1850 American Gold Tycoon

There are two main ports on Oahu. One is Honolulu, the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii, which is the port of Honolulu.

The other is Pearl Harbor near Pearl City in New Town.

The main port Liang Yao operates is Pearl Harbor.

The harbor was named Pearl Harbor because of the abundance of pearls near the harbor.

Pearl Harbor is the new port and Honolulu is the old port.

Therefore, the cost of developing and operating a new port is higher than that of an old port with relatively complete facilities. However, Liang Yao finally chose to develop the new port in Pearl City.

Firstly, it is because the current state of the Kingdom of Hawaii is the result of a compromise between the three parties of Britain, France and the United States. In addition to the forces of the United States and Liang Yao on the island, Britain and France still have a very large influence on the Kingdom of Hawaii.

This is why the United States has been unable to swallow the fat on the lips of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Instead, it has chosen a relatively mild approach to slowly penetrate the Hawaiian Kingdom.

Britain and France are still arguing over the ownership of Honolulu Port. Liang Yao did not want to get involved in the muddy waters of Britain and France, so he chose to start anew and built and expanded Pearl Harbor as an important transit station for global shipping companies.

Secondly, because Pearl Harbor is pocket-shaped and the terrain is relatively closed, as long as coastal defense guns are set up on both sides to lock the narrow passage into the port, it will be difficult for foreign ships to enter Pearl Harbor, making it an ideal military port.

The terrain of Honolulu Port is relatively open. Once attacked from the sea, ships anchored in the port will be exposed to the artillery range of enemy ships.

The population composition of Hawaii is very complex. After experiencing the ravages of many wars and diseases, the population of the Kingdom of Hawaii dropped sharply.

In the 1770s, there were still 300,000 indigenous residents on the islands of the Kingdom of Hawaii. By the 1850s, even including immigrants, the population of the entire Kingdom of Hawaii was only 80,000.

In addition to the indigenous residents, the Kingdom of Hawaii had missionaries and planters from Britain, France and other countries.

There are also immigrants and slaves from all over the world. Among them, the largest number of immigrants are from China, followed by those from Japan.

Pearl City is a gathering place for Chinese immigrants. Among the tens of thousands of people in Pearl City, 80% are Chinese immigrants who have just settled in Pearl City.

Although the French claim that they came to Hawaii in 1850, they brought a modern civilized democratic system to the Kingdom of Hawaii.

But it was just an appearance. The power of the Hawaiian Kingdom's government was actually in the hands of the British and the French.

The economic pillar of the Kingdom of Hawaii is the plantation economy, which is dominated by sugar cane plantations.

For some well-known purposes, the United States exempted sugar from the Kingdom of Hawaii from tax, so almost all the sugar produced in the Kingdom of Hawaii was exported to the United States.

To put it bluntly, it is exported to California, which means that the economic lifeline of the Kingdom of Hawaii is in the hands of Californians.

"Hawaii's geographical location is so important. It would be great if Hawaii were a territory of the United States."

Perry spoke unabashedly as the ship slowly entered Pearl Harbor.

As a naval admiral, Perry naturally hoped that Hawaii could become a powerful sea power like the British Empire. Perry's ambition can also be glimpsed from his writings.

Perry was also one of the earliest practitioners of American maritime power.

"There is no doubt that the United States has the ability to annex Hawaii, but it cannot afford the consequences of annexing Hawaii. At present, being able to jointly occupy Hawaii with Britain and France is the best result.

Although the United States is not as powerful as Britain and France, it is closer to Hawaii and the cost of projecting influence to Hawaii is lower. This is our advantage. "

Liang Yao stood on the deck of the Roland, leaning on the railing and looking into the distance. As far as his eyes could see, there was a thriving Pearl Harbor.

Just three years ago, Pearl Harbor was a barren wasteland.

"King Kamehameha III of the Kingdom of Hawaii has a relatively close attitude towards the United States, which is a good signal for us." Perry said.

"It's just an attempt to use the United States to check and balance Britain and France. It's not a good signal at all."

How could Kamehameha III hide his little thoughts from Liang Yao.

Kamehameha III also had a good relationship with Liang Yao. He repeatedly invited Liang Yao to Hawaii as a guest and became close to Liang Yao.

Of course, the purpose of Kamehameha III's invitation to Liang Yao was not that simple. After all, Liang Yao was now an important official in the American government.

Kamehameha III invited Liang Yao to the Kingdom of Hawaii just to show off to Britain and France.

To be honest, Liang Yao had a good impression of the successive kings of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

At least all the successive kings of the Kingdom of Hawaii have worked hard to maintain the independence of the Kingdom of Hawaii and to integrate with the world. Even if the Kingdom of Hawaii finally fell, the last queen, Queen Liliokalani, did not give up on restoring the kingdom. This is much better than the emperor of the Qing Dynasty.

It’s just that the starting conditions of the Hawaiian Kingdom were really bad. A few decades ago, the Hawaiian Kingdom was still in a primitive tribal society, with a sparse population, no strategic depth, and a very critical geographical location.

Based on the above reasons, it is tantamount to wishful thinking for the Kingdom of Hawaii to maintain its independent status.

Moreover, the unification of the Kingdom of Hawaii did not rely on its own internal strength. The founding emperor of the Kingdom of Hawaii, Kamehameha I (also known as Kamehameha the Great), armed his troops by purchasing arms from the British. Finally, the islands of the Kingdom of Hawaii were unified.

A kingdom that is unified with the help of external forces cannot escape the influence of external forces.

After all, there is no free lunch in the world, and there is no British Empire that does loss-making business.

This is the tragedy of being a monarch of a weak country. All the kings of the Hawaiian Kingdom can do is to travel among the major countries and use the contradictions of various countries to maintain the independent status of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

Whether the Kingdom of Hawaii can exist as an independent kingdom does not depend on itself, but on any one of the three parties, Britain, France and the United States.

Britain and France have both directly invaded the Kingdom of Hawaii with armed force. However, the policy adopted by the United States so far towards the Kingdom of Hawaii is mainly economic penetration, supplemented by religious penetration. There has been no armed invasion of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

This is one of the reasons why the current King of Hawaii, Kamehameha III, has a pro-American attitude.

Compared to Britain and France, who blatantly wanted to annex the Kingdom of Hawaii without any drama, America's attitude towards the Kingdom of Hawaii is indeed much kinder.

Liang Yao's sudden visit, with a warship flying the American flag, surprised Kamehameha III.

In addition to the accident, Kamehameha III was a little panicked and didn't know what to do.

Kamehameha III had correspondence with Liang Yao, but their communication was limited to letters. Kamehameha III had no direct contact with Liang Yao, did not understand Liang Yao's personality, and did not know what Liang Yao's intention was during his visit.

"Uncle, the Americans sailed into Pearl Harbor with their warships! Shall I organize the guards to protect our palace?"

Kamehameha III's eighteen-year-old nephew Alexander, the future fourth king of Hawaii, Kamehameha IV, looked nervously and asked Kamehameha III for instructions.

"Nonsense!"

Before Kamehameha III could speak, Alexander's mother, Elizabeth Kenau, scolded him.

"If we act rashly without knowing the other party's intention, the situation will only become more unfavorable to us!"

The Kingdom of Hawaii is not a country governed exclusively by one king. The model of co-governance has existed in the Kingdom of Hawaii for a long time. Princess Kenao was one of the co-rulers during the period of Kamehameha III.

The inheritance method of the Hawaiian Kingdom is also relatively complicated. There have been two traditional inheritance methods: father's death and son's death, brother's death and brother's death.

Kamehameha II Liholiho succeeded to the throne as the eldest son of Kamehameha I, and the current King of Hawaii, Kamehameha III, is the second son of Kamehameha I. Kami The younger brother of Hamiha II succeeded to the throne in a brother-to-brother manner.

In addition to these two more conventional methods of succession, nephews of the Kamehameha family can also succeed to the throne.

For example, Kamehameha IV and Kamehameha V were both sons of Princess Kenau and nephews of Kamehameha III.

The sixth king, who succeeded the throne, even became a cousin.

"But they sailed the warship directly into our port without informing us in advance!" Alexander said indignantly.

The warships of other countries sailed into the port near the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii without permission. This was a great shame for the Kingdom of Hawaii and the Kamehameha royal family!

"Is it necessary for someone to tell you in advance?"

Kamehameha III stood up from his throne.

"The British and the French, when did they ask for our permission to send warships to Hawaii? Boy, your words are like saying to a gangster who wants to rob your home: Hey! When you come to rob my home, remember and I said hello!”

"Uncle, I understand. I was reckless. Is America the gangster who wants to rob us in Hawaii?"

Alexander asked, looking up with clenched fists.

Alexander was all too familiar with robbing his son.

When he was seven or eight years old, the British sacked Hawaii, and when he was fourteen or fifteen, the French sacked Hawaii again.

Alexander was a first-hand witness to both atrocities.

"It's hard to say. If the United States wants to loot Hawaii, there is no need to go to great lengths to help us rebuild the port and palace. Their looting of Hawaii will also leave an excuse for Britain and France, which is very troublesome for the United States. I don't think American politicians are that stupid yet.

Besides, our Hawaii was just robbed by the French two or three years ago, so there is nothing good to grab. "

Kamehameha III calmly analyzed that the Kamehameha royal family is now impoverished anyway, and he is not worried about the palace being looted.

Kamehameha III said to Alexander earnestly.

"My good nephew, in the Kingdom of Hawaii, if our Kamehameha family wants to survive, we must understand England, understand France, understand the United States, understand their domestic political situation, and understand the conflicts among the three countries. Do you understand? ?”

"I kind of understand."

Alexander nodded in understanding.

"You will understand completely later."

Kamehameha III sighed helplessly, and then said to Alexander.

"Go and hide my new yacht! Don't let those Americans see it. I'm going to Pearl City to meet the Americans!"

Although California is the closest landmass to the Hawaiian Islands, it is nearly 4,000 kilometers from San Francisco to Pearl Harbor.

After a voyage of four thousand kilometers, although the navy and the professional sailors were able to hold on, it was simply torture for the landlubbers in the army.

After the ship docked, the landlubbers of the army hurried ashore to rest, preparing to take a good rest and continue the next voyage.

After settling in the soldiers of the California Infantry Regiment and the Arizona Infantry Regiment, Liang Yao and Perry prepared to go to the palace in Honolulu to meet King Kamehameha III of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

As the two were preparing to leave, Kamehameha III took the initiative to visit them at Pearl Harbor.

"Speaker Liang, General Perry, on behalf of the Kingdom of Hawaii, I would like to welcome you both."

Kamehameha III said to Liang Yao and Perry sincerely, with a smile on his face.

"We were about to visit you, but we didn't expect you to condescend to come to Pearl Harbor." Liang Yao said with a smile.

"It was condescending, not condescending, not condescending. The American Group helped us rebuild the port of Honolulu and our palace. The American government also exempted us from tariffs on exporting sugar. I will bear this in mind and I am very grateful. All done." Kamehameha III smiled.

When Kamehameha III looked up and saw the Roland not far away, Kamehameha III couldn't help but tremble. This familiar warship reminded him of when the French invaded Hawaii.

"Is this a French warship?" Kamehameha III couldn't help but ask, pointing to the Roland.

"It used to be, and is now, a frigate owned by the America Group, responsible for maintaining the safety of maritime trade routes." Liang Yao said calmly.

"This time when I come to Hawaii, I have prepared a gift for you."

"A gift?" Kamehameha III was doubtful.

It would be nice if the United States didn't ask for money from him. How dare he ask for gifts from the United States? Besides, are the gifts from the United States so easy to receive? Is it for free?

Although Kamehameha III had a pro-American attitude, Kamehameha III's pro-American attitude was out of practical necessity, and he still remained wary of the United States.

The United States, like Britain and France, are just the same breed, but they have not shown their fangs clearly yet.

Liang Yao pointed to a yacht not far away with a displacement of about seven to eight hundred tons. This yacht was the latest steamship produced by the California Shipyard.

Just as a gift to the King of Hawaii, the steamship was much more luxuriously decorated.

"You are my friend and the king of a country. Hawaii is an island country. You inspect your territory and its citizens on an old sailboat. How unbecoming is this? A king should have the majesty of a king.

So I had this luxury yacht built just for you by a California shipyard. Whether you are cruising or playing, you can take advantage of this yacht. "

Liang Yao said to Kamehameha III.