Chapter 28: A Letter from Ambrosius

The frenzied railway construction in Austria brought a major problem to the fore: a severe shortage of pig iron production. Consequently, a multitude of steel companies sprang up like mushrooms after rain. This, in turn, spurred a rapid increase in the demand for coal, marking the beginning of an accelerated era of industrialization in Austria.

Vienna, Schönbrunn Palace.

Thalia skipped into Franz’s room, waving a letter in her hand. "Archduke Franz, the letter from that country-bumpkin Archduke has arrived."

Observing Thalia’s smug expression, Franz felt a spark of curiosity. "Why are you so happy?"

Thalia did not answer directly, instead asking, "Do you want me to read it to you?"

Franz sighed. "Are you worried that if you teach me, you’ll be out of a job? Don’t worry, that won’t happen. I’ll read the letter myself; it’s a good chance to practice my literacy..."

As soon as Franz tore open the envelope, he was baffled. What was this? By this time, Franz had already mastered German and French, and he retained some knowledge of English from his previous life, but what lay before him was completely unintelligible.

"Can't read it, little genius? It’s Spanish!" Thalia said with a laugh.

Franz was speechless. Why would an Austrian write a letter in Spanish? He had no choice but to say, "Then you better read it."

Thalia took the opportunity to tease him again. "Is that the way to ask for a favor? Have you forgotten your aristocratic manners?"

"My dear Miss Thalia, may I please request that you read this letter for me?" Franz stood up, bowed, and enunciated each word clearly.

"Very well, I shall begrudgingly agree." Thalia took the letter and began to read.

"My dear nephew, Franz,

As you suggested, my application to serve as a military observer in Chenla (Cambodia) caused quite a stir within the military. After heated discussions among the high command, they ultimately accepted my request. General Tural told me he would do his utmost to scout personnel for me.

However, in the end, he only found two warriors who understood the Chenla language and were willing to accompany me. Simultaneously, Prince Metternich sought me out. He hopes I can act as an Austrian envoy to establish diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Chenla and gather as much intelligence on the country as possible. He even granted me some authority so I might protect myself in critical moments.

He will send a professional diplomat to accompany me. I readily agreed; I will not let any opportunity to strengthen my small team pass me by. Normally, a military observer should have an entourage of twenty; my team now consists of two officers and one diplomat. In the end, I had to find seventeen desperate men—ah, no, adventurers—to join me, barely scraping together a group of twenty. The vast majority of them are Spanish and Portuguese; these men have spent years traveling between Europe and Asia and have some understanding of the situation in Chenla. They do not speak German, but fortunately, we can manage in Spanish and Portuguese.

By comparison, the clergy of the Church were far more generous. Archbishop Rauscher personally received me and preached the Gospel of the Lord to me. (Ten thousand words omitted here.)

Archbishop Rauscher hopes that I can bring civilization and the Lord’s Gospel to Chenla, so three missionaries have been added to my party. The Church provided 20,000 florins for this expedition, along with 1,000 freshly printed Bibles. Through the Church's connections, we secured passage on a French merchant vessel; the captain was willing to take us there. At present, France is the only European nation that can trade with Vietnam and Chenla.

We have now reached the Cape of Good Hope. We unfortunately encountered a storm on the way, and two of my attendants were lost. As we could not recover their bodies, the priest could only pray to the sea, hoping to guide their souls to heaven.

By the time you receive this letter, we should have already arrived in Chenla. May God protect us so that we may fulfill the great trust placed in us by the State and the Church.

Bless me, and pray that I may find the Princess and save her.

— Ambrosius."

Franz pondered the problems Ambrosius might encounter. In his previous letter to him, he had already explained the unspoken rules of Eastern officialdom and several precautions, such as not staring directly into people's eyes. In Europe, not looking at someone while speaking might be seen as disrespectful, but in parts of Southeast Asia, holding someone's gaze is considered impolite. Of course, if you stare at a woman, that is a different story—they will assume you are interested in her.

After some thought, there was only one thing left to remind Ambrosius of: do not be too hasty. Furthermore, compared to the inefficient Austrian bureaucratic system, sending letters directly to Schönbrunn Palace would be much more effective.

Thalia asked curiously, "I have asked a well-traveled general, and he said that the Kingdom of Vietnam is one of the most powerful nations in Asia, as large as France. Archduke Ambrosius has only twenty men, yet he wants to save a princess. Can he really succeed?"

"The dragon is as big as a mountain and lives in a sturdy castle. Does the knight retreat?" Franz retorted.

"But those are just fairy tales."

"Are fairy tales always lies?" Franz played the rogue; after all, being young allowed him such liberties.

Thalia was indeed caught in a dilemma, not knowing how to explain. She finally said, "Have you finished your homework yet? Slacking off again. Go on, get to it!"

"But you were the one who wanted to read the letter to me..."

"Still talking back! I’ll show you!"

Thalia, no longer bothering with reason, saw that no one was around, dropped the letter, and rushed over to ruffle Franz’s hair.

...

Franz knew that if he wanted to help Ambrosius, he would have to leverage the power of the Church. After all, the Vietnamese Emperor Minh Mang had banned Western missionaries from proselytizing, thereby offending the French. France had previously aided the Vietnamese, providing weapons and funds during Vietnam's founding war, and even dispatching a team of officers to help train Vietnamese soldiers. The French assessment of Vietnam was that they had "cast aside the benevolence of France and become an enemy of the civilized world of Europe."

Although Vietnam strictly forbade missionary work, the Church had never given up its efforts there. Emperor Minh Mang had ordered the arrest of Western missionaries who proselytized in secret and persecuted the country’s own Christians. In the near future, the French would invade Vietnam under the pretext of protecting these persecuted Christians.

The French Church had once called upon European Catholics to travel to Southeast Asia to spread the Lord’s Gospel. However, these people were not fools; since the Vietnamese government forbade missionary work, they fled to areas where the government's reach was limited—such as the countryside or Chenla. This, of course, included Austrian and Italian missionaries.

As the leader of the religious circles in the Austrian Empire, Rauscher certainly had ways to contact these individuals. And these missionaries, who understood the local conditions, were far more valuable than simply sending an army to Chenla.