Final Event

The collapse of the toungoo people began the moment the Cavalry charged into their formation; the scene of their comrades dying miserably under the hooves was still fresh in their minds.

Facing the Cavalry charging toward them again, they could no longer summon the courage to block this torrent of steel; some dropped their weapons and turned to flee.

However, many realized only then that due to long-term water deprivation, they didn't even have the strength to run, and could only grit their teeth and drag their heavy legs toward the rear.

The first person to flee was like the snowflake that triggers an avalanche, spreading panic to everyone around him.

One, two, four, eight...

More and more soldiers dropped their weapons and turned to flee for their lives; the great collapse had begun.

In this decisive battle, both sides had stood in a standoff for over two hours, but the actual engagement lasted less than an hour; all the remaining time was spent in a one-sided slaughter.

Gao Yuan naturally saw the high platform where Maha Bandula was in the distance; he wanted to pursue and kill him, but unfortunately, after several charges, both he and his horse were exhausted.

Especially these precious warhorses, panting heavily one by one; Gao Yuan had no choice but to give up.

In his eyes, the value of a useless enemy prince was far less than the value of the warhorse beneath him.

Exiting the battlefield, Gao Yuan watched the slaughter not far away without a word; he was quietly savoring this great victory.

This pursuit lasted for two full days, only ending when night fell on the second day as Maha Bandula escaped into Ayutthaya with one or two thousand men.

Those toungoo people soldiers who didn't manage to escape into the city completely lost their strength, collapsing on the ground while watching the rising moon, silently accepting the reality of becoming prisoners.

At this time, Gao Yuan also woke up from an eight-hour sleep, smiling at the worried, beautiful woman before him.

"What time is it?"

The woman couldn't help but punch him, complaining with a resentful tone: "You've slept for eight hours; do you know how worried I was?"

Gao Yuan felt his body, sensing nothing amiss, and stood up to spin around: "Hehe, didn't I come back in one piece? Look, not a single scratch; I'm not boasting, but the person capable of hurting me hasn't been born yet!"

The woman burst into tears of joy, holding a robe: "Alright, alright, I know you have peerless martial arts, come and eat."

Obediently putting on the robe, Gao Yuan sat at the dining table and lifted the lid, smelling a fragrant aroma.

"Beef? Where did it come from?"

"When counting the spoils, we found some oxen used by the toungoo people for hauling cargo. Dozens had injured legs, so Liu Rengui sent people to slaughter them all to nourish the soldiers."

"That's good. By the way, Qingqing, have you eaten?"

"I have. This was specifically saved for you."

After confirming it wasn't a random slaughter of plow oxen, Gao Yuan began to feast.

The oxtail soup was stewed until tender, falling off the bone with a suck, and dipped in a sauce made of dogwood and lemon—it was incredibly delicious, sour and spicy.

After finishing the meat, he soaked rice in the broth and gulped it all down, finally letting out a satisfied burp.

Inside Ayutthaya, Maha Bandula had become a frightened bird, hiding in his residence all day and not even stepping outside.

Inside the city, those toungoo people soldiers and nobles knew their good days were coming to an end, and began their final indulgence.

They began to vent their most primal desires on the common people, and the city instantly turned into a purgatory.

On the other side, upon learning that his son had been defeated and all his elite forces lost, King Maha Thihathura spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted.

"Defeated? Useless waste, serves him right!"

"Your Highness, currently, apart from us, there are no troops left in the country to defend the capital. What do you think..."

Bayinnaung sneered: "Seventy or eighty thousand elites have been defeated; what can we do with these few remaining troops?"

"Does Your Highness mean...?"

Bayinnaung didn't answer, but stood up to look at the map, sighing: "The old land of Arakan is a good place. As long as we hold both ends of the mountain range, we can rest easy."

"This subordinate understands!"

"As long as you understand. Go and send word to Pindalipha, tell him to move as many people, money, and grain over as possible."

"Yes!"

In Ayutthaya, the soldiers were all busy venting their primal desires and had no intention of guarding the city.

This left Xia Luqi and the Beiwei Army, who had climbed the city walls under the cover of night, looking completely bewildered.

"General Xia, why is there no one here? Could it be a trap?"

"There are only a thousand people in total, what kind of trap could there be? Men, go and seize the city gate."

Without encountering any resistance, Xia Luqi and his men easily opened the city gate.

Gao Yuan's army began to enter the city; the final moment for the toungoo people had arrived.

When Xia Luqi threw a gaunt, emaciated person in front of Gao Yuan, he couldn't believe it: "This is Maha Bandula?"

"It is indeed Maha Bandula. When This humble general found him, the guy was drunk and clutching five or six women!"

"Wine and lust are like a bone-scraping knife; it's only been a few days..."

Gao Yuan couldn't help but sigh, then instinctively held the small hand of Mu Qing beside him: "My woman is still the best, virtuous and good at managing the home."

The woman couldn't help but punch him, feigning anger: "Shameless, there are so many people here!"

After some playfulness, Gao Yuan ordered: "Clean this up as soon as possible, and have the army go to various places to take over to avoid complications."

"Yes!"

The main force of Toungoo had been wiped out, and Maha Bandula was captured alive, so the next step was to harvest the fruits of victory.

Gao Yuan didn't need to worry about this; he left it all to Liu Rengui and Zishan, who had rushed over.

As for Gao Yuan himself, he was busy dealing with the numerous prisoners.

There were fully seventy or eighty thousand of these able-bodied toungoo people; Gao Yuan couldn't sell them all, after all, the Great Qian was currently engulfed in war, and there was nowhere to sell them.

Most importantly, he was about to launch an offensive against the Toungoo homeland.

In the future, these people would be his subjects, the targets he needed to win over and appease.

Therefore, Gao Yuan made a decision: do not sell slaves for now, but gather them together and arrange for people to teach them Chinese.

That's right, Gao Yuan prepared to seize every moment to Sinicize them; of course, this was also a screening process.

Refuse to be Sinicized? Then they belong to the die-hard faction, the dangerous faction—directly label them as slaves.

Presumably, the whips of the factory owners and mine overseers under his rule would provide them with re-education.

This was a long process; Gao Yuan sent these prisoners to Vientiane to be handled by Wu Xu.

Of course, these are stories for another time, not to be mentioned here.

Ten days after occupying Ayutthaya, as Gao Yuan was eating, the system's voice echoed in his mind.

S-rank series event: Struggle for Hegemony, Phase 5 event: Saving the People from Fire and Water:

Event Objective: Repel the Toungoo rulers and occupy the old capital of Ayutthaya; (Completed)

Congratulations to the Host: The rating for the S-rank series event "Struggle for Hegemony" has increased by a small grade;

Congratulations to the Host: The recognition of the Host by the indigenous people of Ayutthaya has reached the maximum, and their willingness to be Sinicized has greatly increased."

Just as Gao Yuan was overjoyed, the system's notification came again.

"S-rank series event: Struggle for Hegemony, Final Phase event: The Passing of the Scepter triggered:

The original hegemon is already old and frail; as the new generation hegemon, the Host should respect the old and love the young, and take the initiative to accept the scepter;

Event Objective 1: Capture the Toungoo royal capital, Toungoo City, within two years;

Objective 2: Occupy at least twenty Toungoo prefectures;

Event Reward: Completing Objective 1 will grant one A-rank lottery card; completing Objective 2 will grant one Advanced Popular Support Card;

Failure Penalty: The rating for the S-rank series event "Struggle for Hegemony" will be reduced to the lowest, D."

Damn, this system, the events are one after another; can't it let a person catch their breath!