Transaction

Kuan Kim-pan's question left Ambrosius struggling for an answer.

The Chenla people were still using archaic sixteenth-century matchlocks, the very same design once introduced by the Portuguese.

By now, the major powers of Europe had phased out matchlocks, and even flintlocks were being replaced by the more advanced percussion cap muskets.

Even in a backward nation like Russia, the matchlock had already been discarded.

The only places still utilizing matchlocks were likely the small principalities within Italy and Germany.

In truth, limited by his own perspective, Ambrosius believed the matchlock had long since vanished from the battlefield.

In reality, throughout Italy—with the exception of the northern regions controlled by the Austrian Empire—the matchlock remained quite prevalent.

During the contemporaneous Spanish Civil War, both sides were still equipped with a vast number of matchlocks.

In the even more backward Balkan region, soldiers without matchlocks were forced to rely on cold weapons like bows and spears.

He picked up his rifle and retreated one hundred and fifty paces.

"Bang!"

Following the gunshot, a watermelon shattered on cue.

Clearing the pan, reloading, and ramming the charge—Ambrosius was clearly far more proficient than those Chenla imperial guards.

After all, in the Austrian Empire, his status allowed him to practice shooting as he pleased.

It took roughly half a minute before his second shot shattered another watermelon at a distance of one hundred and fifty paces.

Although Ambrosius practiced often, he was not a professional marksman, yet he figured this distance was enough to shock the arrogant Chenla people before him.

In truth, Ambrosius had an advantage; he was using a rifled musket, which, while slower to load, possessed far greater accuracy than a smoothbore.

Hong Buf was already gaping in astonishment; one had to realize that one hundred and fifty paces was three times the firing distance of the Chenla imperial guards just moments ago.

Even the best marksman among the Chenla imperial guards could not achieve two hits out of two at this range.

However, neither Hong Buf nor Kuan Kim-pan realized this was a disparity in weaponry, and they immediately offered praise.

"A miraculous skill! Truly miraculous! Magnificent! Lord Ambrosius, you have truly opened our eyes."

Ambrosius did not fully understand, but he knew the other party was very satisfied with his demonstration.

Consequently, Ambrosius had a new idea: to sell the flintlocks phased out by the Austrian Empire's military to this group of people.

"That's right, this is the latest product of our Austrian Empire. With this kind of rifle, you too can achieve this. We are willing to trade with you; we have not only rifles, but also cannons, and..."

Before Ambrosius could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Kuan Kim-pan.

"Wait, are you saying it is only the firearms that are formidable? I don't believe it. Does your Austrian nation not have someone with even better marksmanship than you?"

"Of course. Captain Bilafon, come and demonstrate."

Captain Bilafon was a Jäger by trade, and his unit, the 1st Tyrol Jäger Battalion, was the most formidable force in Austria.

Having risen from the common ranks to become an officer, Bilafon naturally possessed skills that surpassed the ordinary.

Marksmanship was one of his signature talents. Bilafon took the rifle and inspected it.

He first hit a watermelon while standing in place, then retreated fifty paces to hit a second one, followed by another fifty, and then another.

Four shots, four hits, with the furthest at three hundred paces. This left Hong Buf unable to believe his eyes; as a military man, he naturally understood what kind of formidable strength this represented.

If his imperial guards possessed this level of capability, paired with five thousand rifles, what would there be to fear even if Vietnam dispatched one hundred thousand troops?

Seeing Hong Buf's expression, Kuan Kim-pan knew that these firearms were of vital importance to the imperial guards.

"How much silver for such a rifle?"

"Fifty taels." This was a price Ambrosius deemed reasonable based on his intelligence.

However, Ambrosius had forgotten the unspoken rules of Eastern officialdom: the seller asks an exorbitant price, and the buyer haggles it down.

"Twenty taels," Kuan Kim-pan replied without a change in his expression or heart rate.

Yet he knew he was getting a massive bargain.

Because the Qing Dynasty sold matchlocks to the Vietnamese for thirty taels, and the French had sold them to the Vietnamese for twenty-five taels back in the day.

The Chenla gunsmiths had long since been conscripted by the Vietnamese.

Now, Chenla could only purchase firearms from the Vietnamese at a high price, and the price the Vietnamese charged the Chenla army was exactly fifty taels.

This young man before me seems completely ignorant of business; twenty-five taels should be enough to seal the deal, Kuan Kim-pan thought, his heart brimming with joy.

Ambrosius realized he had made a mistake; he should not have revealed his bottom line to the other party.

In fact, Father Pacini had already learned the price at which the Vietnamese sold firearms to the Chenla army through the local secret Catholic network and had informed Ambrosius.

It was just that Ambrosius had naively assumed that as long as he stated a reasonable price, the other party would immediately agree to the transaction.

It seemed he would lose a portion of his profits, so he would have to make up for it elsewhere.

"No, twenty taels is too little. Fifty taels is our bottom line; our goods have to travel over twenty thousand kilometers to arrive."

"Then twenty-five taels, no more than that," Kuan Kim-pan said, putting on an expression as if he were being bled dry.

"Forty taels, and you allow us to establish a supply point at Kompong Som Bay," Ambrosius seized the opportunity to state his conditions, while still leaving room for Kuan Kim-pan.

"Twenty-five taels. Not only can I help you establish a supply point on the coast, but I can also arrange for you to meet a member of the royal family," Kuan Kim-pan said.

"Is it His Majesty Ang Chan?" Ambrosius asked.

"No, it is Her Highness, the Princess of our Chenla," Kuan Kim-pan replied, for he had to close this deal.

Because the rule of Vietnam was tightening step by step, it was clear that sooner or later, Vietnam would annex Chenla.

As a high-ranking noble of Chenla, he was inevitably the primary target for the Vietnamese to eliminate.

Even if he surrendered, the Vietnamese would not necessarily spare him.

From the population reduction policy implemented by the Vietnamese, it was clear that they wished for Chenla to vanish from the world entirely.

And the people of Siam, just like the Vietnamese, were tigers and wolves not to be trusted.

Kuan Kim-pan was a powerful magnate of Chenla with a clan of over a thousand people; even if he could run, his family could not escape.

Rather than being a lamb waiting for the slaughter, it was better to fight with all his might.

The arrival of Ambrosius and his weapons at this moment was like a life-saving straw to Kuan Kim-pan.

In fact, most of the powerful clans within Chenla shared the same sentiment; they united in secret, contacted rebel forces, and accumulated strength in the shadows.

This was also the important reason why, in history, the large-scale anti-Vietnam uprisings in Chenla could persist after Emperor Minh Mang of Vietnam executed the family of Ang Chan.

"Thirty taels." Both objectives of Ambrosius's trip had been achieved, and now he only hoped to earn a bit more profit for Austria.

"Deal."