Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 160

"Punish the murderer!!"

"Give us Chinese an explanation!"

"Reject pro-Japanese sentiment!"

"Give us an explanation!"

On the streets of Bangkok, large groups of Teochew Chinese launched demonstrations, blocked traffic, and even surrounded relevant official residences.

At least no one dares to take out guns and organize armed marches, but in fact everyone knows that since the rise of Penang, the gun ownership rate among Chinese has been rising.

I am afraid no one will believe that there are no people from Penang manipulating and guiding these Chinese marches.

All government departments treated this as a major threat, and some police officers even encountered violent attacks from Chinese people while enforcing the law.

These policemen did not dare to open fire. Everyone knew that if they did, it would be a serious matter. The pressure from Penang, the pressure from Britain, and even the pressure from Bangkok would explode at the same time.

These Chinese people have guns, and now everyone is just limiting the matter to a peaceful protest where you don't shoot and I don't shoot either.

Once the police station opens shooting, these Chinese will definitely go home to get guns. God knows what role Penang plays in this.

Who dares to take on such responsibility?
The reason these Chinese took to the streets was not only to vent their anger for Yi Guangyan's death, but also to urge the government to agree to Penang's conditions and sever diplomatic ties with Japan.

Isn’t it in the best interests of these Chinese people to sever diplomatic ties with Japan?

Because of Zheng Yi in this time and space, the situation of these Chinese in Siam is naturally very different from that in history.

Historically, Chinese people have been marginalized since the establishment of the constitutional monarchy in 32. It was not until some of them clung to the top military officials and acted as white gloves for the powerful military leaders to help them make money that they found their own ecological niche again.

That is, the Chinese who have connections with the military are getting better and better off, with a status similar to that of bond slaves, while ordinary Chinese who have no connection with the military are getting worse and worse off, and even have to bear the anger of those Chinese who have connections with the military.

The history here is different. Siam's main product is rice, but it also has some textile industry. After its rise, Penang has always been a major buyer of Siam's rice, especially after the establishment of the food industry, it even proposed the idea of ​​purchasing Siam's rice at a high price.

If the Siamese government did not want to put all its eggs in one basket and had not forcibly set aside a portion of rice to sell to Japan in order to maintain friendly relations with Japan, all of their Siamese rice would have been monopolized by Penang.

After the rise of Penang, many Chinese who had been working as miners and plantation laborers in Siam had already moved to Penang, and the number of Chinese people in Siam dropped significantly.
British capitalists and Chinese tycoons who had businesses in Siam also had to use a large number of Thai workers.

Even many mine owners, plantation owners and other bosses sold their properties and moved to Penang.

Those who still stay in Siam either have real ties here, such as having a family and a career, with certain assets and connections, or their wives are Thai and they cannot leave, or they are third or fourth generation immigrants and can no longer speak Chinese.

Of course, there are also many who returned to Siam after becoming Penang residents.

Most of them are engaged in business, collecting rice. Especially in the past two years, the major grain traders in Siam have changed from Japanese to Chinese.

Even the big Japanese grain merchants in Siam were running to Penang, and some of the Japanese in Siam were actually Penang citizens.

It was all arranged by Liem Sioe Liong. After learning that Siam was forced to export rice to Japan, he directly sent a large number of Japanese expatriates to buy rice, but after loading the rice onto the ship, it was all shipped to Penang.

Of course, some food processing industries are also done by Chinese people, such as rice retrieval, classification, and primary processing.

After the textile war broke out, several Chinese textile factories were even opened in Bangkok.

Of course, there are still Chinese people who serve as slaves to the top military officials as in history, but they are only a minority.

Even most of these slaves and white gloves may have become Penang citizens. Among these high-ranking officials of the Siamese military, many have direct ties with Siam.

Because Penang is now the world's tax evasion, money laundering and cross-border transit center!

The OCBC Bank and Penang Bank in Penang are even starting to take over the business that was once done by Swiss banks. Even many Jews deposit their money in Penang Bank.

Can the money embezzled by these senior military officials through white gloves be deposited in banks in Penang?

The situation of the Chinese has improved, and they are now richer, more capable, and even own more guns than in history.

The ethnic conflicts between the Chinese and Thai peoples are actually much more relaxed than in history.

First, there are fewer Chinese people and their status is higher. Ordinary people cannot come into contact with them, or have less contact with them, so the conflicts are naturally smaller.

Second, the economic base of the Chinese has changed. Historically, a large number of Chinese have been engaged in plantation agriculture and mining, lending, and acting as white gloves for senior military officials to help them make money.

Naturally, there is a feeling that you outsiders are here to rob us of our money. Under the instigation of some people with ulterior motives, it is inevitable that they will think that the Chinese are so rich and that this money should have been theirs.

But now the Chinese's money mainly comes from outside, from Penang. They are not directly engaged in plantation industry, at most they are engaged in industry. The money comes from outside, so naturally the contradiction is much smaller.

Of course, there is a more important reason: the Chinese really have guns in their hands.

When they are treated unfairly, they really dare to shoot at you, and then find someone to arrange for them to escape back to Penang.

Therefore, most people did not dare to provoke the Chinese easily, which invisibly led to the Chinese in Siam being treated in a similar way to the British, French and Americans.

At least their status is no worse than that of Japanese residents.

It is precisely for this reason that the Teochew gang in Siam is now very bold and has begun to protest in a manner similar to an internal demonstration. Naturally, the radical anti-Japanese stance from 32 years ago has also been mentioned again.

After all, in history, after the Chaozhou Gang burned and smashed Japanese goods, there were no substitutes for Japanese goods that could replace their market position. After the rice was not sold to the Japanese, there was no market large enough nearby to absorb the rice.

The situation at this time and space was completely different. The Chinese could express their protest against Japan with confidence, and Siam's industrialization process could actually be achieved through industrial transfer from Penang.

The objective reason why Siam was pro-Japanese in history was that Japan was its largest customer for rice. If Siam wanted to develop its industry, it had to start with the textile industry.
Does it need to purchase electrical equipment and textile equipment from Japan, and does its army need to purchase Japanese weapons, imitate Japanese weapons and hire Japanese instructors?

The textile equipment he needed to buy to embark on industrialization: Toyota Textile!

Because of this, what Zheng Yi actually emphasized during the meeting, that Siam would never agree to sever diplomatic ties with Japan and would inevitably follow Japan to the end, was actually wrong.

It was he, the time traveler, who made an empiricist mistake and underestimated the effect of his own butterfly wings flapping.

So when Zheng Yi proposed that Siam should sever diplomatic ties with Japan before forgiving the Siamese government, there were actually a lot of voices within his government that tended to agree.

Although this country still has many compradors towards Japan, as Japan becomes poorer economically and stronger militarily, the direct benefits that these Japanese compradors can obtain from Japan are decreasing, and the threat is increasing day by day.

To be honest, a rich and powerful neighbor is not particularly scary because you know very well that he would not care about the few things you have.

But any normal person would be terrified by a poor, powerful, and even starving neighbor holding a gun, right?
Most of those compradors are now more willing to hang out with the Japanese in Penang.

"Mr. Pi, the protests and marches outside are getting more and more violent. Even our police officers dare not suppress them anymore. They will be stoned. Unless you agree to mobilize the army and suppress them with guns, otherwise..."

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by another official, "We can't suppress them, General Pi. We absolutely cannot open fire. Once the gun is fired, our relationship with Penang will be irreparable. Moreover, these Chinese will definitely flee Siam on a large scale, which will greatly affect the Siamese economy."

"Yes, Mr. Pi, the government's fiscal deficit is severe. If civil unrest breaks out again, it will undoubtedly worsen the national economy and government administration. If the Chinese flee on a large scale, the country's finances will be even more difficult. Please think twice!"

If Zheng Yi could see the debates within the Siamese government at this time, he would be shocked, because most of the civil servants in the entire government, from top to bottom, actually supported breaking off diplomatic relations with Japan in order to deepen exchanges with Penang.

And this was even before they had any idea that Zheng Yi was actually eyeing them and wanted their Kra Isthmus.

Of course, civil servants did not actually play any decisive role. The Siamese government was essentially a military government.

Phraya Phahon, who was a military general, could have ignored the pressure from the civilian officials, and he had always been the most staunch pro-Japanese faction in Siam.

Since launching a military coup and coming to power, he has comprehensively deepened cooperation with Japan. Not only has he purchased a large number of Japanese weapons, he has also sent middle and low-level officers in the army to study in Japanese military schools, and even introduced a large number of Japanese military advisers.

Although Siam's economy is different from what it was in history and can be completely disconnected from Japan, its military is still completely Japanese.

At this critical juncture, no one knows what Phraya Phahon is thinking. Should he shoot and suppress the Chinese, or expel the Japanese envoy and sever diplomatic ties with Japan? It seems, at least on the surface, that all the decisions can be made by him.

After a while, Phraya Paphon collected the opinions of people from various departments within the government, but he never expressed his position. He just announced the adjournment of the meeting and went home to think.

At around six o'clock that evening, only a very few people knew that Phraya Phahon called his favorite disciple, Plaang Phibun Songkhram, who served as Minister of Defense and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Army, to his home.

"Teacher, you call me."

Luang Phibun was very respectful to Phraya Phhong, and even when they met in private, he would still salute with his hands clasped together.

Even today, as the second-in-command of the military and a very important figure in the whole of Siam, he still insisted on performing the etiquette of a disciple when visiting Phraya Phahony's home.

"Sit down and have dinner with me."

"Yes."

"If nothing unexpected happens, this should be the last meal we, the master and I, will have."

"Ok?"

Luang Phibun, who had just picked up the chopsticks to pick up some food, was stunned.

"Teacher, what do you mean?"

"I have decided to order the army to enter the city tomorrow and shoot at the Chinese protesters."

"Ah... this is so sudden. So, teacher, is there anything you need me to do? Or do you want me to do it myself?"

"No, I need you to...restore your Chinese name and oppose me."

"what?"

Luan Phibun was stunned when he heard this.

"I, restore my Chinese name? Teacher, you, what are you doing?"

"Alas, I won't be Prime Minister for much longer. The future of Siam will ultimately be in your hands."

"Teacher, why? What happened?"

Phraya Phahon said, "You have seen the current state of the country. Tell me, if you were in my position now, what would you do? Would you shoot down the Chinese, or cut off all ties with Japan?"

"This...ah~, we can't cut off our relationship with Japan."

"Why?"

"Because if we cut off contact with Japan and expel the Japanese envoy, the Japanese will definitely attack Siam, and we... cannot defeat them."

Upon hearing this, Phraya Phahon was greatly relieved and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Good, good, good. You are truly worthy of being my most promising disciple. With such foresight, I can rest assured that I will hand over Siam to you."

As he spoke, Phraya Phahon poured himself a glass of Japanese sake, drank it happily, and showed a very happy expression.

He kept talking to himself, "Have you read Mr. Zheng from Penang's 'Japanese Threat Theory'?"

“I have seen it.”

"Do you think he's right?"

"I can't say this is right, but it does make sense. As far as I know, although Japan is now militarily powerful, it has never been able to end the war. China's Chiang Kai-shek is not the former empress dowager. He is very tough."

"The price of this strong military is the continued decline of its domestic economy. Currently, its textile industry has been completely crushed by Penang. Even Siam now uses Penang cloth instead of Japanese cloth."

“I heard from an officer who returned from Japan that even Japanese textile companies have begun importing large quantities of Penang fabrics to make garments for sale.

If this continues, Japan will have to surrender, or it will have to launch a new war to save its domestic economy."

"But Mr. Zheng believes that Japan will, in desperate circumstances, seize the colonies of Britain, the United States, the Netherlands, and France and rule all of Southeast Asia. I still doubt this. I know those Japanese soldiers very well. Although they are crazy, they don't seem to be going that far." Luan Phibun said with a wry smile, "The entire Southeast Asia, except for Siam, is all colonies of Britain, France, and the Netherlands. We are weak, have a rich rice production, and are not as vast and rich as China. We don't have a western mountainous area that can hold back the Japanese army.

I agree that Japan is in such urgent need of shifting the conflict and opening up a new battlefield, but... no matter how you look at it, they should shift their focus to Siam first."

Phraya Phahon asked, "What should we do then?"

Luang Phibun said: "There is no other way. The only way is to be like you and be completely pro-Japanese militarily. Even if Penang offers a higher price for rice, we will still set aside a large portion of our rice and sell it to the Japanese unwaveringly."

"If I were in power, I would be more radical than you."

"Oh? How more radical can it be?"

"I will promote the idea of ​​Greater Thai nationalism. I want to change the country's name to Thailand and declare to the outside world that all Thais should be liberated by us Thais.

Including the Thai people of Vietnam, the Thai people of Cambodia, the Lao people of Laos, the Shan people of Myanmar, the Dai people of China, and the Assamese people of India.”

"These people are all our compatriots, and they should all be under the management of Thailand. Ultimately, we will establish a Greater Thailand with a population of over 3000 million on the Indochina Peninsula!"

Phraya Phahon: "Isn't this slogan just wishful thinking?"

Luang Phibun: "Of course it is a foolish dream, and if we do this, we will offend all the surrounding forces, including Britain, France and the Netherlands.

But I am not speaking to the British, French, and Dutch, or even to my fellow countrymen in other countries, or even to my own people. I am speaking to the Japanese."

"Only in this way can we be useful to the Japanese, because Japan needs to use our Greater Thai ideology, use us Siam, no, Thailand, to constantly provoke the anger of France and Britain and test the strength and attitude of Britain and France."

"Besides, our entire Siamese military training, military equipment, and military structure are all Japanese-style. We cannot pose any military threat to Japan at all.

They wanted rice, and we ignored the high prices we were paying in Penang and still insisted on selling rice to them.”

"In this way, the Japanese will think that keeping Thailand is more useful to them than destroying it."

As he spoke, Luang Phibun sighed in despair and said, "We Siam is a small country. To the north is France, to the south is Britain.

Now, Japan has emerged from the east. To survive, we have no choice but to kneel down and sell our butts. Moreover, we have to sell our butts to three different companies. Resist? There is no way to survive if we resist.

Upon hearing this, Phraya Phahony nodded repeatedly and praised Luan Phibun highly.

He said, "There is someone to take over the throne. You have such foresight and foresight. I can now step down without any worries."

"It's all thanks to the teacher's good teaching. Teacher, you are the leader of our Siam."

Phraya Phahon shook his head and said, "I'm no longer able to do that. A few years ago, I predicted that a major war would break out in Southeast Asia, so I brazenly launched a military coup and seized power."

"Siam can no longer be left to the management of those civil servants. They only know development and peace, but they don't know that this world is not a place where you can have peace or development just because you want it.
"With a bad neighbor like Japan and sandwiched between Britain and France, if we don't have a certain level of military capability, we will be at the mercy of others."

"But if we can't hand it over to the civil servants, how can we hand it over to the nobles and the royal family? That would be a step backwards. Besides, our hands are stained with the blood of the royal family and the nobles. If we really let those royalists take over, they would really push Siam into an abyss."

"The civil servants are unreliable, and the royalists are even less so. What else can I do? I have to do it myself."

"Since I came to power, I have been strengthening the military, strengthening the military, and strengthening the military. At the same time, I have been fully committed to Japan. You must know that surrender also requires a certain level of strength. To this end, I have not hesitated to act perversely and dictatorially."

"I've killed many people and offended many. To expand the military and promote pro-Japanese sentiment, I've messed up the country's finances. The deficit is so severe that the government's administration is almost dysfunctional. To be honest, I won't be able to pay the salaries of government employees next month."

"As early as the day I launched the mutiny, I knew that I would not have a good ending. I might not die a good death. But for the sake of the country, I have no other choice but to go forward without hesitation."

Upon hearing this, Luang Phibun sighed, "The world only knows that you are a dictator and are taking a so-called backward path. But how can they know that you have devoted your life to the country? How can they know that you are incorruptible and devoted to your country?"

"Those Thai barbarians won't understand these moral principles. Only teachers and Chinese people like me can understand what it means to be personally involved and what it means to shoulder the moral responsibility."

Upon hearing this, Phraya Phahony could only smile bitterly.

Many people don’t know that this military leader who advocates nationalism and Thai chauvinism is actually a Chinese. He just changed his name to Thai.

Even his carefully selected student and successor, Luang Phibun, was a Chinese.

Phraya Phahon drank another glass of Japanese sake and said, "The entire Southeast Asia, except for our Siam, has been swallowed up by the great powers. We can only try our best to survive."

"But now, with Penang's sudden rise, the situation is becoming increasingly complicated. I've read Mr. Zheng's theory of the Japanese threat. Mr. Zheng is a visionary and truly a top-notch strategist in Southeast Asia."

"I'm certain that Japan will clash with Britain, France, and the Netherlands in Southeast Asia, but the extent of this conflict is hard to say. Talk of a total war, while perhaps an exaggeration, is probably not Mr. Zheng's imaginary statement."

"If we in Siam are too pro-Japanese, we will probably be blamed for it. Besides, what those civil servants said is also true. Today, Siam's economy cannot do without Penang and the Chinese.

The government's fiscal deficit is already very serious. If it breaks off relations with the Chinese, it will probably be unable to even afford to eat for at least the next few years."

"So I decided to split the country. Only you and I can achieve a good outcome. The other one will lose his reputation for Siam."

The words were so clear that how could Phibun not understand what he meant? Even after thinking about it carefully, he had to admit that the solution proposed by Phraya Phahon was indeed the most beneficial to Siam.

Luang Phibun: "What should I do?"

Phraya Phahon: "Next, I will do even more outrageous things, such as shooting down the Teochew strike, inviting the Japanese fleet and marines to Siam, and promoting the great Thai nationalism you just mentioned."

"The Chinese in Bangkok are still wealthy. I will lead my troops to capture the richest and rob them to alleviate the country's increasingly severe financial crisis. Since we have decided to turn against you, we might as well be more drastic."

"As for you, after I committed such a perverse act, you publicly declared your severance of ties with me, rose up in rebellion, and simultaneously restored your Han Chinese name. If I remember correctly, your original surname was Wu."

Luang Phibun: "My father's surname is Wu, but I never had a Chinese name. As for me... Haha, I really never thought that one day I would regain my Chinese identity."

As he spoke, Luan Phibun shook his head with a hint of sarcasm, drank and ate.

But inadvertently, a drop of hot tear fell from the corner of the eye and fell into the dish.

Indeed, this meal should be the last meal he and his teacher have.

Luan Pibun knew very well that since only one of the two people was destined to survive, it was very likely that the one who survived would be himself.

After all, to put it bluntly, if Japan can win, the teacher will be a hero who knows the times. A small country like Siam is not as big as China. It is enough to survive. Dignity is not important. The teacher will also become a hero of Siam.

But the question is, can Japan win?
He can't even defeat China. Since he can't defeat China, he comes to attack Southeast Asia. Can he win?

In fact, even though both the master and the apprentice are soldiers, they actually understand better than anyone else that militarism will definitely lead the country to its doom.

It is no exaggeration to say that as long as the military government is not too greedy, overall, the political and strategic levels of most military governments are better than those of civilian governments, especially when the national and world situation is turbulent.

It is highly likely that he will lead Siam in the future, while the teacher will be disgraced.

If what he said was true, the teacher would open fire to suppress the Chaozhou gang's strike, robbery, and extortion of Chaozhou wealthy businessmen, and take the initiative to lure the Japanese garrison and fleet to station there.

Then, if Japan is defeated and withdraws from Siam, no matter how much he respects his teacher, he will definitely be executed and his corpse will be stepped on a hundred times.

This old mentor who had lived an honest life and served the country and the people was labeled a traitor and a lackey of Thailand, a bastard, a dictator and tyrant, and his bones were crushed to dust, leaving a wonderful drama of master and apprentice killing each other in history books.

But this is also the only way for Siam to survive in the future storm.

"I'll just call myself Wu Aihua. Since I'm all wagging my tail to beg for mercy anyway, I might as well do it more thoroughly."

Phraya Phahong laughed and said, "Wu Aihua, hahahaha, what a good name, what a good name! Come, Wu Aihua, Ah Hua, for this name, cheers, drink this cup to the bottom!"

After that, the two of them toasted and drank the wine in their glasses.

"Then, teacher, what should I do after the mutiny? Should we... fight?"

Phraya Phahong nodded and said, "We still have to fight. After the mutiny, you will first lead part of the guards to attack my official residence. After a few simple blows, you will retreat. You must do this. Then, you will take your trusted followers and two or three divisions away. I will make arrangements with them."

"Where do you think I should go?"

"The Kra Isthmus, Pattani Province, is not far from Bangkok and has a geographical advantage."

"Pattani...it's Malay territory."

"Yes, it is the Malays' territory. Since I want to promote Greater Thai nationalism, of course I will not only target the Chinese, but also the Malays."

"If you want to oppose me, you can't just stand on the Chinese side. Instead, you have to vigorously promote the concept of ethnic integration, including the Lao, Chinese, Malay, Khmer, Hmong, Yao, Kwei, Wen, Karen, Shan, Se Muang, and Sagai."

"Since all ethnic groups and the Thai people live on the same land and are all Siamese, we should love each other equally and seek mutual benefit. I promote Greater Thai nationalism, and you should promote Greater Siamism. Remember this, remember this."

"After arriving in Pattaya, we will quickly seize the local political power and lead the local Malay brothers to build howitzers and other firepower to confront us, relying on the dangerous mountains and rivers. At the same time, we will ask for help from Penang."

Luan Pibun, no, now he should be called Wu Aihua, frowned and said: "The terrain of the Kra Isthmus is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Teacher, will you really lead your troops to fight me?
If I really defend that place, you will suffer heavy losses even if you take it. This... is just a show. If you sacrifice too many comrades..."

Phraya Phahon: "How could we really fight? It's just a show of force. I will fight for a while and then withdraw, using the excuse that we couldn't defeat the enemy. I will try my best to invite the Japanese army to fight this battle for me."

"When the time comes, you can ask Penang for help and ask them to send troops to help you. We Siamese people should hide as much as possible when we can and let the Chinese and Japanese fight on the battlefield."

"If the Chinese win, you will lead them to Bangkok and chop off my head, avenge Yi Guangyan, and give Penang an explanation."

"If the Japanese win, you will retreat with them to Penang to see what happens next."

As he spoke, Phraya Phahon saw that Wu Aihua looked very serious, so he took the initiative to joke, "Why do you look so serious? Think positively. If the Japanese invade Penang one day, I will chop off your head."

"You and I are both soldiers. Although our ancestors are Chinese, we grew up in Siam and now hold high positions. We should always put the national interests of Siam first and be loyal to Siam."

"What did Lin Zexu's poem say? My strength is weak, my responsibilities are heavy, and my spirit is exhausted. If I continue to exhaust myself, I will definitely not be able to support myself. If it is beneficial to the country, I will not avoid it because of misfortune or fortune. Mr. Wu Aihua, I hope you and I can encourage each other with this poem."

………………

Two days later, Phraya Phahony issued an order to suppress the Chaoshan Gang, dispatched 20,000 soldiers and police in Siam, and arrested more than 7,500 members of the Chaoshan Gang. A prison was even built for this purpose.

Seize their wealth by trickery and force.

In less than a week, the Japanese navy entered Bangkok. Phraya Phahon even solemnly hired a state counselor from Japan, who almost became the de facto prime minister of Siam and obeyed his orders in everything.

Just a few days later, Siam promulgated the Rice Restriction Act, stipulating that all farmers, landlords, and grain merchants in Siam were not allowed to sell grain to the Chinese or Japanese in Penang. Grain could only be purchased by the government and then sold to the Japanese at a low price.

The Japanese government also approved a loan to Siam, said to be worth 10 million US dollars, specifically for the purchase of Japanese-made weapons and ammunition.

Of course, Siam has no foreign exchange, so when the time comes to repay the loan, it will definitely be converted into rice.

Less than a week later, Phraya Phawong took the perverse step of announcing the idea of ​​Greater Thainess, changing the country's name to Thailand and beginning indiscriminate discrimination against races other than Thais. This led to a falling out with France and even a violent conflict on the border.

A week later, Defense Minister Plaek Phibun launched a mutiny due to his dissatisfaction with Phraya Phawong's Thai nationalism policy.

Unfortunately, his plan failed and he eventually fled Bangkok with only six infantry battalions and one artillery battalion. He occupied the mountains in Pattani Province and declared that he would not recognize Phraya Phahon's rule. He formed another government, still in the name of Siam.

In the small country of Siam, there were two governments, one Thai and one New Siam, and the two countries were using troops in the north and the south at the same time. On the one hand, they were suppressing the rebellion in the south, and on the other hand, they were deploying heavy troops in the north at the border with French forces.

Is it Greater Thai nationalism? There are a lot of Thais and Thai-like groups in the French East Indies. Phraya Phawong made no secret of his belief in Thailand's territorial and population demands, and for this reason he did not hesitate to fully introduce the Japanese army to support himself.

A Siamese civil war began in such a confused manner.

Pattani and the three southern provinces of Siam even directly changed their flags to express their support for the new Siamese government, and they were almost able to compete with the Thai government.

Afterwards, the letter for help was sent to Zheng Yi.

(Map of Thailand. A friend suggested looking at the map. The circled part is where the protagonist wants to go. Above that is the Malaysian state of Kedah and Perlis. There is a small strip of mountains. It is the only way to attack Malaya from land. If it is limited to land attack and defense, it is easy to defend but difficult to attack.)

(End of this chapter)