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

"Old man, you're really something..."

"Your horsemanship surpasses even that of our General Qin!"

As soon as Su Mu walked back to the pile of firewood and raised his saber, before he could even bring it down, the cooks from the surrounding camp quickly surrounded him.

Shock and confusion were written all over their dark faces.

They asked all at once, their eyes gleaming with curiosity:

"Sir, where are you from?"

"Who taught you all these skills? Did you serve in the military when you were young?"

"I bet the old man must have been a very powerful figure when he was young! Otherwise, how could he still be so energetic at 100 years old?"

Surrounded by people, Su Mu hunched over, unsure how to respond.

Then, he put down his sword, leaned against the pile of firewood, and slowly straightened up, rubbing his knees.

"When I was young..." Su Mu began, his voice unhurried, "I took the imperial examination for the lowest degree, and I failed it every time I tried for twenty years."

Everyone was taken aback.

A scholar? This old man has actually studied.

"Later, I went into business and did it for ten years, saving up some money." Su Mu's lips curled up slightly, revealing a self-deprecating smile, "but then I ran into bandits and they robbed me of everything overnight."

"Having lost both his money and his life, he had no choice but to change his name and go to the village to farm and herd livestock, where he stayed for decades."

"I learned all these skills back then. I also like to practice with knives and spears in my spare time, but they're just superficial and nothing special."

After hearing this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

Tilling the fields?

grazing?

Can an old farmer who tills the fields and herds livestock split five wet firewood pieces in one stroke?

Can it carry two thousand catties of water at once?

Can one tame an Akhal-Teke horse with bare hands?

If this is considered "skin and bones", then what are those who don't even know the basics?

But the old man had already said all that, so it was clear he didn't want to go into details.

If you press further, you won't get any answers.

Zhao, the head cook of the cooking camp, walked over at some point and stood at the back of the crowd, arms crossed, with a thoughtful expression on his face.

After listening to Su Mu's words, he didn't ask any further questions. Instead, he squeezed to the front of the crowd and cleared his throat.

"Grandpa, starting tomorrow, you won't have to do those heavy chores anymore. You can go to the kitchen to help out, do some light work, like chopping vegetables."

Kitchen helper!

That's the easiest job in the cookhouse!

No need to fetch water under the scorching sun, no need to chop firewood with an axe, you can sit by the stove picking and chopping vegetables, sheltered from the wind and sun, how comfortable!

But Su Mu's reaction surprised everyone.

"Thank you for your kindness, boss." Su Mu cupped his hands in greeting, his tone calm, "This old man cannot leave the wood-chopping and water-carrying group."

Zhao Huotou was stunned, and the smile on his face froze.

"Why?" he blurted out. "Old man, chopping wood and carrying water are the hardest jobs in our cookhouse, and you're so old..."

Su Mu waved his hand, interrupting him.

"Boss, I just joined this group and only worked for one day before being moved to an easier job. That's not fair to the guys in our group."

"If a few brothers with strong emotions start causing trouble, it will be detrimental to the unity of our cook camp."

The men carrying water were surprised, moved, and ashamed when they heard this.

At first, they complained that the old man was a burden, but now that he has an easy job to do, they are actually thinking of them.

"And..." Su Mu added, "I really enjoy chopping wood and carrying water. It keeps my old bones moving every day, makes me sweat, and makes me feel great. Maybe I can even live a few more years."

Zhao Huotou opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

A centenarian chopping wood and carrying water every day, and he calls that exercising?

He glanced at Su Mu's withered hands, then at the ten-meter-long thick wooden pole and the fifty iron buckets, swallowed hard, and swallowed back the words that were about to come out.

"Alright." Zhao Huotou nodded, not trying to persuade him further. "In that case, you can stay and continue working."

He turned around and waved to the crowd: "Everyone, disperse! Today's task is heavy, so hurry up! I heard General Xu is coming to our camp. He's notoriously picky about food, so if we don't prepare a good meal, we'll get scolded again!"

"Yeah, yeah, let's get to work!"

The crowd dispersed and returned to their posts.

Some were chopping vegetables, some were tending the fire, and some were fetching water; the campsite was bustling with activity once again.

Su Mu lowered his head and continued chopping wood.

……

Central command tent.

A middle-aged man dressed in official robes and wearing a jade belt sat in the main seat, holding a cup of tea and slowly blowing on the foam.

This man is General Xu Shigui.

On either side of the tent stood Qin Hao and several captains and colonels.

"General Qin, how is the conscription progressing?" Xu Shigui put down his teacup and asked unhurriedly.

Qin Hao cupped his hands in greeting, his voice steady: "Reporting to the General, all the conscripted men have been registered and assigned to their respective camps. The roster is here; please take a look."

He winked at the captain beside him.

The captain quickly stepped forward, holding a thick roster in both hands, and respectfully handed it to Xu Shigui.

Xu Shigui waved his hand, not even glancing at it.

"Very well, I trust General Qin to handle things."

"There is something I need General Qin to arrange."

Qin Hao's heart tightened, and he had a vague sense of foreboding.

He cupped his hands and asked, "What is it? Are you sending troops to retake Yuzhou?"

Xu Shigui shook his head, a look of doubt immediately appearing on his face:

"Should we send troops now?"

"The new recruits have just arrived at the camp and haven't even had time to train. What are they going to use to fight?"

"Therefore, the matter of sending troops will be discussed later."

Qin Hao grew anxious, taking a step forward and raising his voice, "General, time waits for no one! Scouts report that the Northern Di army is already making moves. If we don't strike first, we'll likely be put on the defensive!"

He took a deep breath, suppressing his anxiety, and tried to make his tone sound less impulsive.

"Those new recruits can stay in the camp for training and be responsible for camp defense. As for facing the enemy head-on, we'll rely on our veterans..."

"Alright!" Xu Shigui slammed his hand on the table, his voice booming like a bell, carrying an air of arrogance.

"General Qin, this is not your place to give orders in this military camp! I, the commander-in-chief, know exactly what to do!"

Qin Hao's face flushed red, his lips trembled twice, and finally he gritted his teeth and lowered his head.

"Yes, ma'am."

Seeing Qin Hao compromise and accept the order, Xu Shigui then withdrew his gaze with satisfaction.

"Tomorrow, you will have one day."

"Select one thousand elite soldiers."

"The day after tomorrow morning, I will escort that Ferghana horse to the capital and present it to His Majesty."

What?

Qin Hao's mind went blank, as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water over his head.

He suddenly looked up, his eyes almost overflowing with surprise.

"General, you mustn't!" His voice trembled. "With a major battle imminent, how can we arbitrarily deploy troops? Especially not the elite soldiers!"

"This round trip will take at least two months! What if the Northern Di army takes advantage of the situation and invades while our elite troops are absent? How will our army defend itself?"

"Please reconsider, General!"

The two captains behind Qin Hao exchanged a glance, then simultaneously knelt on one knee, clasped their hands in a fist salute, and shouted, "Please reconsider, General!"

Xu Shigui slowly turned his head, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. The smile on his lips quickly vanished, replaced by anger.

"snort!"

He snorted heavily, slammed the teacup on the table with a dull thud.

"Have you all gone too far?"

"This is my order, General! It's not something I'm discussing with you!"

"The selection of elite troops and their dispatch to the capital are settled. You may all leave now and get on with your business."

I don't want to say it a second time.

Qin Hao stood there, motionless.

I want to keep fighting!

But he knew that if he continued to argue, he would be disobeying military orders.

Disobeying military orders will result in dismissal and investigation at the very least, and military law at the very least.

He took a deep breath and swallowed the anger that was rising in his throat.

"This humble general... obeys."

He cupped his hands in greeting, turned around, and strode out of the tent.

Behind him, the two captains also retreated.

Xu Shigui sat in the main seat, watching the direction the group had left in, and muttered to himself, "Me, a dignified general, can't I even command a few of you?"

……

"This is outrageous!"

Back in his tent, Qin Hao ripped off his helmet and slammed it to the ground.

The helmet bounced twice on the ground, making a "clattering" sound, before rolling to a corner of the tent before coming to a stop.

His face was flushed red, veins bulged on his forehead, and he stood with his hands on his hips, panting heavily.

"This Xu Shigui is far too frivolous!"

"With a major battle imminent, instead of planning how to meet the enemy, they're drawing their elite troops to guard his horses!"

"A horse-riding official? That's a gift to the emperor! He's using matters of national importance as a stepping stone to his own promotion!"

He got angrier and angrier as he spoke, and kicked over the wooden stool next to him.

The captain standing nearby quickly stepped forward and whispered, "General, please keep your voice down... walls have ears."

He walked to the tent entrance, lifted the curtain and looked outside to make sure there were no suspicious people before turning back.

"You know the General's style of doing things. If we don't follow orders, he might charge us with 'disobeying military orders'."

The captain sighed and patted Qin Hao on the shoulder.

"A moment of patience brings peace, General."

Qin Hao closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he opened his eyes again, the anger in them had turned into helplessness.

That feeling of powerlessness is more unbearable than anger.

"With such a general, how could our army not be defeated..."

His words were filled with endless sighs.

The camp remained quiet for a long time.

Qin Hao bent down, picked up the helmet from the ground, dusted it off, and slowly placed it on the table.

He tilted his head back and, after a long silence, said, "So be it, so be it!"

"Tomorrow, as requested by the General, select one thousand elite troops."