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

Before the screams from the speedboat could fully spread, the boat began to rock violently.

The deck suddenly tilted to one side, and a soldier who was furling the sails slipped and slid down the tilting deck toward the gunwale, hitting the railing with a dull thud.

River water is pouring into the cabin from the bottom of the boat, and the water level is rising at a visible speed.

Several soldiers in the cabin were frantically searching for the leak, but there was more than one hole in the bottom of the ship.

"It can't be plugged! There are too many holes!"

A soldier crawled out of the cabin, soaking wet, and shouted loudly.

The deck beneath Ryunosuke's feet was tilting more and more, and his feet began to slip. He had to lean against a mast to barely keep his balance.

He looked at the churning water outside the ship's side and asked urgently, "What happened? Why is the ship taking on water?"

Takenaka Hyōe also held onto the gunwale, trying to steady himself.

"Don't panic! Find the leak and plug it! Hurry!"

Before he could finish speaking, the water suddenly exploded with a "splash".

Dozens of figures emerged silently from the water, each with a wet iron chain wrapped around their waist.

Their movements were extremely fast; they began to exert force the moment they emerged from the water.

He swung the iron hook in his hand from different angles, accurately hooking it onto the gunwale and mast base of the sailboat.

Ye Qingzhou floated at the very front, laughing loudly, "You Eastern barbarian bastard, trying to escape? No way!"

With that, he flicked his wrist, and the iron hook slammed into the ship's planks: "Brothers, let's do it!"

Dozens of brothers from the Shenshui Camp exerted their strength at the same time, the iron chains taut, and the sailboat was pulled to one side.

River water rushed in through the hole in the bottom of the boat, making a swirling sound.

One by one, the soldiers on the deck who had not yet regained their footing slipped and fell; some were thrown into the water, while others clung desperately to the railings.

Takenaka Hyōe's face turned deathly pale in that instant.

He looked at the black figures pulling the iron chains outside the ship's side and suddenly realized something.

It turned out that Su Mu had already anticipated their retreat by water from the south gate.

So he laid an ambush on the river outside the South Gate, waiting for them to walk right into his trap.

"Su Mu... he even foresaw this?"

"Did he cut off all his escape routes from the very beginning?"

His eyes held an unexpected fear.

Ryunosuke lay sprawled on the tilted deck, one hand gripping tightly to the wooden crevice at the edge of the ship's side, barely managing to avoid slipping into the water.

At this moment, the ship completely lost its balance and capsized violently to one side.

The sounds of planks breaking, water rushing into the cabin, soldiers' screams, and falling into the water mingled together.

Ryunosuke felt his body suddenly lose weight and was thrown into the water. The river water rushed into his mouth and nose, cold and turbid.

The light beneath the water's surface had dimmed considerably, with only a few slivers of light filtering through and shimmering on the surface.

Ryunosuke instinctively struggled to float to the surface, but the water was already turbulent.

The overturned ship debris, scattered planks, and broken ropes churned in the water. Several bodies, dragged into the water by iron chains, slowly sank beside him, their eyes still open, tiny bubbles rising from their mouths and noses.

He struggled desperately, trying to grab onto something to steady himself, but the current was too strong, and his hand only managed to grasp a loose clump of water plants, which scattered before he could exert any force.

River water poured into his mouth, choking him and causing him to cough repeatedly. He no longer cared about his dignity as a general and, like a fish thrown into a rapid current, flailed his arms haphazardly, trying to grab anything that could float.

His golden armor became incredibly heavy in the water, dragging him downwards. His helmet had fallen off at some point, and his hair was disheveled and stuck to his forehead, obscuring half of his eye.

He gasped for breath, then swallowed another mouthful of murky river water, coughing until his face turned red, and he could no longer maintain his composure.

Fear, embarrassment, and panic were all written on it.

A brother from the Divine Water Camp approached him silently from the side, his arm clamping around his arm like an iron clamp, his other hand twisting his wrist behind his back, and the back of his short blade tapping him lightly on the back of the head.

Ryunosuke felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and his strength to struggle instantly dissipated.

The man pulled him upwards, and the moment the water surface lit up again, his ears were filled with the sound of his own heavy breathing and the lapping of the river.

Ye Qingzhou had already swum to him, grabbed his collar with one hand, and lifted him out of the water.

Ryunosuke was soaked to the bone, his hair plastered to his forehead, water droplets running down his chin, making him look like a drowned rat pulled out of the water.

He was gasping for breath, coughing repeatedly from the choking, and didn't even have the strength to speak.

His once imposing golden armor was now covered in mud and seaweed, and his right boot had fallen off somewhere, revealing a soaking wet sock.

His face was covered in mud, and his hair was disheveled, making him seem completely out of place as a commander who led tens of thousands of troops.

Ye Qingzhou glanced down at him, grinned, and asked, "General of the Eastern Barbarians, how's the river water?"

"Are you full? If not, I'll let you have a few more sips."

"Hahaha!"

The brothers on the shore burst into laughter.

Ryunosuke simply didn't have the strength to answer.

Immediately afterwards, his hands were tied behind his back with ropes by Ye Qingzhou.

He was then kicked to his knees on the muddy riverbank, his knees sinking into the wet mud.

His gaze was lowered, staring at the muddy water at his feet, his expression dazed.

At this moment, Takenaka Hyōe was also dragged ashore.

His robes were soaked and clung to his body, making him look quite disheveled.

The soldiers also tied his arms behind his back with ropes.

He sat on the muddy ground, panting, his gaze fixed on Ryunosuke, and called out urgently, "Commander! Commander..."

Ryunosuke did not answer.

Ye Qingzhou did not rush to regroup.

He squatted on the bank, his eyes fixed on the water, watching the corpses that were stained red with blood, and the floating corpses of the Dongyi soldiers.

After a long while, only after confirming that no one else had appeared did he slowly stand up.

He didn't sheath his short blade; instead, he gripped it tighter and turned to order, "Tighten the rope again, make sure your wrists and ankles are securely tied."

"These two are no ordinary soldiers; one is a commander-in-chief, and the other is a strategist. They are extremely cunning."

"Old Su specifically instructed that no mistakes should be made."

Several brothers stepped forward and re-tied Ryunosuke and Takenaka Hei's wrists, the rope digging into their flesh and tied in a tight knot.

Then someone took two long spears from a boat on the shore, and a man stood on each side of them, pressing the spear shafts against their lower backs.

"You're not dead, are you?"

"Get up, Grandpa."

A soldier roared and then kicked Ryunosuke hard.

Ryunosuke stood up despite the pain, the gun barrel pressed against his waist.

He staggered to his feet, soaked to the bone, the rope digging into his wrists, his steps unsteady in the mud.

He took two steps, then slipped and knelt in the mud again, his knee hitting a rock half-buried in the mud, causing him to wince in pain.

Takenaka Hyōe reached out to lean closer, but the soldier behind him pressed the barrel of his gun against his back, pushing him forward and causing him to stagger two steps.

Ye Qingzhou glanced back but didn't stop.

"Hurry up, are you dawdling and asking for a beating?"

"You bandits, you have invaded the land of Great Qian and slaughtered its people. You deserve to die a thousand deaths."

"Let's wait for Elder Su's judgment."

"Walk!"

Several brothers from the Divine Water Camp followed on both sides and behind, holding their spears horizontally with the tips slightly downward, blocking any possible escape routes for the two men.

Then they slowly walked towards the south gate.

"Brother Ye, what do you think Old Master Su will do with them?"

asked a soldier.

"Are they going to lock them up in jail and wait for their fate?"

"I think these bastards, who waste a lot of grain while in prison, should be severely tortured and then have their flesh cut off piece by piece until they die."

"When I think of the crimes they committed against the people of Daqian, I feel a burning hatred in my heart."

Ye Qingzhou did not turn around, and calmly replied, "Don't worry, Elder Su will make the decision."

"And they won't let us down."

Not far away, on the city tower of Ninghai, the banner of the Great Qian Dynasty had been raised, fluttering in the wind, announcing the victory of this great battle.

Ryunosuke looked at the Great Qian flag, feeling despair. He lowered his head and let the soldiers push him forward.

Now, he could already imagine how Su Mu would tear him to pieces.