The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 79: Start Drawing Cards

In Fort William, Robert Clive left Lin Tong alone for three days.

It was not until today that he called over Sir Eli Coole, deputy director of the British East India Company's management committee, Lieutenant Colonel Smith, the adjutant of the British army in India, and three captains of the East India Company's armed merchant ships who traveled to Guangzhou all year round.

At this time, India was still under the full responsibility of the East India Company, and the British government did not send a high-level committee. Therefore, the power of the Governor of Bengal of the East India Company was actually much greater than that of the later Governor of British India.

Robert Clive, who was always unruly and violent, did not come to these people to discuss things, but just wanted to know some truth from them.

Three merchant ship owners who frequently traveled between Guangzhou and Kolkata looked at each other in bewilderment. They really couldn't imagine that any nobles under the rule of the Qing Dynasty would come to India, and bring a fleet with them.

But they couldn't say they didn't know. After the three of them exchanged glances, Captain Goode in the middle spoke up:
"Your Excellency, based on what we have learned so far, it is impossible for the Qing Dynasty to allow a noble to lead a fleet on such a risky mission. It would even be difficult for them to leave the country.

There are only two possibilities. One is that there are indeed Qing nobles supporting it behind the scenes.

But this nobleman is not the same as the nobleman we think of. He should be a bannerman officer in Guangzhou, just like the Ottoman Ghulam Guards officer.

Second, judging by their attire, they were most likely nobles from the southern vassal states of the Qing Empire, the Zheng Kingdom, or the Guangnan Kingdom.

"Yes, there are only two possibilities, and the latter is more likely.

If he can command a large number of middle and high-level Qing pirates, we should not provoke such people.

Even though their fleet isn't very powerful, they still have the power to sabotage and cause significant damage to the company."

After Captain Goode finished speaking, another captain also made a supplement.

The meaning is very clear. For these businessmen who are naturally risk-averse, South China Sea pirates are something they should avoid if possible.

"Sir, what do you think?"

Robert Clive's barony was obtained from Ireland and was only a title, a reward for his victory in the Battle of Plassey.

But Sir Eli Coole's title was from the United Kingdom, so Robert Clive respected him very much.

Sir Eli Cool took a sip of tea and then said slowly and elegantly:
"Since His Majesty King George III and the Prime Minister, Lord Bute, both strongly support the Treaty of Paris and are willing to return France's colonies in India to them in exchange for stabilizing our gains in North America, we should comply with it as soon as possible."

Eli Coole is a typical politician. Although his title is insignificant, he is a member of the old London Union Jack.

His words hit the sore spot of the upstart Robert Clive.

Because many people in Britain did not agree with ending the Seven Years' War and signing the Treaty of Paris, they believed that France should be further weakened.

But the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, John Stewart, Earl of Bute, insisted on ending the war and used many dishonorable means to achieve it.

The reason why John Stuart was in a hurry to end the war was because he wanted to keep the fruits of victory to avoid any further complications.

You have to know that this prime minister was not popular in the country. He got to where he is today by being the lover of George III's mother, Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha.

He needs this victory and the fruits of victory to change people's perception of him and consolidate his own power.

Robert Clive had a lot to say.

He felt that he could use this incident to cleverly hit the French again, and even use this opportunity to declare a state of war and reorganize the army more effectively.

You can even ask for a huge sum of money from the mysterious Eastern Lord.

He wanted an arsenal, so Robert Clive thought he could sell him the outdated matchlock gun production line in Fort William at a high price.

However, all these ambitions were shattered by a few light words from Sir Eli Coole.

He was the son of a local councilor who was similar to a country squire. He had finally climbed into the aristocratic circle with his ruthlessness and bravery. He also had the title of baron and seemed to have reached the pinnacle of his life.

But to these old Union Jack politicians in London, Robert Clive was still just an upstart, a rookie.

He was able to act recklessly as Governor-General of Bengal because he brought rich rewards to the British East India Company and shared the wealth of Bengal with the bigwigs.

But if he dared to disrupt Prime Minister John Stewart's plan, even if it was only slightly stained, the consequences would be something Robert Clive could not bear.

"Governor, the army is not ready to go out at this time. The soldiers hope to take advantage of the cool weather and have a good rest."

Adjutant Lieutenant Colonel Smith spoke. Among the British troops stationed in India, the most important elite troops transferred from the British mainland - the 39th Royal Grenadiers Company and the 7th and 12th Army Artillery Companies, were all controlled by Lieutenant Colonel Smith.

Initially, Lieutenant Colonel Smith was a follower of Robert Clive.

But as Robert Clive began to implement the policy of allowing himself and the top executives of the East India Company to make huge profits, while the soldiers and middle and low-level officers below were strictly required to be honest, Lieutenant Colonel Smith parted ways with Robert Clive.

In the dull and awkward atmosphere, Robert Clive leaned weakly against the back of the chair.

This was the first time that Lieutenant Colonel Smith had publicly embarrassed him, and it seemed that he and Sir Eli Cool had reached a tacit understanding.

Perhaps it was time for him to return to London, or even to his hometown of Shropshire, to enjoy the enormous wealth he had gained in India, Robert Clive thought somewhat desperately.

. . . .

In Kolkata, where British merchants live, Lin Tong slowly opened a large sandalwood box, revealing an exquisitely crafted golden Buddha.

"Sir, I have admired you for a long time. This is a gift from the Lord specially sent to us as a token of our friendship. I hope you will be promoted step by step."

Sir Eli Coole glanced at him briefly and then looked away, but with a big smile on his face.

"Give my regards to the lord. I am very happy to make friends with nobles from the civilized world outside of work." Lin Tong made a few timely and appropriate compliments, and then left Sir Eli Cool's residence.

Captain Good had been waiting in the carriage at the door for a long time.

"Mr. Goode, you have worked so hard. I will report to the Lord immediately after I return. The Mrs. Brown will have unimpeded access to the South China Sea."

It is definitely impossible for Mo Zibu to provide security for all the East India Company merchant ships, but it is no problem to cover a few ships.

Li Guangcai watched Lin Tong's series of operations from a distance and was full of admiration for this scholar who was not even capable of tying a chicken.

What a talent!

In this completely unfamiliar place, he figured out the ropes in just two or three days.

Just by relying on his keen sense of smell, he discovered that these Western nobles were not in harmony with each other.

With the help of only a few British merchants who had been docking in Ha Tien for a long time, the leader mission was completed 200%.

Although the Western Governor of Bengal did not agree immediately, Li Guang knew that it was only a matter of time.

"Mr. Lin, if you are successful in the future, don't forget the contribution I, Li Acai, made today at the risk of my life!" As soon as the British left, Li Guangcai went to meet them.

Lin Tong knew that this somewhat unruly pirate had finally been subdued by him today. He laughed heartily and said to Li Guangcai:
"Come on, Captain Li, let's find a place to drink. Tomorrow you go back and report to the leader. This good news is a great achievement. I will wait here for a few more days until we get the exact news from these Westerners."

. . . . .

Let’s go back four months to 1766 AD, the st year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign, the third day of the first lunar month.

When his last petition requesting to go to Kamphaeng Phet to take charge was rejected, Taksin was completely desperate.

It seems that King Agada has regarded him, the most outstanding second-generation Chinese, as a serious threat.

But things soon changed because the Burmese arrived too quickly.

Taksin expected them to arrive in March or April, but on the 13th day of the first lunar month, the White Elephant King's army arrived west of Ayutthaya.

Since even Taksin underestimated the determination of the White Elephant King and the strength of the Burmese army, other Siamese nobles, including King Borommaroja II of Agada, had no idea of it.

But unexpectedly, this did not affect King Agada's confidence.

In mid-February, another Nazhen noble, General Luanzhen, who was of Chinese descent, led an army of 3,000 to support the king.

King Agada was overjoyed and ordered the Siamese army to gather 15,000 soldiers and march out of the city to fight.

Zheng Xin was terrified and risked his life to see Luan Zhen.

He knew that the reason why King Agada was so anxious was not only because he felt that the Burmese army had come from afar and had not yet established a firm foothold and could be defeated, but also because he wanted to promote another Chinese, Najin, and weaken Taksin's influence.

But this completely goes against military common sense. Such a rash attack will cause big problems.

However, Luang Zhen was not grateful. His father, Luang Ya Pai Pi Bo, died in the last Burmese invasion and hated the Burmese very much. In addition, Luang Zhen also thought that he could take advantage of the Burmese army's fatigue after traveling a long distance to fight a decisive battle with them.

Zheng Xin had no choice but to watch the Siamese army go to battle.

He then returned home and sent his mother Luoyang, his wife, three concubines, his son Ashui and other family members out of Ayutthaya overnight.

He stayed behind to reorganize his guards, who had been stripped of much of their power and were few in number, and prepare for a long war.

The outcome of the battle was naturally as Zheng Xin expected. The Siamese army was corrupt and incompetent, while the Burmese army was a brave and powerful force that had fought for many years.

The Siamese army was unable to win either volley fire or hand-to-hand assaults, their artillery was far inferior to that of the Burmese army, and they had no cavalry.

As for the elephant soldiers, they became the culprits of the devastating disaster suffered by the Siamese army.

The captured Burmese artilleryman Captain Midler personally fired his cannon and hit the Siamese elephant soldiers. The elephants were frightened and recoiled towards the Siamese army, causing heavy casualties.

Under such a comprehensive backwardness, the 15,000-strong Siamese army only held out for seven or eight days before being defeated.

Looking at the entire battlefield, except for the 3,000 soldiers under Luan Zhen, who were mainly composed of Quanzhou people and still had certain combat effectiveness and inflicted certain casualties on the Burmese army, the speed at which the rest of the Siamese army retreated was so fast that even the Burmese army was dumbfounded.

In early March, the defeated army fled back to the city, and nearly half of the 15,000 Siamese troops were killed or fled.

Luan Zhen was seriously injured, and the Chinese army suffered heavy casualties, with as many as six or seven hundred people killed in battle alone.

King Agada was extremely frightened and quickly changed from being full of confidence in going out of the city to fight in the field to being extremely conservative. He simply closed the four gates of Ayutthaya and prepared to defend it tightly.

The Burmese army then surrounded Ayutthaya. They were not in a hurry to launch an attack because the Siamese army still had about 20,000 soldiers and was strong enough to fight. The White Elephant King was also waiting for all his artillery to arrive.

　Book friends, can you believe it? I found five different versions of this battle, and most of the information including the process, time, troop strength and even the names of generals are different.

　　There are also four or five versions of the time when Zheng Xin broke out. The earliest one is that he ran away in January when he saw the situation was not good, and then he waited for twenty months until the Burmese retreated before coming out to take advantage.

　　Lao Hu deeply suspected that this was written at the instruction of Rama I, and it was simply a replica of Liu Zhiyuan.

　　Therefore, Tiger could only adopt a more credible version. Zheng Xin broke out in January of the next year after fighting hard but failed to change the outcome. Less than four months after he broke out, Ayutthaya was captured by the Burmese army.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)