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

Late at night, at the Qingzhou government office.

The government office, which had been silent in the night, was suddenly brightly lit, as bright as day.

One by one, the lanterns in the corridor were lit, and all the candlesticks in the main hall were lit.

Footsteps and voices rose and fell, breaking the tranquility of the night.

Upon receiving the secret report from Lingfeng Pavilion, Su Mu did not delay at all and immediately ordered his men to summon Qin Hao, Zhou Huchen, You Zhongyi, and other generals to come for a meeting that very night.

The messengers rode off to their respective camps, and soon, one after another, fast horses arrived in front of the government office. The generals, still wearing their outer robes and lingering sleepiness, hurriedly entered the main hall.

In the backyard room, the Third Prince Xiao Jingyu was also awakened by the noise.

He had already gone to sleep, but in his drowsy state, he heard hurried footsteps and the neighing of horses outside. Thinking that something serious had happened, he quickly put on his clothes, got up, and opened the window to look outside.

The courtyard was brightly lit, with soldiers coming and going and messengers running in and out.

"What happened?" Xiao Jingyu stopped a soldier running down the corridor.

"Your Highness, General Su has urgently summoned all the generals for a meeting!"

Xiao Jingyu's eyes lit up, and he was wide awake.

"Are they planning to send troops out overnight?"

He had been waiting for this day for half a month, and it finally arrived.

He quickly put on his robes, straightened his hat and sash, and strode toward the main hall.

……

Inside the main hall, candlelight shone brightly.

Qin Hao, Zhou Huchen, You Zhongyi, Gu Changfeng, Zhao Tieniu and others had all arrived and were sitting on both sides, each with a solemn expression and their eyes were all on Su Mu in the main seat.

Su Mu sat in the main seat, his body hunched over, his white hair gleaming silver in the candlelight, his eyes sweeping over everyone's faces.

On the table in front of him was a map of the northern border, marked with mountains, rivers, cities, and passes. The locations of the three cities of Cangzhou, Yingzhou, and Mozhou were circled in vermilion ink.

He was still clutching the note he had taken from the dart in his hand.

"Elder Su, why have you summoned everyone so late? Is there some movement in Cangzhou?" Qin Hao spoke first, leaning forward slightly, his eyes filled with urgency.

Su Mu placed the note on the table.

"News from Lingfeng Pavilion says that Tuoba Lie has led 10,000 Northern Di troops to reinforce Cangzhou, but he himself did not enter Cangzhou, but went to Yingzhou instead."

Upon hearing this, a low murmur of discussion immediately arose in the main hall.

"Yingzhou? What's he doing in Yingzhou?" Zhou Huchen frowned, his face full of confusion. "Wasn't he supposed to be replacing Tuoba Han as the Grand Marshal of the Northern Expedition? Why isn't he in Cangzhou to oversee things? What's he doing in Yingzhou?"

"Tuoba Lie went to Yingzhou to strengthen the city's defenses and reorganize the garrison."

Su Mu stood up and walked to the large map hanging on the wall. His withered fingers traced from Qingzhou to Yingzhou, and then from Yingzhou to Cangzhou.

"Gentlemen, please look around. Cangzhou is a high-lying city with deep moats, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Moreover, the land is fertile, the food and fodder are plentiful, and a large river runs through it, providing a constant water source. If we were to launch a strong attack on Cangzhou, even if we could take it, we would pay a heavy price and it would take a long time."

Then, he moved his finger to the location of Yingzhou.

"Yingzhou is different. Its city walls are low and its moat is shallow. It has no natural defenses. Once the city gates are breached, the city will fall."

"The reason why Tuoba Han fled to Cangzhou instead of Yingzhou after his defeat was precisely because of this."

Qin Hao's brows relaxed, as if he had guessed something.

"Elder Su, do you mean that Tuoba Lie saw this and therefore went to Yingzhou to fortify its defenses in advance to prevent us from attacking Yingzhou first?"

"Not bad." Su Mu turned around, his cloudy old eyes looking at Qin Hao. "Tuoba Lie is indeed a formidable figure. He had just arrived in the Northern Territory when he keenly noticed this loophole and rushed to Yingzhou without stopping, preparing defenses before we could make a move. This was something I was careless about."

He paused, a hint of self-reproach in his voice.

"Previously, I had been focusing my attention on Cangzhou, keeping an eye on Tuoba Han's every move, but I neglected Yingzhou."

"If we had sent troops to attack Yingzhou directly after taking Qingzhou, Yingzhou's defenses would not have been able to withstand our iron cavalry. Now that Tuoba Lie has arrived, it won't be so easy to take it now."

The people in the hall remained silent for a moment, digesting Su Mu's words.

Zhou Huchen couldn't help but ask, "Elder Su, what is Tuoba Lie's purpose? Does he intend to defend the three cities to the death?"

Su Mu walked back to the map, his cloudy old eyes fixed on the locations of the three cities, his gaze deep and unfocused.

"My guess is that Tuoba Lie intends to use Cangzhou as the center to bring together Yingzhou and Mozhou, forming a triangular formation. The three cities will rely on each other and support one another, and then hold the three cities to wage a war of attrition against us."

"Cangzhou has ample grain and supplies, abundant resources, and water. We can't outlast them."

That's exactly what Tuoba Lie was planning!

The hall was quiet for a moment, then a collective gasp filled the air.

"What a vicious plan!"

"This Tuoba Lie is much harder to deal with than Tuoba Han!"

The Third Prince, Xiao Jingyu, stood to the side without saying a word.

He listened to Su Mu's analysis and looked at the map that was covered with markings, and he was deeply shocked.

This centenarian was not only a master of martial arts, but also a man of exceptional strategy, able to see through the enemy's intentions with just a few words.

With such a person in the Great Qian Dynasty, how can we worry about not recovering the northern border?

He couldn't help but ask, "General Su, how do you plan to deal with this?"

Su Mu turned around and looked at Xiao Jingyu, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Let's launch a two-pronged attack, simultaneously assaulting Cangzhou and Yingzhou!"

The generals looked at each other, some puzzled, some surprised.

Qin Hao frowned and said, "Elder Su, splitting the army into two groups will disperse our forces. Although we have recruited a lot of new soldiers, most of them are greenhorns who have never been on the battlefield. Can they really take down two cities?"

Su Mu shook his head, his gaze sharp.

"You misunderstand. What I meant by a two-pronged approach is not an equal division of forces."

"Mozhou is the farthest from Cangzhou, making it extremely difficult to provide immediate support to the other two cities."

"Therefore, as long as we send troops to Cangzhou and Yingzhou at the same time, we can cut off their mutual support channels and prevent them from supporting each other from both ends."

"And we are ready to provide support at any time."

"Furthermore, by blocking their reinforcements, we can even out the strength of the two armies."

He paused, then raised his voice a few decibels.

"General Qin, I hereby order you to lead 20,000 troops from Yuzhou straight to Yingzhou and prepare for an attack. Your mission is to hold back the defenders of Yingzhou and prevent them from diverting their forces to rescue Cangzhou."

Qin Hao clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This subordinate obeys!"

Su Mu turned to Zhou Huchen and You Zhongyi.

"Zhou Huchen, You Zhongyi, you will follow me and lead 20,000 troops from Qingzhou to take Cangzhou!"

Zhou Huchen and You Zhongyi simultaneously clasped their hands in a fist salute: "Yes, sir!"

Qin Hao thought for a moment and then asked, "Elder Su, should we focus our main force on Yingzhou? After all, Yingzhou is easier to conquer. It seems safer to take Yingzhou first and then Cangzhou."

Su Mu smiled.

"We can think of this, and Tuoba Lie must have thought of it too. Since he went to Yingzhou, it means that he had anticipated that we would attack Yingzhou first. Therefore, Yingzhou must be fully prepared at this moment, waiting for us to run into a wall."

"I will do the opposite: block Yingzhou and take Cangzhou directly! While Tuoba Lie is still in Yingzhou and hasn't had time to enter Cangzhou to take charge, while the Cangzhou garrison thinks we will attack Yingzhou first and is therefore lax in their defenses, we will catch them off guard!"

Qin Hao's eyes lit up instantly. He stood up abruptly, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Elder Su's plan is brilliant! This subordinate understands!"

He turned around and looked at the generals in the hall.

"All generals, heed my command!"

"They all departed and proceeded with the plan overnight."

"Yes, sir!"

Su Mu took a deep breath and said.

"Gentlemen, in this battle, our army must recapture Cangzhou."

"yes!"

The generals responded in unison, and then each departed.

Xiao Jingyu stood at the entrance of the main hall, watching the generals hurriedly leave, his heart churning with emotion.

He turned around, looked at Su Mu, clasped his hands and said, "General Su, I also wish to join the army on this expedition."

Su Mu glanced at him, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Is Your Highness not afraid of danger?"

Xiao Jingyu straightened his chest, his gaze resolute.

"General Su, at the age of one hundred, still donned his armor and went into battle; how can Xiao Jingyu possibly back down?"

Su Mu nodded.

"Very well, Your Highness will accompany me. However, once we reach the battlefield, Your Highness must obey my orders and must not act rashly."

"Of course!"

Outside the window, the moonlight was as white as frost.

On the drill ground, the bugle call had already sounded, and soldiers poured out of their tents, donned armor, and carried swords, assembling in formation.

The torchlight stretched out in a continuous line, illuminating the entire military camp as if it were daytime...