The surprise attack begins

Although she was mentally prepared, Mu Qing still felt a wave of displeasure seeing the two of them exchanging glances in front of her.

"Ahem, ahem..."

The woman feigned a few coughs to break the ambiguous atmosphere, then spoke in a coquettish manner.

"Husband, I'm hungry. Let's go eat!"

How could the woman's clumsy acting escape the eyes of the two? They exchanged a smile.

Wu Xu stood up and took Mu Qing's small hand.

"I hired two chefs from a famous tavern in the city. Since you're hungry, sister, let's go to the dining hall."

The demographic structure of Vientiane was very complex, with people migrating from Southern Yunnan as well as from South of the Ranges.

There were also many who came from Jiangnan, Hebei, and Shandong through the channels of Wan Sanqian and Gao Zhong.

People from various places brought different dietary habits, and over time, they blended to form new characteristics.

He might not have been used to it the first time he ate it, but the novel flavors still gave Gao Yuan a great appetite.

In the end, Gao Yuan accepted everything, including the leftovers from the two women, and ate it all.

Perhaps tired from the journey, after just one tryst, Little Chili Pepper, who usually had a large appetite, fell asleep.

Gao Yuan, however, couldn't sleep, so he got up and went to the courtyard to practice his Spearmanship for a while.

In the moonlight-drenched courtyard, the young man, dressed in white, wielded a silver spear that moved like a swimming dragon.

The young woman stood to the side, watching the young man's every move with rapt attention.

Half an hour later, the young man finished his routine and stood there adjusting his breathing. The young woman took out a handkerchief and stepped forward to wipe the sweat from his brow.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?"

"I couldn't sleep and wanted to see you, so I came. I was only hoping for the best, but I didn't expect you to be awake too."

"Actually, with your qualities, even marrying into the royal family to be an empress would be more than enough. Why..."

"But you are the only great hero in my eyes."

The young man revealed a playful smile.

"Is it just because I am a great hero?"

The young woman leaned gently against the young man's chest.

"Of course not... It's also because you are you."

Caressing Wu Xu's beautiful hair, Gao Yuan's heart was somewhat unsettled.

Although there had been signs, truly holding Her Majesty the Empress in his arms felt very different.

"Meiniang, I'll call you Meiniang from now on..."

The young woman's pretty face flushed slightly, and she nodded gently.

"Mm, from now on, in front of others I am Wu Xu, but in front of you, I am Meiniang, Wu Meiniang."

The two shared some tender moments for a while. Seeing that it was getting late, Gao Yuan sent the dazed young woman back to her own courtyard.

Returning to his bedroom, he undressed and lay on the bed. Just as he wrapped his arms around a soft waist, he felt a pain in his chest.

Before Gao Yuan could react, a resentful voice came from his arms.

"Hmph, I thought you weren't planning to come back tonight!"

Gao Yuan understood immediately what had happened. Without explaining, he lowered his head and captured the woman's red lips.

What followed was another tryst, and finally, the woman leaned contentedly in her husband's arms.

"It seems you really didn't stray. Alright, I'm not angry with you anymore. Sleep!"

This woman was indeed easy to satisfy. Gao Yuan rubbed his waist and soon drifted off to sleep as well.

They stayed in Vientiane for about ten days, mainly to deliver supplies to the front line along the way.

With the arrival of Gao Yuan and the supplies, all preparations for the battle were completed.

This time, Gao Yuan did not intervene in the specific command but delegated all power to Liu Rengui.

"Hong Wantong, Liao Hua, you two lead ten thousand Xuanjia Army troops to attack Khorat from Si Thep;"

"If the attack goes smoothly, advance westward to coordinate with the main force. If the enemy's main force returns to defend, retreat to Si Thep and build a defensive line."

The two stood up and cupped their fists.

"This humble general obeys."

"Xia Luqi, you lead the First Division of the Beiwei Army as the vanguard to clear obstacles along the way."

"This humble general obeys!"

"The rest of you follow me. We will capture Lopburi at top speed and advance on Ayutthaya."

After Liu Rengui finished giving orders to everyone, he saluted Gao Yuan.

"My Lord, lead one division of the Xuanjia Army and the Personal Guards Cavalry to ensure the grain supply lines remain open and be ready to reinforce any location at any time."

Gao Yuan returned the salute to Liu Rengui and took the token from his hand.

On the twentieth day of the fourth month of the sixth year of the era name, the flames of war rose again on the Indochina Peninsula after more than a year of peace.

On a morning as calm as any other, the Qian Army suddenly crossed the border and launched an attack on several outposts of the Toungoo army in Khorat.

The Toungoo army fought back in a rush and suffered heavy losses, eventually having to abandon the outposts and retreat to the nearest city.

However, after gaining the advantage, the Qian Army seemed to have no intention of stopping and directly besieged the county town.

Counting the retreating remnants, the garrison in this county town was only a little over a thousand men.

Looking at the dense Qian Army camps outside the city, the defending general couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

"The Han people are treacherous. They intend to capture Khorat! Quickly, send someone to ask His Highness for reinforcements."

Inside the Qian Army camp, the captain of the Scout battalion walked in carrying several severed heads.

"Reporting to General Hong and General Liao, This humble general set an ambush south of the city and captured several people preparing to go out and deliver messages."

Hong Wantong glanced at the severed heads and asked indifferently.

"Have you interrogated them?"

"They have been interrogated. These were messengers sent by the defending general in the city to ask for reinforcements in Bangkok."

"Good, you may leave. I will record your merit for these heads."

"Many thanks, General."

After the captain left, Hong Wantong and Liao Hua exchanged a smile.

"General Liao, what comes next depends on you."

"Hahaha, rest assured."

Five nights later, a Toungoo army appeared outside the south gate of the county town.

"Open the gate! Open it quickly! We were sent by His Highness to reinforce you!"

The defending general in the city had been eagerly awaiting reinforcements for days. He hadn't even gone home, choosing to stay right at the foot of the city wall.

Now hearing that reinforcements had arrived, he climbed up to the city wall without even putting on his clothes properly.

By the firelight, he could barely make out the attire of the people below, but he still asked cautiously.

"Where are you reinforcements from? How did you get here so fast?"

"We are reinforcements from the prefectural capital. His Highness was afraid you wouldn't be able to hold the city, so he sent us to reinforce you, traveling day and night."

Just as he wanted to continue verifying, suddenly, shouts of battle erupted in the distance, and a dragon of fire chased after them.

"The Han people have discovered us! Open the gate quickly!"

"Opening it now, opening it now!"

In his panic, the defending general ordered the city gate to be opened without further verification.

As soon as the city gate opened, Liao Hua raised his broadsword and shouted.

"Kill your way in! Occupy the gate!"

"Oh no, it's a trap!"

"It's the Han people disguised as reinforcements!"

"Close the gate quickly!"

"We can't hold them off! Run!"

After a moment of chaos, the garrison at the city gate collapsed, and the defending general was beheaded by Liao Hua.

Not a single soldier in the city escaped; apart from the two hundred or so who were killed, the rest were taken prisoner.

Liao Hua carried the bloody head, threw it in front of Hong Wantong, cupped his fists, saluted, and smiled.

"General Hong, I've snatched the first merit. The next cities will be up to you."

Hong Wantong also cupped his fists and returned the salute.

"General Liao, just wait for my good news."

As the saying goes, speed is the essence of war. Early the next morning, Hong Wantong set off with his men.

With the seal of the previous defending general, he easily tricked two more county towns into opening their gates.

Three county towns fell one after another, yet the toungoo people didn't notice a thing.

Khorat City, this was the capital of Khorat Prefecture. The defending general here was Khun Thai, a surrendered general from Ayutthaya.

Today was a good day for him to marry his fourth wife, and at this moment, the bigwigs in the city were all at his home celebrating.

The soldiers on the city walls were also given plenty of liquor and meat to share today.

Just as they were eating happily, a group of remnants arrived outside the city gate.