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

Dusk was falling in front of the palace gates.

Two rows of imperial guards, armed with spears and clad in iron armor, stood motionless on either side of the vermilion palace walls.

The civil and military officials arrived one after another, passing through the palace gates in twos and threes, their steps hurried and their faces showing some unease.

His Majesty's sudden summons today for an overnight meeting is unusual.

Moreover, the eunuch delivering the imperial decree spoke urgently, only saying "Enter the palace immediately, without delay," without revealing any further details.

Everyone was wondering: What exactly happened?

Crown Prince Xiao Yunfeng alighted from his sedan chair, straightened his clothes, and was about to step into the palace when he heard hurried footsteps behind him.

"Your Highness! Your Highness, please wait!"

Xiao Yunfeng turned around and saw that Prime Minister Li Yuan had caught up from behind.

Li Yuan was dressed in a purple official robe, with a gold fish pouch at his waist. He had a thin face and a worried expression on his face.

He strode to the Crown Prince's side and lowered his voice, "Your Highness, what is the reason for His Majesty's sudden summons?"

Xiao Yunfeng frowned, pondered for a moment, and replied in a low voice, "It's hard to say, but in my opinion, it's probably not a good thing."

"Oh? What makes you say that, Your Highness?"

Xiao Yunfeng glanced around to make sure no one was approaching before lowering his voice and saying, "Prime Minister, think about it. The news that came a few days ago said that the Northern Di King sent 20,000 iron cavalry to reinforce Tuoba Han, led by the two great warriors, Man Tu and Man Xiao. Man Tu is the personal disciple of the Northern Di Spear God and one of the top three fierce generals on the grasslands. With 50,000 troops pressing in, Qin Hao has less than 30,000 men, plus a centenarian... Prime Minister, do you think they can hold out?"

Li Yuan narrowed his eyes, the corners of his mouth slightly turned up, revealing a meaningful smile.

"Does Your Highness mean that the Northern Border has already fallen?"

Xiao Yunfeng did not answer directly, but only gave a cold laugh.

"That Su Mu, a centenarian from a farming background, how capable could he possibly be?"

"Last time you mentioned killing Yeluqi and recovering Yuzhou, I found it suspicious."

"Now that the barbarians have arrived, and it's a real fight with swords and spears, what tricks can that old man pull?"

Li Yuan nodded and echoed, "Your Highness is wise. That's what I think too. How can a centenarian who can't even walk steadily fight on the battlefield? That's utterly ridiculous. Only someone like the Third Prince would believe such an absurd thing."

"Third Uncle?" Xiao Yunfeng sneered. "He has always opposed me, the Crown Prince. Last time in court, he defended that old man, saying something about 'serving the country at the age of one hundred is worthy of respect.' I think he's senile."

Li Yuan lowered his voice and moved even closer.

"Your Highness, if the northern border truly falls, it's only a matter of time before the Northern Barbarians invade the south. At that time, His Majesty will surely need to select generals to lead the expedition. If Your Highness can secure this opportunity..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was already clear.

Xiao Yunfeng's lips curled up slightly, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

"Prime Minister, rest assured, I, the Crown Prince, know what I'm doing."

The two exchanged a glance, understanding each other without saying a word, and stepped into the palace gate together.

……

Along the palace road, civil and military officials gathered in small groups, whispering and discussing amongst themselves.

"Lord Zhang, why is His Majesty so eager to summon me? What has happened?"

"It's hard to say, but you've all heard the news from the northern border a few days ago. Fifty thousand troops are pressing in, and things are probably going to be very bad for Yuzhou City."

"Sigh, that's what I think too. How much ability can that Su Mu, a hundred-year-old man, have? Last time he said he killed Yeluqi, I thought it was unlikely. This time, he's encountered a fierce general of the level of Man Tu, I'm afraid..."

"Shh, keep your voice down. The Third Prince is behind us. It wouldn't be good if he heard us."

Someone glanced back and saw that the Third Prince, Xiao Jingyu, was walking unhurriedly at the back of the crowd, his expression unchanged, revealing neither joy nor anger.

A young imperial censor approached Xiao Jingyu cautiously and asked, "Third Prince, what do you think His Majesty summoned me for? Could it be related to the Northern Border...?"

Xiao Jingyu kept walking, his gaze fixed straight ahead, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"As for what it is, I have no idea, but I can tell you that it is definitely not the fall of the northern border."

The imperial censor was taken aback, his face full of doubt: "Does Your Highness have such confidence? The Northern Barbarians have sent 20,000 iron cavalry and two great warriors as reinforcements, a total of 50,000 troops pressing on the border!"

Xiao Jingyu stopped, turned around, and looked at the censor with a calm and firm gaze.

"I believe in the soldiers of the Great Qian Dynasty, I believe in Qin Hao, and I also believe in that old man Su."

He didn't say anything more, turned around, and stepped onto the white marble steps in front of the Golden Palace.

The censor stood there, watching Xiao Jingyu's retreating figure, hesitant to speak.

In truth, Xiao Jingyu wasn't entirely confident either.

He was just gambling.

More importantly, if no one in the entire court believes in the strength of the Great Qian army, then morale will collapse, and there will be no point in fighting.

Therefore, he must believe.

……

The Golden Palace was brightly lit by candlelight.

The civil and military officials lined up on both sides, standing according to their rank, and the hall was completely silent.

On the dragon throne, Xiao Jinghuan sat upright, his face ruddy, with an undisguised smile on his lips.

Li Yuan stood at the front of the civil officials' line, secretly glancing at the emperor's expression, and his heart skipped a beat.

wrong.

His Majesty is not worried, but happy.

His brow furrowed slightly.

"Your Majesty," Li Yuan stepped forward, cupping his hands in greeting, "may I ask, Your Majesty, is it because of military news from the northern border that you summoned all officials so late at night?"

Xiao Jinghuan leaned forward slightly, his smile widening.

"Minister Li guessed correctly; it is indeed military intelligence from the northern border."

A low murmur of discussion immediately arose in the hall.

Li Yuan's heart sank, and he tentatively asked, "Could it be... that the northern border has already fallen?"

Crown Prince Xiao Yunfeng also stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Father, if the Northern Di dare to invade the south, I am willing to be the vanguard and lead the army to meet them! I will certainly not fail in my mission and drive the Northern Di barbarians out of the Central Plains!"

He spoke with great passion, yet there was a faint, almost imperceptible smile at the corner of his mouth.

Xiao Jinghuan looked at him and suddenly burst into laughter.

Laughter echoed in the empty hall, causing the candlelight on both sides to flicker.

"Your Highness, what's the rush?"

"There's still no intelligence to inform us whether the Northern Frontier has fallen; nobody knows!"

The discussions in the hall abruptly ceased.

Li Yuan's brows furrowed even more.

Xiao Yunfeng's smile froze on his face.

"Father, then..."

Xiao Jinghuan suddenly stood up and said in a loud voice:

"I have summoned you here because news of a great victory has arrived from the north!"

He picked up the report of victory from the imperial desk and held it high.

"Outside Yuzhou City, our Great Qian army decisively defeated the 50,000-strong Northern Di army! We slew the Northern Di's top spearman, Man Tu, and wounded their top archer, Man Xiao! Tuoba Han led his remaining troops in a chaotic retreat, and our army pursued them recaptured Qingzhou in one fell swoop!"

The main hall was deathly silent.

Then, things exploded like a pot boiling over.

"What? Recapture Qingzhou?"

"Barbarian Butcher was killed? He was the personal disciple of the Northern Barbarian Spear God!"

"An army of 50,000...to utterly defeat an army of 50,000? How is that possible?"

"Su Mu...it's Su Mu again! Last time he killed Yeluqi, this time he killed the Barbarian Butcher. Just who is this old man?"

"A centenarian, slaughtering barbarians? This...this is simply a god descending to earth!"

Li Yuan's face turned pale and then flushed, his lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a single word.

His hand unconsciously clenched the scepter.

Crown Prince Xiao Yunfeng was also extremely shocked.

He stood there, mouth slightly open, eyes wide open.

He was just saying, "How much can a centenarian do?" and now the good news has arrived.

The barbarian tyrant was killed, and Qingzhou was recovered...

His face burned, as if he had been slapped in public.

Xiao Jingyu stood in the queue, a smile slowly spreading across his face, revealing an uncontrollable grin.

He took a deep breath, strode forward, and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

His voice was loud and clear, echoing throughout the hall.

"The successive recapture of Yuzhou and Qingzhou, and the slaying of Yeluqi and Mantu, two formidable generals of the Northern Di, are sufficient proof that Su Mu, though over a hundred years old, is a rare and exceptional general in our Great Qian Dynasty! This great victory is a contribution to the nation and a benefit for future generations. If we do not reward him handsomely, how can we win the hearts of the army and boost morale?"

Xiao Jinghuan laughed heartily, walked out from behind the imperial desk, stood in front of the dragon throne, and glanced at all the civil and military officials.

"Third brother is absolutely right! This is precisely why I summoned you here overnight."

"I hereby appoint Su Mu as the General Who Guards the North!"