Ambrosius's Letter

Austria's frantic railway construction triggered a major problem: the country's pig iron production was severely insufficient.

Consequently, a large number of steel companies sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

This also led to a rapid increase in the demand for coal, and from this point on, Austria's industrialization began to accelerate.

Vienna, Schönbrunn Palace.

Thalia skipped into Franz's room, waving a letter in her hand.

"Archduke Franz, that Archduke from the countryside has sent a letter."

Seeing Thalia looking so smug, Franz couldn't help but feel curious.

"Why are you so happy?"

Thalia didn't answer directly, instead asking in return.

"Do you want me to read the letter for you?"

Franz sighed.

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

Franz was stunned the moment he opened the letter. What on earth was this?

By now, Franz had already learned German and French, and in his past life, he knew some English, but what was before him left him completely clueless.

"Can't read it, little genius? This is 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 read it."

Thalia decided to play hard to get again.

"Is that the attitude of someone asking for a favor? Have you forgotten your noble etiquette?"

"Respected Miss Thalia, may I request that you read a letter for me?" Franz stood up, bowed, and spoke every word with deliberate precision.

"In that case, I suppose I shall reluctantly 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 caused quite a stir within the military.

After intense deliberation, the military high command finally accepted my request.

General Thürheim told me he would do his utmost to scout for personnel for me.

In the end, however, he only found two warriors who understood the Chenla language and were willing to accompany me to Chenla.

At the same time, Prince Metternich approached me. He hopes I can serve as an Austrian envoy to establish diplomatic relations with the nation of Chenla and gather as much intelligence on the country as possible.

He even granted me certain authorities so that I might protect myself at critical moments.

He is sending a professional diplomat to accompany me, and I gladly accepted; I will not pass up any opportunity to strengthen my small team.

Normally, a military observer should have twenty attendants; my team currently consists of two officers and one diplomat.

In the end, I could only find seventeen desperadoes—ah, no, adventurers—to join me, barely scraping together twenty men.

The vast majority of them are from Spain and Portugal; these men have spent years traveling between Europe and Asia and have some understanding of the situation in Chenla.

The only issue is that these men do not speak German, but fortunately, we can communicate in Spanish and Portuguese.

By comparison, the priests of the Church are far more practical.

Archbishop Rauscher received me personally and spoke to me of the Lord's gospel.

Ten thousand words omitted here.

Archbishop Rauscher hopes that I can bring civilization and the Lord's gospel to Chenla, so my team now includes three missionaries.

The Church has provided 20,000 Florin in funding for this long journey, as well as 1,000 newly printed Bibles.

Through the Church's connections, we secured passage on a French merchant ship, and the captain is 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 our attendants perished.

As their bodies could not be recovered, the priest could only pray toward 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 heavy trust placed in us by the nation 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 Ambrosius, he had already explained the unspoken rules of Eastern officialdom and several precautions.

For instance, he warned him not to stare directly into people's eyes.

In Europe, not looking at someone while speaking can be considered a sign of disrespect.

However, in some parts of Southeast Asia, maintaining eye contact is considered impolite.

Of course, if you stare at a woman, that is a different story; people will assume you are interested in her.

After much thought, there is only one thing left to remind Ambrosius of: do not be too hasty. Furthermore, rather than dealing with the inefficient bureaucracy of the Austrian Empire, it would be far more efficient to send the letter directly to Schönbrunn Palace.

Thalia asked with some curiosity.

"I have inquired with a well-informed general, and he said that Vietnam is one of the premier powers in Asia, with an area as large as France. Archduke Ambrosius has only twenty men; he wants to rescue a princess. Can he really do it?"

"The dragon was as large as a mountain and lived in a sturdy fortress. Did the knight retreat?" Franz countered.

"But those are just fairy tales."

"Are fairy tales all lies?" Franz acted shamelessly; after all, being young allowed him to get away with it.

Thalia was indeed caught in a dilemma, not knowing how to explain.

She had no choice but to say.

"Have you finished your homework? Slacking off again. Go on, go on!"

"It was you who wanted to read the letter to me."

"Talking back! I'll fight you!"

Thalia, too lazy to reason further, saw that no one was around, dropped the letter, and rushed over to ruffle Franz's hair.

Franz knew that to help Ambrosius, he would need to leverage the power of the Church.

After all, Emperor Minh Mang of Vietnam had banned Western missionaries from preaching in Vietnam, and as a result, Vietnam had offended the French.

France had once helped the Vietnamese, providing weapons and funds during Vietnam's founding war, and even dispatching a team of officers to help train Vietnamese soldiers.

France's assessment of Vietnam was that they had "cast the kindness of France to the back of their minds and become an enemy of the civilized European world."

Although Vietnam strictly prohibited missionary work, the Church had never given up on proselytizing in the country.

Emperor Minh Mang of Vietnam ordered the arrest of Western missionaries preaching in secret and persecuted the country's own Christians.

In the near future, the French would invade Vietnam under the pretext of protecting persecuted Christians.

The French Church had once called upon Catholics across Europe to spread the Gospel of the Lord in Southeast Asia.

However, these people were not fools; since the Vietnamese government banned missionary work, they simply fled to areas where the Vietnamese government's reach was limited.

For example, the countryside or Chenla.

This, of course, included missionaries from the Austrian Empire and Italy.

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 situation, were far more valuable than sending an army to Chenla.