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

in the crowd.

Xiao Yunchuan held the village head of Haidou high above his head, blood flowing down his arm and dripping onto the bluestone slabs beneath his feet.

Although the boy's voice still had a touch of immaturity, it was incredibly clear and bright.

It spread across the noisy battlefield.

"You Eastern barbarian bandits, your great general has been killed by me!"

Upon hearing this, the sounds of fighting near the city gate abruptly ceased.

The Dongyi soldiers who were desperately resisting turned their heads in unison, their gazes falling on the boy in the ordinary soldier's uniform, and then on the still-dripping head in his hand.

They knew that face all too well.

He was Namiya Hoshido, the second strongest vanguard general in their army.

From the day he set foot on the East Sea of ​​the Great Qian Dynasty, he has always been one of the core generals of this army, second only to Otomo Tetsumaru.

His water-splitting spear could kill enemy soldiers underwater, and it was no less capable than any general's on land.

But at this moment, his head was being held in the hand of a young boy, dripping with blood.

The voices of the Dongyi soldiers trembled.

"General Murakami...was killed?"

"That boy... was he just an ordinary soldier? An ordinary soldier killed General Murakami?"

"How is this possible... General Murakami's martial arts skills are second only to General Otomo Tesmaru in the Eastern Barbarian Army..."

"How...how could they kill an ordinary soldier?"

"Just how many fierce generals are there in the Great Qian army? That burly, dark-skinned man just killed General Ōtomo, and now a young boy has killed General Murakami..."

"The Daqian army is truly full of hidden talents."

"Now, what...what should we do?"

"The generals are all dead!"

Fear spread like a plague among the Dongyi army.

Some people's hands, gripping their weapons, began to tremble, and some unconsciously took a half-step back.

The fighting spirit of the Dongyi soldiers, who were originally putting up a desperate fight, was collapsing at a visible rate.

"How many more such fierce generals do they have?"

"Can we still win?"

A young soldier's spear clattered to the ground. He stared blankly at the head, as if something had drained all his strength from his body.

"Run for your lives!"

"We cannot win this battle."

In an instant, the Dongyi soldiers lost their composure and began to riot.

On the city wall, Ryunosuke's gaze also fell on that head.

His body felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him from head to toe, and he froze behind the battlements.

The scene was horrifying.

He watched as the boy in ordinary soldier's uniform carried the head of the village's Haidou through the crowd, and watched as the soldiers who had been fighting desperately retreated in terror.

In the distance, the soldiers of the Great Qian Dynasty erupted in deafening cheers, as if countless needles were piercing his eardrums at the same time.

Shanghai died in the village.

Following Otomo Tetsumaru, his second-in-command was gone.

"Even Murakami can't stop him..."

"That boy looked no more than fifteen or sixteen years old... A fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy killed Murakami Kaito?"

Ryunosuke muttered to himself.

His gaze shifted to the white figure still advancing towards the city gate.

Beside Su Mu, Qin Hao, Xu Cheng, You Zhongyi, Gu Changfeng, and Zhao Tieniu each led their own teams in battle. Each of them was a sharp dagger thrust into the Dongyi formation, and no matter what kind of resistance they encountered, no one could stop their attack.

"Otomo is dead, Murakami is dead... who can stop those guys now?"

Ryunosuke murmured, his gaze sweeping over the retreating soldiers around him, when suddenly he felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet.

He had fought wars for half his life and never imagined that one day he would be forced into such a situation in his own city.

Moreover, the people who pressured him were a centenarian and a teenager.

Takenaka Hyōe strode over from the other side of the castle tower.

His robes were stained with dust and sweat, and his face showed a tense expression of being driven to the brink of despair.

He walked over to Ryunosuke and lowered his voice: "General, the situation is hopeless, we can't hold on any longer."

Ryunosuke did not answer immediately.

His gaze remained fixed on the battlefield below the city, which was being crushed by the Daqian army, and on the Dongyi soldiers who were scattering.

He clenched his fist and slammed it heavily against the wall.

"This commander... is not reconciled."

"Three months ago, I led my troops into the East China Sea and won a great victory in less than ten days. Thirty thousand against fifty thousand, we routed the crown prince of the Great Qian Dynasty."

"Back then, who could have imagined it would turn out like this?"

Takenaka Hyōe did not speak, but simply stood beside him, waiting for him to continue.

Ryunosuke closed his eyes briefly.

"A centenarian led several hundred people to defend the South Gate River Estuary."

"A boy of fifteen or sixteen years old killed one of our generals."

Takenaka Hei glanced at him and said, "General, now is not the time to think about these things."

"Ninghai City cannot be held. The main city gate has been breached, and the flank street fighting is also collapsing. If we hold out for another hour, the Daqian army will surround the entire city."

"By then, you won't be able to leave even if you want to."

"This humble general humbly requests that the commander-in-chief proceed to the South Gate immediately."

"We have fast boats ready in the river outside the South Gate. We can go downstream and return to Wanhu City within a day."

"Once we reach Wanhu City, we can close the city gates, rest our troops, and fight again."

"At that time, we will submit a memorial to His Majesty the Emperor, requesting that he send troops to reinforce us. At that time, it is possible that we will make a comeback."

"As long as the green hills remain, there's always firewood to burn, General!"

The guards in the bamboo grove patiently and earnestly tried to persuade them.

Ryunosuke remained silent for a moment.

Finally, he nodded and agreed to Takenaka's suggestion.

He sheathed his sword, turned and glanced at Takenaka Heibei: "I am unwilling, but I do not want to die here."

"The strategist is right. We should return to Wanhu City and hold it, then inform His Majesty the Emperor to send reinforcements."

"By then, I will surely be able to make a comeback!"

Takenaka Hyōe nodded with a sigh of relief.

"General, we must evacuate immediately."

Ryunosuke took one last look at the white figure below the castle.

Su Mu just reined in his horse and glanced at him from across half the battlefield.

Ryunosuke was so frightened by that glance that he got goosebumps all over.

Then, without hesitation, he led a hundred personal guards and strode down the city wall.

Then he ran towards the south gate.

There were no Daqian soldiers near the South Gate yet, but the shouts of battle were getting closer and closer, like a tide surging from behind every alley.

"Open the city gates."

Ryunosuke gave the instructions.

The guards moved, and the iron bolts of the south gate were pushed open, revealing a crack in the gate.

Ryunosuke was the last to leave the city gate, glancing back at the city that was being consumed by war.

The black flag on the city gate was still fluttering, but flames had climbed to the bottom of the flagpole, and the charred edges of the cloth curled in the wind like a struggling hand.

"Su Mu," he whispered, "this commander will return."

He climbed onto the deck of the speedboat at the dock.

Takenaka Hyōe followed closely behind, and the last of his personal guards untied the rope.

The sails were raised, and the boat slowly left the shore, heading south along the river.

"Full speed ahead, let's head back to Wanhu City first."

Ryunosuke stood at the stern of the ship, his gaze never leaving the receding city.

The reeds on both sides of the river swayed in the wind, and the river water lapped against the gunwale, making a dull splashing sound.

Just as Ryunosuke was about to look away, a dull thud came from the bottom of the ship, as if something had hit the deck.

The ship tilted suddenly, and a soldier who was adjusting the sails slipped and fell on the deck, losing his grip on the rope.

The sails suddenly veered off course, the boat lost its balance, and began to rock violently.

Suddenly, a loud shout came from inside the cabin:

"Oh no! The hull... the hull is taking on water!"