Clarke was sympathetic to the king's cause and his intervention was fruitful. Wichaichan was forced to accept humiliating terms of giving up his Vice-King position but retaining Front Palace Office, reduction his manpower to 200 men and his virtual grounding inside of Front Palace. Aftermath of Front Palace Crisis was a political triumph for Chulalongkorn and the downturn of Bunnag powers as Si Suriyawong retired to his estate in Ratchaburi. In April 1875, Chulalongkorn created modern Ministry of Finance that took over control of all revenues. However, conservative faction won the day as King Chulalongkorn chose to stall further reforms for a decade to prevent political conflicts. The king realized that his old regent still hold substantial powers and that he needed more political consolidation for reforms. Only after death of Si Suriyawong in 1883 that King Chulalongkorn was able to assume his full powers and implement reforms. When Prince Wichaichan died in 1885, Chulalongkorn abolished the centuries-old Office of Front Palace altogether in 1886 and appointed his own son Vajirunhis as Western-style Crown Prince and heir apparent instead. Threats from Western powers After the defeat of Taiping Rebellion in 1864, remaining Chinese dissident forces entered Northern Vietnam in 1868, pillaging and occupying Tai princedoms of Sipsong Chuthai and Houaphanh that sent tributes to Lao Kings of Luang Phrabang. Siamese people called the Chinese who came from northern highlands as Haw () – hence the name Haw Wars. Haw insurgents coalesced into Banner Armies, most notably the Black Flag Army and the Yellow Flag. In 1875, Yellow Flag Army attacked Muang Phuan, occupied Plain or Jars and attacked Nongkhai. King Chulalongkorn sent Siamese armies who managed to temporarily drove the Haws into mountains. Yellow Flag Army was defeated in 1875 by Chinese authorities and disintegrated into petty groups of bandits but they resurged and made their permanent settlement at Plain of Jars.In pre-modern Southeast Asia, traditional polities were not defined by territorial borders but rather network and hierarchy of alliances and tributary obligations defined by mandala system. Multicultural Siamese empire had hosted a number of tributary states including Lanna Chiangmai, Lao Kingdoms of Luang Phrabang and Champasak, minor Lao-Lanna chiefdoms and Muslim Malay sultanates of the south. In facing colonial encroachment, however, territories and sovereignty had to be clearly defined. The British acquired Upper Burma and the French acquired Tonkin in 1886. This development escalated imperialist designs on Siam and