The royalists in Chenla and the landlords and merchants opposed to the Vietnamese eventually raised 350,000 taels of silver, intending to buy 6,000 rifles from Austria for 300,000 taels.
Ambrosius and the two officers accompanying him were both very satisfied with the price of 180,000 taels, because in Austria these flintlocks could only be disposed of for 15 florins, or about 10.5 taels each.
Moreover, most of the guns they disposed of would end up in the hands of Austria's enemies or rebel armies.
The diplomat Zacker had already drawn up the contract, and Ambrosius readily stamped it.
But when Kuan Kim-pan looked it over, he was horrified. The contract clearly stated that Chenla was purchasing 6,000 flintlocks from the Austrian military at thirty taels apiece, for a total of 180,000 taels.
Kuan Kim-pan had planned to tear up the contract later and be done with it. Who could have known there would be five copies?
As if struck by lightning, Kuan Kim-pan immediately asked if the unit price and total amount on the contract could be changed.
Ambrosius didn't understand at first, but the diplomat Zacker grasped the situation and said righteously,
"The Austrian Empire has a very strict auditing system. The Emperor, the Ministry of Finance, and the Prime Minister's Office all need to keep copies of this contract for review. If we write 300,000 taels on it, then we have to hand over that same amount. Otherwise, it will be considered embezzlement."
"Law may be strict, but we're all human. Please make an exception," Kuan Kim-pan said with a smile. "I'm willing to give you 20,000 taels of silver. I've heard your salaries are a mere few hundred taels a year. You're truly underpaid."
Ambrosius and Zacker exchanged glances, but both firmly refused. The crime was simply too serious.
Kuan Kim-pan absolutely couldn't accept this outcome. If the truth came out, there would be nowhere left for him in Chenla.
And if he abandoned this deal, he would ruin the future of both his country and his family.
Just as Kuan Kim-pan was hesitating, Father Pacini interjected.
"Lord Kuan Kim-pan, if you can get me into the palace and make me the princess's tutor, I can consider helping you persuade them."
Kuan Kim-pan could neither give up the deal nor let himself be disgraced, so he had no choice but to agree to Father Pacini's request.
Father Pacini immediately drew Ambrosius and Zacker aside to discuss the matter together.
Father Pacini explained his plan: to use this opportunity to have himself and Ambrosius become tutors to the princesses of Chenla.
As the princesses' tutor, Father Pacini would naturally pursue the traditional Catholic route of winning over the upper classes. Getting the king to convert would be the most direct way of spreading the faith.
For Ambrosius, there was no easier way to get close to the princesses than by becoming their tutor.
As for the contract, the ministers in the Imperial Council could worry about it.
After all, Ferdinand I wasn't Francis II. He wouldn't personally concern himself with the details of such deals, nor was he capable of doing so.
As for the 20,000 taels of silver, they should accept it, but they had to report it and apply to use it as seed money for the supply station.
All three agreed with the plan. They were just worried about what might happen if something went wrong.
At that point, Father Pacini said that the Austrian Church was willing to bear all the risks.
The Austrian Church was very wealthy at the time. It had donations and private property from every social class, and even the right to collect tithes from the faithful.
However, the Austrian Church was now under state control. It had to pay taxes on all its income and report the exact sums to the state.
Once they had settled on a plan, they explained everything to Kuan Kim-pan.
At first, Kuan Kim-pan hesitated. Having two Westerners become tutors to the princesses would draw far too much attention.
But then he thought that if the matter came to light, not only would his grand plan to restore the country be doomed, he would also be disgraced. He gritted his teeth and steeled himself.
It was only a matter of placing two men beside the princesses. He could manage that.
Besides, if this Austrian royal family member became the princesses' tutor and entered the palace, wouldn't that make him a hostage in Kuan Kim-pan's hands?
Exactly. Put it that way, and everything could be resolved.
Vienna, Austria.
Count Latour, the Minister of War, opened Ambrosius's report in his office. After reading it, he was instantly overjoyed.
This order before him was simply too good to be true for the Austrian military.
The Austrian army could gather up these obsolete rifles and send them to Chenla, making a handsome profit.
Whether it was 180,000 taels or 300,000 taels, Count Latour didn't care. He only wanted to get rid of the guns as quickly as possible and use the money they brought in to continue upgrading the army's equipment.
To complete the deal as quickly as possible and support the pioneers establishing the Austrian Empire's first overseas supply station, Count Latour decided to bypass the cabinet and have the military handle the business directly.
At the time, the death of Francis II and the accession of Ferdinand I had plunged the entire country into chaos.
The conflict between Metternich and Count Kolowrat grew increasingly bitter, with bureaucrats from the two factions attacking one another and scrambling for power.
The newly appointed Chief Royal Advisor, Karl von Slut, relied on his status as Empress Anna's lover and tried to become regent. Instead, Count Kolowrat and Prince Metternich promptly pushed him out of the center of power.
Neither side would yield over who should control the future and power of the Austrian Empire.
In the end, they had no choice but to make Francis II's will public.
Francis II had ordered the formation of a Regency Committee to replace the Imperial Council.
The Regency Council would consist of four special members: Count Kolowrat, Prince Metternich, Archduke Louis, and Archduke Franz Karl.
The will had been made public with the intention of stabilizing the court, but instead it stoked Count Kolowrat's resentment toward Prince Metternich even further.
That was because Count Kolowrat had not been present when the will was drawn up, while Metternich had.
This made Count Kolowrat suspect that Metternich had forged the imperial edict.
In truth, the old Emperor had done it deliberately. He didn't want Austria's two powerful political figures to become too close, and had also added two members of the royal family to the Regency Council as a double safeguard.
The main purpose was to maintain balance, prevent either side from growing too powerful, and ensure they couldn't threaten the royal family.
Even if the two regents reached an agreement, the two royal family members could still serve as a check on them.
And so, the most quarrelsome government in history was born.
The government accomplished nothing. All they did every day was argue endlessly.
Whatever opinion Prince Metternich put forward, Count Kolowrat would oppose it.
And vice versa.
As for Archduke Louis, he knew nothing about national politics, so he only considered whether something benefited his family. Most of the time, naturally, he remained silent.
As for Archduke Franz Karl, he was more interested in wine than politics.
As a result, the Regency Council was nothing but a figurehead, and the entire country was unable to issue any government orders.
With the country at a standstill, Sophie keenly recognized the situation and tried to control her husband so she could realize her own political ambitions.
But Franz Karl never forgot his father's advice.
"Don't take a stance. Don't speak up. Don't agree, don't oppose."
Before you continue