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

On the official road fifty miles outside of Beijing, Qingchao.

A mighty army marches forward in formation.

At the front of the central army, Su Mu rode his Ferghana horse forward.

Behind him, two hundred thousand elite troops of the Great Qian Dynasty stretched for dozens of miles, their armor and weapons like clouds, their imposing presence overwhelming.

Since the army entered the territory of the Eastern Yi, Su Mu had established an ironclad rule, strictly ordering the entire army to abide by military discipline and not to commit any offenses.

Along the way, the soldiers of the Great Qian Dynasty did not disturb the homes of the people, seize their food and supplies, or deceive the common people. Even when the army passed through towns and villages, they only marched along the way and set up camp to rest. They never infringed on the interests of the civilians in the slightest.

At the same time, Su Mu also issued a clear order, proclaiming it to all the Dongyi people along the way:

The Great Qian Dynasty launched its military campaign against the Eastern Yi court, which had slaughtered the people of Great Qian, and executed the rebellious royal officials who stubbornly resisted. It was not about innocent civilians.

Those who are law-abiding, do not rebel, and do not collude with the garrison to cause trouble may live in peace, and the Great Qian army will not harm them in the slightest; but those who dare to resist with knives or obstruct the army's advance will be killed without mercy!

This measure completely calmed the hearts of the people of Dongyi.

Having endured years of war and oppressive rule, and suffered greatly from the exploitation of the Eastern Yi royal family, the ordinary people were already weary of war and conflict.

Now, seeing with my own eyes the strict discipline and kindness shown by the Great Qian army to its people, I have finally put aside my fear.

They all knew in their hearts that this battle was a struggle between the imperial court and the nation, and had nothing to do with ordinary people.

Since the Great Qian Dynasty only attacks the court and does not disturb the common people, they naturally will not seek death by raising an army in rebellion.

For this reason, the 200,000-strong Great Qian army advanced eastward with almost no obstacles, advancing smoothly and steadily taking over several prefectures and counties. Their military might was aimed directly at Qingchaojing, the capital of the Eastern Barbarians, and their momentum was unstoppable.

……

Beside Su Mu, the Third Prince Xiao Jingyu rode alongside him, gazing at the vast and orderly army before him and the peaceful houses along the way. He smiled with genuine admiration, then turned to Su Mu and bowed with gratitude.

"Old Su is brilliant! This measure to pacify the people is truly ingenious!"

"I originally thought that advancing into the Eastern Barbarians would inevitably be met with obstacles at every turn, and that we would suffer heavy losses in battles."

"Unexpectedly, Elder Su used both kindness and severity to appease the people and not disturb them, so that the people of Dongyi along the way were willing to behave themselves and no one resisted or rebelled."

"My 200,000-strong army was able to advance unimpeded and easily conquer numerous territories, truly achieving twice the result with half the effort!"

Upon hearing this, Su Mu smiled faintly and replied:

"The people are never foolish; they have their own scales in their hearts."

"Years of war have caused ordinary people to be displaced, their families to be torn apart, and their lives to be lost. The cruelest price of war has always been borne by the common people at the bottom of society."

"Now, with hundreds of thousands of troops of our Great Qian pressing on our borders and holding the power to destroy the country, we have not committed any offenses against the people and have treated them kindly. This is the greatest blessing in this chaotic world."

"They had neither the time nor the ability to care about the survival of the Dongyi royal family; they only sought to live peacefully and stay away from the flames of war."

"Over time, the people will naturally realize that our Great Qian Dynasty has the world in its heart and all people in its mind, and is far more worthy of our allegiance than the tyrannical and narrow-minded Eastern Yi Dynasty."

"Only when the war ends and the territory is unified can the people of Dongyi live in peace and prosperity, free from strife, and enjoy a stable and wealthy life."

His words were grand in scope and insightful, fully demonstrating the magnanimity and benevolence of a generation of patriotic war heroes.

Xiao Jingyu's admiration grew even stronger. He solemnly cupped his hands and sighed, "Elder Su's strategy of appeasement and pacification, which prioritizes winning hearts and minds and subduing the enemy without fighting, undermines the morale of the enemy and consolidates the foundation for post-war development, is something I, Jingyu, am truly ashamed of and sincerely admire!"

The two rode side by side, chatting and laughing.

……

Just then, the light and nimble sound of hooves came rapidly from the rear.

Ye Qingzhou galloped over, his movements swift and agile. In the blink of an eye, he arrived in front of the two, reined in his horse, stopped, and bowed to report.

"Elder Su! A secret report has arrived from the front!"

"In the capital of Qingchao, a man claiming to be a confidant of Tachibana no Tadakatsu, the Minister of the Eastern Barbarians, presented a secret letter to Elder Su!"

Upon hearing the name "Tachibana no Tadashi," Xiao Jingyu paused slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, before instantly recalling past events.

"Tachibana Tadakatsu? I do recognize that person."

He frowned slightly and slowly said, "Years ago, when I represented the Great Qian Dynasty on a mission to the Jiangnan border and met with the Dongyi delegation, the person in charge of receiving and dealing with them was this Tachibana Tadakatsu."

"This man was a high-ranking official in the Eastern Barbarians, and he always regarded himself as a benevolent and virtuous minister with an excellent reputation."

"With the nation in peril, why did he suddenly send a secret letter? What is his intention?"

Su Mu remained calm and casually raised his hand: "It's alright, just open it and you'll know what's going on."

Ye Qingzhou immediately stepped forward and respectfully handed over the well-sealed secret letter.

Su Mu reached out and took it, tearing open the envelope with his fingertips, unfolding the letter, and slowly scanning the words on the paper with his eyes.

These few words, each one ugly and utterly sycophantic, are nothing but traitorous flattery.

The letter clearly states:

The Dongyi chief ministers, including Tachibana no Tadakatsu and Fujiwara no Shigenobu, knew that the Dongyi were doomed and their country was about to be destroyed. They were unwilling to perish with the imperial family and decided to surrender to the Daqian and rely on the Daqian.

To demonstrate their loyalty, they had secretly agreed that when the Great Qian army approached the city, they would open the north gate of Qingchao Capital, abandon their defenses, and lead their troops into the city to assist the Great Qian army in destroying the Eastern Yi court. They only sought to preserve their official positions and lives and submit to the Great Qian.

Every word and phrase is a despicable scheme of betraying one's master, treason, and clinging to life!

After reading the contents of the secret letter, a chilling glint flashed in Su Mu's eyes, and a sarcastic snort curled at the corner of his mouth.

"What a loyal and righteous man, Tachibana Tadatsura, who had his country and family in his heart."

"What a tremendous irony to have such a name!"

Hearing Su Mu's cold words, Xiao Jingyu was stunned and filled with doubt.

As he spoke, Su Mu handed the letter to Xiao Jingyu.

After reading the entire letter, the refined smile on his face vanished completely, replaced by shock and disdain, his eyes filled with indignation.

He never imagined that the Dongyi minister, who was usually so refined and courteous in diplomatic settings, spouting patriotic rhetoric and claiming loyalty to the emperor and love for the people, would turn out to be such a cowardly and treacherous villain who would betray his master for personal gain!

Utterly hypocritical!

"You can know a person's face but not their heart!" Xiao Jingyu frowned and said in a deep voice, "Who would have thought that these civil officials, who usually talk about benevolence and morality and claim to be loyal ministers, would commit such a despicable act of treason at a critical moment when the survival of the nation is at stake!"

He turned to look at Su Mu, his face grave, and asked worriedly, "Elder Su, this matter is thorny. How should we handle it?"

"They promised to open the north gate and surrender the city, but this is too suspicious. It's hard to say it might be a trap set by Ito Kamuyū to lure the enemy!"

"If our army rashly enters the city through the north gate, it is highly likely to fall into an enemy ambush, be surrounded, and face extreme danger!"

Upon hearing this, Su Mu showed no sign of panic. Instead, a deep smile slowly appeared on his face, his eyes flashing with a cold light, revealing his confidence.

Whether it's a trap or not is no longer important.

"In my entire life, what I despise, hate, and despise most are these traitorous and disloyal traitors who sell out their country for personal gain and betray their masters!"

"These termites are absolutely disgusting!"

"However, their treacherous secret letter has given me an excellent plan to breach the city."

"Since they are so eager to surrender the city and take advantage of the situation, let's go with the flow and use their scheme against them!"

Xiao Jingyu, quick-witted as ever, suddenly had a flash of insight, and a smile suddenly lit up in his eyes as he instantly saw through Su Mu's plan.

"Old Master Su intends to use this secret letter to feign acceptance of their surrender, spread rumors, and sow discord among the civil and military officials in Qingchao Capital, causing them to fall into disarray and engage in internal strife!"

"When the enemy is in turmoil and their morale is low, our army will seize the opportunity to break through the city, achieving twice the result with half the effort!"

"The Third Prince understands me best." Su Mu nodded slightly, his expression resolute.

Internal strife leads to collapse without a fight, which is far more costly and advantageous than a direct, bloody battle.

Having figured out the plan, Xiao Jingyu had no more concerns and immediately asked, "Should we change our strategy of attacking the city gate? If we feign cooperation with them to enter the city through the north gate, should we adjust our deployment?"

"No changes needed."

Su Mu's eyes suddenly hardened and sharpened, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

"The intelligence that Yu Zhou gathered while infiltrating the Eastern Barbarians for many days at great risk is absolutely accurate."

"Among the four gates of Qingchaojing, the East Gate has the thinnest walls, the weakest defenses, and the worst-performing garrison, making it the only fatal flaw in the entire imperial city."

"The army's objective remains unchanged: launch a full-scale attack on the east gate!"

With that final decision, the final battle strategy was completely set!

"Pass on my orders!"

Su Mu turned his head and looked at the entire army, his voice like a booming bell, resounding throughout the three armies.

"The entire army is advancing at full speed, heading straight for Qingchao East Gate!"