Brothers fighting

The soldiers swarmed forward, seizing the once-exalted king and carrying him toward the inner palace.

"Rebellious son! Treacherous subjects! None of you will die a peaceful death!"

Ignoring Fawang's piercing screams, Khon Kham strode into the main hall. Seeing the throne he had long yearned for, a light burst forth from his eyes.

Step by step, he slowly walked toward what he had desired.

Only when he sat upon the throne and felt its cold armrests did he truly believe that he had succeeded.

While Khon Kham sat on the throne, enjoying the homage of the nobles and ministers, both sides in Chuantong City had finally fought to the point of exhaustion, unable to continue.

In the darkness of the night, the two armies each occupied half the city, though their attention remained fixed entirely on the opposition.

Having run out of grain and fodder, Wen Huan ordered his men to plunder the homes of the commoners. For a time, the sounds of screams echoed throughout Chuantong City.

Thoughtful soldiers even brought Wen Huan two fairly delicate and pretty women to warm the second prince's night.

As for the mastermind behind the scenes, Gao Yuan naturally didn't let any opportunity to profit slip by; he was currently leading his men to scavenge the battlefield.

Bloody suits of leather armor were stripped off, weapons were collected, and bags of rice discarded by Wen Huan were picked up.

As for the injured packhorses and warhorses, they were all finished off and became a delicacy in the soldiers' soup pots.

After working half the night by torchlight, Gao Yuan could be said to have returned with a full harvest. The three hundred packhorses he had brought were all laden with supplies, panting as they headed back toward the camp.

This night was very quiet, yet very restless.

The next day, the sun rose as usual, but the familiar figure was no longer on the Lan Xang throne.

Khon Kham and Queen Nanjiao Pipa sat on either side of the throne as a Eunuch read the imperial edict with great emotion.

"I feel deeply that my strength is failing, and have thus decided to retire behind the scenes to spend my remaining years in peace. The crown prince, Khon Kham, and Queen Nanjiao Pipa shall take overall charge of the government."

Although they had long known this would be the result, all the nobles and ministers could not help but sigh in their hearts, lamenting this sudden change of dynasty.

The first thing Khon Kham did upon ascending the throne was, naturally, to win over people's hearts. He distributed interests to all the cooperative nobles and ministers, handing out official positions, land, and population as if they cost nothing.

The second thing was, naturally, to declare Wu Hean and Wen Huan as rebels in the King's name, and to dispatch envoys to Nong Khai and Chaiyaphum in hopes that the two regions would submit.

However, for the time being, he could not spare any manpower to deal with his two elder brothers.

As for the two rebels, they were currently facing off in Chuantong City.

Both sides had suffered heavy casualties in yesterday's battle. Wu Hean had lost more due to splitting his forces, which resulted in neither side daring to make a reckless move.

Seeing that both sides had entered the city, Gao Yuan estimated there wasn't much more profit to be squeezed out.

"Let's go. We'll head to Mengwei to reap another harvest!"

Concerned that Khon Kham might go back on his word after succeeding, Gao Yuan made up his mind to reap a good harvest now. That way, even if Khon Kham reneged on the debt, he wouldn't lose out.

Indeed, he wouldn't lose out. At this moment in Dehong City, everyone was stunned as they looked at the continuous stream of battle reports and spoils being sent back.

"Did the County Duke wipe out Lan Xang?"

"I haven't heard anything about that!"

"Hahaha! Now we have money and grain, and we have labor too. With so many women, the commoners won't have to worry about not finding wives."

After the initial surprise passed, Zhao Xiyao thought of the letter Gao Yuan had sent back and gave her orders.

"Marshal Mu, make arrangements as soon as possible to sell off these slave women, and then go to the surrounding areas to purchase supplies as quickly as you can."

"Understood!"

In Gao Yuan's plan, these foreigners were to be assimilated, but only the women and the young children who didn't yet understand the world.

As for the men, they could only serve as hard labor until they died, with no chance of passing on their lineage or reproducing.

That's right, Gao Yuan was just that nationalistic. He had no goodwill toward these Southeast Asian ingrates who would later betray China.

Three days later, Gao Yuan led his troops into Mengwei. Like a plague of locusts passing through, they began to scour the land, practically scraping the ground bare.

Regardless of age or gender, as long as they were human, they were all relocated. Grain, pig iron, weapons, and cloth were all hauled away in one go.

To the point that for a long time, a saying circulated in Lan Xang—the Qian Disaster, or the Gao Disaster!

As for Wu Hean and Wen Huan, neither of them could have imagined they would suddenly be declared rebels.

The two finally set aside their hatred and chose to stand together against their common enemy, but unfortunately, they no longer had much strength left in their hands.

Chuantong had already been swept through by Gao Yuan once, losing most of its population, and then ravaged again by themselves. Now, it could be said that nine out of ten houses were empty.

Between the two of them, they had fewer than four thousand troops, and most of their grain and military supplies had been lost.

Most importantly, because they had been declared rebels and Khon Kham had announced that only the ringleaders would be punished while others would be pardoned, some soldiers had already lost hope and begun to desert.

Soon, even more desperate news arrived. Wu Hean's power base, the nobles of Chaiyaphum and Nong Khai, had already declared their loyalty to the crown prince, Khon Kham.

"Brother, what should we do?"

Wen Huan, who had always prided himself on being resourceful, had completely run out of ideas. His face was pale as he looked toward Wu Hean.

Wu Hean was, after all, Fawang's most valued son; he still possessed some ability and means. He gritted his teeth.

"Back then, Father only ascended the throne after borrowing troops from Tonkin to return and drive out my great-grandfather and grandfather. We might as well borrow troops from Tonkin too."

"Brother, the people of Tonkin are wolves too!"

"Better to suffer external humiliation than to lose to a domestic thief. I would rather cede territory to the people of Tonkin than let Khon Kham have his way."

Wu Hean looked at Wen Huan with a ruthless expression.

"If you're unwilling, then go back to Vientiane and seek your own death!"

After saying this, Wu Hean stood up to leave. Wen Huan hurriedly called out to him.

"Brother, wait!"

"What? Do you want to stop me?"

Seeing Wu Hean's fierce gaze, Wen Huan couldn't help but shudder before speaking.

"The Han people have a saying: 'When brothers are of one mind, their sharpness can cut through metal.' I am willing to follow you, Brother."

Wu Hean laughed loudly and patted Wen Huan on the shoulder.

"Good! Good brother! I promise you, on the day of our restoration, I will share the world with you... Ugh..."

Wu Hean's blade was only halfway drawn when he let out a groan of pain. He looked at the dagger plunged into his chest and stared at Wen Huan in disbelief.

"You..."

"Brother, how can sharing the world be as comfortable as holding absolute power alone? You may depart in peace!"

Wen Huan drew his saber and delivered another blow. After confirming that Wu Hean was thoroughly dead, he let out a cold laugh.

"You didn't expect my blade to be faster, did you? Hahaha!"

Leaving behind Wu Hean's corpse, which still had its eyes wide open, he strode out of the room.

Soon, Wen Huan dealt with those loyal to Wu Hean and led the remaining two thousand-odd troops eastward without looking back.

With all obstacles removed, Khon Kham's path to unification proceeded very smoothly, and various regions soon submitted.

The only thing troubling him now was the leverage Gao Yuan held over him. Although it might not necessarily cause much damage, it was still a hidden danger.

But he was very reluctant to truly satisfy Gao Yuan's conditions, especially since Gao Yuan had already profited so much during this time.

After consulting with his confidants, he made a decision to send someone to bargain with Gao Yuan, striving to redeem that contract at the lowest possible cost.

To Gao Yuan's surprise, Khon Kham didn't renege on the debt entirely. Staying in Luang Namtha, he was overjoyed and agreed to Khon Kham's request for bargaining almost without a second thought.

In the end, he managed to squeeze out a ransom of a thousand plow oxen and five thousand households of commoners. Leaving behind a thousand troops and Huo Jun to guard Luang Namtha, he finally set out on the journey home.