The Great Khmer Empire

The Great Khmer Empire is a nation situated in South East Asia between India, China, Indonesia, and the Philippines. It is, today, one of the world's leading superpowers.

Name
The Great Khmer Empire or Khmer Empire is officially named ព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជាធិបតី សិរីធរ បវរឥន្ទបត្តបុរីរដ្ឋរាជសីមា មហានគរ or in English, “Kingdom of Cambodia with peace, glory and prosperity as the land of heaven.” While this name is rarely used beside in official documents, most people around the prefer to call this land Cambodia. The word Cambodia is thought to derive from the ancient name of the nation, Kambujadese (the land of Kampuja). The name Khmer Empire had been widely used in the past until around the 20th century, but it has since been scarcely referred to in modern society. Citizens of the country are Cambodian or Khmer.

The name of the capital city of the Empire is Yasodharapura (យសោធរបុរៈ) or Glory-bearing City. Due to the difficulty to pronounce the name, English speakers generally call it the City of Angkor.

Pre-History
According to archeologists, Khmer people settled on the land since around 3500 BC. Although little evidence remains, experts believe that pre-historic Khmers were living in small tribes consisted of around 50 to 100 families surrounding by a wooden fend and a ditch. They were keen to cluster along rivers' banks and lakes. There are a few remains of decorated musical instruments which is now believed to be remnant of Cambodia pre-Buddhist faith. Experts still have little to no idea to what did these people worshiped.

Foundation
The primeval history of the nation itself is passed down in tales. Like most bygone tales at the time, it is hard to separate truth from myth. There is no record to how or by whom did Khmer tribes were united under. Earliest records on stones dates back to 207 AD telling of a story of an Indian prince who were exiled by his father. The prince set sail to the west hoping to arrive in the Roman Empire. For some unknown reason, his ship, instead, sailed eastward just to find a civilization mysterious to the world. The ruling queen, Soma, ordered her navy to seize the prince's ship. Unknown to the queen, the exiled prince was gifted with a magic bow from heaven before he left his kingdom which he used to sink all but the main ship of the queen's fleets. Faced with a weapon she couldn't defeat, Queen Soma surrendered. The prince was crowned as a new king. He married Queen Soma and took the name Kaundinya I. Together, they established the Somavung Dynasty and began the history of Cambodia.

The Unification of the Sun and the Moon
The name Somavung meaning the Dynasty of the Moon in old script. Somavung Dynasty controlled a portion of the southern part of the modern-day Cambodia. Kings and Queens of this House had very close relationship with India. The Somavung Dynasty, the Kingdom of Champa and the Kingdom of Pagan were, at the time, the dominant force in South East Asia.

To the north of the border lies another kingdom ruled by a little-known Sorvung Dynasty (meaning the Dynasty of the Sun). The origin of this dynasty is unknown nor its early history, but what is clear is that the Sorvung Dynasty was pretty much considered as one of many vassal states of the Somavung Dynasty. Historians estimate that the Sorvung Dynasty was probably founded in the late 5th century AD.

In 514 AD, prince Rudravarman murdered his brother, a legitimate heir to the throne, and crowned himself king. His action caused uprisings in the Capital. Many viewed the new king as a hungry-for-power coward, and the entire kingdom would be punished by the Gods if he sat on the throne. This resulted in weakening of the King's grip on power. Unfortunately, around the same time severe flood hit the kingdom continuously for years. Archeologists have found a stone tablet probably written by Hindi monks states that, "[...]The gods of Heaven, who angry toward the act committed by the king, cry. Their tears flooded the land, and people were forced to move to high grounds leaving their houses and animals drowned. Food was scared. They couldn't plant rice on mountain's peaks. People ate leaves and roots off trees just to survive.[...]". The kingdom was seriously weaken. Many vassal states broke away and declared independence. King Rudravarman remained in power until his death in 550 AD leaving behind a weak and seriously problematic kingdom.

King Sarvabhauma came to power after the dead of his successor in 550 AD. Not much is know about him or his reign. Only one stone tablet dating back to 555 AD has been found which indicated the troubling king trying to protect the badly exhausted kingdom, "[...] Farmers come to the city to beg for foods. If his farm is not destroyed by flood, it is burnt and plundered by bandages. The army's food reserves is dwindling. They are barely able to stand let alone fight off intruders. People trade gold and diamonds for rice.[...] To what extent should these poor souls endure? I am their father but powerless to relieve children of hunger.[...]"

Historians think that the floods was ended sometime between 518 and 523 AD. King Sarvabhauma clearly described a kingdom in deep issues, but historians found no account to what exactly drowned the country. Theories emerge that civil wars and foreign invasions would be to blame for the decline of Somavung Dynasty.

Taken advantage of the crisis, King Bhavavarman I of Sorvung Dynasty announced his kingdom free of the Somavung’s control and declared war with the old dynasty in 551 AD. This war lasted until 628 AD when King Ishanavarman I completely destroyed the army of Somavung Dynasty. After the war, he declared the official unification of the land which were renamed the Kingdom of Kambujadese (later known as Cambodia). He moved the capital to the new place which he named after himself, Ishanapura (about 156 mile (250 km) east of modern day capital Angkor).

The Turmoil of the 8th Century
In 681 AD after king Jayavarman I died without an heir, a new queen was crowned. Named Jayavedi, she was either the wife or daughter of Jayavarman I. Historians believe by the time she came on to the throne, the central administration was fragile which in turn encouraged many lords to break away. The kingdom was, then, engaged in civil war as the Queen's forces fought to maintain unification of the kingdom. For nearly a century, Cambodia was fractured and consumed by wars and sapping the kingdom of its strength.

In 774 AD, the Srivijaya Empire from the south invaded the already fragmented nation. They burnt and plundered the capital Isanpura. The royal family along with nearly 100,000 Khmer citizens were forced to live in captivity on the island of Java. This was described as the darkest moment in the History of Cambodia.

The Birth of the Empire
Among those begin forced to abandon the country was a young prince whom name has been lost to history. While living in Srivijava Empire, he had spent childhood studying about politics, military, and what made the Srivijava Empire became so powerful. In 800 AD, with a couple of his closest advisers, he secretly left the island of Java with the goal to reunite the kingdom. He moved from place to place, united lords and people of different provinces. One historian described him, "[...] As though has been blessed by the God Vishnu, the light reflected from the prince's eyes showered upon those as golden rays of the sun. They who look upon him put down their swords and kneel before the God king. The prince's voice rains down as though it rains sacred water from heave. They whisper, that is our king [...]". After two years of traveling to every part of the kingdom, in 802 AD on the top of Kulan Mountain just north of the modern-day capital, the prince was crowned the first reign monarch of a reunited kingdom. He took the name Jayavarman II (Protector of Victory). He chose the city of Yasodharapura to be the capital city of the kingdom.

Khmer people always refer this moment as the morning has begun. The new sun has risen on the ancient land, and once again, the Naga has returned. Less than a century later, in 877 AD, the first emperor, Indravarman I, was crowed. He rename the country to "the Kingdom of Cambodia with peace, glory and prosperity as the land of heaven.” This name has always remained as the nation’s official title until today.

Suryavarman II (1113-1150)
Emperor Suryavarman II was crowned emperor at the age of just 23 in 1113 AD. He reigned along side Queen Suryavana. Ambitious and with a dream to rule over all of South East Asia, the Emperor immediately started campaigns against the neighbouring kingdom of Champa to the east, and Mon to the west. He was described as a great strategist and successfully conquered and subjugated nations after nations. Back home, the Emperor set out to construct the great temple on Earth dedicated to the God Vishnu, the Great Temple of Angkor Wat, the largest sacred temple known to man.

In 1130 AD, the Emperor Suryavarman II began A military campaign in the kingdom of Pagan, another main player in mainland South East Asia. After three years of fighting, the Emperor took the Capital city Bagan and extended the nation's border all the way to the Irrawaddy River. The Emperor renamed the newly conquered region, Pachempura (land of the west). At around the same time, an area west of Irrawaddy River was under Indian control. This spelled the end of the Kingdom of Pagan. Cambodia had now control over most mainland South East Asia.

The emperor planned to invade Dai Viet in 1150 AD. While he was matching toward the eastern border, he fell ill by malaria and passed on, leaving behind a young heir, Prince Viraka Neakea, to reign the Empire. He was buried inside his temple, Angkor Wat.

Suryavana the Queen (1150-1174)
Suryavarman III was only ten years old when he inherited the throne. However, his mother, Queen Suryavana, acting as the emperor's right hand man took control of the country from her son. She reigned for 24 year until her death in 1174 AD.

Unlike her husband, she went down in history as a figure of a caring mother. She repaired the damages on the nation and her people from years of conquests. She commanded construction of many Barry (Cambodian super aqueducts) and expanded the country's agricultural outputs. Food production surged to a level unseen before. Queen Suryavana also overlooked many highway construction that connected every provinces in the country allowing the military to react fast to trouble. In 1153 AD, she established diplomatic relationship with the Byzantine Empire while strengthen those with India, and China. By learning the best parts of other nation, she was the first to introduce the successful combat strategy of the Roman and gunpowder from China to Khmer army, which she gave an official name, the Imperial Armed Forces.

In the field of Education, the Queen opened schools in almost every provinces of the Empire and devoted considerable resources to fund five years free education for all children. She also founded the Imperial University of Cambodia for talented people from all across the nation. IUC was Khmer's first innovation center and quickly became the center of education across the world. In 1162 AD, Queen Suryavana introduced a new policy which allowed free medical access to all of those who had less than 5000 Riel per year.

Because of her caring policies, Queen Suryavana was beloved by most of her subjects. One historian at the time put it, "[... ] Like children touch by his mother's solicitude, our people joy and cheerful as she walks near. We think of the Queen not so much as a ruler but a guardian of light and hope. I feel closer to her than I did for antecedent Emperors [...]". When she passed away in 1174 AD, she was laid to rest beside her husband inside the Great Temple of Angkor Wat.

Champa's Invasion
The Emperor Suryavarman III came to power in 1174 AD after the death of his mother. He was very unpopular, undoing many achievements that his parents did before him. The Emperor was characterized as cruel and egocentric. He enjoyed publicly executed prisoners in the most horrendous ways imaginable. He also cut public expenditure and raised taxes to expand the Royal Palace as well as build exotic palaces all over the Empire. For those who refused or couldn't pay, the penalty was death. In 1176 AD, the Emperor secretly ordered the Palace's guards to break in to rich families' houses and rob them. One account tells a story of the Emperor killed a subject for refused to kneel. Within the same day, the Emperor suddenly infected with a skin condition, which was interpreted at the time as punishment from Heaven. He earned a nickname of Sdech Kumlung or Leprosy King.

Taking advantage of an unpopular ruler, king Jaya Indravarman IV of the kingdom of Champa declared was on Cambodia. In 1177 AD, using an element of surprise, massive Champa forces of 250,000 traveled up the Mekong River and captured the city of Yasodharapura. The Emperor was killed and the city itself was plundered and burnt. The Imperial Armed Forces stunned and scattered. For the first and only time in its history, Yasodharapura was stricken with the blood and dead bodies of its own people. King Jaya Indravarman IV installed his son, named Vichear Tey, on the throne.

Jayavarman VII (1181-1227) and the Beginning of the Golden Age
News of the invasion made its way to the western part of the Empire. Surviving soldiers, officers and members of the Royal Council fled to the city of Pachempura. There, the only surviving son of the Emperor, prince Jayavathon, were commanding the Imperial Army protecting the western border of the country.

The 33 years old prince marched his troops toward the capital. The news of a resistant forces stomped King Jaya Indravarman IV to send in hundreds of thousands more troops from Champa. Prince Jayavathon and his army spent four years before he could retake the capital. Pince Vichear Tey fled back to Champa.

In 1181, Prince Jayavathon was enthroned. He took the name Jayavarman VII. While victory over foreign invader was sweet, the most of the central and eastern regions were destroyed in the war of liberation. The new Emperor immediately took on many projects to repair his nation.

First, the Emperor commanded the rebuilding and augmentation of roads. For every 1 Yoch (10 miles), there was a public shelter. Soon towns rose up around them, and many still survive to this day. Jayavarman VII funded the construction of many hospitals through out the county which allowed people from all classes to receive medical care. The Emperor famously said, "my subjects’ illnesses are mine also". During his reign, the city of Yasodharapura became the largest and most populated city on earth with nearly two million residents living in an 2200 km squared of land.

Another of his legacy was the reformation of the Imperial Armed Forces. Officers and commanders would no longer be appointed by wealth and power but merit. He introduced for the first time the policy in which family of dead or disabled soldiers would be received special care from the government. He also encouraged the innovation and expansion of military industrial complex. Companies such as, the Golden Spear and the Black Tiger, can trace its root back to this time period.

The most important legacy of Jayavarman VII was the improvement of the rules of succession to insure peaceful transfer of the crown. This rule was so effective that it is still in use today.

In 1190, after nine years of plotting and waiting, King Jaya Indravarman IV once again matched his army into Cambodia to revenge his pride and honor. Better prepared this time, the Imperial Armed Forces not just only repelled the attack, but they inflicted devastating damage on Champa's forces. So much so that Champa would never recovered. Two years later during the first oversea campaign of the new Emperor, the Imperial Armed Forces capturing the Champa’s capital of Vijaya just after three days of siege. The kingdom of Champa was destroyed for good and consolidated into Khmer Empire as one of her provinces. According to Jayavarman VII's personal diary, only a little more than 70,000 Champa's troops stood oppose the Imperial Army compare to a quarter of a million men during the second invasion of Cambodia. His diary also points out that thousands of civilians were killed during this campaign, although the Emperor stated that this was done in self-defend. Archeologists have found no Champa's towns anywhere dating after 12th century. They have also counted more than half of those towns were completely burnt down to the ground. They concluded that as much as 200,000 civilians were killed. Those who survived were either fled to Java, compel into slavery, or forced to relocated to the western part of the country.

Jayavarman VII mounted many military expeditions during his time in power. Dai Viet fell in 1198, and two year later in 1210, he began a campaign in the south against the Srivijava Empire and annexed Makala. The planned-invasion of Sumatra and Java Islands only canceled after the Emperor fell seriously ill and forced to return to Yasodharapura. By the end of his rule, Cambodia spread out over four region, Presh Nokor (the central main land), Oudorpura (land of the North), Pachempura (land of the West), and Malaka.

Another side of his legacy was the unimaginably scale of bloodshed. From the war of liberation to the annexation of Malaka, an estimated 190,000 Cambodian were perished while between 900,000 and 1 million civilian and military men on the other side were killed. Another estimated of 600,000 conquered men, women, and children were obliged to relocate. This still remains to be the worst human right violation in the history of Cambodia.

Jayavarman VII passed away in 1227 after 46 years in power. He had spent his life rebuilding the country and paving the road for Cambodia to become the world superpower. Despite the horror committed by his army, Jayavarman VII is viewed as one of the most respected Emperor, and the one that gave birth to the Empire of Khmer.

Jayavarman VIII (1228-1276)
Jayavarman VIII is considered by many to be the most logical leaders of the age. He was a grandson of Jayavarman VII, and became an official heir when his father unexpectedly died before succeeded to the throne. Since he was 16 years old, the prince keened on traveling to learn about new cultures outside of the nation's border. He had been to India, Sri Langka, Srivijava, and China before he was called back in 1227 when the Emperor passed away and was crowned emperor a year later.

During his trip to Srivijava, the young prince noticed that the strategic location of an island of Borneo could help insure the safe trade route between China and India. If Cambodia could control this route, they would be in control the most important route of the Indian Ocean trades (the Monsoon trades) between Africa, Arab, India, and China which in turn would make the nation rich. To achieve this goal, in 1231, the Emperor commanded the building of city port Singhapura (city of lion) as the base of the Imperial Navy to patrol the pass of Malaka. Three years later, Cambodia landed a quarter of a million troops on the Island of Borneo. The war was ended in 1237 when the Srivijava Empire's army on the island surrendered. In 1255, Khmer also took control of Luzon Island, renaming it the Island of Buor (Island of the East). Native people the newly conquered lands were subjected to harsh treatment by their new master. By the end of the conquest, trade route between the Indian and Pacific Ocean was under Cambodian control. The sea between the islands and main land was then renamed the Sea of Suvannapumi (the Sea of the Golden Land).

In the north, Mongolian Army, in the command of Genghis Khan, planned to invade Cambodia after they have just took control of China. To their surprise, the Imperial Armed Forces hold them off twice at the siege of Sokour Tey in 1245 and again at Nokorreach Neyok in 1246. The third invasion was planned in 1247 to take to city of Oudorpura with two prongs assaults. A diversion force of 20,000 men was to attack Sokour Tey while the main force comprised of 300,000 troops would drive directly to Oudorpura. This plan was later abandoned. Genghis Khan himself realized that, no matter how fast they would moved, his army would not have reached the capital city of Yasodharapura before the main elements of the Imperial Army nearly 300,000 men that were still tied down in Borneo and Luzon sailed back and regrouped in the capital. After the war with Champa, Jayavarman VII refortified the city's defenses, which in turn made it impossible for Mongolian army to capture it within days assuming they could have managed to go this far. Genghis Khan could not risked being this deep in the enemy's territory.

With the threat from the north eliminated and the south yielded large amount of taxes, Cambodia became very rich and powerful. Its GDP in 1260 would be around 90 billion USD in today money, based on the study conducted by the Imperial University of Cambodia.

The Empire of the Sea
After the death of the Emperor Jayavarman VIII, Cambodia still enjoyed peace and prosperity unlike elsewhere. While most of Europe still struggled in the medieval ages, Khmer citizens, in contrast, were endowed with the highest standard of living of the planet. Cambodia had become the center for education, innovation, research, and finance. It competed with Arab peninsula in every field from military to world influence to trade. In 1398, with the invention of the printing press, Khmer books could even be found in procession of Middle East’s House of Scholars. By participating in the Indian Ocean Trades, the country ripped many benefits from an exchanging of ideas, technologies, medicines, and cultures.

Indravarman IV (1451-1482) - The Good Father
Indravarman IV succeeded to the throne in 1451 after his father's brief rule as Emperor. Nick name the "Good Father", this new Emperor had a reputation of having such a great caring altitude toward his subjects. Among many of his achievements were the abolishing of classes in Khmer society, overhauling the tax system, reforming the law code of the Empire, eliminating corruptions in high ranking officials, and introducing new public welfare benefits. But perhaps his most famous accomplishment was the citizenship right of consolidated people act which was passed in 1456. This act granted the same citizenship status to those who had been integrated into the Empire with mutual benefits from public welfare and military protection as any Khmer citizen. However, one bill passed three years later casts a black shadow on an otherwise-perfect-caring Emperor. The oversea protection act of 1459 proclaims that Khmer citizen is always of advantage to the same benefits from the government regardless of where he is. While this sounds reasonable today, many historians believe that real motive behind this bill was an excuse to declare war as in the case of the Emperor Jayavarman XIV in 1794.

The Emperor Indravarman IV also altered the role of the Imperial Navy. Since its creation in 1155, the Imperial Navy's responsibility was a little more than support units during the Imperial Army oversea campaigns. In 1471, they had only 49 ships, and a third of those were transport vessels. With Cambodia being the center of trades in south Asia and all, merchant ships often be targets for pirates. One in twenty ships were attacked, and sometime entire crews were killed. Facing the issue, the Emperor Indravarman IV ordered an expansion of the Imperial Navy. The annual budget for the Navy rose from 9% before 1471 to 43% by the time the Emperor passed away in 1482. 200 more vessels joint the Imperial Navy, most were battleships. Outposts were established in strings of islands far out in the Indian Ocean to both protect the Monsoon trade route and intimidated other nations, an action of which causes diplomatic issues until today. At the end of the 15th century, the Imperial Navy's battleships could be seen as far as Japan and Northern Europe. The might of the Imperial Navy had spread Cambodian influence and culture far and wise. For a time, this nation had been seen as a golden land. Countless immigrants sneaked through the border to find new futures inside Cambodia. By 1500, more than 70 million people, one fifth of the world's population, were living under the country's influences.

The Emperor Indravarman IV passed away in 1482 at 66 years old after months of fighting what seemed like cancer. History recorded that in the days leading to his death, thousands of people were praying day and night in front of the Royal Palace. When flags in the Palace were brought down half-mass, as one historian put it, the cry were so deafening that no one in the Palace could hear nothing but the weep. The Emperor Indravarman IV were laid to rest in a stupa inside the Royal Palace.

Harshavarman IV (1525-1531)
The Emperor Harshavarman IV was one of a handful monarchs who was not loved by the people. He wasn't a bad ruler because he was ruthless or making bad decisions. He was hated because he made no decision. Seen as incompetent emperor, Harshavarman IV spent most of his time hunting, partying, and going on vacations for months at the time. He prided himself as an artist, often painted of his experiences away from the city. In the six years of his reign, the Emperor often would not attended the daily meeting when monarch and officials gathered and discussed the nation's affairs. He trusted to the Royal's Right Hand man to fill in on his duties. Taking advantage of the situation, the Emperor's Right Hand man, Sok, and the master of treasury, Sao, had been using the Emperor's name to take control of the court and enriched themselves. They diverted huge amount of cash meant for the nation's public welfare programs to their own pockets while denied any additional funding in the annual budget. These two also intervened when members of the Royal Council voted to dethrone the Emperor, and at the same time persuaded Harshavarman IV not to voluntarily step down. Many in the Imperial Court were furious and often disapproved of the Right Hand Man's proposals calling it against the nation's interests.

Hoping to restore order in the Imperial Court, the Supreme General of the Imperial Armed Forces, Muuk, advocated a plan to arrest Sok and those involved through military coup. The plan was discovered, and Sok spent 84 Neal of gold (111 pound) from the Imperial treasury to bride those close to General Muuk to betray him. In the end, 11 military officials were either dismissed or exiled, 3 other including Muuk himself were executed, and many other in the Imperial Court were on the run for their lives.

The Emperor Harshavarman IV were killed on his hunting trip in 1525. Although his death were written down as accident, many believed it was not. Rumors circulated that the Royal Council ordered his assassination, but there was no evident to convict them of it. The general public were in joy and demanded that all of those working for Sok and Sao to be trialled. The master of treasury was arrested shortly after the news of the Emperor's death reached the capital on the order of the Royal Council, while the Right Hand man escaped to China. Sao was executed along with 23 other man convicted of large scale corruptions. The Royal Council voted for Harshavarman IV's cousin to succeeded him.

Harshavarman V (1531-1557)
Afflicted by corruptions and severe mismanagement, Cambodia became weaker than it was a decade ago. The military became disorganized as many capable leaders were either dismissed or exiled or on the run. The political infrastructure of country had to be restore, and to make matter worst, an estimated 14,300 Neal of gold (18,915 pound) were taken from the Imperial Treasury. Harshavarman V immediately rushed into actions to restore order and repair his nation from six years of neglect. He declared Royal Pardons to those wrongly convicted by corrupt officials during the reign of his predecessor. He, for the first time, issued an IOU to many rich families in the country to restock the Imperial Treasury. As a result, financial institutes like the Bank of Suvannapumi, and the Golden Road Trading Company were created to handle the government's debt. However, despite the Emperor's intensive labor, Cambodia was severely debilitated to recover quickly. The country became more like a piece of meat rather than a bully to its neighbors to North and West. In 1546, probably with inside information from the betray official Sok, Chinese forces was bursting through the Empire's northern frontier. The once-invincible Imperial Armed Forces were pushed inside their own territory the first time in more than 300 years. To make matter even worst, Mughal Empire declared war on Khmer a year later and attacked from the west. In 1548, China and Mughal agreed to divide Cambodia in half after they captured the capital city of Yasodharapura. The Imperial Army were not just outnumbered two to one, they also lacked commanders who would equal to the tasks at hands. The Navy were so spread out and powerless to help in-land battles. Towns after towns fell into enemies hands. Entire regions of Oudorpura and Pachempura were overrun. The Imperial Army could do nothing rather than slow down the opposing forces advance. Reports arrived at the capital describing atrocity inflicted on civilians populations. Historians are having difficulties confirming this piece of information since that is no mention of this in either Chinese and Indian historical records. It might just be propaganda or historical bias.

There are reasons why Cambodia had not yet fallen including the large scale of the country, the technological advancement, better military industrial complex, huge manpower, and the fact that they were fighting on their own soil. Harshavarman V once said he could replace a battalion of 1500 men in three days while our enemy would took three weeks. Furthermore, the citizenship right of consolidated people act which was passed during the time of Emperor Indravarman IV also insured the stability throughout the rest of the country. Even than, the situation looked hopeless for Cambodia. By 1549, Indian forces captured Chanapura, just a couple hundreds miles West of Yasodharapura, and at the same time Chinese army were able to push the Imperial Army out of Vijaya. The Imperial Court and the Royal Council urged Harshavarman V to leave the capital, but the Emperor refused. Although he determined to stay, the Emperor had made arrangements for the Royal family to be escorted to Borneorapura. Seeing their Emperor did not flee, most of the populations in Yasodharapura were amazed and began to make preparation for the siege. Fortunately, no army would never reached Yasodharapura. A month after seizing Chanapura, Indian forces were indeed matching toward Yasodharapura, but they were stopped by an element of the Imperial Army under the command of Major Huk. This was literally the first time that the Imperial Army was able to beat the enemy since the war began three years ago. Shortly after, Huk was ordered to take back Chanapura which he successfully did so.

Huk was recorded as being clever and always though one step ahead of his opponents. He noticed that the Indian were relaying heavily on infantry with a support from war elephants. Huk instructed his men to construct low arrows with bamboo containers at the fronts filled with gunpowders and whistles. He would ordered his men to fire these missiles knee-high into charging elephants. This would scared the elephants and caused them to turn back and rampage their own ranks. When the elephants threat was clear, Huk let rip his combine heavy cavalry and infantry while his light cavalry would sneaked around to the enemy's rear and enveloped them. On the other hand, Chinese forces were heavy infantry and cavalry, and their most deadly weapons were rapid-fire crossbows. The Chinese were not expert in siege warfare. Huk would chose to do battles in mud-grass lands or in high grounds. He used the combination of light artilleries and armor-piercing long-range bows. Huk's strategies were destroy the Indian when there were no elephants and destroy the Chinese when they were exhausted.

In recognizing of his accomplishments, the Emperor Harshavarman V promoted Huk to the rank of the General of the Imperial Army in 1550 and two years later to the Supreme General of the Imperial Armed Forces. The tide of war began to turn in Cambodia's favor, although it would took four more years before the war ended in 1554. The last battle took place near the city of Pachempura in 1554 between the Imperial Armed Forces and the army of Mughal Empire. The personal diary of the General Huk gave a detailed account of the final battle which would lasted 9 days. Huk himself described the bravery of the 55,000 Indian forces who were ordered holding the city against the army nearly twice their size. The city wall itself wasn't breach until only 2,000 Indian were left. Even then, the street-to-street fight was savage. The Emperor Harshavarman V, who many times presented in major battles, was struck down while he was directing men in the front. He was rushed to the rear seriously wounded. One officer who was there wrote, "Doctors was doing their best to stop the bleeding and patched the Emperor up, but the wound to His Majesty's neck was so big that it took until noon to stop the bleeding. One of the doctor came out and told us quietly that His Majesty would not last tonight. We were all trying to hold back our weep so to not disturb His Majesty. When the nurses finished cleaning up blood, we wiped our faces and came inside, so His Majesty would not drew his last breath alone. I remember seeing His Majesty with thick bandage around his neck and arms. He smiled at us and told us softly that he was glad to have us around on his last day. We were all insuring him that he was fine, and in a few days he would be able to ride a horse and matched victoriously through the street of Yasodharapura. His Majesty asked all of us to look after the Prince since he is young and has little experience in politics. After he heard us agreeing, His Majesty closed his eyes and just laid their quietly. Later that afternoon, General Huk came into the tent. He looked tired and covered with dust and blood. He asked me about His Majesty's situation, and I told him what the doctor told me before. The General sat down near His Majesty. His Majesty asked him about the fighting. Huk told him that the city was liberated, and the rest of the enemy was captured and sent back to India. His Majesty smiled and said, so Khmer wasn't lost in my time. Later that night, His Majesty left us and was escorted to Heaven."

Harshavarman V was the last Emperor to die in battle. His body was brought back to Yasodharapura, where thousands awaited his arrival. General Huk ordered his men to build a memorial where the Emperor was wounded.

The Indochina-Khmer war took a large toe on a country which was already weakening. In the aftermath, Cambodia suffered an estimated 2.4 million casualties. Oudorpura and Pachempura were almost completely destroyed. The government's debt was 6,000,000 Riel, 900 times larger than in 1546. As a result, the Imperial Navy was forced to abandon outposts in the Indian Ocean that were too far and too expensive to maintain. The Navy's budget were cut to just one sixth of its original budget while the Army's budget were cut in half. Many other non-essential spending were also cut such as monumental building projects, scholar and research funding, and infrastructure repair projects. It took a further three decades for Cambodia to fully recover.

The Age of Exploration (1583-1753)
The news of the discovery of a new continent reached the empire. With a desire to find new markets and resources, the Emperor Rajendravarman VII sponsored expeditions to the New World. The Imperial Navy fleets reached the east coast of America in 1609. The colonization project were planned to take place in 1612, but the news from across the border scraped the project before it had even started. China and Mughal Empires had increased the size of their military. Coupling with the rising of European influences in South Asia, the Emperor ultimately canceled the plan to colonize the New World. Instead, he stepped up the present of the Imperial Armed Forces around the Empire as a deterrence force.

Khmer the Superpower (1753-1943)
After the industrial revolution happened in Europe in 1753, Khmer were quickly modernized to catch up with European power. This modernization made the Empire even richer, and far stronger than it neighbors. The Imperial Navy were also modernized with the introduction of steam engine. By the end of the 18th century, Khmer Empire had become the largest economy in the world. While European nations divided the world among themselves, Khmer decided not to establish any colony far from the mainland since they couldn't react quickly in too vast a distance.

In 1794, using the reason for historical revenge, the Emperor Jayavarman XIV to invade the Mughal/Indian Empire. For the first time in history, the Imperial Army crossed the Irrawaddy River overwhelming their enemy with sheer number and cutting edge technology. In just one year, the Imperial Army took the city of Arga about 200 km from the capital Delhi. Emperor Shah Alam V of Mughal pursue for peace talk by voluntarily gave the land west of the Irrawaddy River to Khmer, which they named Jayavarmapura (land of Jayavarman).

In 1799, the Imperial Armed Forces invaded the island of Hainan. Ill prepared and poorly trained, Chinese forces were quickly defeated. The war continued until 1801 when the city of Zhanjiang fell. Another planned campaign to push farther into mainland China was planned to take place shortly after but was ultimately scraped due to the involvement of another superpower, the British. Not want to risk a war with another superpower, Emperor Jayavarman decided instead to establish a diplomatic relation with the British Empire. The island of Hainan and the rest of conquered territory was control by Khmer Empire until the involvement of Japan in World War II.

Throughout the 19th century, Khmer Empire established relationship with many of the western power including the new nation, the United State of America. This and the might of its military help ensured the independent of the Empire. Khmer was the only nation in the southern atmosphere has not been colonized by European powers.

After World War I (1914-1918), Khmer was one of the three powers, the US and Japan, untouched by the war. While the dark force rose in Europe and the Great Depression in the US, the Empire continued to enjoy its prosperity. It made the Empire blinded to the thread of another emerging superpower.

In 1932, the Empire of Japan declared war on Khmer after their successful military campaign in China. Japan saw Khmer as the land rich in natural resources and an important trade route to India. Japan hoped to exploit Khmer's resources to fuel their economy and war machines. Japan spent years secretly building their military and especially equipped their navy with six super aircraft carrier beside other. On the other hand, the Imperial Armed Forces had never fought a major battle with another nation since 1795. The Imperial Navy had no aircraft carrier nor battleships commission after 1917. Fight broke out along Khmer-Chinese border and at in the Pacific Ocean. In 1935 Japan pushed the f out of the island of Hainan which later in 1944 Chinese forces retook the island. Japanese forces also took the city of Sokour Tey in 1933 and went 100 km south of the city, but they were eventually beaten back into China 15 months later. For a decade, the Empire single-handedly fought against the Japanese until the involvement of the US in 1942. Throughout the remain of World War II, Khmer and the US fought alongside each other as allies against the Japanese.

Modern Khmer (1943-Present)
The United States took the title of the world's largest economy from Khmer Empire in 1943. Although they had different political system, the Empire and the US has maintained a close relationship. As it was an absolute monarchy, the Empire wasn't being pushed into the cold war. Khmer continued to repair their nation and at the same time tried to catch with the two superpower. History has taught the Empire that they needed to modernized and maintain a large and powerful military to protect against surprise attack. In 1955, Khmer was among four other countries, US, UK, France, and USSR to be a member of the UN Security Council.

After the war, the Emperor Rajendravarman IX began to priority education and scientific research. The Imperial University of Cambodia became one of the oldest and prestigious university in the world. In 1953, Khmer successfully detonated a nuclear bomb. In 1967, it established the Center of Space Exploration and Aerospace Research (CSEAR [si-si-ar]) in respond to NASA and Rocosmos. In 1970, Khmer successfully landed men of the moon just two years after the US. In 1998, Khmer was among a handful nations for a joint project to build the International Space Station (ISS).

To further develop the nation, the Emperor Rajendravarman IX allowed the nation to adopt capitalism. In just a decade after the war, Khmer's GDP broke the $1 trillion and continued to grow.

Today Khmer Empire is one of the world leading superpower with a large economy, world leading technology research, large population, and powerful military. They are the dominating force in the world stage and will likely to remain so for a long time to come.

Economy
Despite its political system, Khmer Empire is a capitalistic economy. It is a leading exporter in agricultural products and a second biggest arm-trade just behind the US, which accounting for nearly 10% of the nation GDP. With some of the best and biggest industrial complex in the world, the Empire imports large quantity of oils of 11.2 million barrels per day (35% of the nation's consumption). Khmer has recently surpassed the United States as the largest imported oil nation.

While the country's military industrial complex is among the best in the world, its works in the digital information technology is lacking behind. But it makes up for this with an outstanding work in art and literature. Due to the nation's long and rich history, Khmer art and architecture is considered to be one of the most valuable treasures ever created by human hands.

Khmer Empire is an economic powerhouse. It is the second largest economy on Earth and has a GDP that surpass 12 trillion USD and 5% growth rate. If the trend continues, then it will surpass the economy of the United States of America by 2050.

Government
The Khmer Empire is a hereditary absolute monarchy. The emperor is the supreme ruler of the empire. The Royal family resides in the Imperial Palace of Yasodharapura, in the heart of the city. Many have criticized the Empire for its political system in the modern time. However, citizens of the Empire are happy with the rule due to peace and prosperity they have known for 2000 years. The current emperor is Rajendravarman XI, crowned in 2003 at the age of 46 years old.

Since its birth, the Khmer Empire followed the system similar to those with absolute monarchy. The Emperor was the head of the Royal Government which in itself consisted of many officers called Montrey. Each officer was responsible for one of many small almost-independent-of-other departments and in charge of recruiting employers to work for them without confirmation from the Emperor. However, the Emperor’s approval was needed to promote someone to the title Montrey. The Emperor held two meetings with all of the officers twice a day in the Royal Palace’s front temple called Chung Presh Reach Rorngrom.

This system was changed and improved by the Emperor Ishanavarman IV in 1919, by introducing some democracy as the result of World War I.

There are three independent units that govern the nation, the Royal Government, the Senate, and the Imperial Court. All answer directly the Emperor.

The Royal Government comprises of interconnected departments. The head of each department is given the title of Lord. Each department gets to send a representative to sit in the House of Lords in the Senate as representatives from the government. The Royal Government is overseen by a five-year term elected Prime Minister. The main purpose of the Royal Government is to manage both national and international affairs.

There are 16 departments inside the Royal Government.

- Department of the Prime Minister

- Department of Security and National Affairs

- Department of Defend

- Department of Education, Religion, Science, and Technology

- Department of Transportation and Communication

- Department of Foreign Affairs

- Department of Health

- Department of Economy, Finance and Commerce

- Department of Justice

- Department of Tourism, and Culture Reservations

- Department of Environment, Energy and Resources Management

- Department of Industry

Department of Agriculture

- Department of Social Work and Public Corporations

- Department of Labor

- Department of Intelligence

The Senate's role are law-making and inspection of the Royal Government's performance. There are two houses in the Senate, the House of Lords, and the House of Commons. The House of Lords, representing the government, is made up of representative from the government. The House of Common, representing the people, is comprising of 245 representatives elected by the people.

Although positions in the Royal Government and in the Senate are now no longer appointed by the Emperor but instead elected by the people, the nation is not a democratic country. Both the Royal Government and the Senate directly controlled to the Emperor himself. They are simply council and advisers to the Emperor, while he makes final decisions.

Foreign relations
Khmer Empire established contact with European power since 12th century when diplomats had been sent to the Byzantine Empire. Since then, the Empire continued to see Europe and the Middle East as an important trade partners. The relationship allowed the flows of ideas, medicine techniques, and technologies into the Empire. This is one of contributing factors that makes the Empire rich and powerful. Despite the cut off during the Indochina-Khmer war, the emperors though out history always strengthen diplomatic relation with European power.

Khmer and the US had almost no partnership before World War II. However, since then, the two countries become allies. The US is the Empire's biggest trade partner. Beside economic corporation, the two often conduct military exercises together and work closely with each other in the field of espionage. Khmer has been considered by the US to be a valuable ally in the face of Chinese influence.

The Empire has sort of rocky relationship with its neighbors, especially China over the island of Hainan. The island was taken and held by Khmer from 1799 until 1935 when Japanese forces took over. China claims they have retaken their lost territory from Japan, while Khmer claims the island was already consolidated into their nation and had remained so for more than 100 years.

Internal Issues
Due to low birth rate and long life expectancy, the Empire are now has to deal with large elder population. Retirement support from the government proves to be very costly. In the recent year, the Royal Government prolongs the age of retirement from 65 to 70 years old. Companies are now obligated to cover retirement support for their employers which previously had been covered by the government.

Illegal immigration is also a pressing issue. Each year, an estimated 150,000 people from China and India crosses the border without any legal document to find better jobs. Most are caught and sent back, but many continue to evade detection. They are susceptible to danger of hush working environment with no legal protection. A study done by the University of Angkor Reach suggests that nearly 1.5 million illegal immigrants are currently living inside the Empire border.

Khmer has the second largest economy in the world. Therefore, they are also one of the worst carbon emission. In 2007, the Government has started to invest in Renewable Energy. A total of 20 billion USD has been spent since and yet little is getting in return.

Nuclear weapons is a hot debate in recent time. By the time the cold war had ended in 1991, the Empire had produced and stocked pal nearly 2500 nuclear warheads. The House of Commons wants to reduce the number to just 500 because Nukes are useless in modern society and also are very expensive to maintain. However, the House of Lords disagrees on the matter.

Demographics
The Khmer Empire has a large population of 350,109,945 inhabitants. That translates to a density of 129 people per sq km. There is almost no trace of native people on any conquered provinces thanks to a policy by the Emperor Indravarman IV to incorporate native people into Khmer culture. 99% of the citizens identify themselves as Khmer.

Since 1960s, the nation birth rate has been dropping. From 17.1 in 1960 to 7.2 in present day. Overall fertility rate is 1.03 child per women. Life expectancy is 78.

Buddhism is the state and the most dominant religion with 95% of citizens are Buddhist, but the Empire’s law allowed individual to worship any of their own choosing. Hinduism was Cambodia’s first major religion when it was introduced by the king Kaundinya the First back in the 1st century AD. Buddhism became more popular when the Emperor Jayavarman VII became the first monarch to convert to Buddhist in 1181.

The official language of the nation is Khmer. Originated from the Austroasiatic language family, Khmer language is influence by Sanskrit and Pali languages throughout its 2000 years of evolution. English was introduced as a second language in 1955.

Military
Due to its position, the Khmer Empire controls some of the important trade routes both on land and sea. Because of this, the Empire maintains one of the largest military in the world, comprising of 1.4 million personnel. The main strength of their military can be seen their naval power. With nine nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and 55 nuclear-power attack submarine, five strategic nuclear deterrence submarines backed up by state-of-the-art missile cruisers and destroyers, Khmer manages some of the most powerful Navy to date. Khmer also one of the only few nations that possesses nuclear weapons. With the large military budget of 650 billion USD, Khmer will obtain the status of the world main superpower for long to come.

Geography
Khmer Empire is located in South-East Asia. The country is 2,714,270 sq km (1,047,985.51 sq mi) by landmass. It borders China to the North, India to the West, and Indonesia and the Philippines to the South.

The Empire is divided into seven regions:

- Presh Nokor: where capital city is located. This is the most populated region with 72 million people.

- Oudorpura (land of the North): the least populated region with only 10 million people. More than half of the region is conservative forests.

- Pachempura (land of the West): situated between the Salween River and the Irrawaddy River. For a long time, this is the western edge of the Empire until the consolation of Jayavarmapura in 1795. There are currently 53 million people living in the region,

- Jayavarmapura (land of Jayavarman): situated between the Irrawaddy River and Indian border. It is the youngest region in the Empire. 46 million people are living in this region.

- Malaka: is one of two agriculture-rich region of the empire with the population of 67 million people. The region is dotted with the Imperial Navy bases to protect trade in the Indian Ocean. The most important base is located in the city of Singhapura (land of lion) at the Southern edge of the Empire.

- Borneo: is another agriculture-rich region. It is also an important base for the Imperial Navy to protect trade going through the Sea of Suvannapumi. 60 million people are living on this island and its surrounding.

- Buor: has been nicknamed as the back of a whale due to the frequent of storms and earthquakes in the region. Despite this, 42 million people are living in the region. It is also used by the Imperial Navy to patrol the Eastern part of the Empire and protect trade in the Pacific Ocean.

The climate is topical, too hot and too humid. Seasons consists of six months rain and another six months dry. With plenty of rain, the condition is ideal for agriculture.

Religion and Belief
From the 1st century AD until 1181, most of the citizens and their emperors were practicing Hinduism. In 1181, the Emperor Jayavarman VII was the first to adopt Buddhism. As of now, 95% of Khmer are Buddhist. Even though Hinduism is no longer existed in the country, traces of it can be found in everyday life and even inside the practice of some Buddhism’s ceremonies.

In the past, the people of Khmer believe that their nation was being looked after by a Naga’s king living under the sea of Suvannapumi. The tale telling of a story that the Naga’s king dry a huge portion of land which previously being submerge under the sea in which he gave as a present for the people of Khmer on the coronation day of their first king, Kaundinya the First. Archeologists, amazingly, find out that the large portion of land from the city of Chatomok to where the Mekong River meets the sea today used to be covered by sea water.

Architecture
The Khmer empire produced numerous temples and majestic monuments to celebrate the divine authority of the Emperors. Khmer architecture is influenced mostly by Indian culture but is so difference that most people mistakenly believe that it is an unique independence architecture.

Khmer architects blend religion and belief into their works. The famous five peaks and moat of the great temple Angkor Wat represents Mount Meru reflecting the Hindu belief of where gods are residing with its and surrounded by seas represented by ponds and moats.

Stone temples are the trade mark of Khmer architecture. The great temple of Angkor Wat, the largest sacred structure in the world, is the pinnacle of Khmer achievement. Constructed in just 37 years, Angkor Wat remains the source of prize for modern Cambodian. Since its completion in 1150, no temples are to be build bigger and taller than Angkor Wat due to the issue of time and labor consuming and costly price in term of finance and human lives. Queen Suryavana passed this policy in the year of 1160.

Since the interaction with European nations, Khmer architecture had since introduced many of Europe's great achievements into their work. Khmer is renounced for its ability to consolidate other culture and blend it into its own existing culture.

Cuisine
Rice is the staple grain in Cambodian daily consumption. Fresh-water fish is also an important part of the diet. Khmer people consume fish more than any country in the world with approximation of 290 kg per person per year. Some of the fish can be made into Prahok or Amok for longer storage. Prahok is a traditional food, not familiar to many foreigners.

Another traditional dish is call Nom Banh Chok (នំបញ្ចុក). It is made from rice and look a lot like noodles. Tropical fruits are also included in daily diet. Mango and banana are very popular. Coconut milk is used widely in deserts along with pumpkin and red soy.

French influence on Khmer cuisine includes the Cambodian red curry with toasted baguette bread. The toasted baguette pieces are dipped in the curry and served. Cambodian red curry can also served with rice or with Nom Banh Chok. Rice with pork or chicken is called Cambodian fast-food, usually served for breakfast, along with a dish called Kuy Teav, which is originated in China.

Sport
Soccer is the national sports of the Great Khmer Empire. Soccer was introduced as a result of trades with the British during the 1880s. Soccer was not instantly popular until its appearance on the Summer Olympic Game in 1900. Today, most schools and every provinces throughout the country have their own soccer teams. Other sports such as volleyball, bodybuilding, field hockey, rugby union, golf, and baseball are gaining popularity. Volleyball is by far the most preferred sport exclude soccer.

There are numbers of native sports still existing today including traditional boat racing, buffalo racing, traditional boxing, traditional wrestling and Bokator (Khmer martial art). Aside from boat racing and Bokator, other sports are widely restricted to local competitions. Traditional boat racing is held in November annually for three days as part of the Water festival.

Measurement System
Called the KMS or Khmer Measurement System, it has always been used in Cambodia for nearly 2000 years.

Lenght

 * 1 Thnab (ធ្នាប់) = 021⁄32 in = 5⁄3 cm
 * 1 Chom Am (ចំអាម) = 77⁄8 in = 20 cm
 * 1 Kukh (គក់) = 153⁄4 in = 40 cm
 * 1 Hat (ហត្ថ) = 1911⁄16 in = 50 cm
 * 1 Phyeam (ព្យាម) = 2.187227 yd = 2 m
 * 1 Sen (សិន) = 43.74453 yd = 40 m
 * 1 Kea Vuth (គាវុត) = 2.485485 mi = 4 km
 * 1 Yoch (យោជន៍) = 9.941939 mi =16 km

Weight

 * 1 Lin (លី) = 0.001322774 oz = 0.0375 g
 * 1 Hun (ហ៊ុន) = 0.01322774 oz = 0.375 g
 * 1 Chin (ជី) = 0.1322774 oz = 3.75 g
 * 1 Dom Leung (ដំឡឹង) = 1.322774 oz = 37.5 g
 * 1 Neal (នាឡិ) = 21.16438 oz = 600 g
 * 1 Chong (ចុង) = 66.13868 lb = 30 kg
 * 1 Hap (ហាប) = 132.2774 lb = 60 kg

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