Join forces with your enemy

These changes had nothing to do with Gao Yuan for the time being; he was currently preparing for the New Year's family banquet.

This time, he had also invited Wu Xu, Chu Xi, and General Yang Zhan to join them for the New Year.

This gesture caused the four women to look at Gao Yuan with eyes that seemed somewhat unfriendly.

Gao Yuan felt his hair stand on end under their gaze. He subconsciously took a step back, waving his hands while explaining,

"I didn't mean anything else. I just saw that they have no family or friends here, and I thought for the New Year, it's just a matter of adding a few sets of chopsticks. We might as well enjoy the festivities together."

The women didn't speak, but their eyes clearly said,

"Like I'd believe you! You're such a lecherous big baddie!"

However, when Wu Xu and Chu Xi arrived, the women looked at Gao Yuan's clear, innocent eyes and believed him again.

Crucially, the women discovered that Gao Yuan seemed significantly more interested in that four or five-year-old brat.

Mainly, Gao Yuan pleasantly discovered that the five-year-old General Yang Zhan's strength had increased again.

Although his overall evaluation hadn't broken through, his Strength and Agility had already reached B- rank.

This future enforcer of his truly had a limitless future!

After a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner ended, everyone went back to their respective homes.

In Zhao Xiyao's bedroom, two sweaty people were huddled together, talking.

"Husband, what do you think about sending Wu Xu out to serve as a local official?"

Gao Yuan had actually planned this for a long time, but considering that Zhao Xiyao's workload was too heavy, he hadn't mentioned it.

Now that Zhao Xiyao had suddenly brought it up, he was quite surprised.

"Why do you have this idea? Isn't it good to keep her by your side as your assistant?"

"It's good enough, but she hasn't spent time in the lower prefectural government. Often, her way of doing things is inevitably a bit detached from reality."

"Actually, I had the same idea, I just hadn't mentioned it to you yet."

Gao Yuan tightened his embrace around the woman, saying with some heartache,

"Look at you. Ever since Yaoyao went to the bank, you've become thin from exhaustion."

Zhao Xiyao adjusted herself into a more comfortable position.

"It's not that tiring. Song Yong and Mu Sheng still help me a lot, and besides, there's Zheng Wan."

"Sigh, those two still lack sufficient aptitude. If only we had another talent with the potential of a Prime Minister like Liu Renguis courtesy name."

Seeing her husband looking a bit depressed, the woman quickly comforted him,

"Prime Ministerial talents are once-in-a-century individuals. It's already very good that you, husband, could recruit a Liu Rengui;

If it weren't for him being able to hold his own in Zhongnan Circuit, I'm afraid I really wouldn't be able to keep up."

Being comforted like this by his woman, Gao Yuan's mood improved significantly.

Just as the two had turned off the lights and lain down, Gao Yuan's eyes suddenly flew open.

"Detecting the Host's extreme desire for talent. S-rank long-term event triggered: Hegemony of Zhongnan.

As a newly risen hegemon, the Host should display hegemonic might and unify the peninsula;

Event Goal: Eliminate all nations located on the Indochina Peninsula;

Event Reward: For every nation eliminated, a corresponding rank Talent Summoning Card can be obtained based on difficulty;

This event is valid long-term. The event ends when the number of prefectural government under the Host's control is less than ten."

"System, you just can't stand to see me at peace, can you? I already have one series event hanging over me, and now you give me another long-term event."

"System events are triggered based on the various situations the Host encounters and the Host's inner thoughts."

"So you mean I'm just asking for it?"

"The system has no objection if the Host understands it that way."

"System, come out here! I promise I won't beat you to death!"

The system decisively went silent, which made Gao Yuan so angry he nearly broke down.

However, once he calmed down and thought about it, it didn't seem too bad. There was no penalty, and he could earn a card for every one he eliminated. This was practically a giveaway!

The next morning, Gao Yuan climbed out of his gentle nest early and went to the study, opening his massive map to start researching which unlucky souls to target.

The two largest were definitely Toungoo and Khmer; they were the only ones currently capable of challenging him.

Following closely was the Kingdom of Lan Xang established by the former Lan Xang official Lakhon. However, considering Lakhon had always been very submissive and his tributes were very generous, he could be left for last.

Next were the three vassal states of Khmer: Champa, Ede, and Vietnam. They were all small countries occupying only one or two prefectures.

This was also something Gao Yuan found miraculous—that a large country would allow such small nations to exist, especially when surrounded on all sides. Gao Yuan felt he certainly couldn't do that.

Although Toungoo's strength was damaged, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse, and he knew Toungoo hadn't played all its trump cards yet.

Gao Yuan always adhered to the principle of tackling the easy before the difficult, eating the meat before gnawing the bone. Thus, the result was obvious: attack Khmer.

The only problem was how to ensure the toungoo people didn't take the opportunity to cause trouble while he was attacking Khmer.

After thinking for a long time without a good solution, Gao Yuan could only write to ask Liu Rengui. After all, he was the one who understood the situation best and would be the main executor.

Soon, Liu Rengui also gave a suggestion: ally with Toungoo to attack Khmer.

After running it through his head for a moment, Gao Yuan knew this was the best way, yet he was still a bit unwilling, feeling like he was aiding his enemy.

Seeing his worried look, Zheng Wan smiled radiantly, walked over to sit on his lap, and said softly,

"Husband, you needn't be like this. These territories are merely being temporarily stored with the toungoo people. We can just take them back once we've caught our breath, can't we?"

"It's not that easy. Toungoo isn't some soft target."

"With you here, husband, which of these countries isn't a soft target?"

Look at that—this woman really knew how to talk. Gao Yuan pulled her curvaceous body into his arms, smelling her enchanting fragrance as he gradually made up his mind.

In Toungoo City, the royal capital of the Toungoo Kingdom, the Toungoo court was quite surprised by the sudden arrival of the Han envoy.

What surprised them even more was Gao Yuan's proposal to jointly send troops to carve up Khmer, which made Maha Thihathura feel quite tempted.

Although they had fought several battles in recent years, Gao Yuan and Toungoo didn't have a blood feud. Even if they did, nothing was irreconcilable in the face of profit.

The Toungoo court was filled with voices of support, with only one person—or rather, one interest group—opposing it: the group led by Bayinnaung.

If anyone in Toungoo had an irreconcilable hatred for Gao Yuan, it was Bayinnaung.

Every time he faced Gao Yuan, he either lost troops or territory. This had caused Bayinnaung to face considerable criticism domestically, even shaking his once-certain position as the successor.

His younger brother, Maha Bandula, the Second Prince of King Maha Thihathura, had been very active recently, befriending nobles and ministers, and even gaining significant influence within the military.

Maha Thihathura also seemed disappointed by his eldest son's disregard for the big picture. Thus, he ordered Maha Bandula to replace Bayinnaung as the Governor of Ayutthaya, responsible for negotiations and military operations with Gao Yuan's side.

Liu Rengui then pleasantly discovered that this Second Prince was the kind of opponent Gao Yuan dreamed of—a pure playboy.

For such a useless person, he naturally had to put all his effort into helping him onto the Toungoo throne.

So, Liu Rengui didn't have time to ask Gao Yuan for instructions and took the initiative to negotiate a result with Maha Bandula:

For this joint military operation, Toungoo only needed to send thirty to fifty thousand troops. In the end, the Khmer land would be split equally, and Gao Yuan would compensate them with a large amount of money and grain.

Once the treaty was signed, it caused a sensation within Toungoo, and the Second Prince Maha Bandula's reputation was momentarily unmatched.