Chapter 1032: Complications

"Do not fight, absolutely do not fight."

Just as both sides were at daggers drawn, a Siam Kingdom official appeared at the city gate.

Seeing that the situation was not right, he immediately stood between the soldiers of both sides and waved his hands repeatedly.

He first ordered a Siamese in his entourage to use the British language to say some things to Maduoer.

Then he ordered another Siamese to use the Dayan language to explain to Shang Yi.

Maduoer was here to win over Siam, so he naturally had to give the Siamese official some face, and thus he let his soldiers lower their muskets.

Shang Yi knew his current status was that of an envoy, so he also had his soldiers put away their weapons.

But the soldiers on both sides still glared at each other unkindly, with flames seemingly burning in their eyes.

At present, the conflict between Dayan and the Western Lands was irreconcilable.

The soldiers on both sides were holding back their strength, waiting to fight this battle.

"Zongla, why would the Dayan army appear here? Do you intend to betray us Westerners?" Maduoer recognized this Siamese official.

When they were reinforcing Malacca, this Siamese official had even gone to where they were stationed to bring grain and fruit to show goodwill.

According to Governor Bolt, this Zongla was a pro-Western Siamese official they had supported.

"Colonel Maduoer, where do these words come from? My Siam is a nation of Dongtu, and I have not sworn allegiance to your British Queen, so how can there be any talk of betrayal today?" Hearing this, Zongla's expression changed slightly, and he said slowly.

The Dayan army had appeared on the east and west sides of Siam at almost the same time, a massive force of one hundred thousand.

And during this time, they in Siam had been constantly watching the war between Dayan and the other four nations.

Seeing the Dayan army destroy the armies of the four nations like a hot knife through butter, they were nearly scared to death.

Previously, Siam had maintained harmonious relations with both Britain and Frank, which was because they were intimidated by the military might of the two nations.

At that time, Dayan had no time to pay attention to the Southeast Five Nations.

Now, the Dayan Wang had arrived in person leading the army, and the situation was already different.

After all, if the British and the Frankish lost, they could retreat to the Western Lands, but Siam was right next to Dayan and could not be moved.

However, at the moment, their Emperor Songpa was still somewhat hesitant.

He did not want to offend Dayan, nor did he want to offend the Westerners.

Instead, he hoped they would decide a winner, and then Siam would make a choice; for now, they would remain neutral.

Therefore, they naturally had to keep their distance from Britain, and they also hoped the Dayan people would not force them.

"What did you say!" Zongla's words made Maduoer's expression change drastically.

It was clear that the arrival of the Dayan envoy had changed the attitude of the Siamese Emperor Songpa.

Seeing that Maduoer was angry, Zongla had no choice but to have someone explain their Emperor's thoughts to Maduoer in the British language.

"I see, you want to sit on the fence, but you are too wishful. Our Western Lands Allied Forces are now at odds with Dayan, and we will not agree to you remaining neutral. Today, you must give me a clear answer: are you standing on the side of Dayan, or are you standing on our side in the Western Lands?" Maduoer said loudly.

"This..." Zongla was also in a difficult position; he had not expected Maduoer's reaction to be so intense.

After thinking for a moment, he first let Maduoer wait for a while, then came before Shang Yi to convey Emperor Songpa's thoughts.

Hearing this, Shang Yi sneered, "Remaining neutral is fine, but after we defeat the Westerners, whether his imperial throne can remain stable will not be up to him to decide."

A ball of fire suddenly rose in his belly, and he said angrily, "Is your head filled with dung? The Westerners have come to Dongtu to run rampant everywhere, slaughtering and enslaving the people of Dongtu, and now you actually still want to play both sides! Are you still people of Dongtu!"

Zongla was scolded by Shang Yi until his face was red and his ears were hot.

The idea of neutrality seemed unworkable; on one hand, he ordered the city guards to let Maduoer and Shang Yi enter the city, and on the other, he hurried back to the Imperial Palace to convey the meaning of the two.

Understanding the situation, Emperor Songpa of Siam looked toward his ministers.

For this matter, he had specifically summoned his high-ranking officials to discuss it.

The rhetoric just now was what everyone had discussed together.

"For us in Siam, remaining neutral and playing both sides is the best choice, but it seems this is not working."

Songpa sighed.

After pondering for a while, he said, "Since that is the case, we can only choose Dayan. We are too far from the Western Lands and too close to Dayan. Since Dayan is rising, we must, of course, maintain a relationship with Dayan."

"I disagree." As soon as Songpa's voice fell, a Siamese general suddenly stood up, "The Westerners are much stronger than the Dayan people. Dayan is only one country, while the Western Lands have many nations. Now, because of the great distance, they have only gathered a small amount of military force in Dongtu."

"If they truly poured out the strength of their entire nations, Dayan would absolutely not be their match. Therefore, if we choose the Western Lands, once the Western Lands are victorious, they will certainly help us establish a Steam Industry, just like in Tianzhu."

As the general's voice fell, it gained the approval of some ministers, including Zongla.

He was only acting on orders to convey Songpa's command, but in his heart, he identified with the Westerners.

This was because the Western Lands had been interfering in Siam for decades.

And Dayan had had almost no dealings with Siam in these decades.

Therefore, their understanding of the Westerners was deeper than that of Dayan.

"But the current industry of Dayan is more prosperous than that of the Western Lands." A bad premonition flashed through Songpa's heart, but he still explained, "This is something a merchant who went to trade in Dayan saw with his own eyes, and this is also the reason why I am ultimately willing to choose Dayan. This is a gamble; once we lose, we will have nothing left."

"That merchant perhaps just took the Silver of the Dayan people. Your Majesty, think about it, how could a country in Dongtu surpass the Westerners in such a short time?" the general said stubbornly.

Hearing this, Songpa's brow furrowed even deeper.

He knew that quite a few of Siam's ministers and generals were very superstitious about the Westerners.

He had once been very superstitious about the Westerners too, but at this moment, he could still maintain a sliver of clarity.

Yet some people were simply unwilling to open their eyes and look at the reality of today.

The name of this general was Bowei, and he, along with Zongla and other ministers, had always been close to the Westerners.

Most importantly, because Bowei's family had close trade dealings with the Westerners, they had accumulated a vast amount of wealth over these thirty years, while simultaneously controlling thirty percent of the military force within Siam.

Even he was somewhat wary of Bowei; it could be said that this was a powerful minister.

"Very well, allow me to think about it some more," Songpa said.

Just at this moment, an attendant suddenly entered the great hall and stepped forward to whisper something to Songpa.

Songpa was startled, but he immediately concealed his panic and hurriedly whispered something to his attendant.

The attendant nodded and left at once.

Before long, the attendant appeared outside the palace gate.

Upon seeing Shang Yi, he said urgently, "Please leave Siam immediately, otherwise your lives will be in danger. There are ambitious schemers who want to kill you to create conflict and make Siam lean completely toward the Westerners."

Shang Yi suddenly narrowed his eyes, "Tell your people to hold on; we will return again very soon and let those ambitious schemers see the might of our Great Song's guns and cannons."

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