The Australian Revolution of 1828

The series of provocations did not seem like accidental events, but rather like deliberate acts.

However, Han Qingyun has more important matters to attend to at the moment, so he has to put them aside for now. To minimize the impact of Lin Moquan from the War Bureau, he said, "Gentlemen, Director Lin is a man of strong emotions; he speaks his mind, so we don't need to take it to heart!"

"Once Director Lin recovers, he probably won't be so arrogant anymore!"

Han Qingyun made the final decision, thus defining the nature of the matter. In principle, there would be no further investigation or retribution, but Lin Moquan needed to face reality.

The implication was clear to anyone with eyes to see. Han Qingyun was confident that his words would reach Lin Moquan's ears.

There were seventeen directors in the meeting room, including some promoted by Han Qingyun and others nominated by other veteran directors. It would be strange if the message couldn't get through!

To achieve the effect of being utterly silent, Han Qingyun needs to work even harder.

After scanning the entire conference room and finding no one speaking, Han Qingyun finally let the matter drop, saying, "Regarding the matters mentioned in the interrogation report, proceed as usual."

Although the incident has been resolved, its impact is still significant. Han Qingyun cannot handle it too harshly, lest it cause internal discord and unnecessary turmoil for the Governor's Office.

Although Han Qingyun currently holds a significant advantage, if something unforeseen happens, it could have a tremendous impact on the entire Hanyang region.

Not to mention Han Qingyun, who didn't want to, the other directors present might not be happy either.

If internal strife were to break out between the two sides, the small population that Hanyang Prefecture had painstakingly accumulated might turn into mutual hostility due to this prejudice.

If things get any worse, it could escalate to the point of armed conflict!

Currently, the situation in Hanyang Prefecture does not allow for such a thing to happen, so Han Qingyun can only handle it lightly and wait for the situation to stabilize before making any further decisions.

Fortunately, without Lin Moquan from the War Department causing trouble, the meeting proceeded very smoothly, and the relevant meeting spirit was conveyed very well without any objections.

As an important person personally promoted by Han Qingyun, Luo Bingzhong, the director of the Immigration Agency, spoke first and expressed his thoughts, saying: "Fellow directors, I have seen the interrogation records of the foreigners, so I will not beat around the bush."

"Based on the intelligence we have, the foreigners are unaware of our existence and have lowered their guard because they think we are local natives."

"Although we have captured all of these people, there is no guarantee that the Sydney Governor's Office will not continue to send people to look for them or to investigate data such as water temperature."

"If we do not actively prepare for the war, we will face unpredictable disasters. I urge you all to consider this carefully."

War is a comprehensive undertaking; simply shouting slogans is not enough. It definitely requires close cooperation from all government offices. Han Qingyun organized this meeting to bring everyone together to prepare for war.

To be honest, everyone understands these principles, but there are too many uneducated and uncultured people in Hanyang Prefecture. The past five years of peace and tranquility have made these people lose their sense of crisis and instead harbor a sense of complacency.

After hearing Han Qingyun and Luo Bingzhong's explanation, the group finally understood a little better.

As Han Qingyun's father-in-law, Meng Xiongye, the director of the Industrial Bureau, also expressed his support, saying, "Gentlemen, we are all people who have experienced war, and we are not afraid of war."

"But not being afraid of war does not mean we will avoid war."

"Now the foreigners have come knocking on our door and have begun all sorts of investigations. If you continue to be so complacent, then defeat is not far off."

Meng Xiong was, after all, of higher seniority and more experienced, so the other senior directors gave him face and didn't raise any objections. As for the newly promoted directors, they had all climbed up from the bottom, so they had even less to say.

With the support of all the directors, Han Qingyun seized the rare opportunity to solidify his position as governor-general, saying, "Since everyone agrees, I suggest establishing a Grand Governor's Office to temporarily oversee all foreign wars."

Han Qingyun had been holding the position of Grand Commander concurrently, intending to remain weak, but Lin Moquan of the War Bureau had no resolve and regarded war as a game.

This created a conflict between the Governor-General's Office and the War Office, preventing them from reaching a unified opinion on war preparations and thus hindering the War Office's ability to fully mobilize its resources to implement relevant war preparations.

Meng Xiong of the Industrial Administration had fought in battles and understood the importance of unified command.

Furthermore, Han Qingyun is not wrong. His arguments and evidence are quite sufficient. He did not do this intentionally to mislead everyone and seize power.

Having considered this, Meng Xiong completely sided with Han Qingyun, expressing his support and saying, "Chief Censor, how should the powers of the Grand Military Governor's Office, the Governor-General's Office, and the War Bureau be distinguished?"

Previously, in order to expedite the transition of the governor-general's powers, Mr. Han specifically granted the civil administration to the Grand Commander as well.

Times have changed, and it's no longer appropriate to do that.

Following Meng Xiong's question, Han Qingyun also made a relevant statement, saying: "The Governor-General's Office's powers remain unchanged, while the Grand Military Commission will temporarily take over military and political affairs, and its relevant personnel will be drawn from the War Department."

"As for the War Bureau, I think it should be renamed the Armaments Bureau, which will directly manage armaments and logistical supplies!"

The renaming of the War Bureau not only changed its authority but also its responsibilities, effectively cutting off its lifeline and rendering Lin Moquan of the War Bureau completely idle.

Since Lin Moquan could no longer be used, Han Qingyun could only follow the example of the various dynasties in the Far East and completely separate military power and military equipment, forming a structure similar to the Ministry of War and the Grand Council.

This would both weaken Lin Moquan's influence and completely exclude his people from the army, achieving two goals at once.

At the same time, it can also change the ownership of the existing army, which is a perfect calculation!

Seeing the gleaming broadsword, Dai Zhicheng of the Civil Affairs Bureau immediately became restless and voiced his objection, saying, "Chief of the Constitutional Court, isn't this inappropriate?"

"Director Lin does have some minor health issues, but that's not enough to warrant dismantling the War Bureau!"

"Now that the foreigners have already reached us, war could break out between the two sides at any time. If the Grand Commander's Office is established because of Director Lin's health, then who will be in charge of the war?"

Han Qingyun didn't want to deal with the two men at this moment; he only wanted to organize forces as soon as possible to resist the expansion of the foreigners.

To keep the Civil Affairs Department from getting things done, Han Qingyun tried her best to appease Dai Zhicheng, saying, "Director Dai, please calm down. This is what I'm thinking!"

"You heard Director Lin's statement; he doesn't quite agree with this preparation for war. If the preparation work is handed over to Director Lin, and it doesn't turn out well, it would be irresponsible to everyone."

"Besides, we've all experienced naval battles, and most of us have dealt with foreigners and seen their powerful ships and cannons. How can we be at ease with Director Lin's underestimation of the enemy?"

Of the seventeen directors, Lin Moquan, the director of the War Department, had already gone home to recuperate. Of the remaining sixteen, nine were newly promoted and appointed, so naturally they didn't have the guts to challenge Han Qingyun.

The directors who truly have the confidence are still those few veterans.

However, it seems that the War Bureau and the Civil Affairs Bureau are more obvious in their views. After what just happened, the directors of other bureaus generally agree with Han Qingyun's point of view and have expressed their support.

Without the help of his old comrades, Dai Zhicheng of the Civil Affairs Bureau was left to fend for himself and could only agree, saying, "That's right, Director Lin is indeed no longer suitable for war preparations."

Having subdued Dai Zhicheng, Han Qingyun finally gained complete control and said, "The Grand Commander's Office is mainly responsible for dealing with the upcoming war. In order to carry out the work in an all-round way, the Director of the Industrial Bureau will concurrently serve as the Left Grand Commander, and the Director of the Trade Bureau will concurrently serve as the Right Grand Commander."

The Industrial Bureau controlled all of Hanyang Prefecture's production capacity, including but not limited to the construction of guns, cannons, and ships, making it more suitable for the Grand General's Office's war preparations.

The Trade Bureau, on the other hand, controls the import and export of industrial goods, food and other materials, as well as the existing armed merchant ships in Hanyang Prefecture. It can be said that its military strength is not weaker than that of the Grand General's Office.

The selection of these two individuals to serve as Left and Right Commanders-in-Chief is quite reasonable and well-founded!

Upon hearing the division of responsibilities, Meng Xiong-ye, the director of the Industrial Bureau, took on his duties and asked, "Chief Censor, since the Military Affairs Bureau is responsible for the management of ordnance and logistical supplies, should it also be included under the Grand Military Governor's Office?"

Han Qingyun's original intention was to separate the command of troops from military supplies, so how could he allow the Grand Commander's Office, which was in charge of commanding troops, to intervene in logistics matters such as military supplies?

Without any hesitation, Han Qingyun immediately rejected the idea, saying, "That won't be necessary. The Military Preparedness Bureau has just been established; we can't strip it of all its authority!"

"Since Director Lin is currently unwell, the Deputy Director of the War Bureau will take over as Director of the Armaments Bureau, and will be fully responsible for the logistical preparations for the war."

The Grand Military Commission was established, which directly took away the command of the army, leaving behind an empty military affairs department that became an office responsible for logistics.

I wonder what Lin Moquan should think?