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

Inside the central command tent, Xu Shigui sat in the main seat, clutching the letter in his hand, his eyes filled with rage.

Zhang Heng stood below, cupped his fists and said, "General, last night when I was inspecting the camp, I captured a Northern Di spy. The spy committed suicide by poisoning himself, and this letter was found on his body. I dare not handle it on my own, so I have come to report to the General for a decision."

Xu Shigui only read the letter once.

He had no doubt about the truth of the matter, because he desperately needed such an opportunity to deal with Su Mu.

"You bastard, Su Mu!" He slammed his hand on the table, causing a teacup to jump and spill tea all over the table. "How dare you have an affair with Tuoba Han, that prince of the Northern Di!"

"I knew it! How could a centenarian possess such abilities? It turns out he's been in contact with the Northern Barbarians for a long time!"

Zhang Heng sneered inwardly, but his face remained impassive as he deliberately asked, "General, how should this matter be handled?"

"What should be done with him?" Xu Shigui stood up, his eyes flashing coldly. "Treason and collusion with the enemy is punishable by death according to the law!"

He paced back and forth in the tent for a couple of steps with his hands behind his back, then suddenly stopped.

"Zhang Heng, you immediately take the vanguard battalion to the cookhouse and capture that old bastard Su Mu for me. Throw him in the army prison and await further orders!"

Zhang Heng felt a chill run down his spine.

"This Xu Shigui really doesn't let any opportunity slip by; he's trying to ruin Old Su."

"Your subordinate obeys!" Zhang Heng clasped his hands in a fist salute, turned around, and strode out of the tent.

Xu Shigui held the letter, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.

He stepped out of the central command tent, his steps light as if he were walking on clouds, and headed straight for his two sons' tents.

……

Inside the vanguard general's tent, Xu Zhaowen and Xu Zhaowu were lying there listlessly.

The wound on their chests hadn't fully healed, so they couldn't get out of bed and move around freely; both of them were practically getting sick from being cooped up.

"Father, what brings you here?" Xu Zhaowu saw Xu Shigui lift the curtain and come in, and quickly sat up.

Xu Shigui smiled and walked to the bedside, handing the letter to the two of them.

"Look at this, what is it?"

Xu Zhaowen took the letter and unfolded it.

Xu Zhaowu leaned closer, their heads touching as they looked together.

"This...this is a letter that Tuoba Han wrote to Su Mu?" Xu Zhaowen's eyes widened suddenly.

"A thousand taels of gold and a hundred fine horses, what a grand gesture!" Xu Zhaowu gasped.

Xu Shigui, hands behind his back, said smugly, "Last night, Zhang Heng captured a Northern Di spy and found this letter on his person. That old bastard Su Mu is a traitor, the evidence is irrefutable!"

Xu Zhaowen and Xu Zhaowu exchanged a glance, their expressions shifting from shock to ecstasy.

"OK!"

Xu Zhaowu slammed his fist on the bed, unable to suppress his smile. "We've finally got our chance!"

Xu Zhaowen was also beaming with excitement, his eyes gleaming: "Su Mu, you old geezer, let's see how you escape this time! Treason is a capital offense!"

"Behead him?" Xu Zhaowu sneered, gritting his teeth as he said, "Beheading him would be too lenient. He humiliated us on the training ground, and his Akhal-Teke horse broke our ribs. If we don't avenge this, I, Xu Zhaowu, swear I'm not a man!"

"That's right!" Xu Zhaowen clenched his fist. "Now that he's fallen into our hands, we'll skin him alive! I, Xu Zhaowen, will write my name backwards!"

Xu Shigui looked at his two sons, who seemed to want to devour Su Mu whole, and waved his hand with a smile.

"Don't worry, this time the evidence is conclusive. He can't escape. He's guilty of treason and collusion with the enemy, and no one can save him."

Xu Zhaowu suddenly frowned and asked, "Father, could this letter be fake? What if it's a scheme by the Northern Di people?"

Xu Shigui scoffed, his eyes full of disdain.

"So what if it's fake? So what if it's real? If I, the General, say it's real, then it's real. No matter how high that old man's prestige is in the army, can it be higher than mine? Even if Qin Hao protects him, can he protect a traitor who colludes with the enemy?"

He paced back and forth in the tent, his voice full of smugness.

"Even if we take a step back and assume that this letter is fake, I, the General, insist that it is genuine, and Su Mu will never be able to turn the tables."

"When the time comes, once the man is killed and the Ferghana horse is retrieved, those who followed him in making trouble will quiet down. It's killing two birds with one stone."

Xu Zhaowen and Xu Zhaowu simultaneously gave a thumbs-up: "Dad, brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

The father and his two sons burst into laughter, the sound echoing through the tent, cold and jarring.

……

In the kitchen camp, two hundred brothers had just finished practicing their swordsmanship and were resting.

Some people were drinking water, some were wiping their knives, and some were sitting on the ground panting.

Zhao Dazui leaned against the pile of firewood, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, squinting as he basked in the sun.

These past few days with Master Su have been fulfilling, and my swordsmanship has improved considerably. I'm very happy about it.

"Everyone from the cookhouse, come out!"

A loud shout came from outside the camp gate, followed by a series of neat and rapid footsteps approaching from afar.

Zhao Dazui suddenly sat up, threw away the grass in his mouth, and grabbed the broadsword beside him.

"What happened?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the camp gate was kicked open.

Zhang Heng, dressed in the armor of a captain and with a long sword at his waist, strode in.

Behind him followed a dense mass of hundreds of vanguard soldiers, each wielding a spear and a broadsword at their waist, their armor clattering and exuding a murderous aura.

The brothers in the cookhouse stood up one after another, instinctively gripping their knives tightly.

"Captain Zhang, what are you doing...?" Zhao Dazui stepped forward and blocked Zhang Heng's way.

Zhang Heng's face was cold as he looked past Zhao Dazui and landed on Su Mu, who was standing at the entrance of the tent.

"Su Mu, by order of the General, you are suspected of treason and collusion with the enemy. You are hereby arrested! Guards, seize him!"

"Who dares!"

Zhao Dazui suddenly drew his broadsword and held it horizontally in front of him.

The two hundred cooks behind him drew their swords in unison, the blades flashing like snow, reflecting the midday sun so brightly that it was blinding.

"Zhao Dazui, are you trying to rebel?" Zhang Heng shouted sternly.

"Rebellion?" Zhao Dazui gritted his teeth, squeezing out the words, "We know better than anyone what kind of person Old Su is! He transported grain for the army, fought the enemy, and protected the supply depot—he risked his life for every single one of these tasks. Would such a person collude with the enemy and betray the country? What utter nonsense!"

"That's right! Elder Su wouldn't collude with the enemy!"

"Anyone who dares to touch Elder Su will have to get past us first!"

The brothers in the cooking camp were filled with righteous indignation, their eyes were bloodshot, and the veins on their hands gripping their knives were bulging.

They formed a circle, protecting Su Mu in the middle, with the tips of their blades pointing outwards at the vanguard soldiers.

The soldiers of the vanguard battalion looked at each other, their hands gripping their spears trembling slightly.

They also did not believe that Su Mu would betray the country and collude with the enemy.

Could the war god who defeated Chi Lie with three strikes on the battlefield and single-handedly chased down hundreds of Northern Di cavalrymen be a spy?

But military orders are absolute, and they had no choice but to come.

Looking at the desperate posture of the cooks, Zhang Heng thought to himself, "This is enough of a show."

"Su Mu disobeyed orders and the cooks gathered to resist arrest. Take them all down!" Zhang Heng waved his hand.

The vanguard soldiers gritted their teeth and charged forward.

The brothers from the cookhouse were equally fierce, clashing their broadswords against their spears in a flurry of blows.

In reality, both sides held back.

Blade to blade, gun barrel to gun barrel; it looked like a fierce fight, but neither of them really went for the kill.

Some people were pushed to the ground, but got up and continued fighting.

Someone was hit in the shoulder by the gun barrel, let out a muffled groan, took two steps back, and then rushed forward again.

The camp was in complete chaos, with shouts, curses, and the clanging of metal all mixed together, making everyone's ears ring.

A captain rushed into the central command tent, panting, and reported, "General...General! Something terrible has happened! Su Mu, with his cooks, has started fighting the vanguard!"

Xu Shigui suddenly stood up: "What? Wasn't Zhang Heng supposed to be arresting someone? How did they end up fighting?"

"Su Mu resisted arrest, the cooks protected him, and the vanguard couldn't capture him! He's already broken out of the camp!"

Xu Shigui's face turned ashen, and he slammed his hand on the table: "Rebellion! Rebellion! Su Mu is plotting a rebellion!"

"Report!" Another soldier rushed in, "General, Su Mu has led the cooks' battalion out of the encirclement and is fleeing north!"

"North?" Xu Shigui's pupils contracted. "That's the direction to Qingfeng Town! Are they going to join the bandits of Qingfeng Village?"

"Father, we can't let them get away!" Xu Zhaowu struggled to sit up in bed, his face flushed with anxiety. "If that old bastard Su Mu escapes, the consequences will be dire!"

Xu Zhaowen echoed, "Yes! Send men after him! We must bring him back!"

Xu Shigui gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with fury.

He took a deep breath, turned around abruptly, and shouted towards the outside of the tent.

"Issue the order! Commander Zhou Huchen is to lead three thousand elite troops out of the camp immediately to pursue them! We must bring Su Mu and all the cooks back! Alive or dead!"

"yes!"

The messenger rode out on horseback.

Xu Shigui stood at the entrance of the camp, looking north, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

"Su Mu, you can't escape."