The two armies met near the Thawutti village, and Lagun Ein's vanguard force engaged the enemy. But because other columns did not follow, his regiment was thoroughly defeated and disbanded, with survivors fleeing to the woods to hide. The remaining Hanthawaddy regiments led by Byat Za did not lose nerve, and met the Ava army the next day. It was the Ava forces that overstretched this time. Lagun Ein and his remaining forces came out of the forest to encircle the Ava army, and the Hanthawaddy army won the battle. After the battle, Lagun Ein got back to the camp first, and reported the news of the victory to the king. But Byat Za was extremely displeased with the performance of his vanguard units, and felt that Lagun Ein in particular should review the parts that went wrong, and not bask in glory. But Lagun Ein strongly defended by stating that he engaged the enemy exactly as the battle plan called for, and that it was other vanguard units that did not follow his lead. He continued that he did not flee the scene, and that his reconstituted troops were instrumental in encircling of the enemy the next day. The king largely stayed neutral, just issuing a mild reprimand to Lagun Ein for his non-courtly "country-style" blunt speech. An ailing Byat Za was satisfied, and did not hold a grudge against his longtime officer. Incurring Razadarit's wrath Revealing Razadarit's plan Lagun Ein's honesty almost got him executed in 1408. That year, Ava forces invaded the southern country, and got bogged down amidst the monsoon season. When King Minkhaung asked for a truce, Razadarit planned to assassinate him at the negotiating table. Lagun Ein was the lowest ranking member of the 30-member Hanthawaddy delegation led by Byat Za to negotiate the ceasefire terms with their Ava counterparts, and to set up a meeting between the two kings. During the negotiations, the Ava commander Thado routinely asked Lagun Ein if Pegu was negotiating in good faith. Lagun Ein answered with brutal honesty: "Fool, this is war. You'll kill me if you can. I'll kill you if I can. How can you trust anyone?" Spooked, Thado reported the answer to the leader of Ava delegation, Gov. Thray Sithu of Myinsaing, who subsequently broke off the negotiations. Back at Pegu, Razadarit asked why the negotiations had failed. Byat Za tried to cover up but