Chapter 147: Giving Someone's Head

Inside the great hall of the Northern Kingdom's palace, the golden and resplendent decorations now appeared especially glaring.

King Princess Tuoba Hong stood before the high throne, his face iron-green, raging like a storm, nearly spitting out a mouthful of old blood.

His eyes bulged with fury, his face twisted in a grimace:

"Brat, brat!"

Princess Tuoba Hong's voice echoed through the hall like thunder, causing the curtains on all sides to tremble slightly.

Princess Tuoba Hong suddenly slammed his hand on the table:

"That Emperor Tianqi brat not only wants to swallow all my wealth in one gulp, but also covets my national treasure; he is simply too arrogant!"

The atmosphere in the great hall was so Solemn it was almost suffocating.

The ministers kept their heads bowed, daring not to meet the King's gaze; even their breathing became cautious, fearing they might anger this furious monarch and invite catastrophe.

After a long while, the Prime Minister finally summoned the courage to slowly step out from the ranks.

Though his steps were steady, fine beads of sweat had seeped onto his temples. He took a deep breath, striving to make his voice sound calmer:

"Your Majesty, Emperor Tianqi has captured Wencheng without lifting a finger, and the situation in Yancheng is also extremely critical. Although our country produces abundant snow ginseng, it does not cure smallpox. The medicinal herbs we need to treat smallpox must be purchased from Emperor Tianqi, but the Emperor Tianqi Crown Prince has cut off our supply chain, causing a severe shortage of smallpox medicines. If we do not agree to their demands, I fear even the capital will be in imminent danger."

Princess Tuoba Hong ground his teeth, yet had no recourse.

He knew well that the Prime Minister spoke the truth; though his heart was reluctant in myriad ways, the Emperor Tianqi army was fierce as wolves and tigers, and if he persisted, he might truly become a slave of a fallen nation.

"Could it be... could it be that I must truly bow to Emperor Tianqi?"

He had thought that igniting the war would bring him gain, never imagining that the Emperor Tianqi Crown Prince would lead the expedition personally, boosting the morale of the Emperor Tianqi soldiers, while an epidemic broke out in his own Northern Kingdom camp.

He gained not a single shred of benefit; instead, he was stung all over by hornets.

The Prime Minister lowered his head, his voice tinged with desolation:

"Your Majesty, enduring a moment of humiliation is the only way to ensure the safety of all the people. If the capital falls, then even if we wish to counterattack, there will be no opportunity left."

Princess Tuoba Hong remained silent for a long time, weighing and struggling; even though he was unwilling in myriad ways, he could only grit his teeth and agree to Emperor Tianqi's demands.

He let out a long sigh, slowly opened his eyes, and his gaze held a new resolve:

"Enough, enough... issue my decree: gather the required items as quickly as possible and send them to Emperor Tianqi."

Following the King's order, the entire Northern Kingdom immediately became busy.

Treasures and money in the royal treasury were counted one by one, and the national treasure, the Ice Soul Pearl, was carefully packed into a specially made wooden box.

However, just as the Northern Kingdom prepared to fulfill the contract, they unexpectedly received a letter delivered by a fast horse, a glass bottle containing liquid chilled with ice, and a syringe.

Upon opening it, they found inside a set of instructions regarding the injection of the smallpox vaccine.

Inside the glass bottle was clearly the smallpox vaccine; anyone not yet infected with the smallpox virus would gain lifelong immunity after using the vaccine.

A flicker of doubt and vigilance passed through Princess Tuoba Hong's eyes; although this was sent by his partner's envoy, he could not trust this sudden "favor":

"My lord, is this vaccine truly real?"

Princess Tuoba Hong asked cautiously.

The envoy replied with pride:

"Of course it is real! My master went to great lengths to obtain it. Does the King not trust my master?"

Despite the envoy's repeated assurances, Princess Tuoba Hong did not feel at ease; at this critical juncture, he could not easily trust anything untested.

He turned around and commanded a nearby imperial physician:

"You go and examine whether this vaccine is reliable."

The imperial physician took the vaccine and carefully conducted an inspection.

Moments later, the expression on his face shifted from initial tension to delight:

"I report to Your Majesty, this vaccine indeed has medicinal effect; the herbs contained within it have the power to suppress the virus."

A surge of joy rose in Princess Tuoba Hong's heart; he had heard of Emperor Tianqi's smallpox vaccine.

But to verify the vaccine's safety, he had a person brought out to receive an injection; after waiting a while, that person showed no abnormal symptoms.

Princess Tuoba Hong laughed triumphantly:

"Hahaha, the Crown Prince truly brings charcoal in snowy weather! Emperor Tianqi brat, do you think this will make me submit?"

Overjoyed beyond expectation, Princess Tuoba Hong immediately ordered the palace servants to take the envoy down and treat him well.

At this moment, Princess Tuoba Hong's doubts about the vaccine had completely vanished.

The vaccine was sent by that person from Emperor Tianqi; if it were fake, it would bring that person not a shred of benefit.

Moreover, the situation did not allow him to think too much.

Princess Tuoba Hong immediately set about vaccinating the soldiers who had not yet been infected with the smallpox virus.

He seemed to see a turning point for the Northern Kingdom. The Northern Kingdom soldiers were already fierce; now, with the protection of the smallpox vaccine, they were like a tiger adding wings.

Princess Tuoba Hong pondered silently in his heart: as long as the Northern Kingdom soldiers feared no smallpox, they would not only no longer need to compensate Emperor Tianqi for their wealth, but it might even be possible to turn defeat into victory and swallow up Emperor Tianqi.

Princess Tuoba Hong was dreaming sweet dreams, unaware that just after the Northern Kingdom warriors received mass vaccinations, an even greater disaster descended.

In the blink of an eye, the fifth day agreed upon by Emperor Tianqi and the Northern Kingdom arrived; the Northern Kingdom, now emboldened, firmly reneged on the peace terms.

Quan Quan Aoyu deployed troops to attack the Northern Kingdom's Yancheng.

After the Northern Kingdom army received the vaccine, the illness seemed indeed to spread more slowly; Princess Tuoba Hong thought the vaccine had taken effect, believing the vaccinated soldiers would no longer be infected, and he relaxed slightly, ordering troops to reinforce Yancheng.

Who knew that merely two days later, the newly deployed soldiers were also infected with the virus; the epidemic became uncontrollable. Out of 80,000 soldiers, the majority fell ill.

It turned out that the vaccine sent by that person had been tampered with in secret; it contained drugs that temporarily suppressed the virus but could not prevent the spread of the virus.

By the time the Northern Kingdom discovered the anomaly, it was too late. Yancheng fell, and Quan Quan Aoyu led his army straight into the heart of the kingdom.

Only then did Princess Tuoba Hong realize he had made a fatal mistake; both his Northern Kingdom and that person had been drawn into a meticulously designed trap. That vaccine was nothing but a conspiracy.

The morale of the Northern Kingdom warriors was low; they retreated step by step on the battlefield, unable to withstand the fierce assault of the Emperor Tianqi army.

City after city, like dying candles in the wind, fell one by one into the hands of the Emperor Tianqi Kingdom.

The Emperor Tianqi army, like a fierce tiger descending the mountain, rushed straight toward the Northern Kingdom's capital.

Facing the fierce offensive of the Emperor Tianqi army, the Northern Kingdom had no choice but to renegotiate the peace treaty.

It was the same envoy as before; last night, he had spent the entire night cursing Princess Tuoba Hong, wondering why such a deadly matter fell on him every time, that Princess Tuoba Hong was courting death himself, forcing him to go deliver his head.

But Princess Tuoba Hong had his reasons:

"You have negotiated with that ancestor once; you understand that ancestor's temperament better than anyone else, don't you? If you don't go, who will?"

The envoy had no choice but to step forward with a stiff neck; he trembled in fear, keeping his head bowed as he stood before Quan Quan Aoyu, daring not to meet Quan Quan Aoyu's gaze, which was like a thousand-year-old block of ice.