# Chey Chettha I

Chey Chestha I (Khmer: ជ័យជេស្ឋាទី១), (Siam call: Chey Chettha I) was the Cambodian king ruled from 1584 to 1593. After the official coronation ceremony in Longvek in the year of Monkey, 2128 BE, 1584 AD, Maha Sakarach 1506, His full name was called "Preah Reach Angkar Preah Chey Chestha Thireach Reameathipadei" He was a young king, reigning at the age of 11, and his younger brother, Ponhea Ton, who was only six years old, held the rank of viceroy. He reigned without power, because his father, Preah Sattha I, still held all the affairs of the kingdom, and he was a royal jurisdiction.

## Elimination of Mahayana Buddhism

In 1590 AD, the mother of Chey Chestha, the first wife of Preah Sattha I, became seriously ill and could not be cured by the royal doctors in the palace. The Royal Court summoned the two monks, who were spies from the Siamese kingdom, who were famous for their diseases and related dark deeds. Preah Satha also said that the queen was seriously ill due to the defeat of the Buddha Mahayana, the image of the four buddha, which has the form of standing with their backs turned to each other, with their faces turned in all four directions, the spy monk continued to say that only if he was removed. The ego dares to accept this disease that if the ego does not see the ego, please give both lives. Preah Satha, because of his weakness, his mind did not think long and hard, he understood that the order of the fake monk was true, so he ordered to carry the relics of Buddha Mahayana, at Wat Traleng Keng to tie a rock to the river. The two spy monk performed the liberation ceremony until the queen recovered, seeing the healing of the two monk. The statue of the Buddha Mahayana came down like this, which made the people very angry to Preah Satha.

## Battle of Longvek

In 1591, the Siamese raised 150,000 troops to attack the forts of Battambang and Pursat provinces. No more fighting during this period, because the Siamese had already failed for the first time, so the Cambodian army did not gather and prepare for training, which caused the Siam army to attack so fast. Siamese king Nore Svara, who excelled in warfare, went directly into battle and ordered the army to raise artillery and fire on Longvek, but the bullets could not reach Longvek. Crossed by a bamboo forest surrounded by two layers equal to 80 meters, large bamboo trees about 15 meters high, these large bamboo trees are fire resistant, so the Siam artillery can not happen to Longvek. More than 100,000 Siamese troops besieged Longvek city for three months, lacking food to supply the army, so the Siamese king remembered a ploy by having the artillery fire 5,000 silver currency (Money) and scatter bamboo shoots for three nights. Since the Siamese king understood that Longvek used the same silver currency, so the people in need and cut down the bamboo forest to get these coins before the Siamese withdrew their troops, it was certain that the bamboo forest fence would break. (พดด้วง) Pot Duong is a Khmer word that Siamese use to refer to the ancient coin money, meaning that Bend (พด) Worm (ด้วง) is probably a silver bend in the shape of a caterpillar. The word has been used for a long time since the early Ayutthaya period, with the bow being shaped like a handgun, also used as money at that time. Only then did the Europeans call that money Bullet coins. The ancient Khmer called this Siamese silver currency as Duong.

## The fall of Longvek

In 1593 AD, the Siamese learned that the bamboo forest fence that protected Longvek City had been breached by the people to extort money during the Kingdom of Cambodia during the economic crisis. Siam raised 340,000 troops. The Siamese king Nore Svara, nicknamed Preah Chau Nares, divided his army into three divisions: the first division consisted of 240,000 troops, 1,000 elephants, and 1,400 war horse. Coming to Battambang province. The 2nd Division consisted of 50,000 troops as the Navy, dividing the army into two divisions, attacking the Straits of Kampong Som and Kampot Province. The 3rd Division, 50,000 troops attacked Siem Reap. The Siamese brigade arrived in Battambang and mobilized an additional 50,000 troops, so the Siamese brigade numbered 290,000 troops to attack Longvek city. Siam troops launch offensive at Pursat provincial fort, Unable to defend the fort, Cambodian troops fled and retreated the Siamese troops moved to Boribo district, Kampong Chhnang province. Only then did Srei Soriyoapor send a letter to Preah Satha about the war, seeing that a large number of Siamese troops were attacking Longvek city. Preah Satha also sent latter to ask for help from Preah Ream Cheung Prey, who was his cousin. Preah Ream Cheung Prey promised to gather 200,000 to 300,000 troops to resist the Siamese army in seven days. But when the time came, Preah Ream Cheung Prey did not hand over the troops, so Preah Satha sent his son Chey Chestha with some royal guard to ask again, but Preah Ream Cheung Prey did not care about Chey Chetha, because he held the rights of 20,000 troops in Skun district, Kampong Cham province. It took 13 days for the Siamese to attack the Boribo district fort, the Siamese to break through the Boribo district fort and move their troops to Longvek city. Preah Satha was so frightened that he led the royal family to flee the palace and fled to Srey Santhor district, Kampong Cham province. Encountering Preah Ream Cheung Prey, who raised troops to chase and to kill King Satha, So Preah Satha led the royal family to run through Kratie province to Vientiane, Laos. The Siamese moved to Longvek during April, seeing that the bamboo trees that the people had cut down had dried up, seeing that the dry season was hot and dry. The walls of the city of bamboo were set on fire for three days and the army was ordered to attack Longvek city. During the Siamese invasion of Longvek, Srei Soriyoapor was inspecting the artillery when he saw the monks of the Siamese spies, who were destroying the artillery, and ordered the army to kill the two monks forever, To kill both monks in Srei Slaket district (now called Sa Kaeo province). With some artillery shells damaged, Soriyoapor sat in tears and announced that he and the last battle in Longvek, and the army officers all volunteered to die in this war. 290,000 Siamese troops tied up bamboo ladders and attacked Longvek city with only 120,000 troops of Longvek defenders. The Siamese army attacked Longvek for a whole month and finally attacked Longvek city in May 1593 AD. The Siamese king also captured Soriyoapor as a prisoner and prepared to send him to Ayutthaya. The Siamese king ordered the army to set fire to the houses of the people in Longvek city, about 50,000 houses were set on fire. The Siamese king stayed in Longvek for only two months and had to withdraw his troops, because the Siamese had news that Burma was ready to raise 150,000 troops to attack Ayutthaya. The Siamese king ordered the dismantling of the Longvek palace, even the tiles of the Siamese palace, collecting property in Longvek, Bronze Cow statue that keep the Sastra rules of the Kingdom of Cambodia, including the Emerald Buddha Statue made during the royal reign of Lompong Reachea. And brought more than 100,000 people in Longvek to Ayutthaya, the fall of Longvek is a huge loss of resources in the history of Cambodia to this day.

## End of Longvek period

Before the Siamese invaded Longvek in 1593, King Sattha I sent army to deliver a letter on the war situation in Cambodia to Diego Belloso on a mission to meet the Spanish governor Dasmariñas in Manila, Philippines, To ask for help, the Spanish army came to help Cambodia, but since the Spanish governor died in a dispute with Chinese traders, Beloso had to wait for the appointment of a new Spanish governor in Manila. The new Spanish governor was later appointed in Manila, Luis Perez, but he did not have a decision in response. The Spanish governor finally agreed to send troops to Cambodia in 1596 AD, but their arrival was overdue: Longvek was burned and destroyed by the Siamese during May 1593. The Siamese king stayed for two months before withdrawing his large army back to Ayutthaya, retaining 7,000 troops to occupy Longvek under the command of General Chakri, who withdrew 2,000 troops to camp in Odong. Until December that Preah Ream Cheung Prey raised 30,000 troops to defeated Siamese out of Longvek, And he moved the capital to Srey Santhor, Kampong Cham province, and ascended the throne in 1594 AD, He royal named for reign call Borom Reamea II.