Master Yuan, start!

The French transferred their garrison forces in Cochinchina to the north. Doesn't that mean that there are no longer any large-scale French forces near Siem Reap, which is now part of Cambodia?

The Kingdom of Siam had only ceded Siem Reap for five years, so it was impossible for Rama V to forget this place.

"Quick, go call the Minister of Army and the Minister of Navy!" Rama V pointed his finger and gave the latest instructions to the captain of the royal guard.

However, just as the captain of the guard was about to turn around and leave, King Rama V called him back:

"Wait a minute! Except for the Minister of Army and Navy, call the remaining 12 ministers to the Tushita Palace!"

"Yes!"

The captain of the guards also ran excitedly and left the Tushita Palace.

Since the end of the Franco-Siamese War, Siam's booming economic momentum over the past 20 years seems to have been curbed.

The conservative forces in the country that had been dormant, whether they were the big slave owners in the north who opposed abolition of slavery, or the local merchants in the east who opposed central taxation, gradually became restless after seeing Rama V continue to cede land to France.

Most of these local forces were far away from Bangkok, located in the border areas of Siam, and had ties with the French Indochina colonial authorities.

Rama V knew that if the political situation in Siam was not relatively stable and he still had a firm control over the army, a rebellion might break out at any time.

So during this period of time, Rama V has been considering whether to make a superficial "reconciliation" with the French in order to ease the growing pressure at home and abroad.

If the French had not clashed with Yuan Xiangchengsi, Rama V would most likely have chosen to travel alone in Europe, visiting countries such as Britain, France and Germany, just like in the original time and space.

Historically, it was because King Rama V behaved extremely respectfully in front of French dignitaries during his visit to France that the French Indochina colonial authorities gave up the idea of ​​directly invading Siam and instead adopted a gradual infiltration approach through economic means.

However, this time and space is a little different.

After all, it is extremely appropriate to describe France as "everything that rises must fall".

After France successively annexed Cochinchina, Central Vietnam, Tonkin, Vientiane, Champassak, Luang Prabang and other places, it was not satisfied and annexed Xiamen and Taiwan, the big country in the north.

Finally, they faced a tough opponent.

Yuan Xiangcheng!

King Rama V had always been concerned about the development of the northern powers. After Yuan Shikai overthrew the Qing Dynasty and established a new country, he had always wanted to meet this "Washington of the Far East".

He wanted to take advantage of the historical ties between China and Siam to take joint action against French Indochina and contain the French.

So, naturally, he didn't have much desire to make peace with France.

"Will cooperation with China after the expulsion of the Tatars be more beneficial or harmful to Siam?"

Rama V pondered in his mind.

"Clang clang clang!"

A knock on the door interrupted Rama V's thoughts.

"Brother Wang, Brother Wang, Brother Wang!"

More than a dozen people came in one after another, and nine of them called King Rama V "Brother" and bowed to him in respect.

King Rama V nodded and immediately asked his servants to prepare seats for these "ministers".

Yes, these people are the ministers of various Siamese tribes today. Of course, in addition to this, they have another identity, that is, the younger brother of Rama V.

There are currently 12 94. And four. san% search: departments in Siam, 9 of which are held by Rama V's younger brothers.

It can be said that the Siamese cabinet at the end of the 19th century was the true "royal cabinet"

After everyone entered the room, King Rama V's 12th brother, the Minister of War, was the first to speak: "Brother King, are you summoning us here because of the French defeat in Hanoi?"

"That's right," King Rama V nodded and said, "In addition, there is news that the French have transferred the Cochinchina Corps north, leaving the Chao Phraya River area empty of troops."

"Really?" Hearing this, many ministers were a little excited. "Your Majesty, the French have fled in panic in Hanoi, and now they are transferring troops from the south to the north. Isn't this a good opportunity for our great Siamese army to advance eastward?"

Both the Minister of War and the Minister of the Navy were a little excited. They could not imagine that the French army, which was so invincible just a few weeks ago, could be defeated so miserably.

So, overwhelmed by joy, they directly proposed the idea of ​​letting the Siamese army attack French Indochina.

King Rama V looked at his brothers with shining eyes and sighed deeply in his heart.

Didn't he know that this was a good opportunity for Siam?

However, with Siam’s current national strength, does it really have a chance of winning against the French alone?

King Rama V turned around and asked his servant to grind another cup of coffee for him. Then he looked out the window, looking down at the Chinese people outside the Tushita Palace who were decorated with lights and lanterns.

Although he could not be sure how many of these people were old Chinese who had lived here for generations and how many were new Chinese who had just immigrated here from the northern big country.

However, he knew that these people could now become a force against the French in Siam.

"The French are weak, so naturally they have to return some of what they took from Siam a few years ago." King Rama V looked around and said slowly:

"However, we must not push the French too far, lest they become desperate and do something desperate."

"Then...what does your brother mean?" The princes and ministers were a little confused.

"Don't forget," Rama V Chulalongkorn pointed to his chest and smiled.

"You and I are both descendants of the Chinese Miao people, both with the surname Zheng. With the current might of our dynasty, why wouldn't we seek help from the great nation of China?"

Chapter 460: Hurry, Hurry

In Guangzhou, the President's attendant room was brightly lit.

This was an advisory body established by Yuan Xiangcheng in order to relieve Ming Ye of the many burdens.

The attendant room is temporarily divided into three sections. One is the security department, responsible for security work, and Ming Ye is still the director;

The second department is the Military Affairs Department, which is responsible for military-related matters and is headed by Wu Fengling;

The third department is the General Affairs Department, which is responsible for party affairs, government affairs, etc. The director is Xu Shiguang, the younger brother of Prime Minister Xu Shichang and the former governor of Longjiang.

Wu Fengling was originally the son of Yuan Shikai. He went to Korea with him to take up a post and later served as the commander of the 6th Regiment of the National Defense Army.

However, after the Hunan Campaign, he repeatedly stated that he was suffering from frequent illnesses and was unable to lead troops in battle, so he was transferred back to the rear by Yuan Shikai to recuperate.

Now, it has been reactivated.

As for the reason why Xu Shiguang was chosen for the General Affairs Office, it was even simpler. Yuan Shikai did not have a particularly strong desire for power. Although the name of the Secretariat he established imitated Chiang Kai-shek's Secretariat, he had no intention of controlling the overall military and political situation in the name of the Secretariat.

Due to his background, Wu Fengling was not considered strong among the senior generals of the early National Revolutionary Army, nor did he have any obvious factional signs. His appointment as the director of the Military Affairs Department of the Secretariat was only to enable him to better summarize the battle situation and report and analyze in real time.

Yuan Shikai established the General Affairs Office of the Secretariat simply because he needed a department that could connect with the government at all times.

Xu Shichang was the Prime Minister and in charge of government affairs. Therefore, it was most appropriate to choose his seventh brother Xu Shiguang as the director.

With the attendant room, not only Mingye felt relieved, but Yuan Xiangcheng also felt that he was no longer burdened by trivial matters.

...

It was late at night, and the attendant's room was still bustling with people, while the lights were on in the president's temporary office next door.

Yuan Xiangcheng, who was in the house, was standing in front of a map of the Indochina Peninsula, looking at it carefully with full concentration.

"According to the previous plan, we didn't expect to capture Hanoi so quickly. But now the situation has changed. Should we adjust the original combat objectives?"

Looking at the map, Yuan Xiangcheng muttered to himself subconsciously.

"French, are you so unbearable to fight?"

The images of the French army in the original time and space and the current time and space gradually emerged in Yuan Xiangcheng's mind.

Since when did the French become invincible?

After some thought, Yuan Xiangcheng came to a conclusion.

In fact, it is not that the French can no longer fight, but that people from other countries have become more capable of fighting.

The oppressive power of the French army in 1898 was completely different from that in 1858.

The First Industrial Revolution broke out in Britain and spread to Europe after its completion. During this period, European countries also gradually completed the Industrial Revolution. At this time, they launched a war against the feudal countries that were still using swords and spears, which was a dimensionality reduction attack.

The Second Opium War launched by the French and the British in 1858 is a clear example.

In the Battle of Baliqiao, the Qing cavalry suffered thousands of casualties, while the British and French troops of more than 10,000 only lost a dozen or so.

But after the Second Industrial Revolution and before World War I, almost all parts of the world had caught up with the wave of industrialization, and the Europeans' leading advantage was no longer so great.

During this period, even if Yuan Shikai had not emerged, the ground war launched by France in the Far East no longer had the feeling of easy victory as before.

In the Battle of Zhennan Pass in the original time and space, the French army chased the Black Flag Army all the way and drove them into the territory of Guangxi. However, when they encountered Lu Manqing's regular army, they suffered a defeat.

The Franco-Siamese War seemed to be Siam giving up its vassal state and ceding it to France, but in fact, the French army's performance on the battlefield was not glorious.

In early 1893, France and Siam had a conflict over Siamese officials' expulsion of French merchants. France took this opportunity to put pressure on Siam and sent three corps to the disputed area in two groups.

However, the French army in the north was besieged on Doncon Island and officer Soruos was captured.

Although the advance in the south was relatively smooth, they were ambushed by the Siamese army, resulting in the killing of patrol officer Gros.

In the original time and space, whether facing the Qing Dynasty which had launched the Westernization Movement and introduced new guns and cannons, or facing Siam which had also started modernization and adopted Western methods to govern the country and the army.

The French Army's battle record was all failure.

In the Qing-France War, if France had not been dissatisfied with the incompetence of the Qing central government, it might not have gained an advantage in the subsequent negotiations.

In the Franco-Siamese War, if the French navy had not subsequently blockaded the Bangkok coast and the British had not supported Siam, Siam might not have chosen to surrender.

Therefore, the French colonization in the Far East can actually only be regarded as bullying the weak. They cannot even chew on a slightly harder bone.

Now that Hanoi has been captured by Wang Zhanyuan and his men, the initiative on the Vietnam battlefield is in the hands of the National Revolutionary Army. It can be said that the offensive and defensive situations have changed.

Thinking of this, Yuan Xiangcheng lowered his head and looked at the two battle plans presented by Wang Zhanyuan that were sent to the attendant room in the afternoon.

Option 1: Go north.

If the French insisted on not withdrawing their troops from the Guangxi coast, they would immediately turn their guns around and take down the fortresses along the northern coastal areas of Vietnam one by one after the National Revolutionary Army stabilized in Hanoi.

At that time, the only outcome waiting for the French troops landing in Guangxi would be being surrounded.

Option 2: Go south.

The French troops in southern Guangxi were handed over to the rest of the National Revolutionary Army, while the National Revolutionary Army that had already entered Vietnam would quickly move south after reorganization, trying to capture the Vietnamese capital of Hue before the French gained a firm foothold and completely drive the French south.

Both the Military Commission and the Secretariat debated the two options endlessly.

The total number of National Revolutionary Army troops on the Tonkin battlefield has now exceeded 6, and the reinforcements from the rear are still increasing.

As the number of troops increases, the pressure on logistics becomes greater and greater.

In the end, the first step was to turn around, clear the coastal passages in Guangxi, expel the French army, and establish a new supply line.

Or should we continue to move south, capture Hue in one fell swoop, and even advance to the Cochinchina region of Vietnam?