151660

Ming Burmese War

The Ming-Myanmar War was a war that broke out between the Ming Dynasty and Myanmar during the Wanli period of Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty of China and the Toungoo Dynasty of Myanmar, and the Qing Dynasty of China and the Gongbang Dynasty of Myanmar each fought a war. The line of actual control and the final border delineation between China and Myanmar are also closely related to these two wars.

During the Wanli period, a series of wars occurred between the Ming Dynasty and the Burmese Toungoo Dynasty, which lasted for more than 20 years, and ended in the failure of the Ming Dynasty.

At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming government set up the Sixth Announcement and Comfort Envoy Division in the southwest.

The Ming government awarded the chieftain the title of Xuanwei Envoy. The chieftain accepted the title of the Ming Dynasty, and nominally obeyed the three divisions of Yunnan (duhui, chief executive, and inspector). Its people, the world rule its soldiers, hereditary positions, the world govern its place, the world joins its stream, and the world receives its seals.”

The loyalty of the chieftain to the central government varies from person to person, and specific problems must be analyzed in detail. It is similar to the legendary “gu”. When the master can control the “gu”, the “gu” can bring benefits to the master. When the master cannot suppress the “Gu”, the “Gu” can attack the master.

The chieftains on the China-Myanmar border, when the central government was strong, paid a certain amount of tribute to both China and Myanmar based on the principle that neither side could afford to offend anyone. The payment to Myanmar is called “Flower Horse Gift”. Flowers are flowers and silver, horses are horses, that is, a certain amount of silver taels and horses are sent to the Myanmar government every year as gifts.

These chieftains are somewhat similar to the vassal states in the Spring and Autumn Period in China, with complex affinities and conflicts of interest. In the power vacuum between China and Myanmar, they flickered and moved, connected horizontally and vertically, turned their hands into clouds, and covered their hands into rain.

In 1550, the Toungoo Dynasty basically unified central and southern Burma.

In 1555, the Burmese army occupied Ava (now Mandalay).

In 1576, the Burmese army attacked Mengyang (near Myitkyina in present-day Kachin State).

In 1582, the Burmese army attacked Yunnan, marched into Yongchang (now Baoshan City), Tengyue (now Tengyue Town, Tengchong County, Baoshan City), burned Shidian (now Shidian County, Baoshan City), and attacked Shunning (now Lincang City). Fengqing County) and Zhanda (in present-day Yingjiang County, Dehong Prefecture), wherever they went, “killing and looting is useless”. Ming Ting was shocked.

In 1583, the Ming court ordered Liu Wei to pacify the rebellion in Yunnan. The Ming army once controlled Menglian (now Menglian County, Pu’er City), Gengma (now Gengma County, Lincang City), and Yaoguan (now Shidian, Baoshan City). County), Manmo (near present-day Bhamo, Myanmar), Mengyang (near present-day Myitkyina, Kachin State), and Mengmi (present-day Mengmi, Shan State), but Manmo Tusi Sishun immediately rebelled against Ming Dynasty and once again joined Myanmar .

In 1585, the chieftain of Mubang (now Xingwei, Myanmar) rebelled and invaded Yunnan. Emperor Wanli sent Deng Zilong to garrison Yongchang. Deng Zilong and Liu Wei had a bad relationship, and there was conflict between the troops. Liu Wei was dismissed. Later, Deng Zilong’s troops mutinied over the issue of military pay, and Deng Zilong was dismissed and imprisoned.

In 1590, Mengyang Tusi Sijiao rebelled, and the Wanli Emperor ordered Deng Zilong to take the blame and make meritorious deeds.

In 1591, when the Burmese army attacked Mengyang and Manmo, Deng Zilong led the army to retreat from the enemy. Soon after, Deng Zilong was impeached and dismissed from office.

At this stage, there were still exchanges between Ming and Burma, and they were both offensive and defensive, but from 1592, the Ming Dynasty began to take a defensive approach to the southwest, because northern China was in chaos.

The three major Wanli campaigns began: the Battle of Ningxia in 1592, the Battle of Korea from 1592 to 1598, and then the Battle of Bozhou in Guizhou from 1599 to 1600 (which killed the rebel chieftain Yang Yinglong). Although the Ming Dynasty won the three major expeditions, it also led to the emptiness of the treasury. In the Battle of Sarhu with the Manchus in 1619, the Ming army was completely defeated, resulting in the annihilation of the northern mobile troops capable of conquering and fighting. The demise sounded the death knell.

Myanmar was also at war with Thailand during this period, but Thailand was similar in size to Myanmar at the time, and Myanmar did not have the power to annex Thailand and make Thailand “an inseparable part of Myanmar since ancient times”. On the contrary, the endless Thai-Myanmar war has consumed a lot of both countries, and the Indo-China Peninsula has maintained a situation of independent governance. No force can be strong enough to unify the Indo-China Peninsula.

On January 18, 1593, Burma and Thailand fought at Nong Sarai (now Suphan Buri, Thailand).

During the war, King Narisuan of Thailand personally stabbed to death the Burmese army commander-in-chief Crown Prince Pamaha Ubala, and the Thai army won a great victory. The Thai army pursued the victory and turned to a counter-offensive, and the Mon people also rebelled with the support of Thailand.

To commemorate this historic moment, Thailand not only designated January 18 as Army Day, but also printed Na Li Xuan on banknotes.

At the end of 1593, the Burmese army, which was frustrated on the southern battlefield, decided to attack the north and marched aggressively. After the Burmese army occupied Manmo (present-day Bhamo, Myanmar), they divided their troops into three routes, attacking Lasa (in present-day Longchuan County, Yunnan Province) all the way, Shanmulong (in present-day Longchuan County, Yunnan Province) all the way to Zhefang, Mang City (in present-day Luxi City, Yunnan Province). Longchuan Tusi Duoshun was defeated and retreated to Mengmao (now Ruili City, Yunnan Province).

In 1594, the governor of Yunnan built eight passes in the northwest to southwest border of Tengyue Prefecture (in present-day Tengchong, Yunnan). Building a pass actually shows that the situation is very passive. The eight passes built by the governor of Yunnan are Shenhu Pass in Tengchong, Wanchu Pass in Yingjiang, Jushi Pass, Tongbi Pass, Tiebi Pass in Longchuan and Huzhu Pass, Hanlong Pass and Tianma Pass in Myanmar.

On November 19, 1598, the combined Chinese and Korean naval forces (North Korean general Yi Sun-sin, Ming Dynasty generals Chen Lin and Deng Zilong) defeated the Japanese navy in the Luliang sea area. Liang Haiming burned and sank more than 400 Japanese warships, annihilating the main force of the Japanese navy, and the Japanese died 12,000 people. However, the North Korean naval commander Yi Sun-sin took the lead, and the Chinese veteran Deng Zilong bravely sacrificed himself in the fierce battle.

In 1599, the feudal lord of the Arakan Dynasty led Portuguese mercenaries to join the feudal lord of Toungoo to capture and burn the ancient capital of Bai, and capture and behead the Burmese king Mang Yingli.

In 1602, the Burmese army sent troops to attack Manmo in order to seize the treasure wells (mines where jade was mined) in Mengmi and other places. Manmo Tusi Si is fleeing to Tengyue for help. The Burmese army chased after Huang Lianguan, which was only thirty miles away from Tengyue. When the Burmese army approached the city, the deputy envoy of Yunnan Qi Wenchang faced the pressure of the Burmese army and had nothing to do, so he had an idea and killed Tusi Sizheng to appease the Burmese army.

In 1604, when the Burmese army attacked Mengyang, Mengyang Tusi Sihong was defeated and died.

In 1606, the Burmese army attacked Mubang (now Burma Xingwei), the Ming army was unable to rescue, and Mubang fell. At this point, the Ming-Myanmar War ended.

After the border was stabilized, Tusi Mubang, Bhamo, and Mengyang still admitted that they were Xuanwei Divisions of the Ming Dynasty, but Burma actually controlled them; Tusi Menglian and Cheli (now Xishuangbanna) paid taxes to the Toungoo Dynasty in Burma. “Flowers and Horses”, but it is China that actually controls them.

The Ming Dynasty ignored and avoided the war situation in the southwest, mainly because the north was the focus of China’s defense, and in the southwest, it adopted a policy of restraint (jīmí). On the one hand, it must be “restricted” and controlled by military means and political pressure; on the other hand, it must be comforted by economic and material interests. Literally “carrots and sticks”. But the basic principle of the restraint policy is: “Acceptance without rebelling, and abandonment without chasing after rebellion.”