ABSTRACT
King Taksin, a well-known figure in the history of Thailand, has been for some time the subject of considerable reassessment by historians, despite the fact that he remained prominent on the historical stage for only 15 years. In September 1769, Mo Shilin despatched 50,000 soldiers under the command of Chen Wenfang to attack Chanthaburi, which was Taksin’s major stronghold in Siam, with the intention of challenging Taksin’s supremacy. Taksin was encouraged by the good response from the Chinese side, as he pursued a more active China-oriented foreign policy thenceforth. In 1775, Taksin’s troops encircled and captured the Burmese stronghold at Chiang Mai, and all of the Burmese forces retreated from Siam during the following year on account of the death of the Burmese king. Taksin’s pro-China policies and the favour he showed to Chinese of his own speech group doubtless attracted many more Chinese to Siam.
