[Anti-Japanese Iron Blood King] Chapter 804: Thailand on the Fly (Ask for Subscription!) , ask for a monthly pass, ask for everything! ）

Germany's swift destruction of France and the massive bombing of Britain shocked the world and created opportunities for several small Asian countries, including Thailand, which Japan saw as a potential ally. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Speaking of Thailand, everyone should be familiar with it, the country of Buddhism and the country of ladyboys is the most intuitive impression of Thailand. Thailand has actually developed very well since the beginning of the 20th century, and when the rest of Asia has become colonies of Western powers, only two countries in Asia have been able to stand, and one of them is Thailand.

However, the Thais are not without any losses, in Chulalongkorn the Great, that is, during the reign of Rama V Thailand was coerced by France and ceded a large number of territories such as Laos and North Cambodia to French Indochina, for which Thailand, from the king to the commoners, were very unconvinced, always trying to get back the lost land.

The rise of nationalism after Thailand's constitutional revolution in 1932 led to the direct rule of the army after 1938, and its soldiers appeared on the political scene one after another, when Phibun, a general of the army, was supported by the army faction after 1933, and stood out as prime minister in 1938.

When he was studying in France, he was deeply influenced by German fascism and National Socialism, so his attitude was inclined to Japanese militarism, and at that time, there was a trend of thought in the Thai army and society to resist Britain and France, called the Lost Land Recovery Movement, the purpose of which was to recover the land ceded to the colonial powers in the 10th century, and Phibun mainly relied on the support of this force to maintain the legitimacy of the regime.

France's defeat in Europe was a source of ecstasy for Thailand. A large number of Thai troops began to assemble covertly, preparing to attack the French troops stationed in French Indochina if necessary, and all this was seen by the Japanese.

Japan, which felt a deep lack of allies, saw Thailand as a potential ally early on, partly because of the geographical distance between Thailand and Japan, which would not lead to conflict because it was too close, nor too far away to alienate it. On the other hand, because of Japan's victory in the Russo-Japanese War, Thailand, which was oppressed by the white people, was spiritually inspired, so I had a good impression of Japan under the idea of being an Asian.

Thailand believes that Thailand and Japan share the same stance against white Europeans and Americans, so they have adopted a different view of Japan's actions than those of Europe and the United States, and have become more tolerant than those of Europe and the United States. For example, when the League of Nations condemned Japan for the Manchurian Incident, Thailand was the only country to abstain, which surprised the rest of the world.

Similarly, Japan has a deep affection for Thailand, and it has been almost three years since the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, and the lack of materials has always been a major problem for Japan. After the United States cut off the supply of Japanese military supplies for various reasons, the Thai cabinet headed by Binpun supplied Japan with a large amount of rubber and cotton produced in Thailand.

Relations between the two countries quickly grew closer, and Binpun called on ****** to cooperate with Japan in the fight against white oppression, while encouraging anti-British sentiment among Indians and Burmese in Thailand.

In addition, the Japanese Army General Staff Headquarters believed that Thailand's geographical location was quite important, and if it occupied this strategic location, it would not only be able to use the airfields and ports in southern Thailand to attack China's Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi, but also that Thailand's resources would be an important supply for the southern part of the Japanese Empire and throughout the war.

In addition, the most important point is that if the Imperial Japanese Army were to fight south, the first focus would be to cut off China's most important foreign aid transportation route, the Yunnan-Burma Highway, after attacking Burma, so as to provide buffers to protect the southern oil fields and Singapore.

However, the Japanese have never regarded Thailand as an equal and cooperative partner, and although the Japanese are shouting the slogan of Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere and Greater Asia, they secretly have already formulated a military plan to occupy Thailand long before the outbreak of the Pacific War, but the Thais do not know it.

The dramatic turn in the tide of the war in Europe brought about great changes in the political status of French Indochina, the Dutch East Indies, and other parts of the South. This also had to do with the handling of the war between Japan and Japan, so it was natural for the Japanese government and opposition to focus their attention on the south.

The Japanese are watching Germany's performance in Europe, and Japanese Prime Minister Konoe wrote in a note to the Japanese emperor: "... After pacifying Poland, Germany, which had been in a frightening silence for several months, took Denmark and Norway in a lightning flash in Showa 15, and then reversed the spearhead and began a powerful offensive westward. The German offensive was quickly broken through the northern flank of the Maginot Line, the main French line of defense, thanks to a bold assault by the mechanized corps, closely supported by the air force. ”

"Hitler's so-called blitzkrieg swept through the Netherlands, Belgium and France like a furious wave, forcing Britain to retreat from Dunkirk...... In this way, the British Empire, which ruled the seven seas, seemed to be in danger of being exhausted in the face of the emerging Germany...... The cabinet of Chamberlain in Britain resigned, and the sensational hero Churchill came to power. Despite the defeat of Dunkirk, Churchill was determined to continue the fight by virtue of the survival of the British Navy......"

"The British will not last long in the face of absolute strength, so the empire must take into account the ripple effects of the total defeat of Britain and France. In particular, with regard to the army and government, it was considered that with the defeat of Britain and France, German influence would rapidly expand to the south; the question of the ownership of the Dutch East Indies arising from the defeat of the Dutch; and, on the question of French Indochina, Germany was bound to exert pressure on the Vichy government, and so on, and considered it necessary to take countermeasures against it. ”

As the only independent country in Asia other than Japan that has not suffered aggression, Thailand is officially listed as a strategic ally by Japan, and has sent troops to actively contact Thailand in an attempt to promote comprehensive cooperation between the two sides.

The Thai side demanded that Japan support Thailand in retaking the territories occupied by the French, but the Japanese could not give a clear answer to Thailand until they were sure how to deal with the southward or northward movements.

In order to test the attitude of Britain, France, the United States and other countries, and at the same time to test the attitude of Germany. On March 28, Japan's Foreign Minister Arita issued a statement to the effect that "once the scourge of war spreads to the Dutch East Indies, it will be inappropriate for the stability of East Asia, and it implies Japan's concern for the Dutch East Indies." ”

In response to this, the Dutch government, which was in exile in Britain, quickly issued a statement in the afternoon of the same day, saying that it would not accept the protection of other countries on the Dutch East Indies issue, and that the United States and Britain also stressed the need to maintain the status quo of the Dutch East Indies. Later, the German ambassador to Japan, Otto, also informed the Japanese government that Germany had no intention of intervening in the Dutch East Indies.

Germany's attitude was of paramount importance, and since Germany had no intention of intervening in the situation in East Asia and in Asia as a whole, this was undoubtedly good news for Japan, which quickly and unequivocally replied to Thailand that it was willing to support Thailand in regaining its lost territory, even at the expense of going to war with France.

With the support of Japan, Thailand became emboldened, although Thailand officially stated that the Thai government would stand strictly before the German attack on France, but on March 29, the Thai government formally submitted a request to the French governor in Indochina to adjust the national border, asking for the return of the two provinces of Siemreap and Batanban, which had been ceded to France and India.

Thailand took the initiative to launch an attack on the French army in French Indochina, which would have been unimaginable a year ago, and in fact Thailand was relatively "docile" a year ago.

Despite the desire from the top to the common people to reclaim the land that had been forcibly seized, no one dared to propose the use of force against France, because it was not much different from self-destruction.

But now it was different, and with the defeat of France in Europe, the dictatorial marshal of Thailand decided that the time was ripe and launched an offensive against French Indochina.

The Thais relied on the strength of the five corps of the Royal Thai Army, as well as the small but well-equipped mechanized force, and thanks to the import of Japanese fighters and warships, they had an advantage in naval and air warfare. (To be continued.) )