The war in Chenla was just a small-scale battle for the Renaissance Army. However, in order to eliminate Pula, the Renaissance Army still spent a lot of money.
Someone has to foot the bill.
Pula has accumulated a lot of savings over the years, but many of them were exchanged for equipment by him and foreigners, and some were burned in the fire.
In the end, the battlefield was cleared, and the Renaissance Army's seizures were only worth a few million dollars.
Of course, such a small amount of money is not enough to make up for the equalization. Of course, someone has to pay for this military expenditure, so the only person who pays the bill is the Kingdom of Siam.
But at this time, Rama IV had already hid in the temple. Now Siam's national affairs are ostensibly handled by the Prime Minister.
Of course, the king continued to control the country secretly.
In a hidden room in the temple, Rama IV was meeting with several important ministers.
"Your Majesty the King, now the entire Chenla is under the control of the suzerain state. They defeated Pula easily. It seems that our original choice was correct." Guoxianghui reported.
"Well, the Prime Minister is still old enough to plan for the country. Fortunately, I listened to the advice of the Prime Minister." Rama IV said modestly.
"But how did the suzerain country pacify Chenla so quickly? Chenla's forces are complex, and there are also foreign forces. How did they get these things done quickly?" Rama IV asked in confusion.
"It's like this, Your Majesty, after the suzerain kingdom pacified Pula, the various places in Chenla were frightened by the suzerain state's force and surrendered one after another. Even the areas controlled by the Nguyen Dynasty were surrendered. In addition, many local Chinese forces have pledged their allegiance to the suzerain state.
So Chenla was quickly calmed down."
"As for the foreign forces on the coast of Chenla, the sovereign state directly designated a port as a free port and retained the rights of foreigners to trade, so they have no reason to object."
"Now the suzerain country has transferred many troops from the rear to station in various places in Chenla. They really won't leave this time. Your Majesty still needs to make plans in advance."
"Our territory is now closely connected with the suzerain country. The old minister believes that we should take the initiative to make peace with the suzerain country. Your Majesty can no longer deal with the suzerain country in the aloof way." The Prime Minister advised.
"By the way, Prime Minister, you just said that you have something important to discuss with me. Why?" Rama IV asked hurriedly when he saw that the Prime Minister had been talking for a long time without getting to the point.
"Uh..." The Prime Minister seemed a little hard to speak. He pondered for a while before continuing, "Your Majesty, the envoy from the suzerain country said that this time the suzerain country helped Siam wipe out the rebels who were fleeing Chenla, and a lot of money was wasted. This military expenditure should be funded by
Come out of Siam."
With a "bang" sound, Rama IV couldn't bear it any longer. He changed his previous calm and calm image and slammed the scripture in his hand to the ground.
"What kind of logic are they using? It's not like I asked them to destroy Pula." Rama IV felt that he was being bullied. How could this suzerain country have fallen to such an extent? It began to blackmail its vassal states.
.
"Your Majesty, don't you understand? The people in the north are not greedy for our money. Do you think they don't know about our affairs? I have heard that the sovereign country has a department dedicated to spying on intelligence, just like in the Ming Dynasty.
Just like the Jin Yiwei. Maybe we already have their people here."
"I think the North is asking us to pay this time. I think it is a slap on our Siam, or a warning to us." said the Prime Minister. He knew Rama IV and knew that he would make the right choice.
None of the kings of Siam are stubborn. They will choose to compromise as long as they can keep the throne.
"Okay, Prime Minister, how much military spending do they want?" Rama IV asked with a sigh of relief.
"Your Majesty, they want 10 million Chinese dollars." The Prime Minister said a number.
Rama IV had been dealing with Chinese businessmen for a long time, so of course he knew how much 10 million Chinese dollars was? Because the economy in Siam is now controlled by Chinese businessmen, Chinese dollars are also circulating in Siam. Even Chinese copper coins are circulating in Siam.
After hearing this number, Rama IV almost lost his temper. How could he not look down on such a small amount of money and look down on so much more.
"Your Majesty, take care!" Seeing that Rama IV almost fell, the Prime Minister quickly stepped forward to help him.
"It doesn't matter, Prime Minister, can our treasury provide so much money?" Rama IV asked.
"Such a large amount of cash cannot be withdrawn at once, but we can still make it with our tax revenue. I have already contacted Siam Bank, and they agreed to lend us money to advance." said the Prime Minister.
The Siam Bank is originally controlled by Chinese businessmen. What is their plan to step forward to borrow money at this time?
Rama II didn't understand finance, so he couldn't figure it out, so he left the matter to the Prime Minister.
"Minister of the State, in order to give an explanation to the people about this matter, let's say that the Pula rebellion is preparing for rebellion, and the suzerain country will send troops to cooperate with the kingdom to eliminate the rebels. As for the military expenses, don't mention it. Even in our Kingdom of Siam's anti-bandit funds
Go inside." Rama IV said.
At this point, the Renaissance Army's strategic purpose in the Indochina Peninsula has been completed. Next, the Renaissance Army only needs to consolidate Lancang Province, Meigong Province and the newly established Phnom Penh Province.
These places are very roundabout areas. In particular, Phnom Penh Province is very suitable for farming and the development of large-scale farms. Many Chinese businessmen have opened farms here before.
This time, the Renaissance Army was able to stabilize the Chenla area so quickly, and these Chinese businessmen were indispensable.
After all, they had been operating here for a long time. Relying on these Chinese, the Renaissance Army quickly stabilized the place.
Among the many great powers, only the French stood up to oppose the Baath Army's control of Chenla.
France has always wanted to control the Indochina region, that is, Vietnam, Nanzhang and Chenla regions.
The French actually controlled a port on the coast of Chenla.
Before, when Siam controlled this place, they did not dare to drive away the French.
But now that the Renaissance Army has arrived, the French naturally do not have that freedom.
However, the French do not have much power in the East now. The Crimean War took away all France's power in the East.
Therefore, the French can only protest verbally.
The Renaissance Army knew that the French were fierce and cruel, so they didn't care.
Liu Dahai took the Nanyang Navy directly to the Gulf of Siam, first took a trip along the coast of Chenla, and then visited Siam.
In the current South China Sea area, except for the slightly larger fleets of the British and Spanish, there are almost no powerful fleets.
Therefore, although the Nanhai Navy of the Renaissance Army is not very strong, it can still be ranked in the top three.
The military funds handed over by Siam don't have to be so troublesome to transport away.
Just put it directly in the account of Siam Bank. Anyway, China has to transport a large amount of rice, wood and ore back from Siam every year.
This money can just be used for settlement.
…
Because Luzon is relatively close to China, it has always been a place where a large number of Chinese people gather.
Since the Song Dynasty, a large number of Chinese have begun to live in Luzon.
Magellan discovered this place during his circumnavigation, and later the Spanish occupied it and made it a colony. The Spanish transported silver from the Americas here, and then exchanged the silver for silk, tea, porcelain and other commodities in China, and then shipped it back to Europe.
Luzon plays an important role in the history of Spain. He brought endless wealth to Spain.
In this process, the port city of Manila gradually rose. Now after hundreds of years of development, Manila has become a mature Spanish-style city.
Although Spain has declined now, it is still the former world hegemon, the empire on which the sun never sets.
Spain also had a large number of colonies in the Americas, the Pacific, and Africa.
Although the Latin American independence movement in the 1920s caused Spain to lose most of its South American colonies, it had a huge impact on the Spanish navy.
However, Spain's previous alliance with Britain in the anti-French war allowed Spain to receive asylum from the British, which lifted the previous confrontational relationship with the British.
At this time, Spain was under the rule of Queen Isabel II.
Unlike Queen Victoria of England at the same time, the Queen of Spain lived a dissolute and decadent life, and sometimes interfered in domestic politics in a willful and irrational way.
Queen Isabel II seemed to particularly favor reactionary elements in the army and church, which made her even more hateful in the hearts of the Spanish. She narrowly escaped assassination twice, but she narrowly escaped both times.
Under her rule, Spain's domestic political situation was in dire straits.
This period was characterized by endless palace intrigues and coups and revolutions. She had to rely on frequent changes of governments to cope. In 25 years, Spain changed 34 governments and promulgated 7 constitutions. It launched 15 riots and various sycophant groups came to power one after another.
Governing.
At this time, liberals were in power in Spain, and in order to alleviate domestic conflicts, they diverted the attention of the domestic public.
Queen Isabel II united the country's liberal governments and decided to adopt a plan.
This plan was mainly formulated by some conservative forces in Europe. They decided to provoke a round of vendetta against the Chinese in Luzon.
The ultimate goal is to provoke a war with the Chinese.
In the past two years, the Chinese forces in Nanyang have developed rapidly with the support of the Renaissance Army.
A large number of plantations were established, and a large number of small Chinese countries became independent one after another.
The Huaihai Company also aggressively established farms and plantations in Nanyang to expand its sphere of influence.
Britain and France, who were busy with the war, had no way to stop all these things.
It is impossible for them to immigrate here on a large scale like the Chinese.
According to statistics from the Renaissance Army, the Chinese population in Nanyang is now close to 10 million, and nearly a million Chinese migrate here every year.
Among them were immigrants organized by the Renaissance Army, as well as immigrants recruited by Chinese families from Nanyang in China.
This momentum has worried some old colonial companies. Most of these old companies have their own interests in Nanyang.
They absolutely cannot tolerate Nanyang falling out of their control.
But now the Renaissance Army and the Chinese in Nanyang are making the situation in Nanyang get out of control.
So these people united this time, formed an organization, and then formulated a very secret plan.
This plan is so secretive that only a few high-level executives know its specific contents, while the executors below only know their own affairs.
Funding for the plan came from old European colonial companies such as the British East India Company and the Dutch East India Company.
A total of nearly £10 million was raised across several parties.
The specific executor of this plan was identified as Spain.
Queen Isabel II is the most money-hungry among the European royal families, and she is also the easiest monarch to be persuaded because she is short of money.
In order to get the money, Isabel II cooperated with them to manipulate the whole thing.
First of all, Isabel II persuaded the current Spanish government to support strengthening control over the Luzon region. She also replaced one of her confidants to serve as governor of Luzon and be responsible for specific actions.
This plan is just one of the East India Company's plans to retaliate against China. But it is the most effective.
Because although Spain has declined, their navy can still rank among the top five in Europe.
Currently, Spain still has dozens of wooden battleships in service, although they are all still old-fashioned sailing battleships.
But now most Europeans still think that sailing battleships are the masters of the ocean.
Even the British Empire only began to try to install steam auxiliary power units on battleships.
In other words, sailing is still the mainstream, and steam power is only regarded as an experiment.
There are less than ten sail cruisers in China, which can be confirmed by intelligence.
These Europeans even knew where the Chinese cruise fleet was operating.
Therefore, they believed that as long as Spain could gather half of its warships to the east, it could destroy China's naval fleet and then blockade China's ports.
At that time, these people can appear as mediators and force China to agree to the various conditions they propose.
These plans were implemented without informing the underlying executives.
This is why China still does not know about this plan even though it has arrested many East India Company representatives.
It was not until the tragedy on Luzon Island that Dong Shuheng felt that the situation was not good. It seemed that there was an invisible big hand in Nanyang controlling everything.
This tragedy occurred along the Cagayan River northeast of Manila. This is an important food growing area on Luzon Island.
Zhaojiayan is a Chinese settlement area dominated by the Zhao clan. Their history of living in Luzon can be traced back to the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty.
During the Wanli period, the Spanish colony on Luzon Island organized a massacre against the Chinese, and nearly 200,000 Chinese died in that massacre.
Some of them were taken as slaves by the Spanish and brought to South America. Those people may have been the first batch of Chinese to arrive in South America.
Because in recent years, the Chinese in Nanyang have learned from the Huaihai Company's model to establish plantations, and they have bought large tracts of land.
Then several families were united to form a Chinese living community based on this manor.
Inside the manor they built a protected residential area.
Because attacks against Chinese people have occurred here in Nanyang, most Chinese people still have a certain sense of worry.
Just last year, Zhao Jiayan also purchased some muskets from the Huaihai Navy trade and organized young men from several families to form an extraordinary guard of 500 people.
These people are like militia members of the Renaissance Army, participating in training during their leisure time.
This Chinese plantation is not isolated. There are more than a dozen such plantations along the Cagayan River. They mainly grow grain and sugar cane.
These grains and sugar are mainly exported to China.
Every year, Chinese ships go up the Cagayan River to buy their goods and then go north to Taiwan Island and turn to Fujian. This trade route is very short and can only be completed by ordinary small sea ships. As long as it avoids
It would be nice to start the typhoon season.
There is a joint protection mechanism between these plantations. When a certain plantation is attacked, other plantations will come to support.
But this attack was very strange. By the time the supporting Chinese armed forces arrived, the manor had already been breached.
Everyone realized that the natives did not have any decent weapons, and it would be difficult to break through the Chinese fortress with only the cold weapons in their hands.
"President, the local Chinese reported that many people in this Chinese manor were killed with muskets. It is impossible for ordinary natives to have muskets in the Philippines." Wei Yuxiang reported in Dong Shuheng's office in the Summer Palace.
There were so many details in it that Wei Yuxiang felt filled with indignation even when he reported it.
This incident was so bad that many women and children in the manor were even tortured and killed.
"Instruct Zheng Jian to send people to Luzon to secretly investigate this matter."
"Send an order to the First Fleet to secretly go south to Keelung Port to stand by, replenish ammunition, and enter combat status."
"Order Ding Li's 1st Marine Brigade to go south to Fujian to join Niu Jie's 8th Division and enter a state of secret combat readiness."
Dong Shuheng issued a series of orders at once.
The current situation is that the storm is about to come! The Renaissance Army will face new challenges.