Since the early 18th century, as Thailand's influence on the Malay Peninsula increased, the princely kingdoms in the northern and central parts of the peninsula were required to pay tribute of honeysuckle to the Thai king every three years as a symbol of surrender.
Honeysuckle, or golden flowers, are two small trees carefully carved from gold and silver, about 1 meter high. The trees are surrounded by expensive pearls, crystals and silks as decorations.
According to the actual purchasing power standard in the 1880s and 1990s, the total value of two honeysuckle trees was approximately equal to 60,000 taels of silver. The population of Malay princely states generally ranged from 350,000 to 200,000 to 300,000. The annual fiscal budget of the princely states government
In addition to the land taxes paid by the subjects, the income also comes from the commercial trade in Linhai.
For the monarchs of the coastal states like Songkhla, Kelantan, and Pattani, fifty or sixty thousand taels of silver can be almost spent in three years if they squeeze out of the fiscal revenue. However, for the likes of Yala, Trang,
For the provincial governments in inland areas such as Phatthalung, 50,000 to 60,000 taels of silver was a huge burden. Often after they paid tribute, the government revenue would not have much left over.
The Thai government's high financial exploitation policy towards the Malay princely states was the main factor that led to the moral separation between the princely kingdom and the Thai central government. As time entered the 19th century, more and more Chinese continued to enter Nanyang to seek life.
This led to a surge in the number of Chinese immigrants in various princely states in the Malay Peninsula. The influx of a large number of young Chinese laborers drove the tin mining industry and crop planting industry in the Malay Peninsula, bringing valuable fiscal revenue to the princely states.
Thanks to the economic benefits created by Chinese immigrants, the Malay princes were able to respond to the Thai government's tribute requirements with a relatively relaxed economic environment.
But on the other hand, the important geographical location and rich tin resources of the Malay Peninsula also attracted the ideas of the Dutch and British. First, the Dutch destroyed the Kingdom of Malacca and occupied the southern part of the Malay Peninsula. Then the British entered Southeast Asia.
Taking the place of the Dutch and taking the Malay Peninsula and North Borneo into their hands, the intervention of the British forces changed the old power structure of the Malay Peninsula and witnessed the kingdoms that were originally subordinate to them being secretly infiltrated by the British.
and control. Soon after King Rama III of Thailand came to power, he implemented an expansionary policy and used force to invade Kedah, Kelantan, Perak and other princely kingdoms, pushing the Thai government's control area to the south of Perak.
The expansion of the Thais aroused the vigilance and concern of the British.
The British colonists at the time believed that a direct military conflict with Thailand, a major country in Southeast Asia, might lead to the collapse of the Thai government and leave an opportunity for the French entrenched in Indochina to invade Thailand, thereby threatening the flanks of the Indian colonies and the security of Myanmar.
Therefore, the British colonists gave up the plan of attacking Thailand with force, and instead chose the method of political peace talks, signing a contract with the Thai government to limit the other party's expansion momentum in the Malay Peninsula.
In 1825, the British colonial government sent Penang Military Secretary Burney to Bangkok for interviews and negotiations with the Thai government. After six months of negotiations, the Thai government had no choice but to agree to the British agreement due to military pressure from Britain and France in Indochina.
Most of the conditions proposed were reached on the division of spheres of influence between the two parties in the Malay Peninsula, and a peace agreement later known as the "Burney Treaty" was signed.
In the peace negotiation agreement, the arrangements for the princely kingdoms in the central part of the Malay Peninsula are as follows:
1. The United Kingdom recognized Yala, Songkhla, Narathiwat, Kelantan, Pattani, Glass, Kedah, and Terengganu as dependent states of Thailand. The Thai royal family has the right to require the monarchs of the above-mentioned states to pay tribute of honeysuckle to the Bangkok Palace.
The southern Malay states of Perak, Negeri Sembilan, and Pahang are independent countries from Thailand and are protected by the British government.
Three Thailand cannot prevent or interfere with the British commercial trade with the principal kingdoms of Kelantan, Terengganu, and Pattani. British merchants can conduct free trade in these principal kingdoms, but they are not allowed to invade or interfere with the above-mentioned areas.
Administrative operations.
The signing of the "Burney Treaty" solved the conflicts and differences between Thailand and the United Kingdom to a certain extent. On the one hand, the British obtained a guarantee that Thailand would not continue to expand its sphere of influence on the Malay Peninsula, and gained access to the central region of the Malay Peninsula to engage in trade.
Activities of commercial power.
On the other hand, the treaty recognized that Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu, Songkhla and other princely states were vassals of Siam, and Britain recognized the status of the Thai government as a suzerain.
Songkhla, Terengganu and other princely kingdoms are important rice-producing areas and tin-ore resource areas in the Malay Peninsula. They are rich in agricultural resources and mineral resources.
After concessions and compromises, the Thai dynasty lost the power to interfere with the kingdoms of Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang and other kingdoms, and only retained the suzerainty of the eight territories of Songkhla.
But as a party involved in the treaty, Perak,
The rulers of Terengganu, Kelantan, Kota and other princely states did not participate in the peace talks. They did not recognize the British and Thai actions of privately manipulating the destiny of their own countries.
In the letters written by the princes of Terengganu, Perak and other princes to the King of Thailand, they explained that the tribute of honeysuckle was only a sign of respect for the King of Thailand and a symbol of friendship between the two parties. The princes of the princes are still the unique rulers of the country and they have the right to make decisions about the country.
The ultimate power, and this power should not belong to the King of Thailand.
The explanations given by the princes in reply were not accepted by the Thai government. Both King Rama III and later Rama IV threatened to use force to punish the lords of the more than ten princely kingdoms and separatist cities in the central Malay Peninsula. However,
The further expansion of the British and French in Indochina interrupted the progress of the Thai government's armed intervention in the central region of the Malay Peninsula.
In order to avoid becoming a colony of Western countries like other countries, Rama III and subsequent Thai kings ceded vassal states and remote princely states in exchange for national peace. After the mid-19th century, Thailand successively gave up its control of Laos.
and rights to western Cambodia, and would cede disputed territory on the border with Burma to Britain.
In the direction of the Malay Peninsula, the Thai government handed over the seven princely states in the southern part of the peninsula, together with eight regions including Songkhla, to Songkhla for management. The signing of the Treaty of Burnie and the devolution of administrative power to Songkhla resulted in
Thailand's control over the princely kingdoms in the central part of the Malay Peninsula has been further weakened. Songkhla, Terengganu, Pattani and other places have separatist armed forces. When faced with military orders from the Thai government, the princely kingdoms often obey or directly refuse.
accept.
The Thai government has a total of about 3,000 soldiers stationed in the central part of the Malay Peninsula. Excluding the more than 500 soldiers stationed outside Songkhla City who are responsible for supervising the Wu family, they are distributed in Phatthalung, Trang, and Satun in the north of Songkhla.
The total number of soldiers is about 2,400.
The total number of indigenous soldiers in Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and Kelantan is about 4,200.
In view of the military distribution situation in Thailand and various kingdoms, Mei Dongxing, Li Wencai, Chen Shangfa, and Chen Xingui made tactical arrangements after discussion.
First, Chen Xinggui led 900 Nanyang Army soldiers and 1,100 Songkhla troops to disarm 500 Thai troops outside Songkhla City. At the same time, after deporting 500 Thai troops out of Songkhla, 2,000 soldiers were deployed in the northern area of Songkhla.
, to prevent possible retaliatory attacks by the Thai army.
2. 1,800 Nanyang Legion soldiers and 900 Songkhla troops were put under the command of Chen Shangfa, responsible for wiping out the indigenous troops in Pattani, Narathiwat, Yala, and Kelantan.
After arranging the battle plan, Mei Dongxing reminded, "Pattani is an ancient kingdom in Nanyang. Tao Gong and Yala were once ruled by Pattani for nearly a hundred years. The Pattani King had considerable influence in the two places.
, Therefore, the focus of the southward expedition to the four regions is to occupy Pattani, capture the Pattani native kings, and not give them the opportunity to unite and delay the army's advance."
"Songkhla and Pattani are only 40 to 50 miles away from each other on land. The battle will begin tomorrow. Our army will land from the sea on warships and attack the Pattani Palace. If nothing happens, we can capture the palace within half a day.
Capture the King of Pattani and end the main battle in Pattani within two days."
"Very good, all units have been repaired and prepared. Everyone returns to the military camp. Both armies will set off at midnight tonight!"......
In the early morning of October 11, 1879, a joint force of 2,000 Nanyang Army and Songkhla troops surrounded the Thai military camp outside the city. After 500 Thai troops were disarmed, they were escorted out of Songkhla by more than 600 Songkhla troops.
At 7 o'clock in the morning on October 11, 1,500 Nanyang Legion soldiers boarded 6 transport ships, assisted by 5 gunboats, invaded the Pattani Palace and captured Pattani King Suman Shah IV alive.
On October 15, 1,100 Narathiwat indigenous troops were defeated and surrendered, and 2,000 Nanyang Legion and Songkhla allied forces entered the capital of Narathiwat. On the 18th, excluding the 700 Songkhla troops who stayed behind in Narathiwat and Pattani, the remaining 1,800 Nanyang Legion soldiers and 200 Songkhla troops
The Ka soldiers went south along the coast and arrived at Kota Bahru, the capital of Kelantan, in the evening of the same day. On October 20, the city of Kota Bahru was broken. Three hours before the city was broken, the Kelantan king took advantage of the chaos and went out of the city to attack Ding.
Fleeing in the direction of Ganu.
On October 22, the Nanyang Army eliminated the main indigenous armed forces in Kelantan, and then stationed troops in the border area with Terengganu and stopped moving south. On October 26, a joint force of Songkhla and the Nanyang Army set off from Pattani.
, occupied Yala Prefecture, and now the four prefectures and one state are completely under the control of the Songkhla and Nanyang Army.
The three states of Terengganu, Perlis and Kedah, which border the area controlled by the Nanyang Army, are nominally under the jurisdiction of Songkhla.
After witnessing the rapid offensive of the Nanyang Army, which was as fast as the autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, the kings of the three states gathered together. On the one hand, they sent indigenous soldiers to guard the border areas to guard against the attack of the opposite army day and night. On the other hand, they united with the kings of Kelantan who had lost their territory.
He wrote a letter to the Governor of the Straits Settlements, Frederick, begging the colonial government to send military support to help the Kelantan king regain its territory.
After receiving requests for additional troops from the four local kings, Frederick immediately sent people to negotiate with the Nanyang Army, and then sent a telegram to the London government and the consultant in Thailand, Shabul, reporting on the changes in the Malay Peninsula and asking about Songkhla's military situation.
Whether the action was authorized by the Thai government.
On October 28, the Thai government responded that the military operations of the Songkhla Army were autonomous and the Thai government had no prior knowledge.
At the same time, Wu Jin, the Lord of Songkhla City, sent someone to explain that the Songkhla army's military action to unify four prefectures and one state was Songkhla's internal affairs and was not directed or incited by any external force. Songkhla's military actions ended here.
, they are willing to respect the British interests in Terengganu, Kedah, and Perlis, and will not make military unification of the three areas.
The British government originally acquiesced that the four provinces and one state would fall under the jurisdiction of Songkhla. After receiving Songkhla's guarantee that it would not take back the management rights of the two states and one city, the London government quickly made a decision and refused to send troops to support the Kelantan king, and then directed the Strait
Colony, maintain the existing order in the Malay Peninsula, appease the local kings of Kedah, Terengganu, and Perlis, and then gradually bring the three territories under the direct management of the Straits Settlements.
During the war in the Malay Peninsula, a small group of local special forces, under the cover of Luo Yibo and other old Lanfang families, entered Dongwanlu, the capital of Lanfang Company. On October 24, after more than ten days of investigation, they found out that the two
More than a dozen Han special forces ambushed the Liu family and his son on their way back, and then killed them with two rounds of more than 40 rounds of bullets.
After the death of the Liu family and his son, the forces attached to them were leaderless and scattered. They were immediately eliminated by the seven major families including Luo Yibo and the armed branch of the Taiping Society hidden in Borneo. As a result, after less than a week of turmoil,
Before the Dutch colonists had time to use force to intervene in the internal power change in Lanfang, Luo Yibo and others quickly took over and filled the power vacuum left by the Liu family and his son.