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

Inside the government office of Yuzhou City.

Su Mu sat in the main seat, his body hunched over, with a map of the northern border spread out in front of him.

His fingers traced a path from Yuzhou to Qingzhou, and then back from Qingzhou to Yuzhou, his eyes reflecting the lines of mountains and rivers.

The special forces led by You Zhongyi set off three days ago.

Fifty men and fifty fast horses traveled along mountain paths, hiding during the day and moving at night, heading straight for Qingzhou.

According to the plan, they would take advantage of the situation and seize Qingzhou City after the Northern Di army had come out in full force.

This is a risky move.

Although Qingzhou City was sparsely defended, its walls were high and thick, and its defenses were strong. It would be no easy task for fifty men to take it down.

But this was a rare opportunity, and Su Mu didn't want to let it slip by.

"Report!"

A loud voice came from outside the hall, and a scout strode in, knelt on one knee, and spoke urgently.

"Reporting urgently to Elder Su and General Qin! A scout from Qingzhou reports that the Northern Di army has set out! Man Tu and Man Xiao are leading 50,000 troops and are heading towards Yuzhou City! The vanguard is less than ten li from the city!"

Qin Hao and Zhou Huchen exchanged a glance and laughed at the same time.

"Elder Su, it seems Tuoba Han is getting restless." Zhou Huchen's face was beaming with joy, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement. "He's mobilized his entire army, 50,000 strong, to press on our borders. He's determined to fight us to the death!"

Qin Hao smiled and nodded, clasping his hands in a fist and saying, "Elder Su, the special forces unit you assembled is truly too strong. They silently wiped out nearly two thousand Northern Di cavalry without a single casualty, and even managed to hang their heads on the walls of Qingzhou. In all my years of military service, I have never seen such elusive troops. Tuoba Han must have been driven to desperation to launch such a large-scale attack on Yuzhou."

Zhou Huchen picked up the conversation, his eyes shining.

"Yes, fifty men seem to be able to defeat a thousand troops! Elder Su, you are truly insightful and a master strategist! Following you has been an eye-opening experience for me!"

Su Mu smiled and replied:

"That's exactly what I wanted—for him to be furious."

"If he's pressing in with his troops, we'll just have to wear him down, drag it out head-on. The longer we drag it out, the more opportunities Yu Zhongyi will have."

He placed his finger on the spot in Qingzhou and pressed down hard.

"I will make sure that once Tuoba Han leaves Qingzhou, he will never be able to return."

Qin Hao and Zhou Huchen clasped their hands in a fist salute at the same time, their eyes filled with admiration.

"Old Su is wise!"

……

Three days later.

Outside Yuzhou City, the sound of horns tore through the sky.

Fifty thousand Northern Di cavalrymen stretched as far as the eye could see across the open fields outside Yuzhou City.

The front row consisted of heavily armored cavalry, their armor, both men and horses, gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

The middle rank consisted of light cavalry, armed with scimitars and carrying bows and arrows, making them highly mobile.

The rear row consisted of horse archers, their bows drawn and arrows raining down from their horses.

The two flanks were infantry squares, with shields interlocked and spears like a forest.

Tuoba Han rode on horseback, clad in golden armor, his cloak fluttering in the autumn wind.

His gaze was fixed on the city walls of Yuzhou, his eyes burning with the flames of revenge.

Man Tu stood beside him on horseback, his towering body pressing down on the horse's back, causing it to sag slightly.

He held a ten-foot-long iron spear, its tip gleaming brightly and flashing with a blinding cold light in the sunlight.

The gun barrel is engraved with the head of a howling wolf, which is the mark of the disciple of Ge Lie, the gun god of the Northern Di grasslands.

On the other side, the barbarian owl rode a lean black horse, and the giant bow on his back was almost half his height.

His eyes, sharp as a hawk's, swept across the city walls of Yuzhou, searching for the legendary white-haired figure.

The 50,000-strong army was arrayed a mile outside the city. As the dust gradually settled, only the sound of battle flags fluttering remained in the sky and earth.

Barbarian spurred his horse out into the fray, galloping several dozen paces toward the city gate before reining in his horse and raising its forelegs high into the air.

He raised his iron spear, its tip pointing directly at the white-haired figure on the city wall, his voice echoing across the wilderness like thunder.

"Old man on the city wall, Su Mu! Do you dare to come out of the city and fight me?"

Man Tu's voice was rough and arrogant, carrying a hint of arrogance.

"I heard you killed Yeluqi with a single stroke, what a glorious feat!"

"Today I, the Barbarian Butcher, am here! Do you dare to come down? Let me see just how much you're worth!"

The 50,000 Northern Di soldiers behind him shouted in unison, their voices like a mountain roaring and a tsunami crashing.

"General Barbarian Slaughter is mighty!"

"Kill Su Mu! Flatten Yuzhou!"

"Old man Daqian, you coward! Come down here if you dare!"

On the city wall, Su Mu stood behind the battlements, his body hunched over, his expression calm.

He calmly gazed at the clamoring Northern Di general, Man Tu, below the city, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He's not in a hurry.

It will take more time for You Zhongyi to get there.

Every moment he delays gives the special forces a better chance to capture Qingzhou.

Su Mu turned his head and looked at Zhou Huchen beside him.

"Commander Zhou, go down and meet him."

"Remember—let him hit, let him yell, let him feel like he has the upper hand, the more smug the better."

Zhou Huchen's eyes lit up, and he clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This humble general obeys!"

He turned and strode down the city wall, mounted his horse, picked up his spear, and led a troop of cavalry out of the city gate.

"Zhou Huchen of the Great Qian Dynasty is here! You barbarians from the North, cease your arrogance!"

The two horses crossed paths, and guns clashed.

The barbarian's iron spear was powerful and heavy, each thrust accompanied by a whistling sound, the tip of the spear drawing a cold light in the sunlight.

Zhou Huchen's marksmanship was also quite good, but Man Tu's strength was too great. Every time he blocked, it made his tiger's mouth go numb and his arm go weak.

In the first round, Zhou Huchen barely managed to hold on.

In the second round, Man Tu swept his spear horizontally, the shaft of which slammed into Zhou Huchen's spear with a loud clang, almost causing Zhou Huchen's spear to fly out of his hand.

In the third round, Man Tu feinted with his spear, and Zhou Huchen parried with his spear. Man Tu then suddenly changed his move, pointing the tip of his spear downwards and knocking off Zhou Huchen's helmet.

Zhou Huchen was startled and turned his horse to flee, escaping back to the city gate in a disheveled state.

On the city wall, the hearts of the Daqian soldiers sank.

But they knew that Commandant Zhou was stalling for time on the orders of Elder Su.

Below the city, 50,000 Northern Di soldiers erupted in a deafening cheer.

"General Barbarian Slaughter is invincible!"

"Big Dry Dog, get back here!"

"What general? He couldn't even withstand three moves from the Barbarian General!"

The barbarian slayer, mounted on his horse, raised his iron spear high and laughed loudly.

"Is this all the skill the Great Qian army has? They couldn't even withstand three moves, yet they dare to come out and challenge us?"

He rode his horse back and forth around the city, pointing his spear at Su Mu on the city wall, his voice louder and harsher.

"Su Mu! You coward! A hundred-year-old man, all you dare to do is hide behind the city walls? Where are your cooks' apprentices? Let them come out! I'll take them all down, one shot each!"

"If you're scared, obediently open the city gates, kneel down, and call me 'Grandpa' three times, and I might spare your life! Otherwise—when the city falls, I'll hang your white-haired head on the flagpole so everyone in the Great Qian Dynasty can see it!"

The Northern Di soldiers behind him joined in the commotion, their laughter, curses, and taunts mingling together and surging up the city wall like a tide.

The barbarian owl, mounted on his horse, couldn't suppress the smile on his lips as he watched the barbarian smugly gesturing.

He turned to look at Tuoba Han, his voice full of smugness.

"Your Highness, look, the moment my elder brother made a move, the Great Qian army cowered. That old man didn't even dare to show his face."

Tuoba Han remained silent.

He stared at the hunched figure on the city wall, who remained motionless, and his brows furrowed slightly.

At that moment, he felt that things were not so simple.

That old man wasn't scared.

What is he waiting for?

On the city wall, Su Mu remained motionless.

He looked down at the clamoring barbarian below the city, and at the imposing 50,000-strong Northern Di army. His face showed no anger, no panic, only an unfathomable calm.

Qin Hao stood beside him and asked in a low voice, "Elder Su, should I go down and meet him?"

Su Mu nodded, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes.

"Go ahead, same old routine, don't fight him, just hold him off and let him continue to be smug."

Qin Hao clasped his hands in a fist salute, turned around, and walked down the city wall.

Before long, the city gates opened again, and a black warhorse galloped out.

Qin Hao, wielding a long spear and clad in silver armor, stood ramrod straight. He charged out of the city gate, reined in his spear, and thrust it horizontally with a voice as sharp as iron.

"Qin Hao of the Great Qian Dynasty is here! Barbarian, cease your arrogance!"

The barbarian's eyes lit up, and he shouted:

"Qin Hao? Fine! I've heard you're the number one general in the northern border of the Great Qian Dynasty. I'll see just how capable you really are today!"

The two horses clashed again, their guns flashing and sparks flying.

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

Man Tu's spear technique was fierce and powerful, each strike carrying immense force.

The two men were locked in combat, exchanging blows and fighting fiercely, neither gaining the upper hand.

Five moves, ten moves, fifteen moves.

Qin Hao fought and retreated, deliberately revealing weaknesses to make Man Tu think he had the upper hand.

The more Man Tu fought, the more excited he became, and his marksmanship grew increasingly fierce, but he was still unable to unseat Qin Hao.

On the city wall, Su Mu watched the "performance" with a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

Qin Hao is a smart man.

He negotiated for a long time, and finally pretended to retreat.

His delay actually lasted for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Su Mu looked up at the sky and said:

"The time is almost right; it's time to get serious!"