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

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The war drums sounded again, deep and resonant, each beat striking the heart of every person.

The Northern Di army outside the village gate regrouped, their black iron armor gleaming coldly in the moonlight, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Yeluqi rode on a black steed, his saber raised high, the tip pointing towards the Daqian army camp.

"Brothers! The enemy's morale has collapsed! Follow me, charge in, raze this camp to the ground, and take Qinghe County!"

"kill!"

Thirty thousand cavalrymen shouted in unison, their roar like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing, shaking even the flags of the camp.

The thunderous sound of hooves shook the earth, and a black torrent surged toward the camp once more.

Qin Hao stood on the stockade wall, looking at the dark mass of iron cavalry. He took a deep breath, turned around, and faced the tired and fearful soldiers behind him.

"Soldiers!"

His voice was loud and clear.

"Xu Shigui has fled, the general has fled! But I, the general, have not fled! Nor have you!"

His gaze swept over every face blackened by smoke and dust, over the fear and resentment in those young eyes.

"Qinghe County is right behind us! Our parents, our wives and children, our homes are in the county town! In this battle, there is no turning back! If we can't hold it, our homes will be gone; if we can't hold it, our parents, wives and children will be ravaged by the Northern Barbarians; if we can't hold it, the backbone of our Great Qian will be broken!"

He suddenly drew his spear, pointing the tip at the iron hooves of the Northern Di outside the stockade wall, his voice firm and loud.

"Today, I, your brother, and I are going all in, with no turning back! We either drive back the Northern Barbarians, or we die on these fortified walls! There is no third way!"

The soldiers' eyes gradually turned red.

Some gripped their sword hilts tightly, some gritted their teeth, and some shouted hoarsely, "Fight the Northern Barbarians to the death!"

"Let's give it our all! Let's give it our all! Let's give it our all!"

The sound of voices spread from dozens of people to hundreds, and from hundreds to thousands.

In the eyes of the soldiers, fear was replaced by rage, and exhaustion was ignited by bloodlust.

Qin Hao mounted his horse, brandished his spear, and charged out of the village gate first.

"kill!"

He shot straight at the most conspicuous banner in the Northern Di army, like an arrow released from a bow.

There, Yeluqi was riding a black horse, his saber dripping blood, a cruel smile on his lips.

"Yellow Qi! Qin Hao of the Great Qian Dynasty is here! Prepare to die!"

Yeluqi's eyes lit up, and the corners of his mouth turned up in a smug smile.

"Qin Hao? Very well! I've long heard of your great name. Today is the perfect day to take your head and utterly shatter the morale of the Great Qian army!"

He spurred his horse, and the black warhorse neighed loudly, charging towards Qin Hao.

The distance between the two was rapidly decreasing: ten zhang, five zhang, three zhang...

"clang!"

The spear and the saber clashed heavily, sparks flying and the clanging of metal tearing through the night sky.

Qin Hao exerted force with both arms, and his spear, like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, thrust towards Yeluqi's throat.

Yeluqi dodged to the side, and his saber slashed down, aiming straight for Qin Hao's shoulder and neck.

Qin Hao parried with his spear, the clash of sword and spear making his hand go numb.

The two horses crossed paths, each charging forward a dozen paces, then turned their heads and charged at each other again.

Qin Hao's marksmanship was exquisite; his thrusts, parries, sweeps, and deflections were all swift and ruthless.

However, Yale was incredibly strong, and his sword was powerful and heavy. Each strike felt like Mount Tai crashing down, forcing Qin Hao to only parry and unable to retaliate.

Ten moves.

Twenty moves.

Thirty moves.

Veins bulged on Qin Hao's forehead, and sweat mixed with blood flowed into his eyes, blurring his vision.

His marksmanship began to falter, his breathing became rapid, and his arms were so sore and numb that he could barely lift them.

Yeluqi seized the opportunity and swung his saber horizontally, the back of the blade striking Qin Hao's spear shaft.

"clang!"

Qin Hao's spear flew out of his hand, tumbled several times in the air, and landed on the ground a few feet away.

Yeluqi's second slash followed immediately, and Qin Hao, unable to dodge in time, was struck heavily on the shoulder by the back of the blade.

The armor dented, and the bones cracked with a sharp sound. Qin Hao groaned and fell from his horse to the ground.

"General!"

"General Qin!"

The Daqian soldiers cried out in alarm, but they were blocked by the Northern Di cavalry and could not break through at all.

Yeluqi pulled on the reins, and the black warhorse circled Qin Hao twice, the dust kicked up by its hooves making Qin Hao cough repeatedly.

He struggled to stand up, but his left arm was too weak to support him.

Yeluzi looked down at him with a contemptuous smile on his lips.

"Qin Hao, is this all you've got? I thought the Great General of Daqian was some kind of formidable figure, but it turns out you're nothing special!"

He raised his saber, the tip pointing at Qin Hao's nose, his voice so loud it could be heard across the entire battlefield.

"The Great Qian Dynasty's military generals are incompetent! Even a dignified Grand General is so easily defeated! You bunch of good-for-nothings think you can stop the iron hooves of the Northern Di?"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

The surrounding Northern Di cavalrymen laughed wildly, their laughter like knives piercing the hearts of the Daqian soldiers.

Qin Hao gritted his teeth, used his gun to support himself on the ground, and slowly stood up.

His left arm hung limply, blood dripping from his fingertips, but his eyes remained fixed on Yeruci, showing no sign of yielding.

"Yerucci..."

"The Great Qian Dynasty... there are still people... you're too smug..."

Yeluzi chuckled and raised his saber once more.

"Then this general will send you on your way!"

Just then, a rapid sound of hooves suddenly came from the rear of the Northern Di army.

The sound grew louder and more intense, like a torrential downpour hitting a roof, like a flash flood cascading down from a great height.

Yeluqi's knife stopped in mid-air.

He frowned, turned his head, and looked behind him.

On the horizon, flames surged.

Countless torches formed a fiery dragon, surging out from the mountain path to the north.

The thunderous sound of hooves and the deafening shouts of battle filled the air as the army surged forth like a torrent descending from the sky, crashing headlong into the rear of the Northern Di army.

"kill!"

The voice was old, yet incredibly loud.

Yeluzi's pupils suddenly contracted.

He saw clearly the person rushing at the very front.

A pure white horse, with an old man with white hair and a hunched back sitting on its back.

The old man held a long, black knife, the blade gleaming with dark gold patterns in the firelight, his white hair fluttering like a battle flag in the night wind.

Shetland Sheepdog?

Behind him, two hundred cooks rode warhorses, wielding broadswords, their battle cries shaking the heavens.

Further behind were Zhou Huchen's 3,000 men and Zhang Heng's 3,000 reinforcements, totaling 6,000 elite troops.

Like a giant iron clamp, it clamped down hard from behind the Northern Di army.

"It's Elder Su! Elder Su is back!"

In the Daqian army camp, someone was the first to shout out.

Then, the entire military camp exploded.

"The cooks are back! The cooks are back!"

"Grandpa Su is here! We're saved!"

The soldiers peeked out from behind the stockade walls and rose from behind their shields, pulled back from the brink of despair.

Some were moved to tears, some shouted hoarsely, and some gripped their weapons tightly, trembling all over, extremely excited.

Qin Hao knelt on one knee, raised his head, looked at the firelight to the north, and at the white-haired old man riding a white horse. His eyes immediately reddened.

"Old Su..." His voice choked, and then he suddenly stood up and roared with all his might.

"Soldiers! Old Master Su is back! The cooks are back! Six thousand elite troops are right behind the Northern Barbarians!"

He mounted his horse, enduring the excruciating pain in his left arm, and raised his spear, the tip pointing at Yeruzi's command flag.

"We are not fighting alone! Our reinforcements have arrived! Follow me back and drive back the Northern Barbarians!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"