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

"Grandpa Su, that's the hidden granary that Magistrate Wu built back then."

County Magistrate Chen reined in the horse and pointed to a cave entrance blocked by boulders at the foot of the mountain wall ahead.

Su Mu, riding on his Akhal-Teke horse, looked in the direction the man was pointing.

In the recessed part of the mountain wall, the rocks were piled up neatly, and if you didn't look closely, you would really think it was a landslide.

This Magistrate Wu has certainly put in a lot of effort.

"Your Excellency, how long will it take to open it?" Su Mu asked.

County Magistrate Chen calculated for a moment: "About a hundred people, half an hour."

Su Mu nodded and was about to speak when he noticed an unconcealable panic in County Magistrate Chen's eyes.

His hand gripped the reins, his eyes constantly darting towards the surrounding mountains and forests, as if some monster might leap out of the woods at any moment.

Su Mu narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Why is Your Excellency so alarmed? Could it be that there's a trap set in the granary?"

County Magistrate Chen shook his head violently and lowered his voice: "Old...old man, aren't you curious? We've come all this way without any obstacles."

"Logically speaking, the bandits in Qingfeng Town have been entrenched for three years and have long since regarded this area as their own backyard."

"With such a large group of us going into the mountains, how could they not know?"

He swallowed hard, his voice trembling even more.

"This...this is probably the calm before the storm."

Su Mu glanced at him but didn't say anything.

The county magistrate continued:

"Old man, to tell you the truth, the county government has tried to take advantage of the granary over the past three years."

"Every time we sent constables to investigate, they were captured by the bandits, tortured until they were covered in wounds, and then released."

"Those bandits guarded this area like an iron barrel, but today, they came into the mountains in such a grand manner, with horse-drawn carts and mules, yet not a single bandit showed up."

After speaking, the county magistrate secretly glanced at the white-haired, hunched-over old man beside him, his heart pounding with apprehension.

Thinking to myself:

It's one thing for the cooks to escort the grain, but why let such an old man lead the team?

What exactly was General Xu thinking?

These cooks are passable at cooking and tending the fire, but what good would they be if a fight broke out?

As for this old man...

County Magistrate Chen shook his head, not daring to think any further.

In his view, this team was just there to deliver food.

Su Mu saw Chen County Magistrate's expression but offered no explanation.

He knew what the county magistrate was worried about.

However, once a real fight breaks out, the county magistrate will naturally understand.

He withdrew his gaze and ordered in a deep voice, "Changfeng, Tieniu, come here."

Gu Changfeng and Zhao Tieniu stepped forward quickly, clasped their hands in greeting, and accepted the order.

"You two, each take ten brothers and go out to keep watch around the area. Report back immediately if there is any movement, and do not linger in battle."

"Yes!" The two men accepted the order and each led ten men to disperse and disappear into the bushes on both sides of the mountain path.

Su Mu turned around and faced the cooks. His voice was not loud, but it was clear: "The rest of you, follow me and break through the pile of stones to move the grain."

"yes!"

Two hundred or so people picked up pickaxes and crowbars and began clearing away the rubble blocking the cave entrance.

The sound of rocks rolling echoed through the valley, sparks flew from under the pickaxe, and dust billowed.

In less than half an hour, the stone gate was revealed.

Zhao Dazui crawled inside, and a moment later rushed out, his face full of excitement and his voice filled with excitement.

"Old Su! Grain! Lots of grain! The pits are overflowing! Enough to feed our army for a month!"

The cooks were overjoyed and rolled up their sleeves, eager to rush in and move the grain.

"Great! This trip was worthwhile!"

"Move quickly! Get out of here as soon as you're done! I don't want to stay in this awful place for another second!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Hurry up and move it!"

Su Mu did not move.

He stood at the cave entrance, leaning on his broadsword, his eyes sweeping over the crowd, his voice calm:

"It's okay to move it, but take your time, don't rush."

Everyone was taken aback, and someone blurted out, "Old Su, why are we slowing down? Shouldn't we finish moving things quickly and get back to camp sooner?"

Su Mu's gaze fell on the man, and he said slowly, "If I tell you to slow down, then slow down. Talk less and follow my orders."

The man shrank back, not daring to say another word.

Although everyone was full of doubts, they obediently did as instructed, slowing down their carrying speed and carrying the bags out one by one.

Su Mu stood at the cave entrance, looking at the surrounding mountains and forests, without a trace of impatience in his eyes.

He deliberately slowed down for two reasons.

Firstly, it's a good strategy to lure the bandits out of their hole. They'll come sooner or later anyway, so instead of letting them ambush us on the way, we can lure them here and defeat them in one fell swoop, saving us from having to worry about them on the way back.

Secondly, to conserve their energy, the brothers had traveled dozens of miles by long journey and spent half a day smashing rocks with pickaxes. They were already exhausted. If they were to risk their lives to move grain, they would not have the strength to hold a knife when the bandits came.

Su Mu was absolutely certain that the bandits would come.

In his youth, he traveled all over the country and had seen far more bandits than the Qingfeng Village.

These people are like flies to blood when they smell grain; they would never let it go.

"Old Su." Gu Changfeng had somehow circled back and leaned close to Su Mu's ear, his voice extremely low, "There's movement in the woods east of the valley. At least two hundred people are sneaking this way."

Su Mu's lips curled up slightly: "Keep your composure and wait for them to show up."

He turned and walked into the granary, looking at his brothers who were still slowly carrying sacks of grain, and whispered, "Are the knives ready?"

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then they all gripped the broadswords at their waists.

"Ready!"

Su Mu nodded, walked out of the cave, and mounted his horse.

He placed the saber across the saddle, his eyes fixed on the mountains and forests to the east.

He had just settled down when a deafening roar of battle cries suddenly erupted from all around the valley.

"Kill the government troops! Seize the grain and fodder! Rob the precious horses!"

"Kill them!"

Shouts came from all directions, like a flash flood, instantly engulfing the entire valley.

Immediately afterwards, a dark mass of figures rushed out from the woods, behind the rocks, and from the ravines.

Some were wielding broadswords, some were holding spears, and some were carrying iron forks; they all looked fierce and menacing, their eyes gleaming with greed.

At least three hundred people surrounded the granary from all directions.

"The bandits are here! The bandits are here!"

"Quick! Grab your weapons!"

The brothers of the cookhouse put down their grain sacks, drew their broadswords, and lined up in formation in front of the granary.

Some people's legs were shaking, some were gritting their teeth, and some were pale, but no one backed down.

Zhao Tieniu drew his broadsword, his mouth twitching into a wide grin, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

"Perfect timing! Let grandpa slaughter you all until you piss yourselves in terror!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the bandits rushed up to him.

The flashing of swords and the deafening shouts of battle filled the air.

Two hundred cooks and three hundred bandits clashed instantly, broadswords against swords, pickaxes against spears, sparks flying everywhere.

Su Mu rode on his Akhal-Teke horse, his brows furrowed.

He knew very well that although the brothers in the cookhouse had practiced the Five Tigers Breaking the Gate Saber for a few days, this was, after all, their first time fighting a real battle with real swords and spears.

Their moves were clumsy and their teamwork awkward; after a few rounds, several people had already been injured.

If they keep fighting like this, they won't last long.

The bandit leader must be dealt with as soon as possible.

Su Mu patted the Akhal-Teke horse's neck, his voice hoarse but calm: "Good horse, it's time for us to fight together again. Charge over and kill their leader."

The Akhal-Teke horse raised its head and neighed, its forelegs raised high, its mane gleaming like a white battle flag in the sunlight.

Its four hooves flew like an arrow, carrying Su Mu toward the mounted leaders behind the bandits.

The white figure moved with lightning speed, the saber drawing a cold gleam in the sunlight.

"Chief, look at that man riding a white horse." Meng Ziyi looked ahead, his voice wary.

You Zhongyi followed his gaze.

In front of the granary, on a pure white steed, sat an old man with white hair and a hunched back.

The old man, holding the reins in one hand and a saber in the other, was charging towards them.

"Is that the old man the spies were talking about?" You Zhongyi frowned.

"Exactly." Mr. Meng closed his folding fan and tapped it in his palm. "Chief, don't you find it strange? A centenarian leading a group of cooks to transport grain into the bandit's den. Even if Xu Shigui is stupid, he wouldn't be that stupid."

You Zhongyi's heart skipped a beat: "Does the strategist mean... there's a trap?"

Mr. Meng shook his head and laughed, "It's unlikely to be a trap. Xu Shigui doesn't have that kind of guts. What I mean is, this old man is probably not simple."

"To be able to ride a Ferghana horse at the age of 100 and to dare to lead the cooks deep into the tiger's den, one must either be insane or truly capable."

Hu Biao, who had been listening impatiently, waved his hand:

"Strategist, you're being far too cautious!"

"What skills could an old geezer possibly have?"

"He's half-buried, how can he fight? I could chop him in half with one stroke!"

He got more and more excited as he spoke, patting his chest as he spoke.

"Brother, I'll go and bring you that old man's head right now! And I'll personally lead your prized horse back for you!"

You Zhongyi glanced at Meng Ziyi.

Meng Ziyi didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly.

"Go."

Be careful.

Hu Biao grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, spurred his horse, and charged towards Su Mu with his ghost-head broadsword spinning in his hand.

"Just an old man who's about to die."

"Watch me chop you in half with one stroke!"