Khmer Empire (KES)

 

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(Please note that I do not agree with or like anything to do with Pol Pot and his khmer rouge faction.)

The Khmer Empire came into being in the period 400-500 AD. It was a time of powerful dynasties and one that had been thrown out of China, decided to create an Empire out of the disjointed states that were currently South East Asia. Then he could raise his army and take revenge on those that threw him out of China. Liu Yu moved out of Southern China to Angkor after losing to the Northern Wei Dynasty that was unifying China into one empire again. At Angkor his well trained troops quickly took control of the city and deposed the current rulers. With the treasury he had brought from his previous lands, he was able to pay to raise a peasant army to take control of the local territory that would soon become the Khmer Empire. A local name was chosen to help with keeping the population happy. "You will become a part of the Khmer Empire, as a Free man, slave, or fertiliser, take your choice".

Pacification of the area to become the Empire was still underway when Liu Yu died in 422 and it was left to his sons to finish the creation of the Empire. They were quick to raise a Treaty with the Wei Dynasty, while they stayed at home fathering the next generation of the rulers of the Khmer Empire. It was left to son number three, who had been given command of the armies, to add the bits and pieces of land and Islands to the Empire. His major contribution was the addition of the Malay Peninsular, the Island of Sumatra, and most importantly the Island of Singapore.

Singapore was so important because it controlled the seaways from West to East into the South China Sea and its access to China. A major set of fortifications were built on Singapore. These were regularly upgraded. A load of income was derived from taxing the products that went through Khmer waters. It was western countries objection to these taxes that led to war with Spain, Portugal, England and Holland in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. The Khmer Empire took them all on - one at a time.

All of those Western Nations experienced the horrors of fighting in the jungles of the Khmer Empire. Sweltering heat, leeches, snakes, curare tipped darts all took tremendous toll on the fighting spirit of the troops sent in to pacify the Natives. The army they fought against was just as well drilled as a Western fighting force. And they knew the conditions.

The Western countries made their seperate peace and Treaties with the Khmer Empire and agreed to pay the tariff levied on the goods. As with all company taxes, these got added on to the price and the consumer ended up paying for it anyway. This humbling of the Western Nations was never forgotten, by either side.



By 700 AD the Empire was as big as it was ever going to get. What was then required was to find out what they had. The Empire, to advance, would require all kinds of resources that could produce both income and weaponry. Iron ore was there, coal, rubber, oil, wood, gems, all would be available for the Empire and for export.

The Empire flourished under the Liu Dynasty of rulers. It was not uncommon for an Emperor to have 30-40 children over 10-20 official and unofficial wives. The expression 'keep it in your pants' was completely unknown. This led of course to lots of court intrigue where factions could rise and fall on the chopping block. The Emperor would nominate one of his children to be his heir. It was then up to the heir to live long enough to inherit. The weak ones did not last long.

The Empire needed strong leadership as border disputes and piracy were common through the middle ages. In the 9th century the Chinese invention of gunpowder was incorporated into the Empire. The Empires scientists took the invention and started trialling all sorts of uses for the new substance. Of course the Army wanted weapons that would smash their enemies. But metal casting was still in its infancy for the production of ranged weapons. The scientists could theorise what might happen but the application to real life often came with unintended results. One demonstration of a new built 'cannon', required the Emperor to change. The cannon was loaded with too much gunpowder, which caused the cannon to explode, sending shrapnel in all directions including a piece which decapitated the Emperor. Arise Emperor Liu the 22nd. (Maybe it was Liu the 22nd that got the scientists to load too much gunpowder, another court intrigue.)

The advent of ranged weapons powered by gunpowder was seen as essential to the Empire. Both aboard the Empires ships and in the Empires fortresses. The money raised through Singapore was a significant chunk of the Empires coffers and well worth protecting with the latest and greatest.

Whenever there was a significant advance in combat materials, the first place it would be used against was the Pirates of the South China Sea. The Pirates were pretty much a village by village concern and as such could be tackled one by one. If the Empire got a new longer ranged cannon firing heavier ordnance, the first place they went was on the Navy vessels that would go and use their advantage to wipe out a few Pirate nests before the Pirates might catch up with technology and force another stalemate. If the Navy could catch the Pirates at sea, the Navies superior ships and tactics would defeat the Pirates, whose heads would then adorn the fortress wall at Singapore. Those captured alive would die many varied manner of deaths. Word of which would get back to the Pirates, hopefully to discourage the rest.



It is the change from wooden ships to iron and steel, and the change in propulsion from sail to machinery, that allowed the Khmer Empire to finally get on top of the Piracy problem that had plagued the South China Sea for centuries. The Pirates were broken when the new long ranged guns on the 'battleships' could range ten miles inland and destroy the pirate havens which had thought themselves safe. The Pirates would always be there, they are still there to this day, but their power over the area had disappeared.

It is the advent of steel ships that required the biggest change to the navy yards. Iron foundries and armouries needed to become bigger so that ever larger ships could be built and armed and armoured with bigger guns and thicker, harder armour. Three major construction yards were required to be established. At Indrapura, Oc Eo and Singapore. Smaller yards were dotted around the coastline and could construct smaller gunboats which were useful to patrol the thousands of miles of coastline that made up Khmer.

The only major European countries that had not fought a war with Khmer, so far, were France and Germany. Both countries were willing to be allies with Khmer for both trade advantages (lower tariffs) and to assist with the army (Germany) and navy (France). This pair of European countries were happy to get any trade advantage over the Commonwealth Empire. All three were fighting over being the European Top Dog. This was particularly savage between the German and Commonwealth Empires. By the end of the 19th century countries were choosing sides and war looked like it could blow up at any time. Then the Dreadnought revolution came along and changed everything again. All countries had to look at the ships they were building, pre-Dreadnoughts, and semi-dreadnoughts. One word came to mind - obsolete.

The Dreadnought race between the Commonwealth and Germany was virtually over before it started. The Commonwealth out built the Germans almost two-to-one. If the Germans were to have a chance then it needed to be before the numerical advantage became even larger. Sarajevo and the contestants rang the bell for the first round.

But what had Khmer been up to during this turbulent period. Whose diplomats were expelled and who got to stay? Which side had Khmer plumped for?

With the three major Asian nations, Japan, China, and Khmer, all went and backed the Commonwealth led Allied faction against the German led countries. There was an overwhelming amount of material amassed against the Central Powers, but it still took nearly 5 years to finish the job.

Khmer expelled the German diplomats and advisors in 1911, but did not replace them with any other country to assist with the Army. Khmer had learnt all they needed to know from the Germans and would implement the lessons in the near future. The Khmer Empire closed the Singapore Straits to the Central Powers and paused the tariffs in time of war. Khmer's main activity was the clearing of German Naval activity in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. This was carried out in conjunction with other Allied Nations. A pair of regiments were sent to the Middle East where they helped against the Turks.

The Khmer, like Japan, were slighted by the terms of the Washington Treaty. Where the Japanese, French and Italians were allowed 60% of the US and UK, Khmer was down to 40%, a real slap in the face. The UK tried very hard to get into Singapore, insisting it would need better protection than what Khmer could offer. This was turned down.

What the US and UK had done was to ensure that the Asian nations would be very wary of any further advances 'to help'. US and UK tariffs were higher through the Straits than anybody else's. That caused even more friction with the US and UK. The inter-war years were another shifting of Alliances as the US and UK tried to carve up the worlds resources between them. This put a lot of nations backs up. Khmer was right in the middle. Japan would also like to have Khmer as part of its 'Greater Asian Co Prosperity Group', with Japan solidly on top and running things. Khmer had to dodge the Japanese as well and remain their own men.

Khmer shipbuilding in the era 1850-1910 was dominated by the assistance of the French Navy in all things. Designs, propulsion, guns, armour, all were provided by the French. When the Khmer Navy started revolutionising its dockyards, shipyards and armouries, foundries, it was to the French that Khmer looked for assistance. Until all of the new infrastructure became available in the late 19th century, the few major warships in the Khmer Navy had been sourced from France.



The first major warships laid down in Khmer were three Liu Class Battleships in 1901, one from each of the new shipyards. These were copies of the French Liberte Class semi-Dreadnoughts. They were cutting edge ships when laid down, but half way through their building times the Dreadnought arrived, and made them look very ordinary indeed. Thought was given to removing all the 7.6" secondaries and replacing them with four single 12" guns. The cost of the change would have been huge. The changes to the internals of the ships would also have been huge. Building new ships would work out cheaper. The Liu class were completed, with triple-expansion engines, but the next two classes would be Dreadnoughts and Dreadnought cruisers, with turbine machinery. These next ships would be designed and built locally with only minor international assistance.

Onwards and upwards! Here they come.