Chapter Ninety-Five: The Mission Goes to Siam The warship docks at Ayutthaya

The ancestors of the Siamese originally lived in Yunnan and fled to Indochina because they were afraid of the Mongols. They had a very bad relationship with the Burmese and fought for many years. It is said that they should be happy that the Ming army occupied Burma, but they were not happy at all, because Li Zicheng and their banner were also Ming troops, and after they occupied Annam, the officers and soldiers harassed Siam. On the border, the officers and soldiers of Siam did not dare to provoke Li Zicheng's officers and soldiers at all. This put a lot of pressure on the King of Siam. Especially after the Ming army occupied Burma and completely annexed Burma, which made the Siamese king even more afraid.

The King of Siam summoned his ministers to discuss the situation, and the ministers were all depressed and had no idea.

The King of Siam was very angry, "My lords, if we don't come up with a good idea, we will be completely annexed by the Ming army in the next step, just like Burma." It is said that not only did the Burmese king lose his rights, but the Burmese script was banned in Burma, and we cannot see such a thing happening to us in Siam! ”

One of the ministers said, "Your Highness! We have a very good relationship between Siam and the Ming Dynasty, and we have always respected the Ming Dynasty as a superior state. In the past, when the sea and land were peaceful, tribute was paid almost every year. Our envoys were treated in the Ming Dynasty in a way that no other country's envoys had. Did we send an envoy to Beijing to ask the Ming Emperor what was going on? Are they going to move on us next? We didn't do anything to be sorry for the Ming Dynasty, they didn't make sense for us to send troops? ”

When the king heard this, he nodded, "Yes! You're right! We immediately sent envoys to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty and asked what the Ming Dynasty was going to do to us. However, we also need to be prepared to deal with it ourselves. Now the Ming army is attacking us on both the east and the west. The threats we face are simply too great. Especially those Ming troops in the east are simply aggressive and don't take us seriously at all. The border guards felt that they could come at any moment. Our land is so long and narrow that they can easily be divided! ”

Another minister said, "King, we must not go to war with the Ming army!" Our strength is incomparable with the Ming army, and their destruction of Burma and Annam is like playing, especially their naval warships are simply invincible. And their muskets are so powerful that we can't fight them! ”

"I know all of this, but we can't let anyone slaughter us. Let's send envoys to see what the Ming Dynasty means, but we have to prepare for the worst! Said the King of Siam.

The King of Siam had a very large fleet of his own ships, and he was also one of the most wealthy countries in Indochina. After their fleet went ashore in Quanzhou with their envoys, they went straight to Beijing, but when they arrived in Beijing, the people who received them in the Siyi Pavilion told them that the emperor was now in a place called Yaogang. In fact, they have heard for a long time, and now there is a very famous place in the Ming Dynasty, called Yaogang, and many novelties come from Yaogang. They discussed it, came to the Siyi Pavilion, and told the officials that they were going to Yaogang to meet the emperor, but the people of the Siyi Pavilion told them that the emperor already knew that they had arrived in Beijing, but the mission sent by the emperor to Siam was already on the way, and informed them not to go to Yaogang, but to go to the exit of the Yellow River, join the mission, and go back to Siam together, and prepare a car for them.

Although 10,000 of these envoys were not satisfied, they had no choice but to rush to the mouth of the Yellow River by car. It was their first time riding in a car and they felt very novel. But the envoy was not in the mood at all, he didn't know how to explain to the king when he came so far to see the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Everything can only be said when we see the Ming Dynasty mission.

Yaogang's newest two warships, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou, were waiting for them at Dengzhou (Penglai) Port. The missions sent by Emperor Chongzhen were already on the ship.

These two steel-hulled warships represent the highest level of Yaogang warships, and the trial time is much longer than that of the previous two warships.

Fan Jingwen, a university scholar, came to Dengzhou, did not live on the shore and boarded the Quanzhou directly. When they got on board, they were simply stunned. It was the first time they had boarded such a large steel-hulled ship. The boat was parked on the pier like a hill and the facilities on board were excellent. Although the accommodation arranged for Fan Jingwen is not as luxurious as the Yaogang Hotel, it has air conditioning and water supply, which is much more comfortable than the guest rooms in ordinary inns. Although they had heard that this new ship was very well built before they came, seeing this ship was still beyond their imagination.

Before boarding the ship, Fan Jingwen received a telegram on the way saying that the Siamese mission had arrived in Beijing, and the emperor had asked the Siamese delegation to return to Siam with them, and the Yaogang people had arranged for a car to send them to Dengzhou.

Fan Jingwen now knew that this telegram was really convenient, if there was no telegram, they would not have known that Siam had sent people to Beijing, and they would have to say their own words when they arrived in Siam, let alone arrange for the Siamese mission to go back to Siam with them.

However, Fan Jingwen knew that it was better to go back with the Siamese mission, and there were some things that could be communicated with their envoys first, and it would be better for them to inform their king first when they arrived in Siam. He understood that this was also a decision made by Zhang Zhimu on the other side of the kiln after discussing it with Emperor Chongzhen. Fan Jingwen also knew that if the Siamese mission could not see the emperor in this way, he would feel very faceless when he went back. But now I can't care about them.

After the arrival of the Siyi Pavilion, the Siamese mission soon arrived. Fan Jingwen directly arranged the Siamese mission to the ship, and ordered the warship to leave the dock and set sail.

On the boat, Fan Jingwen hosted a banquet for the Siamese envoys.

The Siamese envoy had not yet regained the shock brought to him by this warship, let alone expected that he would receive a banquet on this ship.

However, Fan Jingwen and the envoys both knew that they would have to walk together for a long time, so they also chatted slowly. After a polite remark, the Siamese envoy told the Siamese king his doubts.

Fan Jingwen sighed and said, "Alas! If it weren't for the strong request of our emperor, Siam would have been occupied by the army long ago! The person who occupied Annam was Li Zicheng, the most famous anti-thief in the Ming Dynasty, and the army that occupied Burma was also the army of Zhang Zhimu in Yaogang. They tried to send troops to Siam several times, but they were stopped by our holy lord. ”

"I don't understand! Aren't they the army of the Ming Dynasty? Don't you want to listen to the emperor of the Ming Dynasty? Obviously, the Siamese envoys could not understand these things.

"Yes! It's hard to put into words! Fan Jingwen took the opportunity to tell the current situation of the Ming Dynasty and the Siamese envoys. He also stated the purpose of their mission to Siam.

The Siamese envoy shook his head and said, "No, no, our king will not give up Siam, and I don't think you need to go to Siam!" If you were to talk about it, many of us adults would be against you! ”

"If I don't go, hundreds of thousands of troops in Annam and Burma will shed a river of blood for Siam! Our saint ordered me to go to Siam because our two countries have a long history of exchanges, and we don't want another war there, so as not to cause misery there. My life and death are small, and my mission cannot be completed! As for what your king thinks, that's your king's business. We will do our part! Fan Jingwen said slowly.

The Siamese envoy was a little puzzled, and said in his heart, "You Ming Dynasty people are coming to attack us, and now you are coming to persuade us to surrender, and you are saying that you are doing our duty, which is really unreasonable!" ”

However, Fan Jingwen's envoys couldn't help it, and said that the warship they were on was probably not an opponent for all the warships they were on in Siam combined. The ship sailed against the wind without sails, and judging from the waves stirred up by the bow of the ship, the speed of the ship was very fast. Besides, such a steel warship, even if the Siamese shells fall, I am afraid it will not play a big role. The Siamese envoys could not drink any more wine.

However, they walked on the ship together for more than ten days, and on the way there was time to fully exchange ideas between the two sides. Together, various abilities were analyzed.

In the end, the Siamese envoys had to admit that as long as the Siamese king did not surrender, the result would be very miserable. However, the Siamese envoy said to Fan Jingwen: "This is the case, but I don't dare to go back and say it." If I said that, I would end up in a terrible situation! ”

"How can a courtier deceive his master?" Fan Jingwen asked deliberately.

The envoy said, "Do you know that our king has been hesitating and not knowing what to do?" It is because all the adults in the DPRK and China are very strong, and they do not agree on the same opinion. The king is still like this, I am a small man of small words, which adult has I offended, and I still have a way to live? ”

"Can you meet the king face to face and tell the truth alone?" Fan Jingwen reminded him.

When Fan Jingwen and his two warships came to the Gulf of Siam, Fan Chengkun and a flat-bottomed warship sent by them met them here. The Fenzhou brought a company of mountain and jungle officers and soldiers to escort Fan Jingwen and them.

Since the Quanzhou and Zhangzhou are both fortune boats, the draft is too deep to enter the Chao Phraya River (Chao Phaya River), Fan Jingwen and them changed to the Fenzhou flat-bottomed boat, from the mouth of the Chao Phraya River (Chao Phraya River) into the Chao Phraya River (Chao Phraya River), upstream, because they are not very familiar with the hydrological situation here, they took two days to reach the capital of the Siamese Ayutthaya Dynasty (Ayutthaya, Thailand).

Along the way, the Fenzhou of Yaogang caused a sensation on both sides of the Chao Phraya River (Chao Paiya River), and this big ship that can sail day and night is almost like a god coming to the people on both sides of the river. There are no sails in the smoke, no one to pull the fiber, but they can swim against the current, which is far beyond their comprehension. Like everyone else in the world, they are willing to associate with ghosts and gods when it comes to things that they really can't understand.

When the ship arrived at the dock of Ayutthaya, the Siamese envoys realized that they had made a very serious mistake, they should not have brought the Ming Dynasty ships to the capital.

But it was too late, and when the ship docked, the Siamese officers and soldiers on the shore did not react to what was going on at all, and the Siamese envoy said to Fan Jingwen: "Lord Fan, you better wait on the ship for a while, let me inform the king, and then come to meet you!" ”

Fan Jingwen also knew that it was really a mistake for this envoy to lead his warship here like this, if several warships came at the same time, he would not occupy the big city at once.

Fan Jingwen nodded and said, "Then it's troublesome!" We're waiting for you on board! ”

Such a boat docked at the Ayutthaya Pier, which quickly attracted a lot of people who came to see the excitement. The Siamese mission descended the gangway to the wharf, and soon after leaving, a group of Siamese soldiers came running with spears in hand and lined up along the dock where the Fenzhou docked facing the Fenzhou.

Fan Jingwen knew that it was the envoys who urgently recruited these soldiers after they got off the ship.

In order to show friendship, all the cannons of the Fenzhou were covered with gun suits. But along the side of the ship, a line of soldiers stood. The captain ordered that no one should be allowed to come on board without permission.

The Siamese envoy did not dare to delay time, and when he saw the officer defending the city after going ashore, he immediately ordered him to take people to the dock to guard the Ming army's warships. He was also told that no one was allowed to go ashore without the king's permission.

Then the envoy went straight to the palace.

At this time, the envoy did not know that during the time he was gone, a lot of things happened in Siam. First of all, the Hongmaofan (Dutch), the British, and the French brought a lot of muskets and cannons to the Siamese king, and they told the Siamese king that this was a much more powerful musket than the Ming army's muskets, and the artillery was also very powerful.

There were more than 2,000 of these muskets, but they were only asked for a small amount of silver from the King of Siam. At first, the king of Siam did not understand why these Xiyi people were so generous. Later, they said that they did not want the Ming Dynasty to occupy Siam, so that they would do business with Siam forever.

This reason is still acceptable to the King of Siam, Siam's overseas trade was very developed, the Hongmaofan (Dutch) and the British have sent people to Siam, and they have clashed with the Ming army at sea, and the King of Siam has also heard of these things.

These muskets and cannons were said to be out of the blue, which greatly increased the confidence of the Siamese king and the main battle faction. In fact, it is not the Siamese people who believe in the Xiyi people like this, it is the people who are willing to believe that they want to be like that.

When the envoy came to the palace, the king of Siam had just taken a nap, and the envoy came back to ask for a meeting, and the king was a little surprised, and he said in his heart, "They should be in the Ming Dynasty at this time!" Won't you come back so soon? Could it be that there was an accident on the road and that he had not yet reached the Ming Dynasty? ”

After the King of Siam had washed himself, he invited his envoys to the garden behind the palace.

After the envoy finished the salute, the king asked, "What happened to you, why didn't you reach the Ming Dynasty?" ”

"King, we have returned from the Ming Dynasty!"

"Huh? Are you back? How can it be so fast? ”

"We came back on the warship of the Ming Dynasty, and now the ship of the Ming Dynasty is parked on the dock outside the city. The envoys sent by the emperor of the Ming Dynasty are also waiting for the king to summon them on the ship! ”

"What? Their warship sailed here? ”

"Yes! Right on the quay, I have ordered the officers and men to stand guard on the quay, and he will not be allowed to go ashore without the king's permission! ”

The king trembled a little at his minister's words, but he knew that it was time to figure out what was going on, not to get angry.

With a sigh of relief, the king said, "First of all, what is the matter with your trip?" ”

The envoy told the story of 1510.

The king said: "The Ming Dynasty also deceived people too much, and we have paid tribute to them for many years. This time, they even disappeared from our envoys, and they still wanted to annex us. It's just too deceitful! ”

"The king is angry, anger can't solve the problem, let's think about how to answer the request of the Ming Dynasty envoys, right?"

"Huh! What is there to think about this, we will never surrender to them. "By the way," said the king, "the Dutch, the English, and the French all showed their support to us while you were not there, and they brought us more than 2,000 very good muskets, which were better than those of the Ming army?" ”

"King, don't believe their nonsense, they have fought against the Ming army on sea and land. Hongmaofan was beaten by the Ming army in Xiaoliuqiu and did not dare to go back, and the Francos were beaten away in Luzon. The British fleet was completely annihilated by the Ming army at sea. They all trembled when they heard the Ming army, why should we fight against the Ming army? The big ship we took when we came back from the Ming Dynasty was completely made of the best steel. The wind on the top of their ships is against the current, and the speed is very fast. I was on their boat and asked them how far this cannon could hit. They say that it is possible to hit tens of kilometers. The cannons on their ships didn't just have optical sights. There are also radio sights. That's a dozen. ”

"You don't want to be prestigious!" The king did not want to hear it. "I will never hand over the kingdom to the Ming Dynasty! If we can't beat them, we will fight them to the end! I see that you have been speaking for the Ming army, have you been bribed by them along the way? ”

When the envoy heard the king say this, he bowed his head in anger and said no more, and let the king roar as he pleased.

When the king was no longer talking, the envoy said, "I am so tired, king, that I have nothing else to do, and I will go back and rest!" ”

The king didn't expect this guy, turned around to leave, "You, you're gone, what about those Ming Dynasty envoys?" ”

"They're here to see you, king, and you should receive them when you have time! It's okay, I'm leaving! ”

"You, you brought them here, and you're gone?"

"King, I don't take them, and we can't stop them from coming if they want to! I'm quitting! The envoy knew that he had already said what he had to say, and that the rest was up to the king to consider for himself.

When the King of Siam heard the words of the envoy, his confidence was gone. He thought carefully about what the envoy said, and felt that what the envoy said was right. However, the ministers were very opposed to the surrender, especially after the Xiyi people sent muskets and artillery, and their strength was even stronger.

The next day, the news of the arrival of the warships of the Ming army was known to almost 100,000 people in the entire city.

The first thing the early dynasty did was to say this. The ministers were filled with righteous indignation. It was said that the Ming warships should not be allowed to come to Ayutthaya.

The king told everyone about the envoys returning from the Ming Dynasty on the Ming army warship, and the fact that the Ming Dynasty mission was on the ship. The ministers of the main war faction were even more angry. They demanded that the Ming Dynasty mission be captured as the most hostage, and they would fight with the Ming army to the end!