I

Huang Yao was ordered to prepare for the battle in Yunnan, which included dispatching detailed operations, collecting intelligence, ascertaining the terrain, familiarizing himself with the climate, organizing the army, etc.

As for the central court, they naturally have to discuss it seriously.

Lu Xiangsheng, the Minister of War, sent people to collect information for half a month, and finally came to meet the emperor, and the cabinet ministers also gathered together.

Lu Xiangsheng pointed to a map from a hundred years ago and said: "At the beginning of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, they fought with the local barbarians, and they continued to fight until the end of Wanli. The truce was not that the Ming court won, but that the Ming army was unable to suppress it and acquiesced in Toungoo. Occupy all the territory under the jurisdiction of the chieftains in Myanmar."

"At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the Luchuan Kingdom was a dominant family. In the first year of Jianwen, the chieftain of the Lucchuan Kingdom died of illness, and his son succeeded to the throne was unpopular. The Ming court took the opportunity to provoke, and the native chiefs of the Luchuan Kingdom established themselves one after another and split into wooden states ( Northern Shan State), Mengyang (Kachin State), Mengding (Lincang Gengma), Dahou (Lincang Yun County), Nandian (Dehong Lianghe) and Lujiang (Baoshan Lujiang Dam), Wan Dian (Changning, Baoshan), Menglian (Menglian, Lincang), Zheledian (Pu'er Zhenyuan), and only Mengmao, Longchuan and other places under the jurisdiction of Luchuan Kingdom are left."

"Immediately, Emperor Jianwen ennobled these native chiefs, and there were Xuanwei bureaus such as Mubang, Mengyang, and Burma."

"After that, the Lucchuan Kingdom was at war with the Qian Ming Dynasty for a hundred years. With the support of the Qian Ming Dynasty, Chief Meng Yang quickly rose to dominance. As a result, the Lucchuan Kingdom declined and was forced to surrender to the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty established the Lucchuan Pingmian Division. The main enemy of the Ming Dynasty , and thus became Mengyang Chieftain, Mengyang Chieftain conquered the city and established the Ava Kingdom."

"The Toungoo tribe in the south rose again, annexed Burmese (Myanmar Xuanweisi) and other chieftains, and destroyed the Ava Kingdom during the Wanli period. Now, all the chieftains canonized in the former Ming Dynasty have been annexed by Toungoo."

Lu Xiangsheng roughly recounted the changes in power in Myanmar over the past three hundred years.

In later generations, Baoshan City, Lincang City, and Pu'er City in Yunnan Province were now partly occupied by the Toungoo Dynasty of Myanmar.

Lu Xiangsheng continued: "The former Ming Dynasty not only conferred chieftains, but also sent troops to conquer many times. There were two ways of sending troops in the Ming Dynasty: the first was when local powers established their own countries, such as the Luchuan Kingdom and the Ava Kingdom, and then sent out large armies. At most, Raise more than 100,000 troops; the second is to have no strong power to build a country, so let the Mu family lead troops to put down the rebellion. The Mu family mainly focuses on recruiting, and when it is unable to recruit, they will recruit several chieftains and gather troops to attack one of the chieftains."

Everyone said nothing, waiting for Lu Xiangsheng to explain the situation.

Lu Xiangsheng added: "Summarizing the military experience of the Ming Dynasty, we can draw the following points -"

"First, Myanmar has rugged mountain roads and a hot climate. You cannot fight for a long time, nor can you fight in depth, otherwise it will be difficult to transport military supplies, and soldiers will easily get sick in large numbers. In the Ming Dynasty, every time an army of 100,000 went on an expedition, they would stop as soon as possible. After winning the battle, use the strategy of differentiation and co-optation.”

"Second, Mengyang (Myanmar's Kachin State) is very important. It was the territory of the Nanzhao Kingdom in the Tang Dynasty and the territory of the Dali Kingdom in the Song Dynasty. There are many river valleys and plains here, the population is relatively dense, and the agriculture is also quite prosperous. If a strong power establishes a country in Myanmar, once it is taken If you go to Meng Yang, your strength will definitely increase, which will be a serious problem for China. If we send troops, we can set up chieftains in other areas, but Meng Yang must change his ways and return to his hometown!"

"Third, the Toungu Kingdom has long been unable to lose its strength. When they invaded the territory from the north during the Wanli Period, Toungu claimed to have sent one million troops. According to the report of the governor of Yunnan in the Ming Dynasty, including civilians, Toungu probably sent two to three hundred thousand troops. . This is the most powerful country in the south, and it is definitely not comparable to the small country of Annan. In addition, the terrain and climate are complex, and it will be difficult for General Huang to get a good deal with tens of thousands of people."

With two to three hundred thousand troops sent, has Myanmar ever been so awesome?

Zhao Han realized that he had underestimated the enemy. He had not taken Myanmar seriously before.

Prince Narai of Siam is currently studying at Jinling University, and Zhao Han immediately sent an order to summon him.

The imperial guards came out quickly and brought Na Lai into the palace.

Zhao Han asked: "How much do you know about Taungu Kingdom?"

Prince Nalai replied: "The kings of Toungoo Kingdom were all militarists, and the territory expanded tenfold in a hundred years. When I was young, Toungoo once invaded Siam and fought all the way to the capital of Siam. Thanks to the Japanese mercenaries With the help of soldiers, there was another rebellion in the rear of Taungoo, so the capital of Siam did not fall."

Na Lai was still frightened when he talked about it at this time. His country was almost gone.

Prince Narai continued: "The Toungoo Kingdom is expanding too fast and is full of internal conflicts, especially in the north. There are frequent rebellions. After King Thalong succeeded to the throne, he rarely raised troops to expand and was committed to rectifying the internal forces. King Thalong took the throne only six years ago. In 2000, he moved the capital to Ava in the north. After he cut off the local chiefs, he also distributed the land to the peasants. He also organized households and people, measured the land, reformed taxes, reduced corvee labor, and rectified the currency. At this time, the Taungu Kingdom Although we don’t fight often anymore, our national strength is stronger than before!”

These words made Zhao Han and the ministers' heads hurt.

If the Taungoo Kingdom continues to be militaristic, China will not be afraid and can easily win by dividing its internal forces. There happened to be some kind of "King Talong". Once you heard this person's policy, you knew that he was a master of internal affairs, which was equivalent to Huang Taiji in the Manchu Dynasty. "

Prince Narai smiled and said: "Three years ago, King Talong died, and the surrounding countries breathed a sigh of relief."

As soon as this was said, everyone felt at ease.

Prince Narai said: "The new king of Toungoo Kingdom is named Mangda. This man is greedy for enjoyment. In the first year after taking the throne, he ordered the expansion of the palace. In order to build the palace, he increased the corvee and asked the chiefs from various places to donate huge trees. It also increased taxes on farmers.”

Come on, he's a loser again.

Mangda was the king of Myanmar who welcomed Emperor Yongli in history. Although he confiscated the weapons of the Ming army, he was still polite to Emperor Yongli. After all, Li Dingguo was still resisting the Qing Dynasty at that time.

But Mangda was stupid and made people angry. His younger brother Mangbai and his ministers committed regicide and became independent. After Mang Bai came to power, he designed to kill Emperor Yongli's followers, robbed Emperor Yongli's valuables and women, and kidnapped Emperor Yongli and gave them to Wu Sangui.

Lu Xiangsheng asked: "Can we attack Taungoo from the sea?"

Prince Narai said: "The capital of Toungoo Kingdom used to be in the south, and it was easy to reach from the sea. But after King Talong moved the capital, the center of gravity of Toungoo's rule has moved further north. It is also possible to send troops from the sea, but Capture its important port city, and if the battle goes well, we can also reach its capital, Ava."

Lu Xiangsheng pointed at the map and said: "Then attack from the north and south. General Huang will lead his troops to the north, then transfer a division from Guangnan and send troops to the south by sea."

Zhao Han said: "First determine the ultimate purpose of sending troops, whether to destroy the country or just to recover the lost territory."

Song Yingxing interjected: "Toungoo's terrain and climate are complex, and its territory is very large. I'm afraid it will be difficult to destroy the country. We can't think of becoming a big fat man in one bite."

Lu Xiangsheng pointed to an old map from the Ming Dynasty and said: "Luchuan and Cheche must be taken back. Taking these two places and garrisoning the pass will ensure that Yunnan is safe."

The ruling centers of the two chieftain territories of Luchuan and Cheche were in later China.

The jurisdiction of Luchuan County includes parts of Baoshan and Lincang, Yunnan Province. Chesi's jurisdiction includes part of Pu'er City, Yunnan Province.

Lu Xiangsheng raised his finger: "The land of Meng Yang must also be taken back."

The area under the jurisdiction of the Mengyang Division is not only the Kachin State of Myanmar, but also a small area in northeastern India. At this time, large areas of Assam, Nagaland and Manipur in later India belonged to Myanmar.

Prince Narai looked at the map, pointed to northern Laos and said, "This is also the territory of Toungoo Kingdom."

Zhao Han drew a circle in northern Laos: "All of them?"

"Most of them are," said Prince Narai, and then drew a circle around northwest Thailand. "This used to be the territory of Siam and was occupied by Taungoo a few decades ago."

Myanmar is so big that it completely shocked Zhao Han’s outlook on life!

The entire territory of Myanmar at this time included parts of later China, Thailand, Laos, India, and Bangladesh.

Prince Narai said: "If your majesty conquers Taungoo, I will return home to convince my father that Siam can send five thousand troops to help in the battle. The Siamese army will raise its own food and grass, and only hopes to take back the occupied homeland after victory."

"Very good, loyalty is commendable," Zhao Han praised, "As long as Siam helps in the war, China will definitely help Siam recover its lost territory."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Prince Narai was overjoyed. This matter killed two birds with one stone. He could not only please the Chinese emperor, but also regain Thailand's lost territory.

After saying this, Lu Xiangsheng continued: "The remaining Mubang, Mengmi and other places can incite the chieftains to stand on their own. After the war, follow the example of the Ming Dynasty and set up chieftains to dismember the Toungu Kingdom, leaving only Myanmar, Taungoo and other places.”

Zhao Han nodded and said: "That's it. The goal of this battle is to recover Mengyang, Luchuan and Che, and send all the officials to govern them. Then dismember the Toungu Kingdom and instigate the independence of Mengmi, Mubang and other places. Canonize chieftains such as Meng Mi and Mubang. Let the Toungoo Kingdom vomit out all the occupied land in Laos and Siam. If the Nanzhang Kingdom (Laos) sends troops to help, the lost land will be returned to them. If the Nanzhang Kingdom does not send troops, After that piece of land is taken back, a chieftain will be established. And..."

Zhao Han carefully checked the map, pointed to the location of Yangon and said: "This place must be occupied as a naval base and overseas trade port. If Taungoo dares to commit crimes in the future, we will directly send troops from the port to teach him a lesson."

At this time, Yangon, called Dagon or Daguang, had developed into a sea trade town.

Prince Narai reminded: "Your Majesty, if we march from the sea, we can land at Maduba."

"Where is Ma Duba?" Zhao Han asked.

Prince Narai pointed to two hundred miles northeast of Yangon: "This is Maduba, which is also the largest seaport in Taungoo. Toungoo City, the old capital of Toungoo Kingdom, is about three hundred miles north from Maduba along the river. It can be reached within 10 kilometers. Although Taungu has moved its capital, many nobles and wealthy businessmen still live in its old capital, Toungu City. Not far to the north from Maduba is Bago, a large city in Toungu Kingdom. Take Bago The city and Toungoo City, the country of Toungoo will inevitably be shaken, and the king has to send troops south to rescue."

There still needs to be someone who is familiar with the specific situation, otherwise the key points will not be grasped during the fight.

Zhao Han praised: "If you win this battle, I will definitely reward you heavily!"