Lose Some Weight

Vienna.

Because Thalia had been eating too many lavish meals lately and had gained some weight, Franz decided to supervise her weight loss.

Thalia's hands were pressed against the floor, while Franz, eyes fixed on his newspaper, rested his legs across her waist.

"As a teacher, you must lead by example. Being this fat will affect the image of the Imperial family."

"You little brat, I'm not a gym teacher!" Thalia was clearly reluctant.

"But the pillow is too soft; it will affect the quality of my sleep," Franz remarked casually, his attention still on the paper.

The frantic investment in Austrian railways had directly exposed the issue of insufficient pig iron production in Austria.

Seeing a business opportunity, merchants naturally would not sit idly by. Within a year, ten new steel mills had appeared in Austria.

It was expected that within a year or two, they would surpass Prussia, though there was still a significant gap compared to Britain and France.

However, for the industrialization of Austria, this was a good start.

After the old Emperor passed away, the entire Austrian Empire fell into chaos.

To relieve the frustration in his heart, Franz continued to tease Thalia.

"As a tutor to the Imperial family, you must be disciplined."

"I know that without you telling me," Thalia replied indignantly; after all, no girl likes to hear others call her fat.

"This is to help you strengthen your core. Besides, push-ups can improve your physique and are perfect for sculpting the muscle lines of your shoulders, back, and upper limbs."

Before long, sweat had dampened her face, and her arms were trembling uncontrollably. Franz knew she had reached her limit, so he moved his legs away.

"Take a break; don't push yourself too hard."

"Why don't you do them!" Thalia, having just finished 20 push-ups, asked back angrily.

"Because I am stronger than you."

"I don't believe it!"

Franz lay on the ground and performed 20 one-handed push-ups. Thalia was completely stunned.

In truth, the lighter one's body weight, the easier it is to do push-ups.

Franz's child-sized body still held quite an advantage.

Franz smiled at the jaw-dropped Thalia.

"Fat Thalia."

The news of the death of Francis II soon reached Prussia, and William III was so happy he nearly fainted.

Because he believed that an Austria led by an idiot could never compare to his Prussia.

Equally happy were the Russian Tsar and the French cabinet, as the recent aggressive rise of the Austrian Empire had left them sitting on pins and needles.

The death of Francis II, who had ruled the Austrian Empire for forty years, and the ascension of the intellectually disabled Ferdinand I, would undoubtedly cause a massive shock to everything in the Austrian Empire.

No one yet knew how much of an impact this shock would have on Austria; they only knew that the newly appointed Chief Advisor to the Royal Court had frantically dismissed all the advisors of the late Emperor.

Prince Metternich, Kolowrat, and other power brokers in Austria had to personally invite Baron Bruck back to continue managing Austria's debt issues.

Regarding the ascension of Ferdinand I, some ministers had raised objections, asking if Archduke Franz Karl, whose condition was milder, could take the throne instead, but the will had already been recognized by the House of Habsburg.

The orders of the Imperial family could not be changed, so these people had no choice but to accept their fate.

They did not know where this broken ship called Austria would sail.

Franz read the letter from Ambrosius and felt there was no need to be anxious about not seeing the princess yet.

They could treat the trip to Chenla as a vacation. Of course, Ambrosius might think so, but the priests of the Catholic Church would not agree.

Therefore, Franz suggested establishing a base first, using the excuse of helping the government troops suppress bandits.

Do not stay in Phnom Penh Port, as that was the sphere of influence of the Vietnamese; they could go to Kampong Som (the later Sihanoukville).

At this time, Kampong Som was merely a remote little fishing village, and the lower the level of education, the easier it would be to proselytize.

Once you have gained a foothold in Kampong Som, the royal family of Chenla will contact you.

Chenla, Phnom Penh Port.

The news that Ambrosius and his party had killed 14 bandits in one night spread like wildfire.

Bandits were rampant in Phnom Penh City, and the government troops were completely helpless; the sound of the rifles used by Ambrosius and his party was even mistaken for thunder.

Consequently, this rumor was shifting toward the idea that the foreign monks possessed sorcery.

Kuan Kim-pan also learned of this news. On one hand, he ordered the rumor to be suppressed, and on the other, he began to arrange the itinerary for Ambrosius.

Kuan Kim-pan realized that this group was not a flock of lambs waiting to be slaughtered, but beasts with sharp fangs.

He just didn't understand why such a group would travel thousands of miles to Chenla to act as military observers.

Kuan Kim-pan only thought they were Western barbarians wanting to learn advanced technology, but he felt something was not quite right.

He didn't want to worry about that; for now, he just wanted to give these people a show of force.

He would let them see one of the world's premier elite forces: the Chenla Imperial Guard.

Outside Phnom Penh City, the grand drill ground of the Chenla Imperial Guard.

This was the training ground for the strongest army in Chenla, the Imperial Guard.

Their duty was to protect the royal family, yet ironically, the royal family was now under the control of the Vietnamese, and King Ang Chan was not even residing in the palace in Phnom Penh.

The Vietnamese had also downsized the Chenla Imperial Guard, decreeing that their numbers could not exceed 3,000 and that they were forbidden from being equipped with iron armor.

Even so, the Chenla Imperial Guard maintained their final shred of dignity; this unit had never ceased its training and was undoubtedly the most formidable force in Chenla at this time.

The weather in Chenla was humid and sweltering all year round, yet the soldiers of the Imperial Guard remained in full gear.

They let out earth-shaking roars, swinging their broadswords with such vigor that they whistled through the air, and every thrust of their spears was executed with full force, the tips nearly tearing through the atmosphere.

Hong Buf, the Grand Commander of the Imperial Guard, was highly satisfied with the performance of his men, though he lamented that with the state of the nation in decline, there was no path to serve the country.

Kuan Kim-pan was also deeply moved; every time he visited the grand drill ground, he would sigh, thinking that if His Majesty could return to the country and rouse his spirit, there would be no need to fear the eastern barbarians and western bandits—referring to Vietnam and Siam.

However, none of this seemed to capture the attention of the young foreigner standing before them.

Kuan Kim-pan decided he had no choice but to play his trump card. He looked toward the Grand Commander, who understood the intent of the Foreign Affairs Office director, though he felt a pang of heartache over the ammunition.

At the command of Grand Commander Hong Buf, four rows of soldiers carrying matchlock muskets ran forward.

Fifty paces away from the soldiers stood fifty straw dummies, with watermelons serving as their heads.

"Load powder!"

The Imperial Guard soldiers began pouring gunpowder into the barrels.

"Ram powder!"

The soldiers rammed the gunpowder in the barrels until it was packed tight.

"Load lead shot!"

After a dozen more commands, Hong Buf finally gave the order.

"Ignite!"

The fifty Chenla Imperial Guard soldiers in the first row lit their matchlocks, but because the fuses varied in length and quality, the shots fired one after another, sounding chaotic and disorganized.

As for these musketeers, who were only allowed to fire three rounds per year, their accuracy was pitiful; only ten watermelons were shattered.

Watching the watermelons splatter in every direction, Kuan Kim-pan and Hong Buf could not help but cheer.

Seeing their two superiors so pleased, the Imperial Guard soldiers, thinking that their overdue salaries might finally be settled, joined in the cheering as well.

Across four rounds of firing, 200 shots had taken out only thirty-some watermelons.

Kuan Kim-pan looked at Ambrosius, hoping to see surprise, fear, or perhaps admiration in his eyes, but Ambrosius's gaze held only disappointment and disdain.

Yet, Kuan Kim-pan still asked the question he had been longing to pose.

"With such strong troops in our great Chenla, does Europe have any match for us?"