The Australian Revolution of 1828

"Quickly, quickly, quickly! Raise the white flag to these Xia people! We agree to release Tang Boqian!"

The garrison also had artillery, with 12 18-pound cannons, enough to deal with any force in Lanfang, including the Xia Kingdom trading post which had no heavy artillery.

The sudden appearance of two 42-pound heavy artillery pieces will be a devastating blow to the fortified military base.

If Ma Chen or Batavia's reinforcements arrive in time, Walter Simmons can hold out for a day or two, simply waiting for the reinforcements' heavy artillery.

However, Batavia's forces were almost entirely used to suppress the Yogyakarta prince's rebellion, and the only ships they could send out were perhaps two or three.

With just these two or three ships, Batavia might not even dare to start a direct war.

Walter Simmons's concerns are entirely understandable. Things have progressed rapidly; once this step has been taken, there's no turning back, nor does he want to.

If Tang Boqian is released like this, the old shop will always have to yield to the new shop.

Moreover, the leaders of Lanfang were also adept at reading the winds; they were masters of changing their stance according to the prevailing winds, and they used this skill with great proficiency.

Furthermore, given that they are both Chinese, if the headman of Lanfang were to completely surrender to the Xia Kingdom, then the influence and advantage of the Netherlands would gradually disappear.

It was for this reason that Walter Simmons was unwilling to back down and release Tang Boqian. However, no matter how tough his words were, he couldn't outmaneuver a powerful opponent.

A white flag was raised on the fortified camp of the Red-haired devils, which made Wei Guochang suspicious. He worried that the Red-haired devils were playing tricks, and said, "Deputy Station Chief Cheng, send someone to negotiate and see what tricks the Red-haired devils are up to."

The person who went to negotiate was a Chinese man from Lanfang who worked at the trading post and knew a little Dutch.

After a brief exchange, they finally understood the Red-haired Devil's intentions and reported to Wei Guochang, saying, "Your Excellency, the Red-haired Devil has agreed to release the station chief, but he demands that we withdraw the troops surrounding the military camp."

The besieging forces included the First Company of the Trading Post, the Third Company with a gunboat, and 500 regular soldiers brought by Wei Guochang.

The total strength of the Japanese garrison was 173 men. 57 were killed in a battle last night, leaving 116 men. The besieging force, however, numbered approximately 700, more than six times the size of the Japanese garrison.

With the addition of two 42-pound heavy cannons, they definitely have a huge advantage.

With such a significant advantage, Wei Guochang had no desire to negotiate and replied, "Issue an ultimatum to the red-haired devil: release Station Chief Tang within half an hour."

"Otherwise, when the city falls, not a single chicken or dog will be spared."

This is an ultimatum with no room for negotiation; it's up to the red-haired devil to choose.

Upon learning of the ultimatum while standing atop the castle, Walter Simmons was utterly devastated. Apart from powerful European nations like England and France, no other force or individual had ever dared to target the Netherlands in such a manner.

For a newly established Xia Kingdom, whose strengths are still unknown, to be so arrogant is utterly ridiculous.

Unfortunately, he couldn't control his own strength, and Walter Simmons dared not gamble, so he had no choice but to release Tang Boqian unconditionally.

As Tang Boqian walked out of the Red-haired Devil's garrison, he straightened his chest and glanced back at the towering castle, secretly making up his mind to visit it again.

At that time, he would lead his troops into the ruins of the Red-haired Devil's garrison.

Seeing that Tang Boqian was unharmed, Wei Guochang was completely relieved. With an imposing aura, he asked, "Boqian, are you alright?"

Seeing Wei Guochang come to the rescue, Tang Boqian was deeply moved and grateful. He said, "I'm fine. The red-haired devil didn't even have time to make a move."

"I am deeply grateful to the county magistrate for coming to my rescue."

This kindness should indeed be remembered.

However, Wei Guochang did not see it that way. He had his own principles and said, "Boqian, you don't need to thank me. It's my duty."

"You are willing to offend the red-haired devils in order to safeguard the fundamental interests of the Xia Kingdom. This is something that most people cannot do."

"Now that you're back safe and sound, I'm relieved."

While the two exchanged pleasantries, Deputy Station Chief Cheng Wenzhuo organized the troops to retreat. Wei Guochang, seeing this, was immediately displeased and stopped Cheng Wenzhuo, saying, "Why the rush? There's still an important matter to attend to!"

Tang Boqian and Cheng Wenzhuo were stunned and puzzled.

Wei Guochang didn't mince words and said, "They dared to kidnap our stationmaster. If we don't demand an explanation, those red-haired devils will be in big trouble next time!"

"Men, continue to issue ultimatums to the red-haired devils, demanding they hand over everyone who attacked Station Chief Tang Boqian within half an hour."

Previously, because Tang Boqian had not been released, Wei Guochang had not dared to issue this ultimatum, lest the "red-haired devils" resort to any means necessary. Now that he saw that Tang Boqian was safe and sound, Wei Guochang no longer had this concern and issued the ultimatum directly.

There were quite a few people attacking Tang Boqian; this was practically a death sentence for the red-haired devil!

In fact, Walter Simmons, the red-haired devil, was also starting to regret his decision. Hearing the ultimatum, he knew that things were heading in the wrong direction.

The person has already been released, so there are truly no conditions for negotiation.

As for Yerdi Bailo, who led the attack, we definitely can't hand him over. If we agree to this, then we won't need to work in Lanfang anymore.

Clearly, Walter Simmons had his own considerations. He rejected Wei Guochang's ultimatum and told the person who issued the ultimatum, "The Netherlands and the Netherlands are friendly neighbors. I hope your esteemed officials will know when to stop and not make a mistake that will lead to eternal regret."

Wei Guochang didn't know if he would regret it later, but he knew that he had to teach the "red-haired devils" a lesson they would never forget.

Otherwise, if the red-haired devil doesn't learn his lesson and keeps provoking us, this matter will never end.

Seeing that the red-haired devils refused to accept the ultimatum, Wei Guochang had no more scruples and said, "Boqian, prepare the troops to attack. We must make those red-haired devils taste the consequences."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The deafening roar of cannons rang out, and shells rained down on the red-haired devils' camp and castle.

Not only did two 42-pound cannons fire simultaneously, but all 32 cannons on the gunboat also opened fire, smashing into the castle walls and creating craters.

In retaliation, the Germans' twelve 18-pound cannons also opened fire simultaneously, firing at both the gunboats and the besieging troops.

Unfortunately, the 18-pound cannon only had a range of over 2000 meters, which was far from enough to reach the 42-pound heavy cannons of the besieging troops, but it did have some impact on the gunboats of the third squadron.

For safety reasons, the gunboat force withdrew 2000 meters away and opened fire with its only 12 32-pounder guns.

The 32-pounder cannon weighs approximately 5000 kilograms, has a caliber of about 160 mm, and a range of about 2500 meters.

The 18-pounder cannon weighs approximately 3500 kilograms, has a caliber of about 135 mm, and a range of about 2000 meters.

The different ranges resulted in different levels of damage. The Xia Kingdom could reach the Red-haired Devils' garrison camp, while the Red-haired Devils could not reach the Xia Kingdom's attacking forces, causing the Red-haired Devils' casualties to increase rapidly.

Already reduced to 116 men, after half a day of firecrackers, the red-haired devils were no longer able to organize a counterattack. With a bugle call, the Xia army launched a general offensive over the crumbling castle walls.

The disparity in numbers, coupled with the dilapidated state of the castle, completely trapped the red-haired devils, who were no longer as arrogant as before.

After bringing over Walter Simmons, the commander of the red-haired devils, Wei Guochang said, "Boqian, remember this face. Next time, you must beat him harder."