The Australian Revolution of 1828

Early the next morning, about 130 people surrounded the entrance of the trading station and could not be driven away.

The newly appointed trading post manager, unaware of the situation and worried about its impact on the business and safety of the hotels within the trading post, immediately sent people to inquire.

After inquiring, it was discovered that a job posting that had not been confirmed by the trading post had spread rapidly in the area near the port and surrounding regions, attracting many Denpasar residents who had no means of livelihood to apply for the job.

The news of Hanyang bringing in laborers has not yet been disseminated downwards, and the head of the trading station has no way of knowing about it, nor does he know who spread the recruitment information.

Just as they were about to send someone away to get rid of the matter, they discovered that Zhang Yuanyang, the former head of the trading post and now the city defense commissioner, was driving his carriage toward the trade war.

They wanted to expel him, but were worried about triggering a violent conflict and leaving a bad impression on Zhang Yuanyang.

He immediately arranged for security personnel to keep an eye on things, and the station chief rushed over to greet him. Through the carriage, he pledged his loyalty to Zhang Yuanyang, saying, "Station chief, you're so busy. Just send someone to deliver a message, and I promise to get there as soon as possible."

The original form of address still sounds pleasant and is agreeable.

However, the matter of laborers was of utmost importance and could not afford the slightest mistake. If the trading post personnel leaked the information and the number of laborers could not meet the needs of Hanyang, the entire mission would be ruined.

While they won't be dismissed, the fact that the matter wasn't handled well means fewer opportunities in the future.

In order to give Hanyang a perfect answer and prove his ability, Zhang Yuanyang went to great lengths to come all the way from the city to participate in this recruitment.

In fact, it was Zhang Yuanyang who released the recruitment information, which was also to pave the way for the labor task so that the labor force needed in Hanyang could be completed as soon as possible.

At that moment, among the crowd of Denpasar waiting at the entrance of the trading post, two men, around 30 years old, were whispering to each other.

One of the men complained to his companion, saying, "I told you I wasn't lying, but you wouldn't believe me! If it weren't for the job opening, would so many people have come?"

Seeing the huge crowd at the entrance, his companion was about 70-80% convinced, but said with some worry, "You're not kidding me, but with so many people here, do we really think we can find jobs?"

Even men know how difficult the work at the trading post is.

But what's the use of knowing that?

Does that mean they don't need to find a job to support their family?

The man said helplessly, "If I can't find a job, my family will go hungry. I don't mind the hardship and fatigue, as long as my children can have food to eat!"

Two men in Denpasar, who were waiting for jobs, were whispering to each other when a man suddenly barged through the crowd, kicking and punching, and managed to clear a path.

"Get out of the way, everyone! What are you pushing for? Don't you know you're blocking the way?"

The man who spoke was also a Denpasar, but he was wearing a city defense uniform, and looked like a subordinate of the city defense commissioner Zhang Yuanyang.

Once the road to the trade war zone was clear, Zhang Yuanyang got off the carriage, looked at the group of people present, and said, "Don't stand here, let's talk inside the station."

Logically speaking, tropical regions have an abundance of food besides staple grains. It is precisely because of this abundance that people in tropical regions seem to be more sedentary.

People in tropical regions are not usually this proactive unless there are special circumstances.

However, the situation in Bali is different. The land there is exceptionally fertile, with a yield of nearly 500 kilograms of staple food per acre. In addition, the tropical climate allows for two or three harvests a year, which is enough to feed a population of 23.

Despite such favorable conditions, a significant number of people still starved to death in Bali.

The main reason for this is that Bali is too small. The land and mountains have become the domain of royalty and nobility, making it difficult for poor families to make a living by owning even a few acres of land.

Even finding food in the mountains isn't easy, which forces Balinese people to find work to support their families.

As for ways to make a living, besides being a tenant farmer or servant in wealthy families, the only other option was working at the port.

The news of the trading post hiring spread last night, causing people from the port area to rush over overnight, all for a stable job to make a living.

At this moment, Zhang Yuanyang stood on the high platform and gave a look to the Danpasha entourage man next to him.

The man from Denpasar, who often served Zhang Yuanyang, naturally understood what was going on. He immediately revealed a fierce and menacing expression and said loudly, "Quiet down, everyone. If you all want to find a job, then don't make a fuss."

"If anyone makes any more noise, this stick in my hand won't discriminate."

As he spoke, he immediately brandished the police baton he was carrying.

Although the baton wasn't as effective as a rifle, it was still quite intimidating, and the more than 100 Denpasar residents present in the town dared not utter a sound.

Once the noisy situation was under control, Zhang Yuanyang took out the tempting cakes and said, "The trading post does need to hire people, five silver dollars a month, but this job isn't for just anyone."

Five silver dollars, according to the Hanyang currency system, were worth 2500 copper coins.

Currently, the market price of grain in Denpasar is about 2 wen per jin, and 5 silver dollars can buy 1250 jin of grain.

Assuming each person consumes 2 jin of grain per day, that's 60 jin of grain per month. A monthly wage of approximately 1250 jin of grain would be enough to feed 21 people.

They're usually so hungry they can't even get enough to eat, but now they can feed 21 people, so this job is worth doing. Relatively speaking, it's already quite well-off.

Of course, this is just for making a living, and does not include needs such as clothing, housing, and marriage.

The announcement of a monthly salary of 5 silver dollars immediately caused a slight commotion among the crowd. However, this time it was a commotion of excitement, not the kind of commotion that escalates into robbery.

Only after the scene had calmed down did Zhang Yuanyang unleash his trump card, striking a chord deep within people's hearts, saying, "We only have a limited number of openings right now, just the first 50. The rest, go home!"

There's no doubt that the more laborers the better, but Zhang Yuanyang wasn't sure if these people would be willing to go to Hanyang. The only solution was to use scarcity marketing.

The only two solutions are to catch them on the spot.

The only three methods were deception, which was widely used on Chinese laborers after 1842.

Immediate enforcement is too drastic, has significant side effects, and is not necessarily inexpensive. For Hanyang at present, this method is not suitable.

As for deception, this method is quite effective, but it takes too long to see results, and Hanyang can't wait that long.

The only effective strategy is to employ psychological warfare, using scarcity marketing tactics coupled with incentives.

Only by whetting the appetites of the Denpasar people can they recruit thousands, or even tens of thousands, of laborers in a short period of time. And these 50 slots are just an appetizer; the main course is yet to come.

Upon hearing that the trading post only accepted the first 50 people, the Denpasar people who hadn't managed to get to the front panicked and tried to push their way through, regardless of how many people were ahead of them.

If it weren't for security personnel on duty maintaining order, the group would probably have started fighting.

Faced with this chaotic scene, Zhang Yuanyang put all his effort into creating momentum, but did not speak out to stop it. Instead, he returned to the hotel and waited for the final result.

About half an hour later, Zhang Yuanyang received the registration list.

Then he returned to the entrance of the trading post, looked at the Denpasar people who were still reluctant to leave, and said, "Alright, those who have registered, stay; those who haven't, go back!"

"Next time the trading post recruits, you all need to be more proactive, or you won't even get a share of the profits!"

The formal recruitment plan has not yet been fully launched; it is currently just a preliminary effort. To achieve the best results, Zhang Yuanyang retained all 50 men from Denpasar who were recently recruited.

He led the crew to the temporary dormitory for the seamen before announcing the decision, saying, "Work will not start for some time, so you will stay in this dormitory building for now."

"But remember, the dormitory is a public area. No one is allowed to fight, cause trouble, or bring outsiders in."

Anyone who violates these three rules will be expelled from the dormitory and will never be hired again.

In order to complete the labor quota assigned by the Governor-General's Office, Zhang Yuanyang could not use excessive means, so he could only motivate the recruits by providing them with a good dormitory environment.

These people have lived in dilapidated wooden houses for years and never imagined they could move into better-equipped concrete dormitories.

Once these 50 people have lived here for a while, they will definitely love the dormitory environment. At that time, they will be able to go to Hanyang or even America without any problem.

Moreover, once these 50 people have adapted for two days, their desired living environment will be officially communicated, making the next recruitment much easier.

Meanwhile, at the Hanyang Prefecture gold mine.

Looking at the groups of miners, completely lacking any discipline, the mine manager, standing atop a high patch of gold ore, pulled out a megaphone and yelled, "Sit still! What's all this noise about?"

"Should I speak, or should you all speak?"

All the miners gathered together, each saying a few words, their voices as incessant as the chirping of sparrows. Fortunately, the mine manager did have some authority, and with the security personnel on duty at the mine, the entire gold mine immediately fell silent.

Looking at the huge crowd, the mine manager unconsciously raised his voice and said, "Today, our mine has received some good news."

"The Governor's Office has ordered that a batch of laborers be brought in to the mines, and you will be transferred in batches to serve as security guards in various industrial and mining sectors, or as factory workers."

Mining is already tough enough, and many people can't stand it. Now that they hear about being reassigned, there's a lot of speculation going on.

It was the same mining team from last time. Old Wei was completely dumbfounded, somewhat incredulous, and said, "Old Chen, did I hear that right?"

"We don't need to mine anymore!"

Old Chen's five-year contract is about to expire, just a few days before the end of the month.

Then this huge news broke just before I was leaving, and I was completely devastated. I didn't know whether to be happy or upset.

Damn it, five years of mining life!

If it weren't for this news, he could have taken his wife back to Hanyang after the contract expired. Whether they bought a shop or 50 acres of land, they could have lived a comfortable life.

Now, hearing that all the miners in the mine will be converted into workers or security guards in batches, I'm a little hesitant.

This free man probably doesn't want to be one anymore!