The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 441 Tang and Siam Half the World

Phraya Chanthaburi was somewhat distressed. He was born a slave and did not even have a name. By chance, he became an elephant slave of Taksin. Later, because of his bravery in battle, he was promoted step by step and even won the title of Kun.

Although Kun's status in the Siamese nobility system was only equivalent to that of the Viscount of Dayu, and his actual benefits were far lower, it was already very good for him, a real lower-class person who came from a slave family.

But things in the world are unpredictable, and human hearts are hard to satisfy.

After Taksin rose to power, Phraya Chanthaburi followed him all the way. Although he did not make much contribution, he was loyal and protected him.

After that, he was sent by Zheng Xin to cooperate with Mo Zi Bu, and from then on he began to make many military achievements, and his title and military power gradually increased.

Just when he thought he was on the verge of success, the forces around Taksin opposing Mo Zi Bu grew stronger, and Mo Zi Bu also hoped to go it alone, which directly affected the future of Phraya Chanthaburi.

At that time, he had two choices: to return to Zheng Xin, cut off contact with Mo Zibu, and see if he could reintegrate into the forces headed by Tong.

Or like Chen Lian, just follow Mo Zibu directly.

After struggling for several days, he made a decision that he would regret for the rest of his life. He stayed in Siam and made peace with Tong and others.

The result is that Mozibu is developing better and better, and Phraya Chanthaburi has turned back, but there are so many people gathering around it, why should they accept an uncertain person like you!

Zheng Xin was surrounded by Chaozhou people at this time, and there was no place for him.

In the end, if Zheng Mincheng really lacked the support of a general who understood military affairs, he would not even be able to obtain Phraya in the remote area of Chanthaburi.

Originally, he had already given up hope. He thought that after working in Phraya Chanthaburi for a few more years, he would be transferred to the capital and take up a sinecure, relying on his savings over the years to prepare for his retirement in advance.

But who knows, the situation changes suddenly, and he now has another chance to make a new choice.

So Phraya Chanthaburi decided to play a big game. He wanted to cling to Emperor Kuang Trung's thigh again and become the emperor's vassal.

So, the easiest way to make a contribution is naturally to rescue the emperor's father-in-law, and also to personally send Prince Zheng to the ship to Guangzhou.

Tong's face was very gloomy. He had just finished a military meeting. The rapid fall of East City caused him to lose thousands of people. These people were not killed, but simply ran away.

So Tong had to take out all the gold, silver and treasures in his own house as rewards, otherwise he was afraid that the people below would run away.

"It was too fast, really too fast. Why did the Dutch lose so quickly!" Tong couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Thinking back, not long ago he still firmly believed that the war between China and the Netherlands would last at least a year, and might not even have an outcome in two or three years.

But reality slapped him twice. In just four months, China's Pingnan Army not only occupied Java Island, but also basically stabilized the local area and was able to devote its forces to fighting him.

Is this the true strength of the Celestial Empire? He had clearly tried his best to imagine it, but he still greatly underestimated it.

"This condition isn't very attractive. If Mo Zhao wants to save his father-in-law's life, he must let all of us go!"

After being depressed for a while, Tong quickly recovered. Although he was on the verge of despair, he still maintained a high demeanor.

"Chakri, if you want to make a wish, please go to the temple and find the Buddha.

If you don't want your entire family to be wiped out, then you should take advantage of the Emperor's willingness to forgive you and quickly save the lives of your wife and children."

Somehow, Phraya Chanthaburi suddenly remembered the phrase that the great emperor liked to say most when faced with outrageous requests when he led them in battle.

The veins on Tong's forehead bulged, and he almost blushed at these words, "Since Mo Zhao wants face and wants to be a great man, he has to pay the price.

I will only release Zheng Zhao if my family and two thousand elite soldiers can leave with me."

After hearing this, Phraya Chanthaburi looked at Tong with a strange look, "Why do you think that King Taksin's life is so important to the Great Emperor? If King Taksin were gone, wouldn't it be easier for the Celestial Empire to divide Siam?"

Tong sneered, "Like you, I know very well what kind of person Mo Zhao is. He always wants benefits and reputation.

If all this wasn't important to him, you wouldn't have risked coming to Thonburi to see me."

"Chakri, I know why you dared to rebel," Phraya Chanthaburi pointed at Tong and said:
"Because you have been flattered by a group of people with ulterior motives and have lost your wisdom, you don't think that the famous ministers and generals under the great emperor are the same as those fools under your command.

It is very simple to keep the emperor's reputation intact. We just need to announce the conditions of the pardon and let everyone know that as long as King Zheng is saved, he can survive.

Because everyone in the world knows that if you want to kill King Zheng, it's just a matter of raising your hand. If you rescue him, it would be a miracle, and if you fail to rescue him, it would be normal.

The reason why I am here is not because King Zheng is really that important, but because I want to make achievements and gain wealth and honor.

I want to go directly from being a Thai slave to being a Chinese with a surname bestowed upon me by the Great Emperor, and become his vassal, do you understand? "

This is really a true expression of his feelings. Because Tong is a Nazhen from the maternal line, his mother and grandfather died early and he was from Quanzhou, he was ostracized by the Chaozhou people.

But Phraya Chanthaburi was simply a slave of the Thais. He tried hard to get connected with the Chinese, but he could never get any connection at all.

"Chakri, let me go to see King Taksin, send your family to the Indrama Temple, and give me the 500 Chinese garrisons you have imprisoned.

After this is accomplished, I will support your son, Qin, until he grows up to be a man who can protect his family."

For the sake of wealth and glory, Phraya Chanthaburi tried his best and used his acting skills to the fullest. From the tone of his voice, if you didn't know better, you would think that it was a conversation between good friends entrusting their children to each other.

"The Emperor will soon make public the preferential treatment for saving Prince Zheng, and then someone will surely take the risk for the safety of their family.

Moreover, if you leave the city now, you can still return to Toungoo in time. The emperor's biggest rival is not you, because we Thais and Chinese have been mixed for hundreds of years and there is no difference between us.

Therefore, the people the emperor was most wary of were the Burmese. At the same time, because of the alliance with France, war between Dayu and England was inevitable.

If you had immediately submitted a petition to apologize after returning to Toungoo and taken the initiative to help suppress the Burmese, you might have had a chance of survival."

What kind of lies are easiest to deceive people? Seven truths and three lies, eight truths and two lies. Use a large amount of unimportant but nice-sounding, superficial true news to cover up the most deadly lies of a small amount of false news.

Tong was moved, because most of what Phraya Chanthaburi said was true, except for the fact that he concealed the fact that 400 cavalrymen had been deployed outside the city and would not let him return to Toungoo.

"Is it really that good to be a Chinese?" Tong said somewhat depressedly. He thought about his journey and felt that it was really not worth it.

If he had not come out to compete with Mo Zi Bu for the position beside King Taksin from the beginning, there would not have been so many old men and young people from the Ayutthaya Dynasty, Thais who were dissatisfied with their lowered status, and Najin coming to him for help.

If he hadn't been supported by so many people, he wouldn't have been pushed into a position of confrontation with Mo Zhao. In that case, not only would he not be in his current desperate situation, he would even become the target of Mo Zhao's efforts to win him over.

Hearing Tong say this, Phraya Chanthaburi knew that he was moved, "Okay, it's really good!

Even if I am a Najin who is of mixed blood for many generations, I can get a Chinese surname and be regarded by the emperor as a trustworthy person to control Siam."

Tong nodded and said, "Okay, I'll help you. Remember what you said and take good care of Qin.

King Taksin is at Indrama Temple, being guarded by Phraya Mahadev. My men are not in a dominant position, so I need you to help me kill him."

Chin is the future Rama II, who will soon be twelve years old, and the actual situation of the Indrama Temple is indeed as commonly said.

Although Taksin's personal guard general Phraya Mahaduna was forced to agree to cooperate with Thong, he still kept Taksin in his hands.

Because everyone is not a fool. If you want to survive, Zheng Xin is a very useful trump card.

In Wat Indrama, Phraya Mahaduna basically did not let Taksin out of his sight.

This man had come to seek refuge as early as when Taksin settled in Rayong City. He was also the son-in-law of Taksin's distant uncle, Taksin's wealthy Siamese merchant, and an important angel investor in Taksin's career.

At the same time, Zheng Mosai was also the matchmaker and witness between Emperor Mo Zibu of Dayu and Queen Zheng Shishi.

With such a reliable relationship, he was able to gain the trust of Taksin and be appointed as the general of the Royal Guard. He even obtained the Phraya title of Taksin after Taksin's death.

Therefore, the person who regretted the most in Thonburi City was Phraya Mahaduna, because he was not really an accomplice of Thong, he surrendered under the threat of death.

Since the arrival of the rebel army from the north, Phraya Mahadev has been tormented by regret.

He often thought that if he had not been so afraid of death, not to mention being killed, even if he was captured after fighting hard, the situation would be much better than it is now.

Under tremendous pressure, Phraya Mahaduna became a little dazed. He increasingly regarded Taksin as his life-saving straw and kept a close watch on him almost all the time.

Under Tong's guidance, Phraya Chanthaburi entered the Indrama Temple smoothly, walked around twice, and met Phraya Mahaduna.

"Duna, I need to see King Zheng." Tong said in a deep voice.

"Are you scared, Tong?" Phraya Mahaduna looked at Tong as if he was a little abnormal, shaking his head from side to side.

"You've harmed all of us. You're the one who did it. I won't let you see the king."

After hearing this, Phraya Chanthaburi gained a deeper understanding of the city's layout.

After the anti-rebellion army arrived, although their advance was slow, they still dealt a heavy psychological blow to the rebels in the city.

Because as long as the army to suppress the rebellion appears, no matter how fast or slow they come, the rebellion must be suppressed. The emperor has made such a decision, and if they come slowly, they will only be able to survive for a few more years.

Apparently, there was still a group of people in the city who supported Phraya Mahadev, perhaps they were the paternal Najins who were attached to Thong.

They were scared now, so they held Zheng Xin tightly as a last resort to beg for mercy.

"Then I won't see him. I just hope to confirm whether King Zheng is still alive." Tong made a concession.

Upon hearing this, Phraya Mahaduna nodded slowly, and the sound of a door opening was heard.

From afar, in the main hall of Wat Indrama, a man in a golden monk's robe is standing with his hands folded together, and the sound of slow chanting can be heard.

This is indeed King Taksin, Phraya Chanthaburi confirmed it. Although his face was a little unclear, his figure was very similar.

Most importantly, the sudden sound of chanting was obviously deliberate, and Zheng Xin was revealing his identity.

"Hey!" Phraya Chanthaburi yelled, pulling out a loaded pistol. "Duna, look who I am!"

Phraya Mahaduna looked up and took a closer look, his face suddenly changed. Unfortunately, before he could say anything, Phraya Chanthaburi opened fire.

With a bang, flames flickered, fireworks rose, and Phraya Mahadev's head shook violently. He fell down stiffly like a stick.

Lian Du was frightened by Phraya Chanthaburi. The officers and soldiers of Phraya Mahaduna around him were first heartbroken, and then flew into a rage. They drew their weapons and were about to kill Phraya Chanthaburi.

At the critical moment, Phraya Chanthaburi threw away his pistol, took out a red flag with a golden sun and moon from his clothes, raised it high, and shouted in Teochew:

"In compliance with His Majesty's imperial decree, the rebel Duna is to be executed. Only the ringleader will be held accountable, not those who accomplice. All soldiers and generals, please obey my orders and protect King Zheng."

These words were like a spell, and the soldiers and generals were immediately frozen in place. Most of them were originally Taksin's guards, and were the kind who were forced to rebel.

No one knew who took the lead, but after they knelt down with a thud, a large group of officers and soldiers quickly knelt down, even Phraya Mahadev's younger brother Luang Thai knelt down.

Tong's face turned pale. He looked at Phraya Chanthaburi deeply, without saying goodbye, and hurriedly left with a dozen guards.

Luang Thai, who had just turned against the government, glanced at Phraya Chanthaburi, and Phraya Chanthaburi also had the idea of keeping Tong, but he quickly suppressed the impulse.

"Close the temple gates and don't open them to anyone. Protect King Zheng and your sins will be forgiven!"

. . . .

Tong's home, he returned home as quickly as possible and found his brother-in-law Chen En.

"Take Nak and Qin and hurry to Indrama Temple. I will have Dudan take 500 Chinese soldiers to wait for you there. You must defend Indrama Temple."

As he spoke, Tong held the hand of his wife Nak, who was the historical Queen Amalin. Originally, the couple had broken up this year on the timeline, but the incident of beating the mistress that caused their breakup did not happen in this time and space.

"I have harmed you and Qin, and the situation is irreversible. But as long as King Zheng survives, you can live, but you will be demoted to commoners.

Remember, if you encounter difficulties, you must find a way to plead with King Zheng and the Queen with more tears.

You can also go to the Emperor Retired. You are of Mon descent, and the Emperor Retired holds the title of King of Khmer. If you plead with him as one of his subjects, he might relent.

(End of this chapter)