The war began

The family had a wonderful time during the New Year, and their tired bodies and minds were completely relaxed.

Just as the New Year festivities ended, Gao Yuan began to get busy.

In war, casualties are inevitable, so it was necessary to prepare some reserve troops in advance.

As soon as the spring plowing was over, Gao Yuan arranged for people to recruit new soldiers in various places.

While everyone else went out to fight, he stayed behind with his Personal Guards to train the troops.

All fifteen hundred elites of the First Division were deployed, and most of the City Defense Forces were secretly moved to Puer and Luang Namtha.

Only eight hundred City Defense Forces remained to guard West City and Menge, leaving them quite vulnerable.

To prevent any accidents, Gao Yuan stationed seven hundred City Defense Forces in Menge.

The remaining one hundred soldiers were all sent out to establish overt and covert outposts in various locations to guard against the unexpected.

As for the defense of Dehong, it was left to his and Zhao Xiyao's one hundred Personal Guards, along with a thousand newly recruited troops.

Mu Qing was also given the task of leading troops to patrol the city defenses. This made the young girl very proud, feeling that she had taken her first step.

Seeing the girl's proud look, Gao Yuan couldn't bear to dampen her spirits, letting her remain lightheartedly happy.

The various officials were also extremely busy, preparing military supplies and grain for the army.

Thanks to last year's bumper harvest, tax revenues were plentiful and the people had plenty of surplus grain, making acquisitions much easier.

Over a thousand pack horses were deployed, beginning to transport grain in batches to Puer and Luang Namtha.

In Lan Xang, this winter had not been peaceful.

Ever since being besieged in Gameng, Wen Huan had proactively retracted his defensive lines to strengthen his position.

This also caused him to miss last year's autumn harvest; it was only thanks to his large stockpiles that a winter famine was avoided.

But after spring arrived, the commoners who couldn't leave the city to sow seeds finally couldn't sit still and began to stir up trouble.

After suppressing several waves of unrest, the city finally quieted down, but Wen Huan knew very well that this kind of calm was even more terrifying.

The most frightening part was that the grain in the city would only last for another month; the food supply was about to run out.

"Second Prince, why don't we send troops out to seize some grain?"

"Indeed, we can't just sit here and consume our resources until nothing is left."

"Rather than starving to death in the city, it's better to go out and fight Khon Kham to the death."

Wen Huan didn't dare; these troops were his final trump card, and he couldn't afford to lose.

"Why don't we turn to the Khmer..."

This suggestion gave Wen Huan a sudden moment of enlightenment. Indeed, he could no longer rely on Tokyo, but south of Gameng was the Khmer.

However, the Khmer's response disappointed him greatly.

They were willing to send troops, but the condition was that he hand over his military power and go to Phnom Penh to live as a wealthy but powerless man.

This was something he absolutely could not accept. He was willing to cede land and pay annual tribute after seizing power.

But he could never accept being an idle man waiting to die. If he chose that, he might as well have returned to Vientiane from the start.

In his frustration, Wen Huan began to indulge in wine and women, soon finding that this choice was quite comfortable.

As Wen Huan slacked off, his subordinates began to grow disloyal. Everyone could see the Second Prince was a lost cause and started considering their own futures.

Unbeknownst to him, some people made contact with Khon Kham, while others simply fled with their families.

By the beginning of the fourth month of the thirteenth year of Taichu in Great Qian, forty percent of the defenders in Gameng City and the camps outside had fled.

Those trapped in the city also had their own calculations.

On the twentieth day of the fourth month, the military camp outside the city was the first to run out of food. That night, the camp mutinied, and most chose to surrender.

On the twenty-first, internal collaborators opened the city gates. The Lan Xang army stormed into Gameng City, and Wen Huan was captured.

Subsequently, Wen Huan was executed for the crime of fratricide, bringing the Lan Xang civil war to an end.

Having suppressed Wen Huan's rebellion and gained tens of thousands of elite soldiers, Khon Kham was filled with pride and turned his gaze toward Tokyo.

Knowing that Wen Huan was finished, Wu Quan knew that Lan Xang was about to go to war with him and immediately began preparations.

Tens of thousands of elites moved into Thanh Hoa, and the defenders of Hung Hoa and Son La were shifted south.

The opportunity was once-in-a-lifetime. Five days after the Tokyo forces completed their redeployment, Liu Rengui made his move.

With the First Division as the vanguard and fifteen hundred City Defense Forces as the rear guard, they moved east from Luang Namtha and struck directly at northern Son La.

Caught off guard, the Tokyo forces lost two county seats in succession, and the administrative center, Son La City, was also in imminent danger.

Wu Quan was shocked and cried out that he had been tricked, hastily withdrawing troops from the southern front to recover the lost territory.

As a result, the reinforcements were ambushed by Huo Jun on the way, losing more than half their number. Not only did they fail to recover the territory, but they also lost their grain and supplies.

To make matters worse, as the troops from the southern Son La front withdrew north, the troops in the direction of Thanh Hoa had to move north to set up defenses.

It was at this time that Nam Khao Pan Phao suddenly struck, attacking a Tokyo army unit moving north.

They beheaded over a thousand and captured over two thousand, making the Tokyo forces afraid to move further.

Gao Yuan hadn't expected that the prisoner he had kept well-fed would actually help him indirectly.

"This fat Uncle of the State actually has some skill, hahaha!"

"My Lord, should we send someone to Lan Xang to establish contact?"

"Zhongmiao, you mean..."

"As far as I know, the Lan Xang people have always coveted Thanh Hoa. It doesn't conflict with our goals."

Gao Yuan sat there without speaking, but his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table told Huo Jun that he was thinking.

Before Gao Yuan could make a decision, Lakhon arrived. His purpose was simple: to discuss the partition of Tokyo with Gao Yuan.

"All my master wants is Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, and the regions to the south; the County Duke can take the rest."

This proposal was very attractive, but Gao Yuan knew very well that he currently lacked the capacity for it.

Territory isn't yours just because you conquer it; you have to be able to hold your ground for it to be a true occupation.

"I am not greedy; Son La and Hung Hoa are enough for me. As for places like East Pass, I have no interest in them."

"If your King is interested, he may take them himself; there is no need to ask my opinion."

A look of surprise and disappointment appeared in Lakhon's eyes, which Gao Yuan caught entirely.

As expected, this fellow Khon Kham is no good person.

Although he didn't understand the other party's scheme, it was right to simply avoid it.

Khon Kham hadn't expected Gao Yuan to be able to resist such a large piece of fat meat.

One must know that East Pass is the largest city in Tokyo, situated on a plain with a dense population and fertile land—it is the largest grain-producing area in the region.

But it is also the place where the factions within Tokyo are most complex.

An outside force trying to occupy it would certainly have to expend great effort; it could easily become a quagmire that one cannot escape from once stepped into.

Since nearly capsizing due to greed last time, Gao Yuan had learned his lesson: never be greedy and know when to stop.

Not having fully achieved his goal made Khon Kham somewhat unhappy, though he now understood Gao Yuan's objective.

Since there was no conflict with his own goals, Gao Yuan could be drawn in as a powerful ally.

At almost the same time, the offensives of Great Qian and Lan Xang against Tokyo both intensified.

The Lan Xang army, having gained the upper hand, pursued relentlessly, breaking through two cities and three stockades. By the end of the fifth month, they reached the gates of the Tokyo capital, Thanh Hoa.

Now Wu Quan completely lost his nerve. Ignoring everything else, he proactively ordered the withdrawal from Son La and Hung Hoa to concentrate his forces on guarding the capital.

Gao Yuan didn't intend to completely abandon his ally; he hoped the Lan Xang people would pin down the main Tokyo forces for as long as possible.

So he ordered Liu Rengui to pursue all the way, giving the retreating Tokyo forces a severe beating.

Liu Rengui was also a man who showed no mercy when in power, leading his main force in pursuit, beheading over five hundred, capturing over two thousand, and seizing a large amount of grain and supplies.

In June, with the Tokyo withdrawal, the Great Qian Army completely occupied Son La, and most of Hung Hoa was also brought under control.

This also meant the army at East Pass didn't dare fully retreat to Thanh Hoa, which served to lighten the pressure on Khon Kham considerably.