1850 American Gold Tycoon

"General Perry, you are showing distrust of the Army."

By making such an excessive request to Fillmore, Perry made it clear that he did not trust the California Infantry and looked down upon the Army. Liang Yao said to Perry unceremoniously.

"If you trust the Army and only trust your colleagues in the Navy, I think our cooperation ends here."

Liang Yao's attitude is very tough. In the Office of the President of the White House, he not only represents himself, but also represents the American Army.

He must side with the Army in the face of scorn from his admirals.

"Perry!"

Fillmore also felt that Perry's request was too much, and the arrogant attitude of these naval admirals made him feel a little uncomfortable.

"Whether it is the Marine Corps or the California Infantry, they are the middle force of the American army. You should believe in your Army and the California Infantry. The California Infantry is the elite of the army. With the California Infantry cooperating with you, you can still What’s wrong with you?”

Fillmore very clearly rejected Perry's request.

The United States had only a small army. The Army's seventeen infantry regiments were scattered across various places fighting unfriendly Indian tribes. They were mired in the quagmire of war and unable to escape.

The two regiments of the Marine Corps are the federal government's largest mobile force. It is unrealistic to allocate half of the Marine Corps' strength to Perry.

Seeing that Liang Yao's attitude was so tough and President Fillmore's attitude was so resolute, Perry had no choice but to give up and gave up the idea of ​​dispatching Marines to the Japanese Expeditionary Force.

"Colonel Liang, do you have any requests?"

Perry looked at Liang Yao.

Of course, Liang Yao took the opportunity to make his request.

However, his request is not that of the Japanese Expeditionary Force. With the troops and equipment he currently has, it is a bit impossible to conquer Japan.

However, it is more than enough to inflict pain on the Japanese shogunate authorities, force Japan to found a country, or even support a puppet regime close to itself to complete the goal of this expedition.

What Liang Yao wants is more organization.

“After the California Infantry Regiment participated in the expeditionary military operation against Japan, there was bound to be a void in California’s defense, and the California Infantry Regiment was not only responsible for the local defense of California, but also for part of the defense of Arizona and New Mexico.

I hope to obtain your permission to officially establish an infantry regiment specifically responsible for the defense of the Arizona and New Mexico areas to reduce the defense pressure on the US-Mexico border.

Of course, I am also aware that the federal government is currently not well-financed, and the people of California also understand the difficulties faced by the federal government. If the federal government does not have enough money to support a new infantry regiment, the California government is willing to bear part of the cost for the security of the state. "Liang Yao said.

Fillmore couldn't ask for Liang Yao's request.

In the past, when states, especially those in the west and south with a large number of Indians, faced security issues, the first thing they thought of was to ask the federal government to recruit local troops. At most, they would ask the federal government for money to form their own militia.

This is the first time that California is willing to take the initiative to contribute part of its military expenditures to support a regiment and relieve pressure on the border.

Furthermore, after the California Infantry Regiment went on an expedition to Japan, the defense of the border areas really needed to be strengthened.

The United States has always been very wary of Mexico. Even though Mexico's current national and military power are very weak, the United States has never taken it lightly.

"I will consider your request as appropriate. The establishment of a new standing regiment in the Army is not a trivial matter. I will submit your request to Congress." Fillmore said to Liang Yao.

"You will get an answer soon."

On the way from Washington to New York, Liang Yao received a warm welcome from the American people.

The United States truly felt the cruelty of war in the Civil War 10 years later. In the previous war with Mexico, although the United States suffered certain casualties, far more soldiers died of illness than died on the battlefield.

Moreover, most of the soldiers and generals who participated in the Mexican-American War were southerners. Americans in the north did not think the war was cruel, but were full of enthusiasm for it.

Minister Conrad and the senior army officers also had high hopes for Liang Yao, hosted a banquet in honor of Liang Yao, and wished Liang Yao a victorious return.

"I have read Your Excellency Houston's letter."

After the banquet dispersed, a colonel in his forties with a gentle appearance said to Liang Yao.

"As long as your students can meet the minimum requirements of West Point Military Academy and Virginia Military Academy, West Point Military Academy can admit them. I also have some connections with Virginia Military Academy and will say hello to the Virginia Military Academy. .”

This newly promoted colonel was Robert Edward Lee, who had just served as the principal of West Point Military Academy.

The colonel of the U.S. Army Infantry Regiment prefers to train officers from the same hometown and ethnicity. This has long been a secret in the U.S. Army, and the federal government has turned a blind eye to this.

Liang Yao is Chinese, and a Chinese colonel trains some Chinese officers to facilitate his control of the army. This is a very common thing in Robert's opinion.

During the Mexican-American War, he also served as Winfield Scott's staff assistant as a friend. Relying on connections to go through the back door was the norm for the American military during this period. This was not only the case for the army, but the navy was not much better than the army.

It doesn't matter, there is no way to gain a foothold in the military.

"Then I'll thank Colonel Robert here."

Liang Yao, who was a little tipsy, said to Robert.

Robert's appearance was gentle and elegant. If he was not wearing a colonel's military uniform to attend the banquet, but wearing regular clothes, it would be difficult for Liang Yao to associate Robert with an officer.

"We are all colleagues in the Army, and we should help each other. Thank you for everything. Mr. President and Secretary Conrad both think highly of you. Please fight for our Army during this expedition to Japan!" Robert said.

"Serving the country is a soldier's bounden duty. It's not worth mentioning for Japan." Liang Yao said.

"I heard that you purchased a batch of Prussian Dresser needle guns. These guns fire very fast and can be fired from the prone position."

Robert was very interested in the Dresser needle gun purchased by Liang Yao. He had heard of this kind of gun equipped by the Prussian army.

Robert is a pragmatist and has no prejudice against breech-loading guns. He believes that whether it is a front-loading gun or a breech-loading gun, as long as it is easy to use and reliable, it is a good gun.

If the Prussian army's striker gun is as rumored, it has an astonishing rate of fire of 6 to 12 rounds per minute, and can shoot from a prone position.

Existing combat tactics and theories will no longer apply. Robert is now the principal of West Point Military Academy. In the prime of his life, he is energetic, full of vitality and drive, and is working to improve some of the outdated courses.

Robert was very interested in this weapon that could change the rules of tactics.

It was a pity that Robert had never seen the Prussian Dresser striker gun with his own eyes before.

"This kind of gun is not as good as the rumors say, and it also has many problems." Liang Yao said.

"The Dresser striker gun has a very high rate of fire at the beginning. A skilled shooter can shoot at a rate of more than 10 rounds per minute. However, if the firing pin and the barrel are not cleaned in time, such a rate of fire cannot be achieved.

This kind of gun has a complex structure and is troublesome to maintain. And in terms of long-range design accuracy, it is not as good as the domestic rifled version Springfield M1842. "

The teaching company has been training with Dresser striker guns for some time and has gained some experience in using them.

Although the Dresser striker gun has many shortcomings, its high rate of fire conceals other shortcomings, and it still has a crushing advantage over the current rifles of the same era.

"As long as it is a breech-loading gun with a fast rate of fire, these shortcomings are not intolerable."

Robert thought for a while and said, his thoughts coincided with Liang Yao's thoughts.

"There is another fatal flaw that I'm afraid you won't be able to tolerate, and the Department of War and the federal government will be even less able to tolerate it." Liang Yao said with a smile.

"What shortcomings?" Robert asked curiously.

"The price is 50 US dollars each." Liang Yao said with a smile.

The Department of War purchased the rifled version of the M1842 for $14 each. Ten years later when the Civil War broke out, the U.S. military failed to complete the replacement of the rifled rifle, let alone the Dresser striker gun which cost $50 each. .

The biggest enemy of the American military has never been the enemy from the outside, but the congressmen on Capitol Hill who hold the financial power of the federal government.

"This is indeed an unforgivable shortcoming." Robert's tone was full of regret.

If the price of the Dresser striker gun is reasonable, he can also recommend that the War Department purchase a batch of trial units of this type of firearm from Prussia to test its performance.

The high price of 50 US dollars a piece destined this gun to have no use in the American army.

Of course, except for the rich colonel like Liang Yao with a net worth of tens of millions of dollars.

As long as Liang Yao was happy, Robert would not be surprised to equip his soldiers with gold-plated guns. Robert had heard that the salary of ordinary soldiers in the California Infantry Regiment was higher than that of lieutenants in other infantry regiments.

"If you like this kind of gun, I will go back and pick out some of the best Dresser striker guns as gifts for you." Liang Yao said to the somewhat disappointed Robert.

As soon as he arrived at the door of Vanderbilt's manor, Liang Yao saw a thin young man waiting at the door with a document bag in his arms.

"Mr. Liang, I am John W. Garrett, Chairman of the Finance Subcommittee of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad."

This young man who had just turned 30 introduced himself to Liang Yao.

The Baltimore-Ohio Railroad Company was not immune to the technological revolution sweeping the railroad industry. The stock price of the Baltimore-Ohio Railroad Company, which was already suffering from poor management and financial problems, plummeted, and it inevitably went bankrupt.

After converting bonds of less than $400,000, Liang Yao completed his control of the railroad company and inherited the 400 miles of track that the railroad company had laid, as well as the rights to build the railroad from Baltimore to Ohio.

Of course, Liang Yao also inherited the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's mess, including hundreds of lawsuits left by the railroad.