The Australian Revolution of 1828

As the British warships sailed away, the tense atmosphere at Hanyang Port in Xia Kingdom finally eased. This global maritime trading empire, with its military covering most of the globe, could be said to be able to attack anywhere it wanted for trade purposes.

Now that the British have obtained accurate location information for the Xia Kingdom, the next step is truly "crying wolf".

Although Han Qingyun had anticipated this outcome before attacking Xunyang Island, he still had to do it.

The main reason is that Zhaoyang Island and Xunyang Island are located at crucial points. These two islands are essential stops on the Xia Kingdom's shipping routes. Only by quickly taking them over can the immigration process be accelerated and the waste of time reduced.

However, the price is indeed quite high.

However, considering that Hanyang (Perth) was colonized by Sydney in 1829 in the original history, it seems to be only a matter of a year.

Han Qingyun watched the departing British ship and asked, "Bingzhong, guess whether it's a Sydney or Indian ship?"

Although it is impossible to verify which governor's office the ship belonged to, it is still a kind of refined interest between the emperor and his subjects.

Grand Secretary Luo Bingzhong, with his keen insight and sharp mind, immediately made a judgment, saying, "In my opinion, it should be coming from the direction of India."

Although Han Qingyun thought the same way, he still wanted to hear Luo Bingzhong's reasoning, so he asked, "What do you mean?"

Accurate judgment is one of the most important abilities of a chief minister. From an implementation perspective, it means being able to implement targeted policies and strategies to deal with threats from overseas.

To be honest, Luo Bingzhong really did have that ability, saying, "Since the other party came on an immigrant ship, they must have gotten the information from Batavia."

"The only place that could exchange information with Batavia was the Viceroy's Office of India."

"Moreover, it is a warship that has arrived. Given the current situation of the Sydney Governor's Office, the only ships that can be dispatched are armed merchant ships or fourth or fifth-class cruisers."

Sydney, California, has long been a penal colony for British convicts, with over 6 people exiled there to date.

Because there were far more male prisoners than female prisoners, Sydney's birth rate was extremely low. Over the years, as prisoners grew old, died, or fell ill, only about 3 prisoners survived, which was simply not enough to maintain a fleet.

It was based on this judgment that Luo Bingzhong determined the ownership of the ships.

Han Qingyun liked people with good judgment, and said, "You're right, but you've forgotten one thing. These people aren't like fierce pioneers; they're more like colonizers."

There is a difference between pioneers and colonists. Pioneers are extremely vicious and cruel, and given the opportunity, they will kill everyone and take all the property.

The colonizers, while certainly ruthless, were clearly motivated by a desire to extract every last drop of profit from the colonies. Before they were completely exploited, everyone held value.

The ship's commander remained restrained and did not fire upon receiving the warning shot, but instead quietly retreated.

Judging from the methods used, Han Qingyun's words did indeed make sense, and Grand Secretary Luo Bingzhong agreed, saying, "Your Majesty's insight is as sharp as a torch, which I cannot match."

At such a critical moment, Han Qingyun could not simply listen to flattery; he still needed to address the real problems.

Previously, Henry Holt had only discovered the existence of Hanyang Prefecture before Han Qingyun silenced him, and there was no evidence that the location of Hanyang or any related information had been transmitted.

The related preparations are just that—preparations; war may not necessarily break out in the short term.

The sudden appearance of British warships off the coast of the port undoubtedly increased the probability of war.

In order to win the war ahead, Han Qingyun had no choice but to increase the population of Hanyang. He instructed, "Bingzhong, we don't even know when the British will arrive."

"The only thing that is certain now is that Hanyang's population is still insufficient to cope with the British invasion."

"Apart from essential supplies, all trading ships will be used for immigration, to transport Qing Dynasty immigrants and Chinese immigrants from Southeast Asia to Hanyang as soon as possible."

"In addition, the 230 million silver dollars seized from Xunyang Island last time were very important for our war preparations."

"Order Zhang Zhenghe, the magistrate of Xunyang County, to confiscate all the remaining twenty-odd families' property. Half of the property shall be used by Xunyang County for war preparations, and the other half, along with the tenants, shall be escorted to Hanyang."

"This order is urgent and must be carried out on the day it arrives, without delay."

Han Qingyun was truly at his wit's end. If he wanted to increase the population, he either had to bring in immigrants from the Qing Dynasty or Southeast Asia, or he had to bring in laborers from the nearest Xunyang Island.

Once freed from arduous manual labor, Chinese laborers could engage in ordnance and shipbuilding production, as well as serve in important positions such as infantry, seamen, and artillerymen.

Luo Bingzhong recorded everything in detail, and planned to compile and copy a copy later before sending it out.

Han Qingyun spoke quickly, worried about making mistakes in recording, and only said after Luo Bingzhong put down his pen, "Read it once!"

After Luo Bingzhong read it aloud again, Han Qingyun found it to be correct.

Then, new arrangements were made for the Chinese laborers released from the mines, saying: "Given the increasingly tense situation, all the Chinese laborers who were originally assigned to cement plants, brick and tile plants, iron smelters, copper plants, and gold panning plants will be reassigned to arsenals and shipyards."

"Once the newly captured tenants arrive in Hong Kong, they will all be assigned to work in these factories. Priority will be given to using Chinese laborers in important positions to ensure victory in the war."

Once the war machine is in motion, arsenals and shipyards must operate at full capacity.

Shipyards have long lead times, so there's nothing that can be done about it.

However, the ordnance factory is different. It is the biggest consumable. If the consumption is the same, the quantity will be reduced. It must meet the consumption needs during the war.

Before the war officially begins, reserves must be made.

The previous artillery reserves were used for the construction of fortifications in Xunyang and Zhaoyang.

With more than half of their artillery stock gone, the situation in Hanyang was extremely dire.

In recent days, while Hanyang has been actively emigrating and preparing supplies, the major in charge of scouting Xia Guo's location has also returned to Calcutta.

The newly appointed Governor-General of India, Lord William Bentinker, received the major and said, "Major Lawrence Claflin, welcome back!"

Major Lawrence Claflin returned with good news and was in high spirits. He went up to him, saluted, and said, "Your Excellency, thank you for taking the time to see me."

Governor Lord William Bentinker asked, "Major, how did the mission go?"

Major Lawrence Claflin said, "Very smoothly, we've located Xia's position, but the situation doesn't seem too good."

"After three days of reconnaissance by our ships, we have determined that the population of Xia Kingdom is at least one million, which poses a huge challenge for us."

The Indian colonial army had just experienced the First Anglo-Burmese War, losing 1.5 soldiers and spending £1300 million in the war, which was a devastating blow.

Lord William Bentinker, newly appointed Governor-General of the Indian colony, was unwilling to rashly launch a war against a nation of over a million people. He said, "That would be terrible. Send this message to the Governor-General's office in Sydney and let them worry about it!"

"My soldiers need rest, and my fleet needs repairs!"