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

"Sir, are you alright?"

Gu Changfeng was the first to react, and quickly walked up to Su Mu, looking him up and down.

His usually calm voice carried an undisguised urgency.

Zhao Tieniu rushed over, his large, round eyes scanning Su Mu's body. When he saw the bloodstains all over his body, his face turned pale.

"Sir! You're covered in blood, where are you injured?" He turned and shouted behind him, "Medic! Medic, come quick!"

Zhou Huchen and several captains also gathered around.

"Medic! Come here quickly!" Zhou Huchen shouted behind him, his voice even more urgent than Zhao Tieniu's.

The military doctor, who was bandaging the wounded, heard the shouts and assumed that a general had been seriously injured. He dropped the bandages and ran over with his medical kit.

Su Mu waved his hand.

"I'm fine."

"The blood on my body is from those northern barbarians."

He paused, glanced at the army medic who was running over panting, and added, "Let the army medic treat the other wounded who need it. This old man's bones can still hold up."

Upon hearing this, everyone gasped in shock.

A centenarian, alone, with only a horse and a knife, pursued the Northern Di cavalry, beheaded two generals, and returned unharmed.

I've never even heard of such a thing, let alone seen it.

How did this old man manage to do that?

Zhou Huchen took a deep breath to suppress the turmoil in his heart.

He straightened his armor, walked up to Su Mu, knelt on one knee, clasped his hands together, and raised them high above his head.

"Thank you so much, sir, for your help in saving the entire Daqian army!"

The captains behind him exchanged a glance and then knelt down on one knee in unison.

Those soldiers who could still stand knelt down one after another.

"Thank you so much for your help, sir!"

The voices of thousands of people merged into a torrent, echoing in the morning light.

Su Mu was stunned.

He quickly stepped forward, grabbed Zhou Huchen's arm with his withered hand, and pulled him up with all his might.

"What are you doing, Captain? Get up at once!"

"Although I am a cook, I am still a soldier of the Great Qian Dynasty. It is my duty to fight the enemy. How can you say I am helping them?"

"Brothers, get up quickly! This old man can't take this!"

Zhou Huchen was helped up, and the soldiers behind him then stood up as well.

But everyone's gaze towards Su Mu changed.

It was all heartfelt reverence for true strength.

Zhou Huchen patted the dirt off his knees and said solemnly, "Old Master, your killing of two Northern Di generals, defeating the Northern Di barbarians, and protecting our army's supplies is an immense feat. Once the General and General Qin return to camp, I will certainly inform them of this matter and have them report it to the capital to request commendation for you!"

Su Mu smiled slightly, his wrinkles deepening.

"Whether I ask for credit or not, we'll talk about that later." He waved his hand, a hint of self-deprecation in his voice. "This old man's body is about to fall apart; I just want to go back to camp and rest now!"

He rubbed his lower back and grinned.

"I'm getting old, I can't take any more hardship."

Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter.

Zhou Huchen smiled and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Grandpa, please go back and rest! I assure you, no one will disturb you!"

Su Mu nodded and reached out to untie the reins.

"Commander, this Akhal-Teke horse is a hero." Su Mu handed the reins to Zhou Huchen. "Without it, I would not have been able to catch up with Chi Lie, let alone cut off his head. Please treat it well, Commander."

Zhou Huchen quickly reached out to take it: "Of course! Besides, this is a Ferghana horse, a treasure that comes along only once in a century. How could we possibly be negligent..."

His hand had just touched the reins.

"hiss!"

The Akhal-Teke horse suddenly raised its head, let out a sharp neigh, kicked wildly with its hooves, and leaped about. It then swung its neck back to dodge Zhou Huchen's hand.

Zhou Huchen's hand froze in mid-air, and the smile on his face also froze.

He took another step forward, wanting to try again.

The Akhal-Teke snorted, took two steps back, its mane bristling, revealing a set of white teeth, and let out a low, threatening growl.

It looked like it would kick anyone who dared to get close.

Zhou Huchen stood awkwardly in place, unsure whether to advance or retreat.

Gu Changfeng stepped forward and cupped his hands, saying, "Commander, the Akhal-Teke horse always recognizes its master. Yesterday, Old Master Su tamed it, and now it will not obey anyone except the old master."

Zhou Huchen frowned, looking troubled.

"But... this is, after all, a treasure that the General is going to present to His Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tieniu became furious.

He stepped forward, glared at Zhou Huchen, and said bluntly, "Commander, I don't like hearing that!"

"Such rare warhorses, one in a century, are not used to fight on the battlefield and achieve glory, but instead sent to the palace to be kept as ornaments? Isn't this a terrible waste?"

He pointed to the Akhal-Teke horse, and then to Su Mu.

"Besides, this horse has already chosen its master! It won't submit to anyone except Grandpa Su!"

"If you insist on sending it to the capital, and it kicks or bites the emperor, who will take responsibility?"

"That's a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family!"

Zhou Huchen's face turned pale instantly.

Although Zhao Tieniu's words were rough, the reasoning behind them was sound.

It is common knowledge that Akhal-Teke horses recognize their owners.

He was caught in a dilemma.

Seeing his troubled expression, Su Mu said, "Captain, there's no need to be troubled. Since that's the case, let this Akhal-Teke horse come back to the cookhouse with me. I'll think of a way to persuade it later."

Shepherd really likes this Akhal-Teke horse!

Just now on the battlefield, it carried him as he charged into battle, weaving through thousands of troops with perfect coordination.

It could understand his words, and he could feel its breathing.

This kind of tacit understanding cannot be established by whips and reins.

Zhou Huchen thought for a moment, then sighed, "That's the only way."

He took a step back and made way for him.

Su Mu did not take the reins.

He carried his horse-slaying sword, his body hunched over, and walked step by step toward the cookhouse.

The Akhal-Teke horse followed obediently behind him, its head lowered, its hooves pattering lightly on the ground, making a clattering sound, like a docile dog.

Behind them, hundreds of eyes watched them go.

Zhou Huchen watched the hunched figure walk away, then suddenly remembered something, turned around, and called out to the crowd, "Zhao Dazui! Where's Zhao Dazui?"

Zhao Dazui squeezed out from the back of the crowd and jogged to Zhou Huchen, bowing and scraping: "Commander, I'm here, I'm here!"

Zhou Huchen's face was stern, his tone as harsh as issuing a military order: "From today onwards, no hard labor is to be assigned to Old Master Su! His rest is to be kept undisturbed! Your cooks must take good care of his food, clothing, and lodging!"

"Did you understand?"

Zhao Dazui nodded repeatedly: "Understood, understood! Don't worry, Commandant."

……

The next day at noon.

Thirty li outside Qinghe County, in front of the temporary military camp of the Daqian Dynasty.

Twenty thousand troops stood in formation, their swords and spears like a forest, their banners obscuring the sun.

Qin Hao, mounted on his horse, held a long spear, his eyes blazing as he stared at the dark mass of the Northern Di camp opposite him.

The Northern Di army also came out in full force, with a vast, dark mass of cavalry stretching as far as the eye could see.

The neighing of warhorses, the beating of war drums, and the shouts of soldiers mingled together, shaking the very earth.

Qin Hao frowned.

This battle will not be easy.

Although he had 20,000 men, 5,000 of them were new recruits who had never been on the battlefield.

The Northern Di cavalry on the other side were all veterans who had been through countless battles and were extremely fierce.

But he had no way out.

Qinghe County is right behind us, with tens of thousands of residents.

If they retreat, Qinghe County will fall into the hands of the Northern Di people.

By then, all five prefectures and thirteen counties in the northern border of the Great Qian Dynasty will fall under the rule of the Northern Barbarians.

Qin Hao gripped his spear tightly, took a deep breath, and was about to order the vanguard to advance!

"General Qin, Commander-in-Chief!"

A scout cavalryman galloped from the front, his hooves kicking up a trail of dust.

He rushed to the central banner, dismounted, knelt on one knee, panting heavily, and had a very strange expression on his face.

"The Northern Barbarians...the Northern Barbarians have retreated!"

"What?"

Qin Hao suddenly pulled on the reins, and the warhorse reared up, almost causing him to lose his balance.

"What did you say? Say it again!"

The scout raised his head, his voice trembling: "The entire Northern Di army has retreated! They are heading towards Yuzhou! I saw it with my own eyes, and there is no exaggeration!"

Qin Hao was stunned.

The captains around him were also stunned.

General Xu Shigui poked his head out from the carriage behind, his expression more bewildered than anyone else's.

"They withdrew?" Xu Shigui's voice was shrill. "They came with such force, like they were ready to fight to the death. How could they just leave like that?"

No one could answer him.

Qin Hao rode his horse forward for a while, climbed a small hill, and shaded his eyes with his hand, looking north.

really.

The dark mass of the Northern Di army was slowly moving backward.

The vanguard became the rearguard, and the rearguard became the vanguard. The flags were moving, and the cavalry were forming ranks. Although the retreating formation remained orderly, the direction was indeed north, heading towards Yuzhou.

Qin Hao's brows furrowed even more.

"This isn't right," he muttered to himself. "The Northern Barbarians have superior numbers and high morale, why are they retreating?"

He couldn't figure it out.

The captain beside him leaned closer and whispered, "General, could it be a trap? A feigned retreat to lure us into pursuit, then an ambush along the way?"

Qin Hao shook his head: "It doesn't seem like it. Look at their formation, they're retreating as a whole, not luring the enemy. And their scouts are also pulling back, it doesn't look like they're planning an ambush."

"Then...why is that?"