The Australian Revolution of 1828

Off the coast of Hanyang Port in the Xia Kingdom, a third-class battleship flying the British Union Jack was rocking back and forth. A major at the bow was observing everything in Hanyang Port through a monocular telescope.

"Major, the port of Xia Kingdom should be right across the water. Should we have the sailors on board start moving and probe their defenses?"

The major pondered for a moment, but instead of agreeing with his subordinate's suggestion, he retorted, "Captain, you seem to have misunderstood our purpose."

"We're only here on behalf of Governor-General Lord William Bentinker to find the coordinates of Xia Kingdom, not to cause trouble!"

"Moreover, what Britain needs is a market, not war."

The major spoke with conviction and reason, which made the captain somewhat embarrassed.

According to the standard operating procedure of colonial armies, when encountering towns or tribes, they would usually probe their defenses. If possible, the navy would also send men ashore to investigate, plunder the area, and then sail away.

Now, the major has become a gentleman and has actually started to reason, leaving the captain somewhat bewildered.

Fortunately, the answer came quickly. Just as he was wondering, the major spoke again, asking, "Captain, guess how strong Xia's military is, and how many people it has?"

The captain then understood the major's concerns, which stemmed from his uncertainty about the military strength of Hanyang and his reluctance to open fire rashly.

If fire were to break out, and five or six battleships suddenly appeared from the harbor, defeat would be inevitable. While the lieutenant commander had never feared any nation's navy, he wouldn't do something so foolish.

After all, there was no conflict between Xia and Ying, nor had it reached the point of war. Furthermore, the military strength and population situation within Xia were unclear and required further investigation.

To start a war without fully understanding the situation in the Xia Kingdom would be extremely unwise.

Looking at the black smoke billowing from the chimneys of the steam factories within Xia Kingdom, the captain managed to guess a number and said, "Major, those steam engine chimneys are enough to show that Xia Kingdom has at least 50 people."

"Whether the products produced are for export or to meet domestic demand, the fact that so many steam engine chimneys can be seen here is enough to show that the company is quite powerful."

The major refrained from taking action only after seeing these chimneys, saying, "According to news from Batavia, the Xia Kingdom has five warships stationed in Xunyang, totaling at least 5000 tons."

"If Xia Kingdom had another five or six warships to maintain coastal security, that would be more than 1 tons, which is only 5000 tons less than the 1.5-ton navy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands."

Currently, the Netherlands has a total population of less than 350 million and also has colonies in the East Indies. It barely maintains a naval tonnage of 1.5 tons through domestic tax revenue and exploitation from its colonies.

Its naval tonnage is only slightly less than that of the Netherlands, and its population is naturally not much different.

Judging the true strength of the Xia Kingdom by its tonnage is indeed one of the most important indicators.

The captain understood the navy and knew that maintaining it required enormous funds. These funds could be obtained either through plunder, profits from maritime trade, or by exploiting the homeland.

The Southeast Asian market has never been impacted by Xia Kingdom's industrial products, and the captain has reason to believe that Xia Kingdom has a sufficient population to ensure ample financial resources.

If the Xia Kingdom did not have a sufficient population, its financial resources would be severely limited, and it would indeed be unable to maintain such a large navy and armed merchant fleet.

Having grasped this basic understanding, the captain also wanted to hear the major's assessment, saying, "Major, based on this calculation, how many people do you estimate there are in Xia Kingdom?"

Based on his military assessment, the major stated confidently, "In my estimation, the Xia Kingdom would need at least one million people to build and maintain such a powerful naval fleet!"

"Furthermore, Xia Kingdom also has an unspecified number of immigrant fleets and trading caravans, which constitute a naval reserve force that should not be underestimated."

"With such armed forces, Xia's population will only exceed one million. If we rashly invade, we will suffer more losses than gains. We should quickly investigate and be prepared."

After the Battle of Xunyang Island, a trading fleet consisting of 10 armed merchant ships has been reorganized into the garrison force of Xunyang County, maintaining the current security and defense of Xunyang Island and Zhaoyang Island.

In addition, there were 27 remaining armed merchant ships, which together formed the Xia Kingdom's trade fleet and immigration fleet, under the management of the Ministry of Immigration and Trade.

Meanwhile, Han Qingyun stood at the highest point of the port, observing the movements of British ships with a monocular telescope.

Fearing that the British would open fire, Luo Bingzhong suggested to Han Qingyun, "Your Majesty, the British have ill intentions; they may have followed the immigrant ships."

"If the enemy rashly fires at the port, the losses will be great. Your Majesty, please order the forts to prepare for a counterattack."

This is a lone ship, without troop transports or supply ships. It is clearly not here to fight, nor does it seem to be demonstrating against the Xia Kingdom. It looks more like it is conducting reconnaissance.

Having figured out the other party's purpose, Han Qingyun also had his own plans.

At this moment, it was certainly impossible to let the British figure out the military situation of Xia, but it was also necessary to let them know the military strength of Xia, so as not to confuse them. So he said, "Order the fort to fire a warning shot at the British ships in the open sea."

"This shell doesn't need to hit the target; it only needs to demonstrate the artillery's range."

The port forts reacted quickly; about 30 minutes later, one of the forts in Hanyang Port fired a warning shell into the open sea.

The shells crashed into the water, splashing up about five meters high.

The British major understood that this was a warning shot from Xia Kingdom, and instead of retaliating, he remained remarkably calm.

The fact that the Xia Kingdom's shells could reach such a distance when the ship itself was only 3 kilometers away is enough to show that the British third-class battleships did not have an advantage.

Unable to ascertain the strength of the Xia Kingdom, the British major hesitated. He dared not rashly start a war and could only make a preliminary assessment through observation.

Moreover, the fact that several thousand women are staying in the three-story dormitory building at the port is enough to prove that Xia Kingdom has sufficient financial resources. The captain interjected at the right time, saying, "Major, the port looks like it's paved with cement. Since Xia Kingdom has fired a warning shot, should we go over and say hello?"

The major was willing to approach, but with only one warship, he dared not approach it easily. If the Xia Kingdom were on high alert and forcibly seized the ship, it would be something a single warship could not handle.

If, upon observation, the Xia Kingdom appeared somewhat foolish, without the black smoke billowing from those steam engines, the major would definitely have probed the Xia Kingdom's military strength and the garrison's preparedness.

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs." The major witnessed a progressive nation.

He pointed to the Hanyang port area and said, "Alright, we should leave now. Leave the reconnaissance to the Sydney Governor's Office. We're only responsible for determining the location of Xia Kingdom."

"Now that we have an accurate location map, we should head back and not cause any further trouble."

The major then ordered the ship to head north and return to India.