The Australian Revolution of 1828

Watching Chen Qi'en leave, Wei Guochang, Tang Boqian, and Cheng Wenzhuo found a quiet place and sat together to discuss countermeasures for Liu Tai'er's problem.

Tang Boqian was from Jiaying Prefecture and was quite familiar with Liu Tai'er. He said, "Your Excellency, Liu Tai'er is backed by the Dutch and has betrayed the interests of Lanfang, offending many local leaders in Lanfang."

"I believe we should contact these chieftains and offer them substantial benefits; perhaps they can become our allies."

That hits the nail on the head. Although the chiefs in various parts of Lanfang accepted the title of "Kaptan," they actually governed their own affairs and did not like the Dutch interference.

Even with military support, they might not necessarily obey the Dutch.

As the commander-in-chief of the Lanfang campaign, Wei Guochang needed the most accurate intelligence and was skeptical of Tang Boqian's assessment, saying, "Boqian, this matter concerns the overall strategy for Lanfang. Are you sure these chieftains can be bribed?"

Money isn't the biggest problem; the key is to beat the Dutch.

Wei Guochang still had his own plans regarding the outcome of the war, but he was afraid that the headman of Lanfang would use a deceptive tactic to deliberately mislead the layout of the trading post.

If we fall for Lanfang's treacherous scheme, the outcome of the war will be unpredictable.

Wei Guochang had his doubts, and Tang Boqian tried his best to speak with facts, revealing what had happened three years ago, saying, "Your Excellency, you are unaware of something!"

"The local leaders in Lanfang have also been thinking about breaking away from the Netherlands for quite some time now."

"Three years ago (1825), the headman of Lanfang was dissatisfied with Liu Tai'er's constant concessions to the Dutch, so he launched an uprising, imprisoned Liu Tai'er, and joined forces with the Chinese of the Daloulu Company to attack the Dutch garrison in Nanbawa."

"Due to a lack of heavy artillery, the garrison's castle was ultimately not captured."

"Although the Dutch defeated the allied forces of the Lanfang chieftain, their military strength was insufficient to control Lanfang. Therefore, they forced the Lanfang chieftain to release Liu Tai'er and then promoted Liu Tai'er to the position of chief."

"To show their support, the Dutch also abolished all taxes of 1825, including the poll tax in Lanfang."

The Dutch began collecting poll taxes in Lanfang in 1824, but only retained taxes on tobacco and alcohol, as well as income from mining, for Lanfang.

Under such pressure, it's impossible for the Lanfang chieftain not to have some ideas; the only thing he lacked was confidence in the war effort.

The Xia Kingdom had this confidence: as long as they were given support such as arms and autonomy, they could be easily persuaded.

Having understood the internal situation in Lanfang, Wei Guochang's doubts were dispelled, and he gained confidence in winning over the Lanfang chieftains. He said, "Boqian, then you can handle this matter. First, find out if there is any possibility of these chieftains uniting."

"If we can join forces, even arms deals can be made."

To win these people over, Wei Guochang was even willing to trade the rarest artillery, demonstrating his utmost sincerity. Whether a deal would ultimately be reached depended on the determination of the Lanfang chieftain.

While the three were secretly investigating, Han Qingyun's order finally arrived at the trading post. The people inside dared not delay, allowing the messenger a short rest before delivering the message.

Upon learning of the arrival of the messenger from Hanyang, the three quickly arrived at the trading post hall to formally receive orders from King Han Qingyun of Xia.

"Due to the complex and volatile situation in Lanfang, Wei Guochang, the magistrate of Zhaoyang County, is hereby appointed to be in full charge of Lanfang affairs and to deal with the series of attacks launched by the Dutch."

"If the situation becomes critical, we can recruit soldiers from Lanfang to ensure the survival of the Lanfang trading post."

The order was delivered promptly and was fully authorized by Han Qingyun. Wei Guochang took command and became the main person in charge of the Lanfang battle.

After receiving the letter of appointment and orders from the messenger, Wei Guochang arranged for the messenger to rest, saying, "Boqian, Wenzhuo, war could break out at any time, and time waits for no one."

"Now that my king has issued the latest order, let's split up and take action!"

"Boqian will be responsible for contacting the chieftains in various parts of Lanfang and providing them with an appropriate number of cannons. Wenzhuo will be responsible for issuing recruitment orders to Lanfang to recruit brave warriors."

As for Wei Guochang, he had an even more important task: to urge the Ministry of Military Affairs and the Ministry of Industry to deliver the necessary artillery, rifles, and other military equipment as soon as possible.

While the three were busy, the Dutch also made their latest move.

Early the next morning, someone came to report the latest military situation to Wei Guochang, saying, "Your Excellency, I am in charge of monitoring the Dutch military camp at Laoputou. This morning, I discovered that a large number of troops have moved in."

More than 20 days have passed since the shelling of the Dutch garrison camp, and the Dutch have finally responded by sending troops to re-enter Laoputou.

Because of insufficient troops, Wei Guochang did not send troops to occupy Laoputou, but instead chose to retreat to Xinputou to ensure that his troops could be used in a concentrated manner.

Upon hearing that Dutch reinforcements had arrived and that war was imminent, he said, "Investigate again. We must find out the number of reinforcements and the number of artillery pieces."

"Also, find out the origin of the Dutch reinforcements!"

The number of artillery pieces is crucial in determining the difficulty of a battle.

The soldier in charge of surveillance was quite dedicated. Based on his judgment, he said, "Your Excellency, a rough estimate is that the Dutch reinforcements number around 700, but the number of artillery pieces and the origin of the reinforcements are unknown."

With such ambiguous intelligence, it was impossible to assess the Dutch fighting strength. Choosing to engage in battle or to wait for the enemy to tire themselves out would be unwise.

Wei Guochang, who had some war experience, wanted to take advantage of the Dutch's unstable foothold and launch a surprise attack. He said, "Boqian, the Dutch reinforcements have just arrived at Laoputou and are certainly not familiar with the surrounding environment. It is necessary to test their firepower."

Probing with firepower is a routine operation that helps Wei Guochang make decisions.

Although Tang Boqian had never actually fought a battle, he understood the importance of probing and said, "Your Excellency, I will arrange for someone to do so immediately. We will definitely find out the firepower of the Dutch reinforcements."

A test is a small-scale battle, and people can die.

Based on Tang Boqian's lack of war experience, Wei Guochang still did not agree, saying, "Boqian, I will command this probing attack. You are responsible for providing cover and preventing the red-haired devils from taking advantage of any gaps and launching a surprise attack on our army."

"Wenzhuo, you're in charge of guarding the place. Don't let those red-haired devils invade the trading post."

The three of them divided the work and quickly determined their respective tasks.

The probing work was carried out quietly, and it wasn't until 3 p.m. that Wei Guochang led his team to the Dutch military camp at Laoputou.

The Dutch camp was badly damaged from the last battle, and the newly arrived reinforcements were cleaning it up.

Once the outer sentries spotted Wei Guochang's troops, they immediately fired warning shots to signal the Dutch reinforcements that an enemy attack was imminent.

Immediately, the entire military camp sprang into action, with everyone taking up their guns and forming ranks.

The raid was discovered, and Wei Guochang had no choice but to issue a test order, directing the prepared artillery fire at the military camp. A fierce barrage of artillery fire erupted.

Meanwhile, the red-haired devils' reinforcements were also on high alert and launched a counterattack against Wei Guochang's troops. Solid cannonballs rained down on the army, creating a gap in their ranks.

The advancing army did not retreat; instead, it quickly filled the gap and continued its advance towards the camp.