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

Outside Haizhou City, dust filled the sky.

Thirty thousand Dongyi troops lined up on the open field north of the city, their momentum overwhelming.

On the city wall, the Azure Dragon Banner of the Great Qian Dynasty fluttered in the autumn wind.

The soldiers of the Great Qian Dynasty lined up behind the battlements, archers drew their bows and nocked their arrows, and piled up stones and logs on the battlements. Oil cauldrons were placed on the stoves, emitting thick smoke.

Crown Prince Xiao Yunfeng stood in the center of the city tower, clad in golden armor, with a sword at his waist, and a worried expression on his face.

His gaze fell on the dark mass of the Eastern Yi army in the distance, and a layer of cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

Facing the Eastern Yi army, he was still shaken, the shadow of the battle of Ninghai City lingering in his mind.

"Pass down the order..."

"The entire army must hold the city to the death! Without my order, no one is to leave the city to engage in battle! Archers, all must be on the city walls! Prepare plenty of rolling stones and logs! Anyone who dares to retreat even a step will be executed!"

"Yes, sir!"

The order was given, and a series of hurried footsteps echoed on the city wall.

The soldiers got busy.

Below the city, in the Dongyi formation, Otomo Tetsumaru rode out into the fray, an iron rod slung over his shoulder, his large, copper-bell-like eyes sweeping across the city wall with a disdainful smile.

He rode his warhorse to the moat, reined in it, and as the horse reared up, he raised his head and roared towards the city walls:

"Listen up, you cowards, you traitors!"

"Last time in Ninghai City, I beat you all to a pulp with one stick each, leaving you running for your lives! What, this time you don't even dare to step out of the city gates?"

"That Xu Cheng, your so-called Vanguard General, is still bedridden, isn't he?"

"Your Han Shixun, isn't he supposed to be a good fighter? Why don't you let him out? Let him out! I'll send him to meet the King of Hell with one blow!"

"They're all useless! Are all the men of the Great Qian Dynasty dead? Where's Crown Prince Xiao Yunfeng? Let him come! I want to see if he can withstand a single blow from my staff!"

The Dongyi soldiers behind him burst into loud laughter, the shrill sound carrying far across the open field.

On the city wall, the soldiers of the Great Qian Dynasty gritted their teeth and were filled with rage.

"Your Highness, this humble general requests permission to fight!"

One of the captains could no longer contain himself and clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying, "Let this humble general go out of the city and cut out the tongue of that arrogant scoundrel!"

The crown prince gave him a cold look: "I said, you are not allowed to leave the city."

Beneath the castle, Otomo Tetsumaru was still challenging them.

He galloped back and forth along the moat, twirling an iron rod in his hand with great force, his curses growing increasingly offensive.

There was no response from the city wall, only the cold arrows of the archers aimed at him.

After cursing for a while, seeing no one respond, Otomo Tetsumu turned his horse around and returned to his position to report.

He walked up to Shimazu Ryunosuke and laughed loudly, "General, those yamen dogs really don't dare to leave the city; they're hiding behind the walls like cowards!"

Ryunosuke Shimazu remained silent, his gaze fixed on the map.

Just then, a scout rode in from the south, dismounted, knelt on one knee, and spoke urgently.

"General! General Oden's 30,000-strong army has successfully bypassed the main waterway and entered the Nanpan River! They encountered no obstacles along the way! The vanguard ships have already passed the Nanpan River dock and are advancing at full speed towards the Nanguan River estuary!"

Ryunosuke Shimazu was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Great! Great!"

"Everything is proceeding smoothly according to plan."

"It's time."

Having said that, he put away the map, drew his katana from his waist, pointed the tip of the blade at the city gate of Haizhou, and issued his command:

"Order the entire army to attack!"

"Otomo Tetsumaru, you will lead ten thousand men in a full-scale frontal assault on the castle!"

"I want you to fight as fiercely as possible, so that the Daqian soldiers will pin all their forces on the city walls and have no time to look behind them!"

Otomo Tetsumu slammed his iron rod on the ground and responded loudly.

"Rest assured, General! I guarantee they won't be able to lift their heads!"

"attack!"

"Bang bang bang..."

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

The Eastern Yi army roared like a giant beast awakening.

"kill!"

Ten thousand Dongyi vanguard soldiers roared in unison and surged toward the city wall like a tidal wave.

One siege ladder after another was erected, and arrows rained down on the city walls.

In the army of the Great Qian Dynasty, the Crown Prince issued an order.

"Go all out and defend the city to the death."

The soldiers were well aware that if they allowed these Eastern Yi bandits to break in, they would only meet a tragic end.

Therefore, they fought back desperately.

Stones and logs rained down from the city walls, shattering shields and denting armor, accompanied by screams of agony.

The first batch of siege ladders were erected on the city wall, and the Dongyi soldiers roared as they climbed up.

The Daqian soldiers on the city wall fought desperately, thrusting spears, throwing stones, and pouring oil to drive the Dongyi soldiers who climbed up one by one back down.

Blood and flesh flew everywhere on the city wall, and black smoke from burning oil billowed up, obscuring half the sky.

Even so, the Dongyi soldiers swarmed up the ladders like locusts. Although people were constantly being knocked down, those behind them continued to climb up, stepping over the corpses.

"Hold on! Don't let them get up here!"

On the city wall, the captains roared.

The prince stood in the center of the city tower, watching the enemy army surge in like a tide, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword trembling violently.

On the city wall, shouts of battle, screams, the sound of arrows piercing the air, and the muffled thuds of boulders crashing to the ground mingled together, creating a deafening roar.

Deep within the city, Xiao Jingyu was also listening to the deafening sounds of battle.

"Hold on...you must hold on..."

"As long as we hold out until Elder Su arrives, we will definitely be able to turn the tide of the battle."

……

On the Henghe River, more than a dozen boats are going downstream.

The wind blew across the river, making the sails billow and flutter loudly.

The brothers from Qianlong Village on the ship each performed their duties.

Someone is at the helm, someone is on the lookout, someone is adjusting the sails...

Xiao Yunchuan stood at the stern of the boat, practicing his swordsmanship.

Along the way, he practiced swordsmanship whenever he had free time.

This made his swordsmanship even more formidable than it had been in the capital.

Xiao Zhixia sat in the cabin, intently flipping through books.

Xiao Zhi Qiu and Su Qing Xue sat at the bow of the boat, each holding a long bamboo pole, paddling into the water.

Su Qingxue smiled so hard her eyes curved into crescent moons, the bamboo pole creating small whirlpools in the water as she hummed a song.

Su Mu leaned against the ship's side, calmly gazing ahead.

He held a topographical map of the East China Sea in his hand, glancing between looking ahead and looking at the map in his hand.

My fingers moved slowly along the lines of the river.

Chu Tianba stood beside him, wondering what General Su was studying.

"Old Su, we have now crossed the main channel of the Henghe River."

Chu Tianba pointed ahead.

"In another half day, we will reach the confluence of the Henghe River and the Nanpan River. After passing there, it will take another half day to reach the west wharf of Haizhou City."

Su Mu didn't speak, but his finger stopped at the confluence of the Henghe River and the Nanpan River.

Nanpan River!

A wide tributary meanders through the south of Haizhou City, leading all the way south to the heart of Jiangnan.

And in the middle section of this river, there is a crucial point...

South Gate Estuary!

Su Mu's gaze lingered on the South Gate River Estuary for a long time.

His brows furrowed slowly, then his pupils constricted, and he looked suspicious.

"Tianba, what role does the South Gate Estuary play in the area between the East China Sea and Jiangnan?"

After thinking for a moment, Chu Tianba replied, "Reporting to Elder Su, the South Pass River Estuary is the vital waterway connecting the East China Sea to the south of the Yangtze River."

"All the grain, supplies, weapons, armor, medicines, and cloth of Haizhou City were transported in through the South Gate River Estuary."

"It can be said that the South Gate Estuary is the lifeblood of Haizhou City."

After speaking, Chu Tianba looked at Wei Honglie.

"Brother Wei, what do you think?"

Wei Honglie had noticed Su Mu and the other man's conversation long ago. He walked to the map, his expression solemn.

"After Elder Su's reminder, I have also been thinking about this issue."

"Although Haizhou City's defenses are strong, its lifeline lies at the mouth of the Nanguan River."

"If the Dongyi people divide their forces and bypass the city by sea, heading straight up the Nanpan River, and seize the Nanguan River estuary while the Crown Prince is unprepared, the entire Haizhou City will be attacked from both sides, its food supplies will be cut off, and it will become an isolated city!"

He looked up at Su Mu and asked, "Elder Su, are you worried that the Crown Prince didn't actually send anyone to guard the South Pass River Estuary?"

Su Mu nodded slowly and replied, "That's right, that's exactly what I'm worried about."

"Given the Crown Prince's style of doing things in Ninghai City, he most likely wouldn't have thought of this."

"He has probably piled all his troops on the city walls right now, waiting for the Dongyi people to come and fight him head-on."

"If the Dongyi people had a strategist who understood strategy even a little, they would definitely have thought of this plan."

He rolled up the map, put it in his pocket, and gave instructions to Chu Tianba and the other man.

"Order all ships to change course and head straight for the South Gate Estuary!"

Chu Tianba was stunned for a moment.

"Old Su, the shortest route is from Henghe to Haizhou City, so why the sudden decision to go to Nanguan Jiangkou?"

Wei Honglie quickly offered an explanation.

"Brother Tianba, Elder Su is right!"

"If the Dongyi people have already sent troops to Nanguanjiangkou, it will be too late for us to go to Haizhou City."

"First go to the South Gate River Estuary to safeguard the lifeline of Haizhou City, then turn back to relieve the siege of Haizhou City."

"Otherwise, once the Dongyi people capture the South Pass River Estuary, the tens of thousands of soldiers in Haizhou City will have no way to retreat!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Tianba gasped, a chill running down his spine.

Without asking any further questions, he turned and roared at his men at the stern, "Turn the boat around! Full speed ahead, destination: Nanguan Estuary!"

Amidst a series of urgent commands, the fleet changed course, turning from the main channel of the Yokogawa River into a wide tributary, and sped off towards the Nanguan Estuary.