To the Burmese peoples of the south:

I am Li Mei. I am the Water Minister of the Resplendent Xia Empire of Dawn, the tamers of the Yangtze, inheritors of the Northern Realms, and heir to divinity. I speak to you on behalf of Emperor Xia Ro, son of Great Yu, the mighty yellow dragon of the running rivers at the centre of the earth, though I have no direct consent nor order to proclaim the following decree.

It has come to our attention that your peoples have founded a settlement: Bagan. Though the Oracle Bones tell of the gods and ancestor spirits bequeathing the world to us, our emperor is wise and generous, like his ascended forefathers.

Therefore, I would like to call a forum at the ruins of Jiāng Tōng, in the pass between our two wards. There are various threats to both your king and our glorious and ascendant Emperor Xia Ro, the golden sunrise warrior of the shining stars. We have heard whispers of brutish white tiger peoples to the far west, and we look with trepidation and curiosity to the Endless Dawnlit Sea of the Azure Dragon. Traders from your lands tell us of the Hundred Isles to your south, where the Vermillion Bird roams and the Sky turns Red. And we may make some travels to the wintry north, where demons and riches call their homes, and the Black Turtle rules the land.

Make no mistake – if you dare to rise against Emperor Xia Ro, brilliant craftsman of the mighty kingdom of bronze and silk, then we will take your homes and your wives, and shackle your sons to build testaments to our splendour. But together, we may be able to prosper mutually.

And so, I call this gathering. Drink our tea, use our bronze, and meet with us, and we may someday learn to call you brother.