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

As dusk faded, night fell completely.

The two rows of lanterns in front of the government office were already lit, their orange-red light spreading along the steps.

Su Mu and Xiao Jingyu stood side by side on the platform outside the threshold, quietly waiting for Wang Ben, Han You, and the others to arrive.

"Judging by the time, we should be arriving soon."

Xiao Jingyu looked towards the end of the street, paused, then looked back at Su Mu beside him and said:

"Wang Ben is a man who is always very punctual. If nothing unexpected happens, he will definitely arrive on time."

Su Mu nodded slightly: "Wang Ben is one of the few good officials in the court."

Sure enough, a short while later, footsteps and the sound of wheels rolling over stone slabs came from the street corner.

Zhou Wenjin's figure appeared in the light and shadow, followed by two people.

The two were Wang Ben and Han You.

Wang Ben's scarlet official robe was covered in dust, clearly from a long journey.

Han You wore a dark cloak over his armor, and always kept his sword at his waist firmly in his hand, his eyes warily scanning his surroundings.

Even after arriving in Jinling City, his vigilance remained, and he kept a close eye on the gold and supplies being transported.

When Wang Ben saw Su Mu and Xiao Jingyu standing at the entrance of the government office, his pace noticeably quickened.

He stopped at the top of the steps, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "General Su, Third Prince, I, Wang Ben, am here to escort military supplies to Jinling on His Majesty's orders. The journey has been long, but I have successfully completed my mission."

Han You then cupped his hands in greeting, his voice shorter: "This humble general, Han You, is here by imperial decree to assist in the escort."

Seeing the two men bowing respectfully, Su Mu reached out to help them up, saying, "Lord Wang, General Han, you must be tired from your journey."

"Come on, let's go into the government office and sit down to talk."

Wang Ben straightened up, but did not take a step immediately.

He glanced sideways at the line behind him, then turned back.

"General Su, I'd better check and hand over the supplies before I rest."

"This matter is of great importance. The quantity, type, and serial number must be checked one by one to avoid any mistakes later."

"If there is any omission, I will not be able to report back to His Majesty."

Su Mu felt very gratified looking at Wang Ben's serious and earnest expression.

This earnestness was a rare quality among the civil and military officials of the Great Qian Dynasty.

"Alright, Zhongyi, take a few brothers and verify the details with Lord Wang."

After Su Mu gave the order, You Zhongyi led several brothers forward.

Wang Ben took out the roster from his sleeve, spread it out, and read it aloud while pointing to the cargo boxes of the convoy behind him, checking it one by one with You Zhongyi and the others.

His voice was steady and clear in the night. When he encountered a few boxes with worn edges on the seals, he would stop and check them again to make sure that the seals had not been tampered with before continuing to read.

"The seal is intact, and the quantity is accurate."

"Without omission."

Wang Ben handed the roster back to You Zhongyi and then bowed to Su Mu.

"General Su, the supplies have been inventoried. Please arrange for them to be stored in the warehouse."

Su Mu turned to You Zhongyi and instructed, "Store it in the warehouse and keep a close watch on it."

At this moment, Xiao Jingyu cupped his hands to Wang Ben and Han You and said, "Lord Wang, General Han, please..."

"A meal has been prepared in the government office to welcome you and wash away the dust of your journey."

"By the way," Su Mu suddenly asked, "have the meals for the rest of the soldiers been prepared?"

"They had the hardest journey up here."

Xiao Jingyu nodded: "Please rest assured, Elder Su, Jingyu has made all the arrangements."

Wang Ben opened his mouth as if he wanted to say a few more polite words, but Su Mu and Xiao Jingyu had already turned and walked into the government office.

He glanced at Han You.

Han You smiled and nodded at him, then they walked into the government office together.

Wang Ben walked while glancing at Su Mu's retreating figure.

He felt a warm feeling in his heart.

This wasn't the first time he and Su Mu had met, but it was the first time they had spoken so closely.

Judging from Su Mu's concern for the soldiers just now, he could see that Su Mu was approachable and not only a commanding general, but also a kind and amiable old man who mingled with his soldiers.

Wang Ben thought to himself, "No wonder even someone as wise as the Third Prince is willing to stay by General Su's side."

……

The group walked through the courtyard and into a side hall next to the main hall of the government office.

Hot dishes were already laid out on the table, a very sumptuous spread, and the soup was still steaming.

Several sets of bowls and chopsticks were neatly arranged.

Wang Ben and Han You both seemed a little uncomfortable when they sat down, as if they weren't used to it yet.

Su Mu didn't try to persuade him further; he simply picked up his bowl and took a bite of food.

"Lord Wang, General Han, please eat first."

"Only when people are well-fed can things be discussed steadily."

Wang Ben watched as Su Mu started eating first before picking up his chopsticks.

He picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. After chewing it a couple of times, he seemed to remember something, swallowed it, and looked up: "General Su, where is the Sixth Prince? He... didn't come to Jinling with you?"

"You may not know this, but after reading the report of the great victory in the East Sea, His Majesty was overjoyed and praised the Sixth Prince for his bravery."

"He even said that this is how Xiao Jinghuan's son should be."

Xiao Jingyu chimed in, "Lord Wang, the Sixth Prince has gone to do something important for Elder Su. You'll see him soon."

Wang Ben nodded without asking further questions, but his eyes still seemed to hold a hint of curiosity.

What is this so-called big event?

He picked up the bowl again, as if to swallow that curiosity along with the food.

Han You didn't say anything, just focused on eating. He had been on tenterhooks the whole way and hadn't been able to finish a meal in peace.

After the meal, everyone returned to the main hall, where tea had already been prepared.

Su Mu took a sip of tea, put it down, and looked at Wang Ben: "Lord Wang, I heard from the Third Prince that you once served as a supervisor at the Longjiang Shipyard when you were young?"

Wang Ben was slightly taken aback, not expecting Su Mu to bring this up.

He put down his teacup and replied, "In my youth, I did work at the Longjiang Shipyard for a few years. At that time, the imperial court was expanding the shipyard, and I participated in the design and supervision of several of the main warships."

"But that was more than 20 years ago, and my skills have probably become rusty by now."

Xiao Jingyu laughed and said, "Lord Wang is too modest. Everyone in the court knows that if it weren't for Lord Wang's supervision, the Longjiang Shipyard would never have become the largest shipyard in the Great Qian Dynasty."

"To be honest, I have a favor to ask of you, Lord Wang, regarding a matter that I would like to ask Elder Su for help with."

Seeing that Xiao Jingyu got straight to the point, Wang Ben's expression became serious.

"Your Highness, please speak frankly... I will not refuse anything that is within my power."

Su Mu stood up, took out a roll of drawings wrapped in cloth from his sleeve, walked to Wang Ben, and handed it to him: "Lord Wang, please take a look at this."

Wang Ben took the blueprints and unfolded them.

The moment his eyes fell on the paper, he was immediately struck by a bright light and became excited.

His breathing became noticeably rapid, and his gaze slowly moved along the lines, examining them carefully from beginning to end.

"General Su..." His voice trembled slightly as he spoke, "This ship... structurally speaking, the double-layered keel and reinforcing ribs at the bottom make it at least 20% faster than the existing Daqian warships, and its wave resistance is also stronger."

"The foldable iron plates on the outside of the ship's hull could effectively resist fire arrows and stones in actual combat, while the iron ram at the bow was designed to easily tear through the wooden shell of the enemy ship once it collided with it, causing the enemy ship to sink rapidly."

"The range and accuracy of the small catapults at the stern are clearly marked on the drawings; they are suitable for launching incendiary devices or interfering with the line of sight of pursuing ships..."

He paused, then looked up at Su Mu.

He looked excited!

"Mr. Su, that's brilliant!"

"If this ship is completed, it will probably be nearly three times larger than the existing warships of the Eastern Yi, and its overall combat power and response capabilities will far exceed the current configuration of the Eastern Yi navy."

"This humble official has never seen such a warship before. May I ask who built it?"

Su Mu did not answer that question, but instead asked, "Lord Wang, just tell me one thing: can it be made?"

Wang Ben glanced down at the blueprints again, his gaze lingering for a moment on the detailed markings on the bow of the ship, before looking up with a resolute tone.

"able!"

"Without blueprints, I would not dare to speak so casually."

"But the map is so detailed that I will certainly not fail in my mission if I find enough craftsmen and materials."

Su Mu smiled and nodded: "That's excellent. I'll entrust the task of building the warships to Lord Wang."

Xiao Jingyu added from the side, "Don't worry, Lord Wang. I and Elder Su will jointly write to His Majesty to let you stay in Jinling to oversee the construction of warships."

"Recruiting soldiers, building ships, and training soldiers are three things that are indispensable."

Wang Ben's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped the blueprints, his tone filled with eagerness.

"When I was young, I spent ten years at the Longjiang Shipyard. Back then, the happiest thing for me was shipbuilding."

"Later, after entering the court, I gradually drifted away from the ship."

"To be able to personally oversee the construction of an unprecedentedly powerful warship, I have no regrets in this life."

He picked up the half-cold tea in front of him: "General Su, Your Highness, I will go outside the city tomorrow to inspect the shipyard and the craftsmen, and draft the construction schedule and material accounts as soon as possible."

Su Mu and Xiao Jingyu nodded solemnly.

"Thank you for your trouble, Lord Wang."

Afterwards, the group chatted for a few more minutes about the shipbuilding details.

A short while later, footsteps were heard outside the door.

Xiao Yunchuan walked in from outside, the hem of his robe still damp from the night, as if he had just rushed back from outside.

He walked up to Su Mu, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Master, I have received word that those people will be making their move tonight."

Su Mu put down his teacup, a smile playing on his lips, and said, "Alright, there's going to be a good show tonight."