The Villain Slaps The Protagonist’s Halo - Chapter 74 (Patreon)

Chapter 74: The Protagonist Must Die

The vanguard general, Qi Feng, was merely seeking leniency for the loyal officials in protecting the country, but he was executed on the spot. Several insignificant soldiers, who spoke vulgar words and criticized the king, were easily pardoned of their capital crimes. Regardless of who it was, if he wanted someone dead, they died; if he wanted someone alive, they lived. This was the true power of life and death.

Ji Jiarong seemed to understand, yet also seemed not to. She just looked at the young king before her, trembling uncontrollably in her heart. He seemed to be a belief, the soul of Yan Country. General Yunhui stood there dazed for a moment. It was only after the king and the commander walked away that he exchanged a glance with Ji Jiarong and hastily followed.

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With the king's pardon in place, the Xuanjia soldiers didn't act ruthlessly when implementing the commander's orders. However, after a thousand slaps, even though no one died, they were left maimed. Faces were battered, teeth broken, and with the weather getting hotter, surviving, even if lucky, would be a torment worse than death.

The military camp was in turmoil. The king led a hundred soldiers to the dense forest in front of Qilin River and didn't return all day. The soldiers in the camp, with the king absent, whispered and discussed privately, but no one dared to speak openly.

The commanders turned a blind eye to this, already resentful of the young king who had not fully matured. Despite preventing Kaisen City from succumbing to the plague upon his arrival, they hadn't forgotten that he killed their god of war, their belief in Yan Country.

The soldiers were unaware of the plague; their resentment grew stronger. Nie Jia sensed this subtle change when he returned. His elite cavalry under Shi Chen showed no signs, but when he passed by the Northwestern Army, they would bow down in fear, afraid of offending him.

In the minds of the Northwestern Army, he might be a tyrant who delighted in killing, cruel and ruthless. Whether it was Prince Jing or Nie Jia, both displayed the demeanor of a tyrant.

Nie Jia didn't care about the rumors in the army. He paid no attention to the gossip. After returning from Qilin River, he stayed inside the royal tent due to the oppressive heat. He and Shi Chen didn't hide their relationship; they lived together in the royal tent. Major matters were overseen by Shi Chen, while minor ones were handed to Ji Jiarong.

For a while, there was no mention of Left Vanguard Sikong Han in both the frontline and Kaisen City. He obeyed Ji Jiarong's orders, but she disliked him. Left Vanguard, originally a temporary position, was directly dismissed by Ji Jiarong. Sikong Han, once prestigious, became an ordinary soldier.

Though Sikong Han felt humiliated, he remained calm, knowing he had restrained himself after becoming the target. He became an ordinary soldier without any signs of discontent.

The dissatisfaction within the army reached its peak. The king was oblivious, allowing a woman to suppress talents while the soldiers were disgraced. How could they fight this war?

Some even considered taking advantage of this opportunity to assassinate the king, but apart from General Yunhui and General Guide, no one could get close to the royal tent. The king's meals were prepared by Xuanjia, making the task of assassinating him even more difficult than taking Lu Tai.

As the weather got hotter, emotions within the army became more agitated.

One night, Nie Jia, with a sudden intuition, mobilized two hundred soldiers to ambush on the opposite side of the Qilin River. In the mosquito-infested woods, Shi Chen didn't want him to come personally, but seeing his excited expression, he didn't say much, just tightened his sleeves before coming out.

While the soldiers lay in ambush, the commanders became impatient. Not understanding why the king chose the forest on the opposite bank, they wondered if the enemy would launch a night attack. Even if they did, they should have ambushed in the front woods for a more effective surprise. Moreover, the king brought only two hundred men. What use were two hundred men?

"How does the king know the enemy will attack at night?" A left general with a scruffy beard squatted on a tree, covering his face with a branch, and asked in a low voice.

"Guessed," Shi Chen replied emotionlessly for him. Nie Jia lay on the grass, pretending to sleep, surrounded by a hundred tense and alert soldiers, but he felt surprisingly comfortable and almost fell asleep. The left general choked, and Ji Jiarong added, "It's hot. The water level is dropping. When the king led me and General Song here a few days ago, he noticed Qilin River was almost drying up. If you were the enemy, would you take advantage and sneak in to burn the main camp?"

The left general nodded. Qilin River was right in front of the Northwestern Army's food and forage camp. The river served as a natural defense, and they only stationed a small squad to guard against the enemy crossing. Once it dried up, it would be a perfect opportunity, and someone like Qi Jinyu might have already taken advantage.

He wanted to ask why tonight was chosen, but seeing Shi Chen's displeased look, he held his tongue.

Not long after, faint sounds of horse hooves stepping on water came from outside the woods. Several scouts ventured into the woods, and it seemed that the enemy general, suspecting an ambush, had sent a few men to explore the unknown terrain, unwittingly stepping into Nie Jia's ambush.

General on the left and Ji Jiarong couldn't help but sigh at the cunning of the enemy; tonight, it seemed they might miscalculate.

After a few scouts entered, Shi Chen pulled out a thin dagger from his sleeve, moved forward alone, silently taking out several enemy soldiers' throats in the shadow of the trees. Then, he let out a clear bird call, returned without a drop of blood staining him.

Both Ji Jiarong and the left general were amazed at his skill. Before they could say anything, with the signal received by the hidden scouts, the sounds of hooves stepping on water suddenly became chaotic. Under the hazy moonlight, looking from a distance, there were numerous dark figures – a thousand people!

Both immediately thought of the incident half a month ago, when King Qi ordered the execution of over a hundred soldiers infected with the plague. Qijin Yu sent such a large number of people for a night raid on the military camp, probably thinking that the plague had already spread in the victorious city.

Otherwise, why such a grand display? Were they trying to capture the king?

"Our scouts must have been killed." Ji Jiarong pressed the hilt of his dagger, eyes gleaming with a fierce light. Fortunately, only the military leaders holding power knew about the plague in Danyang County. The frontline scouts also had no knowledge of the current situation in the victorious city; otherwise, Qijin Yu wouldn't dare send so many people in.

Seeing the Qi army crossing the Qilin River and moving towards the main camp through the dense forest, the left general was about to draw his sword in anxiousness. However, a slender yet powerful hand grabbed his neck and pressed his entire head into the mud.

"Why panic." Nie Jia leisurely released him, his voice still calm.

Ji Jiarong pulled the left general's head out of the soil by his hair, saying, "Watch carefully, don't act impulsively."

As the enemy forces entered the dense forest, just half a mile ahead was the main camp. Unfortunately, the king was still lying in ambush without any movement. The left general was anxiously sweating. Looking back, the soldiers were also uneasy. After all, the enemy had roughly estimated about a thousand people, while they only had two hundred, and some had to be allocated to protect the king.

Just as the left general was desperately thinking of a strategy, suddenly, the dense forest echoed with intense and mournful screams.

"Ambush! There's an ambush!"

"General is shot... General is dead!!!"

The continuous screams from the forest, however, lacked the sound of swords clashing; there were only panicked and fearful cries.

The left general, lying in the grass, listened with a chill in his heart. He was also puzzled. Did the king also set up an ambush in the dense forest ahead?

"Kill!" When the cries of agony started in the dense forest, Nie Jia stood under the moonlight, his gaze coldly fixed on the dense forest on the opposite bank of the river.

When dozens of blood-soaked Qi soldiers fled from the depths of the forest, he gave the order, and Ji Jiarong immediately led the troops to surround and kill them!

Until now, the left general was still confused. What happened in the dense forest? In less than half an incense stick's time, only four or five dozen people managed to escape! Did everyone else really perish?

He looked at the now silent and pitch-black dense forest, feeling a slight chill on this scorching summer day.

The dozens of Qi soldiers who escaped were also injured, more or less, with arrows sticking out. Without Nie Jia and Shi Chen making a move, Ji Jiarong killed them cleanly. When a few soldiers with good skills rode their horses towards the Qilin River, Nie Jia pressed down Ji Jiarong's arrows.

"King?" Ji Jiarong didn't understand why he let the enemy go to report.

"That's the Golden Feather Guard of the Qi royal family. Presumably, Qijin Yu is nearby." Shi Chen put away his blood-stained dagger and looked at Nie Jia gently. "King, should we pursue?"

"Of course, we should." Nie Jia's smile carried a hint of bloodthirstiness.

"King, crossing the Qilin River is extremely dangerous. How do we know if it's not Qijin Yu's plan? I hope the king will reconsider." The left general hurriedly advised.

Ji Jiarong also felt that chasing the enemy recklessly was very dangerous. She wanted to say something, but she saw the king stepping on the left general's shoulder, flipping onto the horse.

He drew the Shura Blade from his waist, the blade's cold light appearing, frightening. However, the coldness in it was nothing compared to the arrogance in his voice, "Xuanjia, twenty-one!"

Dark figures emerged from everywhere, even Shi Chen kneeling devoutly by his side.

"Wei Chen and others, receive orders."

"Follow this king and kill to the Lutai!"

The Qilin River directly cut through the mountain pass, and in the canyon, a thousand iron cavalry stood. Qi's Crown Prince, Qijin Yu, rode his horse waiting at the front, gazing at the darkness at the end with a frowning silence.

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