Chaos, power struggle

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, five days had gone by.

To make his act convincing, Wu Hean actually sent out over a thousand men to their deaths.

Of course, these people weren't his own soldiers, but commoners rounded up from all over.

As for Gao Yuan, he was just worrying about not being able to find a decoy to lure both sides into the trap when Wu Hean delivered himself right to him.

Meanwhile, Wen Huan was overjoyed upon hearing that Wu Hean had suffered defeat after defeat, losing two or three thousand men, and was now trapped within Chuantong City.

Without a second thought, he urged his army to march through the night, fearing that any delay might cause his prize to slip away.

Twenty miles east of Chuantong City was the place Wu Hean had chosen as the burial ground for Gao Yuan and Wen Huan.

At this moment, just as Wen Huan's army stepped into the area, they suddenly spotted an army standing at the exit in the distance.

Sensing something was wrong, he was about to send someone to investigate when a commotion broke out from the rear.

It turned out that seeing Wen Huan's army enter the ambush circle, Wu Hean could no longer contain his excitement and ordered his hidden troops to move out early.

As soon as Wu Hean's army appeared on the narrow road, a volley of arrows was unleashed.

Wen Huan's only consolation was that, because they were close to Chuantong, he had already put his army on high alert and had them don their armor.

Thus, after the initial panic, his side quickly stabilized and set up a defense.

Now certain he had been schemed against, Wen Huan's anger flared up uncontrollably.

Compared to his insidious elder brother, he hated Gao Yuan even more for betraying him.

"Maintain the defense at the rear! Everyone in front, charge through and hack those Han people to pieces!"

Since Wu Hean had appeared, Wen Huan knew the other man must have intended to kill him. In his eyes, Gao Yuan, who claimed to have three thousand troops, was the weak link.

Everything seemed to go as he expected; the army blocking the way ahead scattered almost immediately upon the charge, and Wen Huan's army broke through without hindrance.

This result filled him with joy, and he roared at the top of his lungs:

"Don't stop! Charge through with everything you've got!"

Facing a path to survival, all the soldiers erupted with unprecedented combat power.

No one noticed, or perhaps they simply didn't care, that those who had scattered were not dressed as Great Qian soldiers at all.

At the rear, Wu Hean couldn't understand why Gao Yuan's men were so weak, breaking at the first sign of contact. While cursing inwardly, he urged his soldiers to pursue with all their might.

Now, Wu Hean's only consolation was that he had kept a trick up his sleeve from the start, stationing an army behind Gao Yuan.

Those thousand-plus "Great Qian" troops had now discarded their banners and weapons, fleeing in terror and screaming as they quickly vanished into the woods.

Wen Huan's army charged for a mile or two before stopping to catch their breath, when suddenly a soldier came galloping up on horseback.

"Reporting to the Second Prince! There is an army blocking the way ahead. Judging by the banners, they are the First Prince's men."

"I knew it. Wu Hean wouldn't fail to keep a trick up his sleeve."

Wen Huan clenched his fists in fury, his knuckles turning white from the strain.

"Order the entire army to form ranks! Today, I will fight Wu Hean to the death!"

On a distant mountain, Xia Luqi stood before Gao Yuan with a joyful expression.

"My Lord is truly brilliant; those Lan Xang people have indeed started killing each other."

Gao Yuan waved his hand smugly, feigning modesty.

"It wasn't some brilliant plan; I simply took advantage of their own internal conflicts."

"My Lord, should we withdraw now?"

"No rush. Let's watch a bit longer and let the brothers rest. Who knows, we might still have a chance to scavenge some gains."

Having finally incited infighting among the Lan Xang people, Gao Yuan was naturally unwilling to leave immediately; he wanted to see if he could play the role of the fisherman.

"Understood!"

By now, both parties on the battlefield realized they might have been played by Gao Yuan, but unfortunately, they were already in too deep to stop.

The battle had reached a fever pitch from the start, and both sides were already seeing red.

Wu Hean was just a bit too slow; the thousand men he had assigned to block the road were nearly routed, suffering hundreds of casualties.

However, once the pincer attack began, the scales of victory gradually tipped toward the side with more troops. Wen Huan soon found himself on the defensive.

Watching his soldiers fall with agonizing screams, Wen Huan felt a sharp pain in his heart. His mind raced, searching for a way to break the deadlock.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him.

"Leave a thousand men to hold off Wu Hean! Everyone else, advance toward Chuantong with all your might!"

Indeed, his plan was to seize Chuantong City first and then rely on its fortifications to defend against Wu Hean's assault.

Wu Hean had been far too careless. He never expected Wen Huan to break through the two defensive lines set by Gao Yuan and himself. Chuantong City was completely undefended; even the gates weren't closed, and the commoners were still coming and going as usual.

This gave Wen Huan his chance. His soldiers completely ignored the commoners' pleas for mercy, hacking their way into the city.

However, Wu Hean's pursuers arrived shortly after, storming into Chuantong City before Wen Huan could close the gates.

Instantly, this relatively prosperous city turned into a living hell.

Not just the soldiers, but also the commoners who didn't have time to hide at home became victims of the chaotic battle.

While things were turning into a bloody mess at Chuantong, Khon Kham arrived at the southern gate of Vientiane with seven thousand troops in a grand display.

The thousand troops controlled by his mother's clan, the Nanjiao Clan, did not resist. Instead, they opened the city gates, and the combined forces marched toward the Royal Palace in a grand procession.

The Lan Xang Royal Palace, the most luxurious building in the land, had a permanent garrison of only five hundred guards. Its walls weren't high, and under Khon Kham's overwhelming assault, it soon began to teeter.

Hearing this news, Fawang felt as if he had been struck by a heavy club. He slumped onto his ornate, wide throne, staring blankly at the kneeling nobles and officials below.

"You... say it again. Who is revolting?"

"It is the troops of the Third Highness, Khon Kham!"

At this moment, Fawang thought back to how he had once borrowed troops from Tonkin to drive out his grandfather and father to take the throne. He couldn't help but chuckle bitterly.

"Truly my good son... truly a good son!"

Murmuring continuously, Fawang climbed up from the throne and straightened his robes, which were woven from expensive silk and gold thread.

"Go. All of you, go. I am going to see my good son."

Only the members of the Nanjiao Clan and some of his own confidants followed Fawang toward the gate; the rest all scattered like startled birds.

Just as he stepped out of the hall, the palace gates were slowly opened with a dull thud.

Facing a certain defeat, the Commander of the Palace Guards made the wisest choice—opening the gates and surrendering.

Khon Kham hadn't expected everything to go so smoothly; he had fought his way into the palace in less than an hour.

Soon, he saw that figure—the one he had once feared and hated the most.

Subconsciously, he shrank back, but he quickly realized that the advantage was now his.

Spurring his horse, Khon Kham rode arrogantly up to Fawang with a haughty expression.

"Having heard that my two royal brothers are revolting, I have come specifically to protect the sovereign and save the kingdom!"

Fawang looked at his least favorite son with a cold expression and shouted sternly:

"Protect the sovereign? Heh, I see that you are the greatest traitor of all! If you have the guts, kill me now and see if the people will accept a rebel who committed patricide and regicide!"

Khon Kham shook his head and said with a smile:

"Father, you didn't kill my great-grandfather or grandfather back then, so why would I? Men! The King is tired. Escort him back to his palace to rest!"