The Malays and Ocuña de Chu

(Letter from Blas Ruis de Hernan Gonzalez)

When Camboja was being ravaged by Sian, these 2 Malays went to Champ with many of their Malays and Cambodians.

The Champa ruler did not show them all the honors that they desired. So they caused an insurrection in the city while he was away.

They plundered his city and returned to Cambodia with all the artillery and many captives.

When they arrived here the usurper Anacaparan was ruling.

Congratulating one another mutually for their deeds, Anacaparan gave the Malays a friendly welcome.

The Malays gave Anacaparan all the artillery and other things they took from Champa.

Then Anacaparan gave them lands for their maintenance, and made them great mandarins.

These 2 Malays made it easy for him to capture Champa, and offered to seize the Champa king.

The Champa had been so great and long-standing an enemy of the Cambodians. Anacaparan agreed and immediately collected an army, which he sent under command of Ocuña de Chu.

When we killed Anacaparan, this army wass still in Chanpa. They returned after his death.

This army was now under the new king, Chupinanu, with all their Malays. They then attacked the insurgents of Tele.

At this juncture arrived the ambassador whom we met in Lao.

He said that:

• the king of Lao was about to send the heir with great forces by river and by land
• the king of Cochinchina woudl send men by sea and join them in Camboja

When Chupinanu and his followers heard this news they were frightened.

The mandarins of Camboja now had a war against the men of Tele and coming war with the Spaniards, Cochinchina, and Lao.

They decided to depose Chupinanu and render homage to the heir coming from Lao.

They kicked the 2 Malays out of the court where they retreated to friendly provinces in Camboja.

The mandarins ordered a fleet of row-boats, led by Ocuña de Chu as leader and his two sons, to go towards Lao to receive their king, who they said was already coming.

Other boats were sent to the bar to receive and make friends with the Spaniards.

Two Cambodian mandarins and the 2 Malays were to remain to guard the kingdom, and to act as governors.

Ocuña de Chu took the road to Lanchan but suffered some pangs of hunger, for he had left the kingdom unprovided, and the way was long.

He reached Lanchan with 10 armed praus.

When we arrived, we were already on the road to Cochinchina. Then the king ordered us to return to Lanchan immediately.

The king of Lao learned what was happening in Camboja. He despatched there a large fleet by sea, and forces by land, and sent for the king of Camboja.

He despatched me to Cochinchina with news of what was happening, and to take the ships to Camboja.

But, while on the way, I heard of the battle fought by our fleet, whereupon I returned to Camboja with the king.

When we reached the first village of Camboja, we learned from the spies who had preceded us, that the Cambodian provinces were at war with each other because:

• Cuña de Chu was delaying so long
• The heir and the Spanish did not arrive

Ocuña Lacasamana was one of the Malay headmen.

• He had the greatest force of artillery and praus.

A Japanese junk arrived, supporting Chupinannu.

We:

• built a fort
• requested for more men from Lao
• sent secret letters to probe the hearts of the leading men

The men from Lao delayed, and we received no answers to the letters.

We felt insecure in that place and thought of returning to Lao.

Ocuña Lacasamana had fortified himself in his own land. But he said he would join the heir after he arrives.

Another Cambojan governor said the same, but offered to kill Chupinanu after the heir arrived.

When he heard the heir arrive, he received us. That province and many others were delivered to us immediately.

Chupinanu withdrew to some mountains.

Immediately the 2 Malays, each with his forces, joined us. The Japanese did the same.

The king then gave orders to pursue Chupinanu until he was taken and killed.

Soon after war began against the eldest of the brothers and against the people of Tele who also refused homage.

Then, a ship arrived from Malaca with 14 Spaniards of our fleet, who had put into Malaca.

The king was delighted at it. He honored them when he learned that some of them had killed the usurper.

Captain Diego Belloso tried to assume charge of them through an old document from Malaca.

I forbade this, alleging that the right of this jurisdiction should come from Manila, since:

• the restoration of Camboja came from Manila.
• those men were Castilians and had nothing to do with his document or with Malaca.

The king, before whom this matter was brought, replied that the matter lay between us two, and refused to mingle in those affairs.

Some of the newcomers coincided with Belloso’s opinion, and others with mine.

This is why I did not ask the king for a fort to secure our personal safety.

It would have been a footing for some business, [102] and what I shall relate later would not have happened to us.

After the arrival of the Castilians, the king sent an embassy to Cochinchina—a Spaniard and a Cambodian—to get father Fray Alonso Ximenez and certain Spaniards who had remained there.

The Chanpa ruler seized them, and they have not returned.

The wars continued, in all of which the Spaniards and Japanese took part.