Mangyinglong, who was going all in

Gao Yuan wasn't particularly surprised; in his view, given the fanaticism of the toungoo people, this level of casualties was far from enough to deter the enemy.

"What is the status of the city's defense supplies?"

"There has been no loss of arrows; in fact, we've gained over a thousand more. We've used up over ten percent of the rolling logs and stones, and twenty percent of the fire oil."

"I see. Go and get some rest, but stay alert during the night watch."

"Understood!"

Gao Yuan's concern was not unfounded; that night, a group of toungoo people did indeed launch a night raid.

However, as they climbed onto the battlements, they were met with the glint of weapons pointed straight at them and had no choice but to surrender.

With dozens lost, the toungoo people's night raid was crushed.

Gao Yuan was woken the next morning by the enemy's bugle; the Overall-wearing Rooster raised in the courtyard had been stewed and sent to the field hospital the day before.

After breakfast, Gao Yuan climbed up to the battlements before the siege could resume.

Then, he saw a group of people on a high platform in the distance.

"Name: Bayinnaung. Position: First in line to the Toungoo throne. Overall Rating: S."

"S? An S-rank in the wild!"

Gao Yuan couldn't help but exclaim internally, then secretly asked the system.

"System, are there any extra rewards for killing this guy?"

"Please explore this on your own, Host."

"Damn, forget it. I'll just kill him first."

This discovery further strengthened Gao Yuan's resolve to hold out and wear down the enemy.

The toungoo people were purely using human lives to deplete the city's defense supplies.

However, the initial losses were all from the Auxiliary Forces conscripted from places like Ayutthaya and Arakan, so Bayinnaung didn't feel the slightest bit of pity.

Seven days later, the supply of rolling logs and stones was exhausted, leaving boiling water and Golden Juice as the primary defense materials.

Yet, the losses of the Toungoo army were also extremely heavy, with casualties exceeding thirty thousand over those seven days.

To the west of the battlefield, a major engagement was also underway.

Ever since Bayinnaung adjusted his strategy, the scale of the Toungoo army's transport convoys had grown larger.

Each transport team had thousands of laborers alone, and the escorting force was as large as five thousand soldiers.

As the enemy changed, so did he. Liu Rengui abandoned the strategy of attacking via separate routes, concentrating the Second Division and Third Division to focus on ambushing a single route.

They had just intercepted a transport convoy, and the soldiers of the Beiwei Army pounced like tigers descending from a mountain.

"Enemy attack! Everyone, retreat behind the pack horses and wagons to form a defensive formation!"

Having seemingly anticipated an ambush, a Toungoo general shouted orders to his troops to adjust their formation.

Liu Rengui squinted and immediately spotted something unusual.

"It seems the toungoo people have prepared as well. This tactic won't be as effective anymore."

Just as Liu Rengui expected, this battle was no longer a swift, overwhelming victory like before.

The Toungoo troops put up a sustained resistance and only broke due to the disparity in combat prowess.

Once he confirmed there was no more resistance on the battlefield, Xia Luqi wiped the blood from his face and approached Liu Rengui.

"Commander, the toungoo people seem to be on guard now. This escort unit was fully armored and managed to form ranks calmly even when ambushed."

"Yes, I noticed as well."

Liu Rengui nodded.

"What are the casualty figures?"

"Over a hundred killed, about a hundred wounded, and over three hundred with minor injuries. We took over one thousand three hundred heads and captured over ten thousand prisoners;"

"The spoils are quite significant: over five hundred wagons, over a thousand pack horses, more than fifty thousand dan of grain, and countless other military supplies."

Hearing these results, Liu Rengui felt no joy; he knew his strategy had lost its effectiveness.

While they had seized over fifty thousand dan of grain, at least a hundred thousand dan would still reach the enemy via the other two routes.

With a sigh, Liu Rengui spoke.

"Bang Jie, we fell into a trap this time. This fifty thousand dan of grain was practically a gift to us;"

"Their objective was the other two routes. To them, losing a third of the grain is of no consequence;"

"Moreover, after such a major battle, we will inevitably need to rest and reorganize, allowing them to transport grain without fear."

"Then what should we do?"

Liu Rengui gritted his teeth.

"Send men to escort these prisoners and the wounded away. The main army will set up another ambush right here."

"Here again? They've already suffered a loss here; would they be that foolish?"

"You think that way, and the enemy will think that way too."

Exactly as Liu Rengui predicted, large transport convoys began appearing the next day, though their defenses were clearly not as vigilant as before.

This allowed Liu Rengui and his men to feast on a fat piece of meat, yielding a rich haul of spoils.

After sending off another batch of prisoners and spoils, Liu Rengui decided to change direction.

"Bang Jie, order each of the two cities to dispatch five hundred troops to join us. We are preparing to reinforce the Prefectural Capital."

"Understood!"

After losing another ten thousand men, the Toungoo army's food crisis was finally alleviated.

Bayinnaung's heart ached as he looked at the casualty figures.

It was true that Toungoo had vast territories and deep foundations, but losing twenty to thirty thousand men and over a hundred thousand dan of grain was still a painful blow.

Furthermore, he estimated that since the Qian Army was operating so freely in his rear, those twelve thousand elites were likely gone.

Including the siege, they had already lost seventy to eighty thousand men and hundreds of thousands of dan of grain.

If he couldn't take the city before him and capture Gao Yuan, his position as heir would likely become unstable upon his return.

He, Bayinnaung, the eldest son of the Toungoo King, Maha Thihathura, and first in line to the throne, could never allow such a situation to occur.

For his pride and for the throne, the prince steeled his resolve.

"Pass the order: starting tomorrow, all elites are to be committed to the siege."

"Your Highness, but these elites are..."

"As long as we take the city and capture Gao Yuan, a few losses are of no concern."

"This... Understood!"

The next day, as Gao Yuan watched the advancing enemy, he sensed a clear difference.

"It seems these are the true elites of the Toungoo. A pity our defense supplies are gone."

Gao Yuan sighed with regret and turned to Ma Song.

"Notify all the defending soldiers: the Toungoo elites have arrived. Do not be careless;"

"Order all soldiers of the Beiwei Army to be ready; they will be very busy today."

"Understood!"

Just as Gao Yuan expected, a mere hour into the battle, enemy soldiers had already scaled the walls.

However, before the junior Toungoo officer could even crack a smile, a silver spear pierced through his chest.

"Still have the heart to smile?"

Cursing, Gao Yuan flung the man's corpse down, knocking two soldiers off a siege ladder.

"'Pursue and Attack' triggered. Host has recovered a small amount of stamina."

"'Pursue and Attack' triggered. Host has recovered..."

As Gao Yuan displayed his divine might, slaying one enemy after another, system notifications popped up incessantly.

Annoyed, Gao Yuan thought to the system.

"System, can these notifications be turned off? They're too annoying!"

"Notifications have been disabled for the Host. This is valid for this battle only."

"Damn, what a trash system!"

Without the system's interference, Gao Yuan fought with even more vigor, finding the skill to be increasingly broken the more he killed.

After fighting all morning and slaying over thirty men, Gao Yuan felt that less than thirty percent of his stamina had been consumed.

Thus, in the afternoon, he insisted on continuing to lead the fight, despite the objections of Ma Song and the others.

Gradually, Gao Yuan's armor, his surcoat, and the ground on the battlements were all stained red with blood.

Those falling around him included not only the enemy but also his own comrades and brothers-in-arms.

As dusk approached, the sound of the golden gongs signaling the Toungoo army's retreat finally rang out.

Watching the enemy retreat like a receding tide, Gao Yuan let out a long sigh of relief.

The casualties for this day were the heaviest since the start of the war: over three hundred dead and more than five hundred wounded, both lightly and severely.

With casualty rates exceeding ten percent, even the achievement of slaying over three thousand enemies seemed less brilliant.