A difficult choice

The princes and ministers of Toungoo never imagined they would one day see the battle flags of the Qian Army outside the capital city.

They were even more incredulous that the monarch they had welcomed back could be defeated so quickly; in just over a month, the eastern defense line had collapsed.

The city was in chaos. Everyone was busy packing, hoping to escape before the Qian Army began its assault.

Kengtung and Mawlamyine had only held for a day, and Mobi City had only lasted half a month. They did not believe Toungoo City, which lacked both natural defenses and sufficient troops, could hold out.

In Ava, having just defeated the Mughal army and successfully garrisoned the city, Bayinnaung did not expect that Gao Yuan had already arrived outside his lair.

He had just routed tens of thousands of Mughal troops and taken over twenty thousand prisoners. This was one of the most glorious moments of his life in recent years, and he was currently basking in the cheers and adulation of his subjects.

"Look, that is our new King, the greatest warrior in the world."

"I heard he defeated the former king and occupied the capital in less than a month; he is truly formidable."

"That's right. With the King here, those Mughals are nothing more than a herd of livestock."

Listening to the commoners' discussions, Bayinnaung felt immense satisfaction; he felt as though he had conquered the whole world.

But his joy did not last long, as an urgent report shattered his moment of glory.

"What? Tell Me again!"

"Mǐndēng and Mǐnlái have surrendered. The Qian Army is at the gates of Toungoo City. Please, my King, return to reinforce us immediately."

Confirming the news once more, Bayinnaung finally collapsed helplessly into his seat.

"Gao Yuan, Gao Yuan, why is it always you? If only I had one more month, I could have turned the situation around."

He cast his gaze toward the generals beside him.

"Who among you can lead troops back to reinforce the capital? If you can hold it for a month, I will return with my victorious army."

Seeing that no one responded, he added an incentive:

"As long as you can hold the capital, I will confer upon you the title of Duke, with hereditary succession."

Even with such a tempting offer, no one was willing to step forward, for they knew that returning to reinforce the capital was a mission with almost zero chance of survival.

Bayinnaung slammed his table in anger, stood up, looked at the generals, and roared:

"Are you all cowards? I only need one month, just one month!"

Pindalipha could not bear it any longer, stepped out of the ranks, and reminded him:

"My King, those Han people are experts at 'besieging a point to strike the reinforcements.' A lone army returning for relief would be like adding fuel to a fire!"

Bayinnaung slumped back into his seat helplessly.

"Are we just going to watch the capital fall into enemy hands?"

"My King, I believe we should first consider how to repel the Mughals and then gather our strength to return and retake the capital."

Even though reason told him this was the best choice, Bayinnaung did not want to choose it. That was the capital, the symbol of the nation.

Even if they could retake it in the future, it would not be the same, because in everyone's eyes, it would no longer be considered impregnable.

Most importantly, once the capital was lost, the morale of the people would be shattered; building up the people's confidence was not something that could be done overnight.

That night, Bayinnaung could not sleep.

The next day, with dark circles under his eyes, he summoned everyone and announced his decision.

"I have decided that the main army will not return for now. We will first repel the Mughal army and recover our lost territory. However, the north cannot be left undefended. I order Pindalipha to lead ten thousand troops south to garrison Shalin and Yangmiting to secure our rear."

Upon hearing Bayinnaung's decision, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and bowed in agreement.

After everyone left, Bayinnaung kept Pindalipha behind and instructed him:

"Once you arrive at Yangmiting, you must defend the city to the death. Do not engage in battle at will, and do not act on your own initiative to rescue other cities. Just let the Han people attack them one by one to buy me time."

Pindalipha was grateful for the heavy responsibility entrusted to him by Bayinnaung and immediately patted his chest, guaranteeing that he would hold both places.

The troops brought by Gao Yuan numbered less than ten thousand, so naturally, he could not completely encircle Toungoo City, which gave many people a chance to flee.

This gave the Cavalry their opportunity. Gao Yuan and Zhao Meng led the Cavalry into a sweeping mode, chasing down and plundering any large groups they discovered.

These nobles would not abandon any wealth even while fleeing for their lives; servants, maids, and gold and silver treasures all became Gao Yuan's spoils of war, and they even captured quite a bit of iron armor.

Before the siege had even begun, Gao Yuan was already reaping a fortune.

Another day passed. It was still nearly an hour before dawn when a team of Scouts on patrol suddenly discovered that the North Gate of Toungoo City was wide open. The first to emerge were actually a team of well-equipped soldiers wearing the standard-issue iron armor of the Qian Army.

Behind the army were a large number of carriages, including several particularly ornate ones, with horses that were exceptionally sturdy.

Realizing that this might be a "big fish," the Scout leader immediately pulled over two of his men.

"Quick, go back and report to the Lord! We've found a big fish!"

It was indeed a big fish. With the main Toungoo force unable to return, the Queen Mother had decided to abandon Toungoo City and relocate the capital to Ava after receiving a letter from her son.

Today, they had decided to break out before dawn. As long as they escaped the encirclement and reached the area of Yangmiting, Pindalipha would send troops to meet them.

They just didn't expect to be discovered. At this moment, the massive procession had already moved out of the city and was heading north. How hurried were they? They hadn't even closed the city gates.

Gao Yuan had already woken up and was preparing for his morning workout when he saw two Scouts ride rapidly into the camp. They went straight to the commanders tent before dismounting, kneeling on one knee before Gao Yuan, and clasping their fists.

"Reporting to the Lord, we were ordered to monitor the North Gate of Toungoo. We discovered a large group of people leaving the city, and they are guarded by heavy armored troops!"

Gao Yuan immediately perked up. He knew this was definitely a big fish. He tossed aside his sweat towel.

"Men, sound the drums and blow the horns! Order the whole army to wake up. The Cavalry battalion will follow me first, and the Beiwei Army will follow behind."

"Understood!"

The rumbling of drums and the dull sound of horns pierced the silence of the early morning. Upon receiving the order, the soldiers of the Qian Army began to put on their clothes and armor with swift movements.

A quarter of an hour later, Gao Yuan led over a thousand Cavalry, galloping out of the camp to chase after the "big fish."

Another quarter of an hour later, the fully prepared Beiwei Army also set out with their pack horses.

As for the Xuanjia Army, they were fully equipped and, under the command of Mu Qing, headed toward Toungoo City to prevent anyone else from escaping.

It was unclear what the situation was on Gao Yuan's end, but when Mu Qing led her troops to the outside of Toungoo City, she was a bit dumbfounded. The massive Toungoo City, the capital of Toungoo, actually had its gates wide open, looking completely undefended.

Xia Luqi and Xue Linfeng exchanged a glance and then looked at Mu Qing.

"This... Mistress, shall we go in?"

Mu Qing shook her small head.

"I don't know either. Why don't you decide?"

"How about This humble general leads the troops in to take a look first?"

Xia Luqi stopped the eager Xue Linfeng.

"I'll go. You stay outside and command."

After speaking, Xia Luqi waved his hand, and a team of the Beiwei Army followed him into the barbican. Those outside held their breath, ready to deal with any contingencies.

However, the anticipated contingency did not occur. Xia Luqi led his men through the barbican and into the inner gate without any obstruction.

After a long while, Xia Luqi's large head popped up from the top of the city wall.

"Mistress, General Xue, come on in. There isn't a single person in the city."

Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. Mu Qing waved her small hand and ordered:

"The army is to enter the city. Be careful not to disturb the civilians."

If it were in the past, the Qian Army would likely have plundered the city before withdrawing. But now, these commoners would be their own people in the future, so naturally, they couldn't operate like they used to.