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

Chapter 1221 Garrison
Although Mang Bai shared the same idea as the previous kings of the Toungoo Dynasty, the tributary relationship between Burma and the Ming Dynasty was essentially dead. So why should Burma pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty? Moreover, Mang Bai was determined to revive the Toungoo Dynasty. Over the years, he had been planning to not only strengthen the military and wage war against neighboring countries after he succeeded to the throne, but also to seize the Ming Dynasty's territory in Yunnan. Otherwise, Burma would not have been secretly exchanging glances with Sha Dingzhou and plotting to send troops to Yunnan.

But now Tang Jiabin was beaten to death by Zhang Xianzhong right in front of Mang Bai, and all his previous plans had come to naught. In addition, Zhang Xianzhong’s aggressive and rude attitude directly suppressed Mang Bai in terms of momentum.

At this time, Mang Bai did not want to turn against the Ming Dynasty, let alone kill Zhang Xianzhong to avenge Tang Jiabin. Not to mention that the Ming Dynasty was now showing signs of revival, with internal and external troubles quelled and the country thriving, even when Emperor Chongzhen was in power, the Ming Dynasty was still a behemoth, even though it was on the verge of collapse. A small country like Burma might be able to take advantage of the elephant while it was dozing off, but once the elephant woke up and became enraged, Burma would find it difficult to withstand the retaliation of such a behemoth.

After assessing the situation, Mang Bai ultimately chose to back down, stating that Burma had always been a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty and had always regarded the Ming Dynasty as its suzerain state. The reason why Burma had not paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty in previous years was not due to Burma's own fault, but rather because of the unstable situation at home, King Mang Da's poor health, and the fact that the south was occupied by the Portuguese, which made the roads impassable and prevented him from going to the Ming Dynasty.

When talking about this, Mang Bai specifically brought up his elder brother Mang Da, telling Zhang Xianzhong that Mang Da was old and sick and probably didn't have much time left. Under such circumstances, he was unable to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty. He also needed to take his brother's place in the capital and quell the rebellions in various parts of Burma, which was why he had neglected the matter of paying tribute.

In addition, there were the Portuguese in the south. Although Burma had expelled the Portuguese and recaptured Salyan at the beginning of the dynasty, the Toungoo Dynasty of Burma began to decline after the death of its founding king. Decades later, the Portuguese, who had withdrawn from Burma, returned and occupied Salyan again with their powerful ships and cannons. This put the southern port of Burma in Portuguese hands. After occupying Salyan, the Portuguese continued to advance northward, which made Burma even more uneasy and also made it impossible for Burma to travel by sea from the south to the Ming Dynasty.

These two reasons sounded plausible, but Zhang Xianzhong considered them utter nonsense. If Burma truly wanted to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty, what methods couldn't be used? Could these reasons really prevent Burma from paying tribute? Even if the king and Mang Bai couldn't get away, they could send ministers or envoys! The sea routes to the south were difficult to traverse, but there was still a land route to Yunnan, wasn't there? These reasons were nothing more than excuses, and Zhang Xianzhong understood this immediately, but he didn't expose them. After all, he only wanted to give Mang Bai a warning and had no intention of completely breaking ties with Burma.

Zhang Xianzhong's main mission in Burma was to resolve the issue of the secret alliance between Burma and Sha Dingzhou, and to prevent Burma from sending troops to Yunnan. This was accomplished after he killed Tang Jiabin in the palace. With Tang Jiabin's death, Mang Bai's schemes all failed, and it was no longer possible for him to join forces with Sha Dingzhou to send troops to Yunnan. However, this was far from enough for Zhang Xianzhong. Although he had only met Mang Bai twice, Zhang Xianzhong was a man of great talent. He could see through Mang Bai's nature at a glance. Zhang Xianzhong had seen many such people in his life and knew how to deal with them.

Since Mang Bai offered an excuse to justify the tribute issue, Zhang Xianzhong used that excuse to achieve his own goals. He immediately expressed his understanding of Mang Bai's explanation, but still sternly rebuked him, saying that even with various difficulties, tribute was still necessary, as it was an obligation of a vassal state. Unless Burma intended to completely break away from the Ming Dynasty's vassalage, then naturally there would be no need to continue paying tribute, but if Burma did so, it would have to bear the wrath of the Ming Dynasty.

In response to this statement, Mang Bai quickly replied that Burma had always been a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty and had never intended to break away from it. He stated that Burma would continue to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty on time, and even if he could not go himself, he would send ministers and envoys to the Ming Dynasty. He asked the angel for forgiveness.

In addition, Mang Bai raised the issue of Shalian, tentatively hoping that Zhang Xianzhong, as the envoy of the suzerain state, could suppress the Portuguese in Shalian and force them to abandon their idea of ​​heading north. If the Ming Dynasty could recover Shalian for Burma and bring it back under Burmese control, that would be even better, as it would be much more beneficial for future tribute missions.

Zhang Xianzhong saw through Mang Bai's schemes perfectly, and a cold smile crept across his face. Mang Bai was certainly playing a clever game, trying to use the Ming Dynasty's power to solve the Portuguese problem—a classic case of using one enemy to devour another. Once the Ming Dynasty intervened, not only would it help Burma expel the Portuguese from Salyan, but Burma would also easily reclaim Salyan. Then Burma would gain Salyan effortlessly, while the Ming Dynasty would offend the Portuguese—a win-win situation!
What Mang Bai didn't know was that the Ming Dynasty had already established normal diplomatic relations with Portugal, and the relationship between the Ming imperial family and the Portuguese royal family was in a honeymoon period. Both sides had sent envoys and set up embassies in each other's capitals. The two sides not only cooperated in diplomacy and commerce, but also in military affairs. For example, the new warships being built in the Ming navy were not only aided by Sweden, but also by the Kingdom of Portugal. In addition, in the Far East, the Portuguese were relatively weak, far inferior to the Kingdoms of Spain and the Netherlands. For this reason, the main rivals of the Ming Dynasty in controlling the South China Sea were also Spain and the Netherlands. Therefore, military cooperation between the two sides was also established. Even Zhang Xianzhong's rapid arrival in Burma and his successful northward journey to Ava were aided by Portugal.

Although Mang Bai held a high position of power in Burma and possessed a certain degree of political wisdom and skill, he was a very small figure in the grand scheme of things. Furthermore, his long stay in Burma had isolated him from global developments, leaving him completely unaware of world events. His limited perspective naturally led to a lack of understanding of many situations. Therefore, while his words might have fooled others, or even civil officials unfamiliar with foreign affairs and military matters, they were utterly laughable at someone like Zhang Xianzhong. Who was Zhang Xianzhong? He was the once-renowned Eighth King, and now the Earl of Dingbian and General of the Cavalry of the Ming Dynasty. Moreover, Zhang Xianzhong held a position in the General Staff Headquarters, the highest military body of the Ming Dynasty. He was intimately familiar with military matters, including the current diplomatic situation of the Ming Dynasty. Mang Bai's attempt to confuse the public with such rhetoric was utterly ridiculous.

However, Zhang Xianzhong did not expose the problem in Mang Baihua's words; instead, he seemed to believe him. Following the other party's line of reasoning, Zhang Xianzhong proposed that since Burma was worried about the Portuguese in Salim, then the Ming Dynasty, as the suzerain state, should indeed protect its vassal state.

However, because the Portuguese were a special case, the Ming Dynasty had no suitable reason to directly wage war. Therefore, considering the actual situation in Burma, Zhang Xianzhong proposed that the Ming Dynasty, in the name of the suzerain state, could station troops in northern Salian, namely Dagong (Yangon), to assist Burma in blocking the Portuguese invasion of northern Burma from the south. In this way, Burma would not have to worry about the Portuguese constantly encroaching northward and even threatening the Burmese regime.

Upon hearing Zhang Xianzhong's words, Mang Bai was completely stunned. He never expected Zhang Xianzhong to make such a suggestion, and for a moment he secretly lamented his predicament, not knowing how to refuse.

He was the one who complained about the difficulty of paying tribute, he was the one who said that Shalian had been occupied by the Portuguese, and he was the one who said that Burma feared the Portuguese moving north. Now, Zhang Xianzhong was demanding tribute and even planned to station Ming troops in the area to prevent the Portuguese from moving north. From the perspective of the suzerain state, there was no problem at all, and Mang Bai should have been happy. But in reality, Mang Bai lost more than he gained. Not only did he fail to incite the Ming Dynasty and Portugal, but he even gave away the tribute.

Although Takgon is nominally part of Myanmar, it has always been an autonomous territory until the time of Bayinnaung. After the Portuguese occupied Salleh again, the central government of Myanmar's control over Takgon weakened. Now, Myanmar only occupies it in name, and it is actually in a semi-independent state.

Zhang Xianzhong not only proposed that the Ming Dynasty station troops in Dagon, but also suggested leasing Dagon, claiming it was the best solution for the Ming Dynasty to help Burma given its current situation. Faced with Zhang Xianzhong's conditions, Mang Bai didn't know how to refuse. Moreover, Zhang Xianzhong pressed his advantage, directly coercing and enticing Mang Bai. In a moment of confusion, Mang Bai had no choice but to agree to Zhang Xianzhong's request, agreeing to lease Dagon to the Ming Dynasty and tacitly allowing the Ming Dynasty to station troops in Dagon. As for the cost of the lease, it would be calculated and deducted from the gifts and wealth that Burma had not paid tribute to in recent years. In addition, the lease term was tentatively set at one hundred years. Thus, a treaty was signed by both parties, and the agreement was put into practice in black and white. It also reached the emperor's hands along with Zhang Xianzhong's memorial to the capital.

"One hundred years, hahaha, one hundred years, that's a good timeframe." Zhu Shenzhui couldn't help but feel happy. He hadn't expected Zhang Xianzhong to give him such a big surprise in addition to resolving the issue of sending troops to Burma.

The decision to lease Dagon and directly seize this important city in southern Myanmar was completely unexpected. It's important to understand that Dagon later became Yangon, the largest and most prosperous city in Myanmar, even more famous than the actual capital, Naypyidaw.

Moreover, Takorn is adjacent to Salyan, located on the north bank of the Yangon River, and like Salyan, it is an excellent port city in southern Myanmar. Taking this place would allow direct control of nearly half of the most prosperous and wealthy southern region of Myanmar. The Ming Dynasty's military presence here would not only suppress Myanmar but also establish an important port base on the southeastern peninsula near the Indian Ocean, thus benefiting the Ming Dynasty's foreign expansion policy.

(End of this chapter)