The Australian Revolution of 1828

The matter discussed wasn't exactly a secret; it was simply that the expeditionary force wanted to eat meat.

Wei Guochang was also straightforward, telling Harvey Weghorst his purpose directly: "Mr. Harvey, as you probably already know, I don't want to kill anyone."

"If you cooperate, I can guarantee your safety."

"But if you resist to the very end, looking as if you're ready to die, even the Heavenly King himself might be powerless to stop you!"

Wei Guochang's intentions were certainly not simple. The expeditionary army had worked so hard to capture Xunyang County, and yet they couldn't even eat meat. Who could stand it? If it weren't for Commander Li Guochen's deliberate suppression of the restless army, the city would probably have already descended into chaos.

Fortunately, these foreigners made a foolish mistake, which gave Wei Guochang an excuse to not only stabilize Xunyang County but also obtain military funds. Why not?

The three foreign captains had indeed seen a lot of the world and had even dealt with the Chinese in Java using similar methods, so they naturally knew the cruelty of resisting to the end.

Harvey had witnessed too much torture, making him extremely stubborn and refusing to divulge anything. He said, "Mr. Wei Guochang, I don't understand what you're talking about, nor do I know why you arrested me?"

"The three of us are all white Europeans, and we hope you will release us as soon as possible!"

"Don't forget, Batavia isn't very far; it only takes three to five days to get here."

However, Harvey's threat had no effect whatsoever; instead, it enraged Wei Guochang, who slapped Harvey across the face and yelled, "You've got some nerve, daring to threaten me!"

"Don't you even consider how many Chinese people have fallen at your hands? You still dare to speak so arrogantly here! We'll have many more dealings with you in the future, and today I'll use you as a practice subject."

The story is a long one, but in short, Wei Guochang was originally from Lianzhou Prefecture in Guangdong. In 1811, he followed his fellow villagers to Southeast Asia to make a living and eventually settled on Natuna Island.

Later, with the establishment of the Hanyang Governor's Office, Wei Guochang immigrated to Hanyang alone in 1824, when he was only 23 years old.

That same year, Wei Guochang joined the armed fleet of the Trade Commission, began to frequently deal with foreigners, and became familiar with the various stations along the shipping route.

The more I learn about them, the more I realize that foreigners are not human, but rather cannibalistic demons.

Thus, Wei Guochang conceived a wish: to strengthen Hanyang.

As long as it expands, Hanyang can continue to grow and thrive, and will not be swallowed up or bullied by foreigners.

Based on the hatred that had gradually grown over the years, Wei Guochang always harbored a wary attitude towards foreigners and had no good feelings towards them. He was ruthless in his attacks, beating Harvey so badly that he saw stars and could not stand up.

Harvey was in excruciating pain, as was Wei Guochang.

Shaking his slightly sore hand, he ordered his subordinates, "Take him away. I want to hear Mr. Harvey say something conciliatory!"

The subordinates acted quickly; in less than a minute, the entire warehouse was filled with howling and screaming, which terrified the thugs who had already surrendered and the other two foreigners, causing them to tremble uncontrollably.

One of the foreigners was so frightened that he wet his pants.

Wei Guochang, meanwhile, sat comfortably on Diaoyutai, quietly listening to Mr. Harvey's performance of the "Symphony".

When the piece ended, a subordinate came to report the result of the "performance," saying, "Defender, Mr. Harvey has fainted. Should we have another one?"

These words terrified the two foreigners, who immediately knelt down and said, "Sir, we are willing to cooperate. Please forgive our mistake!"

The power of foreigners in Southeast Asia was so great that many of them became emboldened and disregarded the various demands of the Chinese community there.

With their powerful ships and cannons, they could be said to have acted with impunity.

Just because of a torture method commonly used on Chinese people, the two foreigners knelt down instantly.

However, Wei Guochang didn't seem to want to end there; he needed a complete shock, saying, "Then wake up Mr. Harvey. I need a clear stance!"

The warehouse was still lacking some necessary tools, and under the force of violence, Harvey did not survive the second round and died on the spot.

Wei Guochang stopped his subordinates as they were about to pull the second foreigner away, saying in a friendly tone, "These two gentlemen are our friends, so let's not be too rash."

With Harvey dead, the remaining two foreigners dared not utter a sound and agreed to all of Wei Guochang's demands.

The next day, Wei Guochang went directly to Commander Li Guochen.

Currently, the Governor-General's Office has not yet officially delivered the appointment for Xunyang County, and all military and political affairs are temporarily being handled by Li Guochen.

Regarding the incident at the port warehouse last night, Wei Guochang, striving to eliminate all destabilizing factors as soon as possible, said, "Commander, I believe the time has come!"

Li Guochen certainly wanted to eat meat, but he was worried about the Netherlands' stance and always wanted to ensure the stability of Xunyang to prevent the Netherlands from taking advantage of the situation.

While the Netherlands is busy with the Java War, it's better to avoid trouble and gradually resolve the situation in Xunyang.

Unfortunately, the armed merchant ships on their expedition to Xunyang County couldn't wait; fighting requires meat. Without meat, the soldiers' fighting spirit would be low, making it difficult to maintain the current situation.

Li Guochen was caught in a dilemma, having to consider both the army and the overall situation.

After much deliberation, he made his final decision, saying, "Guochang, you can eat meat, but you can't eat it all by yourself!"

"You will handle this personally. Remember, it must be kept secret. Do not let anyone know about it before you take action!"

Li Guochen's meaning was clear: in addition to the army needing to eat meat, a portion should also be left for the navy responsible for providing support, as well as for the troops from Xunyang County who had already surrendered.

Only by ensuring that force is in our hands can we prevent unforeseen circumstances from arising when it comes to distributing the spoils.

But where does the meat that needs to be divided come from?

Wei Guochang had already planned this out! Apart from farmland, Xunyang County had virtually no industry or mining.

The entire Xunyang County has approximately 90 mu of arable land, which is about 3.9 mu per capita.

However, per capita figures are ultimately just per capita figures and cannot be taken literally.

97% of its arable land, approximately 89 mu, was seized by high-ranking officials and nobles in Xunyang County, with only less than 1 mu of arable land in the hands of some soldiers and self-cultivating farmers.

If you want to take action, you can only target high-ranking officials.

High-ranking officials are the cornerstone of stability in Xunyang County, so a more prudent approach is needed, which is where the role of foreigners comes in.

Add to that group of wicked thugs, and you can bring down a bunch of high-ranking officials and release at least half of the land to raise the funds needed for the army.

Of course, this money must be distributed in the name of the Governor-General's Office!

With Li Guochen's instructions, Wei Guochang acted decisively, and on the same day, he sent men to arrest nine high-ranking officials and dignitaries in Xunyang County.

The charges were quite substantial: instructing foreigners to attack the port and inviting Batavia troops to land in Xunyang County.