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

The Imperial City of the Eastern Barbarians, the Great Hall of Chaoyin.

At this moment, the entire court was filled with apprehension and chaos.

Three days ago, they received a severed head and a letter of severance from the Kingdom of Liuyu. The devastating news of the broken alliance and the defection of a neighboring country had thrown the Dongyi rulers and their ministers into a state of utter chaos.

Now, upon hearing that the entire Great Qian navy had set out on an expedition, crossing the East China Sea, and that a massive military calamity was looming over the border, the hall was devoid of any of its previous high spirits and arrogant demeanor as it dreamed of dividing up the Great Qian territory.

On the dragon throne, Emperor Ito Jimmu of the Eastern Barbarian Empire sat high up, his face pale, his eyes filled with anxiety and panic, having long lost the majesty and composure of the former Emperor Jimmu.

He gripped the armrests of the dragon throne tightly with both hands, his brow furrowed, his gaze sweeping over the arguing civil and military officials below, his voice trembling uncontrollably as he pressed on with questions:

"Now that things have come to this, what other solutions do you, my esteemed ministers, have?"

"With Liuyu defecting and isolated without support, the Great Qian navy is crossing the sea and is imminent. How can we, the Eastern Barbarians, resist?"

All his calculations over the past few days have failed, the situation has taken a sharp turn for the worse and is completely out of his control. Ito Shinbu is in a panic and has long lost the confidence to fight to the death. In fact, a cowardly thought has quietly sprouted in his mind.

This battle is extremely dangerous; if we truly cannot withstand it...

We might as well surrender to save our lives and preserve the land and society of the Eastern Barbarians!

Meanwhile, the Eastern Barbarian court was in complete disarray, with each official holding their own opinion. Those advocating war were panicked and breathless, while those advocating peace hesitated. In the vast court, not a single person could come up with a feasible strategy to defend against the enemy.

Just as the court was in chaos, a series of hurried and hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the palace!

A scout, covered in dust and panting heavily, stumbled into the main hall, disregarding all etiquette, and knelt down with a thud, shouting an urgent report.

"Your Majesty the Emperor! Urgent report from Customs!!"

"The Daqian Navy has crossed the median line of the East China Sea, broken through our Dongyi's outer sea defense line, and is rapidly approaching our home coast! General Minamoto no Yoshikiyo has urgently assembled 150,000 East China Sea naval troops, all of whom have boarded ships and set sail to intercept and block the enemy in the waters ahead!"

Upon hearing this, Ito Jinbu's heart clenched, and he quickly leaned forward, urgently asking, "How many enemy troops are there? How many warships? What is their fighting strength?"

The scout swallowed hard, his face deathly pale, and reported in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty! The reconnaissance report indicates that the Great Qian's naval expedition... likely numbers over 300,000! There are more than 10,000 warships, including several colossal battleships, seemingly indestructible and armed with deafening cannons!"

"Three hundred thousand!!"

These three words, like a thunderclap from the heavens, resounded throughout the hall!

In an instant, the chaotic court fell into a deathly silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The entire court of officials froze on the spot, their pupils shrinking, their faces blank with shock and disbelief, their minds completely blank.

Their entire navy, numbering only 150,000, was a coastal defense force that the entire nation had scraped together, amounting to only half the force that the Great Qian had mobilized!

With a troop disparity of double that of the enemy forces, coupled with the overwhelming force of the massive warships that would decide the outcome of the naval battle, this was not a contest, but a one-sided crushing massacre!

A sense of despair instantly enveloped the hearts of every Dongyi minister.

In the dead silence, Fujiwara no Shigenobu, a senior court official, slowly stepped forward, his face extremely solemn. He sighed deeply, bowed to the Emperor, and spoke in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, things have come to this point, and I'm afraid the Eastern Barbarians' chances of winning this war are slim."

"The Great Qian's 300,000 elite naval forces are pressing on our borders. Their strength far exceeds that of the entire Eastern Yi army, and the difference in ships and weaponry is like heaven and earth. The disparity between us and the enemy is extreme."

"Our army has no chance of winning this battle. If we force a fight to the death, we will only suffer heavy losses, ultimately leading to the fall of our land, the devastation of our people, and even the destruction of our Eastern Yi state!"

He paused, then looked up directly at the Emperor, his tone tinged with helplessness yet unwavering resolve:

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you weigh the pros and cons! The only course of action now is to humble yourself, send envoys to sue for peace, bow your head in surrender, and submit to the Great Qian!"

"Only by surrendering can we preserve the territory of the Eastern Barbarians and the imperial ancestral temples!"

Fujiwara Shigenobu's words instantly ignited the entire audience.

Inside the main hall, civil and military officials were in an uproar, their discussions rising and falling.

"That's right! Three hundred thousand elite troops of the Great Qian Dynasty, we simply can't stop them!"

"A direct confrontation would mean certain death, while surrender offers a chance to preserve the nation!"

"At this point, there's no other way. As long as we're alive, we can always make a comeback!"

The few generals who were originally in favor of fighting now fell silent and lowered their heads, having lost all will to fight, seeing the huge disparity in troop strength.

Almost all the court officials had already tacitly accepted the outcome of surrender and seeking peace.

Upon hearing this, Ito Shinmu, sitting on the dragon throne, suddenly relaxed, his panic subsided, and he became even more certain of his thoughts.

Yes, if you can't beat them, then surrender!

As long as one can save their life and preserve imperial power, what does it matter if they submit to the emperor?

When the time is right, you can turn things around!

Just as the entire court was leaning towards surrender and morale was completely broken, a loud, arrogant laugh suddenly boomed from outside the hall!

"Hahaha! Surrender? That's utterly ridiculous!"

The laughter was arrogant and cold, filled with endless mockery and anger, piercing through the palace doors and echoing throughout the entire hall.

Everyone turned their heads at the sound and saw a tall figure stride into the hall. His posture was imposing, his eyes were filled with murderous intent, and his aura was icy cold.

It was none other than Takenaka Ryosuke, the strategist who had previously failed in his mission to Ryukyu to persuade the alliance to break out!

Fujiwara Shigenobu, seeing that he had barged into the palace without being summoned and had publicly mocked the court's decisions, was instantly enraged and shouted angrily:

"Ryosuke Takenaka! No one may enter the palace without an imperial edict! You are but a lowly strategist, without any official position or rank, yet you dare to trespass into the main hall and disrupt the court proceedings. What audacity you have!"

Ryosuke Takenaka coldly swept his gaze over Shigenobu Fujiwara, his eyes sharp as knives, his words a chilling retort:

"Lord Fujiwara, are you so angry because you fear I will ruin your grand plan of surrendering and betraying your country?"

After speaking, he ignored the enraged Fujiwara Shigenobu, raised his eyes to look directly at Ito Shinmu on the dragon throne, neither kneeling nor bowing, but standing tall with a firm and piercing tone.

"Your Majesty the Emperor! Do you truly believe that surrender will preserve the Eastern Barbarians?"

Ito Shinmu already harbored resentment towards Takenaka Ryosuke because of the failed alliance with Ryutama. Now, seeing him publicly defy the court, his face instantly darkened, and he coldly questioned:

"Ryosuke Takenaka, what makes you say that? Do you have a better strategy to defeat the enemy?"

Ryosuke Takenaka stood up abruptly, his gaze sweeping over the cowardly civil and military officials in the court. His voice grew colder and heavier, carrying a chilling aura.

"Your Majesty! My lords! Have you forgotten the heinous crimes our Eastern Barbarian army committed when it invaded the Great Eastern Sea Frontier?"

"When our army was defeated and fled, instead of showing restraint, they went on a rampage, slaughtering hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians in Wanhu City and Zhenhai Pass! They burned, killed, looted, ransacked the government treasury, and set the city ablaze! Two prosperous cities were reduced to ashes!"

"Such a deep-seated, irreconcilable blood feud! It was we, the Eastern Barbarians, who initiated the war, slaughtered the people, and committed atrocities that wiped out entire families!"

"Do you really believe that the Great Qian Dynasty mobilized its entire navy of 300,000 men for a sea expedition just to accept our surrender?"

"They did it for revenge! To avenge their grievances! To crush the Eastern Barbarians and pay for their blood debts!"

His words, each one piercing to the heart, resounded throughout the hall.

The Emperor and his ministers, who had just been clinging to a sliver of hope and dreaming of surrendering to save their lives, suddenly felt a chill run through them, as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

Yes!

In ordinary battles, defeat can lead to seeking peace and submission.

But the Eastern Barbarians owe a blood debt to hundreds of thousands of people in the Great Qian Dynasty!

This deep-seated hatred has no room for reconciliation!

The hall fell into a deathly silence; everyone's faces were ashen, and their eyes were filled with despair.

Ryosuke Takenaka burst into laughter again, a laugh filled with sorrow and anger, brimming with endless chill and mockery.

"Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!"

"Ahead in the seas, General Minamoto no Yoshikiyo leads 150,000 Eastern Barbarian soldiers, clad in armor, braving the winds and waves, vowing to defend their homeland to the death and fight the enemy to the death!"

"Our soldiers risked their lives, rushed to the battlefield, and vowed to fight to the death for our country!"

"But the court they risked their lives to protect, the emperor and his ministers, hid deep within the palace halls, terrified of the enemy, their only thought to surrender and survive!"

"If the soldiers at the front learn the truth and are so disheartened, how can they fight?"

These words were a slap in the face to all the ministers, leaving those who were afraid of death feeling ashamed and utterly humiliated.

Enraged by being publicly refuted and losing face, Fujiwara Shigenobu shouted angrily:

"Outrageous! This is utterly wicked and misleading! Guards! Seize Takenaka Ryosuke immediately! Throw him in the imperial prison and forbid him from discussing state affairs!"

Upon hearing the commotion, the guards on duty outside the palace immediately rushed forward with their weapons, intending to capture Takenaka Ryosuke and bring him to justice.

But no one expected that Takenaka Ryosuke, who seemed to be all scheming and no one could lift a chicken, would suddenly have a sharp look in his eyes!

Facing several armed guards, he did not retreat, but suddenly raised his right hand in mid-air, unleashing a fierce and explosive palm strike!

There was a muffled "thud"!

A powerful burst of energy erupted, and the several guards who rushed forward had no time to react. They were instantly blasted away by the palm wind, crashing heavily to the ground, spitting out blood and howling in pain!

Suddenly, Takenaka Ryosuke's figure blurred, becoming a blurry afterimage. His movements were as fast as a ghost, and in the blink of an eye, he had already closed in on Fujiwara Shigenobu!

A chilling killing intent swept over me, and a sense of oppression instantly enveloped my entire body!

Fujiwara Shigenobu's pupils contracted sharply, his whole body stiffened, his legs went weak, and he froze on the spot, cold sweat soaking his back, his face drained of color, and his heart filled with extreme fear!

The entire court was stunned into silence, their faces filled with disbelief!

Everyone was shocked to realize that Takenaka Ryosuke, who had been hiding behind the scenes for many years and considered himself a strategist, actually possessed such terrifyingly high martial arts skills!