto flanked the enemy from the side, like a sharp knife piercing the flank of the Daqian army formation.

Takenaka Hyōe commanded his archers to fire a volley of arrows, which rained down and riddled the Daqian army formation with holes.

At this moment, Shimazu Ryunosuke's gaze never left the overall battlefield situation.

He suddenly realized that the Daqian army's left flank, towards the east gate, was weakly defended and its defenses were loose.

He immediately gave the order:

"General Murakami!"

"You immediately lead three thousand cavalry, bypass the main battlefield, and storm Ninghai City through the east gate! Cut off their retreat!"

The village headman, with his hands clasped in a respectful gesture, replied, "Rest assured, General! This humble general will go immediately!"

Thus, three thousand Dongyi cavalrymen, like a sharp sword, charged straight from the left flank of the battlefield towards the east gate of Ninghai City.

Crown Prince Xiao Yunfeng was commanding the central army when he suddenly heard shouts of battle coming from the direction of the east gate.

He turned his head sharply and saw that the black flag of the Eastern Barbarians had been raised on the east gate city wall. His pupils contracted and his face turned deathly pale.

"East Gate... East Gate is lost?"

"Your Highness! The army is attacked from both sides, retreat immediately!"

A captain came running over, stumbling and crawling.

The crown prince was dumbfounded.

He never expected that his 50,000 troops would be unable to hold the line.

Now that he is attacked from both sides, he has no choice but to retreat back to Haizhou City.

"Retreat! Retreat! Retreat to Haizhou City!"

The prince shouted and abruptly turned his horse around, galloping wildly backward.

Thus, the Great Qian army suffered a complete defeat.

The soldiers fled in all directions toward Haizhou City.

Behind them, the Eastern Yi army, like a pack of hunting wolves, relentlessly pursued the fleeing soldiers, biting their tails as they went.

Han Shixun led several hundred elite cavalrymen to cover the rear, his halberd still cutting down the Eastern Yi bandits without ever showing any fear.

"Retreat! Cover the brothers' retreat!"

The shouts of battle gradually faded into the distance.

Seeing that he had gained the upper hand, Shimazu Ryunosuke did not order a pursuit, but instead led his troops to occupy the entire Ninghai City.

Soon, Ninghai City fell completely amidst the flames, and the city walls were covered with black flags of the Dongyi people.

During their escape, Han Shixun rode his horse to protect Xu Cheng.

Xu Cheng lay on the horse's back, his face pale, with blood still dripping from the corner of his mouth.

His eyes were somewhat vacant as he looked at Han Shixun and said:

"Shixun... I've fought for decades and have never seen an enemy like this... Otomo Tetsumaru's martial arts skills are unmatched in our army..."

Han Shixun answered truthfully.

"The general is absolutely right. In our army, there is no fierce general who can fight that Ōtomo Tetsumaru head-on."

Xu Cheng remained silent for a long time, then suddenly smiled.

It was as if he had completely let go of the past.

"Sehun, there's only one person who can win this battle."

Han Shixun looked at him without saying a word.

"Only Elder Su... only Duke Su Mu of Zhenbei."

"General Su, you were able to kill the Northern Di King in the North, and in this battle in the East Sea, only you can save the Great Qian."

In fact, Han Shixun had already told Xu Cheng about this, but Xu Cheng didn't believe him.

Now, reality has slapped him hard in the face.

Han Shixun replied, "General, I humbly request that you humble yourself and write a letter to His Majesty, asking him to invite General Su to come out of retirement."

"Otherwise, the East China Sea will completely fall into the territory of the Eastern Barbarian bandits."

"The people of Jiangnan are plunged into endless suffering."

Xu Cheng nodded: "Alright, once we arrive in Haizhou City, I will submit a memorial to His Majesty."

"Your Highness, you are not fit to be the Grand Marshal of the Eastern Expedition!"