The Australian Revolution of 1828

Before the relevant orders from Xunyang County have been officially conveyed, the situation at the port has already shown signs of deterioration.

Since Wei Guochang was ordered to blockade the port, the foreigners who had not yet managed to sail away stayed in the port and stayed at the hotel in Xunyang County Trading Station.

Roughly estimated, there were 3 foreign captains and nearly 350 crew members.

However, the crew was not all foreigners; there were only about 70 people. The rest were probably Javanese.

Faced with their predicament, one of the foreign captains went to the garrison commander's office and asked the gatekeeper to inform him that he had been summoned by the garrison commander, Wei Guochang.

"I need to see Mr. Wei Guochang. Please inform him as soon as possible!"

The visitor was a Dutch merchant named Harvey Weghorst who traveled between Batavia and Xunyang County and had been staying at the trading post hotel for seven days.

The upheaval in Xunyang County made Harvey Weghorst unable to stay a moment longer, and he was eager to inform the Governor of Batavia of what had happened.

However, the port remained closed, and the employed sailors were restricted in their movements, making it impossible for them to return to Batavia. After much deliberation, they could only repeatedly seek help from Wei Guochang's defense commissioner's office.

Wei Guochang had never liked foreigners, let alone a Dutch colonizer in his twilight years.

"How many times have you come?"

The gatekeeper knew perfectly well and said, "Reporting to the Defense Commissioner, this foreigner comes two or three times a day."

Wei Guochang understood; this old fellow was probably determined to succeed at all costs!

"Go, send someone to keep an eye on this old bastard. Report back immediately if he makes any unusual moves."

"Also, there are still quite a few foreigners in the trading post, and these people are not on our side. If they cause any trouble, I'm afraid we won't be able to stop them."

"Immediately notify the troops on duty at the port that anyone attempting to force their way in can be shot down!"

That's how things are during wartime; there's no such thing as tenderness! If foreigners treat the Chinese in Southeast Asia this way, then it's no wonder that Wei Guochang retaliated in kind.

Moreover, Xunyang County needs to maintain stability at this stage, and no one is allowed to report what is happening in Xunyang County to Batavia.

Although several foreign ships noticed the problem at the time of the incident and managed to escape in time, those people had no idea of ​​the specific circumstances.

The foreigners who remained were different. They had been there for seven days and, relying on their previously planted spies, had long since figured out what was happening in the city.

If we run away now, and Batavia intervenes, or even instigates a rebellion in Xunyang County, that would be a huge problem.

It would be better to strictly block the ports and control information!

Harvey Weghorst, who was at the entrance of the defense commissioner's office, was in a bad mood because he didn't see Wei Guochang. He had originally hoped to rely on the power of the foreigners to force Wei Guochang to give in.

As a result, he was met with repeated rejections, without even a chance to coax him.

Back at his hotel, Harvey Weghorst summoned the other two foreign captains who were still there and said, "Gentlemen, we've been stuck here for seven days, and these thieves still won't talk."

"If we don't get the news about Bali back to the Governor's Office soon, this place will probably fall into the hands of these thieves, just like Lanfang's Pontianak."

All three were Dutch small business owners who purchased rice from Xunyang County (Danpasa, Bali) and then sold it to other regions.

Over the years, the methods of the Dutch colonists have remained unchanged: they basically demarcate spheres of influence and then monopolize local agricultural products to achieve exorbitant profits.

Spices were originally the most important trade commodity for Dutch colonists, but as the spice trade gradually declined, Dutch merchants also found it difficult to make a living.

If it weren't for its monopoly on regional trade, it would probably have been squeezed out of the market by the British long ago.

Now another so-called Hanyang Governor's Office has emerged, trying to seize business in Xunyang County. How could these Dutch merchants allow that? It's a matter of life and death!

One of the Dutch businessmen was also a small-scale operator who relied on Batavia's trade monopoly policy and hated the Hanyang Governor's Office to the core.

Seeing that the door was tightly closed, he said, "Mr. Harvey, I think we shouldn't wait any longer. We should find a way to escape as soon as possible. Only by getting reinforcements from Batavia can Bali be returned to our hands."

After operating in Denpasar for so long, it's simply outrageous that the Hanyang Governor's Office beat them to it!

Another man was also eager to try, but hesitated when he thought about the civil war on Java Island, saying, "Mr. Harvey, Batavia probably can't interfere here!"

"The governor of Batavia is currently preoccupied with the war and has neither the capacity nor the energy to attend to matters outside of Java."

The Tibonegoro Rebellion, which took place between 1825 and 1830, was raging, and the Dutch colonial government in Batavia was busy putting out fires and it was unclear whether it could manage the situation.

However, Harvey Weghorst disagreed, saying, "Gentlemen, we must have faith in the Governor's Palace of Batavia."

"The current war on the island is just a minor ailment, completely insignificant."

"Furthermore, the war in Java is only a land war. As long as the Governor-General's Office sends naval vessels, we will surely defeat these scoundrels!"

Upon hearing Harvey's words, the other two seemed to instantly realize something and agreed, saying, "We hope Mr. Harvey will make a decision and get out of trouble as soon as possible."

After all that buildup, Harvey Weghorst finally revealed his true purpose, saying, "These thieves are newcomers; they are our adversaries."

"Over the years, we've cultivated quite a few Denpasar people; now we can put them to use!"

Cultivation costs money, how could I bear to spend it!

But when he met Harvey's gaze, he had no choice but to give in. After all, if he didn't take a gamble, his business in Denpasar (Xunyang County) would be completely ruined.

The same man who had supported their escape was the first to step forward and state his position, saying, "Mr. Harvey, I'll listen to you on this. What do you suggest?"

"Even if you lose all of these people, I'm willing, as long as we can get Denpasar back!"

That's exactly what Harvey wanted to hear: as long as one person takes the lead, there's no need to worry about others not following.

Then, their attention shifted to another man, who was indeed somewhat hesitant, mainly because he was worried that Batavia would be too busy to look eastward and wouldn't have the energy to manage affairs in Bali.

But when she met Harvey's gaze, she couldn't refuse, so she agreed to Harvey's suggestion.

Harvey Weghorst, seeing that the matter was settled, revealed his plan, saying, "These past few days, I haven't had a single day off. I've been going to the Defense Commissioner's Office twice a day."

"Since the thieves have ill intentions, we have to take action ourselves and find a way to escape."

"Judging from this thief, he is arrogant and overbearing, and will surely be careless!"

"While these thieves are off guard, we'll launch our uprising tonight, rescue all the trapped sailors, break through the port, and sail away!"

What do you all think?