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

Inside the main tent of the imperial city in the capital of the Eastern Barbarians.

On the main seat, Emperor Ito Jinmu of the Eastern Barbarian Empire, clad in imperial armor, had a cold and stern expression, with an inescapable air of gravity between his brows.

His gaze swept over the generals below, and he discussed the final city defense arrangements in a deep voice.

General Minamoto no Yoshikiyo stood in the center, his armor gleaming solemnly, his expression calm and experienced.

As the commander-in-chief guarding the imperial city, he had already thoroughly understood the advantages and disadvantages of defending the eight gates of the capital. At this moment, he was checking the defense arrangements with everyone one by one, striving to ensure that there was no loophole.

Just as everyone was deep in discussion, a captain stationed at the city gate stepped forward, bowed, and clasped his hands in a respectful gesture, his tone heavy with concern:

"Your Majesty, General Yuan, I have something to report."

"Go ahead," Ito Shinbu gestured.

The captain continued, "Among the eight gates of the capital, the East Gate has the oldest city wall, with its mottled walls and thinnest foundation, making it the weakest point in the city's defenses."

"With the Great Qian army pressing in, we must be on guard. I believe it is necessary to dispatch 20,000 elite troops to reinforce the eastern gate garrison and prevent a surprise attack!"

Upon hearing this, the tent fell silent for a moment.

The generals all turned their heads, knowing that the East Gate's defensive weakness was the biggest flaw in the entire capital's defenses, and there was no room for complacency.

However, the Daqian army was unaware of this.

Minamoto no Yoshikiyo pondered for a moment, his fingertips lightly tapping the sword at his waist. After a moment, he slowly shook his head, his tone resolute:

"No need to worry."

"When the Daqian army crossed the sea to launch its expedition and first arrived in the territory of our Dongyi, they were unaware of the layout of the capital's defenses."

"The South Gate is the main gate of the capital. The city gate is wide and the passage is open, making it the most suitable place for a large army to deploy and attack the city. It is also the first place that military strategists must attack."

"In my judgment, the enemy will surely concentrate their forces to launch a strong attack on the south gate, and will never know that the east gate is the weak point of our city's defenses."

Having fought for decades, Minamoto no Yoshikiyo believed himself to be well-versed in military strategy and familiar with the conventional tactics of siege warfare, and was certain that his judgment was not wrong in the slightest.

"Therefore, the defenses at each gate will remain as planned. All heavy troops will be stationed at the South Gate, while the other gates will be defended as usual. No additional troops are needed at the East Gate," Minamoto Yoshikiyo concluded in a deep voice.

Ito Shinbu nodded slightly, deeply agreeing.

"General Yuan is absolutely right."

"The Great Qian has come from afar, and with limited intelligence, there is absolutely no way they could accurately pinpoint the weakness at our East Gate."

……

Before he could finish speaking, a series of hurried footsteps, mixed with the soldiers' panicked breathing, suddenly broke the brief peace inside the tent.

A captain in light armor, looking flustered and covered in sweat, stumbled into the tent. Before he could catch his breath, he knelt down and urgently reported:

"I report to Your Majesty and all the generals!"

"Something terrible has happened!"

"The hundreds of thousands of troops of the Great Qian Dynasty have arrived outside the capital city. Instead of heading to the south gate, the entire army is arrayed and heading straight for the east gate."

One sentence, like a thunderclap, resounded throughout the tent!

Ito Shinmu abruptly stood up from the throne, his composure and confidence shattering instantly, replaced by shock.

Just moments ago, he and Minamoto no Yoshikiyo were certain that the enemy would attack the South Gate, asserting that they knew nothing about the East Gate's strength. Their words were still ringing in his ears when reality slapped them in the face!

Minamoto no Yoshikiyo's expression changed drastically. His composure vanished completely, his brows furrowed tightly, and a storm raged within him. His face was filled with disbelief.

"Heading straight to the East Gate? How could this be!"

Ito Shinmu strode down the steps, his sharp gaze fixed on the kneeling captain, and demanded in a deep voice:

Is the news true?

"Absolutely true!" The captain kowtowed repeatedly, his voice anxious. "I saw it with my own eyes. The Great Qian army's banners fluttered, and the troops stretched as far as the eye could see. They were all stationed outside the East Gate, a vast, dark mass, with no indication of any division of forces!"

Minamoto no Yoshikiyo's face was ashen; he shook his head and muttered to himself, utterly perplexed.

"It's definitely not a coincidence!"

"Logically, the first choice should be a strong attack on the south gate; there's no reason to abandon the stronger option and head straight for the weaker east gate!"

His eyes suddenly darkened, and a terrible suspicion arose in his mind.

"Unless... someone within our army leaked the secret, informing the Daqian army in advance about the weak defenses of the East Gate!"

Upon hearing this, all the generals in the tent paled and were filled with fear.

The defenses of Kyoto are top military secrets. If there is a traitor within, all their defenses and deployments will be rendered useless in the eyes of the Great Qian Dynasty. Before the war even begins, they will already be in a completely passive position!

Ito Shinbu's chest heaved violently, his anger and shock intertwined, but he was, after all, a king who had experienced countless battles and whose temperament far surpassed that of ordinary people.

After a brief moment of panic, he forcibly suppressed his shock and anger, and his expression quickly returned to its cold composure.

From the moment he resolved to fight the Great Qian to the death, he had already prepared for the worst, burning his bridges and having no way out.

"Now that things have come to this, there's no point in dwelling on the reasons."

Ito Shinbu gave a deep shout, his voice strong and clear, which calmed the panicked morale of the troops.

"The enemy's advance at the east gate is a foregone conclusion. Our top priority now is to defend the east gate at all costs and absolutely not allow the Great Qian army to breach the city walls!"

He acted decisively and swiftly issued a military order: "Issue my decree! Immediately mobilize 80% of the elite troops from the West Gate and rush to the aid of the East Gate at full speed!"

"The garrison troops at the south and north gates shall remain in their positions, divided into left and right flanks, ready for battle!"

"Once the battle begins at the East Gate, we will flank from both sides, seizing the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on the Daqian army's formation and disrupt their offensive!"

"Your subordinate obeys!"

Without further hesitation, the generals in the tent bowed and accepted the order, then turned and rushed out of the tent to quickly dispatch troops to their respective camps.

In a short while, bugles sounded throughout the military camp, and messengers galloped away on horseback.

Ito Shinbu grabbed the gilded helmet beside him, put it on his head, and mounted his horse.

Minamoto no Yoshikiyo followed closely behind, the two riding side by side, leading a group of elite guards, speeding towards the East Gate tower like lightning.

The thunder of hooves and the billowing dust instantly put the entire Dongyi imperial city into a state of high alert, with the thick atmosphere of gunpowder and war enveloping the entire city.

……

At this moment, the people on the East Gate tower were filled with fear and a murderous aura.

The heavy wooden city gate was tightly shut, and behind it were densely packed Dongyi guards armed with swords and spears and clad in armor.

On the city wall, rows of archers drew their bows and nocked their arrows, leaning forward and watching the outside of the city with vigilance. The cold arrowheads were aimed ahead, but the hands that gripped the bowstrings trembled slightly.

Below the city gate, at the far end of the field of vision, the massive, dark army of the Great Qian Dynasty surged forth like an endless black tide, firmly stationed outside the East Gate.

The glorious record of this Great Qian Iron Army, which crossed the sea to conquer 150,000 elite Dongyi troops, has long been deeply imprinted in the hearts of every soldier defending the city.

The endless enemy ranks before them, their magnificent and imposing military might, sent chills down the spines of all the Dongyi soldiers, filling them with fear.

"This...this is the army of the Great Qian Dynasty?"

A young soldier swallowed hard, gazing at the endless crowds outside the city, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

"There are just too many people... I can't see the end of them."

"Our entire city garrison numbers only 60,000, and they have to divide them among the four gates. The garrison at the east gate is less than 10,000, while the enemy has hundreds of thousands of elite troops. How could we possibly win this battle?"

"Our 150,000 elite troops were wiped out before, and even our naval defenses couldn't stop them. Can we really hold them with just the East Gate?"

Panic whispers spread like a plague among the city wall defenders.

Fear gripped everyone's hearts. Their previously taut fighting spirit crumbled before the overwhelming military might of the Great Qian Dynasty, gradually taking over the soldiers' minds.

Just as the morale of the army was about to collapse, a rapid sound of horses' hooves came from behind.

Ito Shinbu and Minamoto Yoshikiyo rode their horses up to the high platform of the city wall.

He heard every single whisper and word of fear of battle from the soldiers.

Seeing the low morale and fearful expressions of his soldiers, Ito Shinmu's eyes turned bloodshot. He suddenly drew his longsword from his waist, the cold blade pointing straight at the sky, emitting a resounding clang!

"What's the panic!"

A loud shout, like a thunderclap, instantly silenced all the whispers in the room.

All the soldiers fell silent instantly, turning their heads in unison to look at His Majesty the Emperor on the high platform.

Ito Shinmu's gaze swept over all the soldiers, his eyes sharp and resolute, his voice powerful and clear, resounding throughout the East Gate tower and reaching the ears of all the soldiers.

"So what if the enemy outnumbers us? So what if the enemy's army is powerful?"

"Today, I stand here shoulder to shoulder with all my soldiers, vowing to defend the city to the death, to fight to the bitter end!"

His tone suddenly became more forceful, carrying an extreme sense of intimidation and resolve:

"You must know that the Great Qian army's expedition across the sea aims to annihilate our Eastern Yi state!"

"If the city gates fall and the army enters, not only will you and I be doomed, but the millions of people in the city—your parents, wives, children, and families—will all become victims of the Great Qian's blade!"

"Retreat means death, fight offers a chance of survival!"

"We have nowhere to retreat! Our only way out is to grip our weapons tightly, fight to the death, and utterly crush these Great Qian invaders, driving them out of our Eastern Yi territory!"

"I hereby swear that I will stand guard on the city wall today, and live and die with all my soldiers! I will never retreat a single step!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his longsword high and shouted:

"We swear to defend the city to the death, to fight to the bitter end!"

His personal guards were the first to respond, and their impassioned shouts rose in waves, quickly infecting all the terrified defenders.

The fear and gloom that had been permeating the city walls were forcibly suppressed by these resolute words.

……

While the morale of the Dongyi army on the city wall was barely stabilized, the front of the Daqian army outside the city was already completely silent.

Hundreds of thousands of Daqian Iron Army soldiers stood in neat formation, their killing intent soaring to the sky.

Su Mu reined in his horse and stood still, his white hair fluttering in the wind. His gaze was deep and distant as he quietly stared at the tall East Gate tower in front of him. His expression was calm and undisturbed, showing no sign of eagerness to attack the city.

Behind him, a group of generals stood solemnly awaiting orders, none daring to utter a sound.

A moment later, Xu Cheng, a fierce general clad in armor and exuding heroic spirit, spurred his horse forward, cupped his hands in a fist salute, and passionately requested to fight:

"Elder Su! The main army is already at the city gates, and the enemy's morale is just beginning to crumble. This is the perfect opportunity to attack!"

"This humble general humbly requests to lead the charge, to be the first to challenge the enemy, and to be the first to breach the city! Let us seize the eastern gate of the Eastern Barbarians in one fell swoop!"