Rise of a Lonely City: From Exiled Prince to Ruler of the Nine Provinces

The copper ingots from Yunnan, like flowing blood, began to flow continuously along the newly built post roads towards the center of the empire.

The reform of replacing chieftains with centrally appointed officials in southern Yunnan swept away the old chieftain barriers with overwhelming force, and implemented the imperial decrees to every remote mountain village.

All of this, naturally, did not escape the eyes of Mang Yinglong, the powerful ruler of the Toungoo Dynasty in Burma, the southern neighbor.

Bayinnaung, the new ruler who had just unified Burma and was ambitiously looking to build a vast empire, had already set his sights on Yunnan in the north.

The abundant copper mines and fertile land there were exactly what he had always dreamed of. His previous support for Mu Tianbo was a ploy to use someone else to do his dirty work and reap the benefits.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Chen easily broke the knife, and Mu Tianbo, the local bully, was also uprooted along with it.

"The Emperor of Great Xia is quite swift in his actions."

Mangyinglong sat on the golden throne in the Pegu Palace (the capital of the Toungoo Dynasty), toying with a captured "Daxia Tongbao" coin that had not yet fully circulated. His face was grim. "The copper mines are gone, and the Tea Horse Road has been cut off. Our war elephants need copper to forge armor and weapons. Our caravans need Yunnan tea and salt to trade for horses with the Tibetans. Xiao Chen is trying to cut off my lifeline!"

"Brother Wang," Mang Yinglong's younger brother, General Mang Yingli, stepped forward, a fierce glint in his eyes, "Now that Mu Tianbo is crippled, and the Han people of Yunnan have not yet established a firm foothold, why not seize this opportunity to send troops north and seize those copper mines! Your humble servant is willing to be the vanguard!"

Mang Yinglong pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "No. The Great Xia New Army is no ordinary force, having pacified Yunnan so easily. Ma Qiancheng's tactics are unpredictable, and his firearms are formidable. We cannot defeat him by force."

"Then..." Mang Yingli asked, puzzled.

"If the open approach doesn't work, we'll try the covert one."

A cunning glint flashed in Mang Yinglong's eyes. "We can 'protect' those former chieftains who were stripped of their power and harbor resentment. We can send people to contact the remnants of those chieftains who fled into the Savage Mountain, provide them with weapons and food, and let them harass the copper mines and post roads in southern Yunnan. We'll then deploy troops on the border to exert pressure. This will force Xiao Chen to be preoccupied with one thing and do not have the time to spare. When he can't hold on any longer, he will naturally negotiate with us. At that time, Yunnan copper, and even more land, will be ours for the taking."

"Brother Wang is wise!"

Thus began a provocation simmering with undercurrents.

Puer Prefecture in southern Yunnan.

This area is not only famous for its Pu'er tea, but also home to several important copper mines.

The newly appointed magistrate of Liuguan County was organizing miners and commoners to measure land and implement new laws. However, the peace was soon shattered.

First, several groups of bandits who had crossed over from Myanmar began to attack the mines, kidnapping miners and robbing copper.

Following this, the remnants of the former chieftains who had been dismissed and were dissatisfied with the policy of replacing local chieftains with centrally appointed officials also became active in the dense forests of the border region. They were provided with Burmese knives and poisoned arrows by the Burmese and appeared and disappeared unpredictably, specifically targeting and killing lone officials and tax collectors.

The newly appointed prefect of Pu'er, Shen Dong, is in a state of utter chaos.

Although he had troops, they were scattered and difficult to deal with such small-scale raids.

Meanwhile, along the border, the main force of the Myanmar army in Mangyingli has also begun to move frequently, making it appear as if they may cross the border at any time.

When the news reached Kunming, Ma Qiancheng's desk was piled high with urgent documents.

"That venomous snake, Mangyinglong, finally couldn't hold back any longer."

Ma Qiancheng sneered and threw the document aside. "They don't dare to come out on the front, so they resort to these underhanded tricks."

"General, what should we do?"

Deng Zhilong asked, "The border is so long, we can't possibly defend every single place. Besides, those bandits and remnants of chieftains are hiding in the mountains, as slippery as eels."

"Isn't he trying to make us neglect one thing for another?"

Ma Qiancheng walked to the map and tapped his finger heavily on a point south of Pu'er, near the Myanmar border. "Then let's strike at the heart of the problem! He sends people to harass us, so we'll attack his supply lines directly!"

"Attack on Burma's mainland?"

Li Rumei was startled. "That's a national war!"

"Who said we were going to attack Myanmar's mainland?"

A cold glint flashed in Ma Qiancheng's eyes. "Isn't Mangyingli where troops are stationed on the border in Menggen? That's the Burmese army's frontline supply base, stockpiling large quantities of grain and fodder. That's our target!"

"However, Menggen is deep inside Myanmar, with treacherous terrain and a large garrison," Shen Dong said with some concern.

"Therefore, we won't fight head-on."

Ma Qiancheng was confident. "Remember all those mountain infiltration and sniping drills we practiced at 'Ghost's Bane'? This time, we'll use them on Mang Yingli!"

He immediately issued the order:

"Deng Zhilong, you will take a thousand elite troops, dress them in captured chieftain clothing, disguise them as fleeing chieftain soldiers, and infiltrate from the Pu'er border to the vicinity of Menggen. Remember, only bring flintlock muskets, grenades, crossbows, and ten days' worth of compressed rations!"

"Li Rumei, you take the Shenwu Army's artillery company and secretly move to the border. Use mountain howitzers to bombard the outposts and warehouses on the outskirts of Menggen from a distance! The shots don't need to be too accurate, but they should throw them into disarray!"

"I personally led the main force, making a grand display of force, to set out from Pu'er, creating the impression that we were about to launch a strong attack on another border fortress, in order to draw Mangyingli's attention!"

"Once you've succeeded, set fire to Menggen's supplies and retreat immediately. Don't linger!"

"yes!"

Three days later, late at night, Meng Gen.

The Myanmar army's border camp was brightly lit.

Mang Yingli was pleased with his recent "success" in harassing southern Yunnan and was plotting how to exert further pressure to force Da Xia to negotiate.

Suddenly, several muffled explosions came from afar, followed by bursts of fire – it was Li Rumei's artillerymen "greeting" with shells.

"Enemy attack!" The Burmese army camp was in chaos.

Mang Yingli hurriedly donned his armor, mounted his horse, and organized a defense.

He believed this was a frontal attack by the Great Xia army and immediately moved his main force towards the direction from which the explosion came.

However, the real killer move comes from behind.

Deng Zhilong's thousand "Tusi soldiers" had already taken advantage of the darkness and terrain to quietly sneak into Menggen's rear granary.

Most of the garrison here were drawn to the front lines and their defenses were lax.

"Move out!" Deng Zhilong gave the order.

Dozens of agile soldiers, like cats, scaled the wooden fence and silently killed the sentry with crossbow bolts coated with poison.

Subsequently, more people poured in, frantically throwing the oil canisters they carried onto the mountains of grain stacks, haystacks, and even armories.

"set fire!"

"boom--!"

A raging fire instantly illuminated the night sky! Menggen transformed into a giant torch!

"Damn it! We've fallen into a trap!" Mang Yingli's eyes widened in horror at the sight of the raging fire behind him. He hurriedly divided his forces to rush back and help, but it was too late.

Meanwhile, Ma Qiancheng's main force made a feint at the border before quickly retreating and disappearing into the night.

Having achieved his goal, Deng Zhilong did not linger in battle and quickly retreated into the dense forest according to the pre-arranged route.

When Mang Yingli arrived in a fit of rage, all he saw was a charred ruin and a scene of utter devastation.

Even more critically, almost at the same time that Menggen was burned, several small teams disguised as Burmese troops attacked the camps of the remnants of the Tusi (chieftains) who were harassing the border of Puer, leaving behind "evidence" that the Toungoo Dynasty had betrayed its allies and killed people to cover it up.

In an instant, the remnants of the chieftains who had been manipulated by Mangyinglong were filled with fear and hatred for the Burmese, and they scattered like birds and beasts.

Mang Yinglong's attempt to steal a chicken backfired spectacularly. He not only lost a large amount of grain and fodder, but also lost his "white glove" for raiding southern Yunnan, and his reputation among the border chieftains was ruined.

A month later, border negotiations between the Xia Dynasty and the Toungoo Dynasty were held at the newly built Puer border post.

Mang Yingli's representative, in a menacing manner, accused the Great Xia of "unprovoked invasion."

Shen Dong, Ma Qiancheng's representative, calmly presented "evidence": captured Burmese army standard weapons, confessions of captured Burmese soldiers, and "blood letters" from the "betrayed" chieftains.

"Your country supports rebels, harasses our borders, burns our mines, and kills our people. Our imperial army, in self-defense, has retaliated by burning down your invading military camps. What's wrong with that?" Shen Dong's tone was calm, but every word was like a knife.

Mang Yingli's representative was speechless.

Ultimately, under the "observation" of the Shenwu Army's flintlock phalanx on the border, Mang Yingli had no choice but to sign the Treaty of Pu'er:

I. The Toungoo Dynasty recognized the sovereignty of the Great Xia over the entire territory of Yunnan and vowed never to invade it.

Second, compensation shall be paid to the Great Xia for military expenses and border losses, equivalent to 500,000 taels of silver.

Third, designated border crossings will be opened, allowing Daxia merchants to purchase Burmese grain and timber at fair prices, and to sell some refined copper to Burma (at a markup).

Fourth, the Toungoo Dynasty shall no longer harbor or support any Yunnan rebels.

After the treaty was signed, Mang Yingli's face turned ashen, but he was helpless.

He knew that, at least for now, the Dongyu Dynasty had no chance of winning against the Great Xia's elusive tactics and formidable firearms.

When the news reached Bago, Mangyung was so angry that he smashed his beloved jade cup, but there was nothing he could do about it.

He knew that Xiao Chen had firmly blocked the road south.

Upon receiving the treaty text, Xiao Chen merely smiled faintly: "They only learn to reason after being hurt. Tell Ma Qiancheng that the border can be temporarily peaceful, but the army cannot be complacent. Also, have Shen Dong hurry up and reopen the Tea Horse Road for me! I want to use tea and salt to exchange for Tibetan horses and medicinal herbs!"