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

The next morning, before the mountain mist had completely dissipated, Su Mu woke up.

He leaned against the stone wall of the granary, gazing at the whitening sky in the east, his mind racing.

He thought about it for most of the night and felt that being "hunted down" by Zhou Huchen was not enough; the play needed to be fueled by more fire.

This further convinced Tuoba Han that the discord among the generals and commanders of the Daqian army had reached a point of irreconcilable conflict.

Su Mu stood up, stretched his limbs, then walked to the side, took out paper and pen from his bundle, laid them on a flat stone, dipped the pen in ink, and began to write a letter.

The letter was addressed to Zhou Huchen.

The letter read:

"Commander Zhou, after much deliberation, I feel that this plan needs an even stronger twist. I intend to lead the brothers of the Cooking Battalion, pretend to surrender to Qingfeng Village, and become outlaws."

"In this way, Xu Shigui will surely be furious, and the Northern Di spies will also report this matter back to Yuzhou. When Tuoba Han sees that one of our generals has defected to the bandits, he will undoubtedly believe it."

"I humbly request that you, Captain, cooperate in staging a play. Please lead three thousand elite troops, turn around, and rush straight to Qingfeng Village. But do not rush to attack. Just set up an array at the foot of the mountain to create a show of force and terrify the bandits in the village."

"When the commander's troops arrive at the camp, the people of Qingfeng Village will surely panic. At that time, I will mediate between them, which will not only deter the bandits from making any rash moves, but also give the Northern Di people the illusion that 'Su Mu has nowhere to go and has been forced to become an outlaw.'"

"Su Mu pays his respects."

After finishing writing, Su Mu folded the letter, put it into a small leather bag, and sealed it with sealing wax.

He waved and called over a clever cook named Sun Xiaoqi. He was young, quick on his feet, and also very clever.

"Xiao Qi, you must personally deliver this letter to Commander Zhou. Be careful of Northern Di spies on the way. It's better to take a longer route than to be spotted."

Sun Xiaoqi carefully hid the letter on his body, nodded solemnly, and crouched down to disappear into the forest, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

……

Zhou Huchen's camp was set up on the other side of the valley, only a dozen miles away from where Su Mu was.

Sun Xiaoqi quickly handed the letter to Zhou Huchen.

Zhou Huchen took the letter, tore open the seal, and began to read it carefully.

As he was reading, he slapped his thigh and stood up.

"Excellent! Well done, Elder Su!"

Zhou Huchen slammed the letter on the table, his eyes filled with admiration.

"Courageous and resourceful, bold yet meticulous, if this move succeeds, it will be difficult for the Northern Barbarians not to fall into their trap!"

He turned around and shouted towards the outside of the tent, "Liu Wu! Pass down the order: the entire army breaks camp! Target: Qingfeng Village!"

Liu Wu was eating dry rations outside when he heard the order. He quickly swallowed the food and ran in, clasping his hands in a fist and palm salute: "Sir, are we not going to pursue Elder Su anymore?"

"Chase them!" Zhou Huchen's lips curled up. "Chase them all the way to Qingfeng Village."

"Yes, sir!"

Although Liu Wu didn't fully understand, military orders were absolute, so he turned and ran.

Before long, horns sounded in the valley, and three thousand elite soldiers quickly broke camp, lined up, and marched in a grand procession toward Qingfeng Village.

Three thousand iron cavalrymen stirred up clouds of dust, their hooves thundering like lightning.

……

Qingfeng Village, Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness.

You Zhongyi didn't sleep a wink all night.

He sat in the main seat, his eyes bloodshot, like a wild beast trapped in a cage.

Meng Ziyi sat next to him, his folding fan on the table, his fingers tapping incessantly on the surface.

"Report!"

A thug scrambled in.

"Boss! Something terrible has happened! The government troops down the mountain... three thousand elite soldiers, have suddenly turned around and are heading straight for our Qingfeng Village!"

"What?" You Zhongyi suddenly stood up, utterly astonished.

His face was as white as paper.

"They really came for us!"

"That corrupt official Xu Shigui truly intends to exterminate everyone!"

"Strategist, what do we do?" You Zhongyi turned around and stared at Meng Ziyi. "Three thousand elite soldiers, what can we possibly use to stop them?"

Meng Ziyi took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

"Boss, don't panic. The government troops haven't reached the gate yet. We still have time. Fortify the gate and deploy more archers on the walls. We can buy time as long as we can. If all else fails..."

He gritted his teeth.

"If all else fails, we can retreat through the secret passage in the back mountain. As long as we're alive, we can always rebuild."

You Zhongyi's fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

My heart was filled with pain and helplessness.

He hated the imperial court and those corrupt officials, but at this moment, what he hated most was his own powerlessness.

We can't hold on.

Run, run to where?

Leaving Qingfeng Village means leaving Qingfeng Town.

Qingfeng Town was his last home.

"Report!"

Another bandit rushed in, his face even more terrified than the first one.

"Boss! A group of men has arrived outside the village gate!"

You Zhongyi suddenly drew his knife from his waist: "How many people?"

"About two hundred... about two hundred, and the leader is... that white-haired old man! The one who killed the second-in-command last time!"

You Zhongyi was stunned.

Meng Ziyi was also stunned.

The two looked at each other and saw confusion and fear in each other's eyes.

"How many men did he bring?" You Zhongyi pressed.

"Two hundred, all from the cooks' battalion! Fully armed, but no flags were flying, no swords were drawn. The old man in the lead was riding a white horse, saying he wanted... wanted to see the boss!"

You Zhongyi's hand holding the knife trembled slightly.

His mind was in complete turmoil. Wasn't that old man being chased by soldiers? How did he end up in Qingfeng Village?

Meng Ziyi was the first to react, saying, "Chief, don't act rashly. Since he only brought two hundred men and didn't directly attack the camp, it means he's not here to fight. Let's meet him first."

Yu Zhongyi gritted his teeth, sheathed his knife, and strode toward the village gate.

……

Outside the village gate, Su Mu rode his Ferghana horse, waiting quietly.

Behind him, two hundred cooks stood in neat rows, knives in hand, each with a solemn expression.

Before long, You Zhongyi and Meng Ziyi appeared on the wall of the village gate, their eyes fixed on Su Mu warily.

"Old man, what's the meaning of you bringing your troops to my Qingfeng Village?"

Su Mu cupped his hands to You Zhongyi and the other man, and said:

"Chief You, I have come to seek refuge with you."

You Zhongyi was stunned.

Meng Ziyi and the bandits of Qingfeng Village were also stunned.

"Trying to join me?" You Zhongyi sneered, his laughter full of mockery and disbelief. "You, a government official, with two hundred soldiers, come to join a bandit like me? Old man, do you think I'm a three-year-old?"

Su Mu wasn't angry; instead, he smiled.

"I am no longer a government official."

"Old man, you killed my second-in-command and injured dozens of my brothers, and now you're saying you're surrendering to me?" You Zhongyi gritted his teeth. "Do you think I'll believe you?"

Su Mu remained silent for a moment, then slowly spoke.

"Chief You, on the battlefield, it's either you or me who dies. If I don't kill him, he'll kill me. As for why I'm here..."

He paused, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.

"If Chief You is unwilling to take us in, then I can only have my brothers fight to the death, storm into Qingfeng Village, and become the leader myself."

"When that time comes, don't blame me for not showing mercy with my blade."

These words were like a needle piercing You Zhongyi's heart.

He hadn't expected Su Mu to make such a decision.

"Chief You, you don't really think your remaining hundred brothers can withstand my two hundred men, do you?"

Su Mu's tone was very firm and resolute.

In reality, he was just trying to intimidate You Zhongyi and use Qingfeng Village for his own purposes.

He doesn't need to make a big fuss with such a small mountain village.

His main enemy was the Northern Barbarians!

"how?"

"If that doesn't work, I'll have to charge in."

As he spoke, Su Mu raised his horse-slaying saber, and the cooks behind him also raised their longswords.

This scene terrified the bandits in the mountain stronghold.

That terrifying battle is back in my mind!

"Boss, we're in a bind now. We have no choice but to agree to their demands."

"Moreover, if we can recruit this old man into the stronghold, along with these two hundred people, the strength of the stronghold will definitely reach a new level in the future."

Meng Ziyi tried to persuade him.

The brothers around them also cast glances their way.

Those looks told him they didn't want to die.

You Zhongyi sighed deeply and said, "Open the door and let them in!"

The door opened!

With a smile, Su Mu waved and led his cooks into the mountain stronghold.

Behind them, Zhou Huchen led three thousand elite soldiers and arrived as promised!