loss of the mekong river town was too great an affront to lao nationhood to be borne. deputy minister sisouk na champassak was forwarded to pakxe by prime minister souvanna phouma. champassak was to remain in pakxe—barring cabinet meetings in vientiane—overseeing royalist efforts to regain khong sedone and block attacks on pakxe. king savang vatthana believed the operation should retake paksong in the communists' rear, cutting their supply lines into khong sedone.