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Gao Yuan never expected that one day he would become the savior and great liberator in the eyes of these foreigners.

Looking at the swarming Toungoo and Khmer soldiers, he was momentarily in a bind, but in the end, he gritted his teeth and accepted them all.

The Quarantine Zone, which had gradually quieted down, became busy and noisy once again.

The only difference was that this time Gao Yuan was charging a fee. Since those Khmer nobles had brought quite a lot of gold, silver, and treasures, Gao Yuan wasn't picky; after sterilization and disinfection, he accepted them all with a smile.

In Gao Yuan's words, this was "life-buying money."

At first, some people held onto their gold, silver, and treasures, refusing to let go. Gao Yuan was very straightforward and simply shut them out.

"It's fine. If you don't pay, then just stay here and wait for death. I'll come to collect your bodies once you're dead."

These people tried to protest collectively, but the result was that they were truly abandoned, and the gates of the Quarantine Zone slammed shut on them.

Naturally, these people eventually compromised. They had no choice; even the carriage drivers had entered the Quarantine Zone, leaving these frail people behind.

Carriage after carriage of treasures became Gao Yuan's spoils of war and "hard-earned money" after high-temperature disinfection.

Gao Yuan wasn't stingy either. He took a portion and distributed it among all the soldiers and Medical Practitioners who came here. Everyone got a share, and their enthusiasm for work soared even higher.

When those Khmer soldiers heard their families were safe, they joined Gao Yuan's ranks with tears and shouts after passing through quarantine.

Since they were so proactive, how could Gao Yuan have the heart to refuse? He naturally accepted everyone. His territory had expanded, and he was short on manpower and troops.

With several thousand Khmer soldiers dispersed into the Xuanjia Army, he wasn't worried about them causing any trouble.

As for those now-penniless Khmer nobles, they could only helplessly accept reality, receive their share of farmland and seeds, and honestly become Common People.

As for those toungoo people, Gao Yuan didn't want to take them in. They were native toungoo people with families back in their own country; taking them in rashly could easily become a hidden danger.

However, Gao Yuan couldn't work for nothing. He walked into Maha Bandula's tent and looked at the newly recovered second prince of Toungoo with a smile.

"Has the Second Prince recovered?"

Maha Bandula struggled to get up and said in stumbling Chinese:

"Recovered, recovered. Thank you, Commandery Duke Gao, for taking us in. Our Toungoo will surely remember the Commandery Duke's kindness."

Gao Yuan cut him off; he didn't want such a worthless favor.

"Forget about kindness. Your Highness should offer something practical."

"What does the Commandery Duke mean?"

"Rescuing you and your troops cost me a lot of money, food, and medicinal materials."

Gao Yuan pointed to the Medical Practitioners and soldiers beside him.

"I paid a high price for every one of them to come here. It's probably inappropriate for Your Highness to dismiss it so lightly with a single sentence."

Although Maha Bandula was a profligate, he wasn't stupid. He immediately understood Gao Yuan's meaning.

"I wonder what the Commandery Duke wants?"

"That depends on Your Highness's sincerity."

Maha Bandula hesitated for a long time before testing the waters.

"Our army is willing to yield Phnom Penh..."

Gao Yuan immediately waved his hand.

"Now the entire city of Phnom Penh and its surroundings have become a dead land. There's not a soul left. What would I want it for?"

Maha Bandula's heart sank. He knew it would be difficult to escape this time without paying a price, so he could only grit his teeth and lean into Gao Yuan's ear.

"Please speak plainly, Commandery Duke."

Gao Yuan revealed a successful smile and stated his conditions.

"Besides Phnom Penh, I want two thousand young women, five thousand oxen, and two hundred thousand dan of grain."

There were more and more bachelors in the army now. Gao Yuan planned to solve this issue in passing, while also settling some resource matters for Zhongnan Circuit.

Maha Bandula was about to explode. He hadn't expected Gao Yuan's appetite to be so large; not only did he want Phnom Penh, which they had fought so hard for, but he also wanted so many other things.

If this news reached home, how would his father see it? How would the nobles and ministers see it? How would his brother attack him?

For the sake of his throne, this prince dragged his still-weak, newly recovered body and began to haggle with Gao Yuan.

With Maha Bandula and over twenty thousand Toungoo soldiers in his hands, Gao Yuan was naturally emboldened and didn't retreat an inch, sticking firmly to his conditions.

After more than half a month, the two sides finally agreed on the terms. Phnom Penh belonged to Gao Yuan, but the three Prefectural Governments of Kampot, Zhuxi, and Heishui belonged to the toungoo people—though, of course, they had to go and conquer them themselves.

Toungoo also had to compensate Gao Yuan with an additional three thousand young women, one thousand oxen, and one hundred thousand dan of grain.

That's right. In Maha Bandula's eyes, the value of those women was less than that of oxen and grain. In his view, Toungoo had plenty of people; a few more or less made no difference.

In the eleventh month of the fourth year of era name, with the ransom in place, the Toungoo army finally set out on their journey once again under the leadership of Maha Bandula.

As for the land of Phnom Penh, after nature's cleansing, it would surely be ready for takeover soon.

Many soldiers enjoyed the special reward of a foreign concubine for the first time; they were incredibly excited and worked very hard every night.

Gao Yuan glanced at the A-rank Summoning Card in his system warehouse and set off on the journey of triumph with satisfaction.

A great war that began with a partition ended with only one side eating their fill.

Even though he knew he had suffered a great loss, the Toungoo King, Maha Thihathura, could only grit his teeth and swallow his pride.

Now, this ambitious Toungoo King was in his twilight years and had to decide on a successor as soon as possible.

In his heart, the one he valued and favored most was his eldest son, Bayinnaung.

But Bayinnaung had lost to Gao Yuan several times, losing troops and generals, not to mention territory.

Domestically, Bayinnaung's prestige had plummeted to rock bottom. If he forced his eldest son to succeed him, chaos would surely ensue.

So, by sending Maha Bandula on this expedition in accordance with public will, he also had several intentions.

If this worthless son could step up, he would be happy to hand the throne over to him.

If he couldn't, then he could calmly tell the nobles and ministers:

"See, it's not that my eldest son is incompetent, it's just that the enemy is too powerful."

But the outcome was awkward. If you called it a total loss, Maha Bandula had managed to capture nearly ten Prefectural Governments.

But if you called it a profit, losing seventy to eighty thousand able-bodied men, with the Elephant Cavalry almost wiped out, and paying a massive "medical fee"—it was heartbreaking to think about.

Most disgusting of all, although they got these territories, there wasn't much population; the total added up to less than two hundred thousand.

Maha Thihathura felt that meeting Gao Yuan was like meeting a natural predator.

Not only was he always suffering massive losses, but the reputations of his two precious sons were also ruined.

If this king knew he was up against a cheater, he would probably feel much more comforted.

On the way back, Gao Yuan rarely didn't ride a horse; instead, he was cuddled up with Zheng Wan in the carriage.

The woman leaned in Gao Yuan's arms and grumbled slightly.

"I really don't want to go back so soon."

Gao Yuan smiled slightly.

"Qingqing used to say that too."

The woman nodded thoughtfully.

"I understand her thoughts. Once we go back, I'll have to share you with the sisters, and Zhao Xiyaos informal address especially has a very good appetite."

Gao Yuan thought of that little woman who worked so hard and was so strong-willed for the sake of the child, and a happy smile couldn't help but appear on his face.

Seeing him like this, Zheng Wan felt a bit jealous and immediately changed the subject.

"Husband, Toungoo is severely weakened this time. Why don't we Pursue and Attack?"

Gao Yuan sighed and said:

"Because we can't swallow it all."