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

Zhou Huchen's pursuit lasted for a full day and night.

He pursued them all the way from the Qinghe County camp to the outskirts of Qingfeng Town, leading three thousand elite soldiers. The sound of their horses' hooves shook the heavens and the earth, and dust flew everywhere.

He deliberately slowed down along the way, chasing when he needed to, stopping when he needed to, and shouting without hesitation when he needed to.

"Capture Su Mu, and you'll be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver!"

"Don't let the traitor get away!"

Upon arriving at a secluded valley, Zhou Huchen finally reined in the horses.

He sat on his horse, gazing at the mountain path ahead, exhaled a long breath, and then waved his hand.

"Halt! Set up camp here!"

The three thousand elite soldiers stopped in unison, obeying orders without question.

These soldiers were all his carefully selected confidants, each one a skilled and courageous warrior.

Captain Liu Wu rode up to Zhou Huchen's side, dismounted, clasped his hands and said, "Reporting to Your Excellency, I have done as you instructed and caused quite a commotion along the way."

"Our scouts have reported that at least three groups of Northern Di spies are watching us along the way. They must already know that we left the camp to hunt down Old Master Su."

Zhou Huchen nodded, a smile playing on his lips.

"Alright, the show's over. Now let's see if the Northern Barbarians will take the bait."

Liu Wu looked up at the sky; the sun was already setting, and the mountain breeze carried a chill.

He asked, "Sir, what should we do next?"

Zhou Huchen dismounted, stretched his stiff legs, and looked towards the dark forest to the north.

"Let's set up camp here and let the brothers rest well. We'll talk again tomorrow."

Liu Wu clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes, sir!"

……

At the same time, Su Mu led two hundred cooks to the vicinity of the granary where the grain had been transported last time.

The location here is secluded, backed by a mountain wall and surrounded by forests on three sides, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

"Old Su, let's rest here." Zhao Dazui wiped his sweat and looked around. "We know this place well, so we feel at ease."

Su Mu nodded and dismounted.

"Scatter the brothers and keep watch on all sides. Tether the horses in the woods behind the granary."

"Yes!" Zhao Dazui accepted the order and turned to make arrangements.

Two hundred cooks quickly got to work.

Some went to gather firewood, some went to fetch water, some went to tie up the horses, and some climbed to high places to keep watch.

Su Mu found a flat rock to sit on, with the Dragon-Slaying Saber beside him, and rested quietly.

"Old Su." Zhao Dazui finished his work, walked over and sat down next to Su Mu, handing him a water pouch. "Have some water."

Su Mu took it, drank a sip, and then handed it back.

Zhao Dazui hesitated for a moment, then finally couldn't help but ask, "Old Su, do you think those Northern Di people can be fooled?"

His expression was full of doubt and worry.

"I've heard that Tuoba Han, the Right Wise King of the Northern Barbarians, is no ordinary person."

"He's resourceful, meticulous, and never acts recklessly in battle. Will he take the bait if we use a counter-strategy?"

Su Mu was silent for a moment, then chuckled hoarsely.

"Don't worry about it."

"As long as Xu Shigui believes it, the trick will work."

Zhao Dazui nodded.

Su Mu glanced at him but said nothing more.

Actually, he wasn't entirely sure either.

He had never met Tuoba Han and didn't know how deep that person's cunning was.

If Tuoba Han is suspicious and refuses to fall for the trap, then the whole play will have been for nothing.

He led two hundred brothers in a "defection" from the camp. Xu Shigui had already broken off relations, and there was truly no way out for him now.

But now he has no choice but to act.

Xu Shigui has already obtained the letter. Regardless of whether the letter is real or fake, that narrow-minded general will definitely take the opportunity to cause trouble.

If he doesn't leave, he'll end up in jail and beheaded.

If he leaves, at least there will still be a chance.

More importantly, the system task only has two days left.

He had been on a 30-day mission at the fire station, and his mission was due the day after tomorrow. He couldn't give up at this point.

"Don't worry, just wait patiently." Su Mu patted Zhao Dazui on the shoulder.

……

night.

Qingfeng Village, Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness.

There were only the two of them in the hall. On the table was an account book that recorded the casualties and material losses of the brothers in the village after the last battle.

Although his chest had improved somewhat since he was defeated by that white-haired old man, the scar in his heart had never healed.

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

The village was severely weakened and morale was low. He had been trying to find a way to regroup these past few days.

Meng Ziyi stood beside him, fanning himself with a folding fan, his face also solemn.

"Boss, we suffered heavy losses in this battle. It's not advisable to have any further conflicts in the short term. Let the brothers rest and recuperate, and lay low for a while. That old man... is too strange."

You Zhongyi nodded, about to speak...

"Boss! Something terrible has happened!"

A bandit rushed in from outside, his face pale and his legs trembling, almost tripping over the threshold. He lunged at You Zhongyi, panting heavily, his voice trembling.

"What's wrong? Why are you in such a panic? Is the sky falling down?" You Zhongyi asked.

The bandit swallowed hard, his voice trembling, "The brothers down the mountain... they sent word that the white-haired old man from last time, with his gang from the cookhouse, is... is back again!"

"What?"

You Zhongyi's pupils suddenly contracted, and his face instantly turned ashen.

"You're back again?"

"What are they doing here? Delivering grain? Didn't they already take it all last time?"

The bandit shook his head vigorously, unable to suppress the fear on his face.

"No...it's not grain transport! The brothers down the mountain said that those cooks were fully armed, carrying knives and riding horses, and there wasn't a single wagon carrying grain! And..."

He swallowed hard and continued.

"Moreover, they are followed by three thousand elite soldiers of the Great Qian Dynasty! They are less than ten miles away from the cook camp."

"Three thousand elite soldiers?"

You Zhongyi gasped, frozen in place as if struck by lightning.

A thought flashed through his mind, a thought that coiled around him like a venomous snake, chilling him to the bone.

"One cook battalion was already enough to give us trouble... and now three thousand elite soldiers have arrived... it seems they're hunting them down!"

"Could it be... they're after our Qingfeng Village?"

Meng Ziyi's expression was also not good.

"Boss, this is strange!" He turned around, his voice low. "That old man completed his mission perfectly last time he was escorting grain supplies, so why did he suddenly return with his cooks? And why is he being chased by his own men?"

The bandit, kneeling on the ground, couldn't help but interject, "Strategist, could it be... that the old man offended the imperial court, is wanted by the government, and has nowhere else to go but to seek refuge here?"

"Seeking refuge?" You Zhongyi sneered, his laughter filled with bitterness. "Look at his posture, does he look like he's here to seek refuge? Fully armed, with three thousand pursuers behind him. Is this seeking refuge? He's here to wipe us out!"

Meng Ziyi shook his head, then nodded, clearly also in a state of great turmoil.

"Boss, don't panic. If they were really after us, they would have already besieged the stronghold. Why would they set up camp at the foot of the mountain? In my opinion, their target is probably not us."

You Zhongyi walked over and grabbed Meng Ziyi's arm, his fingers trembling.

"Strategist, then tell me, who are they targeting? This remote and impoverished place, Qingfeng Town, besides our Qingfeng Village, what else could possibly be worth their mobilization?"

Meng Ziyi was silent for a moment, then spoke with difficulty: "Perhaps... the Northern Di people?"

You Zhongyi was stunned.

Meng Ziyi continued his analysis, speaking rapidly: "Has the chief forgotten? Thirty miles north of Qingfeng Town lies the territory of the Northern Di people."

You Zhongyi frowned, half believing and half doubting.

"But why was that old man being chased by his own people?"

Meng Ziyi couldn't answer either, and could only shake his head and sigh.

"Well... I don't know either, but since things have come to this, we must prepare for the worst."

You Zhongyi released Meng Ziyi's arm, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down.

He turned around, stared at the bandit, and spoke in a low, urgent voice.

"Investigate again! Report again! Send the spies further afield. I need to know every move that old man and his three thousand elite soldiers make—what they eat, what they say, which direction they go—I need to know everything!"

"Yes! Yes!" The bandit scrambled out of the room.

You Zhongyi turned around and looked at Meng Ziyi, his voice full of exhaustion and helplessness.

"Strategist, pass on my orders: all brothers in the stronghold, draw your swords and nock your arrows, strengthen your defenses, add two bolts to the gate, and deploy more archers on the walls. Report any disturbance immediately."

Meng Ziyi cupped his hands in greeting: "Yes!"

"Don't worry, Boss, I'll take care of it right away."