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

On the training ground, the shouts of thousands of soldiers still echoed in the air.

Standing in the crowd, Xiao Jingyu looked at the hunched yet composed figure on the stage, and then at the young soldiers below who gripped their sword hilts tightly and stood up straight. Suddenly, a thought came to mind.

Now that morale has been raised, let's add fuel to the fire and burn away the doubts and anxieties hidden in our hearts.

He stepped onto the reviewing stand, walked to Su Mu's side, bowed slightly, and said in a low voice, "Elder Su, this humble general would like to say a few words."

Su Mu glanced at him, but didn't ask any more questions. He simply turned slightly to the side, giving up half of the platform.

Xiao Jingyu turned around, facing the thousands of eyes below the stage, his voice steady and resonant: "Fellow soldiers, do you know why the Eastern Barbarian bandits suddenly withdrew their troops?"

The training ground fell silent for a moment as all eyes shifted from Su Mu to Xiao Jingyu.

They really wanted to know the answer to this.

The Dongyi people attacked three times. They could have broken into the city with just one more charge, but they retreated at the most crucial moment.

This matter has been weighing on many people's minds since last night, and no one can understand it.

Some even wondered if this was a scheme by the Dongyi people.

Xiao Jingyu's gaze slowly swept across the audience, and his voice rose a few decibels.

"Now, I tell you, the Eastern Yi bandits retreated not because they couldn't capture Haizhou City, nor because they were afraid of His Highness the Crown Prince's so-called 'defense to the death,' but because their 30,000-strong army sent to raid the South Gate River Estuary suffered a crushing defeat!"

The audience erupted in uproar.

"An army of 30,000? A crushing defeat?"

"Isn't there only a few hundred soldiers guarding the South Gate River Estuary? How could a few hundred men possibly hold off thirty thousand?"

"Who drove them away? Who was it?"

Xiao Jingyu did not rush to answer.

He waited until the whispers from the audience subsided slightly before continuing to speak, each word clear and distinct:

"As you all know, the Dongyi people launched three frontal attacks on the city, each time with fierce and aggressive tactics, appearing quite menacing."

"But all three attacks were feints."

"Their real purpose was to draw all of Haizhou City's attention to the city walls, so that another 30,000 troops could bypass the city by water and launch a surprise attack on the South Gate River Estuary, cutting off Haizhou City's rear supply lines."

He paused, his gaze falling on Xu Cheng: "General Xu, what will happen to Haizhou City if the South Pass river mouth is cut off?"

Xu Cheng's expression had become serious.

He replied in a deep voice: "If the South Pass River Estuary is cut off, Haizhou City will run out of food and supplies, its retreat will be blocked, and it will be attacked from both sides. Tens of thousands of troops... will not survive."

The generals on the training ground gasped in shock.

Those soldiers who were initially relieved that the Eastern Barbarians had retreated now truly understood how close they had come to annihilation.

Xiao Jingyu nodded and replied, "But the 30,000-strong army of the Eastern Barbarians failed."

"They were stopped, defeated, and had their spines broken at the mouth of the South Gate River!"

"The commander-in-chief of the three armies, Prince Oden, was killed, and the three vanguard generals were all killed with a single stroke each! The 30,000-strong army fled in disarray, abandoning their armor and weapons!"

He abruptly stepped aside, making way for Su Mu, his voice booming:

"And all of this was done by Elder Su, along with the Shenshui Battalion and Qin Hao's generals."

Everyone was surprised again after hearing this.

"General Su had already foreseen the Dongyi people's surprise attack on the South Gate River Estuary on his way to Haizhou City!"

"He led several hundred brothers from the Shenshui Battalion and arrived at the Nanguan River Estuary ahead of schedule."

"At the pass, he single-handedly held off ten thousand enemy soldiers! He single-handedly kept thirty thousand Eastern barbarian bandits outside the pass, striking fear into their hearts and killing their commander!"

There was a moment of silence on the drill ground.

Then erupted cheers and shouts even more deafening than before.

"General Su is truly awe-inspiring!"

"A few hundred people wiped out 30,000? Is this real? Am I dreaming?"

"Even the commander-in-chief was killed."

Xu Cheng stood there, his body trembling with excitement.

He looked up at the hunched figure on the reviewing stand, his mind filled with a myriad of thoughts.

He had served in the army for over thirty years, fought countless battles, and met countless fierce generals, but he had never met anyone like Su Mu.

One man and one knife were enough to shatter the morale of 30,000 soldiers.

Han Shixun stood in the crowd, looking at Su Mu's back, his eyes filled with excitement and admiration.

He finally understood why the Third Prince was willing to risk his life to trust this person, why Qin Hao was willing to chase him all the way from the northern border, and why those river bandits were willing to abandon their evil ways and turn to the light.

Because the white-haired old general in front of us is someone who can turn the tide in the face of adversity.

Chu Tianba and Wen Jiuyuan stood at the front of the Shenshui Camp crowd. They looked at each other, puffed out their chests, and had a proud expression on their faces.

They officially joined Su Mu's command today, but before that, they had already witnessed Su Mu's abilities on the battlefield and participated in the defense of Nanguanjiangkou.

Although they already knew the truth beforehand, they still felt invigorated when Xiao Jingyu said those words.

Su Mu stood on the reviewing stand, listening to the boisterous shouts from below. He raised his hand, and the entire audience immediately fell silent.

Xiao Jingyu turned and glanced at Su Mu, but said nothing more and silently stepped down from the command platform.

At this moment, Su Mu spoke up: "The quality of an army is more important than its quantity. In military campaigns, it's not just about the number of soldiers, but also about the fighting spirit and determination to fight."

"Therefore you must remember that the Eastern barbarian bandits' invasion of our Great Qian is a heinous act, and we are a righteous army to punish evil."

Therefore, our army will surely win.

Upon hearing this, the soldiers raised their arms and shouted.

"Our army will surely win!"

"Our army will surely win!"

……

Ninghai City, the main military tent of the Eastern Barbarians.

Ryunosuke Shimazu sat in the main seat, with a thick stack of documents spread out in front of him, the pages turning one after another.

Those documents were intelligence about Su Mu that he had collected through his men.

He spent half the night reading them again from beginning to end, and the more he read, the more chills ran down his spine.

He then realized that Su Mu had never lost on the northern battlefield.

He conquered the five states and thirteen cities in the northern border region one by one from the Northern Di people.

The recapture of each city was accompanied by unexpected changes and reversals.

He always appears where his opponents least want him to be, and he always manages to turn the tide in the most unlikely circumstances.

Ryunosuke closed the book, rubbed his temples, and let out a long breath.

He thought to himself, "Su Mu is a tough nut to crack."

At that moment, the tent flap was lifted, and Takenaka Heibei walked in.

His complexion was also not good.

"General, the troops that were withdrawn from Nanguanjiangkou have been reorganized into their respective battalions."

"However... the situation is not very optimistic."

Ryunosuke looked up: "What's wrong?"

Takenaka Hyōe paused for a moment before replying, "Those soldiers, when Su Mu was mentioned, their eyes darted away, and some even felt fear just from hearing that name. Soldiers like that, placed on the battlefield, would probably be..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was already clear.

Ryunosuke leaned back in his chair and remained silent for a long time.

His voice was somewhat hoarse when he spoke.

"A centenarian, single-handedly holding off an army of ten thousand... Anyone would be terrified in that situation."

"If I had been there at the time, I would probably have been shocked too."

Takenaka Hyōe sighed softly, "General, what should our next move be? We can't abandon our grand plan to conquer the East Sea just because of Su Mu, otherwise we won't be able to explain it to His Majesty the Emperor."

Ryunosuke clenched his fists tightly, gritted his teeth, and the name Su Mu kept flashing through his mind.

"I will never give up."

"This invasion of the Great Qian East Sea is a plan that His Majesty the Emperor has been planning for many years. How can it be stopped by a centenarian? No matter how powerful he is, he is still a centenarian. How long can he hold out? Besides..."

He paused, his tone softening slightly.

"Moreover, the true commander of the Daqian army is Crown Prince Xiao Yunfeng."

"This man is cowardly and reckless, and stubborn. To entrust someone like Su Mu with guarding such a small place as the South Pass River Estuary is enough to show that he doesn't know how to use people."

"Soldiers in the army will certainly not trust such a person."

"Su Mu is a fierce general who is not trusted by the commander-in-chief. No matter how powerful he is, he can't make any waves."

Takenaka Hyōe nodded: "What the commander says makes sense."

"If the Crown Prince deliberately suppresses Su Mu..."

"Perhaps we can exploit this weakness of the Crown Prince and set a trap for him."

Ryunosuke was about to respond.

A series of hurried footsteps sounded outside the tent. A messenger lifted the curtain and entered, kneeling on one knee and holding a secret letter aloft with both hands:

"General! An urgent report from our spies lurking in Haizhou City!"

Ryunosuke reached out and took it, tore open the seal, and unfolded the letter.

After reading the contents of the letter, his pupils constricted, and he was extremely surprised.

He slammed the letter on the table and shouted hysterically, "What! The Great Qian has changed its commander-in-chief... Su Mu has replaced the Crown Prince and become the Grand Marshal of the Eastern Expedition."