Chapter 244 The Most Favorable Situation

Hearing that Gao Yuan had returned safely, Wen Pin was so moved he nearly shed tears, immediately leading a group to the border to welcome him.

This risky operation, though extremely perilous, yielded an extraordinarily rich harvest.

Not only did they relocate over ten thousand people, but they also captured a large number of warhorses, cattle, and sheep.

Throughout the dozen or so battles, Gao Yuan's personal attributes also saw an improvement.

His Stamina and Horsemanship each rose by a minor grade, reaching A+ and A-rank respectively.

Leaning against the edge of the tub and soaking in a hot bath, the fatigue and grime accumulated over these days were swept away in an instant.

After finishing his bath and changing into clean clothes, Gao Yuan was eating when Wen Pin arrived.

"My Lord, I wonder if some of the captured warhorses from this time could be left for This humble general?"

"What is it?"

"Firstly, I wish to expand the Scout Battalion, and secondly, the battalion's warhorses have suffered significant losses recently."

Gao Yuan did not say yes or no, but instead asked,

"How many do you need?"

Wen Pin had clearly been planning this for a long time, as he blurted out,

"The Scout Battalion directly under the corps originally had one hundred and fifty men; I intend to expand it to three hundred. Combined with some horse reserves, I hope to be allocated three... oh, no, two hundred horses."

Wen Pin's reasoning was sound and his request reasonable; there was no need for Gao Yuan to reject it.

Most importantly, his own Xiaoguo Army didn't need that many horses at all because they lacked suitable personnel.

So, after a brief thought, Gao Yuan spoke.

"Replenish the losses of the Xiaoguo Army first, then set aside a thousand horses for the Baier Soldiers. The rest you can split equally with the other Circuits."

Having undergone a long period of baptism in actual combat, the Baier Soldiers' mounted combat skills had improved significantly.

Though they couldn't compare to professional Cavalry like the Xiaoguo Army, they were at least at sixty or seventy percent of that level.

Upon returning this time, Gao Yuan planned to update the equipment of the Baier Soldiers to serve as a reserve Cavalry force.

Wen Pin quickly ran the numbers in his head; Gao Yuan took over fifteen hundred horses, leaving nearly three thousand.

Under Gao Yuan's command were five regional corps; if each corps took five hundred horses, he would still have a few hundred left over.

With the math settled, Wen Pin happily left with the written order.

While there was joy and harmony on Gao Yuan's side, Western Kang was shrouded in gloom.

After nearly two months of tossing and turning, not only did they fail to catch Gao Yuan, but the Xifeng Tribe had also taken a massive hit.

Combined with the losses from the various tribes being plundered, the cost of Gao Yuan's visit was actually higher than the expense of destroying Yangtong.

This dealt a devastating blow to the confidence of everyone in Western Kang regarding their own strength.

On the other side, the situation in Yaizhou City was also far from optimistic.

Inside the city, the Western Kang soldiers, who were already unsuited for siege defense, felt misgivings in their hearts as they looked at the situation outside.

"Can we really hold out until reinforcements arrive?"

"Who knows? Worst case, we just surrender."

"You're a bachelor with no strings attached, unlike me; my family is still in Luoxie City."

"As long as you keep your life, you'll have women and children sooner or later. So I'm advising you, don't hold out to the death."

Outside the city, Tuoba Tao's reinforcements were only about thirty li away from Yaocheng County.

However, they were blocked by the Left Martial Guard and forced to stop and face off against them, unable to advance an inch for half a month.

Yet this was not entirely a bad thing for Tuoba Rui. To intercept the Western Kang reinforcements, twenty thousand troops of the Left Martial Guard had been shifted west, leaving only forty thousand Qian Army soldiers to besiege the city—hardly enough to pose a threat to a city garrisoned by ten thousand troops.

Although the Nine Tribes of Dangxiang were nomadic tribes, they had always yearned for Central Plains culture and had been imitating the Central Plains dynasties.

Thus, they also built cities and stockpiled siege defense materials. After they occupied Yaizhou, they spent a great deal of time on its construction.

The current Yaocheng County, after being developed by the Western Kang people, had barbicans, arrow towers, and even bastions; it could be said to be armed to the teeth.

It was unknown how it was built, but when Jiang Huaizhen and Meng Zhenshan saw it, they only felt a headache; taking this city would come at no small cost.

Inside the commanders tent of the Qian Army camp, Meng Zhenshan took a sip of rice porridge. Just as he was about to pick up some pickles, he thought better of it, set down his chopsticks, and sighed.

"Say, Huaizhen, I heard that Southern Yue has a type of siege engine called a linchong siege tower. Should we try building a few?"

Jiang Huaizhen also set down his chopsticks and looked at his colleague with a helpless expression.

"I naturally know of that linchong siege tower; I even have the rough blueprints. Unfortunately..."

Hearing that Jiang Huaizhen had blueprints, Meng Zhenshan's eyes lit up, and he looked at Jiang Huaizhen with longing.

"Unfortunately what?"

"While that linchong siege tower has immense power in a siege, it must be used on flat plains. Moreover, I've had someone evaluate it; the cost of building one is extremely high. I doubt Commander Wang can provide that much money and grain."

"I see! Sigh..."

The feeling of seeing hope only to be disappointed was the most agonizing. The atmosphere in the commanders tent suddenly became very heavy.

Inside the city, Tuoba Rui also felt very stifled. Given his former personality, he would have led his men out long ago for a decisive battle, but now he knew he couldn't, because he couldn't afford to lose.

On the western front, Kangding had just been pillaged by Gao Yuan and suffered heavy losses. If Yaizhou was lost on the eastern front as well, the damage would be catastrophic.

Thus, the Battle of Yaizhou was destined from the start to become a stalemate, one that might even last for a long time.

To whom was this situation most favorable? To Gao Yuan, of course. With Jiannan Circuit and Western Kang pinning each other down, it was the best possible scenario for Southern Yue.

However, this situation was devastating for Toungoo, as Southern Yue could launch an offensive against them without any reservations.

On the twentieth day of the eighth month in the fourth year of the new era name of Great Qian, the Nanyue Army, under the command of Gao Yao, launched a two-pronged attack on Toungoo. The specific arrangements were as follows:

The main force of the Pugan Circuit, along with two brigades of the Beiwei Army, advanced west from Toungoo City to attack Pyay, Thandwe, and other areas. The main force of the Central Corps, along with five thousand Xuanjia Army troops drawn from various regions, set out from Toungoo to attack north along the eastern side of the Arakan Mountains, blocking the route for Bayinnaung's reinforcements to move south.

From the moment the Central Corps arrived at the Pugan Circuit, Bayinnaung had sensed it and had long ago mobilized troops to prepare for Southern Yue's offensive.

Unfortunately, times had changed. Toungoo was no longer the primary hegemon of the peninsula as it once was; compared to Southern Yue, there was a massive gap in both national strength and military power.

Especially after several defeats and internal turmoil, not even one-tenth of Toungoo's elite troops remained.

If Bayinnaung were given a few more years, with his ability, he might have had a chance to turn things around through diligent governance, but unfortunately, all of that remained only in his imagination.

Now, he had to take off his magnificent and comfortable dragon robe, put on cold armor, and once again pick up his weapon to lead his army onto the battlefield.

Over a hundred and thirty li south of Ava, the twenty-five thousand troops led by Gao Yao met the twenty thousand regular troops and over ten thousand auxiliary troops led by Bayinnaung.

While a great battle was imminent there, Gao Yuan had already arrived in Vientiane City. After a hearty and deep exchange with Wu Xu, Gao Yuan held the limp, sleeping beauty in his arms and opened his system panel.

Looking at another event notification displaying the word "Completed," Gao Yuan couldn't help but reveal a smile unique to a victor.

"System, settle the rewards."