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

Chapter 1215 Upon First Seeing Mang Bai

In less than two months, Sha Dingzhou's situation deteriorated rapidly. From initially controlling most of Yunnan, he had lost even Kunming and led his troops back to his old base. Anyone with a brain could see how things would develop next.

With these changes, attitudes across Yunnan began to shift dramatically. Not only the chieftains and local forces who had initially been hesitant, but even those who had initially pledged allegiance to Sha Dingzhou changed their minds. In everyone's view, Sha Dingzhou's defeat was only a matter of time. The promising situation had been ruined, and Sha Dingzhou, now retreating to his old stronghold, had lost the initiative and could no longer become the ruler of Yunnan. His so-called King of Dian had become a joke, and even though Sha Dingzhou still held tens of thousands of troops, it was all in vain.

In this situation, everyone sided with the imperial court and Mu Tianbo, abandoning Sha Dingzhou. As more and more people clarified their stance, not only condemning Sha Dingzhou as a traitor, but also actively sending troops to assist the imperial court in suppressing Sha Dingzhou's rebellion, Sha Dingzhou found himself isolated and his situation became increasingly difficult.

"How could this be? How could this happen? How could I have fallen to this state?" Sha Dingzhou, who had returned to his lair, was no longer the high-spirited man he had been a few months ago. He was extremely dejected and drank himself into a stupor every day, sitting on the ground with disheveled hair, muttering to himself.

He couldn't understand how things had turned out this way when they were so promising. Where had he gone wrong? Had he not listened to Tang Jiabin's advice? At that moment, he couldn't help but think of Tang Jiabin. If Tang Jiabin were standing in front of him now, he, Sha Dingzhou, would trust and implement Tang Jiabin's advice without hesitation. But where was Tang Jiabin? Had he really abandoned him?

Guest, oh guest! Where are you?!
Sha Dingzhou looked up to the sky and shouted, hoping that Tang Jiabin could hear his cries and give him advice to get through the crisis. He had lost his previous confidence and was only thinking about how to get through the crisis and protect himself.

Tang Jiabin finally arrived in Myanmar; the journey had been extremely difficult.

Just as Tang Jiabin entered Weiyuan, he heard news of a change in the situation. When he learned that Qujing had been occupied and the Ming army had begun its counterattack, and that many local chieftains had successively expressed their support for the court and sent troops to deal with Sha Dingzhou, Tang Jiabin knew in his heart that the defeat of Sha Dingzhou was only a matter of time.

At this moment, Tang Jiabin dared not linger in Weiyuan. He knew very well that once his identity was revealed to others, the people around him alone would not be able to protect him. He, Tang Jiabin, was the prime minister of Shading Prefecture, Shading Prefecture's brother-in-law, and the most trusted person in Shading Prefecture. If they could capture him and hand him over to the court, it would be a great achievement. Tang Jiabin did not want to lose his life for this reason, especially since he had not yet completed his task. The most important thing right now was to get to Burma immediately.

Next, Tang Jiabin and his group disguised themselves as mountain people, avoiding main roads and taking mountain paths, finally arriving in Menglian after many hardships. Upon reaching Menglian, Tang Jiabin dared not linger and continued westward, eventually reaching the Hawa region. Once in Hawa, Myanmar was within reach. After several days, guided by a guide, they navigated through the jungle and entered Myanmar. Only after setting foot on Burmese soil did Tang Jiabin finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Upon arriving in Myanmar, Tang Jiabin immediately contacted the local government to identify himself, presented the token given to him by Mang Bai, and asked them to escort him to Ava.

The journey from the border to Ava was not short, and the roads in Myanmar were much worse than those in Yunnan. The trip took a considerable amount of time, and by the time Tang Jiabin arrived in Ava, another month had passed. By this time, the Ming army in Yunnan had launched a full-scale counterattack, not only capturing Kunming but also gathering forces to attack Sha Dingzhou's stronghold. Although Sha Dingzhou put up a fierce resistance and could barely hold on for a while, the tide had turned, and it would soon be completely defeated by the Ming army's encirclement and suppression.

Tang Jiabin was unaware of these details, but he knew that time was of the essence. If Myanmar could immediately launch an attack on western Yunnan, there might still be a chance to salvage Shading Prefecture. Therefore, upon arriving in Ava, he immediately sought an audience with Mang Bai, determined to use his persuasive skills to convince Mang Bai to send troops to save Shading Prefecture.

To Tang Jiabin's surprise, Mang Bai didn't see him immediately, but instead settled him in a separate courtyard. Although the food and lodging were excellent, and he was safe there, the situation was urgent, and Tang Jiabin couldn't care less about such comforts! He was anxious about how to persuade Mang Bai to send troops. In order to see Mang Bai as soon as possible, Tang Jiabin gritted his teeth and used the gold and silver he had brought to bribe the officials. After paying a certain price, he finally managed to get a chance to be summoned by Mang Bai.

The current king of Myanmar is Mangda, and Mangbai is only Mangda's younger brother. However, because Mangda is old, in poor health, and has no children, Mangbai, although the king's brother, wields immense power and there are signs that he may be usurping the throne. Everyone knows that once Mangda dies, the throne of Myanmar will inevitably fall into Mangbai's hands.

This is why Tang Jiabin contacted Mang Bai. Mang Bai is the one who truly calls the shots in Myanmar. As long as Mang Bai agrees, the matter of Myanmar sending troops will be settled.

On the day of the audience, Tang Jiabin changed his clothes. These were the official robes specially made for him when Sha Dingzhou appointed him Prime Minister. They resembled those of a first-rank official in the Ming Dynasty, but differed in detail. They looked awkward on Tang Jiabin, giving him a somewhat effeminate air. However, Tang Jiabin felt quite pleased with himself and swaggered away from the villa in his sedan chair, heading towards the Burmese royal palace.

A short while later, Tang Jiabin arrived at the palace. After getting out of the sedan chair, he subconsciously loosened his slightly tight collar. Myanmar is further south than Yunnan, and the climate here is much hotter. Tang Jiabin was already unbearably hot dressed like this, not to mention that he had been in a sedan chair for almost half an hour, which made him extremely hot.

"Lord Tang, His Majesty has been waiting for you inside for quite some time." Tang Jiabin looked toward the palace. At this moment, a eunuch came out and bowed to Tang Jiabin. Tang Jiabin recognized the eunuch and knew that he was one of Mang Bai's men. He did not dare to be careless and quickly returned the bow and thanked him. Then he followed the eunuch into the palace.

The royal palace in Myanmar was not large, much smaller than the Forbidden City of the Ming Dynasty, and even slightly smaller than the Duke Mu Tianbo's mansion. However, the palace was magnificent, and given the Burmese people's love of gold and their Buddhist faith, it was decorated everywhere with gold leaf, making it dazzlingly bright.

This was Tang Jiabin's first time visiting the Burmese royal palace. He instinctively looked around with curiosity. After walking a short distance, the eunuch leading the way told him that the main hall was just ahead, and the king was waiting for him there. Tang Jiabin nodded, composed himself, and carefully straightened his clothes before entering. Upon entering the hall, the first thing he saw was a golden throne in the center, presumably the throne of King Mangda of Burma. However, the throne was currently empty. Slightly below the throne, to the left, was a chair occupied by a stout, dark-skinned, middle-aged man with a mustache. This man wore a loose royal robe; it seemed this was Mangda.

Besides Mangbai, there were several other people in the outer hall, including palace guards and several men of varying heights standing on both sides. They appeared to be ministers of the Burmese Kingdom, but it was unknown who these ministers were or what their identities were.

Composing himself, Tang Jiabin strode forward, stopped a few meters away from Mang Bai, and then bowed deeply to the empty throne and Mang Bai beside him, addressing himself as Tang Jiabin, the envoy of King Sha Dingzhou of Dian, a foreign subject, to the King and Sovereign of Burma.

"You're Tang Jiabin?" Mang Bai asked with a smile as he looked Tang Jiabin up and down.

"Your Majesty, I am Tang Jiabin. May Your Majesty live a thousand years!" Tang Jiabin replied, bowing deeply with his buttocks sticking out high, looking quite comical.

Mang Bai laughed and gestured for Tang Jiabin to stand up. After Tang Jiabin bowed and got up from the ground, Mang Bai asked him with a smile, "Why did you suddenly come to Myanmar when you were doing well in Yunnan? What brings you to Myanmar?"
"Your Majesty, I have come to see you regarding the matter of our previous invitation to send troops..."

"Wait!" Before Tang Jiabin could continue, Mang Bai suddenly interrupted, "What invitation to send troops? I don't recall ever hearing of such a thing!"

Tang Jiabin's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but look at Mang Bai. They had discussed the matter of sending troops together before, and although Mang Bai had not yet given him a final answer, his previous communication had shown great interest in the matter.

Tang Jiabin's purpose in coming to Myanmar was to persuade Mang Bai to send troops to Yunnan as soon as possible, join forces with Sha Dingzhou to divide Yunnan, and resolve Sha Dingzhou's crisis. Tang Jiabin believed he could convince the other party and was aware of the other party's previous attitude, but to his surprise, Mang Bai flatly denied it as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Oh no, has Mang Bai changed his mind?" Tang Jiabin thought to himself, then quickly changed his words, "It's alright if Your Majesty is unaware of this matter. Today, I have come to bring you good news. I have learned that Your Majesty has been dedicated to restoring the glory of our ancestors, and now there is the best opportunity. As long as Your Majesty leads your troops eastward and invades Yunnan, western Yunnan will instantly fall to Burma. At that time, Your Majesty can use this achievement to deter the surrounding areas, expand the territory, and make a name for yourself in history!"

"Hahaha!" Mang Bai burst into laughter upon hearing this, shaking his head and saying, "You make it sound so easy, but how can it be so simple? First of all, Burma is a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty. How can we take advantage of the superior nation's crisis to rebel? Besides, even if our army can invade Yunnan, we probably won't be able to take western Yunnan, let alone negotiate and expand our territory. If the superior nation holds us accountable, wouldn't I, as their ruler, have to atone with my life? It might even bring disaster to our dynasty. The so-called 'lasting fame' in history would be a joke. You're wrong!"

(End of this chapter)