Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1211 Self-recommendation
Zhu Shenzhui not only named Zhang Xianzhong's son, Gou Dan, Zhang Zhongyi, but also bestowed other favors upon him, specifically granting Zhang Zhongyi the titles of Jinyiwei Baihu (Hundred-Household Officer) and Yunqiwei (Military Cavalry Captain).

This reward was quite substantial. It meant that Zhang Zhongyi, still a baby, already held a sixth-rank military position and a military honor. Although it wasn't a real position, his status was undeniable. He would not only receive a formal salary, but also have a much higher starting point than others after graduating from military academy. Moreover, Zhang Xianzhong had a noble title to leave to his son.

Zhang Xianzhong repeatedly expressed his gratitude, his face beaming with joy. However, he also understood why the emperor had suddenly bestowed a name upon his son, and specifically chose this particular name.

As the emperor, having bestowed the name "Zhongyi" upon his son and spoken such profound words to him, Zhang Xianzhong was no fool. He knew perfectly well the emperor's true intention: to warn him to be loyal to the Ming Dynasty, the emperor, and the court, to understand how he had attained his current status, and to never have any other thoughts.

In reality, over the years, Zhang Xianzhong had long since given up any other ambitions. He was indeed a bandit by origin, but that was out of necessity, driven by the unbearable plight of natural disasters. Moreover, while he had accepted amnesty as a bandit and subsequently rebelled again, it was because the court had failed to honor its promises. Aside from anything else, the promised provisions and resettlement funds never materialized. As the leader, Zhang Xianzhong couldn't possibly rely solely on himself; he had to consider the well-being of his men. Without food or silver, and with only an empty imperial edict, were Zhang Xianzhong and his brothers destined to starve to death?
Given this, it would be strange if Zhang Xianzhong didn't rebel. But now things are completely different. Since surrendering to the court, not only has he become a nobleman of the Ming Dynasty and received a military position, but even his brothers, including several adopted sons, have been given arrangements and promising futures.

Li Dingguo goes without saying; he has a bright future under the command of the Prince of Song. Sun Kewang, Liu Wenxiu, and Ai Nengqi are also doing well. Although their military ranks are not high, they are capable of handling things independently and have all become legitimate military officers of the court. As they grow older and accumulate more merit, they may very well be able to secure official positions for their wives and children.

After discussing Zhang Xianzhong's son, Zhu Shenzhui said to Zhang Xianzhong, "Although your remarks at the General Council sounded a bit extreme, after careful consideration, I think your judgment does have some merit. In your opinion, if the situation truly develops in the worst possible direction, how should the court respond?"

“This…” Zhang Xianzhong hesitated for a moment. Zhu Shenzhui told him to speak directly and not to hesitate. It was just the two of them in Yangxin Hall, and this was a private conversation. He should say whatever came to mind.

Hearing this, Zhang Xianzhong breathed a sigh of relief, thought for a moment, and said, "I believe the court should make arrangements as soon as possible!"

Zhu Shenzhui remained silent, listening quietly.

Zhang Xianzhong continued, "Now we should send letters to all the units in Yunnan as soon as possible, including the Duke of Qian, Yang Weizhi, the White-Clad Army in Sichuan, and the Guizhou Army, instructing them to pay attention to the movements in Shading Prefecture and Burma. The Duke of Qian's side is of utmost importance. The Duke of Qian's family has guarded Yunnan for generations and has a great influence in Yunnan. If something happens to the Duke of Qian, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"From the military reports of the past few days, I have learned that the Duke of Qian is currently mobilizing troops in the Yongchang area, placing his forces in the east, mainly to secure the front line, and also to prepare for a counterattack against Sha Dingzhou. However, this leaves the Duke of Qian's rear vulnerable. At this time, if Burma sends troops, the Duke of Qian will not be able to recall his eastern troops in time. Furthermore, if Burma does not send troops, fine, but if it does, it will definitely launch a full-scale attack, and Yongchang alone will not be able to withstand it."

"If something happens to the Duke of Qian, not only will western Yunnan change hands, but the entire situation will also deteriorate. In my opinion, the court should order the Duke of Qian to immediately mobilize troops to defend western Yunnan closely in case of a possible Burmese invasion. In addition, we must also guard against the possibility of Sha Dingzhou taking a detour westward in Chuxiong. Although the probability is not high, we cannot ignore it!"

"What about the White-Spear Army in Sichuan and the troops in Guizhou?"

"The key to these two units right now is whether we can capture Qujing. As long as we have Qujing, Sha Dingzhou will inevitably panic and even lose his composure. Qujing is not like Xuanwei and Fuyuan. If Qujing is in our hands, Sha Dingzhou will hesitate and give up his plan to bypass Yongchang. In this way, not only can Yongchang be protected, but even Chuxiong can be stabilized."

"That's all?" Zhu Shenzhui asked in return.

Zhang Xianzhong composed himself and said, "The key to the war in Yunnan now lies with Burma. As long as Burma doesn't take action, the defeat of Sha Dingzhou is almost a foregone conclusion. In other words, Burma is the real variable in Yunnan. Besides what I just mentioned, there is another way to stop Burma from taking action and prevent them from using troops against Yunnan."

"How exactly do you do it?"

"Over the years, I have reviewed a considerable amount of intelligence in the General Staff Office and have gained some understanding of the situation in Burma. Leaving aside the situation of the Mang clan in Burma, Your Majesty is far more aware than I am. As for whether Burma will actually send troops, I cannot guarantee it absolutely, but it is highly likely. Therefore, making advance arrangements is essential." "Burma is nominally a vassal state, but in reality, it has been detached from our Great Ming for nearly a century. Not to mention the Pacification Commission previously established in Burma, which has long been defunct. The best course of action now is to send someone to Burma to warn the Mang clan, in the name of our Great Ming Dynasty, to deter them from rash actions. Once the Mang clan abandons their plan to invade Yunnan, and once Shading Prefecture in Yunnan is pacified, we can then focus our efforts on Burma. At that time, whether we find a pretext to attack Burma, or suppress Burma in the name of the suzerain state, or re-establish the Pacification Commission, it will all be within Your Majesty's control."

"It sounds good, but it's easier said than done." Zhu Shenzhui shook his head slightly and said, "Simply sending an envoy, and the Mang clan will submit? That's underestimating Burma. What if the envoy proves useless?"

Zhang Xianzhong gritted his teeth and said, "If Your Majesty trusts me, I am willing to go to Burma to negotiate. In addition, I have studied the situation in Burma. Decades ago, the Portuguese landed in southern Burma, occupied Salim, and established a port there for trade. Later, they gradually moved north and influenced the local area. After the Mang clan rose to power in Burma, the Mang clan's Toungoo Dynasty flourished in Burma, replaced the old dynasty, and gradually unified Burma. Afterwards, they repelled the Portuguese in Salim, thus unifying Burma."

"The Toungoo Dynasty was powerful for decades, but there was no successor. Now that Mang has taken the throne, the dynasty has begun to decline. Now the Portuguese have made a comeback and reclaimed Salyan from Mang. They have established a stronghold and are using their firearms and warships to suppress southern Myanmar. Mang has been defeated by the Portuguese in several battles and has no choice but to give up the southern ports and let them occupy them."

"I believe that our Great Ming can leverage its relationship with the Portuguese to make some moves in Burma. Your Majesty previously sent Minister Wang Fuzhi as an envoy to Europe, and our Great Ming now has relations with many European countries, including Portugal. Moreover, our dynasty is now opening up maritime trade extensively, and Your Majesty has also opened ports along the coast with new policies, allowing European merchants to trade northwards. The Portuguese in Macau are also under the rule of our Great Ming. Our Great Ming and Portugal currently have good relations and are friendly nations. Your Majesty can issue an edict to the Portuguese to assist our Great Ming, and at the same time send a warship to southern Burma to join forces with the Portuguese to put pressure on the Mang clan in Burma."

"In this way, the Mang clan of Burma will be hesitant to attack Yunnan. Once the major issues in Yunnan are settled and the internal turmoil in Shading Prefecture is resolved, the crisis in Yunnan will be resolved, and it will be much easier to deal with Burma afterwards."

Zhang Xianzhong's words made Zhu Shenzhui thoughtful. It must be said that Zhang Xianzhong did have some insight and wisdom. Compared with other generals, he was more politically mature and had a broader vision, not limited to one place but looking at the overall situation.

Otherwise, how could Zhang Xianzhong, a rebel leader, have left such a reputation in history? Don't forget that the original Zhang Xianzhong was not only a rebel leader who was almost on par with Gao Yingxiang and Li Zicheng, but also a figure who later occupied Sichuan, established a regime, and proclaimed himself emperor.

If Zhang Xianzhong hadn't been quite capable, he simply couldn't have accomplished this. And if he hadn't been accidentally killed by an arrow in a later battle against the Qing army, the Qing dynasty's supposed conquest of all of China would likely have been far from certain. This demonstrates that Zhang Xianzhong was no ordinary man. Although he maintained a low profile in the capital for many years, he remained the same Zhang Xianzhong, possessing considerable insight and judgment.

Furthermore, Zhang Xianzhong's suggestion appears to be the most suitable option at present. Yunnan is far too far from the capital; even if the court were to send reinforcements, it would take at least several months, which wouldn't address the immediate crisis. If this were the case, and Burma were to actually intervene, the situation in Yunnan would deteriorate beyond repair.

Sha Dingzhou alone is not a major problem; given the current situation and troop strength in Yunnan, resolving the issue is only a matter of time. The real fear is that Burma might launch an attack on Yunnan from the rear, causing the Ming army in Yunnan to be attacked from both sides and ultimately collapse.

Therefore, the key to Yunnan lies with Myanmar; preventing Myanmar from sending troops is the only way to solve the problem. However, to resolve this issue, the imperial court cannot send troops to fight Myanmar in the short term, even though Myanmar is a small country, it is still a country. Moreover, today's Myanmar is not the Myanmar of later generations. Since the establishment of the Toungoo Dynasty by the Mang clan, Myanmar has not only achieved unification but has also become exceptionally powerful, at its peak occupying almost half of the Southeast Asian peninsula, making it a minor hegemon in the southeast.

Even though the Burmese dynasty has declined after several generations, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse, and Burma is still not to be underestimated. A war against Burma would require long-term preparation, and it would not be easy for the Ming army to truly defeat Burma once the fighting begins. In addition, the Burmese mountains and forests and miasma are even worse than those in Yunnan. Not to mention how confident the Ming Dynasty was in conquering Burma, even if it did, it would probably have to pay a huge price, and whether it could effectively rule Burma was also another matter.

After much deliberation, Zhu Shenzhui felt that Zhang Xianzhong's suggestion was the most suitable. Portugal was now an ally of the Ming Dynasty, and not long ago, Portugal had sent envoys to set up a diplomatic mission in the Ming capital, which was similar to a legation (embassy) in later times.

The two countries currently enjoy good relations, and the Ming imperial family and the Portuguese royal family have also maintained close ties. Under these circumstances, seeking help from the Portuguese in Burma should not be refused. This would save time, allowing for the dispatch of envoys to Burma as quickly as possible. Furthermore, leveraging the Portuguese influence in Burma would suppress and intimidate the Mang clan, and the chances of success would be considerable.

With this in mind, Zhu Shenzhui finally made up his mind to send Zhang Xianzhong to Burma. Since it was his suggestion, it was most appropriate for him to go to Burma.

(End of this chapter)