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

Yuzhou City, the prefectural government office.

Right Wise King Tuoba Han stood by the window, hands behind his back, gazing in the direction of Qinghe County to the south.

A smug smile played on his lips.

"It's dawn."

"By this hour, General Yeluqi must have already captured Qinghe County."

Sikong Yu stroked his beard and smiled, cupping his hands and saying, "Your Highness's strategic planning is superb, and General Yale's decisive victory is a matter of life and death. This battle will decide the fate of the world in one fell swoop. The five states and thirteen cities in the north will all fall to our Northern Barbarians, and the southward march to the Central Plains will be just around the corner."

Tuoba Han laughed heartily.

He patted Sikong Yu on the shoulder and said:

"Strategist, if this plan succeeds, you will deserve the most credit."

Sikong Yu lowered his head humbly: "Your Highness is too kind. This merit belongs to Your Highness."

"A centenarian, relying only on brute force, is ultimately nothing but a clay chicken and a clay dog ​​in the face of true military strategy."

"He was forced into banditry by his own commander-in-chief, and couldn't even stay in the army camp. What kind of trouble could he possibly cause?"

Tuoba Han nodded.

"No matter how good that old man is at fighting, he's just a brute."

"With a little trick, I ruined his reputation and left him nowhere to live."

"Come, follow me to the city gate to greet General Yale."

"I, the king, will personally pour him wine to celebrate the victory of the Northern Barbarians!"

"From this day forward, the northern border of the Great Qian Dynasty will be utterly defenseless, and the banners of our Northern Barbarians will fly high over Qinghe County!"

Sikong Yu followed with a smile, closed his folding fan, and tapped it lightly in his palm.

"Your Highness is wise! This humble general has immediately ordered ten jars of celebratory wine to be prepared at the city gate, awaiting General Yale's triumphant return."

"Ten jars?" Tuoba Han paused, turned around and smiled, "Too few."

"General Yale's achievements in this battle are unparalleled; at least twenty jars of wine are needed!"

Sikong Yu smiled and agreed, "Your Highness is right, I will go and give the order immediately."

The two of them sang in unison, becoming more and more pleased with themselves, and their steps became lighter and lighter.

As they walked out of the prefectural government office, the sun shone brightly, making the bluestone streets of Yuzhou City sparkle.

"Men, prepare the horses!" Tuoba Han waved his hand, his voice booming.

The guards behind him quickly brought over two fine horses.

Tuoba Han straightened his cloak and was about to mount his horse.

"Report! Your Highness! Something terrible has happened!"

A rapid sound of horses' hooves came from the direction of the south gate, breaking the tranquility of the prefectural government office.

Tuoba Han's hand stopped on the saddle, and he frowned.

Sikong Yu was the same.

Just then, a black warhorse galloped from the end of South Street. The knight on horseback had crooked armor, a blood-stained face, and his helmet was nowhere to be seen. His hair was disheveled and draped over his shoulders.

His battle robe was covered in dark red scabs, and an arrow was still stuck in his left arm, the shaft swaying as he ran.

"Whoa!"

The knight saw Tuoba Han from afar and suddenly pulled on the reins.

The warhorse reared up, nearly throwing him off its back.

As he dismounted, his legs gave way, and he stumbled and fell to the ground. He scrambled to Tuoba Han's feet and knelt down with a thud, his whole body trembling.

Tuoba Han recognized him; he was a captain under Yeluqi, who had followed Yeluqi in battle for many years and was a well-known tough guy.

But at this moment, only fear was on this tough man's face.

"Bald Lie? What brings you back?"

"Where is General Yale?"

Bald Lie raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, his lips trembling:

"Your Highness...we've lost...we've lost...30,000 troops, all gone..."

Tuoba Han's expression changed instantly.

"What?" He grabbed the bald man by the collar and yanked him up from the ground. "Thirty thousand troops, with ten thousand iron hooves, defeated? What nonsense are you spouting?"

The bald man hurriedly replied, "Your Highness... this humble general is not lying... we've fallen into a trap... from beginning to end, we've been part of their scheme..."

Sikong Yu stepped forward, his face darkening.

"Explain clearly, what exactly happened?"

Bald Lie gasped for breath a few times before he could finally steady himself and begin to recount his story in fits and starts.

"That Su Mu... that white-haired old man... he wasn't being chased at all!"

"His joining the outlaws at Qingfeng Village was a lie, his being forced to leave by Xu Shigui was a lie, it was all a lie! It was all an act for us!"

Tuoba Han's pupils suddenly contracted, and a chill ran down his spine.

"What did you say?"

"That old man saw through our scheme long ago. He deliberately played along, pretending to be forced away by Xu Shigui, pretending to become an outlaw, pretending to have nowhere to go—all to lure us into sending troops!"

"When we launched our full force of 30,000 to attack Qinghe County, he led his cooks and 6,000 elite soldiers, attacking from behind us!"

"Attacked from both sides... our formation was thrown into chaos instantly..."

"Thirty thousand brothers, unable to support each other, were utterly routed... That old man... That old man is terrifying..."

"Terrible?" Tuoba Han gritted his teeth. "How terrifying could he be all alone?"

Tuoba Lie raised his head and looked at Tuoba Han, his eyes filled with awe and fear.

"Your Highness, you have never seen his sword."

"That knife is not a weapon that should exist in the human world."

"With one slash, dozens of our cavalrymen, men and horses alike, were wiped out!"

"Our armor, shields, and weapons are like paper before his sword!"

His voice was trembling!

Tuoba Han's Adam's apple bobbed, his face filled with shock.

"Where is General Yale?"

Bald Lie's eyes suddenly reddened, and tears welled up in his eyes.

"General Yale... he charged forward... he told me to lead the men to cover the rear, saying he was going to meet that old man... and then... and then..."

"And then what happened?" Tuoba Han demanded sharply.

"And then, with just one strike..." Bald Lie's voice choked with emotion, "that old man only needed one strike to cut down General Yale from his horse..."

He didn't finish speaking, but everyone understood.

Tuoba Han swayed, as if he had been punched in the chest.

He took two steps back, leaned against the horse, his face pale and his lips trembling slightly.

"Yeluzzi... is dead? By a knife?"

"The old man held the general's head high amidst the army, and the brothers... the brothers were all terrified... some ran away, some surrendered..."

Sikong Yu's face turned deathly pale, and he muttered to himself:

"An army of 30,000... completely wiped out?"

The street in front of the prefectural government office was deathly silent.

Tuoba Han closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

His mind was in turmoil.

How is that possible?

How could a centenarian have such abilities?

He had clearly driven Su Mu to the brink of despair, clearly made Xu Shigui hate him to the core, clearly had accurately predicted the discord among the generals of the Daqian army, how could this be...

"Who exactly is that old man?"

At this moment, Sikong Yu suddenly remembered something, his pupils shrank sharply, and his face became even more unsightly.

"Your Highness..." His voice was extremely low, "This humble general has a terrible suspicion."

Tuoba Han opened his eyes and looked at him.

"Since that old man was able to turn the tables on us, defeat our 30,000-strong army, and kill the Yale General, could he... press his advantage and march directly towards Yuzhou?"

Upon hearing this, Tuoba Han's pupils contracted.

He knew very well that Yeluqi was dead, the entire army of 30,000 had been wiped out, and there were now less than 2,000 old, weak and disabled soldiers left in Yuzhou City...

If Su Mu really leads the elite troops of the Great Qian Dynasty to attack, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Tuoba Han felt a chill even though he wasn't cold.

"Impossible..." He shook his head, as if trying to convince himself, "They just finished a fierce battle, their men and horses are exhausted, and their supplies are running low. How could they possibly have the strength for a long-distance raid?"

Sikong Yu gave a bitter laugh, his voice full of bitterness.

"Your Highness, that old man cannot be judged by common sense."

"He dared to chase down hundreds of Chi Lie's iron cavalry all by himself, and he dared to step into the trap to turn the tables on them, which shows that he is capable of anything."

"Moreover, Yuzhou City is currently undefended. If he were to use his swift cavalry, he could besiege the city overnight before we even have a chance to react. At that point..."

Tuoba Han gasped.

"Go! Head to the city gate immediately! Gather all available soldiers and deploy them to the city walls for defense! Send men out to scout within a fifty-mile radius for any trace of the Great Qian army!"

He mounted his horse and galloped off towards the south gate.

Sikong Yu followed closely behind.

Tuoba Han rode on his horse, the wind stinging his cheeks.

He shook his head violently, finding it hard to believe.

A centenarian.

An old man whom he used as a pawn.

How did it become like this?