In modern times, the East was brutally invaded by the Western world, and most of the countries became colonies or semi-colonies of the Western powers, and only two independent countries were spared. One is Japan and the other is Siam.

After the Meiji Restoration, Japan began to work hard, learn from the Western world, tighten its belt and develop armaments, and finally defeated the Manchu Qing in the First Sino-Japanese War, becoming one of the most powerful countries in the Far East, and obtaining a large amount of development funds. Then, in 1904, he defeated Russia in one fell swoop and became the world's new power.

However, Siam is only a small country in Southeast Asia, with a land area of just over 500,000 square kilometers and a population of just over 8 million. It's definitely a small country in the truest sense of the word. With the strength of the Western powers, it can be said that it will be easy to defeat Thailand and turn Thailand into a colony. But Siam has managed to maintain its independent position, which is indeed very surprising.

I have to admit that Siam was able to avoid becoming a colony of the Western powers, and it was really very fortunate that it was among them. The main reasons for this are mainly in several aspects: first, Siam is located in the buffer zone of the colonies of Britain and France at the moment, second, the reform of the Siamese Dynasty has achieved certain results and its national strength has been enhanced, third, the Siam Dynasty has ceded part of its territory and dependencies in diplomacy with Britain and France, which has satisfied the certain desires of the British and French colonialists, and fourth, the Western powers have concentrated their Asian forces to compete for the division of China's interests, which has diverted the aggressive pressure of Britain and France on Siam.

In the second half of the 19th century, the Western colonial powers started a frenzy of dividing their spheres of influence and dividing colonial territories in Southeast Asia - in January 1886, Britain annexed Upper Burma through the Third Anglo-Burmese War, completed the colonization of the whole of Burma, and incorporated Burma into the British Indian Federation; January 1887. France completed the occupation of Vietnam's southern, central, and northern regions, and merged Vietnam with Cambodia to form the French "Indochina Federation". At this time, the colonial forces of Britain and France were "dependent on each other" in the middle of the Indochina Peninsula. In order to gain a dominant position in the Indochina Peninsula and seize greater benefits, Siam, located in the center, has become a battlefield of competition between the two countries for colonialism!

Late 19th century. The opening of the second industrial revolution prompted Britain and France, the two old colonial powers, to be severely challenged by emerging countries such as the United States, Germany, Japan, and Russia. At the same time, Britain and France are also full of contradictions in the face of many international interests. This piece of fat in Southeast Asia has been picked up by two vicious wolves and swallowed a part of each. At this time, the eyes of the two wolves were fixed on the small piece of "virgin land" in the middle - Siam. Of course, they also knew in their hearts that there were other wolf clans that were sharp and ferocious in Siam. Sitting on the mountain and watching the tiger fight, the fisherman gets the sandpiper and the clam is something that Britain and France know well but do not want to see. Britain's unease in the face of France's aggressive expansion became increasingly evident in its public opinion and in the speeches of its politicians – the Times said: "Britain cannot under any circumstances be a neighbour of France in Indochina." The time has come to draw the line that France is not allowed to cross. Similarly, in order to avoid a direct confrontation with Britain in the demarcation of the sphere of interests in Southeast Asia, the French government had proposed to the British authorities the neutralization of Siam by "maintaining a strong, independent Kingdom of Siam, with clear borders on both sides, and a fixed barrier between the territories of Great Britain and the French territories in Indochina, and such an agreement would be beneficial to both sides, and would prevent the troubles which might otherwise arise between the two countries." ”

In October 1893, the Bangkok dynasty was forced to sign the Treaty of Siam with France, which ceded the territory of Laos on the east bank of the Mekong River to France. and pay 3 million francs to France. At this time, France had a comparative advantage - an alliance with Russia. The British, on the other hand, were scattered due to the long front. Sufficient time was needed to consolidate the occupied colonies, and while demanding that France be in moderation, Siam's demand for support was rejected. However, France still did not achieve its full goal - the 25-kilometre strip on the east bank of the Mekong River and the provinces of Battambang and Siem Reap were neutral zones, and neither side was allowed to garrison troops. It was not the result of the resistance of the Siamese army, but the pressure of the international situation, or more importantly, the heavy pressure exerted by the British. With the signing of the Treaty of Siam, France received certain benefits, but he never dared to take a step beyond the Treaty of Siam. Confined to the UK's bottom line. And Britain also met certain interests of France when its strength was slightly inferior. The Treaty of Siam, which did not dampen Siam's vitality, was the product of a balance of power and mutual compromise between Britain and France, so that Siam, which was truly in the middle of the encirclement, would not fall into the hands of either country in the middle of the encirclement. (On January 15, 1896, Britain and France signed a Declaration on the Kingdom of Siam and Other Matters (also known as the Treaty of London) in London, which stipulated: "The west of the Mekong River shall be the sphere of influence of the British. Edong was in the sphere of influence of France; Britain and France have a responsibility to maintain the independence and integrity of the Chao Phraya River Valley, where Siem Bangkok is located; Neither party shall enter into any separate agreement sufficient to enable a third State to take any action in the region". It is not difficult to see that Britain and France reached a final compromise on the Siam question in the middle ground. This is not only a manipulation of the international situation, but also a product of open and covert struggle under the balance of power between Britain and France. For the two colonial powers, Siam's status as an independent intermediate state was necessary and in the interests of both countries!

Of course, Siam was able to continue to maintain its independence, in addition to these reasons, there was also the long-sleeved dance of the Siamese dynasty, which maneuvered between the two great colonists of Britain and France, maintained this relationship of separation, and took advantage of the contradictions between Britain and France to ensure Siam's independent status.

However, the Siamese Dynasty is also like walking a tightrope, and it may fall at any time. If it falls, Siam may fall to pieces. Therefore, Siam has also been looking for a third party, hoping to effectively restrain Britain and France. After all, mathematically speaking, triangles are the most stable. Siam also hoped that the third party could form a stable triangle with Britain and France, so that the situation in Siam would be stable.

Now ruling Siam is King Rama VI, named Vaqi Lawu, and, of course, there is also a Chinese name called Zheng Bao. Rama VI came to the throne only three years ago, and he is the second son of Rama V. King Rama VI is supposed to be a Thai monarch known to the Chinese. However, not because of anything else, but because of the anti-Chinese movement that began after he succeeded to the throne.

From the accession of King Rama VI of Thailand to the accession of King Rama VI of Thailand in 1944. In the more than 30 years since the collapse of the military regime, the Thai ruling class has set off the first wave of anti-Chinese in the history of Thai-Chinese relations. It can be said that King Rama VI was the first to kick off the anti-Chinese movement, and the Kuomintang government, which created a constitutional monarchy, put the anti-Chinese scandal on the stage. The Songkan government performed this ugly drama to the fullest. Throughout this period, almost all of the anti-Chinese policies were based on "restricting the political rights of Chinese people, suppressing the Chinese economy, and preventing the spread of Chinese culture", but there were slight similarities and differences in specific measures.

In 1894, at the age of 13, he came to London to study English, French and law. In 1895, he was made crown prince. When King Rama V visited Europe in 1897, he accompanied him as crown prince. After graduating from Christian College, he studied military and law at Sandhurst Military Academy in England and then at the University of Oxford. During his 9 years in the UK, he served in the British Army. In 190, he traveled to Egypt. When he returned to China, he chose the route from the United States and Japan to Siam. In the United States, he met with then-U.S. President Theodore. Russveld, who consulted him on many Western political issues, also visited the famous West Point Military Academy. In Japan, he met with the Emperor of Japan, where he learned about the clash and fusion of Eastern and Western cultures. After his return, he was appointed by the king as the captain of the king's guard, and he worked very hard, successively serving as the chief of police, and then the rank of general before ascending the throne. In 1907, when the Fifth King visited Europe for the second time, he acted as the crown prince.

The enthronement ceremony held by King Rama VI in December 1911 was the largest in the history of Siam and a pioneer in the history of Eastern countries.

King Rama VI was determined to reform the Siamese army and create a modern, well-trained regular army. He overhauled the national army: he separated the Royal Navy of Siam from the Ministry of Defence and established the Royal Admiralty, with his brother Prince Brippa as Minister of the Navy. On May 1, 1911, he announced the formation of a new paramilitary organization in Bangkok, which he named the "Wild Tigers". It was formed on the model of the British Wehrmacht, which was divided into regiments and brigades on the model of the British army. The difference is that it is a direct army under the personal command of King Rama VI.

Under the reign of King Rama VI, Siam's state power was constantly increasing. After the anti-Chinese movement, a large amount of wealth was plundered from the Chinese, so that Siam had enough money to carry out reforms. However, it also planted a time bomb. Especially after the Chinese Empire became stronger, many Chinese in Siam began to report the unfair treatment they received in Siam from various channels to the country. Especially after the empire conquered the Dutch East Indies in one fell swoop and snatched the Dutch East Indies from the hands of the Dutch, the Chinese in Siam rejoiced, and they wished that when the Chinese Empire would make a move against Siam, after the destruction of Siam, they would no longer be suppressed by the Siamese royal family and government. (To be continued.) )

PS: The first update arrives, asking for subscriptions, monthly passes and recommended tickets!