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

The two walked and talked, and before they knew it, they had reached the east gate of the city.

The city gate was much more lively than other places.

At this moment, a group of young people who looked to be no more than twenty years old were constantly jostling and making a ruckus.

They were huddled together, making a racket, pushing and shoving each other, as if they were fighting over some hot commodity.

"Let me go first! I arrived before dawn!"

"What's so special about you coming before dawn? I arrived last night and squatted at the foot of the city wall all night!"

"Don't push! Don't push! Line up properly!"

The crowd was chaotic, with shouts rising in waves.

A centurion in full armor stood in front of the registration office, clutching a roster in his hand, and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Stop arguing!"

"If you want to join the army, then line up properly!"

"What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket? The military has its rules. Anyone who tries to push and shove will not be registered today!"

Someone in the crowd shouted something in response.

"The officer is right! If you're going to be a soldier, you have to act like one! Line up!"

The crowd gradually quieted down, and although some people were still muttering under their breath, there was finally some order.

Su Mu and Xiao Jingyu walked to the side of the line and looked at the faces huddled together.

Some were rough and dark-skinned, while others were fair-skinned and thin; most were young men in their early twenties.

However, the same light shone in their eyes.

It was a feeling of anticipation, like "finally, someone has come."

Xiao Jingyu stopped a young man who was trying to squeeze in and asked him, "Where are you all from?"

The young man was in his early twenties, with mud splattered on his arms, as if he had just come from the fields.

He glanced at Xiao Jingyu, then at Su Mu, his eyes suddenly lighting up as he shouted, "General Su! You're General Su!"

This shout immediately caused a stir among the crowd, and everyone's eyes fell on Su Mu.

Those young people who were originally queuing and talking in hushed tones all craned their necks to look in this direction, and some even stood on tiptoe.

"General Su has arrived!"

"It really is him! I've seen the portrait!"

"Look! That's General Su!"

The centurion quickly stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and bowed, saying, "This humble general greets General Su and Your Highness!"

"These people are here to join the army. They arrived very early this morning, and this isn't the first wave!"

"The new recruit registration office will probably be packed until dark today!"

Su Mu's gaze swept over those young faces, his eyes filled with emotion.

He didn't say anything, but just took two steps forward.

The young men who had come to join the army immediately fell silent.

Then, as if by prior arrangement, they knelt down on one knee one after another.

From the very front to the very back, from the city gate to the foot of the city wall, they knelt down in row after row.

The young man at the front raised his head and said in a loud voice, "General Su! We come from Jinling City in Jiangnan!"

"We heard in Nanjing that you had taken command of the eastern expedition, so we immediately set off for here!"

"We want to join your ranks, serve in the army, and drive the Eastern barbarian bandits out of the Great Qian!"

"Yes! Join Elder Su's army and fight in battle!"

"Drive out the Eastern barbarian bandits!"

"Defend the East China Sea! Defend the Jiangnan region!"

The shouts rose in waves, echoing back and forth above the city gate.

Several teenagers shouted until their faces turned red, extremely excited.

Su Mu walked up to the young man at the front, bent down, reached out and took the young man's arm, and helped him up.

"Get up, everyone get up!"

"I am very pleased that you have this heart to fight the enemy and serve your country."

"With young people like you, how could the Great Qian Dynasty perish!"

When the young man was helped up, his eyes were red-rimmed. He nodded quickly and then obediently returned to the line.

Xiao Jingyu stood aside, watching this scene, his heart churning with endless emotions.

A change of leadership is like a complete overhaul!

He recalled the scene when the Crown Prince took command...

The city gates were deserted; the people avoided the Daqian army as if it were a plague, and the military camps were deathly still.

But now... only two days after the change of leadership, Haizhou City is like a completely different city.

He whispered to Su Mu, "Old Su, your arrival has even changed the atmosphere of this city."

Su Mu smiled but did not answer. Instead, he instructed the centurion, "Take them to the military camp to register and make sure they have proper food and lodging. Don't let the new recruits go hungry."

The centurion clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Your subordinate obeys!"

Su Mu then turned to look at the youths, his voice booming:

"On behalf of the people of the Great Qian Dynasty and the imperial court, I thank you for your enthusiastic participation in the army."

"With your passionate dedication, our army will surely be victorious!"

The crowd erupted in another deafening cheer: "Victory! Victory! Victory!"

"Alright, everyone, don't disturb General Su anymore, follow me..." The centurion personally led the group of enthusiastic young people toward the military camp.

As the group marched, the young people were still whispering to each other, their voices low but still easily audible.

"Everyone says that General Su was a man of great military achievements, yet he was especially fond of the people. Seeing him today, I can see that his reputation is truly well-deserved!"

"Yes! Seeing is believing, indeed."

"These old folks are over a hundred years old and still fighting on the front lines. What kind of men are we if we young people just cower at home?"

"Following General Su to fight the enemy and achieve merit is a hundred times better than staying at home farming!"

"Stop talking, stop talking! You must do well in the army!"

The sound gradually faded into the distance, and the group disappeared around the street corner.

Walking beside Su Mu, Xiao Jingyu looked at the backs of those figures and sighed, "Old Su, you are now a war god in the hearts of the people."

"These young people all came to join the army because of its reputation."

Su Mu walked slowly forward, his hands behind his back, gazing at the retreating figures of the new recruits in the distance, his voice hoarse:

"This precisely illustrates a problem: in recent years, with constant warfare, people have been displaced and are living in misery."

"They were hoping someone could lead them out of their misery, and I was simply there to meet them when they needed me most."

"The root cause is the incompetence of the imperial court."

"The emperor and all the officials should think carefully about this issue."

Xiao Jingyu paused slightly, then bowed deeply, saying nothing more, but that gesture said it all.

Su Mu waved his hand: "Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's go and take a look at the military camp."

The two walked side by side toward the military camp.

……

The military camp was much more lively than the outside.

Long queues formed in front of the registration office as new recruits received their uniforms, were assigned to barracks, and received their weapons.

Some people were clumsily fastening their leg guards, some were carrying their newly issued spears back and forth, and some were squatting by the wall, carefully examining the military license plates they had been issued.

Some veterans squatted nearby smoking their pipes, occasionally offering a few words of advice. Although their tone was rough, they were all very patient.

Upon seeing Su Mu and Xiao Jingyu, Xu Cheng quickly stepped forward, cupping his hands in greeting, "Elder Su, Your Highness, you've arrived!"

Immediately afterwards, Qin Hao, You Zhongyi, Han Shixun and others also gathered around, each with an uncontrollable smile on their face.

Xu Cheng was extremely excited.

"Old Su, you are truly a lucky star for our Great Qian army!"

"You've only been here two days, and so many young people have already volunteered to join the army!"

"This is all because of you! If the Crown Prince were the commander-in-chief, we wouldn't even dare to dream of such a thing!"

Qin Hao nodded as well.

"When I was in the northern border, I saw how much the people loved and respected Elder Su. I never expected that it would be the same in the East Sea. Elder Su's reputation has spread from the northern border to the south of the Yangtze River."

Zhao Tieniu scratched his head and laughed, "Just now, when I passed by that tavern at the street corner, the owner heard that we were soldiers under Elder Su's command and insisted on giving us three jugs of wine, and he didn't even charge us."

"What are you saying? General Su's soldiers drinking my wine is an honor for me."

"It makes me feel really embarrassed."

The crowd chatted amongst themselves, their laughter echoing throughout the camp.

Su Mu chuckled a few times, but quickly composed himself and asked seriously, "How many new recruits registered today?"

Xu Cheng immediately replied, "Reporting to Elder Su, as of just now, there are over three thousand people registered. Including those still in line, we can recruit at least five or six thousand new soldiers today."

Su Mu nodded.

"Okay, very good."

"However, you all need to be careful. With so many new recruits, it's inevitable that some people who shouldn't be here will slip in."

"If spies from the Eastern Barbarians infiltrate the military camp, the consequences will be dire."

"Each battalion must strengthen its verification efforts."

Xu Cheng clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This subordinate understands! The order has already been given. Every new recruit must have their place of origin and background verified. No detail can be omitted."

Su Mu hummed in agreement, then added:

"Furthermore, tonight summon all officers and soldiers of the rank of centurion and above to the main tent for a meeting."

"I need to plan the attack on Ninghai City."

Xu Cheng and the others shouted in unison, "We obey your orders!"