The Australian Revolution of 1828

As Han Qingyun's staunch confidant, Luo Bingzhong naturally supported him.

However, before supporting the establishment of a royal system, the problems of the various government offices and systems in Hanyang Prefecture, as well as the issue of the household registration of free people, must be resolved. This is the foundation for a dynasty to maintain its rule.

As of June 7, 1828, there were 73286 registered Chinese, including 43135 adult males, 28319 married adult females, 323 unmarried adult females, and 1519 minors.

In addition, there were 1539 mine workers introduced from Xunyang County and 7986 indigenous workers from Mingzhou, bringing the total number of mine workers to 9525.

Of the nearly 8.3 people, about 70%, or about 5.8, were from the Industrial and Mining Departments under the Governor's Office.

The remaining 2.5 men included 515 in the army, 235 in the Governor's Guard, 2022 in the navy, 571 in the gunboats, 237 in the naval port, 3617 in the Xunyang Garrison Regiment, 3137 in the armed merchant ships of the Immigration and Trade Bureau (the armed merchant ships that attacked Xunyang had been reorganized into the garrison regiment), 14159 in farms and ranches, and the remaining 500-plus men were scattered throughout the various government offices.

On the surface, the Hanyang Governor's Office was a legitimate government office, but in essence, it was a privately owned company that controlled the army, mainly engaged in industry and mining, and its shareholders were the heads of various government offices.

Now, the problem lies in transforming the company into a legitimate feudal dynasty, which involves managing its various mines and factories.

How to allocate?

To whom should it be allocated?

Should it be controlled by the royal family, or should the kingdom continue to govern it?

Considering the limited size of the royal family, which was insufficient to control the mines, Han Qingyun made a final decision. The mines and factories were the foundation of Han Qingyun's power and absolutely could not be given to any one person; they could only be under the control of the kingdom.

Having made up his mind, he needed to listen to the opinion of Tie Gang's trusted confidant, Luo Bingzhong.

Luo Bingzhong was a simple man with few ulterior motives. He got straight to the point and said, "Your Excellency, I believe that Magistrate Zhang's (Zhenghe's) opinion is logical. The immigrants within the territory of Hanyang must reach a consensus."

"Judging from the current population structure, the Qing Dynasty immigrants with queues were the most numerous, and also the most unstable. They all came to Hanyang because they had lost their land."

"Everyone is thinking about earning a hefty salary as soon as possible, returning to their hometown to buy some land, and living the life of a farmer, instead of thinking about bringing their relatives from the mainland to Hanyang."

"Besides the lack of a unified understanding of Hanyang, the Hanyang Governor's Office did not resemble a dynasty and therefore held no appeal for these immigrants."

"Without appeal, there's no way to win hearts and minds. If anything changes in Hanyang, these people will be the ones who change their minds the fastest."

"And then..."

Han Qingyun listened attentively and agreed that everything Luo Bingzhong said was true. However, he stopped halfway through his sentence, indicating that he was somewhat hesitant.

Han Qingyun poured Luo Bingzhong a cup of tea and encouraged him, saying, "There are no outsiders here today, just the two of us. Speak your mind freely, don't hold back!"

Luo Bingzhong took a sip of tea before continuing, "Furthermore, our seafarers are not as stable as we imagined. In the past, they were engaged in businesses with no capital investment; you could say they were raising wild animals."

"If we can't make these people feel a sense of belonging as soon as possible, it's not impossible that they might riot and flee in their ships the day they riot."

Because of his profession, Luo Bingzhong had the clearest understanding of these seamen.

Since these people were able to settle and make money in Hanyang with Old Master Han, they could go to Xunyang County or other islands; they had absolutely no sense of national or familial responsibility.

This can't really be blamed on Grandpa Han; the main problem is that there are too few native people in Hanyang.

Without free citizens, it would be difficult to establish a proper feudal dynasty. Without any tax revenue to support the army, the only option would be to establish a company that resembled a government office and engaged in industry and mining.

Luo Bingzhong's words were all reasonable and hit the nail on the head regarding Hanyang's sore spot.

Han Qingyun had this concern in mind, as he had not yet taken action against Dai Zhicheng, the Director of the Civil Affairs Bureau, and Lin Moquan, the former Director of the War Bureau. If he were to take drastic measures, many of the loyal followers left behind by Old Master Han would panic.

When people panic, they run away; this is a common occurrence and needs no further explanation.

If this place doesn't want me, there are plenty of other places that will. This isn't just talk; it's very likely that this will actually happen.

Even though Han Qingyun controls Hanyang, everyone has a few fellow villagers and subordinates!

This is the consequence of not having a monarchical system: most people lack a sense of belonging, which has a terrifying destructive power.

Moreover, Han Qingyun also brought in a group of Chinese laborers from Southeast Asia who were skilled in shipbuilding and gun making. These people had lived in areas controlled by foreigners for many years and had already adopted Westernized ideas.

Although there weren't many people, they ultimately didn't completely submit, nor did they consider Hanyang their home; they were just trying to make a living.

If the situation changes, how many would be willing to die for Hanyang?

At this point, Han Qingyun didn't hide anything and said, "This is why I sent Zhengyang to Xunyang: firstly, to communicate with Guochen, and secondly, to transfer you back to Hanyang."

"The fact that you have this idea shows that you are already very mature."

"The importance of immigrants to Hanyang is self-evident and beyond question. However, whether the immigrants can completely integrate into the Hanyang community has become a problem that Hanyang must consider."

"At present, establishing a monarchy and a system of government has become the only option."

"Regarding this matter, you should discuss it with the other directors and get it done as soon as possible to avoid any unforeseen complications."

It's not difficult to do this, it just takes some time.

Han Qingyun could wait during this period, but he was worried that the British wouldn't give him enough time. He could only try his best to get it done within the year and to win people's hearts before the British caused trouble.

With the help of Luo Bingzhong and Zhang Zhengyang, and with Li Guochen's support, in order for Han Qingyun to ascend the throne as soon as possible, troops were officially dispatched to Natuna Island on June 21, 1828.

On June 27, with the cooperation of the Navy, the Xunyang County Garrison Regiment appeared in the waters off Natuna Island.

In recent years, the Chinese on Natuna Island have indeed suffered a lot of exploitation from the Dutch, with heavy taxes every year, and they are almost unable to hold on.

At Wei Guochang's urging, more than 8000 Chinese residents on Natuna Island chose to surrender and welcomed the garrison soldiers to officially enter the port.

The first thing Li Guochen did upon landing was to build fortifications and recruit soldiers from the Chinese population on Natuna Island.

On July 3, Natuna Island was completely stabilized.

Upon learning the news, the Dutch launched an attack, but after their naval fleet arrived, they quickly disengaged and chose to retreat.

On July 15, the news reached Hanyang, and Han Qingyun officially announced the celebration ceremony, which was held the following day to celebrate a series of successes in Hanyang Prefecture.

The news of the victory awakened the people of Hanyang to their true nature for the first time.

On the same day, news of Han Qingyun's establishment of a kingdom and his subsequent rise to power reached the people, and he received strong support from them.

On August 1, 1828, the Xia Kingdom was officially established. Han Qingyun ascended the throne as king, Meng Yu became queen, and Gao Jingyi became imperial concubine. The governor's mansion was used as the Xia royal palace.

The relevant government offices also changed, and a new Civil Affairs Yuan was established. Luo Bingzhong was appointed as the Grand Secretary of the Civil Affairs Yuan, while the original director, Dai Zhicheng, was completely sidelined.

At the same time, there were slight changes in military power. The Armaments Administration was renamed the Military Affairs Department, which not only controlled the armaments, but also the promotion of officers and the power to deploy troops, but did not have the power to command troops.

The Grand General's Office was retained, and Meng Xiong, the father-in-law, was appointed Grand General, in charge of military power, but without the power to deploy troops, thus creating a situation of checks and balances between the Grand General's Office and the Ministry of Military Affairs.