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

Outside Cangzhou city, a cold wind howled.

Ten thousand Northern Di cavalry stood in formation, their expressions solemn, and were advancing at full speed.

The soldiers were fully armored. Although there was no tension of an imminent battle, the grim atmosphere still made the guards at the city gate unconsciously tighten their grips on their swords.

Tuoba Han stood at the city gate, clad in golden armor, with a long sword at his waist, his expression serious, waiting quietly.

As he walked out, he forced a smile.

The king removed him from his position as commander and appointed Tuoba Lie to take his place.

He, the second elder brother, had to lower his once proud head before his third younger brother.

He was unwilling to accept it, but he couldn't show it.

Not at least not now.

"They're here! The Left Wise King's army has arrived!" a personal guard whispered beside him.

Tuoba Han squinted and looked into the distance.

Dust filled the air.

Ten thousand troops marched in a mighty procession toward Cangzhou City.

Tuoba Han straightened his armor, took two steps forward, and prepared to greet him.

But as the army drew closer, his brow furrowed more and more.

At the very front of the group was a burly deputy general, not Tuoba Lie.

Further on, there were neatly arranged cavalry, infantry, and archers, but Tuoba Lie was still nowhere to be seen.

Tuoba Han's gaze swept from the front of the line to the back, and then back to the front.

It has been confirmed that Tuoba Lie is indeed not in the army.

Even Kublai Khan, Tuoba Lie's right-hand man, was not there.

The army halted before the city gate. The lieutenant dismounted, strode to Tuoba Han, knelt on one knee, clasped his hands, and said, "This humble general, Chi Na Yong, pays his respects to the Right Wise King. I have been ordered by the Left Wise King to lead ten thousand elite troops to Cangzhou ahead of time, awaiting Your Highness's command!"

Tuoba Han frowned, his gaze passing over Chi Na Yong and then glancing at the army behind him.

"Where is the Left Wise King?"

Chi Na Yong raised his head and replied, "Your Highness, the Left Wise King left the main force a day ago with his personal guards and entourage, heading east."

"I do not know exactly what to do. The Left Wise King only instructed me to lead troops to Cangzhou first to prepare fortifications. He said he would arrive in three days."

A flicker of doubt crossed Tuoba Han's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

He nodded and said calmly, "Understood. General, you must be tired from your journey. Let's lead the troops into the city and set up camp first."

"Yes!" Chi Na Yong stood up, turned around and commanded the army to enter the city.

Tuoba Han stood there, watching the soldiers file in, his smile gradually fading.

Bald Lie leaned in from behind and whispered, "Your Highness, the Left Wise King's actions are truly unpredictable. The army has arrived, but the commander-in-chief has disappeared. Where could he have gone?"

Tuoba Han did not answer, but stared in the east with a deep gaze.

To the east. That's the direction of Yingzhou. What is Tuoba Lie going to Yingzhou for? It's not the front line, and there's no fighting there. Could it be... he's going to inspect the city's defenses?

Tuoba Han shook his head and turned to walk into the city.

"Now, wherever he goes is none of my business." His voice was soft, as if he were speaking to Bald Lie, or perhaps to himself. "As long as he comes, the military power of Cangzhou will be his. My chance to turn the tide does not lie here."

His fingers unconsciously tightened around the hilt of the knife at his waist.

Thinking to himself, the Thirteen Envoys of Black Cloud should have already made their move, right?

With their strength, killing a centenarian shouldn't be difficult for them.

Once Su Mu dies, the morale of the Daqian army will be thrown into chaos, and Qin Hao will be unable to hold the line alone, giving him a chance to launch a counterattack.

Tuoba Han's lips curled up slightly.

"Let's go."

He quickened his pace and headed towards the government office.

……

Outside Yingzhou City.

Tuoba Lie, mounted on his horse, reined in his horse and stopped a hundred paces outside the city gate.

He was dressed in a black outfit with a dark blue cloak over it, a long sword at his waist, and a cold expression.

Kublai Khan and a dozen personal guards followed closely behind.

Kublai looked around, his face full of doubt. He spurred his horse forward and whispered, "Your Highness, why don't we go directly to Cangzhou? Why do we go around to Yingzhou instead? General Chinayong has already led his troops to Cangzhou, but the commander-in-chief is not here. I'm afraid the Right Wise King's side is..."

Tuoba Lie raised his hand, interrupting him.

He didn't turn around, but just stared at the city walls of Yingzhou, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Kubtai, do you know why my second brother chose to flee to Cangzhou after his defeat, instead of coming to Yingzhou?"

Kublai Khan thought for a moment and replied, "Is Cangzhou closer to Qingzhou? Would that make retreat easier?"

Tuoba Lie shook his head.

"The distances from Qingzhou to Cangzhou and to Yingzhou are almost the same, so it's not a matter of distance."

Kublai Khan was even more puzzled: "Why is that?"

Tuoba Lie stretched out his hand and pointed to the city wall of Yingzhou, his voice neither hurried nor slow.

"Look at this city. The city walls are low, the moat is shallow and narrow, and there isn't even a proper barbican at the city gate. It's all flat land on all sides, with no natural defenses. Once the enemy breaks through the city gate, this city will be finished."

His finger pointed north again, towards Cangzhou.

"Cangzhou? It has high walls and deep moats, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. There are mountains outside the city. As long as there is food inside, it can be defended for a year or two without any problem. My second brother fled to Cangzhou after his defeat because he thought that the city could save his life."

Kublai Khan suddenly realized what was going on and bowed, saying, "Your Highness is wise, and I was foolish enough not to see it."

Tuoba Lie smiled slightly and rode his horse slowly toward the city gate.

"Then do you know why I came to Yingzhou?"

Kublai Khan thought for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Does Your Highness wish to inspect the defenses of Yingzhou? Or...?"

Tuoba Lie stopped his horse, turned his head, and looked at Kublai Khan with a deep gaze.

"If you were Su Mu, after conquering Qingzhou, would your next target be Cangzhou or Yingzhou?"

Kublai Khan replied without hesitation, "It must be Yingzhou! Didn't His Highness just say that Cangzhou is easy to defend but difficult to attack, while Yingzhou is easy to conquer? Anyone would pick on the weakest point first."

Tuoba Lie smiled.

"Even you knew to attack Yingzhou first, do you think someone as capable as Su Mu wouldn't have thought of that?"

Kublai Khan was stunned.

Tuoba Lie turned his horse around and continued towards the city gate.

"Su Mu is a brilliant strategist, skilled in surprise attacks and unpredictable. If he launches a full-scale attack on Cangzhou, even if he succeeds, he will pay a heavy price."

"But if he takes Yingzhou first, cutting off Cangzhou's strategic advantage, and then besieges it without attacking, Cangzhou will become an isolated city. At that time, without even fighting, the people in the city will panic on their own."

Kublai Khan's face changed, and a chill ran down his spine.

"Therefore, I must come to Yingzhou first." Tuoba Lie's voice was as steady as iron. "Fortify the city's defenses, organize the garrison, and ensure full vigilance. At the same time, notify Cangzhou and Mozhou that the three cities are mutually supportive and can support each other. As long as the support between the three cities is fast and timely, no matter how powerful Su Mu is, he will not be able to break through this nut."

"But Your Highness, such actions would render us as if we were merely holding our ground," Kublai Khan stated bluntly. "The King has ordered us to recapture Yuzhou and Qingzhou. If we simply hold our ground and refuse to engage, how can we explain this to the King?"

Tuoba Lie paused, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

"recover?"

"The soldiers of Daqian have just captured Yuzhou and Qingzhou, and with the centenarian General Su Mu descending from the sky, their momentum is at its peak. If we go to confront them head-on now, we will not gain any advantage."

"Therefore, I am not in a hurry to recover Qingzhou and Yuzhou. I want to first defend Cangzhou, Yingzhou and Mozhou, and use these three cities to wear down the morale of the Daqian army."

"Their morale is high, so I will stall until their morale declines. Then I will launch a counterattack and recover the lost territory in one fell swoop."

Kublai Khan was greatly impressed upon hearing this, and clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying, "Your Highness's foresight is truly admirable!"

Tuoba Lie smiled slightly and rode his horse to the city gate.

"Let's go into town."

……

Late at night, at the Qingzhou government office.

The moonlight was as white as frost. Soldiers on night patrol carried lanterns as they walked down the corridor, their footsteps particularly clear in the silent night.

Su Mu's room was on the east side of the backyard, with the doors and windows tightly closed and the candles already extinguished.

He lay on the bed, covered with a thin blanket, breathing steadily, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.

suddenly!

"Whoosh!"

A very faint sound of something cutting through the air, mixed in with the night wind, was almost imperceptible.

Su Mu's eyes snapped open.

Just like last time, a dart shot in through a crack in the window and landed on the bedpost. A small, folded piece of paper was stuck to the dart.

Su Mu was overjoyed.

He thought to himself that the Listening Wind Pavilion must have found out about the movements of Cangzhou and the Northern Barbarians.

So he quickly got up, reached out and pulled out the dart, and took the note to examine it carefully!

After reading it, he beamed with joy and muttered, "The time has come to send troops!"