The Australian Revolution of 1828

After more than ten days, news from Xia Kingdom finally reached the Governor's Office in Sydney.

Governor-General of New South Wales, Rafe Darling, initially thought the message had been sent to the wrong address. Upon confirming the letter originated from the Governor-General's Office in India, he flew into a rage, cursing, "Fuck, Major Edmund Lockyer, is this the result you've given me?"

Major Edmund Lockyer, puzzled, waited until he finished reading the letter before saying with certainty, "Your Excellency, is there perhaps an error in the information from the Governor-General's Office in India?"

"We have clear markings for the entire continent; there is no Xia Kingdom on the west coast."

Ralph Darling hoped that the Indian Governor's Office had made a mistake and sent false information, but he couldn't be sure if the major was telling the truth, since he had never sailed around the Mingzhou continent.

Moreover, starting in 1788, a total of 6.3 convicts were exiled to Australia. These people were of extremely low quality, and it was not impossible for them to fabricate military intelligence.

Faced with two completely different pieces of information, Rafer Darling couldn't help but suspect that his subordinates were hiding something.

"Has Captain Henry Holt returned yet? Tell him to report on the situation on the West Coast as soon as possible."

Henry Holt was a naval captain, directly under the command of Lieutenant Commander Edmund Lockyer.

However, the major was unaware that Henry Holt had died in Hanyang and was still hoping to bring valuable intelligence. He said, "Your Excellency, Captain Henry Holt has not yet returned. I believe he will be back in Sydney in a few months."

Henry Holt has been away for almost half a year, gathering intelligence data such as water temperature on the West Coast, but so far no news has come back, and Governor Reeve Darling is getting a little anxious.

"Send another ship to search the waters off the west coast. Make sure the captain reports back on the situation on the west coast as soon as possible."

"What exactly is going on with this Xia Kingdom?"

A country with a population of one million still possessing at least five sailing warships is simply outrageous.

Considering Sydney's population of just over 3 (not counting the indigenous people), which consists mainly of male criminals exiled over the past forty years and their descendants, it's unlikely they could withstand the might of this Xia Kingdom.

In order to ascertain the authenticity of Xia Kingdom as soon as possible, the Sydney Governor's Office could only send someone to contact Henry Holt, who was in charge of gathering intelligence data such as water temperature on the west coast.

We will use the existing reconnaissance data to understand the specific situation on the West Coast.

Major Edmund Lockyer, finding his report inaccurate and doubtful of the authenticity of the Xia Kingdom, suggested, "Your Excellency, it would be best if I took two cruisers to investigate."

"With the location information provided by the Indian Viceroy's Office, finding this Xia Kingdom is not difficult."

Governor-General Ruifu Darling pondered for a moment, then expressed his agreement, saying, "Major, then I wish you a safe journey and hope you find out the specific situation in Xia Kingdom as soon as possible."

"Remember, we are British soldiers, and no one can stop us from establishing colonies on the west coast, not even France."

Major Edmund Lockyer accepted the order and, after three hasty days of preparation, set sail for the west coast.

At the same time, the influx of laborers into Xia Kingdom led to more Chinese people entering important factories such as arsenals, shipyards, copper mines, machine factories, and iron smelters, which accelerated the production of military supplies.

The meeting room was filled with ministers from various departments.

Han Qingyun didn't mince words and went straight to the point, saying, "I received good news from the shipyard: five 800-ton armed merchant ships will be completed this month, along with a 1000-ton third-class battleship."

"With these newly built ships entering service, our naval power has been further strengthened."

The strength of naval power directly affected immigration and trade, as well as the security of Xunyang Island and Zhaoyang Island. The ministers present were very clear about this and understood its significance, so they straightened their posture.

Minister of Military Affairs Li Guochen, who had just returned from Xunyang County, also remarked with emotion, "Another battleship has joined the navy; this is a great thing for the Xia Kingdom."

"Although this battleship has not yet rolled off the production line or undergone sea trials to determine its stability, I believe the shipyard can build more and better battleships."

"With battleships, Xia will not fear any enemy, not even the British."

Their heroic spirit is truly inspiring.

As the king of Xia, Han Qingyun needed such capable ministers who were second only to the king, and he encouraged them, saying, "Minister Li is right. As long as we have more ships, we will not be afraid of the British."

"Not to mention the petty villains like the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal."

"Our ship will be shipped out this month and will undergo sea trials, but we can't just do sea trials."

The ministers, puzzled, asked, "Your Majesty, what do you mean?"

Han Qingyun explained in detail, saying, "The distance from Xunyang to Hanyang is not too long. Once the five merchant ships leave the shipyard, they will accompany the immigrant ships to transport the latest batch of tenant farmers and laborers."

"But it must be in small quantities and not overweight. It can be used for trial voyages and to transport a small number of workers."

As for the newly manufactured Tier III battleships, they went along as well.

That works. If a newly built ship runs into trouble, it can be towed back, preventing it from drifting at sea.

The ministers, upon hearing this, didn't find it particularly meaningful and simply expressed their approval.

After discussing the shipyard, Han Qingyun brought up the naval patrol, saying, "I've thought a lot about this lately. Now that the British have discovered our location, they will inevitably conduct more probing."

"The navy can no longer escort the immigrant ships. We must be on guard to prevent a surprise attack by the British and cause unnecessary trouble for the newly established Xia Kingdom."

"Immigrant ships and trade ships should also be re-equipped with artillery to ensure adequate military strength in case of unforeseen circumstances."

"As for immigrants and workers, let it be slow!"

"We can't let the ship break down!"

To ascertain the true strength of the Xia Kingdom, more contact is inevitable, which can be either "civil" or "military".

Han Qingyun is wary of the British and will certainly not allow them to land. Once they do land, he can send out spies everywhere and quickly find out the basic situation of Xia Kingdom.

Clearly, "civil" methods are not allowed, so the only option left is "military".

"Wu" refers to frictional conflict.

This conflict is not outwardly a war, but in reality it is a war.

If the British lose, these frictional conflicts will be considered "misunderstandings".

However, if the British win, they will gain insight into part of Xia's military strength, which will inevitably lead to greater conflicts until they fully understand Xia's power.

Of course, you can't find out anything without touching it.

However, whether or not to make contact is not something that the Xia Kingdom can decide; only the stronger party has the right to do so.

As a result, Han Qingyun also made a strategic change, and he had to deal with the British's next contact.