Chapter 31: Chapter 30: Chenla

The merchant ship moved in fits and starts, losing much time along the way, but after a 61-day voyage, Ambrosius and his party finally reached their destination—Phnom Penh, the capital of Chenla.

At this time, the speed of sailing ships mostly hovered around 12 knots; the clipper ships that would appear later would eventually push sailing speeds to a new height of 20 knots.

One knot is equivalent to 1.852 kilometers; at a speed of 12 knots, a ship could travel 533.37 kilometers in a single day.

The entire journey from Venice to Phnom Penh Port was approximately 26,000 kilometers.

In La Roche's eyes, bringing pagans back to the correct faith was an incomparably noble endeavor.

Because of this, Archbishop La Roche spared no effort in assisting Ambrosius.

To ensure Ambrosius's safety and the smooth progress of his mission, he had even recruited a special religious group known as the Brotherhood of Combat.

When Ambrosius first learned that the Austrian Church possessed such an organization, he found it quite strange.

However, the moment he stepped onto the ship, he finally understood why these men were called the Brotherhood of Combat.

These priests averaged over 1.85 meters in height; in this era, where the European average was 1.7 meters, a height of 1.85 meters was undoubtedly that of a legendary giant.

Even more exaggerated was the fact that every one of them carried a rifle, with pistols and cold weapons like swords tucked into their belts. If not for the Bibles bound to their waists with iron chains, it would have been difficult to associate them with priests at all.

These giants all possessed fierce countenances. Rather than calling them priests, it would be more accurate to call them executioners.

Among them, two men were slightly shorter, but one was covered in scars with extensive burns on his face, possessing a raspy voice like a demon from hell.

The other, though his speech was that of a devout believer, had actually tattooed the Bible in Latin across his face; from a distance, he looked like an exorcist covered in talismans.

This priest's name was Sartre, an exorcist from the Linz Diocese.

Ambrosius couldn't help but remark sincerely, "Father Sartre, even without any holy relics, you could scare off the devil with your looks alone."

And so, a general, two officers, a diplomat acting as a translator, seventeen adventurers, three missionaries, and fifty combat priests embarked on the same journey.

Aside from two adventurers who met an unfortunate end at sea, the rest arrived safely in Chenla.

Phnom Penh, the capital of Chenla, was an inland port situated in the delta between the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers, providing direct access south to the South China Sea.

Although Ambrosius had prepared himself mentally, Phnom Penh was still much larger than he had imagined, nearly twice the size of Florence, the capital of Tuscany.

However, the people here seemed somewhat numb.

No matter which European city this group appeared in, Ambrosius would have had every reason to believe they would draw a massive crowd.

But the workers in the port this week seemed completely indifferent to their arrival, moving cargo with vacant eyes like a group of ghosts.

A Vietnamese official at the pier looked upon Ambrosius's party with blatant disdain, seemingly intending to give them a hard time.

Ambrosius quickly pulled out a string of zinc coins, handed them to the official, and spoke to him in broken Vietnamese.

"May you prosper and live a long life."

Zinc coins, also known as white lead money, actually contained more zinc and were the primary currency in Vietnam at the time.

The Vietnamese official at the port took the string of coins, tucked them into his pocket, and waved them through.

However, as the missionaries passed, the official stopped them and said, "Do not proselytize, or you die."

The official made a throat-slitting gesture, and the missionaries nodded to indicate they understood.

Before arriving in Phnom Penh, the French captain had repeatedly warned the Catholic clergy that the Vietnamese Emperor Minh Mạng had ordered a nationwide ban on proselytizing. Any priest caught preaching privately would be arrested and sent to Hué; anyone assisting them would be executed on the spot.

However, since this was Chenla, Vietnamese law was not enforced with extreme rigor.

The accompanying diplomat, Zacher, gave another string of coins to the Vietnamese official, wishing to know where the Chenla officials were located, as this was, after all, a Chenla port.

After receiving the money, the official pointed to an inconspicuous small building nearby.

Once Ambrosius's group had departed, the minor official adjusted his conical hat and spat on the ground.

"A bunch of paupers. They're only fit to do business with the Chenla people."

At this time, the Vietnamese were highly arrogant, considering themselves the second-largest power in the world, with no rival other than the Great Qing Empire.

Ambrosius and his party entered the Chenla Foreign Affairs Bureau, where the Chenla officials stared at them with curiosity.

Under Vietnamese rule, the Chenla government offices were mere formalities; it had been a long time since anyone had come knocking.

Quan Kim Pan was a Chenla noble surname and held the rank of a second-class civil official, but under Vietnamese rule, he possessed almost no actual power.

Not just Quan Kim Pan, but the other Chenla officials were also curious about the purpose of Ambrosius's party.

Because this group was simply too strange.

And why were these foreign monks all carrying weapons?

With those builds and those faces, they looked exactly like the wrathful Vajra guardians in a Buddhist temple.

Furthermore, since the Vietnamese currently ruled Chenla and enforced Vietnamese law, any missionary caught preaching would be immediately arrested and executed or sent to Hué for punishment.

Did these people truly not fear death? But looking at them, they didn't seem to be here to preach.

In truth, the so-called Brotherhood of Combat was a product of "the fox mourning the death of the rabbit"—a reaction to shared misfortune.

Following the French Revolution and the Affair of the Twelve,\" Catholic organizations in various countries lived in constant terror, fearing they might suffer a similar fate.

During the French Revolution, priests who refused to swear allegiance to the new French government were executed en masse, and Church property was ruthlessly plundered.

Thus, a self-defense organization composed of fanatics was born. They were originally intended to protect Catholic property, but these zealots soon expanded their scope, one of which was using force to ensure the safety of missionaries.

When Franz first heard of this organization, another name flashed through his mind—the Adeptus Astartes.

It was precisely because Franz knew of the existence of these "Astartes" that he dared to send Ambrosius to Chenla to rescue the princess.

At this moment, Ambrosius broke the silence.

"Greetings, officials of Chenla. We are special envoys of the Austrian Empire, hoping to establish diplomatic relations with the nation of Chenla and facilitate mutual trade. We have brought gifts for your royalty and hope you can assist us in an introduction."

Zacher, the diplomat traveling with Ambrosius, produced small gold bars and placed them into the hands of the Chenla officials.

This immediately left the officials feeling overwhelmed by the honor, and they felt a sudden sense of kinship toward this foreigner who understood the Chenla language.

However, upon hearing that the party wished to see the royalty, the officials looked at one another uncertainly.

Only Quan Kim Pan felt this was an opportunity; perhaps he could take advantage of these foreigners' ignorance of local conditions to squeeze them for a massive sum.

"I am the Chief of the Chenla Foreign Affairs Bureau, Quan Kim Pan."

Ambrosius followed Quan Kim Pan's lead and introduced himself.

"I am the specially appointed military observer of the Austrian Empire, Ambrosius. I hope to observe the training and combat of your military."

At this moment, a Chenla official jumped out and said, "You barbarian from a foreign land truly know no etiquette! Having met our Lord Quan Kim Pan, why do you not kneel?"

"Kneel?" Ambrosius asked, somewhat confused.

Beside him, the Austrian diplomat Zacher's face twitched slightly as he said, "Archduke Ambrosius is a member of the Austrian Imperial Family. Please mind your attitude."