This was not merely a pretense on Zhu Jinsong's part.
Among Zheng Hua and Meng Yun, Zheng Hua was the one who had harbored thoughts of voluntary submission midway, while Meng Yun had harbored this intention all along but had never mentioned it to anyone. It was only because he had prepared the Burmese Yellow Register in advance, coupled with the fact that the锦衣卫’s current focus was not on Siam and Burma, that Zhu Jinsong might not have known of their intention to submit even after they reached Jinan Prefecture, had Zheng Hua not sent someone back to prepare the Siamese Yellow Register.
Therefore, after the锦衣卫 transmitted the news that Zheng Hua and Meng Yun wished to submit, Zhu Jinsong and the other powerful figures, including Zeng Cheng, were troubled for quite some time.
To accept, or not to accept?
The period of ‘taming the eagles’ was precisely when Zhu Jinsong, Zeng Cheng, and other leaders were discussing whether to accept their submission.
It was precisely for this reason that Zhu Jinsong uttered such nonsensical words as, "Your Majesties' requests truly put me in a difficult position."
Of course, Zheng Hua and Meng Yun knew that these words were pure nonsense, yet they both dutifully bowed and pleaded for mercy: "Your subject is guilty, begging Your Majesty for clemency!"
Look, look, at this point, they no longer referred to themselves as external ministers but as subjects. Meng Yun continued to bow and say, "Your subject feels as if he has arrived in paradise during his journey. If I were to receive Your Majesty's great favor, I would wish to reside in the Great Ming for generations to come, never to return to Burma!"
Zheng Hua inwardly cursed—damn it, we are all sycophants, why are you so good at sucking up?
After some thought, Zheng Hua simply followed suit, bowing and saying, "Your subject is the same!"
Zhu Jinsong cast a meaningful glance at Zheng Hua and Meng Yun, then said with a smile, "Since both of you have such intentions, it would be unbecoming of me not to fulfill them."
"Very well, after these matters are concluded, I shall order the Ministry of Works to select a prime location in Jinan to construct princely residences for both of you, for the habitation of your families. How does that sound?"
Meng Yun and Zheng Hua immediately bowed, saying, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your great favor!"
Zhu Jinsong chuckled and instructed, "Please rise, both of you. Between us as sovereign and subject, why such formality?"
After Meng Yun and Zheng Hua rose again, Zhu Jinsong continued, "I can grant your request to submit to the Great Ming, but I wonder if you have any difficulties? Are there any matters that our Great Ming needs to prepare for?"
Being asked this by Zhu Jinsong, Meng Hua and Meng Yun were at a loss for words for a moment.
For Zheng Hua, whose intention was a sudden impulse, it was somewhat better. However, Meng Yun was truly in a predicament.
The population, land, and even tax revenue had been largely accounted for, and the Burmese Yellow Register already contained detailed records. All the Great Ming needed to do was to take over.
The problem was that there were indeed a pile of troublesome affairs in Burma.
Firstly, Burma had previously clashed directly with the Great Qing. Under the leadership of Meng Yun, the ruler of Burma, they had successfully confronted the Great Qing. With Burma gaining substance and the Great Qing gaining face, both sides unanimously agreed to a tributary relationship every eight years.
Secondly, after Burma had 'won' against the Great Qing and established the eight-year tributary agreement, Meng Yun, as the ruler of Burma, became emboldened—after all, he was a formidable figure who had confronted the Great Qing, so how could he not be emboldened?
The result was that the emboldened Meng Yun repeatedly attempted to eliminate Siam, aiming for eternal dominion over Nanyang, encompassing both literary and martial prowess, and extending his influence to the Indian borders of Manipur and Assam.
This caused concern for the British, who occupied India at the time, regarding the threat posed by Burma. Given the meddling nature of the 'John Bull,' it was naturally impossible for the British Empire to directly dispatch troops to deal with Meng Yun. After all, although the British Empire was powerful at this time, projecting military power across oceans was still somewhat beyond its capabilities.
Therefore, the British Empire instigated unrest in the Arakanese Kingdom, located to the west of the Konbaung Dynasty.
If Zhu Jinsong had not risen to prominence, the course of events would likely have been that Meng Yun would lead Burma to continue its aggressive expansion. This would have continued until the year Daoguang 4 (1824), when the British Empire, having fully consolidated its power, would personally engage in a conflict with Burma. They would clash three times during the periods of Daoguang 4, Daoguang 6 (1826), and Xianfeng 3 (1853), subsequently capturing Yangon (then known as Bago) and naming it Lower Burma.
Following that, in the eleventh year of Guangxu (1885), Burma would be completely annexed, and in the twelfth year of Guangxu (1886), it would be incorporated into British India as a province of British India.
Subsequently, the Qing court would protest to the British Empire, but their protests would be ineffectual. In the twelfth year of Guangxu, they would be forced to sign the "Sino-British Treaty of Burma" with Britain, stipulating that China recognized Britain's suzerainty over Burma, but Burma would continue to pay tribute to China every ten years as per tradition.
Essentially, the British Empire would gain substance, and the Great Qing would continue to maintain face.
Of course, the British Empire had not yet fully consolidated its power at this time. Although the British Empire already possessed some of the formidable qualities of a European meddler, it was somewhat hesitant in the Far East and did not dare to intervene directly for the time being.
The problem was, regardless of whether the British Empire dared to intervene directly, the unrest in the Arakanese Kingdom to the west of the Konbaung Dynasty in Burma was an undeniable fact.
This matter was neither a major nor a minor issue.
If the Great Ming did not care about the British Empire, then the Arakanese rebellion would be insignificant. With the numerous armies under the command of the Five Military Commissions, any one army could resolve everything.
If the Great Ming did care about the British Empire… it was uncertain whether Burma could withstand the British Empire, but Meng Yun, the ruler of Burma, bringing a host of troubles to submit, was indeed a ticking time bomb—a time bomb for Meng Yun's life!
Seeing Meng Yun hesitate, Zhu Jinsong motioned to Zeng Cheng. Zeng Cheng nodded slightly, stroked his beard, and said with a smile, "Your Highness Meng Yun, do you have any unspeakable difficulties?"
Meng Yun hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and bowed to Zhu Jinsong, saying, "I report to Your Majesty, there is still some unrest within Burma. Your subject is incompetent. The Arakanese rebellion to the west of the Konbaung Dynasty has not yet been quelled. All of this is due to the machinations of the English barbarians. Your subject truly has no way to deal with them."
Zhu Jinsong nodded and said, "That is of no consequence. Are there any other problems besides this?"
Meng Yun bowed and replied, "I report to Your Majesty, there are no other problems besides this!"
Since he had already mentioned the issues with Arakan and the English, Meng Yun did not mind elaborating further. He proceeded to give a rough account of Arakan's location, military strength, national power, and how it had colluded with the English.
Since he now wished to embrace the Great Ming as a father figure, it was better to explain these matters to his "Great Ming Father" in advance—what if his "Great Ming Father" suffered any losses in Burma because of the English? Would he not be granted a draught of poison for his early submission?
However, Zhu Jinsong did not take the Arakanese and the British Empire seriously at all.
To be fair, although Meng Yun could be considered a generation's hero in the Nanyang region, compared to the emperors of the Central Plains dynasties, Meng Yun was somewhat lacking.
If even Meng Yun did not take the Arakanese rebellion too seriously, would it not be laughable for Zhu Jinsong, the Emperor of the Great Ming, to worry about it?
As for the English…
The British Empire at this time was only making waves in Europe. In the Great Ming, it could not make waves!
Have you heard of the East Sea Fleet? Have you heard of the South Sea Fleet? Even if not, have you heard of the North Sea Fleet?
Any one of these three fleets could almost certainly defeat the naval forces that the British Empire could dispatch to the Far East!
As for Burma being unable to defeat England, it was understandable upon reflection.
Burma, Siam, and other small countries did not possess powerful navies before the advent of ironclad ships. This was always the case.
This was not because these people were incredibly foolish, nor was it because they did not want to develop their nation's maritime power, but rather because of the problematic climate!
These regions generally shared the characteristic of being hot and having abundant rainfall.
The hot and humid climate brought advantages, such as two, or even three, rice harvests per year. A handful of seeds scattered on the ground could yield grain while lying down.
However, the disadvantages were more detrimental. Warships before the era of ironclads were made of wood. The wood used for shipbuilding needed to be dried in shade, and not for just a day or two; this process typically took years.
In a hot and humid climate, it was virtually impossible to dry wood in the shade. Without wood, how could they talk about warships!
Without effective warships, and since the Great Ming's Fuzhou ships were not sold externally, these small countries could only be easily defeated by the East India Company, which was moving towards its peak.
However, was the Great Ming the same as them?
How vast was the territory of the Great Ming now? Let alone the fact that the Great Ming was already preparing to develop towards ironclad warships, even if they continued to use wooden warships, the Great Ming had enough confidence to continue playing the game!