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

"To appoint Su Mu as General Who Guards the North?"

These words caused a huge stir in the imperial palace.

Prime Minister Li Yuan's expression changed instantly.

Upon hearing this, he abruptly raised his head, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes.

Crown Prince Xiao Yunfeng's expression also changed drastically, filled with resentment and anger.

He had thought that the audience tonight was to discuss countermeasures after the fall of the northern border, and he had even prepared a passionate speech to demonstrate his responsibility to his father.

But the result was that the centenarian was to be rewarded?

General Zhenbei.

That's a military rank of the third grade.

How could a centenarian farmer, who had been in the army for less than half a year, rise from a cook to a general in the north?

Since the founding of the Great Qian Dynasty, has there ever been such a precedent?

Xiao Yunfeng secretly glanced at Li Yuan beside him, and the two exchanged a look.

Li Yuan understood, stepped forward first, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, I dare to suggest that this matter is perhaps inappropriate!"

Xiao Jinghuan's smile faded slightly, and his brows furrowed.

"What's wrong with it?"

Li Yuan straightened up and replied:

"Your Majesty, although Su Mu has made great achievements, such as recovering Yuzhou and Qingzhou and killing Yeluqi and Mantu, he has indeed made great contributions."

"But so far we have only recovered two prefectures, and the northern border still has three places in Cangzhou and more than ten cities in the hands of the Northern Barbarians. Is it too hasty to appoint him as the General Who Guards the North at this time?"

He paused, his tone becoming even more urgent.

"Your Majesty, I am not denying Su Mu's contributions."

"However, rewards should be commensurate with merits; greater merits should be rewarded more heavily, and less merits should be rewarded less heavily."

"The northern borders are not yet fully recovered. If we rashly bestow a high position upon him, what will Your Majesty do when he makes new contributions in the future?"

"If the reward is too small, it will demoralize the army; if the reward is too large, wouldn't the court have to create titles just for him?"

Behind him, several ministers who were close to him stepped forward to second his opinion.

"The Prime Minister's words are absolutely correct; Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

"His achievements are so great that they threaten the emperor's position; we must be wary of him!"

"The General Who Guards the North holds a high position and wields great power, and Su Mu is, after all, a centenarian..."

Xiao Jinghuan's brows furrowed more and more, and the joy in his eyes was replaced by hesitation.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Crown Prince Xiao Yunfeng also stepped forward and bowed.

"Father, I also think the Prime Minister is right. Although Su Mu has made contributions, it is indeed too early to appoint him as the General Who Guards the North."

He raised his head, looked directly at Xiao Jinghuan, and spoke with a sincere tone of "sharing the burdens of the ruler".

"Father, please consider this: if we appoint him General Who Guards the North now, how will you reward him once Su Mu has truly recovered the entire northern border?"

"To bestow upon him the title of Grand General of the State? To grant him the title of Duke? To grant him the title of King? At that time, has Father Emperor ever considered that the five prefectures and thirteen cities of the Northern Border will be entirely under Su Mu's control? He will hold a large army and have made unparalleled contributions. If he harbors disloyal intentions, won't Father Emperor be powerless to intervene from the capital?"

These words, though spoken in a grand and dignified manner, were like a knife hidden in every sentence, slashing at the most sensitive string in the emperor's heart.

Suspicion.

Throughout history, how many of those whose achievements overshadowed their rulers have met a good end?

Xiao Jinghuan's face darkened completely.

He slowly sat back on the dragon throne, his eyes filled with hesitation.

His gaze shifted from the Crown Prince to the Prime Minister, then from the Prime Minister to the ministers who had seconded the proposal, and finally settled on the report of victory on his desk.

A centenarian.

They fought their way from the cooks' quarters to the recapture of two prefectures and the killing of two fierce generals from the Northern Barbarians.

Would such a person harbor ulterior motives?

Li Yuan secretly observed the emperor's expression, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He knew His Majesty all too well: indecisive and suspicious by nature.

Once a seed of doubt is planted in his heart, it won't be long before it takes root, sprouts, and grows into a towering tree.

Just as Xiao Jinghuan was hesitating, a loud voice rang out from the ranks.

"Your Majesty! Your humble servant has something to say!"

Xiao Jingyu strode forward, flicked his sleeves, and stood in the center of the hall.

He stood ramrod straight, his gaze sharp, and his entire being exuded an aura of unquestionable authority.

Xiao Jinghuan raised his head and looked over.

"Third brother, what do you have to say?"

Xiao Jingyu turned around, his gaze sweeping over the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister, then over the ministers behind them who had seconded the motion. A slight sneer appeared on his lips.

"Your Majesty, I believe that His Highness the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister are completely wrong!"

These words immediately caused an uproar in the hall.

The Crown Prince and Li Yuan's expressions immediately darkened.

"Third Prince, what do you mean by that?" Li Yuan asked coldly.

Xiao Jingyu ignored him and went straight to Xiao Jinghuan, cupping his hands in a loud voice.

"Your Majesty, may I ask, how long has the northern border been occupied by the Northern Barbarians?"

Xiao Jinghuan was taken aback, then replied, "More than three years."

"In the past three years, how many troops has our Great Qian Dynasty dispatched? How many generals have we lost? How much lost territory have we recovered?"

Xiao Jinghuan remained silent.

Xiao Jingyu answered himself: "Not a single city has been recovered, and not a single general has been killed."

"For the past three years, the Great Qian has suffered nothing but repeated defeats and lost cities and territories in the northern border."

"The people were displaced and the corpses of the soldiers piled up like mountains."

"In the imperial court, all that could be done was sighing and blaming each other."

His voice grew louder and louder, echoing throughout the hall.

"But now, Su Mu has arrived."

"He led a group of cooks and fought his way from Qinghe County to Yuzhou City, and from Yuzhou City to Qingzhou City."

"Slaying Yeluqi, killing Mantu, wounding Manxiao, recovering two states, and decisively defeating 50,000 Northern Di troops! Such achievements are merely described by the ministers as 'great merits'?"

He turned around and looked at the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister, his gaze sharp as a knife.

"His Highness the Crown Prince said that it is too early to bestow titles now, and that they should be done after the entire northern territory has been recovered."

"May I ask, these soldiers are fighting bloody battles on the front lines, yet they can't even get a hot meal or a decent suit of armor. What are they fighting for?"

"They're after the defense of their country, and they're after the advancement of their wives and children!"

"Now that we've won the battle and made contributions, the court isn't even offering a decent reward. Who will be willing to risk their lives next time we fight?"

The crown prince's face turned ashen. His lips moved as if he wanted to retort, but he couldn't find the words.

Xiao Jingyu then turned to Li Yuan and sneered, "The Prime Minister said that those whose merits are too great and threaten the ruler must be guarded against."

"I would like to ask, Su Mu is a centenarian, without children, relatives, or any other connections. What ruler does he challenge? What empire does he desire? How can the Prime Minister say that such a person harbors disloyal intentions?"

"Perhaps he only wanted to kill the northern barbarians, avenge his family, and relieve the suffering of the people."

Li Yuan's face was ashen, his Adam's apple bobbed twice, and he forced himself to say, "Third Prince, one must always be wary of others. Although Su Mu is old, he now commands a large army and controls two provinces. Who can guarantee that he won't..."

"What do you mean you can't do anything?" Xiao Jingyu interrupted him sharply. "Prime Minister, you sit in your luxurious Prime Minister's mansion, enjoying the warm breeze and drinking hot tea, and you can doubt an old general who is fighting to the death on the front lines with just a few words."

"Do you know that his son and daughter-in-law died at the hands of the Northern Di? Do you know that he was a hundred years old, yet he still went to the battlefield to fight the Northern Di?"

Li Yuan's face flushed red, his lips trembled, and he managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Third Prince, you've gone too far! I was merely trying to share His Majesty's burdens..."

"To share His Majesty's burdens?" Xiao Jingyu sneered. "Is your way of sharing the burdens, Prime Minister, to trip up, frame, and smear the soldiers in court while they are fighting bloody battles on the front lines?"

"you!"

Li Yuan was so angry that he was trembling all over.

Xiao Jingyu ignored him, turned around and cupped his hands in greeting to Xiao Jinghuan, his voice regaining its composure.

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you reconsider."

"Su Mu's merits deserve reward!"

"Without rewards, there is no way to win the hearts of the soldiers; without rewards, there is no way to boost morale!"

The emperor asked, "What should I do according to my third brother's opinion?"

"My brother suggests that not only should he be rewarded, but he should be richly rewarded!"

"Su Mu is hereby appointed General Who Guards the North, the army is to be rewarded, and this decree is to be proclaimed throughout the land!"

"Let the whole world know that His Majesty is wise and mighty, and that those who perform meritorious deeds will be rewarded!"

The hesitation in Xiao Jinghuan's eyes gradually faded.

"As for Your Highness's concern about how to bestow rewards upon him in the future," Xiao Jingyu smiled slightly, "I have a plan."

"Tell me about it," Xiao Jinghuan leaned forward.

"Once Su Mu has recovered the northern border and returned to the capital in triumph, Your Majesty may build him a general's mansion in the capital so that he can live out his remaining years in comfort and honor."

"In this way, his contributions are rewarded, and he is kept under the emperor's nose. His Majesty can summon him at any time, so there is no worry about him being 'too far away to be of any use'."

Xiao Jinghuan's eyes lit up.

"Third brother's suggestion is a win-win situation."

"Your Majesty is wise!" Xiao Jingyu bowed.

Li Yuan grew anxious and stepped forward, saying, "Your Majesty, the Third Prince's plan seems thorough, but it actually harbors hidden dangers. Su Mu is over a hundred years old; how many more years can he live? It's barely enough to have him guard the northern border; how many more years can he live in the capital in luxury? Is it worth spending the court's money to support a hundred-year-old man?"

Xiao Jingyu turned his head sharply, his eyes filled with anger.

"Your words, Prime Minister, have truly broadened my horizons."

"Su Mu, at the age of one hundred, can still fight on the battlefield and share the burdens of the country. And what about the Prime Minister? The Prime Minister is just over fifty years old, in the prime of his life, yet here in the Golden Palace, he is thinking about how to smear meritorious officials and how to plot against the soldiers at the front?"

He took two steps forward and stared intently at Li Yuan.

"The Prime Minister says that Elder Su won't live much longer and is unworthy of any reward. Then I'd like to ask, how many years has the Prime Minister lived in the court? What are the Prime Minister's achievements? What has the Prime Minister done for the country? How many cities has the Prime Minister recovered? How many enemy generals has the Prime Minister killed?"

Li Yuan was left speechless.

The entire Golden Palace was completely silent, everyone staring at Xiao Jingyu.

At this moment, Xiao Jingyu also realized that he had gotten a little carried away with his emotions.

He then composed himself and turned to look at the emperor.

"Your Majesty, I request permission to serve as your special envoy, carrying the imperial edict of bestowal and rewards, to the northern border to convey Your Majesty's grace and decrees to the three armies."

Xiao Jinghuan was silent for a moment, then suddenly stood up.

"good!"

"By imperial decree, Su Mu is hereby appointed General Who Guards the North, and bestowed with a set of golden armor, a saddle and bridle for a magnificent Ferghana horse, a thousand acres of fertile land, and a thousand taels of gold!"

"Qin Hao is promoted to General Zhongwu, Zhou Huchen is promoted to Deputy General, and You Zhongyi, Gu Changfeng, Zhao Tieniu, and others are each awarded titles and honors! The soldiers of the three armies are to be rewarded with three months' worth of military pay!"

"Third brother, I hereby appoint you as Imperial Envoy, carrying the imperial decree and bestowed titles. Set off immediately for the Northern Frontier!"

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Xiao Jingyu kowtowed, his expression excited.

Crown Prince Xiao Yunfeng and Prime Minister Li Yuan stood aside, their faces ashen with anger.

Behind them, the ministers who had seconded the motion shrank back, no longer daring to utter a sound.

Xiao Jingyu stood up, took the imperial edict, and held it carefully in his hands.

"Court adjourned!"

The eunuch's high-pitched voice echoed in the main hall.

The officials filed out.

Xiao Jingyu carried the imperial edict and walked at the very back.

His steps were steady, his back straight, and his eyes were full of determination.

Outside the palace gates, a gentle night breeze was blowing.

The night in the capital was cool, but his heart was burning with passion.

"The Great Qian Dynasty is finally seeing a glimmer of hope!"