The price of courting death

"My Lord, the Lan Xang people have indeed left the city."

Gao Yuan stood up excitedly, rubbing his hands together.

"Excellent! Finally, a chance to loosen up my muscles. Someone, bring my armor and weapon!"

Half an hour later, the entire Second Division of the Beiwei Army under the command of the Great Qian Nanzhou Military Governor deployed from their camp and formed a formation.

Leading them was Gao Yuan, mounted on a warhorse, clad in tube-sleeve armor, and holding a long spear.

Gao Yuan glanced at the silent, murderous elite troops behind him, then pulled out a menacing iron face mask and put it on.

He had learned this from the First Life Mentor, who, according to legend, wore an iron face mask in battle because his appearance was too delicate and he feared it would lack sufficient killing intent.

Of course, it was certainly also to protect his peerless visage.

Seeing that the Nanzhou Army really only had about two thousand men, the Lan Xang soldiers felt capable again, as if they had returned to their peak.

There was a burst of chattering in the Lan Xang language; although he couldn't understand a single word, Gao Yuan knew they were definitely boosting their morale.

Gao Yuan turned his horse around to face his soldiers.

"Soldiers, we are the elite among the elite! Even if the enemy outnumbers us several times over, we must charge forward bravely. Kill!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Four-fifths of the Second Division were strong soldiers with martial soul possession; they were naturally powerful and unruly.

Now, with the added buff of Gao Yuan's aura skill, they were even more menacing.

As the enemy's drumbeats grew more rapid and the horns sounded, the Lan Xang army began to advance.

Seeing this, Liu Rengui, who was commanding in place of Gao Yuan, began to issue orders.

"Prepare the heavy crossbows!"

As the command flags waved and changed, the soldiers put away their horizontal blades and small shields, took out the heavy crossbows carried on their backs, and nocked their arrows.

"Two hundred paces!"

"One hundred and fifty paces!"

"One hundred paces!"

"Three-stage volley, fire!"

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

With the sound of mechanisms releasing, hundreds of crossbow bolts flew out, screeching as they dove toward the Lan Xang formation.

The first row of Lan Xang Sword and Shield Soldiers blocked most of the attacks, but nearly a hundred men were still struck and fell to the ground.

What surprised the Lan Xang soldiers next was that the Nanzhou Army's arrows did not stop at all, firing continuously.

The Sword and Shield Soldiers struggled to raise their shields, but they still couldn't prevent men from being struck and falling.

Especially after the Sword and Shield Soldiers suffered casualties, the casualties among the spearmen behind them became even greater.

The remaining hundred paces seemed to have become the gates of hell for the Lan Xang soldiers, with over a thousand men losing their lives there.

"General, ten volleys have been completed, and the two armies are less than fifty paces apart."

"Two rows of Sword and Shield Soldiers, provide cover!"

The formation shifted again; some soldiers drew their horizontal blades and small shields to become Sword and Shield Soldiers, while others pulled out the long spears stuck in the ground.

A moment later, the Lan Xang soldiers finally charged to the front of the Beiwei Army, and close-quarters combat began.

The advantages in physique and equipment were fully demonstrated at this moment; as soon as the two sides made contact, it became a lopsided affair.

Liu Rengui nodded with satisfaction.

"Order the entire army to advance, and request that My Lord launch an attack on the enemy's flank!"

The Sword and Shield Soldiers began to push forward, forcing the Lan Xang soldiers to retreat, and Gao Yuan received the order at this moment.

One hundred Cavalry may not be many, but for the Lan Xang soldiers at this moment, it was a heavy blow.

The front row of Lan Xang soldiers were forced to retreat, while those in the back, unaware of the situation, continued to push forward.

Chaos immediately erupted on the battlefield, and Gao Yuan, leading his one hundred Personal Guards, quickly seized the opportunity.

Gao Yuan charged straight at a small squad of Lan Xang soldiers who had broken out of their formation due to the chaos.

His long spear thrust forward, and using the momentum of his warhorse, he instantly pierced through the bodies of two Lan Xang soldiers.

Gao Yuan seized the momentum to discard the long spear in his hand, switched to a horizontal blade, and used the impact to slash the throat of another enemy soldier.

With this wave of impact, Gao Yuan's squad eliminated over a hundred men.

Most importantly, they had isolated several hundred men in that sector, and immediately after, the infantry phalanx surrounded those hundreds.

Leaving the cleanup work to the infantry, Gao Yuan retrieved his long spear and continued to pursue the retreating Lan Xang soldiers.

If the Lan Xang commander hadn't gritted his teeth and abandoned some of his troops in the end, Gao Yuan would likely have taken advantage of the momentum to charge into Vientiane City along with the routed troops.

Although they didn't manage to charge into the city, today's battle could be considered a resounding victory.

They had decapitated over eight hundred men, and including those with minor injuries, they had captured a total of over three thousand eight hundred men.

Only a little over a thousand men had retreated into the city; at this point, even if Gao Yuan launched a direct assault, the Lan Xang people would likely have no power to resist.

Unlike the joyous atmosphere of cleaning up the battlefield outside the city, inside the city, the Lan Xang monarch and his ministers were mourning as if they had lost their parents.

"I said we shouldn't fight, look at us now!"

"You certainly know how to spout sarcastic remarks; why didn't I see you come out to dissuade us before the battle?"

"All of you were hot-headed; would it have been useful if I had tried to persuade you? I probably would have been thrown into the dungeon as a traitor just like Li Chajia!"

"It should all be blamed on him; it was he who suggested taking the opportunity to go out and fight a wave in the beginning."

"Blame me? Which one of you didn't support it? If we are talking about responsibility, we all have responsibility."

"It was clearly you who led it; we were just echoing you. How can you blame me?"

"Your Majesty, what should we do now?"

Khon Kham was also getting irritated; he stood up and angrily pointed at these nobles who were still passing the buck.

"What to do? You still have the face to ask Me what to do? It was you who wanted to go to battle, and now that you've lost, you ask Me what to do?"

Everyone was speechless, thinking to themselves that the one who made the final decision was you, the ruler.

At this moment, someone in the crowd said weakly,

"How about... we release Li Chajia and let him go out of the city to negotiate one more time?"

"Yes, yes, yes. One matter shouldn't trouble two masters. Let Li Chajia go one more time and tell them we agree to Gao Yuan's conditions."

"I second the motion."

"I also second the motion."

It was rare for Khon Kham to see these nobles and ministers, who were calculating their own little schemes, reach such an astonishing consensus.

Khon Kham sighed, lamenting the wishful thinking of these nobles in his heart while waving his hand and saying,

"Then release Li Chajia and order him to leave the city again tonight."

After saying this, Khon Kham returned to the inner palace as if all his strength had been drained.

That evening, Li Chajia, who had come out of the dungeon, was well-fed, and had changed into new clothes, appeared before Gao Yuan once again.

At this moment, Gao Yuan had just selected some strong and able-bodied men from the prisoners and used martial soul possession to replenish the losses of the Second Division from today.

Seeing Li Chajia, he couldn't help but sneer.

"Heh, you actually have the guts to appear before me. Aren't you afraid I'll order you to be dragged out and beheaded right now?"

Li Chajia was also very helpless; he gave a bitter smile and bowed to Gao Yuan.

"Before the battle, I tried to dissuade them, but I was thrown into the dungeon as a result. Now I am being forced into this, having no other choice. I ask that Commandery Duke Gao not take offense."

"Oh? It seems you are a sensible person. How about it? Are you interested in changing your name and joining our Great Qian? Serve under me, and I guarantee you wealth and glory."

"Thank you for your high regard, Commandery Duke Gao. As the saying goes, 'Eat the lord's salary, be loyal to the lord's affairs.' If my King surrenders, I am willing to serve under Commandery Duke Gao."

Now Gao Yuan was even more interested in this person; he raised his hand to signal Li Chajia to sit down.

"What do those people in your city say?"

Li Chajia gave another bitter smile.

"They are willing to accept Commandery Duke Gao's previous conditions..."

"Heh, you are a clever man. Do you think we would agree?"

"I naturally understand, and I ask Commandery Duke Gao to dispose of the matter."

"Except for your royal family, all other nobles must surrender all their wealth, land, and population; adopt Han surnames, change to Han clothing, learn Han customs, and accept our arrangements for dispersed resettlement. From then on, they shall be commoners. Otherwise, on the day the city is broken, their lives will not be guaranteed. Do not say I didn't warn you."

"I will convey your words exactly!"

This time, Li Chajia did not struggle at all; he stood up, bowed to Gao Yuan, and then left.