October every year is the dry season for Qin, but it is also the dry season for Myanmar, and the whole country is plunged into excitement.
Xinjing was built by Sun Kewang, the capital of Myanmar, with Daguang Pagoda as the center after he occupied the Myanmar region.
At the same time, Toungoo City, where the Toungoo Dynasty was located, was also renamed Beidu, one in the south and one in the north, becoming the core of the Burmese dynasty's rule.
The huge new capital city has a circumference of thirty miles and a height of four feet. It has an inner and outer city structure and is enough to accommodate three to five million people.
Burmese Minister Gu Zhong was sitting on the carriage, enduring the heat. He opened the curtain and saw a bustling scene.
Although the entire new capital city has a Ming-style structure, many Bamar characteristics have been incorporated into the specific details, and the Buddhist characteristics are obvious.
Most of the pedestrians in the streets wearing short clothes and straw sandals are Burmese, while those wearing brown clothes and cloth shoes are Han Chinese.
Apart from the difference in clothes, the biggest difference in Gu Zhong's opinion is the language.
Most of those who followed Sun Kewang south were soldiers and officials from Yunnan, so his speech and conversation were mostly official, and his words and deeds were mostly arrogant.
Ordinary Burmese people bowed their heads and did not dare to look directly at him.
Because the Han people occupy the mainstream in Burmese officialdom, if there is a lawsuit between the Burmese and the Han people, they usually favor the Han people.
In this case, the Han people became more and more public.
Its notable feature is that ordinary Burmese are not allowed to enter or live in the inner city of Xinjing. Only officials and generals are allowed to move in.
For Han Chinese, there are no restrictions.
Whether it is the inner city or the outer city, Han people can live wherever they like.
The tens of thousands of soldiers and horses who followed Sun Kewang southward had become the foundation of the new dynasty and gained a lot of political benefits.
Whether in official circles or in the military, these Han people occupy the mainstream, controlling the kingdom of Myanmar with millions of Burmese people as small as they are large.
This was in form the same as the Manchu Qing Dynasty at that time.
"The Manchus relied on a strong army, and the Burmese king also relied on a strong army. Can tens of thousands of Han people really completely subjugate Burma?"
Gu Zhong expressed doubts about this.
He even had some dark speculations. Building the capital at the mouth of the sea would make it easier for him to quickly escape into the sea, just like Lin'an in the Southern Song Dynasty.
However, he had to admit that moving the capital to the south was Sun Kewang's masterstroke.
If they had stayed in the north, tens of thousands of Han people would have been submerged among the Burmese and unable to move. The establishment of Xinjing was equivalent to re-establishing the foundation and stabilizing the rule of the entire Burmese dynasty.
Those old nobles and chieftains completely lost their influence on the Kingdom of Burma, allowing the King of Burma to monopolize power.
You must know that in recent years, in addition to attacking Siam to enhance his prestige, Sun Kewang's most important thing was to cut off the chieftains and aristocratic forces in Myanmar and centralize power.
In just over ten years, Myanmar entered a feudal society from a slave society, established three levels of governance at county, prefecture, and province, and improved the bureaucratic system.
But everything has advantages and disadvantages. The Kingdom of Myanmar, with the participation of a small number of Burmese, is completely dependent on the prestige of Sun Kewang. Once he passes away, the Kingdom of Myanmar is in danger of collapse.
Gu Zhong's heart sank: "Behind prosperity there is always a crisis. If Myanmar does not resolve this matter, it will be easy for the second generation to die."
He is a Ming Dynasty man, so he naturally understands that in the land of Myanmar, the Sun Burma established by Sun Kewang is much stronger than the indigenous Burma. Before, he spoke fluently and did not need an interpreter.
With the car curtains down, all the noise seemed to be blocked out.
Soon, the carriage entered the inner city.
The streets in the inner city are wide, and there are no vendors selling along the streets. There are only spacious and bright shops selling various commodities, such as silk, spices, tables, chairs, salt, etc.
Most of the people coming and going were richly dressed people, and their conversation was a bit more elegant and orderly.
There are only about 100,000 Han and Burmese senior officials, including Jiajuan, and 90% live in the inner city. They rarely set foot in the outer city and maintain their noble lives.
Ordinary Han people live a miserable life in the inner city and can only find some sense of presence in the outer city to achieve a higher standard of living.
Not all Han people are superior to others.
As soon as I returned to the mansion, there was a letter from the Burmese Li Cao asking for an audience.
Gu Zhong was stunned and immediately agreed.
In order to stabilize its rule, Myanmar had to surrender to the Ming Dynasty, make comprehensive changes in its official system, and imitate North Korea.
Therefore, the Book of Li Cao's judgment is the Minister of Rites.
Although he, as the minister, represents the face of the Ming Dynasty, there is no need to come to visit him in person.
"Probably they are guarding me!"
Gu Zhong's heart moved and he said, "Let him come in. No, I will go and greet him myself."
Immediately, he walked away quickly and saw an old man in his fifties sitting in the living room. He had a thin face and bright eyes. He was wearing a royal blue satin robe and cloth boots. He exuded a scholarly atmosphere. .
He is Zhang Xuhan, the official judge of Burma.
As a scholar, although he was not worth mentioning in the Ming Dynasty, he was the leading cultural figure in Myanmar and was highly trusted by Sun Kewang.
"Zhang Yanshu is so polite, why do you have time to come to my place?"
"Your Excellency, Minister." Zhang Xuhan had a correct attitude, bowed down solemnly, and then said with bright eyes:
"Your Highness will confer the title of Crown Prince on the eldest son of the king, and please ask the envoy to give you some advice."
As he narrated it, Gu Yuan understood the origin.
Myanmar's official system basically follows the Ming Dynasty model, but it just changed a set of names.
Everyone is familiar with this stuff and it can be done easily.
But etiquette is a big problem.
When performing the ceremony, Sun Kewang ended the ceremony casually without considering etiquette issues at all.
But nowadays, when canonizing a prince, it is natural to comply with etiquette so as not to make people laugh.
Even as a Li Cao judge, Zhang Xuhan was very ignorant and had no books to refer to. He could only ask the minister Gu Zhong.
To this, Gu Zhong readily agreed.
Then, he whispered: "But the king is not in good health?"
Zhang Xuhan struggled for a moment and decisively revealed: "I have been suffering from wind and cold in recent days, and I seem to have noticed that my health is not good..."
Gu Zhong nodded, his face solemn.
After Sun Kewang entered Burma, he had a difficult life. Several people died in infancy over the years. Today, only three sons and one princess survive.
It is no longer possible to regenerate.
And his eldest son is only twelve years old. As the heir apparent, he is quite young and it seems difficult to control the situation.
No wonder it was necessary to invite him as an envoy.
Let Ming Dynasty endorse it and deter those with evil intentions.
After he left, Gu Zhong pondered: "Sun Kewang is only fifty years old, how many years can he live?"
“Is Myanmar going to collapse in the second generation?”
In fact, he had never thought about establishing a vassal state in Myanmar, but considering the situation in Myanmar, he felt that it was slim.
This is a completely foreign country with a different language and culture.
The continuous mountains in the north hide many chieftains and rebellions.
To conquer this place, without 30,000 to 50,000 people and several years of conquest, it would be impossible to establish a vassal state.
The price is too high and it is not strong enough.
The imperial court will not agree, and His Majesty will not agree.
The next day, Gu Zhong was worried and went to the palace to ask for an audience with Sun Kewang.
Sun Kewang was very polite to him as the minister, and agreed to his request within a short time.
When he saw Sun Kewang, Gu Zhong stared at his pale face carefully, as if he was weighing how long he could live.
Sun Kewang didn't care about this. He chuckled and said, "The minister wants to see me, but for what reason?"
"Foreign ministers are presumptuous, but rumors are flying around the city. I am really worried about your king's health, so I came here specially."
When Gu Zhongzhong said it honestly, Sun Kewang immediately choked up.
He didn't expect this person to be so forthright.
"I am very happy that the minister can help the child."
Sun Kewang clapped his hands, and then a group of maids came out and brought plates of pearls, agates, gold and jade, which were extremely valuable.
Gu Zhong's heart moved: "This is the foreign minister's wish, and it is not worth it."
"Take it!" Sun Kewang said with a smile: "As the saying goes, no reward is received without merit, and the minister has helped me so much, a little money is nothing."
As he spoke, he slowly stood up, his old face showing some uneasiness and some worry at the same time.
After thinking for a long time, he asked: "Can the minister see the crisis in our country?"
Gu Zhong was stunned.
I'm just honest, why are you more honest than me?
After thinking for a while, he nodded.
"The crisis in Burma, when a small tribe confronts a large country, is just like the Mongolian Yuan and Manchu Qing Dynasties. It is difficult for them to last long."
"That's right." Sun Kewang sighed: "Then we try our best to bridge the gap, but this kind of thing cannot be solved by humans at all."
"Unless, go to China and join the barbarians."
"But it will collapse faster."
The foundation of Sun's Myanmar is Han Chinese, and its shortcomings are also Han Chinese.
If we go to the Han to invade the barbarians, then the Han people will rebel immediately, and they will not wait for the day when the Burmese rebel.
Of course, the situation is not that pessimistic.
Under Sun Kewang's continued suppression, the Burmese people had no resistance at all.
The Burmese people are distributed over a vast territory, and their power is dispersed. With the addition of other tribes and chieftains, it will be difficult for the Burmese people to overthrow Sun Burma.
"What does the king mean?"
Gu Zhong said cautiously.
"I intend to marry the prince a native wife."
Sun Kewang sighed: "The marriage with Ming Dynasty can only be broken up..."
Although Sun Kewang took in several Burmese concubines, he did not give birth to any children. Although it is not known whether it was intentional or providential, it is certain that the Burmese crown prince and other sons are of Han descent.
The marriage between the crown prince and the Ming Dynasty royal family can not only strengthen the relationship between the two countries, but also endorse the Sun family and strengthen its legal authority.
Now that he has denied his previous plan and allowed the crown prince to marry a Burmese, it is clear that he has become aware of the social divisions in Burma.
Although it is a bit old-fashioned to appease the Burmese people through marriage, it is indeed a good plan.
Gu Zhong frowned.
Marrying with Burma was his plan after taking office, in order to win over Burma and make it obey the court as much as possible and become a true internal vassal.
Even if it's half as good as North Korea, it's still great.
This is considered his political achievement, and his promotion is not far away.
We had a good conversation at first, but now we have changed our minds. Isn't this just teasing him?
The situation in Myanmar and its unstable governance have all turned into bullshit.
Seeing his displeasure, Sun Kewang knew that the money would not work, so he could only use it politically:
"After the crown prince is enthroned, I will make him and the crown prince get married as soon as possible, and then go to Beijing to pay a pilgrimage to His Majesty the Emperor before the end of the year."
This is to make up for the mistakes of the marriage.
Gu Zhong's face looked better now, but his tone was still bad: "In addition, His Highness's two sons, Cheng Anjun and Cheng Fujun, are also going to Beijing. They will go to Taixue to study and marry the clan's daughter.
wife."
Sun Kewang instantly became angry, but just as he was about to explode, he suppressed it. He gritted his teeth and said, "Okay."
"But I am suffering from illness, and the crown prince must come back before the end of Shaowu's twentieth year."
"good."
Gu Zhong showed a bright smile: "Please rest assured, Ming Dynasty looks forward to Myanmar's continuous success more than anyone else."
The eldest son went to Beijing, and the second son went to study in the Ming Dynasty.
Even if the crown prince turns traitor by then, the other two princes will inevitably lean towards the Ming Dynasty.
…
Ceylon.
At this time, Yanbao was already very lively.
After nearly a year of conquest, the scope of the Kingdom of Ceylon expanded several times, and initially bordered the Kingdom of Jaffna.
The number of people under his jurisdiction has reached 50,000, and the number of soldiers and horses is nearly 2,000.
At this time, they suddenly understood the true situation of the Jaffna Kingdom.
This kingdom was not completely controlled by Portugal as claimed, but by the Dutch.
The Kingdom of Jaffna has been destroyed, and the royal family has been banished to the mortal world.
However, limited by population, the Dutch only controlled the city of Jaffna, and the rest of the vast land was controlled by the nobles.
The Portuguese often secretly communicated with these local nobles to obtain ivory, gems and other materials.
So the Dutch replaced the royal family and jointly ruled the entire Kingdom of Jaffna with the nobles. Theoretically, the Kingdom of Jaffna still existed, but the royal family became the Dutch East India Company.
"The Portuguese deceived us."
Zhu Ding gritted his teeth and said: "There are hundreds of musketeers and thousands of vassal troops in Jaffna. With our methods, we simply cannot take over the country."
"Besides, it will offend the Dutch people."
In the past two years in Ceylon, they have understood the strength of the Dutch in the Indian Peninsula, and the Portuguese can only take second place and be oppressed by them.
Therefore, the Portuguese spared no effort to support them, so that they could stab the Dutch with a knife.
"Is there any other way we can do it?"
Zhu Ci looked at his two panicked brothers and said in a deep voice: "We want to live and live better. Now we can only rely on the Portuguese. In the future, we can only conquer the Kingdom of Jaffna."
"It is certain to drive away the Dutch."
"What are you afraid of? As long as we have strong troops and horses, the Dutch can only sit on the sea."
After boosting his morale, Zhu Ci felt a little uncomfortable.
The Turkish Kingdom and the Dutch are two different things, and their combat capabilities are not on the same level at all.
Ordinary natives would be scared away immediately when they saw the sound of muskets, but the Dutch would fight back and even use muskets.
At this moment, a voice suddenly came: "The Portuguese are coming——"
A group of people arrived at the pier.
"My friend, look what I have brought you, Han Chinese, Han Chinese just like you."