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

On the official road outside Wanhu City, Qin Hao led the way, followed by five thousand soldiers marching in formation.

Horse hooves pounded on the dry earth, raising plumes of grayish-yellow dust that dissipated into the night sky.

The battle at Ninghai City had just ended when Su Mu ordered: Xu Cheng to lead 5,000 troops to Zhenhai Pass, and Qin Hao to lead 5,000 troops to Wanhu City.

The two routes set off simultaneously, giving the Dongyi people no time to catch their breath or make preparations.

Upon receiving the order, Qin Hao and his companion did not hesitate and immediately mustered their troops before leaving the city gate.

The closer we got to Wanhu City, the brighter the light in the sky became.

However, the light was neither moonlight nor fishing lights; rather, it resembled a raging fire burning in the sky.

Zhao Tieniu reined in his horse and squinted his large, bell-like eyes at the increasingly bright horizon.

"General, something's not right in Wanhu City."

"The flames are visible from this far away, how big must the fire be?"

You Zhongyi's face darkened. He didn't speak immediately, his eyes fixed on the flame.

After a moment, he spoke up, "Those Eastern barbarian bandits...could they have already escaped, and set a fire before leaving?"

Qin Hao's brows furrowed sharply, a sense of foreboding surging in his eyes.

He didn't ask any more questions, but simply gripped the reins tighter, spurred the horse's flanks, and shouted, "Speed ​​up! Faster, faster!"

The sound of hooves grew more rapid as they sped closer to the ever-brightening flames.

As the outline of Wanhu City emerged from the night, Qin Hao's heart sank.

The city gate was ajar, with no guards, no patrolling torches, and no shouts coming from the city walls.

Everything was as quiet as a ghost town.

But above the city, thick smoke was billowing, and flames shone through the city walls, turning the sky above the city gates a blood red.

You Zhongyi dismounted and quickly stepped forward to push open the city gate.

The door creaked open and slowly swung inward.

The scene that came into view stunned them all.

Corpses lay scattered across the main street, and blood flowed like a river on the ground.

Most of the houses on both sides of the street were half burned down, and some roofs had collapsed, exposing charred beams and pillars that were leaning against the still-smoking ruins.

Flames peeked out of the window, licking the door frame and eaves, making a faint crackling sound.

The air was filled with a pungent odor, a mixture of burnt and bloody smells, which filled the nostrils and made people feel suffocated.

Zhao Tieniu stood inside the city gate, as if he were nailed to the spot.

His fists were clenched, veins bulging on the back of his hands, which were trembling uncontrollably. Then he shouted hysterically:

"These beasts of the Eastern Barbarians are so ruthless; they spare not a single unarmed civilian."

You Zhongyi did not stop.

He crossed the street, pushed open a half-closed door, and the door fell down, hitting the threshold and raising a cloud of ashes and dust.

Inside the house, an elderly person was huddled in a corner and was soon engulfed by the intense flames.

He wanted to save them, but it was too late.

When Qin Hao saw this scene from his horse, he was stunned for a moment, and then immediately gave orders.

"Help! Put out the fire!"

"Citywide search and rescue! Carefully check under the rubble for any survivors! Save as many as you can!"

The five thousand soldiers also awoke from their surprise and immediately took action, surging into every street and alley of Wanhu City.

Some people rushed towards the still-burning houses with buckets of water, some used knives to pry open the collapsed doors and crawl into the ruins, and some bent over and searched through the ashes.

As a young soldier rushed into a courtyard that was half burned down, flames swept over his head, scorching the cloth strips on his helmet.

At that moment, he saw a woman surrounded by flames.

He shouted, "Get down, I'm coming to save you!"

He bent down and crawled under the doorway, used the back of his knife to push aside a still-smoking wooden plank, and reached forward to grope for the woman's hand.

Unexpectedly, a burst of scorching flames came down from the roof and engulfed the woman.

The young soldier had a scorch mark from the heat and a cut on the back of his hand from a splinter. Blood mixed with ash clung to his skin. He glanced down, said nothing, and wanted to continue the rescue.

But he discovered that the woman had been burned beyond recognition and lay motionless in the flames.

In the firelight, the soldiers moved through the ruins, fighting tirelessly until dawn.

By sunrise, the fires throughout the city were finally brought under control.

The open ground at the foot of the city wall was piled high with bodies rescued from the ruins.

Rows of fabrics were neatly arranged, covering the cloths found in the remaining shops. Some of the fabrics had been burned and had scorch marks on the edges.

The soldiers stood in twos and threes in the middle of the ruins, their faces blackened by smoke, their robes stained with ash and blood, and some of them had strips of cloth torn off their hands, with blood seeping through them.

At this moment, the centurions approached Qin Hao one by one, their voices hoarse with grief: "General... we have not found any surviving civilians on our side."

"General, I don't have any here either."

"This humble general is also."

"This humble general... also... has none."

Qin Hao stood at the city gate, listening to the reports, his gaze fixed on the distant ruins still emitting wisps of smoke, his heart filled with immense sorrow.

Zhao Tieniu's voice was choked with sobs: "In such a city, with so many people, not a single one survived."

"That's...that's terrible."

Many of the soldiers behind Qin Hao also cried out.

At this moment, You Zhongyi emerged from the depths of an alley.

His robes were covered in ashes and stains, his boots were stained with dark red mud, and he held a swaddled baby wrapped in half a tattered rag in his arms. The baby inside was still crying weakly, the cries were not loud, but intermittent, as if it had been crying all night and had no strength left.

The baby's face was stained with blood, left by his mother to protect him.

You Zhongyi walked up to Qin Hao, tears welling in his eyes. He looked at Qin Hao and said, "General, I found it behind a collapsed stove. The mother shielded the child with her body, taking the knife for him and also blocking the falling beam..."

He didn't continue speaking, but instead handed the swaddled baby forward.

Qin Hao reached out and took the swaddled baby, looking down at the little face that was pale from the smoke.

The baby's cries were soft, its tiny body twitching, and its fists clenched tightly.

Qin Hao pulled him into his arms and gently wiped the blood from his face with his sleeve.

He looked up at the soldiers, their faces covered in dust and dirt.

On those young faces, there was anger, grief, and resentment, as well as a suppressed, yet ever-present, power of anger that was about to erupt.

"Brothers, we must remember the blood debt of Wanhu City forever."

He looked down at the baby in his arms.

He continued, "This blood debt will one day be paid in blood by those Eastern barbarian thieves!"

The anger that had been simmering within the soldiers erupted at that moment.

"Yes, they must pay for this in blood!"

The voices of the soldiers quickly merged into one, echoing through the dilapidated streets and alleys of Wanhu City.

You Zhongyi walked to Qin Hao's side, cupped his hands, and asked, "General, what should we do now?"

Qin Hao took a deep breath and replied, "The Eastern Barbarian bandits have already left by boat. We cannot pursue them now, otherwise..."

"Zhongyi, ride a fast horse back to Ninghai City and inform Elder Su of the situation in Wanhu City."

"The rest of the brothers continue searching the ruins to see if there's anything left behind."

Qin Hao nodded and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, replying, "Okay!"

"I'll go right away."

You Zhongyi mounted his horse and immediately galloped towards Ninghai City.

Zhao Tieniu then led his troops in a second round of search and rescue.

Qin Hao held the baby, gazing at the streets and ruins covered in ashes, and at the rising sun on the distant horizon. His anger grew stronger and stronger.

Qin Hao looked down at the baby in his arms.

The little one had stopped crying, his eyes were closed, his breathing was steady, and his fingers were curled in Qin Hao's palm.

"From today onwards," Qin Hao murmured to the child, "your name is Qin Wanchou."

"You must always remember the tragedy that befell Wanhu City today."

"This blood debt must be repaid!"