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

Qingfeng Village.

You Zhongyi lay on the horse's back, his chest wracked with pain, each breath feeling like someone was twisting a knife between his ribs.

His face was deathly pale, large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and his lips were deathly white.

His body even began to stagger.

"Boss! Boss!"

Meng Ziyi grabbed You Zhongyi and helped him up, his voice full of urgency.

"How are you?"

Yu Zhongyi hunched over, his left hand supporting his knee, his right hand clutching his chest. He coughed violently a few times, then spat out a mouthful of blood, which splattered on the ground in a shocking sight.

"I won't die." He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his voice hoarse.

He turned his head and looked at the brothers who were fleeing back to the mountain stronghold in twos and threes.

Some lost their weapons, some were wounded, and some even lost their shoes. They were all covered in dust and looked utterly disheveled.

A flicker of pain crossed You Zhongyi's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by anger.

"Strategist, quickly let the brothers into the stronghold and close the gate!"

"If those cooks come after us, we'll be in trouble!"

Meng Ziyi nodded, then turned and shouted to the brothers who were still running desperately towards them, "Hurry! Get back to the stronghold! Don't dawdle!"

The bandits who were fleeing for their lives panicked even more when they heard the strategist's shout.

They certainly knew what the strategist was worried about.

If those soldiers go berserk and chase us to the mountain stronghold, can the gate really hold them off with that old man's knife?

In the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, the last group of bandits tumbled and crawled into the village gate.

"Close the gate! Close it now!"

With Meng Ziyi's shout, the heavy wooden door slammed shut with a "bang," the bolt was inserted, and two more door bars were added to hold it in place.

The bandits finally breathed a sigh of relief, collapsing to the ground and panting heavily.

"I'm exhausted... I've never run this fast in my life..."

"Luckily I ran fast, otherwise that old man would have cleaved me in two with one stroke, and I'd be lying in a ravine feeding wild dogs right now!"

"Who do you think that old man is? He's so old, his hair is all white, and he can't even straighten his back. How can he still ride a horse and fight?"

"Absolutely! Those Akhal-Teke horses, with their fierce temperaments, become like kittens under his lap, he can ride them however he wants!"

"So what if I'm going to join the army? Why am I being assigned to the cookhouse? The cookhouse is where you cook and tend the fire!"

"Is the Great Qian army out of manpower or what? Sending this centenarian to the cookhouse? Is that the cookhouse or the War God Battalion, you bastard?"

"Did you see that swordsmanship clearly? I was standing more than ten feet away when I saw a flash of light, and the second-in-command... the second-in-command's sword flew away, and he too..."

The bandit who was speaking stopped mid-sentence, his face turned pale, and he dared not continue.

Everyone fell silent.

They recalled the scene of Hu Biao being split in two.

With that single slash, blood spurted up more than a meter high, and the two halves of the corpse slid off the horse, their internal organs scattered all over the ground.

That scene is something I'll probably never forget for the rest of my life.

"This time, Qingfeng Village has really met its match."

Meng Ziyi stood behind the battlements on the village gate, his brows furrowed, his eyes fixed on the mountain road outside the village.

The sunlight shone on his face, making his complexion appear even paler.

He stared at it for a long time.

At the end of the mountain road, there was no one in sight.

There was no movement in the woods.

He finally let out a long breath, and his tense shoulders relaxed slightly.

He knew that if the government troops hadn't caught up by this time, it meant they wouldn't come.

Meng Ziyi secretly rejoiced.

Fortunately, the soldiers' target was only the grain and fodder; otherwise, with the old man's knife, breaking through the gate of Qingfeng Village would have been a matter of just a few strokes.

He turned and glanced at his brothers, who were lying limp and covered in wounds in the village, and felt a mix of emotions.

Qingfeng Village suffered heavy losses in this battle.

The second-in-command, Hu Biao, is dead, dozens of brothers are gone, and dozens more are wounded.

It can be said that it suffered a great loss of vitality.

"Strategist, the chief is calling for you." A man walked up to Meng Ziyi and bowed to report.

Meng Ziyi nodded and instructed, "You guys keep an eye on the movements outside the stronghold. Report back immediately if there's any disturbance."

"yes!"

Meng Ziyi straightened his robes and strode towards the Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness.

……

The Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness was filled with the smell of medicine.

You Zhongyi took off his shirt and sat on the chair with his upper body bare. A large bruise was visible on his chest, which extended from his collarbone to his waist and abdomen.

The village doctor, Old Xie, squatted beside him, applying ointment to the wound while marveling at it.

"Boss, you're really in good health."

"If this blow had hit anyone else, they would have broken at least three or five ribs. It's a miracle that you only suffered minor flesh wounds and your bones are intact."

He applied the medicine while shaking his head and sighing.

"How strong must that old man be to beat you up like this?"

You Zhongyi didn't say anything, he just gritted his teeth and let Lao Xie apply the ointment to the wound.

After applying the medicine, Old Xie stepped back.

You Zhongyi moved his arm; although it still hurt a little, the bone was definitely not broken.

At this moment, Meng Ziyi walked in.

"Boss, are you feeling better?"

You Zhongyi nodded, his voice low: "I'm much better. Old Xie said there were no broken bones."

He looked up at Meng Ziyi.

"How's it going? Have those cooks caught up yet?"

Meng Ziyi shook his head and sat down opposite You Zhongyi.

"There's no movement yet, but they probably won't come. Their mission is to transport supplies, not to suppress bandits. Once they've finished transporting the supplies, they'll naturally go back."

You Zhongyi remained silent for a moment, then let out a long sigh.

There was resentment and anger in that tone!

"This time, we suffered heavy losses. Our second-in-command, Hu Biao, is gone, and dozens of our brothers are gone too..."

His fists clenched so tightly they cracked. "Damn it!"

He slammed his fist on the table.

"When did such a figure arrive in the Great Qian army?"

"An old man with such high martial arts skills was assigned to the cookhouse. What exactly is Xu Shigui up to?"

He looked up at Meng Ziyi, his eyes filled with confusion and anger.

Meng Ziyi was silent for a moment before speaking, "Boss, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."

"explain."

"This matter might... be a good thing."

You Zhongyi frowned: "Good news? Why do you say that, strategist?"

Meng Ziyi stood up, paced back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back, carefully considering his words.

"My lord, think about it. The fact that there are such capable people in the Great Qian army shows that Great Qian is not rotten to the core. With such figures around, we may really be able to win this battle and drive the Northern Di people out."

He turned around, looked at You Zhongyi, and his gaze was earnest.

"Isn't this also your wish? Although you hate the court and those corrupt officials, in your heart, you hope for a better future for the Great Qianlong Emperor and for the Northern Barbarians to be driven out. Perhaps..."

"That's enough!"

You Zhongyi suddenly raised his hand, interrupting Meng Ziyi.

His face was ashen, and his expression was serious.

"Strategist, there's no need for further words."

"I, You Zhongyi, will never forget how my father died! It was those corrupt officials who embezzled public funds, broke the law, and treated human life like dirt, causing my father to die unjustly in prison!"

"So what if the Great Qian army won? So what if they drove out the Northern Di? Those corrupt officials are still corrupt officials, and the common people are still oppressed! My father died in vain!"

He stood up, his chest heaving violently, which aggravated his injuries and caused him excruciating pain, but he did not sit down.

"Strategist, there's no need to say anything more."

He turned around, his back to Meng Ziyi.

"Now, send someone to find out who that old man is."

"Three days. I need to know everything about this old man."

You Zhongyi's voice calmed down, but beneath the calm was a deeper hatred: "The blood debt of Qingfeng Village cannot be left unresolved."

Meng Ziyi opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he only cupped his hands in a gesture of respect.

"Yes."

"I will obey the leader's orders!"