Page 282 - A History of Siam

266 A HISTORT OF SIAM
Chakri, menaced by famine, was forced to abandon
P'itsanulok. At the head of all the inhabitants who
were still able to march, he forced a way through the
Burmese lines and established himself at P'etchabun.
The Burmese entered the deserted at the end of
city
March. The of P'itsanulok marked the
capture high
tide of Burmese success. The of
shortage supplies,
which had hastened the fall of the made it im-
city,
to hold and the invaders withdrew.
possible it, speedily
From this time suffered defeat after and
they defeat, by
the end of August had retired across the frontier.
It is related that this invasion Maha Sihasura
during
a desire to meet Chao whom he
expressed P'ya Chakri,
had found to be the of his A
toughest antagonists.
meeting was arranged, and the Burmese General, himself
a very old man, was astonished to find that Chao P'ya Chakri
was of and looked much less.
only thirty-nine years age,
Maha Sihasura that Chao Chakri was
prophesied P'ya
destined to wear a crown a prophecy which came true
only six years later.
The Burmese retreat from P'itsanulok was not
entirely
A new King, Singu Min, son of
involuntary. Mengra,
had ascended the throne of Burma. He was
just
opposed to adventures in Siam, and one of his first acts
was to degrade Maha Sihasura. He intended, however,
to maintain his control over the whole of the Burmese
Empire, of which, according to Burmese ideas, the
Lao States formed an essential An of 6,000
part. army
men was therefore sent to Chaban
Chiengmai. P'ya
was reduced to such straits that he was forced to feed his
soldiers and citizens mainly on the flesh of Burmese
He to hold and in
prisoners. managed, however, out,
September 1776 the city was relieved by a Siamese
army. P'ya Chaban, however, felt unable to carry on the