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

In the cookhouse.

Su Mu unfolded the curtain, leaned out halfway, and squinted at the dim, setting sun on the horizon.

"I actually slept until now." He rubbed his lower back and muttered to himself, "Looks like I was really sleepy."

He moved his neck a few times, the bones cracking, and then suddenly remembered something.

"Oh no, we haven't even picked the firewood and water yet!"

With that, he turned and went back to his tent, grabbed the saber leaning against the bed, and walked out, using the hilt as a support.

I had only taken two steps when a figure blocked my way.

"Sir, what are you going to do?"

Su Mu looked up and saw that it was the captain.

"Captain, I haven't even gathered the firewood and water yet," Su Mu said, then added, "By the way, what's the workload for today?"

The captain quickly waved his hand.

"Grandpa, from now on, you don't need to help us chop wood and carry water anymore!"

"We, the other nine brothers, will help you with your work!"

Su Mu frowned.

"Isn't this inappropriate?"

"We're all soldiers, how can we let the other brothers take on my work points?"

"Forget it, I'll just keep chopping wood and do my job."

He said he was about to walk past the captain and move forward.

The captain quickly followed, his tone urgent: "Old man, what are you saying? You fought bravely last night, protecting our entire camp. How could we trouble you with such a small matter?"

He reached out and carefully took the horse-slaying saber from Su Mu's hand.

At this moment, several brothers who had returned with water also gathered around. They were all covered in sweat, their clothes soaked and clinging to their bodies, but their faces showed excitement and pride.

"Old man, the captain is right! Save your energy for the battlefield and kill more of those Northern barbarians! Leave the heavy lifting to us!"

"Yes, sir, your battle yesterday made our entire cookhouse proud! Now everyone knows our cookhouse has produced a war god!"

Su Mu looked at these young faces, a hint of warmth flashing in his eyes.

He didn't say anything more, he just nodded.

"Grandpa! How are you feeling?"

Just then, a loud voice came from behind the crowd.

Everyone turned around and saw Qin Hao striding over, followed by Zhou Huchen and several captains.

General's uniforms and bronze armor gleamed in the setting sun; a large group of people marched in, exuding an imposing aura.

The soldiers of the cookhouse quickly made way for them and bowed respectfully.

"General!"

"Captain!"

Qin Hao waved his hand, indicating that they didn't need to be so polite.

"You can go and get back to work."

"Let's have a chat with Grandpa Su."

The cooks wisely dispersed, but even after they had gone some distance, they kept turning back to whisper among themselves.

"What kind of reward do you think Old Master Su will receive for making such a great contribution this time?"

"I reckon he'll at least be promoted to captain! Look at the general coming to see him personally, that's a huge honor!"

"Captain? I think even 'captain' is an understatement. The old man single-handedly killed two Northern Di generals. With that kind of strength, he could easily be promoted to general!"

"That's right! Our cooks' battalion really benefited from the old man's good fortune this time!"

……

Upon seeing Qin Hao's personal visit, Su Mu quickly stepped aside and lifted the tent flap, gesturing for everyone to come inside.

Qin Hao smiled, bent down, and crawled inside.

The tents were small, containing a few hardboard beds, a broken wooden table, and several dirty blankets.

It was tidied up fairly well. The machete was leaning against the pillar by the head of the bed, the whetstone was on the ground, and there was a small basin of water next to it.

After everyone entered the tent, Qin Hao suddenly knelt down on one knee.

"Grandpa Su!" Qin Hao clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice loud and solemn, "Thank you for your intervention, which prevented the Northern Di from launching a night attack on the supply camp, killed Chi Lie and his deputy, and forced the Northern Di army to retreat!"

He raised his head, his gaze intense.

"Your actions have saved the entire military camp and the people of Qinghe County. On behalf of the people of Qinghe County and all the soldiers, I have come here to express my gratitude!"

Zhou Huchen and several captains behind him knelt down on one knee in unison, saying, "Thank you, Old Master Su!"

Su Mu was stunned.

He quickly stepped forward, grabbed Qin Hao's arm with his thin, withered hands, and pulled him up with all his might.

"General, what are you doing? Get up at once!"

"I told Commander Zhou before that I am a soldier of the Great Qian Dynasty, and it is my duty to kill the Northern Di people and guard the camp! Why are you so grateful?"

"Arise! Arise!"

Qin Hao was pulled up by him, and the generals behind him also stood up.

Su Mu finally breathed a sigh of relief, took a step back, glanced at everyone's faces, and smiled slightly.

"We've all been through thick and thin together in the same military camp, why bother with these formalities?"

Qin Hao smiled and was about to speak.

Zhou Huchen stood to the side, but spoke first.

"well……"

He sighed deeply.

The sigh was long and heavy, as if someone had been holding their breath for too long and finally couldn't hold it in any longer.

All eyes in the tent fell on him.

Su Mu looked over and asked, "Commander Zhou, what's troubling you?"

Zhou Huchen looked at Qin Hao, his eyes asking for instructions.

Qin Hao remained silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"Old sir, actually... we have wronged you."

Su Mu's brow twitched slightly, but he remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

Zhou Huchen's fists clenched so tightly they cracked, his voice filled with barely suppressed resentment.

"You have performed such a remarkable feat that we originally intended to have General Xu report to the imperial court to award you a great merit, but..."

He gritted his teeth.

"As a result, Xu Shigui ignored it! He even said that you had ridden the Ferghana horse without permission, thus defiling the treasure to be presented to His Majesty, which was a grave offense! Therefore... your merits and demerits cancel each other out!"

The atmosphere in the tent suddenly became heavy.

Su Mu laughed.

"Generals and sirs, why trouble yourselves with such matters?"

His voice was hoarse, unhurried, and utterly calm.

"The court is currently in chaos, and foreign enemies are invading. It is a time of turmoil. In such a chaotic world, why worry about not having opportunities to make a name for oneself?"

He paused, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"As long as I can kill the Northern Di people, I am already very satisfied. As for the matter of recording my merits..."

He waved his hand.

"Just go with the flow."

Looking at the white-haired old man, Qin Hao felt an overwhelming sense of admiration.

He has seen too many people fight tooth and nail for credit, and too many people complain and blame others for not being rewarded.

Yet this centenarian, who had performed such extraordinary feats, was killed without even flinching.

Su Mu changed the subject, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes.

"It's just a pity that the Akhal-Teke horse was taken to the capital and kept as a decorative object."

"Such a magnificent horse, if kept in the army, would surely help our generals to dominate the battlefield and be invincible!"

Qin Hao's brows twitched slightly, his mind filled with a myriad of thoughts.

"If you ask me..." Zhou Huchen's temper flared up again, his voice rising several decibels, "Let's unite and overthrow that scoundrel Xu Shigui! Let him go to the King of Hell to claim credit!"

"Nonsense!"

Qin Hao turned his head sharply and shouted at him.

"To oppose the General is tantamount to opposing the imperial court! Don't repeat yourself like that!"

Zhou Huchen's face turned bright red, his lips trembled twice, but he eventually gave up and shut his mouth.

Qin Hao turned around to face Su Mu, his stern expression disappearing.

"Old man, you don't need to worry about the Akhal-Teke horse."

"The Akhal-Teke horse will recognize whoever can tame it as his master."

"Now that you've tamed it, sir, it's yours. No one but you can take it away, not even General Xu."

"Tomorrow, I will have General Xu send someone to fetch the Ferghana horse himself."

"If they can take them away, we'll comply with the General's wishes and have them sent to the capital. Otherwise..."

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

"This horse is Old Master Su's mount."

Qin Hao's move was actually intended to reward Su Mu with the Akhal-Teke horse to make up for not giving him a commendation this time.

This cleverly soothed Su Mu's heart.

Su Mu naturally understood the meaning behind it and couldn't help but sigh that Qin Hao had the ability to be a general.

Everyone immediately understood what Qin Hao meant.

He laughed.

"General Qin, this plan is brilliant!"

"Let's wait and see if General Xu has the ability to take this Akhal-Teke horse away tomorrow."