The nearly 40,000 well-equipped and well-armed Ming troops were no longer something Myanmar could resist.

If it were not for the terrain, climate and logistics, occupying Upper Burma, Middle Burma and Lower Burma would not be difficult.

But what the emperor wanted was stable occupation, long-term dominance, and absolutely certain victory.

Moreover, this was the first large-scale foreign expedition, and its nature was different from the suppression of the Liao rebellion. Victory would boost public morale, but defeat would undoubtedly lead to numerous obstacles in the expansion of territory.

Therefore, such a large number of troops were mobilized and huge amounts of money and supplies were invested.

The goal was to kill or capture as many Burmese people as possible, so that they would basically lose the ability to resist in Upper Burma and the occupied areas.

While swallowing up a nation is certainly satisfying, the subsequent costs of occupation and maintenance are extremely high. It is far better to occupy and digest a region piece by piece, reaping the immediate benefits first.

To put it bluntly, the emperor had to recover the costs and see the benefits first, and then encourage everyone to invest and continue his grand plan of expanding territory.

At the same time, the emperor also wanted to show the people of the Ming Dynasty the correct way to conduct foreign wars. The more you fight, the stronger you become, the richer you become, and the more land you acquire, everyone will benefit from it.

"Your Majesty is still too cautious." Xu Hongyu looked at the battlefield and didn't dare to say this out loud, but he thought to himself: "Give me 20,000 troops and a sufficient supply of ammunition, and I can sweep across Burma."

Yes, many Ming army officers were full of confidence, but they also knew that it was not so easy to ensure an adequate supply of ammunition.

The preparations for the Burmese invasion took over a year, including training the troops, familiarizing them with the climate, and establishing an arms department in Tengchong. Almost all of the emperor's annual budget was spent.

Of course, the emperor was very good at making money, and he had glass mirrors, royal weaving, imperial porcelain kilns and other sources of income in his hands, so he didn't care much about the more than one million gold and silver he earned every year.

Well, let's capture Ava and grab some gold, silver, and treasures for the Emperor to make him happy. After we get the money back, we'll fight more wars in the future.

Although Xu Hongyu came from a noble family, his experiences over the past few years have made him completely fall in love with the profession of a soldier.

Fighting on the battlefield and fighting bravely is the profession that best demonstrates masculinity and the achievement that will be recorded in history.

"General." Xu Xiaoqi brought a few cavalrymen and hundreds of prisoners with him. After handing them over to the local soldiers, he rode his horse and saluted with a smile.

Xu Hongyu was very satisfied and finally changed the name of "Young Master". Calling him that in the army would make others think it was undignified and embarrassing.

"It's fun to chase and kill, right?" Xu Hongyu laughed, feeling envious. However, riding a horse and charging into battle was no longer a commander's job.

Xu Xiaoqi curled his lips and said disdainfully, "They are just a bunch of chickens and dogs. It's not fun to chase them down."

Xu Hongyu rolled his eyes and said, "By the way, I'll ask the local officials to keep an eye out for beautiful women and keep them for you."

After a pause, he added, "It's time to start a family."

"No, no." Xu Xiaoqi shook his head like a rattle and said anxiously, "I'm an officer now. I want a wife. There are plenty of Han girls. Why would I want a Burmese girl? She can't even understand what I'm saying."

"I've seen many beautiful Burmese women, and I've heard they have good temperaments." Xu Hongyu said with a smile, "I didn't expect you to be so picky. It would be nice if you could become my concubine."

Hehe, Xu Xiaoqi laughed evilly twice and said, "Then let me set an example. If you want to marry a Burmese woman, I will follow you."

"I—can't." Xu Hongyu said, "My rank is too high. How can I get promoted in the future if I marry a woman from another race?"

Xu Xiaoqi opened his eyes wide and said, "Sir, I want to be a general too! Don't you think I can do it?"

Xu Hongyu opened his mouth for a long time before closing it. He chuckled dryly and said, "Good, you have ambition. Let's leave it at that. Work hard and make more achievements!"

Xu Xiaoqi then smiled, turned his horse's head, and galloped away with several riders.

They robbed money, food, people, and of course women.

For senior officers like Xu Hongyu, and even mid-level officers like Xu Xiaoqi, many people are worried about their future and refuse Burmese women.

However, this did not include ordinary soldiers, and the imperial court and the Ministry of War had no restrictions. In order to boost morale, there were even such incentives before the expedition.

Moreover, at that time, the divisions between countries and nations, and even the concepts of territory and territorial waters, were not particularly clear.

It was impossible to kill all the Burmese in the occupied areas or drive them all away. The emperor also had such arrangements to make them surrender, naturalize and assimilate.

The crude policy on prisoners of war is actually a form of indulgence for the frontline troops. Invasion, expansion, and plundering wealth are essentially just that. It's not just a dinner party, so why pretend to be a benevolent army and not harm anyone?

However, massacre was prohibited, and the need for labor made captives also a treasure. The Maritime Merchants Association reserved 10,000 people to move to Borneo; the southward expansion of Mekong Province also required manpower for reclamation, and they hoped to transfer 20,000 people.

This is the number that the imperial court has already determined. The demands for land and population by the chieftains participating in the war have not been taken into account.

If the climate in Northeast China was not unsuitable for the Burmese, more labor would be needed to develop the Great Northern Wilderness.

It's still the same idea: without culture and language, they can't be considered an independent nation. After two or three generations, we are all citizens of the Ming Dynasty. Who cares what ethnicity our ancestors were?

That’s right, they are all citizens of the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty is also a multi-ethnic country. The emperor’s cognition and vision largely determine the Ming Dynasty’s attitude towards other ethnic groups.

………………

The Battle of Mandalay, also known as the Battle of Mandalay, resulted in a crushing defeat for the Burmese army. Tens of thousands of troops were slaughtered by 15,000 Ming troops on the right wing, and only a few thousand escaped.

The Ming army on the left moved south along the Irrawaddy River, successively conquering Jiangtou City, Taigong City, and Anzhengguo City, and arrived in Mandalay one day later than the friendly forces on the right.

At this point, the main force of the Ming army successfully joined together. The two Ming armies and the central army of Governor Wang Sanshan, totaling more than 40,000 people, rushed towards the city of Ava.

Mandalay suffered a crushing defeat, and Ava City no longer had any protection. Faced with the aggressive Ming army, the Burmese king, princes and ministers in Ava City were in a panic.

While preparing to escape, they deployed tens of thousands of Burmese troops along the river, hoping to use the Ava River to block the Ming army.

Before this, the King of Burma sent envoys, hoping that the Ming army would stop the attack, and that Myanmar was willing to restore its vassal status of the Ming Dynasty and pay tribute every year.

The Burmese king sent envoys to negotiate such conditions out of fear and also a sense of luck, hoping to use this painless concession to temporarily stop the Ming army.

But the envoy was released and his terms were rejected. The Ming army had only one condition: surrender and then be appointed as the Burmese Pacification Commissioner by the imperial court.

In other words, the Ming Empire wanted to restore Myanmar to its state during the time of Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Emperor did not care about the empty title of paying tribute and having the barbarians submit to him.