Counterattack

On the fifth day, it was almost the same formula. With the assistance of two elite squads, Gao Yuan once again eliminated over five hundred Lan Xang people and captured more than two hundred, with fewer than a hundred casualties of his own.

Now that the Lan Xang casualties exceeded half, the opportunity Gao Yuan had been waiting for finally arrived.

As expected, on the sixth day, the Lan Xang people not only did not attack but also showed faint signs of retreating.

Upon receiving the news from the scouts, Gao Yuan was overjoyed.

"Pass down the order for the whole army to rest well. Tonight, follow me to raid the Lan Xang camp."

Having guarded the city for several days, Xia Luqi and his men had long been stifled. Hearing Gao Yuan's order, they were all jubilant.

On the other side, at West Pass, the Lan Xang attack was incredibly frenzied. In just five days, they had suffered nearly two thousand casualties.

The casualties on the defenders' side were also significant, with over two hundred killed and more than a hundred wounded. If Huo Jun hadn't brought a large number of bows and arrows, they probably wouldn't have been able to hold out.

The only thing that made Huo Jun feel at ease was that the five hundred elites were mostly still there, and the city's defense supplies were still fairly sufficient.

As the sky gradually darkened and night fell, the gates of East Pass slowly opened, and an elite force wearing leather armor set out from the pass under the cover of darkness.

The Lan Xang people were still unaware that disaster was imminent. After dinner, they began to rest early.

Several soldiers lay in their tents, sighing.

"We've fought for days and so many have died, yet we still haven't taken it. I really don't know what the Third Prince is thinking."

"Exactly. This pass is easy to defend and hard to attack; it's impossible to take. It's just throwing our lives away for nothing."

"Just wait. Once the Third Prince and the others break through over there, we'll charge straight through. At that time, money and women will be ours for the taking."

"Dream on. Small soldiers like us are just destined to die; how could any good things ever fall to us?"

"Anyway, as long as I can grab some money to take back and buy some good things for my family, that'll be enough."

"Stop thinking about it. Go to sleep early and save your energy for looting!"

What they didn't expect was that just a few hundred paces away, a dozen sentries had already quietly met Yan Wang, and the camp gates had been opened.

With Sword and Shield Soldiers in the lead, the Qian Army soldiers swarmed into the Lan Xang camp.

By the time the Lan Xang patrols discovered them, the Qian Army had already formed their ranks and begun their sweep.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Everyone, get up!"

"Help... Ah!"

The Lan Xang people cried out in despair and screamed in agony. Some had already lost the will to resist, dropping their weapons to flee.

The patrols gathering from various places could not withstand the elites who had already formed ranks. In just a moment, they were completely dispersed.

The two thousand elites quickly split into ten teams and began to slaughter the Lan Xang people who had just been startled awake from their dreams.

Xia Luqi led a team and charged through, his target very clear: the largest and most conspicuous tent in the middle.

"Don't panic! Don't be in chaos! Everyone, hold the line..."

The Lan Xang commander-in-chief hadn't expected a sneak attack and was sleeping soundly while embracing a woman.

Rising in a panic, he didn't even have time to put on clothes before rushing out of the tent. Seeing his subordinates fleeing in all directions like startled rats, he knew things were bad.

The most important thing for an army is its formation; once it breaks, there is no combat power left.

Under his desperate shouting and organization, he managed to gather over two hundred men, but before they could even react, Xia Luqi arrived with his men.

Looking at the Lan Xang's barely formed ranks, before he could even catch his breath, Xia Luqi raised the spear and broadsword in his hands and roared.

"Kill!"

With a thrust, he knocked aside the spearhead in front of him. Xia Luqi charged into the enemy ranks, and with a sweep of his blade, a Lan Xang soldier was decapitated.

How could the Lan Xang's barely organized formation withstand the charge of such a fierce general? It quickly collapsed again. This time, no matter how the commander-in-chief shouted and cursed, the soldiers no longer had the courage to turn back and resist.

Slaying the general and capturing the flag was one of the greatest merits in the era of cold weapons. How could Xia Luqi let it pass?

After dispersing the enemy troops, he didn't care if his companions were keeping up and headed straight for the naked, fleeing commander-in-chief.

On the other side, Gao Yuan's eyes had also turned red with bloodlust. Stimulated by adrenaline, he led his men in a rampage, and the number of people who had fallen by his hand already exceeded twenty.

With a brave commander, the soldiers' morale naturally soared, and the battle turned into a complete one-sided massacre.

The battle continued for more than an hour before it gradually subsided.

Gao Yuan's physical strength was exhausted, and he slumped powerlessly on the ground, so tired he couldn't even lift his hands.

This was caused by his lack of experience; being too excited and agitated led to excessive adrenaline secretion, which depleted his stamina.

At this moment, he was at his weakest, and a dozen soldiers surrounded him, fearing any accidents.

After Xia Luqi presented the enemy general's head, he began leading the men to clear the battlefield.

They remained busy until dawn when the battle results were finally tallied.

"Lord, in this battle, eighty-three of our soldiers were killed, fifty-seven were seriously injured, and over a hundred suffered light injuries."

"Over nine hundred were beheaded, and more than seven hundred were captured. The enemy commander has been executed. We captured over a thousand dan of grain, more than five hundred sets of leather armor, over three hundred pack horses, more than a hundred tents, countless weapons, and over forty women."

Gao Yuan barely stood up with the support of those beside him.

"Withdraw the troops. Send all the wounded and prisoners to Menge City, and the army will rest for two days."

"Understood!"

As for those women, Gao Yuan had no interest in them; he would give them to the meritorious soldiers to enjoy later.

Khon Kham still didn't know that his army attacking East Pass had been defeated, and he sat in the commanders tent with a frown.

After five or six days of attacking, not only were there no results, but they had also suffered over two thousand casualties.

At this moment, he really wanted to withdraw his troops, but he also knew that if he retreated now, he would face his father's reprimand and the loss of his power.

Being in a dilemma was probably the best description of his current situation.

"I'll fight for five more days. If I still can't take it, I'll retreat. At worst, I won't return to Vientiane; I'll take the army directly to Location."

Location was his fief, controlled by his direct officials, and he had over a thousand troops there.

Along with the troops he had on hand, he believed his father wouldn't dare do anything to him.

But how could he have imagined that the five days of his final struggle would completely change everything?

Gao Yuan had already led fifteen hundred well-rested men around the mountain range and arrived at the rear of the Lan Xang army.

After holding out for ten days, West Pass was already somewhat teetering. The defense of this temporarily constructed pass was truly limited, and even a master of defense like Huo Jun felt the helplessness of being unable to make bricks without straw.

On a new day, as the sun rose, the remaining six thousand plus troops of the Lan Xang people gathered once again.

On the city walls, Huo Jun organized the last three hundred plus men to all mount the walls.

He still had the confidence to hold out today, but tomorrow... "Lord's favor of recognition, Huo Juns style name will have to repay it in the next life!"

As the war drums sounded, the Lan Xang army launched their attack once again.

Facing the dense crowds of enemy troops, the defending soldiers also adopted a desperate mindset, throwing down arrows, rolling logs, stones, and boiling water as if they cost nothing.

Accompanied by incessant screams, in just over half an hour, the Lan Xang people suffered hundreds of casualties.

On the city walls, Huo Jun was also in a bad way. Now he only had a little over two hundred men available, and he himself had been hit by an arrow.

The only good news was that the Lan Xang people had also run out of arrows, and what remained was pure hand-to-hand combat.

Seeing that no more rolling logs or stones were being thrown from the city walls, although Khon Kham was pained, he also knew that the fall of the city was imminent.

"The Han people can't hold on anymore! Everyone, charge! Everyone, get up there!"

The Lan Xang people seemed to be encouraged and began to charge recklessly.