Chapter 36: Memories of Phnom Penh
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Phnom Penh, the residence of the Koun Kin family.
Seated around a square table were several of the most powerful men in Chenla. On the left sat Xie Su, Chief Administrator of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and Deng Changbu, Chief Administrator of Criminal Justice.
On the right sat Koun Kin Jie, Chief Administrator of Trade, and Koun Kin Pan, Chief Administrator of Foreign Affairs.
Seated in the center, facing south in a purple robe, was an old man named Parasou. He was Chenla’s hala—the Grand Chancellor.
Opposite him sat Hong Bufou, Grand Commander of the Imperial Guard.
Parasou spoke first.
“Since we have all gathered here today, I shall dispense with unnecessary words. The Vietnamese have never abandoned their desire to destroy Chenla. Under the pretext of suppressing a rebellion, they are in fact reducing our population, smashing our cities, and plundering our people. The entire family of Kiriha, governor of Svay Rieng, has been wiped out. If we continue to let the Vietnamese run rampant, then what befell Kiriha today will befall us tomorrow.”
Deng Changbu, Chief Administrator of Criminal Justice, slammed his hand against the table and sighed helplessly.
“Where is the law of the king? Where is the justice of Heaven? Does Nguyen Vietnam truly not fear that the Buddha will manifest and that karmic retribution will come in the cycle of rebirth?”
Most people in Chenla and Vietnam were Buddhists.
Xie Su had always despised Deng Changbu’s weakness, and he did not entirely trust Koun Kin Pan either. He therefore said, “At a time like this, you still expect the Buddha to manifest? We should be discussing how to save ourselves. Lord Koun Kin Pan, can these Westerners really be trusted? Could they be French agents in disguise, sent here by the Vietnamese to trick us?”
The French had once aided the Vietnamese. But after Vietnam grew powerful, it began suppressing the French at every turn. As a result, the people of Chenla mistakenly believed that France was a vassal state of Vietnam.
“No. Their language is different. Besides, according to the Western merchants, the Austrians are mortal enemies of the French,” Koun Kin Pan replied.
Xie Su naturally understood the principle that the enemy of one’s enemy was one’s friend, and continued questioning him.
“Are their firearms truly that formidable? How do they compare with our matchlocks?”
Hong Bufou, Grand Commander of the Imperial Guard, said, “Formidable indeed! Compared with these new foreign guns, our matchlocks are nothing more than fire pokers. The new guns fire quickly and accurately, and their power is immense. Even beneath iron armor, our rattan armor is useless. Best of all, they are not afraid of dampness, nor do they fail to ignite.”
Chenla’s climate was hot and humid. The fuses of matchlocks easily absorbed moisture, seriously affecting their performance.
By this era, flintlock firearms had already been developing for several centuries. Moreover, the granulated black powder brought by Ambrosius was far superior to traditional powdered gunpowder.
Granulated powder consisted of compact grains. Even when compressed by a ramrod, the grains did not clump together, whereas ordinary black powder could easily become a solid mass under the combined effects of pressure and humidity.
The spaces between the grains allowed oxygen to support combustion, producing a more even burn rate and greatly improving the efficiency of the powder.
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When powder remained in loose form, a considerable portion of it could be expelled from the barrel before igniting during a shot, greatly reducing the weapon’s power.
The officials of Chenla, however, understood none of this.
Although Xie Su was unwilling to admit it, he trusted Hong Bufou, the Grand Commander of the Imperial Guard. Had it not been for him, the powerful families of Phnom Penh would have been wiped out by Zhang Mingjiang long ago.
Zhang Mingjiang was a trusted general of Emperor Minh Mang of Vietnam. Appointed Governor-General of Chenla by the emperor, he had carried out a policy of extermination and forced assimilation throughout the country.
The old man in the center spoke again.
“But one hundred taels of silver per gun is simply too expensive. No matter how fine these foreign weapons may be, we cannot afford to buy them. If we purchase only a few thousand, they will hardly be of much use. Nguyen Vietnam has an army of one hundred thousand.”
“Lord Ambrosius has three conditions.”
“Let us hear them.”
“First, they want us to set aside a district where they may live. I have already sent people to arrange this.”
“Hmm, very well. Chenla is vast and rich. Let alone a district—even an entire county would be no great burden.”
The old man nodded. He saw no problem in granting foreigners land in Chenla so long as they paid taxes.
“They also wish to build a church and worship their ancestors.”
“To long for one’s homeland and honor one’s ancestors is only human nature. It seems these Westerners are not entirely devoid of civilization after all.”
“Their leader wishes to meet Her Highness the princess.”
“Absurd! How dare these barbarians make such an outrageous demand! This is an utter disgrace. How could the princess reveal her phoenix countenance to such foreign savages?”
The old man was so enraged that his beard and hair bristled.
The others present, however, were not nearly as indignant.
“His Majesty King Anzan is still in Vietnamese hands. If we can bring him home, then let alone allowing him to meet a princess—even sending the princesses to marry abroad would not be out of the question,” said Koun Kin Jie, Chief Administrator of Trade, who had remained silent until then.
Grand Chancellor Parasou had intended to rebuke the insolent wretch for disregarding all propriety. But everyone around him fell silent, seemingly accepting Koun Kin Jie’s words.
Parasou thought about it and realized that the kingdom itself was on the verge of ruin. What use was there in clinging to etiquette?
“If we agree to these three conditions, how much will they reduce the price?”
“Thirty taels,” Koun Kin Pan replied.
The old man considered this for a moment before saying, “Tell them we can grant them an entire county. But they must sell us the foreign guns for fifty taels apiece.”
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“I shall do everything in my power and will not fail either the Chancellor or Chenla,” Koun Kin Pan declared solemnly.
...
Night fell over Phnom Penh. At the East Bridge Tavern, Parasou raised his wine cup.
“Now, I ask everyone to contribute whatever wealth and strength they possess, so that together we may face the calamity threatening our country.”
He drained his cup in one swallow and continued, “I am the Chancellor of Chenla, so I shall begin. I will contribute two hundred thousand taels.”
Two hundred thousand taels was an enormous sum in Chenla. Under Vietnamese exploitation, the annual revenues of the Chenlan treasury amounted to only thirty or fifty thousand taels of silver—barely enough to pay the salaries of its soldiers and officials. By comparison, the Great Qing Empire collected forty million taels at this time.
Parasou had truly brought out everything he possessed. But the figure was so staggering that no one answered for a long while. Their raised arms grew numb as they looked at one another, waiting for someone else to speak.
Unable to bear it any longer, Koun Kin Pan drained his wine.
“I will contribute ten thousand taels of silver and ten thousand dan of rice.”
Although Koun Kin Pan was a second-rank official of Chenla and the Koun Kin family was one of the kingdom’s great clans, this was still a considerable sum for his household.
Koun Kin Jie then drained his own cup.
“I will match my elder brother: ten thousand taels of silver and ten thousand dan of rice.”
After saying this, Koun Kin Jie and Koun Kin Pan embraced one another and wept bitterly. These contributions represented nearly all the assets their family could mobilize. Any further payment would require them to sell off their property.
After them, Xie Su, Chief Administrator of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, offered five thousand taels, while Hong Bufou, Grand Commander of the Imperial Guard, offered one thousand.
What followed was simply absurd. These merchants, officials, landlords, and gentlemen contributed two hundred here and three hundred there. The most outrageous of all was Deng Changbu, Chief Administrator of Criminal Justice, who offered only fifty taels.
Parasou was furious. Deng Changbu received more than two hundred taels from a single bribe, yet he now trembled with indignation.
“You parasites! The affairs of the kingdom have fallen into such ruin, and although you cannot take the field against the enemy, you are still unwilling to contribute even the little wealth you possess? Deng Changbu! How can the Chief Administrator of Criminal Justice give only fifty taels?”
Deng Changbu had an explanation. With utter disdain, he said, “My annual salary is supposed to be one hundred and fifty taels. Yet they pay me only twenty. I have served as an official for seventeen years, and the Kingdom of Chenla still owes me two thousand two hundred taels.”
Parasou was so enraged that he nearly fainted. In that moment, he deeply understood the helplessness Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty had once felt.