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

"Close the city gates! Close the city gates now!"

At the south gate of Yuzhou City, General Bayegu, who was guarding the city, stood on the city wall and shouted urgently.

His voice was as loud as a bell.

The soldiers inside the city gate frantically pushed open the heavy iron and wooden door.

"Bang!"

The city gate was closed, the bolt was inserted, and two more gate bars were added.

The drawbridge creaked and groaned as it rose, crashing onto the city gate and kicking up a cloud of dust.

On the city wall, the defending soldiers were in complete disarray.

Some people drew their bows and nocked arrows, some carried logs and stones, and some ran back and forth to relay orders.

"What's going on? Weren't we supposed to have victory in the bag and be taking Qinghe County soon?"

A young Northern Di soldier lay on the battlements, discussing something with his companion.

"Yes, how could General Yale's 30,000 iron cavalry have allowed the Daqian army to reach our city walls? Could it be... could it be..."

"What do you mean? Tell me!"

"Could it be that our 30,000-strong army... has already been defeated?"

These words immediately caused an uproar on the city wall.

"Impossible! General Yale is one of the most outstanding warriors in our Northern Barbarian lands, and he has never been defeated in more than ten years of fighting!"

"That's right! Thirty thousand troops, ten thousand of them are the elite of the elite. How could those useless fools from the Great Qian Dynasty possibly defeat them?"

"But if they hadn't been defeated, how would the Great Qian's troops have ended up here?"

The soldiers chattered amongst themselves, each offering their own opinion.

"Shut up, all of you!"

With a loud shout, Ba Yegu silenced the commotion.

He walked to the battlements, his gaze sweeping over the soldiers with sharp intensity.

"What wild guesses are you making? It might just be a scheme by the Great Qian Dynasty, sending a feint to scare us!"

"Who is General Yale? A warrior of the Northern Barbarians, seasoned in countless battles, he has never been defeated since setting foot on the northern border of the Great Qian Dynasty! In this battle, he will surely capture Qinghe County and return in triumph!"

"All of you, perk up! Hold the city gates, and when General Yale returns, we'll coordinate an attack from within and without, and slaughter these damned dogs below the city!"

"yes!"

The soldiers responded in unison.

Ba Yegu frowned, he himself was not sure what to expect.

If the Daqian army really defeated Yeluqi, then...

Just then, hurried footsteps came from the steps.

Tuoba Han and Sikong Yu hurriedly climbed the city wall.

"Your Highness!" Ba Yegu quickly went to greet him, clasping his hands in a respectful greeting.

Tuoba Han ignored him and walked straight to the battlements. He placed his hands on the cold stone bricks and leaned out to look out of the city.

Amidst the rising dust, the Great Qian cavalry had already formed their ranks.

There was a dense, dark mass of people, at least five or six thousand.

The cavalry were in front, the archers and crossbowmen behind, their formation was orderly, and their banners were bright.

At the very front was a pure white steed, upon which sat an old man with white hair and a hunched back.

Tuoba Han's pupils contracted.

He thought to himself, "That old man must be Su Mu."

"They really came..." Tuoba Han muttered to himself.

His last shred of hope vanished completely at that moment.

Yeluzi has truly lost.

The 30,000 cavalrymen were truly wiped out.

The white-haired old man then charged straight to the city walls.

Sikong Yu stood behind him, utterly astonished.

Su Mu rode his Ferghana horse, looking up at the city walls of Yuzhou with a furious glint in his eyes.

This group of people has occupied their city in Daqian for many years.

Qin Hao stood beside him on horseback, looking at the panicked Northern Di garrison on the city wall, and felt an indescribable excitement welling up in his heart.

Three years ago, he was driven out of Yuzhou City by the Northern Di people and fled in a sorry state, without even having the courage to look back.

He came back today.

They returned with a large army.

Zhou Huchen was so excited that his eyes turned red.

He took a deep breath, his voice slightly choked.

"General Qin, Elder Su, I have waited three years for this day. I never thought I would be able to stand here and shout the words of recapturing the city to the Northern Barbarians."

He turned to look at Su Mu, his eyes filled with admiration.

"Mr. Su, we still need to rely on you."

Su Mu smiled slightly and shook his head.

"At present, we are only at the city gates, not yet having entered Yuzhou City. It is too early to talk about recapturing it."

"Everyone, be on high alert and prepare for battle."

"Although there aren't many Northern Di people on the city wall, they are holding their ground and defending the terrain. If we attack head-on, our casualties will be considerable."

Zhou Huchen quickly nodded: "Old Su is right, I was just carried away by my pride."

Qin Hao turned to Su Mu, cupped his hands, and asked, "Elder Su, what should we do next? Should we attack the city directly? I have already ordered the preparation of ladders and battering rams, awaiting your command."

Su Mu waved his hand.

"No rush. If we attack the city directly, our casualties will be very high."

"We need to spend some time breaking down their psychological defenses first."

"Break through their psychological defenses?" Qin Hao frowned, puzzled. "How...how do I do that?"

Su Mu did not answer directly, but turned around and waved behind him.

"Tie Niu, come here."

Zhao Tieniu rode his horse out of the ranks, came up to Su Mu, and grinned.

"Old Su, is it time to move out?"

Su Mu nodded, his gaze serious.

"Go and show that thing."

"Remember what I told you: be as arrogant as you can be, and humiliate the Northern Barbarians with your words. The more ruthless and arrogant, the better."

He paused, then added a sentence.

"Watch out for the archers on the city wall. Don't get too close. Their arrows can't reach you from 300 paces away."

Zhao Tieniu chuckled and patted his chest.

"Don't worry, Elder Su, I know what I'm doing! I guarantee these northern barbarians will never forget this!"

He took a spear from the side of the saddle, with something wrapped in coarse cloth attached to the tip.

The object was heavy, and dark red bloodstains seeped from its fabric.

Zhao Tieniu rode his horse, carrying the long spear, and strode towards the city gate.

Zhao Tieniu stopped not far from the city gate, took a deep breath, and suddenly raised his spear high.

He ripped off the piece of coarse cloth.

A bloody, grotesque human head, pierced by a spear, hangs high in the air.

Zhao Tieniu raised his spear above his head, and roared at the top of his lungs:

"You barbarians from the Northern Di on the city wall, look carefully! What is this?!"

"Your Great General Yeluqi! Commander of 30,000 troops, one of the top ten warriors of the Northern Barbarians, has had his head chopped off by our Old Master Su!"

He suddenly swung his spear, and the head swayed in mid-air, blood dripping down the spear shaft, drop by drop, onto the dust.

"A total of 30,000 troops, wiped out! Your Yale general couldn't even withstand a single blow from Old Master Su! His saber broke, he flew through the air, and his head was gone!"

Zhao Tieniu got more and more excited as he spoke, his voice full of sarcasm and contempt.

"What are you still defending the city for? What are you waiting for reinforcements for? Your army is gone! Your general is dead! If you know what's good for you, open the city gates and kneel down to surrender! Otherwise, when Old Master Su comes to kill you, you'll all be joining Yeluqi in death!"

On the city wall, there was a deathly silence.

All the Northern Di garrison soldiers stared wide-eyed at the human head hanging on the spear.

"Was that...that really the Yale General?"

"Impossible...impossible...how could General Yale...?"

"Look at that face! That beard! That scar! I fought alongside General Yale for three years, I can't mistake him... that's General Yale!"

"Oh my god... General Yale has really been killed..."

"Killed with just one stab? How terrifying was that old man?"

"Thirty thousand troops have been defeated, how can we, with only two thousand old, weak, and disabled soldiers... defend ourselves?"

Fear spread.

The soldiers were deathly pale.

"I'm not fighting anymore... I'm not fighting anymore... Even General Yale is dead, we can't win..."

"Shut up! Shut up!"

Ba Yegu drew his sword, rushed to the soldier who had spoken, and held the blade to his neck. "If you dare to disrupt morale again, I, the general, will cut you down right now!"

Upon seeing this scene, Tuoba Han turned pale, veins bulged on his forehead, and his lips trembled slightly.

"Su Mu..."

"You're not just killing me, you're destroying my spirit..."

He understood.

Su Mu was not showing off his military achievements, nor was he trying to intimidate the defending troops.

He was destroying the morale of the garrison in Yuzhou.

Yeruci's head hanging there was a silent declaration: your general is dead, your army is gone, and your resistance is meaningless.

The Northern Di people have always revered warriors.

Yeluqi was their god of war. The head of the god of war was cut off by the enemy and hung high below the city. The blow to the morale of the defenders was more fatal than ten thousand arrows.

Below the city walls, Zhao Tieniu was still shouting.

"You barbarians from the North! Isn't your Right Wise King Tuoba Han supposed to be a master strategist with flawless plans?"

"Your strategist, Sikong Yu, doesn't he compare himself to Zhuge Liang? He's been calculating and calculating, and in the end, he lost 30,000 troops and even lost Yeluqi's head!"

"Hahaha!"

He laughed loudly, his laughter grating.

"Is that all? What kind of war are you fighting? Pack your bags and go back to herding cattle."

Just as Zhao Tieniu was speaking.

Su Mu turned to Qin Hao and Zhou Huchen beside him and ordered, "Brothers, attack!"