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

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the open space in the fire station was already filled with people.

Two hundred cooks, each holding a broadsword, stood in neat rows, their eyes gleaming and their spirits high.

After more than ten days of hard training, their physiques were much stronger than when they first entered the camp, their hands no longer trembled when holding the knife, and although their knife-wielding movements could not yet be described as smooth and flowing, they already had a certain imposing presence.

Su Mu stood at the front of the group, his body hunched over, his full head of white hair fluttering slightly in the morning breeze.

He was still holding that chipped horse-slaying sword in his hand.

"First move, Tiger Descending the Mountain—Rise!"

At Su Mu's command, two hundred broadswords were raised simultaneously, their blades gleaming coldly in the morning light.

"drink!"

Two hundred men roared in unison, their broadswords slashing down in unison, the wind howling and dust flying.

"Second move, Tiger's Roar in the Mountains!"

"Third move: A hungry tiger pounces on its prey!"

"Drink! Drink! Drink!"

The three consecutive slashes were faster and more ruthless than the last.

Sweat beaded on the foreheads of the cooks, and veins bulged on their arms, but not one of them slacked off or complained.

Just then, Qin Hao and Zhang Heng walked in from outside the camp gate.

"General, look..." Zhang Heng suddenly stopped and pointed ahead.

Qin Hao followed his finger and his pupils suddenly contracted.

On the open ground of the cook camp, two hundred cooks were practicing swordsmanship in neat rows.

The broadswords flashed, swift and powerful, the formations shifted in an orderly fashion, and the strikes were fierce and forceful.

Qin Hao had fought for many years and had seen many soldiers.

This was the first time he had ever seen cooks practicing swordsmanship.

At this moment, the brothers in the Cooking Battalion held knives in their hands and the light in their eyes was no different from that of the elite soldiers in the Vanguard Battalion.

"This..." Qin Hao's mouth opened slightly, but he couldn't say anything for a moment.

Zhang Heng stared wide-eyed, muttering, "Is Elder Su... teaching them swordsmanship all this time?"

The two stood by the camp gate, watching quietly.

Su Mu slashed out with his sword.

Two hundred broadswords were unleashed simultaneously, the wind whistling through them like tigers descending a mountain.

Su Mu swept his sword across the ground.

Two hundred broadswords swept across simultaneously, their blades flashing like snow, like tigers roaring in the mountains.

Qin Hao's Adam's apple bobbed, his eyes filled with shock.

"This swordsmanship..." he murmured, "fierce and domineering, every move goes straight for the vital points, there are no fancy moves, it's all killing techniques."

Standing behind him, Zhang Heng's eyes shone, his voice full of envy: "Old Su is truly dedicated. At his age, he not only fights desperately on the battlefield, but also thinks about how to improve the strength of the cook battalion."

"I would very much like to learn this swordsmanship."

Qin Hao didn't speak, but his eyes betrayed him.

He also wanted to learn.

He had seen Su Mu's swordsmanship.

It was also the purest swordsmanship he had ever seen, without any fancy moves, only life-and-death battles.

After Su Mu finished teaching, Qin Hao and the other person went up to greet him.

"Old Su!"

Hearing the sound, Su Mu turned around and saw Qin Hao and Zhang Heng standing by the camp gate.

He gave Zhao Dazui a few instructions, told the brothers to continue practicing, and then, leaning on his horse-slaying saber, walked hunched over toward the two men.

"General Qin, Captain Zhang, what brings you to the cookhouse so early in the morning?" Su Mu's voice was hoarse, with a hint of amusement.

Qin Hao clasped his hands in a fist and said sincerely, "Old Su, you are truly a role model for us. Even at such an advanced age, you still remember to teach your brothers swordsmanship while working in the kitchen. I admire your dedication."

Su Mu waved his hand and laughed, "It's a small matter. Once they learn it, killing a few more Northern Barbarians will make my efforts worthwhile. I'm old, but I'll do my part if I can."

Qin Hao looked at Su Mu's wrinkled face and saw the hatred for the Northern Di people filling his cloudy yet bright eyes.

He became even more convinced that such a person could never betray his country and collude with the enemy.

"Mr. Su, may I speak to you in private?" Qin Hao lowered his voice.

Su Mu noticed the seriousness on his face, nodded, and led the two to a large tree at the edge of the camp, away from the group practicing their swordsmanship.

Qin Hao took the letter out of his pocket and handed it over.

"Mr. Su, please take a look at this."

Su Mu took the letter and unfolded it.

His cloudy old eyes scanned line by line across the letter, and his expression changed from calm to a smile.

"A thousand taels of gold, a hundred fine horses." Su Mu shook his head and laughed, "I never expected that an old man like me, a hundred years old, would receive such favor from the Prince of the Northern Di."

"Hahaha!"

Qin Hao said in a deep voice, "Elder Su, we all know that this matter is a conspiracy by the Northern Di people, but you also know that General Xu has a deep affection for you... If this letter falls into his hands, it may become true."

Su Mu smiled but didn't reply.

Zhang Heng couldn't help but say, "Old Su, what should we do? Should we destroy this letter and pretend it never happened?"

Su Mu remained silent for a moment, then suddenly raised his head, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"No. Give the letter to Xu Shigui."

"What?" Qin Hao and Zhang Heng exclaimed in unison, both of them stunned.

Qin Hao was the first to react, his brows furrowing:

"Old Su, do you know what will happen to you if this letter falls into Xu Shigui's hands? He already harbors resentment towards you, and with this letter, he will definitely use it as an opportunity to harm you!"

Zhang Heng also grew anxious, clasping his hands in a fist and saying, "Elder Su, please reconsider! General Xu is capable of anything!"

Su Mu smiled, a smile that was calm and serene.

"General Qin, Lieutenant Zhang, please let me finish."

He paused.

"Tuoba Han wants to use Xu Shigui's knife to kill this old man, so let's go along with his plan and turn the tables on him."

Qin Hao raised an eyebrow, a look of confusion on his face.

Su Mu continued, "If Xu Shigui finds out about this letter and he attacks me, the brothers in the army will definitely not agree. In that case, we'll have a 'disagreement between the generals and the commanders,' and the bigger the commotion, the better."

He turned around, looked at Qin Hao, and his gaze was piercing.

"Then, I led the brothers of the cook camp away from the army camp, making it seem as if we were to part ways with the Daqian army. When Tuoba Han sees that our army is in turmoil, he will surely be unable to restrain himself and launch a major attack on Qinghe County."

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

"When that time comes, I will lead my brothers back to kill them and catch them off guard."

Upon hearing this, Qin Hao's pupils suddenly contracted.

Zhang Heng gasped.

The two looked at each other, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.

He took the initiative and played along with the plan.

Su Mu is using himself as bait to lure the Northern Di people to attack.

Zhang Heng said, "Isn't that too risky?"

"What if General Xu really tries to kill Old Master Su under this pretext? What if the army can't withstand the Northern Di's attack? What if something happens to the brothers in the First Cook Battalion...?"

"A mistake in any link could lead to utter ruin."

Su Mu immediately countered, "But what if this plan succeeds?"

"By then, the Daqian army will be well-rested and ready to attack from both inside and outside. If they can't completely annihilate the Northern Di army, they can at least severely damage its main force."

Qin Hao remained silent for a long time before raising his head and looking into Su Mu's determined eyes.

"Mr. Su, have you made up your mind?"

Su Mu nodded.

"I've thought it through. I've lived for a hundred years, what haven't I experienced? One more time won't make a difference."

Qin Hao took a deep breath and suddenly clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Alright! We'll follow Elder Su's plan!"

Zhang Heng also clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice full of admiration: "Elder Su, this humble general admires you!"

Su Mu waved his hand and said with a smile, "Then it's settled. Captain Zhang, you can give this letter to General Xu."

"Remember, make sure it looks like you found it last night, and presented it to the General before you even had a chance to report it to General Qin."

Zhang Heng accepted the letter and nodded solemnly, "This subordinate understands!"

Qin Hao added, "Zhang Heng, you have to play your part perfectly. Xu Shigui is naturally suspicious. The more you try to hide something, the more suspicious he will become. Just hand over the letter openly and say that it was found last night. Everything is up to the General to decide."

"yes!"

Zhang Heng put the letter into his pocket, turned around and strode away.

Qin Hao watched his retreating figure, then turned around and said to Su Mu, "Old Su, you've taken a very risky step."

Su Mu smiled slightly, leaning on his horse-slaying saber, his body hunched over, gazing at the hazy sky in the distance.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

"General Qin, please proceed according to the plan."