Based on historical records and the current strength of the Ming army, the emperor believed that victory in the Burmese invasion was possible. Furthermore, a slow and steady approach, meaning steady and cautious, increased the chances of success to 90%.

If it is a confrontation based solely on strength, with the Ming army's current equipment level, no army in the world can withstand it head-on.

Since you have a crushing advantage in strength, try not to use any strategies, and don't give your opponent any room to use them. Fight in an upright battle, using the most stable means to achieve the most certain victory.

As for the military strength, the emperor also agreed with the opinions of Wang Sanshan and others. He did not increase the number of troops, but strengthened the weapons and equipment and provided high incentives.

Thirty percent of the gold, silver, and treasures seized were taken, and a share of the profits from the human trafficking was also given to the army. This was a considerable income, capable of transforming the Ming army into a fierce and destructive force.

This is also what the emperor hopes for. The more serious the destruction in the occupied areas, the fewer Burmese people will be left, which will be more beneficial for future rule.

The emperor flipped through the memorials, calculated the time, and felt that the news of victory in the attack on Champa would soon arrive.

Champa is also known as Champapula, also known as Champa, Champa, or Champa. Ancient Chinese texts refer to it as Xianglinyi, or simply Linyi. From the second half of the 8th century to the end of the Tang Dynasty, it was renamed Huan Kingdom. During the Five Dynasties, it was also known as Champa.

The former site of Champa was originally Xianglin County of Rinan County established during the Han Dynasty in China. In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the Cham people Qu Lian killed the magistrate of Xianglin County of Rinan County of the Han Dynasty, declared independence from China, and established the Champa Kingdom.

Every newly established kingdom had its glory days, and Champa was no exception. It once sent troops to attack the Tang Dynasty and also fought long wars with Zhenla and Vietnam.

The long-term war also caused the decline of Champa. Especially after the establishment of the Le Dynasty in Vietnam, it lost territory one after another and only had a small piece of land left.

In the 20th year of Wanli's reign, the two major military groups of the Zheng Lords and the Nguyen Lords of the Later Le Dynasty of Vietnam clashed and respectively split the north and south of Vietnam, giving Champa a period of respite.

To gain Champa's support against the Trinh rulers in the north, the Nguyen Lords made peace with Champa. Nguyen Phuc Nguyen married his daughter, Princess Ngoc Nhuyen, to the Champa monarch, who then seized the opportunity of the Vietnamese Civil War to rise up and establish their own state.

In fact, Champa was still basically under the military protection of the Southern Nguyen Dynasty, and was weak and vulnerable.

When the Ming army entered the Mekong Delta and settled there, they also planned to occupy Champa. However, the emperor was worried about the precarious position and did not want to cause a long-term conflict with the Southern Nguyen because of the weak Champa.

Similarly, facing the huge pressure from the Northern Zheng, the Southern Nguyen did not want to go to war with the Ming. With the tacit understanding of the two sides, Champa became a buffer in the middle.

However, with the changing situation and the fruitful development and construction of Mekong Province, Champa is no longer necessary as a buffer.

Liaodong has been pacified and the She'an Rebellion has been extinguished. The Ming Dynasty no longer has to worry about fighting on two fronts. If it focuses on dealing with the Southern Nguyen, it is no longer afraid of the consumption of war.

In the seventh year of the Tianqi reign, the war between the Zheng regime and the Nguyen regime finally broke out. The two sides fought for four consecutive months without a clear winner.

As a result of the war, Vietnam was effectively divided into two parts, North and South, with the Trần family controlling most of the north and the Nguyễn family controlling most of the south; the dividing line between the two sides was the Zheng River in Quang Binh Province.

Compared with the Zheng family, which ruled the densely populated areas, the Nguyen family was at a clear disadvantage in resources and manpower.

However, because the Nguyen family was on the defensive, and taking advantage of the favorable terrain and the firearms and equipment purchased from the Portuguese, they were able to withstand the Zheng family's attack.

The Ming Dynasty's annexation of Champa was perfectly timed. The Nguyen of the South would never dare to take a hard line. They were already being suffocated by the Zheng Dynasty of the North, so how could they dare to provoke the behemoth Ming Dynasty?

Strength is one thing, but timing must also be mastered to obtain the greatest benefits at the lowest cost.

This is also an important message that the emperor wants to convey to his courtiers: they should have a long-term vision and not just focus on the small piece of land in the country.

We must be well-informed about the international situation, especially information about the surrounding areas. We cannot be in the court and rely on past impressions, and we cannot formulate strategies on paper.

For example, in the situation in Annan, in addition to the official war between Zheng in the north and Nguyen in the south, there was also the Mo regime that ruled Cao Bang and Taiyuan, and had always relied on the Ming Dynasty as the backing of its rule.

The emperor has secretly instructed the provinces of Yunnan and Guangxi to gradually increase their support for the Mo family, laying mines for Northern Zheng.

As long as the situation in Annan is unstable, there will be no resistance to the development of Mekong Province and the annexation of Champa.

And this may just be the beginning.

In the fourth year of Yongle, hundreds of thousands of Ming troops marched south and swept across southern Xinjiang in just one year, recovering the homeland of the Han and Tang dynasties. It was truly magnificent.

In the second year of Xuande, after suffering successive casualties, the Ming Dynasty was forced to withdraw its troops from the small country in southern Xinjiang. Twenty years of management were destroyed in an instant, which was a truly embarrassing situation.

Victory and defeat are inevitable, and the lessons of the Yin Dynasty are not far away. Although the emperor wanted to recover the territory of the Han and Tang Dynasties, he also knew that Annan had been established for hundreds of years and that direct annexation would face great resistance and high governance costs.

However, Annan could not be easily stabilized. The long-term war between Zheng in the north and Nguyen in the south, and the separatist regime of the Cao Bang Mo family, also gave the Ming Dynasty a good opportunity to maneuver and use strategies to weaken its strength.

Inside the Ministry of War, Minister of War Xiong Tingbi and his subordinates gathered around a huge sand table, discussing issues concerning southern Xinjiang that were similar to those concerning the emperor.

"Intelligence has confirmed that Zheng can mobilize a maximum of over 100,000 troops, while Nguyen can mobilize no more than 30,000."

Xiong Tingbi listened to Zanhua's report, nodded slightly, and slowly said: "Nguyen's troops are basically concentrated in the Hue defense line between the mountains and the sea. It is impossible for them to go south to rescue Champa."

Smiling, Xiong Tingbi said in a relaxed tone, "In this case, there's no need to worry about attacking Champa. I expect victory news to arrive soon."

"The Nguyen refused to pay tribute and was already treasonous. Champa was once a vassal of the Ming Dynasty, yet it paid tribute and became a vassal of the Nguyen. Regardless of status, we should attack them."

A young aide spoke more vehemently, pointing to the sand table and saying, "The Nguyen are merely relying on their geographical advantages and Portuguese firearms to thwart the Northern Zheng regime. Our navy can cut off their weapons supply and put pressure on the Portuguese to prevent them from providing any assistance to the Nguyen."

"Balance! Your Majesty wants balance. We want the long-term attrition of the Zheng forces in the north and the Nguyen forces in the south." Another aide stroked his beard and said, "We can't weaken the Nguyen forces too much. We need to give them the strength to resist Zheng."

After a pause, he continued his analysis, "Even if Northern Zheng holds a clear advantage, our country should use the Cao Ping Mo family to contain Northern Zheng, giving Southern Nguyen a chance to catch his breath."

Xiong Tingbi smiled and said, "No matter what means we use, the instability of Annan is beneficial to our Ming Dynasty. This strategy should be considered in the long term, ten years or even decades. There is no need to rush for success. The defeat and retreat to Annan during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong can serve as a lesson."

In the Civil War between Annan and the North, the purpose and principle of the Ming Dynasty was to sit back and watch the fight, without paying too much cost and causing the enemy to be exhausted and weakened.

As for annexation and occupation, the emperor believed that the Ming would not act unless the people were infuriated and the country was impoverished and weakened. Even if it took decades, there was no rush.