Lianchengbi, the governor of Yunnan, received the news that Sihua, the chieftain of Mengyang, and Simian, the chieftain of Manmo, planned to abandon Burma and return to the Ming Dynasty. He hurriedly consulted with Dian Duke Shi Qiwen, Yunnan Chief Envoy Yang Weizhi, Yunnan Inspector Wang Yunkai, and Patrol Inspector Zhang Mingfeng for discussion.
.
"Gentlemen, Meng Yang and Manmo Chieftain want to submit to the Ming Dynasty, how should we deal with it?"
"Futai, these two places are my hometown in the Ming Dynasty, so just give me permission."
"Exactly, it's the right time to show the majesty of the Celestial Empire."
Qiwen, the public historian of the Dian Kingdom, and Zhang Mingfeng, the patrol commander, advocated accepting Man Mo and Meng Yang.
Liancheng Bi saw that Yang Weizhi and Wang Yunkai were silent. These two had been officials in Yunnan for many years and were familiar with the people of Yunnan. It was necessary to ask their opinions.
"Mr. Yang, please speak freely."
Yang Weizhi said solemnly: "Now is different from decades ago. Burmese forces have penetrated into Mengyang and Manmo. Heavy troops are stationed in Mengong City, Mengyang City, and Weiyuan Yingcheng (Bamo).
To take over these two places, there will inevitably be conflicts with the Burmese army. There are fierce battles in Fujian and Zhejiang right now, and troubles are about to come in Huguang and Jiangxi. We should share the worries of the imperial court, and it is really inappropriate to provoke conflicts in the south!" p>
Wang Yunkai's thinking was different, "Mengyang, Manmo has always been barren, and has been repeatedly massacred and exploited by the Burmese army. Although there are some minerals, they are located in deep mountains and are difficult to mine. If these two lands are obtained, the court will not gain much in the short term.
A large amount of money has to be paid for food every year. The most fertile land in northern Myanmar is Mengmi, which is extremely rich and can be used to raise troops. The lower official's intention is that he will either not accept it for the time being, or if he wants to accept it, he will accept it together with Mengmi." p>
Things in the world are really strange. This Wang Yunkai was originally an official in Yongchang Prefecture, and later became an inspector in Yunnan. He has been engaged in legal work. Unexpectedly, he understands economics.
He is right. In places like Manmo, Mengyang, Mengmi, and Mubang, there are huge mountains and barren land. The biggest source of income comes from mining. In particular, Mengmi jurisdiction has the richest mineral resources. “Gemstones are produced in the east.
Gold, silver is produced in the south, iron is produced in the north, and aragonite is produced in the west." According to historical records, "Baojing in Yunnan, Huanmengen, Mengyang, Mengmi, all have them, but Mengmi's well is called the most...
The colors are different, and the prices are also very different. Two bahts are worth thousands of gold."
Don't think that the ancients didn't understand economics. In fact, the ancients were no more stupid than later generations. During the Song Dynasty, there was a famine in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, but Fan Zhongyan carried out a lot of construction work, repairing yamen and building temples. Someone asked him, if you don't rush to provide disaster relief, why are you doing all this? As a result, Fan Zhongyan said,
Engaging in engineering construction can provide jobs for disaster victims; wages are cheap in disaster years, and government expenditures are saved. It’s the best of both worlds. Look at their economic skills!
After listening to this, Lian Chengbi looked cautious, "It seems that regaining Meng Yang is too much, so we can't rush it! We have reported it to the court, how about you hold off on accepting it?"
"You are doing this a disservice to the country. Yunnan has been vigorously fighting for several years, and the soldiers are elite. They just happened to go to Burma and regain the old land. Now that we have missed this opportunity, won't we make the world laugh at us?"
Duke Shi Qiwen of the Dian Kingdom was furious. Although Zhu Hengjia transferred 30,000 veterans of Li Dingguo and Li Chengjue from Yunnan to Sichuan and Huguang, he also asked Shi Qiwen to recruit 50,000 new soldiers in Yunnan. After two years of training, they had formed an army and were eager to try.
At that time, there was no military commander who didn’t want to fight. Once the cannon fired, there was a thousand taels of gold.
Liancheng Bi and Shi Qiwen had different attitudes, and finally they had to submit a seal to the Holy Magistrate Zhu Hengjia.
??
In August, it was a hot summer day. When Fu Sheng had half a day's free time, Zhu Hengjia and Chen Shufei played chess. He liked to play with Chen Shufei, and Chen Shufei never let him. Although he lost more and won less, it was fun!
On a hot day, I ate a few lychees chilled with ice cubes, and the heat disappeared.
Huh? How come there are ice cubes in summer? Did some time traveler invent the refrigerator?
You are thinking too much. The palace has an ice cellar, which is very big. In winter, you can go to the river to get whole blocks of ice, store them in the ice cellar, and then take them out for use in summer.
Ice in summer is more valuable than gold. Only dignitaries and rich families can afford it. Ordinary people can only use well water to drink two pieces of watermelon to relieve the heat.
God is so unequal. In the feudal era, the ice cellar in the emperor's house was as big as an alley! If you don't believe it, go to Xi'an and take a walk. There is an alley there called Ice Cellar Lane.
Seeing these two statements with completely different views, Zhu Hengjia was in a dilemma. Accept it. The war in Fujian and Zhejiang has reached a critical moment. The Qing troops in Huguang and Jiangxi are also ready to move. It is really inappropriate to provoke disputes in the south. Don't accept it.
Such a good opportunity, it’s a pity to miss it!
Asking Zheng Feng about important matters is a habit that Zhu Hengjia has formed over a long period of time.
Zheng Feng was called into the Nuanxin Pavilion. After hearing about this, he thought for a while and said: "Jian Guo, this is an easy matter! First of all, you should make Sihua the envoy of Meng Yangxuan and comfort, and Si Mian the envoy of Manmo's comfort.
To put his mind at ease; secondly, you inform the two of them, keep the matter secret for the time being, gather food and train troops, and then switch sides and attack when the Chinese army enters Myanmar, thinking that you are inside."
"Zheng Qing's words are truly an old man's plan for the country. They have not dampened the desire of loyal ministers and righteous men to serve with fists and fists; nor are they good at starting wars and affecting the war in the north; they have also laid the groundwork for the future peace with Burma. Okay, okay!" Zhu Hengjia thought for a while and realized that it was not enough to grant these two chieftains official titles. He also had to give them some practical support. With a stroke of his pen, he selected some better-maintained military equipment from the eliminated military equipment and gave them to two of them each.
Five hundred mandarin duck war jackets, five hundred pairs of swords and shields, five hundred spears, one thousand old-fashioned firecrackers, and one thousand bows and arrows.
In order to encourage these two loyal chieftains who planned to abandon Burma and return to the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Hengjia also ordered Zhang Hu and Yu Taibu who were stationed in Chexuanwei Division, He Jiuyi Division stationed in Menglian Division, and Zhao Yinxuan stationed in Mengding Prefecture and Zhenkang Prefecture.
The troops of Hu Yiqing, who were stationed in Longchuan, Ganya, and Nandian Sanxuan area, strengthened their war preparations. They also ordered Zhang Guoyong and Bazhai chieftain Longshang to ascend the troops to Zhao Yin's selection site to listen to Zhao Desheng, and Ningzhou chieftain Lu Huang's troops went to Hu Yiqing.
Use it everywhere.
For a time, the Ming army gathered 70,000 soldiers and horses at the border of Ming and Myanmar, sharpening their swords.
??
Several local soldiers were standing guard in the majestic Mengyang Chieftain's Mansion. An old man in his sixties with gray hair came to the door. He burst into tears and stroked the bronze lion at the gate. He couldn't move forward and said, "Ancestors
Dear ancestors, the unworthy man Sizu is back!"
The local soldiers scolded: "Where did you come from, a madman who dares to run wild in the Tusi Mansion! Get out of here!"
"Wait a minute," the noise alarmed the sixty-year-old housekeeper, "Who are you?"
"Xiao Fuzi, don't you recognize me? No wonder, it's been forty-nine years! You were only eleven years old back then, and I was only fifteen!"
The old housekeeper looked at it carefully for a long time and suddenly said in surprise: "Are you Master Sizu?"
"That's right." The white-haired old man regained his composure and said, "Hurry and tell Sihua that I have something important to do."
The white-haired old man is Sihua's cousin Sizu. At that time, Sihua's great-uncle Sihua launched an army to resist Burma. After the defeat, he took the fifteen-year-old Sizu to the Ganya Dao clan. In the Ming Dynasty, he was forty-nine in hiding.
When he returned to his ancestral land in 2007, Sizu had transformed from a young man into a gray-haired man. How could he not be sad!
Sihua and Simian met Sizu in the secret room.
Sizu said solemnly: "The etiquette cannot be discarded. Quickly set up the incense table to receive the order."
After receiving the order, Sihua was named Meng Yang's Xuan comfort envoy, and Simian was named Manmo's comfort envoy.
The two of them are happy, and there is something even happier.
Sizu smiled and said: "I am not empty-handed when I come this time. His Royal Highness King Jing of the Supervisor of the Kingdom also gave you each 500 mandarin duck jackets, 500 pairs of swords and shields, 500 spears, and 1,000 old-fashioned fire guns."
, a thousand bows and arrows.
When they heard that there were so many weapons, the two were overjoyed. After Burma conquered Mengyang and Manmo, the Burmese army limited the number of soldiers under their command and confiscated a lot of weapons. Their armaments were insufficient, and this batch of weapons could just solve the problem.
Urgent need.
"Uncle Ancestor," Sihua was a little excited, "The superintendent has given us these weapons. Is it because the imperial army is about to enter Myanmar?"
Sizu said sternly: "No! Your Highness the Supervisor of the Kingdom asked you two not to announce the news of your return to the Ming Dynasty for the time being, but to lurk around the Burmese people and try their best to accumulate strength, so that when the imperial army enters Burma, you can give the Burmese people a fatal blow."
Click".
??
The Ming army stationed troops at the border, which alerted the Burmese army Meng Gong and General Bhamo, who hurriedly reported the border information to the Burmese king Mangda.
Mangda summoned important ministers for discussion.
"Brother," Mangbai said angrily, "if the Ming people stationed troops on the border, they must have designs on my country, Burma! We should summon the soldiers from Ahmudan to attack the Ming first and seize the initiative."
"Please send troops, your Majesty!"
As soon as they heard that there was a war, a group of Burmese military nobles, Duwa, chieftains, and chiefs were so excited that their eyes gleamed.
War means more land and wealth.
War? What to fight with? The treasury is already empty.
Mangda smiled bitterly. King Thalong left Mangda with a full treasury, and he ruled for three years and spent all the money.
It’s not that Mangda spent it himself, but spent it on Ahmudans in various places.
The Ahmudan system is somewhat similar to the Eight Banners system of the Qing Dynasty. The villages classified as Akhmudan are rarely engaged in production and mainly focus on fighting. The income mainly comes from military pay and seizures, the most important of which is seizures by the Burmese Army.
He is good at plundering and is famous in all countries.
Since he stopped fighting, his income was naturally low, and the leaders of the Ahmedan were very dissatisfied. Without his father's iron fist, Mangda could not control them, so he had to be gentle and spend money to buy peace. In order to appease these people, he had to give them a large amount of money.
The reward. After many years of not fighting, the number of adult Ahmedans is increasing, and the military salary that needs to be paid, which is often called hardcore crops, is also increasing. The financial pressure is naturally increasing.
Myanmar during the Ming Dynasty was different from that of later generations. The center of Myanmar in later generations was the Irrawaddy River Delta in Lower Myanmar; while the center of Myanmar in the Ming Dynasty was the valley from Pyay in Central Myanmar to Mandalay in Upper Myanmar. Most of the population was concentrated in the Upper Myanmar Valley.
Zone, so in ancient times, whoever got the river valley got Myanmar.
At this time, almost half of the villages in the Upper Burma River Valley were Ahmudan communities that were not engaged in production. Atai village communities that were engaged in production were under a heavy burden. In order to relieve financial pressure, Mangda had to raise crops in the newly conquered areas.
, Manmo, Mengmi, Mubang and other places imposed heavy taxes, which intensified the separatist tendencies in these areas.
If the treasury has no money, it will naturally be unable to fight the war.
Mangda thought for a while and said: "The Ming people are at war with the Qing people and stationed troops on the border. They may be afraid that we will take the opportunity to attack them. They may not have the intention to attack Myanmar. Just ask the generals on the border to be careful and guard against it. There is no need to start a war lightly.
end".
"Brother, since the Ming people are at war with the Qing people, why don't we take the opportunity to defeat the Ming Dynasty and build an unparalleled great cause?"
Mang Bai screamed with excitement.
Mangda refused: "Brother, don't be reckless. You must remember your father's teachings, cherish the people, and rest with the people."
Mangbai was very disappointed. How could his brother lead Burma to glory if he was so cowardly? Would it be more beneficial to the country if he became the king himself?
Bah, what are I thinking about? Before my father died, we two brothers told us to support each other. How could we have such unreasonable thoughts?
Mang Bai desperately wanted to get rid of this idea. But once the seeds of ambition are planted, how can they be easily dispelled? Little by little, constantly, they take root and sprout.