The Australian Revolution of 1828

Chapter 92 The King of Xia's Kindness (Part 1)

January 19, 1829, the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, was the Little New Year for Chinese people in southern China, during the summer in the Southern Hemisphere.

After Han Qingyun signed the "Ceasefire Agreement" and affixed the square national seal of the Xia Kingdom, Luo Bingzhong put forward his own idea, saying, "Your Majesty, this agreement is related to the benefits that have been secured. I would like to personally go to Batavia."

The Xia Kingdom's trade and immigration almost all involved foreign affairs, but for various reasons, they were basically handled entirely by the trading posts along the shipping routes.

Once a clear result and direction are in place, report to the Department of Immigration and Trade.

However, this time it involved the ceasefire agreement between the Netherlands and the United States, as well as the division of interests in Lanfang, which was beyond the reach of the trading post.

Therefore, Luo Bingzhong had the idea of ​​personally going to Batavia to urge the Netherlands to implement the terms involved in the Armistice Agreement as soon as possible.

If someone else is sent, firstly, they lack the authority to make timely decisions and respond promptly; secondly, the personnel sent are of too low a rank to effectively supervise the Netherlands.

Although the war has ended, the benefits that are due should not be delayed.

Having understood Luo Bingzhong's idea, Han Qingyun had no other opinions and expressed his support, saying, "That's fine, but don't share a ship with the British and Dutch envoys; let's use our merchant ships instead."

"No, we'll use our own warships!"

"I will write a decree for you to take with you. When you arrive in Xunyang, go to the Grand Commander first, and he will send someone to escort you to Batavia for detailed discussions, to ensure that the Dutch are not trying to cheat you."

Han Qingyun had initially considered sending merchant ships to escort them, but after a moment's thought, he decided it wasn't appropriate. The armistice agreement was proposed unilaterally by the Netherlands, with Britain acting as guarantor and mediator.

However, this agreement had a major problem: would the Netherlands play tricks or use it as a delaying tactic? After all, they were all white, and it was hard to guarantee that Britain wouldn't side with its little follower, the Netherlands.

Once this tactic is employed, the Netherlands will not take advantage of the ceasefire to send supplies to Lanfang, ensuring that the Lanfang army can continue fighting.

Han Qingyun didn't want to suffer this injustice silently, so he had to send a trustworthy person to the meeting to ensure that the Governor of Batavia would sign and stamp the document without any fraud.

After much thought, only warships were the most suitable.

The two had been ruler and subject for many years, yet Luo Bingzhong could understand Han Qingyun's meaning with just a glance or a word. It was no wonder that Han Qingyun's paranoia had resurfaced.

The suspect's timing was perfect, especially given the complexities of war between two countries. If he hadn't been more vigilant, he could have been easily deceived and even lost money!

Luo Bingzhong agreed wholeheartedly, also feeling it was best to be wary of England and the Netherlands to avoid being deceived. He said, "Your Majesty's thinking is indeed thorough. I will go and make preparations immediately."

"Wait, I have something else to tell you!"

Calling Luo Bingzhong back as he was about to leave, Han Qingyun instructed the palace maids serving him to bring up the gifts prepared for the Spring Festival, saying, "The New Year is coming soon. Take these things home for your wife and children."

The palace maids brought out 10 bolts of brocade, specially made for the royal family, along with two cans of tea and 30 boxes of chocolates. Each four bolts of brocade were worth 30 silver dollars, each can of tea was worth 10 silver dollars, and each box of chocolates was worth 1 silver dollar.

In terms of value, these items are only worth 350 silver dollars, which Luo Bingzhong might not even care about.

However, in the era before rayon, brocade was a rare and high-quality product, which could be considered a luxury item and was used by European royalty and nobility.

In the Xia Kingdom, only high-ranking officials and the royal family wore brocade robes; ordinary people had no access to them.

Han Qingyun bestowed these things upon him, which was an act of great favor. Luo Bingzhong could not help but feel grateful and said, "I am deeply honored to receive such a generous gift from Your Majesty."

Having heard so many words of gratitude, Han Qingyun remained nonchalant, saying simply, "Get to work!"

He then signaled to the palace maids to follow him and deliver all the gifts to Luo Bingzhong's residence.

After leaving the Xia Palace, Luo Bingzhong did not return to his residence but went straight to the residence of the British and Dutch envoys, preparing to depart for Batavia as soon as possible to put the Armistice Agreement into practice.

At the same time, all high-ranking officials of the Xia Kingdom, except for Luo Bingzhong, received rewards. Different gifts were given according to their rank.

The Lunar New Year is one of the most important and distinctive traditional festivals for Chinese people. It happens to be summer in Hanyang, but Han Qingyun still wants to celebrate it in a grand manner.

In addition to uniting the hearts and minds of all overseas Chinese, it also served to celebrate the victory in the war.

Within a year of its founding, the nation had already experienced two wars and opened up a complete shipping route. If we work hard for another year, we can immigrate even more people.

By then, Hanyang's development will surely impress everyone.

"Father, come out quickly! People from the palace have arrived!"

Tang Boling ran and shouted into the house, making sure everyone in the family could hear him.

The first to hear this was Tang Yichen, who was reading in his study. He rushed out, looking at his daughter with a puzzled expression, and asked, "Boling, what's going on? Why are people from the palace here?"

Tang Boling smiled and said, "I don't know either. They brought a lot of things and are in the living room right now!"

"Father, hurry over there, I'll go and tell my sister-in-law right away."

The Tang family's house is a three-courtyard siheyuan (traditional courtyard house). Old Master Tang usually lives in the second courtyard, which has a study, a bedroom, and rooms for servants.

The first courtyard contains a study, a living room, and a banquet hall. The third courtyard is for the female relatives.

Tang Boling usually lived in the third courtyard, but because he had just returned from going out, he happened to run into someone from the palace, so he ran to the second courtyard to inform Tang Yichen.

Tang Yichen, not understanding the purpose of the visitor from the palace, hurriedly went to the living room. Just as he was about to kneel to receive the imperial decree, the young eunuch in charge of delivering the gifts said, "Sir, kneeling is not customary here. Just listen!"

Having spent a considerable amount of time in Hanyang, Tang Yichen gradually came to know the local customs and traditions. However, due to deeply ingrained impressions, he never changed them.

Upon hearing the palace's message, he stood and listened to the imperial decree.

The message was simple: it was the New Year, and Han Qingyun had always remembered those who had worked hard for the country, so he was bestowing gifts upon Tang Boqian's family.

Tang Yichen was flattered and quickly took out 10 silver dollars from his pocket, stuffed them into the hand of the eunuch who delivered the imperial decree, and said, "Someone, quickly make some tea!"

The messenger, not wanting to waste any time, weighed the silver coins in his hand and declined, saying, "Sir, we have to hurry to the next place, so we won't have this tea."

After everyone in the palace had left, Tang Boling rushed in, touching the smooth fabric, and exclaimed, "Father, sister-in-law, these are all the finest brocades, teas, and chocolates!"

Five bolts of brocade, a tin of tea, and ten boxes of chocolates—this was the amount of reward given to all the trading post masters.

Brocade was produced in the Jiangnan region during the Qing Dynasty and was generally used as official clothing and gifts in the Qing court. Very little was sold to the outside world, which shows its rarity.

Tang Yichen, who had never worn brocade in his life, couldn't stop the tears from flowing as he said, "Boling, your brother made the right decision. Our family has finally made something of itself!"

"Write a letter to your brother, reminding him of the Xia King's kindness. Our Tang family must always be loyal and dutiful!"

Produce