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

Early morning in Ninghai City.

The smoke of war had not yet completely dissipated, and a thin morning mist clung to the scorch marks remaining on the city walls, like a layer of gauze that had not yet healed.

Su Mu woke up very early.

After washing up, he stood at the entrance of the tent, stretched his stiff arms, bent down and rubbed his lower back, then turned and walked towards the wounded soldiers' camp.

The wounded soldiers' camp was set up in a relatively open flat area in the west of the city. It was originally an execution ground in Ninghai City, but it has now been temporarily converted into a place to house the wounded soldiers.

The wounded soldiers were lying or leaning, some with bandages wrapped around their heads, some with their arms immobilized with wooden strips, and some coughing softly.

The air was filled with the smells of herbs and blood!

When Su Mu appeared, the military doctor who was changing his dressing quickly stood up to salute, but Su Mu stopped him by raising his hand:

"Go about your business, don't worry about this old man."

He bent down to examine the wound of a young soldier whose leg was wrapped in bandages.

He then gently touched the soldier's forehead with the back of his hand to confirm that he did not have a fever, glanced at the way the bandage was wrapped, and nodded slightly.

The soldier had his eyes closed, but opened them when he sensed someone approaching. He was stunned when he saw Su Mu, and then struggled to sit up.

Su Mu reached out and pressed down on his shoulder, instructing, "Lie still and don't move. Your injury hasn't fully healed yet."

The soldier was deeply moved and nodded vigorously: "Thank you for your concern, Elder Su."

Su Mu continued walking forward, from one end of the wounded soldiers' camp to the other, carefully observing and stopping whenever he encountered a seriously injured soldier to take a closer look. Occasionally, he would whisper a few words to the military doctor next to him.

As he reached the last tent, Xiao Jingyu happened to walk over from the other side.

"Old Su, you've arrived so early," Xiao Jingyu asked.

Su Mu straightened up and glanced at him: "Isn't the prince the same?"

At this moment, he noticed the list in Xiao Jingyu's hand and then remembered that Xiao Jingyu had taken the initiative to take care of the wounded soldiers yesterday.

So he asked, "Your Highness, have all the wounded soldiers been settled?"

"Those who are seriously injured have been arranged to have separate beds, and military doctors are taking turns to watch over them." Xiao Jingyu unfolded the list in his hand and pointed to a few key points. "Those with minor injuries have been bandaged up, and those who needed their dressings changed have had them changed as well."

"It's just that the herbs are a bit scarce, so I've already sent people to collect some from nearby villages for urgent use."

"We have already sent people to various cities in Jiangnan to collect them, and they should be back in a few days."

Su Mu nodded and said, "That's excellent."

"Your Highness, please come back with me. I have important matters to discuss with you."

Xiao Jingyu nodded, then handed the list in his hand to the captain beside him.

Afterwards, the two walked out of the wounded soldiers' camp side by side and headed back along the road at the foot of the city wall.

"Old Su," Xiao Jingyu asked after walking for a while.

"What do you think Wanhu City will be like?"

Su Mu is relatively optimistic about this.

"The Eastern Yi bandits only have a few thousand troops guarding Wanhu City and Zhenhai Pass. With Qin Hao and Xu Cheng's abilities, it won't be difficult for them to take these two places."

"I believe we'll hear news soon."

……

When they returned to the central command tent, You Zhongyi and Han Shixun had already been standing outside for quite some time.

Both of them were covered in dust from their journey, and the hems of their robes were damp with dew.

When they saw Su Mu and Xiao Jingyu approaching, the two straightened their backs and greeted them with clasped hands.

Su Mu immediately asked, "What's the situation in Wanhu City and Zhenhai Pass?"

You Zhongyi took half a step forward, his tone urgent yet filled with sorrow.

"Reporting back to Elder Su, when we arrived at Wanhu City, the city gates were ajar and no one was guarding them."

"When we entered Wanhu City..."

At this point, You Zhongyi's voice choked with emotion.

This surprised Su Mu and Xiao Jingyu greatly, because You Zhongyi was a man who rarely shed tears, so why did he suddenly choke up?

"The streets of Wanhu City were littered with corpses—old people, women, children… lying haphazardly in pools of blood."

"Moreover, houses throughout the city were engulfed in flames..."

"Those Eastern barbarian bandits not only slaughtered the city's inhabitants, but also burned all the houses in the city down..."

"Our five thousand brothers searched all night, and in the end, the only living person we found in the ruins was... a single swaddled baby."

"She was shielded by her mother, who hid her in a corner behind the stove. Her mother took the knife for him and also shielded him from a collapsing beam, which saved her life."

At this point, You Zhongyi was already sobbing uncontrollably.

Standing to the side, Xiao Jingyu's face was filled with boundless rage, his fists clenched tightly, and he said viciously, "The methods of these Eastern Yi bandits are even more inhumane than those of the Northern Di barbarians back then."

"May he be struck by lightning that day!"

Han Shixun added from the side: "When General Xu and I arrived at Zhenhaiguan, the city gate was wide open, and there were several corpses piled up in the gate opening. No one had collected them. There were knife marks and fire marks around them."

"The city was covered in ashes, and all the soldiers searched the entire town and customs area, but they found no living people."

"The Eastern barbarian bandits slaughtered all the people of Wanhu City and Zhenhai Pass before they left, looted all the valuables, and burned everything."

"That's terrible!"

"These bandits are incredibly ruthless."

Upon hearing this, Su Mu remained silent for a long time, then took a deep breath, as if mourning for the dead people.

Xiao Jingyu couldn't help but say, "Elder Su, these Eastern Yi bandits are trying to squeeze every last drop of profit off the land of Daqian before they leave."

"Massacre, arson, looting—a typical case of thieves leaving empty-handed."

"If this grudge is not avenged, it will be an injustice to Heaven."

Su Mu did not respond.

He closed his eyes briefly, as if trying to suppress something, and when he opened them again, his gaze had returned to normal.

Xiao Jingyu looked at him, took a deep breath to calm himself, and then asked, "Elder Su, how do you plan to handle this matter?"

Su Mu wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye.

"We can't rush things now. The battle has just ended, the camp is full of wounded soldiers, we need to replenish our supplies, and the soldiers need time to rest."

"We will first write a report to the court, presenting the recovery of the East China Sea along with the massacres at Wanhu City and Zhenhai Pass to His Majesty. At the same time, we will reorganize our military and recruit soldiers."

He paused for a moment, a fierce look flashing in his eyes.

"Once we've finished our rest, we'll settle this score with the Dongyi people in person."

Xiao Jingyu's brows relaxed slightly.

"Does Elder Su mean... to march into the territory of the Eastern Barbarians?"

"Yes." Su Mu's voice was firm, his gaze sharp, and his withered fists clenched tightly. "They came to Daqian to burn, kill, and loot, so we're going to go to their doorstep to collect debts?"

"Make them pay for their crimes in blood."

Xiao Jingyu nodded in agreement, then suggested, "Then we need to build ships. We can't cross the East China Sea without a ship."

"I have heard that the warships of the Eastern Barbarians are light, fast, and shallow. Our current ships are probably no match for them."

Su Mu nodded.

"Your Highness is right. So, while reorganizing the troops, I plan to build a new batch of warships that are faster, bigger, and more stable than those of the Eastern Barbarians."

Then, Su Mu looked at Han Shixun and You Zhongyi.

He comforted her, saying, "Now is not the time to be sad."

"The most urgent task is to strengthen the defenses along the East China Sea to prevent the Eastern barbarian bandits from invading again."

"Zhongyi, you shall immediately go to Wanhu City and lead five thousand troops straight to Zhenhai Pass to guard it together with Xu Cheng."

"Shi Xun, you shall immediately go to the military camp to prepare provisions for 10,000 soldiers, and then take 500 men to escort the provisions to Zhenhai Pass."

You Zhongyi and his companion quickly accepted the order and then withdrew to carry it out.

Xiao Jingyu glanced at Su Mu, then solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Elder Su, I will immediately draft a memorial to report all the details to His Majesty."

Su Mu nodded: "Thank you for your trouble, Your Highness."

"Also, please inform His Majesty in your letter that I intend to recruit soldiers and build warships in Jiangnan."

Xiao Jingyu nodded and turned to leave.

Only Su Mu remained in front of the main tent.

Just then, that long-lost mechanical voice rang clearly in Su Mu's mind.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, on completing the main quest: Lead the Eastern Expedition, Reclaim the East Sea, and Drive Out the Eastern Barbarian Bandits!]

[Rewards: 5 years of reverse aging, 300 days of lifespan, max-level Golden Bell Shield, and one Dragon Battleship forging blueprint!]