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

On the East China Sea, the smoke of battle has not yet dissipated, and the flames are still burning.

The warships of the Great Qian Navy surrounded the sea. The soldiers stood at the bow of the ships, their faces filled with ecstasy. Cheers rose and fell, wave after wave, shaking the surrounding seas.

"We've caught him! We've caught the Emperor of Dongyi!"

"Having captured the Eastern Barbarian Emperor alive, the Eastern Barbarians are now leaderless and utterly defeated!"

"The entire 150,000-strong Eastern Barbarian navy has been annihilated, and the Emperor has been captured! Our Great Qian Dynasty's might shakes the Eastern Sea!"

"Once our 300,000 troops have all landed, we can sweep through the entire territory of the Eastern Barbarians and annihilate them!"

Countless soldiers were filled with excitement, their words brimming with pride and confidence.

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Ye Qingzhou looked elated, his brows furrowed with the joy of victory.

He personally escorted the prisoners, clad in golden armor and with their heads bowed, up the steps of the main ship and toward the high platform for commanding the warship, preparing to report this earth-shattering victory to Su Mu.

……

At this moment, on the high platform of the main ship, Su Mu and Xiao Jingyu stood side by side, quietly gazing at the devastated battlefield in the East China Sea.

In the distance, one after another, the wrecked Dongyi warships were gradually swallowed by the waves, and the blazing flames slowly dimmed. The Dongyi navy, which had dominated the East China Sea for decades, had completely vanished into the past.

Xiao Jingyu exhaled a deep breath, his eyes filled with emotion and excitement, and slowly spoke:

"Elder Su, this battle is a great victory! The Dongyi's 150,000 elite naval forces were completely annihilated, their warships were destroyed, and their coastal defenses collapsed completely. After this battle, the Dongyi will no longer have the power to resist at sea!"

Su Mu stood facing the wind, his expression calm and composed, his gaze fixed on the distant coastline of the Eastern Barbarians, a smile playing on his lips.

"It's just a great victory in the first battle."

"Destroying their navy is only the first step in crushing the Eastern Barbarians."

"The danger of the East China Sea has been overcome; the next step is to contend on land."

"This time, the Eastern Barbarians overestimated their strength, crossing the sea to invade and slaughter our border people. Today, we will make the entire Eastern Barbarians remember the terrible consequences of provoking our Great Qian!"

Xiao Jingyu nodded emphatically, his eyes sharp and filled with murderous intent: "Elder Su is absolutely right! Those who offend our Great Qian, no matter how far away, will be punished!"

"After this battle, we will seize the opportunity to land, strike at the heart of the enemy, completely annihilate the Eastern Barbarians, and eliminate any future threat to the East China Sea!"

Just as the two were discussing the battle situation and planning the subsequent siege, a series of hurried footsteps filled with elation came quickly.

Zhao Tieniu strode up to the platform, his dark face filled with excitement. He cupped his hands and announced loudly, "Old Su! Fantastic news!"

"Brother Qingzhou lived up to expectations and successfully captured the Emperor of Dongyi! We won this battle completely!"

"Have you captured the Emperor of Dongyi?"

Upon hearing this, Su Mu and Xiao Jingyu were both slightly taken aback. They subconsciously exchanged a glance, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes at the same time.

During the encirclement and mopping-up operation, the two men surveyed the entire situation and vaguely sensed something amiss with the enemy's breakout fleet, feeling that it was too deliberately organized.

After a brief moment of surprise, Su Mu regained his composure and said calmly, "Bring him up."

Before long, Ye Qingzhou led the prisoners, who were wearing golden armor, up the high platform.

Upon reaching the center of the platform, Ye Qingzhou's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and he kicked the man hard in the back of the knee!

With a thud!

The man lost his balance and fell heavily to his knees on the deck, head bowed, not daring to look directly at the two people in front of him.

"You treacherous Emperor! How dare you not kneel before the generals of my Great Qian!" Ye Qingzhou shouted sternly, then turned to Su Mu with a beaming smile, cupping his hands and saying, "Elder Su, Third Prince..."

"This humble general has successfully captured the Emperor of the Eastern Barbarians!"

Looking at Ye Qingzhou, who was full of spirit and joy, Su Mu and Xiao Jingyu exchanged a glance and chuckled softly in unison.

The laughter was gentle, yet it instantly stunned Ye Qingzhou, who was filled with excitement.

He looked puzzled, scratched his head, and asked, "Elder Su, Third Prince, why are you two laughing?"

"Capturing the Emperor of the Eastern Barbarians alive is a great joyous occasion. Could it be that I, your humble servant, have done something wrong?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingyu suppressed his smile, his expression becoming calm, and asked, "Qingzhou, I have a question for you."

"When you led your troops to surround the imperial ship and capture this man, what were the remaining Dongyi soldiers like? Were there any who fought to the death to protect their lord?"

Upon hearing this question, Ye Qingzhou immediately fell into deep thought, the scene of the chase and battle flashing through his mind.

He thought carefully for a moment, then suddenly realized something was wrong and immediately answered truthfully, "Your Highness, no one protected you!"

"At that time, the remaining Dongyi soldiers on board were all in a panic, only concerned with their own survival, jumping ship and fleeing. Not one of them turned back to protect the imperial ship, let alone risked their lives to stop our army from encircling and annihilating them!"

The moment the words fell, Ye Qingzhou's mind went blank, his whole body trembled, and the ecstasy on his face faded instantly, replaced by a deep sense of astonishment and realization!

His eyes widened suddenly, and he exclaimed in shock, "Could it be... that this person is an imposter? He's not the real Emperor of Dongyi at all?!"

"Not bad." Xiao Jingyu nodded slightly, his tone confident: "You finally got it right away."

"The Emperor of Dongyi, as the ruler of a country, is the supreme being revered by the entire Dongyi nation."

"If this person is truly Ito Shintake, his personal guards and elite soldiers would surely fight to the death to protect him, and there would be no reason for them to abandon him, flee, or scatter."

"Everyone abandoned their master and fled, except for the 'Emperor,' who surrendered without resistance. This flaw is too obvious."

Su Mu, standing to the side, narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke up, his voice clear, cold, and steady: "Qingzhou, think back again. Was there a small, inconspicuous warship among the fleet that broke through the encirclement, taking advantage of the chaos to break away from the formation and escape to the shore?"

Su Mu's words were a wake-up call!

Ye Qingzhou froze, instantly realizing the whole strange thing!

He finally understood that from the very beginning, this magnificent and conspicuous royal ship was a bait thrown out by the enemy!

The enemy used a clever escape tactic, using a fake emperor and real armor to draw all firepower and attention, while the real Eastern Barbarian emperor had already blended into an inconspicuous small boat and escaped in the chaos!

Having figured everything out, Ye Qingzhou felt both ashamed and anxious. He immediately knelt on one knee, cupped his hands in apology, and said with a face full of self-reproach, "This humble general knows his mistake!"

"It was due to my carelessness and underestimation of the enemy that I was deceived by their trickery and failed to see through the deception of the imposter, allowing the true Emperor of the Eastern Barbarians to escape!"

"This humble general has failed in his duties; I beg Elder Su to punish me accordingly!"

On the high platform, a gentle sea breeze caressed him. Su Mu looked at Ye Qingzhou, who was kneeling on the ground, pleading guilty and filled with remorse. Instead of being angry, he chuckled and stepped forward to gently help him up.

Get up.

"Not only are you innocent, but you have also performed a great service. Why should you be punished?"

Ye Qingzhou stood up, looking bewildered and scratching his head. He asked in confusion, "Elder Su, I only captured a decoy, letting the real Emperor of Dongyi escape and missing a crucial opportunity. How can I claim any merit?"

Su Mu's gaze fell on the kneeling man, looking at the dazzling golden armor he wore. A deep meaning flashed in his eyes as he slowly explained, "The man is a substitute, but this Imperial Armor is the real deal."

"Just imagine, when my army lands on the Eastern Barbarian lands and besieges the city, I will display this imperial golden armor in front of the troops and tell the Eastern Barbarian soldiers and civilians that their emperor has been 'killed in battle and captured'."

"At that time, the morale of the Eastern Barbarian garrison will surely collapse instantly, the soldiers will be terrified, the people will be filled with fear, and the army's morale will plummet!"

"To severely damage the enemy's morale without losing a single soldier—this achievement is truly remarkable!"

Upon hearing these words, Ye Qingzhou instantly felt enlightened, his tense mind completely relaxed, a smile returned to his face, and he repeatedly cupped his hands in greeting:

"I see! Thank you, Professor Su!"

Su Mu immediately ordered, "Qingzhou, remove his golden armor immediately and execute him!"

Having said that, Ye Qingzhou did not hesitate any longer and stepped forward to push the fake emperor down.

Looking at the scene before him, Xiao Jingyu sighed slightly, his expression solemn: "To be able to use the ingenious strategy of escaping in the face of death and using a fake body to save one's life in an orderly manner shows that there are many intelligent, calm and decisive people in the Dongyi camp."

"Although Dongyi is small, it is by no means without resources and should not be underestimated."

Su Mu nodded slightly, a hint of caution and sternness flashing in his eyes, and said in a deep voice, "That's right."

"Our Great Qian has a strong military and invincible warships, possessing overwhelming combat power, but we must never be arrogant or underestimate our enemy."

"The closer we get to victory, the more cautious we must be, and guard against the enemy's treacherous schemes and desperate counterattacks."

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Mu turned to look at Wang Ben, who was waiting in the wings, his eyes sharp, and gave the final military order in a deep voice:

"Wang Ben, heed my command!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Wang Ben bowed and accepted the order, his expression solemn.

"Order the entire army! All warships, large and small, must bring ashore!"

"The entire army shall press on in our victory, immediately land, regroup, and prepare for battle!"

"After a brief rest, we will immediately dispatch our troops, marching straight to the border cities of the Eastern Barbarians, capturing the city and destroying the strongholds, utterly crushing the Eastern Barbarians!"

"Yes, sir!" Wang Ben shouted as he accepted the order, waving his command flag instantly!

woo woo woo...

The powerful bugle call to advance once again resounded throughout the East China Sea!