Heartbroken

Returning to Dehong this time, Gao Yuan had only five or six hundred people with him; most of the First Division's forces were left with Huo Jun.

Although this expedition was a complete victory, the losses were not small.

The First Division suffered nearly a thousand casualties, and the Menge Garrison Force had over seven hundred.

It could be said that Gao Yuan's troops were nearly halved; if he couldn't replenish his forces quickly, he would likely attract the covetous eyes of others soon.

Not to mention Toungoo and Western Kang, those Local Chieftains from Puer and Guangnan would not let this good opportunity pass.

Passing through Menge, Gao Yuan left Xia Luqi behind temporarily, along with a hundred elites.

He was to rebuild the Menge Garrison Force using these hundred elites and the remaining two hundred-plus veterans as a foundation.

On the road from Menge to West City, there were continuous caravans and laborers transporting supplies.

The spoils of war this time were simply too many, so many that they hadn't finished transporting them even after all this time.

Gao Yuan didn't want to delay any longer for the rest of the journey, so he and his men galloped toward Dehong on horseback.

It was early spring in the second month when they left Dehong, and now it was already May upon their return.

The weather had gradually started to become hot, and there was more and more rain.

Amidst the hazy drizzle, two large and magnificent carriages surrounded by a crowd could be seen from afar.

No ceremony was held for this triumphant return; only Zhao Xiyao led the officials to welcome them.

Dismounting and unbuckling his saber, Gao Yuan was about to speak when he saw the door of his carriage push open.

Then, two graceful figures, heedless of the rain and muddy road, flew into his arms like butterflies.

"Husband, you're finally back."

"Sister Zheng and I were worried and scared every day..."

Gao Yuan knew what the two women were worried about; they had already been widows once because of war.

If they became widows again, they would truly be considered ill-omened in this era; let alone remarrying, they would probably be pointed at whenever they stepped out.

Patting the two women's backs, Gao Yuan comforted them softly.

"Alright, alright, am I not perfectly fine? Don't catch a cold in this rain; let's go home first."

"Mhm, please get into the carriage, Husband..."

"Okay, you two get in first. I'll go say hello to Zhao Xiyaos informal address."

In fact, from the moment the two women got off the carriage, Zhao Xiyao had quietly pushed open a crack in the door, secretly watching the warm scene of the three.

Seeing Gao Yuan walking over now, she hurriedly closed the carriage door and put on a reserved appearance.

Gao Yuan saw all these little movements, but he didn't expose her, smiling as he knocked on the carriage door.

"Gao Yuan, the duke of anle county, pays his respects to Her Royal Highness the Princess."

Although the words were serious, the tone was not serious at all.

Zhao Xiyao sat upright and cleared her throat.

"County Duke Gao has worked hard. Let's return to the manor!"

Gao Yuan didn't reply; he shouted "Return to the manor!" and quickly walked to the back, ducking into his own carriage.

The first thing to do upon returning home was, naturally, to bathe and change clothes.

It wasn't that he hadn't bathed during the months of the expedition, but he had only managed to wipe himself down; how could that compare to the comfort of soaking in a hot bath in a tub at home?

After soaking for over an hour and adding hot water several times, Gao Yuan scrubbed off all the grime from his body.

Finally, when the water in the tub had changed color, he climbed out contentedly.

Changing into a clean set of casual clothes, Gao Yuan gave a long stretch and collapsed onto the couch.

"Home is still the best!"

Just as he was getting comfortable, there was a knock on the door.

"Prince Consort, Her Royal Highness says the welcoming feast is ready. Please come over."

"Got it, I'll be there right away!"

To be honest, Gao Yuan really didn't want to leave his comfortable bed, but he had no choice.

If he didn't attend the welcoming feast right after winning a battle, what would others think? That he was arrogant because of his achievements?

That wouldn't do!

Struggling to get up, Gao Yuan walked quickly toward the main hall in the back courtyard.

Usually, everyone ate in their own courtyards, separately.

This main hall was only used for family gatherings or when holding banquets.

Today was a formal banquet; there was no hotpot, and the traditional Great Qian system of separate seating was followed.

The only difference was that today, two low tables were placed at the main seat in the center.

Seeing Gao Yuan enter, everyone stood up and cupped their hands.

"Greetings, County Duke Gao. Congratulations to County Duke Gao for driving out the foreign invaders and upholding the prestige of our Great Qian."

Gao Yuan also smiled and returned the gesture to everyone.

"It's all thanks to everyone's cooperation; otherwise, how could we have achieved this victory!"

After some mutual flattery, Gao Yuan sat at the main seat at the invitation of a maid.

Once everyone had arrived, Zhao Xiyao finally led the three women into the main hall to take their respective seats.

At the main seat were naturally Gao Yuan and Zhao Xiyao, with Mu Qing standing behind her as a guard.

Zheng Wan and Song Yao sat below Gao Yuan, while the first person below Zhao Xiyao was Mu Sheng.

As the wine was served, Zhao Xiyao was the first to raise her cup.

"Congratulations to the Prince Consort for crushing the foreign invaders, expanding our territory, and achieving immortal merit. Everyone, drink up!"

"Cheers!"

Everyone raised their cups and drained them in one gulp.

With fine wine, delicious food, and singing and dancing performances, the banquet was very lively.

In the military camp, every soldier was given two catties of meat and half a catty of wine, and they all ate until their faces were greasy.

Gao Yuan was indeed happy, and since this low-alcohol wine was quite tasty, he accidentally drank a bit too much.

He didn't even know how he was eventually sent back to his room or how he changed into his pajamas.

He only knew that when he woke up, it was nearly noon, and his morning exercise had been delayed.

"Forget it, a day of rest is a day of rest."

Gao Yuan lay on the bed; although he was awake, he didn't want to get up at all.

He opened the system panel and saw several system notifications.

"Congratulations Host, Agility has increased from C+ to B-."

"Congratulations Host, Riding has increased from D to C-."

"Congratulations Host, Command has increased from D to C."

"Congratulations Host, Internal Affairs has increased from F to D."

"Congratulations Host, Spearmanship has increased from D to C."

"Congratulations Host, Overall Evaluation has increased from B- to B."

"Host: Gao Yuan. Character Attributes: Feminine Appearance, Ruthless and Merciless. Overall Evaluation: B;

Strength B-, Agility B-, Endurance B, Riding C-, Intelligence B+, Command C, Internal Affairs D, Charisma A+;

Martial Arts: Saber Technique B-, Spearmanship C;

Skill: Leaders Aura (F);

Item: S-Rank Random Warlord Experience Card x1."

"I didn't expect my attributes to improve by a whole grade at once,"

Gao Yuan couldn't help but remark.

"Host, progress always comes step by step. It's just that you didn't check the notifications before, so the system thoughtfully summarized it for you."

"Alright... System, is my event completed? Where's the reward?"

"Don't be in a hurry, Host. It's coming."

"S-Rank Series Event: 'This Woman is Mine' Stage 2 Event: 'Give an Inch, Take a Mile' completed. Rating: A+."

"Congratulations Host, you have received the reward: A+-Rank Random Resource Pack."

Gao Yuan's composure broke immediately.

"Wait, System, I've practically scoured those two places three feet deep. How is the rating only A+? What does it take for an S-Rank?"

The system was quite helpful and directly stated the standards.

"Plundering at least 60% of the resources from at least three prefectures grants an S- rating;

Plundering at least 60% of the resources from at least four prefectures grants an S rating;

Plundering at least 60% of the resources from at least four prefectures, including the capital, grants an S+ rating."

"Good grief, by your standards, I might as well just wipe out Lan Xang and incorporate the whole thing into my territory."

Gao Yuan's heartache wasn't over yet; soon, something even more stifling came.

"Detected that the King of Lan Xang, Fawang, has been imprisoned and is on the verge of death, and the Host has proactively given up the chance to destroy Lan Xang;

S-Rank Series Event: 'This Woman is Mine' has concluded. Beginning settlement."