The Australian Revolution of 1828

The establishment of the defensive island chain also marked the establishment of Xia's strategic defense, a decision that would affect the very survival of Xia.

Britain's strength is beyond doubt, and Xia Kingdom is not yet qualified to provoke it. It can only maintain its awe of military power, seek economic cooperation on the one hand, and strengthen the defense of the island chain on the other.

Zhaoyang Island is the most important link, and its role cannot be ignored.

Having grasped the importance of island chain defense, Wei Guochang was greatly encouraged.

This is not only an act of trust, but also an opportunity to enter the central government of the Xia Kingdom. As long as he demonstrates sufficient military command capabilities in the future Xia-Ying war, being given an important position is inevitable.

Without any hesitation, Wei Guochang readily accepted this arduous task, stating resolutely, "Your Majesty, I have been waiting for this day for a long time. As long as I am here, Zhaoyang Island will not be lost."

Having such a firm belief is enough to show that Wei Guochang was determined to die on the battlefield.

This determination wasn't innate; it was forged through various hardships. Han Qingyun could understand the bitterness he endured, and any Chinese person in Southeast Asia could understand it as well.

With such a resolute character, he is already considered qualified in military affairs.

Concerned that Wei Guochang's rigidity might destabilize the situation in Southeast Asia, Han Qingyun added, "Guochang, when dealing with foreigners, you must be flexible. Our goal is to confuse them."

"Before we have truly become strong, we must appropriately conceal our emotions and not prematurely reveal our determination to intervene in the Southeast Asia region."

"This is crucial; you must remember it!"

Having endured countless hardships in Southeast Asia since childhood, Wei Guochang possessed not only a resolute and patient nature but also the ability to endure. Naturally, he understood Han Qingyun's strategic vision and responded, "Your Majesty, I understand and will certainly follow Your Majesty's orders to deceive the foreigners."

"We will never provoke any foreigner before the military equipment on Zhaoyang Island is fully built up."

If he has this in mind, there is no problem with appointing Wei Guochang.

However, considering the locational advantages of Zhaoyang Island, Han Qingyun did not forget to take advantage of this advantage. He gave instructions on what to do after taking office, saying, "After taking office, military construction should be done discreetly, but don't forget to communicate with the Chinese in Southeast Asia."

"Among these people are many talented individuals, some knowledgeable in Western mechanics and others in Western science. We must bring them into the Xia Kingdom as much as possible."

"I can give you a guarantee that once these people arrive in Hanyang, their salary will definitely not be less than 20 silver dollars."

"As long as they are willing, they can participate in the school's teaching and various scientific research tasks."

Chinese people in Southeast Asia have had a lot of contact with foreigners and have been exposed to a lot of Westernized knowledge. Han Qingyun still hopes that these people can immigrate to Hanyang and make a contribution to the country's education, science and technology.

This promise is tantamount to handing over the talent acquisition channel to Wei Guochang.

Wei Guochang could not help but understand that, having been entrusted with such an important task, he couldn't help but feel a sense of loyalty and humility, thinking that he would die for someone who understood him.

A tall, imposing man shed tears of emotion and declared his stance directly, saying, "Your Majesty, I am willing to bear this heavy responsibility, even if it means sacrificing my life."

It doesn't seem like a pretense; it seems more like genuine emotion.

The person in charge of Zhaoyang Island should have made the right choice.

With a clear executor in place for Zhaoyang Island, Han Qingyun turned his attention to Xunyang Island.

Xunyang Island is located on the edge of the Southeast Asian region. Apart from the Dutch's intention to annex it, the British had no intention of occupying or interfering with it.

First, the population here is too small to meet the various needs of British trade;

Secondly, it's far from international trade routes, so it's not cost-effective;

Thirdly, Britain has no intention of completely controlling the mainland of Mingzhou at the moment, so the existence of Xunyang Island is dispensable.

Fourth, the Qing court was more attractive, with a large enough population and sufficient purchasing power, as well as luxury goods such as tea, silk, and porcelain, making it the best trading partner.

Fifth, due to the terrain of the Netherlands, Britain did not want to fall out with the Netherlands, start a dispute, or affect the competition for colonial interests.

With these five factors, the situation on Xunyang Island is much better than that on Zhaoyang Island, so there is no need to be overly cautious.

In addition, the Netherlands was busy dealing with the uprising on Java Island and could not spare the time to care about Xunyang Island, which was right next to them.

Based on this advantage, Han Qingyun intended to improve the defense system of Xunyang County in preparation for the future Xia-Ying war, and said: "Zhenghe, things are better on your side, the situation is relatively stable."

"Economically, we will follow the requirements of the meeting, focus on agriculture, and build it into an excellent grain production base to meet Zhaoyang's grain needs."

"The 83 mu of farmland confiscated during the first two crackdowns on gentry and powerful families were quickly distributed to the Chinese immigrants, and all the gold and silver obtained were escorted to Hanyang."

"Half of the interest on the loan for purchasing farmland can be kept in Xunyang, and the other half can be escorted to Hanyang."

The 83 mu of farmland was worth 10 silver dollars (one tael of silver could be exchanged for two silver dollars) because the farmland in Xunyang County was fertile.

If all of them were processed, 830 million silver dollars could be obtained.

However, not all Chinese immigrants in Southeast Asia were wealthy, and they would inevitably borrow money through the Xunyang branch, incurring substantial interest payments.

Even with half of the loan being a loan, at an annual interest rate of 5%, one could recover 20.75 silver dollars in interest annually.

In fact, Zhang Zhenghe has already started processing this batch of farmland. Not only can immigrant Chinese buy it, but people from Xunyang can also buy it, as long as they pay the money.

Now that the funds for purchasing the farmland had a clear destination, Zhang Zhenghe took the opportunity to report, saying, "Your Majesty, 17 mu of farmland confiscated in Xunyang County have been sold and are held by more than 1600 Chinese immigrants and more than 3700 households from Xunyang. The proceeds have all been deposited into the Xunyang County branch bank."

Besides Chinese immigrants, people from Xunyang are also welcome, as long as they can recoup their investment as quickly as possible.

Developing military equipment and immigration require massive amounts of capital in the early stages.

Han Qingyun didn't say anything about this, but instructed Zhang Zhenghe, "Try to arrange marriages and start families for the Chinese immigrants settled in Xunyang as soon as possible."

"If there is a shortage of women of marriageable age, we should report to Hanyang and insist on changing the population structure of Xunyang."

On the issue of population structure, the Xia Kingdom has consistently and thoroughly implemented [its policies].

As the magistrate of Xunyang County, Zhang Zhenghe naturally understood the reasons behind it and thus made a final decision.

Besides its economic importance, Xunyang also plays a crucial role in military affairs.

This point has already been mentioned in the previous conversation: when the Xia-Ying War broke out, Xunyang County would be an important stronghold for cutting off the British expeditionary force's logistical supply lines.

However, there is no conclusion yet on the specific implementation, which requires Zhang Zhenghe to have a concrete plan.

Zhang Zhenghe was not ambiguous. After some thought, he came up with a preliminary idea and said, "Your Majesty, if you want Xunyang County to leverage its advantages, I believe we should take over Lombok Island, Sumbah Island, and Sumbawa Island."

The economic conference has determined the role of Xunyang County: to avoid provoking foreigners and quietly develop military capabilities.

Taking over Lombok, Sumba, and Sumbawa islands to the east will definitely cause quite a stir.

Han Qingyun didn't immediately reject the idea, but instead inquired about the reasons, saying, "Zhenghe, since you want to take over these three islands, you must have your reasons. Tell me!"

Zhang Zhenghe, who had some knowledge of military affairs, offered his thoughts, saying, "Your Majesty, Xunyang Island is located on the right flank of Java. If a war breaks out between China and England, the Dutch will inevitably get involved."

"If Britain and the Netherlands send troops together, Xunyang Island will be under constant surveillance, and the port will be completely blockaded."

"Therefore, I believe that by taking these three islands, we can form a defensive triangle. Even if Britain uses the Dutch ports to keep a close watch on Xunyang, we still have three other islands that we can utilize."

"As long as the naval fleet and armed merchant ships can dock, they can strike Britain's supply lines."

Darwin did have the ability to cut off supply lines, but the region was too far away and had low grain yields, so it was of no use to Xunyang. On the contrary, Lombok Island, which was nearby, had a very good effect.

The two islands, one on the left and one on the right, are only 36 kilometers apart at their closest point, and can provide mutual support effectively.

Han Qingyun agreed with this view. He had not originally planned to take the other three islands for the time being, but now, due to the urgency of the war, he had to take them as well.

Afterwards, Han Qingyun consulted Li Guochen, Luo Bingzhong, and Meng Xiong before making a final decision, saying, "Of these three islands, Lombok Island is the most important."

"After you return to Xunyang, urgently conscript people from Xunyang to form an army. Once the navy is ready, you must take Lombok Island with lightning speed."

"Those who surrender can be recruited. Those who refuse to surrender must be dealt with thoroughly, leaving no future trouble."

On Xunyang Island, Wei Guochang handled things very cleanly, and so far nothing has happened.

As for Lombok, Han Qingyun also hoped for this outcome.

The proposal was passed, which not only improved the defensive island chain, but also brought Han Qingyun's strategic vision to the forefront, making it the general policy for Xia Kingdom to prevent foreign enemies.

This undoubtedly increased the depth of Xia's operations and its ability to sustain combat, preventing it from being swept away by a single British expedition.

If Britain wanted to take Hanyang directly, it would inevitably face interference and harassment from areas such as Xunyang Island and Zhaoyang Island. However, if it divided its forces to advance into various places, its firepower would be significantly weakened.

Whether Britain directly attacked a certain place or divided its forces to advance, Han Qingyun had corresponding tactics.

Regarding the defensive island chain, Zhang Zhenghe, the magistrate of Xunyang County, and Wei Guochang, the magistrate of Zhaoyang County, are the most crucial figures, and their implementation depends entirely on them.

This includes the construction of civilian facilities at the port, as well as the construction of military fortifications on the island.

Now that the military meeting had clarified all the relevant details, Han Qingyun let the two leave and return to their hometowns as soon as possible to prepare for the event.