Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 181 Join
"Your Majesty, we fully understand your concerns. However, Siam has been harming your country for over a century. Shah considers Siam a peace-breaking nation and believes it must be punished."

Moreover, as far as I know, your country also has many disputes with Siam, and an alliance with our country could help your country get out of its current situation.”

Currently, Luang Prabang and two other kingdoms are vassals of Siam. However, Bangkok's control over them varies with the climate, being weaker during the rainy season and stronger during the dry season. Furthermore, these larger kingdoms also have numerous vassals and lords, and a single vassal can be subordinate to multiple overlords simultaneously. This leads to power struggles among several overlord states over the same vassal, ultimately granting the vassal greater autonomy. This is the mandala system.

For them, getting rid of Siam, their suzerain state, was the best outcome. What difference did it make who they paid tribute to? Couldn't they just find someone who treated them better?

When Rama IV's envoys went to Luang Prabang, the other side directly rejected Siam's request to send troops.

Not only Luang Prabang, but also Vientiane and Champasak, the entire eastern Mekong region was in rebellion. The locals were unwilling to obey Bangkok's orders, and of course, they also hated South Vietnam.

The wars with South Vietnam and Siam in 1779 and 1828 can be considered their version of the Jingkang Incident. The wealth of Vientiane and other places was looted and the people were taken back to be enslaved. They wanted to resist such humiliation, and when someone was willing to help them, how could they not seize the opportunity?

In 1828, a rebellion against Siam broke out in Laos. To ensure the success of the uprising, the Kingdom of Vientiane paid tribute to the Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam, requesting military assistance for Vientiane. The Nguyen Dynasty ostensibly sent troops to Vientiane and officially recognized the rebel leader, Chao Anu, as King of Vientiane, making the Kingdom of Vientiane a nominal vassal state of the Nguyen Dynasty.

At that time, Emperor Minh Mang of the Nguyen Dynasty did not want to see Chao Anu lead the Kingdom of Vientiane to independence. He only hoped to make the Kingdom of Vientiane a prefecture. Moreover, Emperor Minh Mang felt that Chao Anu had made mistakes. In the end, Emperor Minh Mang asked the Nguyen army to stand aside. The anti-Siam war ultimately failed. As a result, the Vietnamese army entered the Kingdom of Vientiane and the Kingdom of Champasak. The Nguyen Dynasty established prefectures such as Tran Ninh in Laos and competed with Siam for control of Laos.

Siam deeply resented Chao Anu and his son's anti-Siamese actions, and at that time, Rama II razed Vientiane to the ground. Many Buddhist statues and artifacts within Vientiane were looted by the Bangkok Dynasty, and Vientiane suffered an unprecedented calamity, ultimately being completely destroyed by Siam.

Such humiliation could not make them forget their hatred for Siam. After deciding to go to war, they committed all their troops to the war effort. They crossed the Mekong River and began their attack on Siam.

Meanwhile, the Khmer people in Siam, upon seeing the Iranian army arrive, joyfully welcomed them with food and drink. They had been oppressed by Siam for too long, and they preferred any other ruler to Siam.

Located on the border of Siam, Prachinburi is an important barrier for Bangkok and has always been heavily garrisoned because it is the best place to defend against enemies coming from Phnom Penh.

Now, this place has become a place where Rama IV stockpiles a large army. Nearly 50,000 troops are stationed in various parts of Prachinburi, making it a large military camp with people carrying weapons everywhere.

With so many soldiers, there were bound to be many problems; theft, fighting, and harassment of women were commonplace. Since these were all from different regions, and some had only been in the army for less than a month, they lacked any real respect for military discipline. If it weren't for Rama IV's personal guards intervening to discipline them, who knows what might have happened.

However, Rama IV was somewhat troubled by the Iranians' delayed arrival, which was making him anxious. Maintaining a large army was extremely costly each day, so a decisive battle was imperative.

However, Rama IV knew very well that the Iranians were after him, and he would not allow the troops to retreat because of this.

"At this rate, how long will we have to wait? Should we take the initiative and find them for a final battle?"

The speaker was King Suchinda of Chiang Mai. As a powerful local figure, Rama IV could not ignore his opinion, and he also noticed that other princes were somewhat swayed after he finished speaking. The king knew that failing to provide a solution would destabilize the military.

"You're right. If we keep waiting like this, the soldiers won't be able to focus on the battle."

However, our war with Iran has only just begun, so we need to inform the soldiers that the Iranians are coming to conquer us and turn us all into their slaves.” Just as the King finished speaking, the Prime Minister strode in with a messenger. His face was unusually grim, surprising everyone present.

"What happened?"

When Rama IV asked the question, the prime minister remained silent; instead, it was the messenger who spoke. However, no one present expected him to bring such astonishing news. Except, of course, the prime minister.

“Your Majesty, the armies of Champasak and Vientiane have killed our envoys and have crossed the Mekong River. The Governor has sent me here to request assistance.”

"What did you say?"

The news was so astonishing that King Rama IV stood up. The other nobles and royalty also wore expressions of shock.

"How many people are attacking, and when did you find out?"

Faced with a barrage of questions from Rama IV, the messenger explained everything he knew.

“Their army was small in number, but their surprise attack caught us off guard, and we also discovered some Iranians who had occupied Nong Khai.”

As the messenger delivered the message, no one spoke for a moment, and the atmosphere suddenly became quiet.

However, this situation didn't last long, because further west lay Chiang Mai, which was undoubtedly the enemy's target. This was one of Siam's granaries, and its largest. Such a place couldn't be allowed to be taken away.

“We cannot ignore their threats and we must drive these people away, otherwise our homeland will be taken over by the Iranians.”

As soon as the King of Chiang Mai spoke, several princes from nearby territories immediately echoed his sentiments.

"Yes, everyone knows that the Vientiane people pose a threat to us, and we cannot sit idly by."

King Rama IV looked at the crowd speaking and felt he was losing control. He immediately spoke up.

"Gentlemen, we are in a very difficult situation. To the north are Vientiane and Luang Prabang, and to the east are the Iranians, but we are not afraid of our enemies. This time, we must work together to ensure our independence."

With the addition of countries like Luang Prabang, the war situation became extremely unfavorable for Siam. King Rama IV had to send troops to eliminate one enemy at a time in order to turn the tide.

(End of this chapter)