Beiyang reactionaries

After talking about the situation of the Sino-Soviet negotiations, Wei Chenzuo, the Minister of Foreign Affairs who attended the meeting, spoke.

"Siam Prime Minister Luang Phibun Songkhram wants to visit our country?"

Duan Xun nodded slightly.

After thinking about it, he asked Wei Chen group: "Talk about domestic affairs in Siam carefully, including political, economic, and military issues. And Luang Phibun Songkham will also give you a good introduction. .”

"Yes."

Historically, Asia claimed to have only three independent countries during World War II.One is Japan, because Japan is powerful.One is China, because China is too big.One is Thailand, because Thailand is too smooth.

During World War II, Thailand fought with Japan and declared war on Britain and the United States, belonging to the fascist camp.However, after the end of World War II, Thailand quickly drew a line with Japan, saying that it was persecuted by Japan and a victim of Japan, and demanded compensation from Japan.For their own interests in Asia, countries such as Britain, the United States and France readily recognized Thailand's choice, and did not treat Thailand as a fascist country for trial.It can be seen how smart Thailand is.

But Duan Xun actually doesn't care much about Thailand.

It is because Thailand is too small.

Duan Xun is concerned about the general trend of the world. In Southeast Asia, Duan Xun is not more concerned about Thailand.So I also read some historical materials about Thailand, but I didn't focus on them.

Now Thai Prime Minister Luang Phibun Somkham wants to visit China and meet Duan Xun. Duan Xun needs more detailed information.Those present here, including those present, have relatively little understanding of Thailand, so we need an introduction from the Wei Chen group.

"Luang Phibun Songkham is a Chinese-Thai mixed race. The Thai people in Siam and the Dai people in China are the same nationality. Luang Phibun Songkham started studying at the military academy when he was very young, and later went to France to study at the Fontainebleau Military Academy. After returning home, he began to serve in the Siamese army. In 1928, he and some Siamese soldiers established the People’s Party, dedicated to overthrowing the monarchy. In 1932 and 1933, after two coups, Siam overthrew the absolute monarchy , became a constitutional monarchy. And Luang Phibun Songkham also became the Minister of Defense of Siam. In 1938, Siam had a royal asset scandal, and the cabinet at that time fell. Luang Phibun Songkham became the new Prime Minister of Siam."

"Ah."

Duan Xun nodded slightly.

In fact, it is similar to Duan Xun's fortune. He first gained power in the army and finally became the boss of the government.It's just that Luang Phibun Songkham obviously didn't fight as many battles as he did.

"What about this person's political views?"

"After Luang Phibun Songkham came to power, he did three important things. First, after he came to power, he immediately sued the King of Siam for abusing royal assets, discrediting the Siamese royal family. Then he arrested more than 40 political enemies. In the name of the trial, 18 of them were executed. Then the training time was postponed from 10 years to 20 years. Using this method, he strengthened his power and became the most powerful prime minister in the history of Siam.”

The most common tactic used by political strongmen.

Duan Xun smiled bitterly.

Many of the so-called political strongmen are also "dictators."Obviously, after Luang Phibun Songkham came to power, he immediately began to centralize power.Even in order to centralize power, the Thai royal family was trampled underfoot.

"The second thing is that he proposed the concept of 'Great Thailand'. He changed the name of the country from Siam to Thailand, and then he wanted to establish a large country of "Thai people". The Thai ethnic group, the Thai ethnic group in Cambodia, the Lao Lao ethnic group, the Shan ethnic group in Myanmar, the Dai ethnic group in China, and the Assamese ethnic group in India all belong to the "ethnological Thai group", and it is planned to unite "3000 million people of Thai descent" in the ' Within the Great Thailand'. Also for this goal, Luang Phibun Songkhram will lead the Siamese army to attack Burma and prepare to swallow some parts of Siam."

"What's the political situation in Thailand?"

"Thailand's population is about 2000 million, and there are about 400 million Chinese and overseas Chinese. Like other Southeast Asian countries, Chinese and overseas Chinese occupy an absolute economic advantage in Siam and control Siam's economic lifeline. However, in Siam, Chinese and overseas Chinese and The relationship between the local Thai people is very good, and there are not many conflicts. There are several reasons. One is that there are many marriages between overseas Chinese and local Thai people, so there are many descendants of Chinese and Thai mixed blood. Most people in the Siamese business community are not Chinese. Overseas Chinese are Chinese-Thai mixed blood. In addition, Chinese and overseas Chinese generally do not bully other local ethnic groups. Another thing is that Thailand is a country that believes in Buddhism. The Thai people are mild-tempered and not a nation that likes to fight. There is harmony between the Thai people."

Wei Chen's team immediately began to introduce the domestic situation in Thailand.

Thailand is one of the Southeast Asian countries with a relatively high proportion of overseas Chinese.It accounts for one-fifth of Thailand's total.More importantly, Chinese and overseas Chinese are hardworking and belong to the wealthy class in Thailand.Controlling the economic lifeline of Thailand.

"However, after Luang Phibun Songkham came to power, this situation began to change. There were even some radical figures in Siam. They stated that Siam is a 'Thai' Siam, and they wanted to drive away and kill the Guanghua people. Overseas Chinese. Although some people agree with this kind of voice, it is not accepted by the Siamese people, and there is a lot of opposition. In the end, Luang Phibun Songkham vetoed this proposal. But such a voice still caused Siamese people to ethnic antagonism."

"This happens when there is a surge of nationalism. It requires those in power to know how to balance it."

The First World War and the Second World War both promoted the rise of nationalism in the world.This is something that no one can stop.This is especially true of many colonial nations.

Being able to make good use of the nationalist trend of thought can greatly promote the national liberation movement.However, if the nationalist trend of thought is not used well, the result will become militarism.

"The third is that Luang Phibun Songkham decided to form an alliance with Japan. Among Japan's current allies, Siam has the highest status. Because Siam is a completely independent country with its own political system and its own military system. After Siam followed Japan, it not only annexed some places in Myanmar, but also annexed many places in the Malayan Peninsula.”

The introduction of Luang Phibun Songkham is equivalent to a general introduction of the situation in Thailand.

Duan Xun also has a deeper understanding of Thailand.

"What about the current political and economic situation in Siam?"

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"What about the current political and economic situation in Siam?"

"The economy is in a bad place."

Wei Chen group opened his mouth and said: "Siam used to export a lot of agricultural products to Germany, and at the same time imported a lot of daily necessities from Germany. However, after the outbreak of the war, Britain blocked Germany, so the channel for Siamese agricultural products exported to Germany was completely interrupted. As for the daily necessities that Siam wants to import, Britain and the United States don’t sell them to them, and Germany can’t buy them. After Siam and Japan formed an alliance, they have been importing various daily necessities from Japan. But now Japan is focusing all its energy on fighting , All the resources are put on the production of weapons and equipment, and they don’t produce much daily necessities, so how can they be given to Siam. As a result, there is a serious shortage of daily necessities in Siam, which leads to a sharp rise in the prices of daily necessities, together with other prices. And Japan After forming an alliance with Siam, Japan abolished import and export tariffs, which further deteriorated Siam's finances. Just a month ago, there was a shooting incident in Siam. Siamese people confronted the police, and the police finally opened fire, causing many casualties .Although this incident was suppressed by Luang Phibun Songkham, it still shocked the entire Siam government and the opposition.”

"Ah."

Duan Xun nodded.

Thailand is not China.The United Kingdom does not want to offend China, so it will not block Chinese transport ships at will.Even if it is blocking, it is just a simple check.As long as there are no serious contraband, mainly munitions and oil, British warships will not intercept Chinese cargo ships.

Because they are worried about offending China.

Anyway, at this stage, neither the Axis nor the Anti-Fascist Alliance will casually offend China.On the contrary, the two military groups are trying to win over China, and they turn a blind eye to some things.Therefore, China's trade is booming, but Thailand does not have such strength.

First of all, Thailand does not have such excellent cargo ships that can send their products to Germany.Even if Thailand really has cargo ships, they dare not send them to Europe.Now Thailand is at war with the British and Indian troops. Following Japan's declaration of war against Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union, how can the British navy allow you to enter and exit Europe at will.

So Thailand's economy has been hit hard.

Before, Thailand exported a large amount of agricultural products to Germany, which brought a lot of economic benefits to Thailand.However, with the interruption of this line, it directly hit Thailand's economy.Many political problems are caused by economic problems.Just like the outbreak of World War II, the initial cause was the Great Depression that started in the United States, which directly affected the entire world.If it weren't for the Great Depression in the United States, the Second World War, if it was destined to break out, would have been delayed for many years.

This is the case in Thailand now.

The economy is not good, and the result is social instability.If this problem cannot be resolved, then political unrest will ensue.

"Politically, there are many voices in Siam that oppose the alliance with Japan. There are also many such voices in the army. Originally, these voices were not very influential under the suppression of Luang Phibun Songkham. During the Burmese campaign, the Siamese army suffered a lot of casualties. Moreover, the Japanese army has not been able to take Myitkyina for a long time. In addition, the Japanese army who forcibly crossed the Chindun River lost too many non-combat personnel and had to retreat. All these made the Siamese army Many people inside doubted whether the Japanese army could defeat the British and Indian troops, and there were more voices questioning the alliance with Japan.”

"What do you think?"

After listening to Wei Chen's group's introduction, Duan Xun asked several vice chairmen.

Dai Kan said: "At present, Siam seems to have increased its strength and occupied many places. But it is obvious that the war has directly affected Siam's economy, and even began to affect the social stability of Siam. If this situation is allowed to If it continues, there will inevitably be more social problems in Siam, which will lead to more political problems. Luang Phibun Songkham should not have much ruling foundation in Siam. He should be able to secure his current position. It has something to do with his nationalist advocacy and bringing a lot of land to Siam. But once the economy has a big problem and the people in the country are in dire straits, his ruling foundation will be gone. Now Japan’s domestic economy itself is not very good, and it does not help at all. Siam is not doing much good. If Japan doesn’t blackmail Siam, it’s already giving its allies enough face. How can it help Siam restore a normal economy. At present, the only country in the world that can help Siam stabilize its economy is our country. I think Luang Phibun Somkham wants to visit our country this time because of the domestic economic situation.”

Luang Phibun Somkham is a nationalist, but he is actually one of the "anti-Chinese" advocates.

Seeing the tyranny of Japan, I became pro-Japanese.Thailand under the leadership of Luang Phibun Songkham has always been very close to Japan, on the contrary, it has little to do with China.

The voice of "anti-Chinese" in Thailand also appeared under the connivance of Luang Phibun Songkham.However, Luang Phibun Songkham is a smart person, and he knows that China in Asia is a big and powerful country.Thailand can't afford to offend China at all.Therefore, although he connived at domestic "anti-Chinese" voices, he did not take extreme measures.Suggestions for the expulsion of Chinese and overseas Chinese, or even the massacre of Chinese and overseas Chinese, were all suppressed.

But such a person who suddenly wants to visit China must be begging for something in China.Dai Kan said very clearly that the domestic economic situation in Thailand is very bad.In order to solve domestic economic problems, Luang Phibun Songkham set his sights on China.

Thailand is an agricultural country.

Thailand is rich in arable land. All the arable land in Thailand adds up to nearly 2 million mu, ranking first in the world.The agricultural products exported by Thailand are mainly rice, cassava, and natural rubber.Especially for rice, Thailand is one of the few net grain exporters in Asia, and it exports a large amount of rice every year.And now the only country that can buy these materials and digest these agricultural products is China.Moreover, China can also provide Thailand with cheap daily necessities to help Thailand stabilize the soaring domestic prices.

"Chairman, Luang Phibun Songkham may want to step on two boats."

Li Jishen spoke.

Dao: "Siam's foreign policy has always been very flexible. It is born with the ability to swing left and right. They will follow whoever is strong. But this is also the way of survival for small countries. It is a normal thing. Before Japan was strong and swept In Nanyang, the British are not opponents at all. If Siam wants to gain some benefits in the middle, it can only follow Japan. In the past two years, Siam has indeed gained a lot of benefits, including swallowing many places in Myanmar and Malaysia. Many places in the Asian Peninsula. But now Japan’s ambitions are getting bigger and bigger, and the scale of the war is getting bigger and bigger, and even the United States has been involved. Moreover, although Japan has an advantage in Myanmar, it has been maintaining its offensive. But it has not gained A decisive victory. The Battle of Myitkyina broke out for several months, and Japan failed to take Myitkyina, and its own casualties were not small. This probably made Siam's high-level officials undecided, and they were very worried that Japan would lose the war. Therefore, they wanted to Step on two boats to test the meaning of our country. Once we can catch our country, then even if Japan loses, Siam can still get the protection of our country."