The Villain Slaps The Protagonist’s Halo - Chapter 76 (Patreon)

Chapter 76: The Protagonist Must Die

In the king's words, there was a hint of a bloody and decisive aura. Even during the previous royal banquet when the king and Du Weiwei clashed with knives, there was not such an obvious intent to kill. General Yun Hui felt a sinking sensation in his heart, realizing that even casual remarks from anyone nearby might not be tolerated by the king at this moment.

General Yun Hui dared not speak any further and hastily said, "This humble minister has spoken too much."

"Speak again at noon, now leave," General Nie Jia ordered, waving his hand to dismiss the person.

Shi Chen dried his hair for him and whispered, "Take advantage of the cool morning to get some rest."

Nie Jia lay down with him, undeterred by the heat, insisting on snuggling into his arms. Shi Chen held a fan with one hand, and the two took a short nap together until mid-morning.

The king stayed awake all night. Despite the morale boost from capturing the prince of Qi, the military camp was eerily quiet at the moment, afraid to disturb the king's rest.

At noon, Ji Jiarong and General Yun Hui went to deliver water to Qi Jinyu. Qi Jinyu had been dragged for half a night, and his wrists were already dislocated. Now, after being exposed to the sun all morning, the wounds on his body seemed to be festering. Ji Jiarong handed him a bowl of water, and Qi Jinyu immediately used his wrists to lift it, gulping down most of the bowl as if he were a hungry wild dog.

Seeing Qi Jinyu in such a desperate state, General Yun Hui couldn't help but recall the words of the king. A person who was already scared to death wouldn't escape.

Ji Jiarong and General Yun Hui exchanged a glance. They had both seen Qi Jinyu on the battlefield. The crown prince of Qi, commanding thousands of troops with high morale, now seemed like a frightened bird, unable to lift his head. It was hard to imagine what had happened last night on the Qilin River, and how Qi Jinyu was captured.

"Let's go. At this time, the king must have awakened," Ji Jiarong suggested. Originally, she wanted to scold Qi Jinyu severely, but seeing him so terrified, she lost interest in bullying the weak.

After exchanging information, the two entered the king's tent. The weather was hot, and there was a faint fragrance of the king in the tent.

"Any news from the Quiet Prince?" Nie Jia, with his long hair scattered, sat on the bed with one leg bent, appearing lazy and relaxed.

Ji Jiarong replied, "There has been no communication from Danyang County. However, His Highness the Quiet Prince is lacking some medicinal herbs, and people have been sent to and from Kaisen City to fetch them. I have arranged for someone to keep an eye on Danyang County. In the past half month, casualties there have already exceeded half..."

Shi Chen lifted the curtain and entered the tent, holding a plate of exquisite pastries brought from Kaisen City. He picked up a piece and fed it to Nie Jia, then nonchalantly licked the powder off his fingertips, saying, "It's been a long time. Has the Quiet Prince not found a cure for the plague?"

Both of them sighed helplessly. "It seems that the Quiet Prince is also at a loss..."

After all, it was a plague. The king's demand for the Quiet Prince was harsh; even General Yun Hui thought it was too demanding. Moreover, the epidemic was spreading rapidly. As the weather got hotter, people were dying faster. From infection to death, it only took seven or eight days, which was terrifying. Even if the Quiet Prince could develop a remedy within the deadline given by the king, by then, Danyang County might already be filled with corpses.

"He has a way," Nie Jia smiled, lips pursed. "General Guide, go and bring the Quiet Prince."

It was about time that Prince Changyue had some clues.

"This humble minister obeys." Ji Jiarong left the tent.

General Yun Hui asked, "Your Majesty, this morning, the Xuanjia guards intercepted more than ten assassins half a mile outside the camp. It seems they came for Qi Jinyu. Now that we have captured Qi Jinyu, what is the next plan? If we use Qi Jinyu's life to threaten them, we might be able to take over half of Qi's territory."

"Half of Qi's territory?" Shi Chen murmured, seemingly inquiring, but it also sounded like mockery if one listened carefully.

General Yun Hui felt a bit embarrassed, not knowing where he had gone wrong. Yan Kingdom had been pressed hard by Great Qi for a long time, and defending Kaisen City was already at its limits. If they could capture Lu Tai, it would already be the biggest victory in more than a decade.

"If I want to plot something, I'll directly wield my sword and charge in. It's not just about taking a mere deer platform; I want Qi Wang's blood to stain the Dragon Court. Do we lack one Qi Jinyu?" Nie Jia declared boldly.

"Keeping Qi Jinyu, is there another plan, Your Majesty?" General Yun Hui, feeling the pressure of the king's authority, respectfully asked, "With Qi Jinyu captured, the Qi army is sure to be in chaos. It's a good opportunity to attack the city."

"Not in a hurry. Zhao Wushang will take at least seven days to reach the Deer Platform," Nie Jia said.

General Yun Hui exclaimed, "You captured Qi Jinyu to lure Zhao Wushang here?!"

Zhao Wushang, a name that could make the entire Yan army tremble, was truly a force to be reckoned with. Even General Yun Hui himself, hearing these three words, would feel a slight shiver in the hand holding his weapon.

"Your Majesty! Zhao Wushang is even more formidable than Sikong Han. If you waste such a good opportunity and wait for Zhao Wushang to come to the rescue, it will be difficult for us to capture the Deer Platform!" General Yun Hui couldn't understand what the king was thinking. Yan Kingdom had already been pressed tightly by Great Qi, defending Kaisen City with its last strength. If they could take the Deer Platform, it would be the biggest victory in over a decade.

If they wanted to use Zhao Wushang to establish dominance, they might completely fail. Zhao Wushang was not someone to be underestimated!

Before General Yun Hui could persuade further, Shi Chen frowned displeasedly, "The king has his own considerations."

At this moment, a Xuanjia guard came in and whispered something to Nie Jia. Nie Jia raised his eyebrows, and after reprimanding General Yun Hui, he smiled and said, "Daring to block my way. It seems those people in Zhuolu haven't been completely subdued yet."

"How much food and grass is left in Kaisen City?" Shi Chen remained calm.

"The presence of the Southern Yi Iron Cavalry has increased the consumption of food and grass. It should still be enough to sustain the entire army for a month," the Xuan

jia guard replied.

"Sufficient," Nie Jia and Shi Chen said in unison, their brows revealing a confident and triumphant demeanor, as if running out of food and grass was not a big deal. Nie Jia looked at Shi Chen, and the two exchanged a smile.

Zhuolu City's royal power had fallen, completely controlled by the Duke of Qingguo. He declared that he would support the Quiet Prince as king, abolish the tyrant, and gained the cheers and support of the entire city. It seemed that this old man had been planning for a long time. As soon as he occupied Zhuolu City, he controlled the surrounding passes, cut off the supply of food and grass to Kaisen City, and seemed to be willing to give up Kaisen City to seize power.

This news was delivered by the Military Intelligence Department with a pigeon letter and did not spread to Zhuolu City. After all, the Quiet Prince was still on the border. To seize power smoothly, this old man had to wait or send someone to secretly take away both the king and the Northwestern Army, letting them die of hunger in Kaisen City.

Nie Jia didn't reveal any of this to anyone other than the Military Intelligence Department; after all, it was not beneficial to the military's morale. So far, he hadn't revealed half of it to anyone besides the Military Intelligence Department, as discussing it would not be helpful to military morale.

In the afternoon, Ji Jiarong brought Jun Changyue into the camp for a reply. For the past half month, Jun Changyue had been confined in Danyang County by Nie Jia, and his heart was full of hatred for Nie Jia. Nie Jia completely ignored his overwhelming resentment, asked him a few questions, understood the progress of treating the epidemic, and then sent him away.

He could see that Jun Changyue was absent-minded, and he said only one sentence: "When you cure the epidemic in Danyang County, I will let you go. If you don't make it in time, just die in there with the people of Danyang County."

Jun Changyue was forced by this overwhelming sense of oppression, and after giving a proper salute to Nie Jia, he left.

He exchanged greetings with General Yun Hui and wanted to walk around the camp, but he wandered off to find Sikong Han. However, he found that Sikong Han had been demoted and had returned to the soldiers' big tent. He was angry, anxious, and heartbroken, but he couldn't care less about his own threats. He rushed to the big tent to find someone.

On the way, the soldiers still greeted him respectfully, asking politely, "Greetings, Lord Quiet Prince." However, no one knew that the once high and mighty Quiet Prince had been confined by the king in Danyang County, facing the constant danger of losing his life. No one could save him!

The more Jun Changyue thought about it, the more desperate he became, and the more he hated why he didn't have strong power in his hands. What use was this kind of bland admiration for him!

At this moment, it was almost dusk. A bonfire was burning in front of the soldiers' big tent, and the soldiers were playing around in high spirits. They would respectfully greet "Lord Quiet Prince" when they saw him, but who knew that these soldiers no longer had the admiration they used to have for him; they treated him as an ordinary colleague.

Clearly, he was Sikong Han, the war god of Yan Kingdom!

For a moment, Jun Changyue had a special desire to cry. This sense of helplessness and despair, he had experienced it when he escaped from Zhuolu City and Sikong Han died five years ago... unforgettable.

"Why are you so gloomy the whole day? You've been down for half a month. Unexpectedly, the king is so mighty that he captured Qi Jinyu directly. Even when General Sikong was here, he never got close to Qi Jinyu. With the king here, why are you still so down? Come and have some fun with us." A soldier invited him to join the fun.

Sikong Han, who had been upset all day, suddenly exploded. He pushed the soldier away and roared, "Don't bother me!"

With this push, he almost threw the soldier into the bonfire, immediately irritating the person. A group of people started fighting. At this moment, Sikong Han had already lost his internal strength, and one of his hands was disabled. He was almost pushed to the ground by an ordinary soldier.

"Stop!" Jun Changyue immediately stepped forward, angrily scolding.

The soldiers let go of Sikong Han only then, bowing respectfully, "Lord Quiet Prince."

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