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

In the imperial prison.

Prime Minister Li Yuan leaned against a cold wall, his hair disheveled, his face ashen, his eyes sunken, and he looked much thinner than before he went to prison.

His hands were shackled with heavy iron shackles, and his ankles were locked with iron chains, which rattled with every movement.

But his eyes still held a sinister glint that refused to be extinguished.

Outside the prison gate, a figure dressed in a dark purple official robe stood behind the iron bars.

The man was about fifty years old, with a thin face and a neatly trimmed mustache; he was none other than Lin Huaiyuan, the Minister of Revenue.

He bent slightly and lowered his voice, as if afraid of being overheard.

"Prime Minister, I have just received news... His Highness the Crown Prince suffered a major defeat in the East Sea, losing nearly half of his 50,000-strong army. Ninghai City has fallen, and the army has retreated to Haizhou City."

"His Majesty is furious and has issued an edict to remove the Crown Prince from his post as Grand Marshal of the Eastern Expedition."

Li Yuan was utterly shocked upon hearing this.

He gripped the iron bars tightly.

"What? The Crown Prince was defeated? Fifty thousand against thirty thousand, how could he have lost?"

Lin Huaiyuan sighed.

"I have heard that there are several fierce generals in the Eastern Barbarian army who are highly skilled in martial arts, and our generals have suffered repeated setbacks."

"General Xu Cheng and others jointly submitted a memorial impeaching the Crown Prince, saying that the Crown Prince was stubborn and self-willed, refused to listen to advice, and stood by and watched the Third Prince risk his life alone without coming to his aid, which caused the morale of the army to collapse."

"His Majesty was furious upon reading the memorial."

"More importantly, His Majesty has issued an edict appointing Duke Su Mu of Zhenbei as the Grand Marshal of the Eastern Expedition, giving him full command of the troops in the East China Sea."

Li Yuan's face turned deathly pale instantly, his body stiffened abruptly, and he leaned against the wall, only speaking after a long while.

"Su Mu...it's Su Mu again!"

"He recovered the northern border and was granted the title of Duke of Zhenguo."

"Now Donghai wants him to go again! How high does this centenarian want to climb before he's satisfied?"

"Does he really have to be made a king or prime minister, second only to the emperor, before it's over?"

Lin Huaiyuan hesitated for a moment, then added:

"There's one more thing... The Sixth Prince, Xiao Yunchuan, has become Su Mu's disciple and will be traveling to the East Sea with Su Mu this time."

Li Yuan was startled again, and his expression changed drastically.

"What? The Sixth Prince, Xiao Yunchuan?"

"Didn't he always prefer to roam the martial world? Why did he suddenly become Su Mu's disciple and go to the East Sea with him?"

Lin Huaiyuan shook his head, indicating that he did not know.

"I don't know either, but it is said that the Sixth Prince volunteered to His Majesty himself, and his attitude was very firm, and His Majesty agreed."

Li Yuan remained silent for a long time.

His gaze flickered erratically in the dimly lit cell, as if he were rapidly calculating something.

"Su Mu..."

"Could he be planning to support the Sixth Prince?"

"The Third Prince has always supported the Second Prince, yet Su Mu has taken the Sixth Prince as his disciple?"

"Could it be that the relationship between the Third Prince and the Second Prince is just a facade? And the real scheme involves the Sixth Prince?"

Lin Huaiyuan frowned.

"Really? The Sixth Prince is still young and has no interest in court affairs."

"He has always considered himself a chivalrous knight-errant, with his heart set on the martial world, and doesn't seem like someone who could participate in the struggle for the throne."

Li Yuan sneered.

"Young? The late emperor was only eighteen when he ascended the throne."

"Not interested in the imperial court? Then why did you choose to become Su Mu's disciple?"

"Who is Su Mu? He reclaimed the northern border and killed the Northern Di King. In the hearts of the people, he is like a god."

"Now that he holds the title of Duke of Zhenbei and commands 100,000 troops in the northern border, if he were to install someone as the crown prince, who could stop him?"

Lin Huaiyuan's expression changed, and a chill ran down his spine.

"What the Prime Minister means is..."

Li Yuan closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Find out how Su Mu and the Sixth Prince met, and find out what kind of relationship they had."

"We'll discuss how to deal with this incident after the Crown Prince returns to the capital."

Lin Huaiyuan nodded and cupped his hands, saying, "This humble official understands."

He turned and walked away quickly, his footsteps fading into the dark corridor until they disappeared completely.

Li Yuan leaned against the cold wall, muttering to himself:

"Su Mu...you want to support the Sixth Prince? Do you think you can control everything? Even if I'm in prison, I won't let you have your way."

……

the other side.

The main streets of the capital were teeming with people, and the streets were deserted.

Su Mu rode his Akhal-Teke horse slowly through the wide street.

Behind him, four fast horses, Su Qingxue, Xiao Yunchuan, Xiao Zhixia, and Xiao Zhiqi, rode side by side.

Su Mu's Dragon-Slaying Saber hung at his waist, his black iron armor was faintly visible beneath his robes, and his cloudy yet deep old eyes calmly gazed ahead.

The people on both sides of the street had crowded the entire long street at some point.

They crowded on both sides of the road, standing on tiptoe and craning their necks to look at the white-haired old man riding a white horse.

"General Su has set off on an expedition! He's heading to the East China Sea to fight the Eastern Barbarian bandits!"

"I heard that the Crown Prince suffered a defeat, and Ninghai City has fallen! His Majesty personally went to the Duke of Zhenbei's residence to invite General Su to return to service!"

"I knew it! How could the Crown Prince be competent? When it comes to war, we still need the War God of our Great Qian!"

"General Su killed the Northern Di King in the northern border and recovered five prefectures and thirteen cities."

"Those bandits from the Eastern Barbarians won't be able to keep up their act for long!"

"General Su, please take care of your health! You fought for our Great Qian in the north and then went to fight in the East Sea. You've suffered so much!"

"General Su, go and fight the Eastern barbarian bandits with peace of mind! We will burn incense and pray for you in the capital, and the entire city will welcome you back at the city gate!"

"Yes! General Su, you are the God of War of our Great Qian! Your expedition will surely be victorious!"

"General Su is mighty! Long live the Great Qian Dynasty!"

The voices of the people grew louder and louder.

Xiao Yunchuan followed behind Su Mu, looking at the people filling the streets, their tearful faces, their raised hands and waving flags, and felt an indescribable surge of emotion.

He rode closer to Su Mu and lowered his voice, saying, "Master, did you see? The people have all come to see you off. They truly respect you."

Su Qingxue sat on her horse, her face flushed with excitement, her eyes shining with pride.

"Grandpa, you're amazing! Everyone loves you!"

"Qingxue wants to be like Grandpa from now on, someone everyone likes!"

Xiao Zhi Qiu couldn't help but sigh.

"Grandpa Su, I've lived in the capital for so many years and I've never seen anyone go to war with such a grand display."

"Even when the Crown Prince goes on a campaign, I've never seen the common people spontaneously come to see him off."

Su Mu didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly and continued riding forward.

At this moment, the trust and love of these people made him feel that all his journey had been worthwhile.

Before they knew it, the group had arrived at the gates of the capital city.

At the city gate.

Emperor Xiao Jinghuan, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe and wearing a twelve-tassel crown, stood in the very center of the city gate.

Behind him, hundreds of civil and military officials, ranging from the first rank to the ninth rank, stood in neat rows on both sides.

All eyes were focused on the white-haired old man who had arrived on horseback.

Su Mu pulled on the reins and dismounted.

He walked up to the emperor, knelt on one knee, and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "This old minister, Su Mu, greets Your Majesty!"

The emperor held his arms with both hands and spoke in a loud voice.

"Minister Su, I am here to see you off on your expedition."

"I am in the capital, awaiting your triumphant return!"

He turned around and took a long sword from the chief eunuch beside him.

The scabbard was entirely black, and a large luminous pearl was inlaid on the hilt, gleaming warmly in the sunlight.

"Minister Su, this sword is named 'Dragon Abyss,' and it was the sword used by the late Emperor."

"I bestow it upon you today."

"Seeing this sword is like seeing the Emperor himself. If anyone in the army dares to disobey your orders, you may use this sword to execute them first and report later! There is no need to consult the Emperor!"

Su Mu took the Longyuan Sword with both hands; the sword was light and cool to the touch.

He solemnly hung the sword at his waist, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This old minister obeys the decree!"

The emperor nodded, took a step back, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed deeply to Su Mu.

Upon seeing this, the civil and military officials behind him bowed in unison and shouted:

"Respectfully seeing off General Su on his journey to the front!"

"May General Su achieve a resounding victory!"

"The Great Qian will surely prevail!"

The sound was deafening, echoing for a long time in front of the empty city gate.

Su Mu stood at the city gate, looking at the assembled civil and military officials before him.

He nodded slightly in acknowledgment, then turned around, mounted his horse, and never looked back.

"Set off!"

Five fast horses rushed out of the city gate and galloped towards the East China Sea.