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

Su Mu and Xiao Jingyu dismounted at the same time.

"Lord Zhou, esteemed gentlemen, please dispense with the formalities."

"I have many matters to attend to in Jinling, sirs. How could I possibly allow you to make such a grand gesture of welcoming me?"

Xiao Jingyu also stepped forward, stood beside Su Mu, and nodded slightly to Zhou Wenjin:

"Lord Zhou, Elder Su has never cared about these formalities. Just be yourself and don't be shy."

Zhou Wenjin straightened up and looked at General Su in front of her, feeling surprised.

He had met many high-ranking officials and military generals, but the old man's demeanor before him amazed him.

A centenarian, yet still possessing such vitality and energy, is able to fight on the battlefield.

It was truly unexpected and awe-inspiring.

"I understand." Zhou Wenjin cupped his hands, his voice more relaxed than before. "General Su, Your Highness, please follow me into the city."

After he finished speaking, he stepped aside and raised his hand in a "please" gesture.

Su Mu didn't stand on ceremony. He remounted his horse and led the main force into the city.

The moment Su Mu entered the city and appeared, the surrounding people roared like a tidal wave.

"General Su! General Su has entered the city!"

"Is that Old War God Su? The one riding the white horse?"

"Oh my god, it really is him!"

"Finally, I met the legendary War God of the Great Qian Dynasty. This trip was worthwhile."

"General Su is truly awe-inspiring!"

Some people waved their arms, some stood on tiptoe in the crowd, and some lifted their children above their heads so they could see them better.

The windows on the second floor of the taverns and teahouses along the street were also pushed open one after another, and some people leaned out halfway to wave down.

After the procession passed through the main street and turned into a relatively quiet road, where the crowds on both sides thinned out, Zhou Wenjin rode closer to Su Mu and whispered, "General Su, we have arrived at the government office."

The Jinling government office was much more spacious than Su Mu had imagined.

The doors to the main hall were open, and chairs and a tea table had already been set up inside.

Without delay, Su Mu and Xiao Jingyu took their seats and then asked Zhou Wenjin to summon all the officials of Jinling Prefecture for a meeting.

Before long, more than a dozen officials arrived at the main hall and lined up on both sides according to their rank.

Su Mu didn't waste any pleasantries and went straight to the point.

"The reason I have come to Jinling is to conduct recruitment of soldiers throughout the Jiangnan region, with Jinling City as the center."

"To build a navy, construct warships, cross the East China Sea, and crush the Eastern Barbarians, we need the full cooperation of all of you."

Zhou Wenjin did not answer immediately, but tilted his head slightly, as if considering his words, before speaking. His tone was more confident than Su Mu had expected: "General Su, you can rest assured about this matter."

"The news of your upcoming visit to Jinling has already spread throughout the Jiangnan region."

"The people in the city have long heard about your conscription, and many young men have already packed their bags, waiting for your order to respond immediately."

Su Mu nodded: "That's excellent. We'll officially begin tomorrow morning."

"Lord Zhou, please arrange for people to prepare for registration, physical examination, and camp organization."

Zhou Wenjin cupped his hands in greeting: "This humble official has already ordered the roster and venue to be prepared, and it will be ready for use tomorrow."

Su Mu then turned to Xiao Jingyu: "Your Highness, regarding the warship forging, keep an eye on the shipyards and craftsmen inside and outside Jinling City these next few days. Once the conscription is over, we should start building ships."

Xiao Jingyu nodded: "Alright, I will go and check tomorrow."

……

That night, in the inner courtyard of the Jinling government office.

Su Mu and Xiao Jingyu sat in the pavilion in the backyard, with a map of the Jiangnan region spread out on the stone table.

"Recruiting soldiers is not difficult; the difficulty lies in training them to fight across the sea."

Su Mu said, looking at the map.

"The soldiers brought from Kyoto are adequate for land combat, but they're a different story once they're on the ship."

"Young people from Jiangnan are good swimmers, but they have never actually fought at sea, so they have to start training from scratch."

Xiao Jingyu continued, "There are several shipyards outside Jinling City. I will lead my loyal comrades to inspect them tomorrow."

"Whether the scale is sufficient and whether there are enough craftsmen can only be determined by visiting the site in person."

Just as Su Mu was about to speak, footsteps came from under the corridor.

Gu Changfeng strode into the backyard, stopped outside the pavilion, and cupped his hands, saying, "Elder Su, a man has come to the government office. He says he is a friend of Liu Yuzhou and has important business to discuss."

Su Mu raised an eyebrow slightly, surprised.

Liu Yuzhou's friend?

He put down the map in his hand and replied without much hesitation, "Since he is Yu Zhou's friend, let him in."

Gu Changfeng turned and left.

Before long, a black figure strode through the courtyard gate and arrived in front of Su Mu and his companion.

The man was dressed in a dark robe, his straw hat pulled low, and only the outline of his jaw and the corners of his mouth were faintly visible from the shadows.

Incredibly mysterious!

He walked to the pavilion and bowed slightly, saying, "Shen Qingci, the leader of the Jinling branch of Lingfeng Pavilion, pays respects to General Su and the Third Prince."

Su Mu's gaze fell on him: "The branch leader of Listening Wind Pavilion?"

Shen Qingci took out a token from his sleeve, turned it over under the lamp, and handed it to Su Mu for inspection.

The token's material and shape were exactly the same as the one Liu Yuzhou had taken out before.

"Since you are Yu Zhou's friend, then you are also my friend."

"Please have a seat!"

Shen Qingci neither sat down nor took another step forward. He simply put away the token and lowered his hand again: "Elder Su, to be honest, I've come to inform you of something."

Su Mu looked at him and said, "Please speak."

"Lingfeng Pavilion has already located the spies of the Eastern Yi Kingdom's Eastern Secretariat in Jinling City."

"The Eastern Secretariat is a spy organization under the Emperor. Its members are all specially trained personnel. It has corresponding personnel in intelligence gathering, defection, and assassination. The division of labor is clear and the hierarchy is distinct, so it will not leave too many traces in a single mission."

"We have found out that they have been lying in wait in Nanjing for several days and are still active."

Xiao Jingyu spoke, his voice filled with doubt.

"What was their purpose in infiltrating Nanjing?"

Shen Qingci cupped his hands and replied, "Your Highness, it is not entirely clear at the moment, but judging from the way the Eastern Privy Council operates, there are only two possibilities for sending people to infiltrate cities in the heart of the Great Qian Dynasty."

"First, we will remain undercover for a long period to gather intelligence on the military and the people."

"Secondly, we carry out assassination missions with clearly defined targets, and then withdraw immediately after completion."

"I think they came here specifically for Elder Su."

"After all, in the battle of the East China Sea, Elder Su caused the annihilation of tens of thousands of Dongyi troops."

"Moreover, as far as I know, Shimazu Ryunosuke's younger brother is the leader of this Eastern Bureau."

Su Mu smiled and said, "In other words, these guys are here to assassinate me?"

Shen Qingci nodded.

"Exactly!"

"From the third day after they entered the city, the spies from the Listening Wind Pavilion have been following them."

"We have identified a contact point and the whereabouts of four key individuals, and we are continuing to track them."

"However, these people are extremely vigilant and may change their whereabouts or break off contact at any time. If Mr. Su needs it, I can close the net in advance."

Su Mu waved his hand: "No rush, let them stay a little longer."

Shen Qingci didn't ask for the reason, she just nodded.

"I will continue to assign people to keep an eye on them and ensure they cannot get close to the government office and military camp."

Su Mu nodded and said, "Then I'll have to trouble Chief Shen."

Shen Qingci replied, "Elder Su, you flatter me."

"By the way, there's one more thing I'd like to tell Elder Su."

"Brother Yuzhou has been personally selected by the old Pavilion Master and has been listed as one of the candidates for the next Pavilion Master. If there are no unforeseen circumstances, he will officially take over the position soon."

"This time, he specifically sent me a message instructing me to make sure that I clear away any obstacles in the shadows for Elder Su in Jinling City."

Upon hearing this, Su Mu felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

He recalled Liu Yuzhou's face, disfigured by a knife scar and then transformed by disguise, and the days he spent as a steward in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

He thought that such a person should not be confined to a house as a housekeeper.

At this moment, Shen Qingci slightly raised her hand and handed the token in her hand to Su Mu.

"If Elder Su has any instructions for me, he only needs to send someone with this token to the Youxiang Villa in the west of the city."

"It is late, I shall take my leave now."

Looking in the direction Shen Qingci had left, an idea popped into Su Mu's mind.

Then he looked at Xiao Jingyu and smiled, "It is indeed a waste of Yu Zhou's talent to keep him in my residence as a steward."

"It's time for him to show his skills."