The Australian Revolution of 1828

"The magistrate of Bingluo County, Shek Batu, the commander of the Imperial Guard, learned that the Minister of War intended to rebel. After leaving the Prime Minister's office, he was attacked by bandits."

"It has now been determined that it was War Minister Tanay Dart who did it."

"To prevent the situation from escalating further, I request permission to dispatch troops immediately to suppress the attack."

The emergence of armed rebels in Xunyang County has severely disrupted the local stability and peace, which Luo Bingzhong cannot allow.

However, Luo Bingzhong had a different idea regarding the method of attack, saying, "County Commandant Wei, this matter cannot be rushed; we must plan it carefully."

What does it mean to take a long-term view?

This means that the Minister of War's rebellious behavior should be handled cautiously, and no decision should be made hastily.

With the situation extremely urgent, County Lieutenant Wei Guochang could not wait any longer. He explained his reasons and said, "Magistrate Luo, this matter really cannot be delayed."

"Taking advantage of the suddenness of the incident, before War Minister Tanai Datt had time to gather armed insurgents, troops could be quickly dispatched to suppress them."

"If we wait until the enemy gathers all the rebels, it will be difficult to wipe them out in a short time."

Luo Bingzhong understood this principle and did not object, but he had deeper concerns and said, "County Commandant Wei, that's not what I meant. I'm worried about the situation inside the city."

"If all the soldiers from the county government are sent away, and there are inside agents in the city, the disaster could be even more serious."

"Alright, immediately notify Commander Li Guochen of the Garrison Command, and both sides will hold a joint meeting to discuss specific military strategies."

If it were merely a rebellion by the Minister of War, Wei Guochang's swift campaign would have been the most appropriate way to quell it, but that is clearly not the case.

Since War Minister Tanay Datt attempted to win over the Prime Minister, it indicates that others were involved, and it was not merely a personal gamble.

Soldiers, the country's major events, the place of death and life, the way of survival, must be observed.

After informing the garrison command about the armed rebellion, Li Guochen and Han Shiwei arrived together and participated in a joint meeting to discuss the deployment of troops.

In the temporary meeting room of the county government, the attendees included County Magistrate Luo Bingzhong, County Assistant Zhang Yuanyang, County Commandant Wei Guochang, Prime Minister Sanjay Chehda, and six people including Li Guochen and Han Shiwei from the Garrison Command.

As the chief security officer of Xunyang County, Wei Guochang gave a clear account of the armed rebellion and proposed a general strategy for a rapid suppression.

Luo Bingzhong disagreed with this, and Li Guochen also disagreed, rejecting Wei Guochang's strategy and saying, "The Minister of War, Tanai Dart, is a petty person, so there is no need to worry about him."

"What I'm worried about is exactly how many troops they've gathered and which forces they've allied with."

"Once the city is in turmoil, someone will inevitably coordinate with it, causing chaos within the city."

Li Guochen was right. Although the garrison had taken control of the situation in the city, the hidden opposition forces within the city had not been eliminated, and these people were still active in the Bali Kingdom's court.

If all opposing forces were united, their combined strength would likely be substantial.

For this reason, Li Guochen turned his attention to Prime Minister Sanjay Chehda and said, "Prime Minister Sanjay Chehda, I won't hide it from you, what Minister of War Tanai Dat said is true."

"By order of the Hanyang Governor's Office, this place will be Xunyang County under the jurisdiction of Hanyang Prefecture. Deputy Commander Luo will serve as the county magistrate, and I will serve as the commander of the garrison command."

"If the Prime Minister is interested in taking up an official post, I can recommend you to the Governor-General's Office for a transfer to Hanyang Prefecture."

Prime Minister Sanjay Chehda is an unscrupulous man who is used to changing his stance depending on the wind. Moreover, his family has been sent to live in Hanyang Prefecture, so he has very little support.

It's true that he felt resentful about going from being the prime minister to a powerless official.

However, there was no room for retreat in the situation in Xunyang, so he could only stubbornly move forward, accepting Li Guochen's promise and saying, "This humble official is willing to go to Hanyang Prefecture to take up a post, and hopes that Commander Li will recommend me!"

Once you accept your fate, things become easier to discuss.

Li Guochen then steered the conversation toward the Minister of War, saying, "Since we are colleagues, we hope the Prime Minister can help us talk about the Minister of War's situation."

The Prime Minister, a native of Xunyang County, was very familiar with the local rural areas and informed everyone present of the situation of War Minister Tanai Dat.

Minister of War Tanay Datt, born on February 21, 1780, is 48 years old. During his tenure, he was involved in corruption and the resale of various military supplies.

Just like the cannons on the fortress, which were the Minister of War's masterpiece, they were turned into wooden models.

Through years of corruption, the family now owns approximately 17 mu of land and more than 3000 tenant households, more than the 13 families previously arrested.

This demonstrates that its power is considerable.

If troops are rashly sent to suppress the rebellion, and the battlefield becomes stalemate, and Xunyang City falls into chaos again, the newly surrendered Xunyang army may rebel again.

By then, the situation will have collapsed and it will be too late to salvage it!

At this moment, Wei Guochang also felt a chill down his spine. He changed his previous strategy and said, "Your Excellency, Commander, it was my oversight."

"If we continue to indulge the Minister of War, I fear the people in the city will become unsettled!"

Instability is inevitable. With a small group of people constantly challenging the governance of Xunyang County, the people of Xunyang in the city are bound to have different thoughts.

Clearly, Luo Bingzhong was also aware of the threat posed by the rebel forces outside the city, saying, "We still need to suppress them, but how to do so is another matter."

"Commander Li, you are the highest-ranking commander of the army. You should be in charge of arranging the suppression operation!"

Since the matter concerned the rule of Xunyang County, Li Guochen did not hesitate to take over the command, saying, "Brother Bingzhong, then I won't stand on ceremony!"

"The mastermind behind this rebellion is Tanai Dat, the former Minister of War of the Kingdom of Bali. He has been hiding until now, which shows how dangerous he is."

"Given the dangerous nature of the ringleaders, this battle cannot tolerate any leniency. We must get to the root of the problem and show no mercy to any hidden rebel."

In just two sentences, Li Guochen definitively defined the Minister of War and made him the primary target for suppressing the rebellion.

The strategy for the suppression was quickly devised, and the order was formally issued, stating: "Currently, the location of the main rebel force is unknown, as are the specific forces involved."

"In order to ensure that our army is not ambushed or attacked, this battle was led by Shek Batu, the commander of the Imperial Guard, who led troops originally from Xunyang to quell the rebellion."

"At the same time, in order to stabilize morale and eliminate the rebels as soon as possible, Han Shiwei, the company commander of the guard company, participated in the operation and was responsible for supervising the battle. Any deserters from Xunyang troops could be executed on the spot."

"County Commandant Wei Guochang was in charge of directing operations from the center, and was on high alert against enemy attacks."

From a holistic perspective, Li Guochen's order can be seen as a test of the main force of the rebel army by using troops from Xunyang.

Of course, they also have the function of being cannon fodder.

Only if the troops from Xunyang quickly ascertain the number of rebels and the forces involved can the garrison and the county government decisively defeat the rebels and prevent casualties among the troops from Hanyang.