to dislodge Anawrahta, the Ava installed king from Arakan. Ava had been steadily acquiring its neighboring states since 1404 and Razadarit felt that he could not get Ava to get too strong. Byat Za was not part of the Arakan invasion force; he led the defensive operations at home against the certain Ava reprisal. In one rare disagreement between Byat Za and Dein, the two men disagreed about the defensive plans. The king chose Dein's more conservative formation over Byat Za's, and appointed Dein as co-commander. When Ava's invasion came, Pegu's defenses held, greatly helped by rainy season conditions. When Ava asked for a truce, Razadarit appointed Byat Za to lead the Pegu delegation. Razadarit's orders were to arrange a face-to-face meeting between Razadarit and Minkhaung in which Pegu's security forces would assassinate the Ava king. Though Byat Za went along with the plan, the second meeting never materialized because Byat Za's blunt talking officer Lagun Ein, who was never comfortable with the planned deception, revealed that Pegu was not negotiating in good faith. The negotiations broke down, and Byat Za led the counterattack on the Ava forces, which withdrew in disarray. When Ava again invaded in the next dry season, Byat Za was again responsible for the overall defensive operations. The counterattack this time was led by Razadarit himself. Five months into the invasion May 1410, Razadarit routed Minkhaung's army, capturing several infantry, cavalry and elephants. Last years (1410–1413) Byat Za's last military campaign was in the dry season of 1410–1411. He and Dein successfully defended their respective fortified port cities of Myaungmya and Bassein against Ava land and naval forces led by Crown Prince Minye Kyawswa. The battle of Myaungmya was the last reported battle to have been commanded by Byat Za. His health deteriorated rapidly afterwards, and was no longer able to go to the front in the next two dry season campaigns (1411–1412 and 1412–1413) though he remained in charge of Myaungmya, his fief and home. In early 1413, a severely ill Byat Za managed to travel to the front near Prome. There, Razadarit and Lagun Ein came to see him. Everyone realized the situation, and broke down and wept. Byat Za died three days later. Lagun Ein too fell in action just a few days later. Razadarit was greatly shaken by the deaths of Lagun Ein and Byat Za, and ordered an immediate withdrawal from