Seize grain again

Gao Yuan did not care about the life or death of Xian Zhen; he led his more than 1,900 men and the spoils of war back to the camp.

"Set up the pots and cook a meal. Everyone, have a good, hearty feast and get some proper sleep. There is still work to be done afterward."

Xia Luqi had likely already guessed Gao Yuan's intentions.

"My Lord intends to continue ambushing the provisions of Xian Zhen!"

Gao Yuan rubbed his smooth, fair chin and revealed a confident smile.

"That's right. As the saying goes, 'The army moves only after the provisions.' Without provisions, I want to see what that old geezer Xian Zhen will use to attack Dehong."

"My Lord's calculations are brilliant; This humble general is in awe!"

Gao Yuan quite enjoyed the flattery from Xia Luqi and the others, though he still feigned modesty and waved his hand.

"Just average, just average, third in the world. Alright, everyone, go get some rest."

"Understood!"

The group happily went off to eat.

Over on the side of the Menge army, they uncharacteristically had steamed rice instead of porridge today, which put many soldiers in a great mood, and they couldn't help but shout, "Long live the Local Chieftain!"

Hearing the soldiers' excited shouts, Xian Zhen did not know whether to be happy or depressed. Now, he could only hope that the provisions would arrive soon or that they would capture Dehong quickly.

However, ideals are always plump, while reality is always skeletal. Just as he put down his chopsticks, a messenger from the vanguard reported: "The area around Dehong has been cleared, and the city defense supplies are fully prepared."

Upon hearing this news, Xian Zhen had already begun to lose heart.

Although Dehong could not be considered a formidable fortress, it would take at least a few days to capture it if the defenders were well-prepared.

During these few days, if the provisions could be delivered, then everything would be fine. But if they were plundered again, his main force would fall into a dead end.

Xian Zhen was able to become the head of the Xian family and control Menge for over a decade precisely because of his own caution and prudence.

If it were only a matter of gambling a portion of his interests, he would choose to charge ahead, as the potential gains were too great. But now, having to gamble his entire fortune, he had to think thrice before acting.

Seeing his Father wanting to retreat, Xian Bifa once again recalled the feeling of humiliation from the morning, and the anger in his heart rose rapidly.

"Father, I am willing to lead the elite troops to advance first. I will definitely take Dehong city within five days."

Just as Xian Zhen was about to object, Lin Chen spoke up.

"When Local Chieftain Xian took away my Lin family's assets, you promised to take Gao Yuan's head within a month to offer as a sacrifice to my Father and brother. Are you now going to break your word?"

Xian Zhen looked at Lin Chen with a sinister gaze, his disgust for this arrogant, crooked-mouthed man growing even more.

However, thinking of the Lin family treasure that this guy had promised upon success, Xian Zhen felt tempted again and immediately made the decision.

"Good. Bifa, you select two thousand elite troops, bring sufficient provisions, and hurry to the gates of Dehong city. You must capture Dehong city as soon as possible."

"Understood!"

Xian Bifa accepted the order and left in high spirits.

The main body of the Menge army had left, and this news soon reached Gao Yuan's ears. He revealed a smile of a conspiracy successfully executed.

"This time, besides the provisions, I also want the head of that old geezer Xian Zhen. Bang Jie..."

Loudly calling for Xia Luqi, Gao Yuan began to arrange the subsequent battle plan.

Xian Bifa had left first, and Xian Zhen's 1,500 men, due to a lack of provisions, could only stay in place, waiting for the arrival of subsequent supplies.

Over the next few days, Gao Yuan did not let Xian Zhen have any leisure; he sent men to harass them almost every night.

Killing a few sentries and burning two tents; on the night with the most activity, dozens of people in Xian Zhen's camp were killed, and over a hundred sets of armor were stolen.

They couldn't get a meal, and they couldn't get a good night's sleep. This caused complaints to fill the entire Menge camp; everyone was both exhausted and irritable.

After waiting for five days, the long-awaited opportunity for battle arrived for Gao Yuan. According to the Scout's report, Xian Zhen's second batch of provisions was about fifty or sixty li away.

Xian Zhen had also received the intelligence. To be safe, he sent men with five hundred troops to go and provide reinforcements.

Having heard that the previous provisions had been plundered, the general from Menge city who came to escort the provisions was on pins and needles all day. Fortunately, the road was calm and peaceful.

After walking another ten li and meeting up with the reinforcements sent by Xian Zhen, he finally felt relieved.

Now he had 1,200 soldiers on hand, and including the civilian laborers, there were nearly 3,000 people. He believed the enemy would not dare to come and launch a surprise attack.

Yet, Gao Yuan had long since set his sights on him.

For Gao Yuan, the real enemies were only seven hundred people; the remaining civilian laborers had no combat capability, and as for the five hundred men sent by Xian Zhen...

Having lacked food and drink for days, these men were already weak and shaky, and this was not something that could be made up for by a single meal.

And he, currently, had over 1,900 soldiers.

Leaving over a hundred men to guard the camp, Gao Yuan set out with 1,800 men; he was determined to have this batch of provisions.

Before sleeping at night, Xian Zhen felt his eyelids twitching uncontrollably, so he specifically sent someone overnight to warn the transport team carrying the provisions.

At the fifth watch, which was almost the time when people were most drowsy, Gao Yuan set out with 1,800 well-rested elite troops.

This time, the Menge army had increased their vigilance, and Gao Yuan's men were discovered as soon as they charged into the main camp. Since that was the case, they would launch a direct assault.

The soldiers quickly formed ranks and began to advance steadily. Wherever they passed, screams rang out one after another. The Menge soldiers' combat capability was already inferior, and even more so when they were fighting in a hasty, unprepared state.

Very quickly, the gap in individual combat capability and equipment began to manifest. After barely resisting for two quarters of an hour, the Menge army suffered a complete rout.

Several thousand shi of provisions, over a hundred sets of leather armor, three hundred horizontal sabers, and over a thousand civilian laborers became Gao Yuan's spoils of war.

Even the warhorse that the messenger had ridden was rounded up by Gao Yuan.

When Xian Zhen woke up in the morning and heard this devastating news, everything went black before his eyes, and he fainted on the spot.

And when Lin Chen learned of this news, his first reaction was three words: "It's over."

His second reaction was to run away quickly; staying here any longer would likely mean following in the footsteps of his Father and older brother.

Without much hesitation, Lin Chen quietly fled the Menge army camp with his trusted aides.

Panic spread through the entire camp at the fastest speed, just like a virus.

With Lin Chen as the one to lead the way, more and more people joined the path of escape.

On this side, Gao Yuan did not wait for the battlefield to be cleared before issuing a new order.

"Leave one battalion of men to transport the captives and the loot. Everyone else, immediately set up the pots and cook a meal. After you have eaten and drunk your fill, follow me to annihilate Xian Zhen."

Having won two consecutive battles, the soldiers' morale was high, and now hearing that they were going to strike directly at the heart of the enemy, they were howling with excitement.

The captured civilian laborers immediately began to busy themselves, and soon smoke from cooking fires was curling up everywhere.

If it weren't on a battlefield, this scene would actually have a quiet and peaceful feeling.

After eating and drinking their fill, 1,100 troops set out, stepping onto the path heading toward Dehong city.

Gao Yuan never expected that Xian Zhen's troops would collapse so quickly, even dragging down his marching speed.

Because along this road, Gao Yuan had to "help" Xian Zhen round up his routed soldiers.

In three days, Gao Yuan had rounded up over 700 routed soldiers. Counting the others, that is to say, Xian Zhen's central army had basically all run away.

It was precisely because he was busy catching captives that Gao Yuan missed the best opportunity to capture Xian Zhen.

That day, when Xian Zhen woke up, he understood immediately that his route of retreat was gone, and staying in place was just waiting for death.

Therefore, he didn't care about those deserters anymore and fled toward the direction of Dehong city with over a hundred trusted aides.

Over there, there were still Xian Bifa's 1,500 troops, as well as his own one thousand elite vanguard.

With these troops, he was confident that he could at least save his life.

Now, he no longer dared to harbor thoughts of capturing Dehong, dominating a region, or living the good life with beauties.

Now, this Menge Local Chieftain had only one thought in his mind: "I must save my life."