The Australian Revolution of 1828

On the evening of May 17, 1828, at the port warehouse of Xunyang County.

"Mr. Harvey, are we really going to do it?"

"Perhaps we should rethink our strategy; taking action now is far too hasty!"

The speaker was a cautious Dutch captain, worried that the matter would be exposed and endanger his life.

Clearly, Harvey Weghorst did not think so, nor did the equally radical foreign captain.

The arrow is on the bowstring, and it must be released!

Harvey Weghorst understood this principle, having traveled extensively throughout Southeast Asia and witnessed countless conspiracies.

Now that everyone has gathered, it seems too late to start planning everything thoroughly.

Turning to look at the gathered people of Xunyang, he glared at the cautious Dutch captain and said sternly, "Do you think this will work?"

"Aren't you afraid they'll turn around and sell us out?"

In short, he left the cautious man speechless.

Yes, these people were all thugs we paid to cultivate beforehand.

If we abandon tonight's operation, there's no guarantee someone won't report us tomorrow morning. At that point, let alone the forces we've painstakingly built up, we might not even be able to protect ourselves.

Only by taking a chance today can we hope to soar like a dragon across the ocean and fly high in the sky.

After calming the somewhat wavering captain down, Harvey officially exercised his authority, pointing to a warehouse in the direction of the port and saying, "Leave no one alive except the sailors held in the warehouse."

"Upon completion, each person will be rewarded with 10 taels of silver!"

There were about 69 people gathered in total, which would amount to 690 taels of silver, no small sum.

In fact, the one leading the charge wasn't an idiot.

Upon arriving at the temporary assembly point, they realized things weren't as simple as they'd imagined. Hesitantly, he said, "Mr. Harvey, this is a life-or-death deal. Shouldn't we pay half the money?"

These people were all undercover agents; it didn't matter if they passed on a message or bullied the former Hanyang residents, as long as Harvey paid them.

However, Xunyang County is now under the control of the Hanyang Governor's Office. If they want to fight to the death with the people of Hanyang, then it's a different story, and the price won't be the usual one.

Harvey's original intention was to rescue the sailors, but he reneged on his debt after setting sail.

Harvey hadn't even considered whether these people lived or died. After all, they would inevitably face the extermination efforts of the expeditionary force after this incident, so they were clearly of little value.

Unexpectedly, this leader was quite intelligent and knew who the big and small kings of Xunyang County were.

Fortunately, Harvey was preparing to flee and had some cash on him, so he could only pay half of the agreed commission before saying, "We'll give you the other half after we board the ship."

The man in the lead weighed the cash in his hand before saying, "Mr. Harvey, it's settled then!"

The man agreed to take the job with his own agenda: he hoped the Dutch would fight back and drive the Hanyang people away.

Since the expeditionary force entered Xunyang County, a large number of Xunyang people working at the trading stations have been employed, which has caused the old forces in the city to be squeezed out and gradually pushed out.

Unable to make a living in the city, they tried to find a way to survive at the port, but they couldn't escape the suppression from Wei Guochang's forces.

If it weren't for Harvey and the others contacting them, the men were prepared to stay quiet for a while, then try to find a way to get Zhang Yuanyang's help before returning to Xunyang City to make a living.

As a result, the foreigners came to us, and they were quite generous, so we followed them.

Who would have thought that risking one's life might bring the foreigners back? Suddenly, the idea resurfaced.

It's fair to say that in less than half an hour, the man had already come up with a new plan.

I'll take a gamble now, and once I get the money, I'll hide it away.

Once the Dutch fleet returns and drives the Hanyang people away, they can come out again. At that time, relying on this merit, they can also try to get an official position in front of the foreigners.

The idea is indeed good, but it all depends on whether we're lucky enough to survive!

Harvey, a decisive man, said, "Don't worry, you won't be shortchanged. Just be quick about it!"

"There are troops patrolling around the port. If there's any commotion, our small force won't be able to hold out!"

In order to rescue the sailors, Harvey also prepared nearly 50 rifles, but these were for the sailors to use, not for the thugs.

Besides, these thugs might not even know how to use it.

The matter was settled, and both parties immediately agreed.

The man led the assembled thugs to the warehouse where the sailors were being held, while Harvey and two others waited patiently in another warehouse that had been prepared beforehand.

The thug, along with his 68 men, arrived at the warehouse silently and, taking advantage of the lingering moonlight, charged straight towards the warehouse entrance.

The unit responsible for guarding the area is a squad of soldiers from Xunyang, armed with weapons but not currently carrying firearms.

Seeing the thugs rushing towards them, the sentries first issued a warning, then retreated and ran into the warehouse.

The warehouse doors suddenly burst open, and a platoon of soldiers emerged, displaying a "classic" three-stage line firing tactic under the command of a platoon leader.

The thugs who rushed in were thrown to the ground, falling to the ground and unable to get up.

The leader was quick-witted; the moment he saw the line troops, he hurriedly lay down and escaped the first volley of fire.

However, the gunfire continued unabated, leaving no chance to escape. The gunfire only stopped when all the thugs were lying on the ground.

A total of 69 people were involved. In just one minute, 17 people died on the spot, and 52 people were shot and fell to the ground.

At this moment, Wei Guochang was inside the warehouse. He gestured for his servants to bring in all the prisoners before saying, "They have some nerve! They actually dared to attack this heavily guarded warehouse!"

The leader of the thugs was on the verge of tears, never expecting to be ambushed. He said, "Defense Commander, we really dared not! We were deceived by the foreigners. Please forgive us!"

For Wei Guochang, the lives of these people were no longer important; what mattered was to completely eradicate the anti-Hanyang forces hidden within the city.

Only in this way can the stability of Xunyang County be guaranteed and no unforeseen events occur.

A short while later, the three foreign captains were also escorted to the warehouse.

Previously, he had intended to avoid dealing with the foreigners and try to maintain peace between the two sides. Since the foreigners were not showing any interest, Wei Guochang was no longer prepared to treat them kindly and was going to take some measures.

Knowing the consequences of being arrested, Harvey shouted, "Mr. Wei Guochang, we are Dutch, this has nothing to do with us!"

They announced the white man's identity while simultaneously shirking responsibility for the warehouse.

Wei Guochang understood that they were simply using the white man's skin color to put pressure on him in order to get him out of trouble. Otherwise, given the nature of his crime, he would at least be exonerated if not executed.

However, Wei Guochang wasn't having any of it, and said, "Mr. Harvey, haven't you been saying you wanted to see me?"

"Now that we've met, we're not saying anything."

"How about I talk to you instead?"