The Australian Revolution of 1828

At 5 p.m. on August 28, 1828, at the Xunyang County Government Office.

Zhang Zhenghe, the magistrate of Xunyang County, sat at the head of the table. Accompanying him for tea were the county clerk and the acting county lieutenant, namely County Clerk Zhang Yuanyang, who sat on the right, and Acting County Clerk Shek Batu, who sat on the left.

Shek Batu, a native of Xunyang, was born on October 11, 1801. He is 27 years old now, two years older than Zhang Yuanyang in 1803, and one year younger than Zhang Zhenghe in 1800.

In his early years, he worked at the trading station under Zhang Yuanyang until May when Xia Guo took over Xunyang, after which he worked in the county.

Later, he was commended by the Governor-General's Office for participating in the suppression of the rebellion of Minister of War Tanai Dat and was appointed Deputy Director of the Xunyang County Police Bureau, with Wei Guochang serving as the director.

At the end of June, Wei Guochang was ordered to go to Zhaoyang Island to persuade the local Chinese to surrender, thus becoming the magistrate of Zhaoyang County. As a result, Shek Batu was promoted to the position of county lieutenant of Xunyang County and concurrently served as the police chief, while the deputy police chief was another Chinese from Hanyang.

The three most powerful people in the entire county sat together enjoying tea. They were all of similar age, which complemented each other well.

However, Magistrate Zhang Zhenghe was preoccupied and somewhat absent-minded. He probed the thoughts of Acting County Commandant Shek Batu by saying, "County Commandant Shek Batu, if I remember correctly, you are from Xunyang County."

Shek Batu wondered why the magistrate had made such a mistake, since he hadn't done anything wrong.

Despite some doubts, he still answered the magistrate's question honestly, saying, "Your Excellency, I was born in Xunyang and started working for the county magistrate four years ago."

Once the conversation started, Magistrate Zhang Zhenghe revealed his true intentions, saying, "Since the establishment of Xunyang County, the former county lieutenant Wei Guochang investigated and dealt with a number of conspiracies and rebellions, which deterred the petty villains in the county and brought a moment of peace."

"More than three months have passed, yet these people show no remorse and have once again set their sights on the confiscated land. I wonder what advice the county magistrate has for me?"

Clearly, Zhang Zhenghe was wary and hoped to get a clear answer from the acting county magistrate, Shek Batu, in the presence of the three of them.

If Shek Batu hesitates and cannot discern the direction, he will arouse the suspicion of Magistrate Zhang Zhenghe, and thus be completely isolated.

It wasn't that Magistrate Zhang Zheng was petty or deliberately looking for trouble; rather, he was forced by circumstances.

After receiving Han Qingyun's order, Zhang Zhenghe was thinking of a safe way to confiscate the wealth of a century-old family in Xunyang County without causing chaos in the county.

After much deliberation, the only option left was to use the acting county magistrate, Shek Batu, to handle the matter.

Shek Batu is from Xunyang, which will reduce his influence to some extent and prevent him from causing too much of a stir. If someone from Hanyang were to take charge, while it wouldn't necessarily provoke rejection, it would still be best to avoid such a situation.

Xunyang County, which has finally settled down, must not be allowed to descend into chaos again.

The problem was presented to Shek Batu, who, as the acting county constable, naturally had this authority.

Shek Batu understood the source of his power and knew that he had to rely closely on the strength of the Xia Kingdom. He spoke forcefully, saying, "Your Excellency, I believe that we should use swift and decisive measures and follow the old ways of the former county magistrate."

The former county magistrate was Wei Guochang;

The past events naturally refer to the confiscation of property.

Upon receiving this affirmative answer, Zhang Zhenghe suddenly laughed, clapped his hands, and said, "County Magistrate Zhang (Yuanyang) truly recognizes talent. It is a great fortune for Xunyang County that County Lieutenant Shek Batu has such insight."

"County Magistrate Zhang (Yuanyang), what do you think of entrusting this matter to County Lieutenant Shek Batu?"

As a county constable, this was Shek Batu's duty.

As the county magistrate, Zhang Yuanyang urgently needed a batch of supplies for war preparations in Xunyang County, and he needed money.

It was a win-win situation, so Zhang Yuanyang naturally had no objections and said, "I think it's feasible for County Commandant Shek Batu to have this insight."

"To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, I believe that County Lieutenant Shek Batu should immediately carry out the county government's decision and catch the enemy off guard."

"Only by moving fast enough can we prevent the enemy from resorting to desperate measures and causing chaos in Xunyang."

The decision was made in a few words, and Shek Batu readily agreed, rising to volunteer, saying, "Your Excellency, I am willing to lead troops to capture the rebels. If I fail, I will gladly offer my head in return."

In just about four years of following Zhang Yuanyang, Shek Batu not only learned fluent Mandarin, but also learned how to sign military orders.

Of course, Zhang Zhenghe had no intention of taking the other party's life. He only hoped that the matter could be handled well, with minimal impact and to avoid causing major disturbances. He said, "County Commandant Shek Batu, if this matter is successful, I will petition His Majesty to remove the word 'acting' from your title."

"If this fails, the military order is no joke."

Shek Batu understood the significance of the pledge, and replied firmly, "This subordinate understands; this matter only requires success, failure is not an option!"

With this attitude in mind, Zhang Zhenghe also expressed his goodwill, patting Shek Batu on the shoulder and saying affirmatively, "That's good!"

"At the same time, in order to prevent the enemy from being prepared, Magistrate Zhang (Yuanyang) went to Xunyang Garrison to contact the garrison troops left behind and to make all necessary precautions until the matter was completely successful."

"If either of you commits any wrongdoing, you will be dealt with according to military law without any leniency."

The county magistrate was their superior and indeed had that power.

Zhang Yuanyang really didn't expect the county magistrate to be so serious, requiring the county clerk to sign a pledge.

The order has been issued and cannot be revoked. Zhang Yuanyang stood up and obeyed, saying, "Your subordinate obeys!"

In this critical moment, Zhang Zhenghe felt that no one could be allowed to neglect their duties and affect the grand plan for Hanyang.

Now that the two men understood the county government's intentions, Zhang Zhenghe took out the prepared list and handed it to them, saying, "County Lieutenant Shek Batu, starting at nine o'clock tonight, arrest people according to this list!"

"Magistrate Zhang, no one on this list is allowed to escape the city. Remember to question them thoroughly."

The two gladly accepted the order, until night fell and completely obscured the light from the sky.

One person went to the police station, and the other went to the garrison area.

The garrison is responsible for maintaining strict defense, while the police station is responsible for making arrests.

Shek Batu, acting county lieutenant, rushed to the police station and, without a moment's delay, gathered most of the police officers and, carrying torches, went to the addresses on the list overnight.

The county town is not very large, only 0.6 square kilometers, about 1200 meters from east to west and about 600 meters from north to south.

It took more than four hours of work to arrest the landlords and gentry living in the city and bring them to the county government office. As for the confiscated stolen goods, they are still being inventoried.

Shek Batu came to report the latest situation to Zhang Zhenghe, saying, "Reporting to the county magistrate, the landlords and gentry living in the city have been captured, but some of them living in the castles outside the city will take a little more time."

Xunyang Island and Xunyang County are about 140 kilometers wide from east to west and about 80 kilometers long from north to south.

Because most of the arable land was concentrated in the northern and southern coastal areas, the landlords and gentry living outside the city were mainly located around the county seat and in the north.

If someone is not inside the city, then they must be outside the city.

However, since control outside the city is not strong enough, the cooperation of the army is needed. He said, "Then we'll move out at dawn. I'll have the garrison troops cooperate with you!"