1850 American Gold Tycoon

"I'm so grateful! Thank God for giving me a friend like you!"

Kamehameha III was delighted and a little flattered.

When the foreign powers come to the Kingdom of Hawaii, it would be good if they do not rob or coerce the royal family of the Kingdom of Hawaii to sign an unequal treaty. It is the first time that they give him a relatively heavy gift.

The indigenous people of Hawaii originally believed in primitive religions. Since the colonists arrived in Hawaii under the banner of missionary work, the indigenous people of Hawaii had to abandon their primitive beliefs and convert to Christianity.

The Kamehameha royal family also has a positive attitude towards Christianity. They hope to gain equal dialogue with white colonists by sharing common beliefs with them.

But this is nothing more than wishful thinking on the part of the Kamehameha royal family.

The reason why white people do not treat the Hawaiian Kingdom as equals is not because the indigenous people of Hawaii are pagans, but because they are weak and can be bullied.

"We are friends, no need to be polite." Liang Yao said calmly.

His attitude towards the Hawaiian royal family was quite polite, but it was not out of sympathy for the weak, but out of fear of Britain and France that he had to adopt a milder approach to the Hawaiian Kingdom and the Kamehameha royal family.

Of course, this is also the attitude of Washington in the United States towards the Kingdom of Hawaii: not to offend Britain and France, maintain sufficient influence in the Kingdom of Hawaii, not allow a fourth country to intervene in the Kingdom of Hawaii, and then wait and see what happens and wait for opportunities.

American politicians are still patient enough when it comes to annexing territory.

Take Texas as an example. In fact, after the United States successfully purchased the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803, American politicians headed by Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, had already begun planning to annex the Texas Territory. plan.

It was only by the eleventh President Polk that the idea was fully understood.

Within a century of its founding, the United States annexed a lot of territory, but in general, these annexations were planned and premeditated.

When the United States annexed the Texas region, the number of American immigrants in Texas had exceeded that of Mexico. When the United States annexed Hawaii, American immigrants already had a great influence in Hawaii.

The delay in annexing Hawaii by the United States is not a sign of kindness or indecisiveness. It is just waiting for a suitable opportunity.

"The relationship between the Kingdom of Hawaii and the United States of America has always been very friendly and harmonious. I wonder why you two came here this time with so many warships?"

Although Kamehameha III was happy to receive his favorite gift, he was not a king who lost hope in playing with things. He was still wary of American warships sailing into Pearl Harbor.

"The Americas Group has the right to operate Pearl Harbor for 20 years. The Americas Group is an American company. It is reasonable to provide services for American ships passing by." Liang Yao frowned and said.

"That's natural, that's natural. I just don't know why the American fleet is sailing out with such fanfare. Is it going to send troops to Japan?"

Faced with Liang Yao's remarks, Kamehameha III did not dare to say anything more.

He can't afford to offend the British, he can't afford to offend the French, he still can't afford to offend the Americans, and he may not even be able to offend the Japanese.

The British fleet and the French fleet Kamehameha III had been seen visiting Hawaii many times, but this was the first time that an American warship had appeared in Hawaii.

Kamehameha III was not indifferent to international affairs. Recently, he also heard about the United States' unilateral declaration of war on Japan.

Kamehameha III speculated that the United States was going to send troops to Japan.

He heard the news about the United States' declaration of war on Japan from the British and French, but neither the British nor the French took it seriously, so the matter did not cause much trouble.

In particular, the British sneered after learning about this incident, believing that the United States was imitating the East and imitating their use of strong ships and cannons to open the gates of the Qing Dynasty eleven years ago.

The more arrogant British Royal Navy generals believe that the United States, as a country with only a second- or third-rate navy, does not have the ability to fight across oceans, and is not optimistic about this action by the United States.

You must know that when Britain fought against the Qing Dynasty, although the main force was drawn from the mainland, Britain had the colony of India as an outpost in Asia to provide logistical support for the Royal Navy.

The United States does not have colonies overseas. The United States' mainland is closest to Japan's California, and it is tens of thousands of nautical miles away from the Japanese archipelago, which is a big test for logistics.

"You are quite well informed." Liang Yao said calmly.

It is not a secret that the United States has declared war on Japan. There is no problem of leaking secrets. There is no harm in Liang Yao satisfying Kamehameha III's curiosity.

Of course, it was impossible for Liang Yao to disclose the specific military strength and armament situation to Kamehameha III.

There are also many Japanese immigrants in the Hawaiian Islands. Who knows if there are spies of the Japanese shogunate authorities lurking here.

Although Liang Yao did not directly tell Kamehameha III the answer, from Liang Yao's few words, Kamehameha III already had the answer in his mind. The destination of this American fleet was Japan.

Kamehameha III hesitated for a moment, then said to Liang Yao: "I want my nephew to follow your fleet to see the world."

"You have to ask General Perry about this. General Perry is the supreme commander." Liang Yao glanced at the sad Kamehameha III and said.

After thinking about it, Perry felt that this was a good opportunity for the United States to show off its muscles to the Kingdom of Hawaii, so he agreed to Kamehameha III's request.

"I have no objection in principle, it's just an entourage, limited to members of the Kamehameha royal family."

"That's natural, that's natural." Kamehameha III forced a smile on his face and nodded.

After the soldiers of the navy and army rested in the camp at Pearl Harbor for three days, the fleet set off from Pearl Harbor carrying supplies.

Sven drove Liang Yao on the Roland to take the lead, taking the wind and waves in the direction of Guangzhou along the route he was familiar with.

It was not a wise move to cross the ocean and rush to Edo (today's Tokyo, Japan) when the people were tired and the ship was tired.

Historically, Perry's attack on Japan did not go straight to Edo. The last supply point for Perry's American East India Fleet was Shanghai, China.

Perry also took a final rest in Shanghai before setting off for Edo.

Japan's military strength and lineup this time are obviously more luxurious and powerful than those in history.

However, the seasickness among the army officers and soldiers accompanying the ship was very serious. After all, these soldiers received regular training from the Army, and their experience in crossing seas and oceans by ship was far less than that of serious Marine Corps members. Before the war, it is still necessary to give them some time to rest and adjust to their condition.

At the end of June 1852, Liang Yao's fleet and Perry's fleet arrived at Lingdingyang.

Lingdingyang is also called Lingdingyang. Lingdingyang is located outside the Pearl River Estuary and is a trumpet-shaped estuary. Lingdingyang extends from Humen in the north to Hong Kong and Macau in the south. Lingdingyang in the Humen section is relatively narrow, with a width of about 4 kilometers.

Humen is the key to entering the Guangzhou area. As long as Humen is guarded, enemy warships will not be able to enter the Pearl River Estuary and threaten Guangzhou.

During the Opium War, Lin Zexu recognized the military value of Humen, and the Humen Fort was his key military facility.

The fleet entering Humen is equivalent to entering the Pearl River and Guangzhou.

Both Liang Yao's fleet and Perry's fleet have warships. If they want to enter the cross-border Humen Shuo River, the Guangzhou authorities will definitely not agree.

Of course, it is not impossible to forcefully pass through Humen and reach Guangzhou, but it is not necessary.

The purpose of Liang Yao and Perry's trip was to use force to intimidate Japan into signing the contract and founding the country. There was no need for him to cause trouble in the Qing Dynasty. It would not be good for him.

Liang Yao's ship repair shop in Guangzhou was opened in his hometown of Xiangshan. It was probably located in Zhuhai in later generations, facing Macau across the sea to the south and Hong Kong Island to the east.

Xiangshan is located outside the mouth of the Pearl River and is still some distance away from Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province. The Guangdong authorities are not that sensitive here.

As for why Liang Yao opened the ship repair shop in Qing Dynasty in Xiangshan instead of Shanghai, which has more potential in the future, the reason is also very simple.

First of all, he is from Xiangshan himself and is familiar with more Cantonese and Fujian businessmen.

Secondly, the immigrants who come to California mainly come from Guangdong and Fujian. The business atmosphere in Guangdong and Fujian is relatively strong. There is a long tradition of immigrants going overseas to make a living, and there is not much psychological burden on immigrants.

As for the third one, the Yangtze River Delta region will soon be affected by the war.

The waterway at the mouth of the Pearl River is very busy, with an endless stream of merchant ships coming and going.

It’s just that the merchant ships leaving the Pearl River Estuary are loaded with Chinese local goods and silver, while the merchant ships entering the Pearl River Estuary are loaded with opium.

Before the Opium War, opium was still smuggled into the Pearl River Estuary, imported to Guangzhou, and then imported from Guangzhou to inland areas such as Jiangxi and the two lakes.

This opium import route still exists, but opium dealers do not need to load the opium on the fast crab boats known for their speed to smuggle it into Guangzhou. Instead, they can directly drive the opium into Guangzhou openly and openly in large ships.

However, the life of these opium dealers in Guangzhou was not as easy as before. Although they were smuggling secretly in the past, Guangzhou was the only foreign trade port of the Qing Dynasty and had a monopoly on foreign trade.

Now that there are five ports for trade, the opium imported from Guangzhou to Jiangxi and the two lakes areas is still facing competition from its counterparts in Shanghai.

Opium dealers in Shanghai could use the Yangtze River waterway to import opium to inland areas more easily.

When the quality of the supply is the same, Shanghai's opium is more competitive than Guangzhou's opium.

"When Mr. Lin sold opium in Humen, he hoped that this poison would be banned from the land of China. He did not want the opium trade today to be even worse than it was during the Daoguang period."

Such a scene made Deng Yan, who had personally experienced the Opium War, couldn't help but sigh.

He did not smoke opium, but he had seen many people whose families had been ruined by opium.

In the Guangdong Navy where he served, there were quite a few opium-smoking officers and soldiers. What's more, during the war, the opium-smoking soldiers couldn't even stand. The officers even went too far, and some were carried on sedan chairs. of the battlefield.

"If you want to ban opium on the land of China, only one Master Lin is not enough." Liang Yao couldn't help but have a bitter smile on his face.

Not to mention one Lin Zexu, even ten or one hundred Lin Zexu may not be able to ban the opium trade.

The Anglo-Saxons have always been very cunning and snobbish. Only if you are strong enough and strong enough that the Anglo-Saxons will consider the consequences before making a decision, the Anglo-Saxons will abide by your rules and dare not mess around. Otherwise it's all just talk.

Liang Yao looked solemnly at the merchant ships from various countries traveling between the Pearl River Estuary. There were not many steamships in the Far East, so most of the merchant ships seen in the Pearl River Reservoir were sailing ships.

Most foreign merchant ships fly the Union Jack of the British Empire. In addition to the Union Jack, the most common one is the tricolor flag of the Second French Republic.

The rest are merchant ships from countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal.

This is not good news for the Qing Dynasty. Once the great powers formed a community of interests, it would be too late to dismantle the great powers' community of interests.

It's a pity that in the Qing Dynasty, which was pretending to be asleep, most officials in the country were not aware of this serious problem. After the painful lessons of the Opium War, most officials in the country were not aware of this serious problem.

From the central government to the local governments, the attitude towards opium has been completely changed. The smoking ban during the Daoguang period has long been a dead letter.

In some places, poppies are blatantly planted with the idea that it is better for foreigners to make money than for us to make it ourselves. A scene of competition between local cigarettes and foreign cigarettes was formed.

Because local officials accepted bribes, their attitude towards private poppy cultivation was no longer as simple as turning a blind eye, but directly providing protection to these big opium dealers.

It was impossible to completely ban opium under the corrupt Qing government.

The arrival of Liang Yao's fleet and Perry's East India Fleet caused quite a stir in the Guangdong area.

The public's attitude towards this matter is more of curiosity, while the official attitude of Guangdong is one of restlessness.

In the imposing Guangdong Fantai Yamen Yamen, Guangdong Governor Ye Mingchen and Governor Xu Guangjin were sitting in the lobby.

"It's really abominable that the party members and bandits are taking advantage of Changmao to cause chaos. Now the foreigners have come to cause trouble again. I haven't had a peaceful life since I took office.

Jinghou (Governor Xu Guangjin, also known as Jinghou), the burden of Guangdong is on your shoulders and mine. In this troubled autumn, you and I must work together to help each other. "

Ye Mingchen complained first, and then said to Xu Guangjin.

"Ye Shaobao and Xu are in the same boat and should help each other." Xu Guangjin sat upright and said to Ye Mingchen.

"I have dealt with foreigners from various Western countries, but mainly with the English, followed by the French. As for the Americans, to be honest with Ye Shaobao, I know very little about the Americans.

Does Ye Shaobao have any good strategy to deal with these Americans? "

Ye Mingchen stroked his beard and felt very useful for this title.

Ye Mingchen's resume is very impressive, and he himself prides himself on knowing soldiers.

It's just that his military exploits are really not on the stage. His military exploits are all about suppressing bandits.

In 1850 (the 30th year of Daoguang reign), the bandits in Yingde County were pacified.

In 1851 (the first year of Xianfeng), the bandits of Luo Jinghui were wiped out, and the bandit leader Wu Sanfu was executed. The Qing court was overjoyed and named Ye Mingchen the crown prince Shaobao.

As usual, the Qing government would not grant such a large official title to suppress bandits. Ye Mingchen's luck was really good. Last year was the time when the God Worshiping Association officially launched its uprising.

Due to layer upon layer of concealment by local officials, the senior Qing officials in the capital city had some slight discrepancies between their judgment of the banditry in Guangxi and the reality, thinking that it was just a group of bandits causing trouble.

Therefore, they didn't take it too seriously. It wasn't until the Qing army's anti-bandit operations were repeatedly frustrated and the people below could no longer hide it that the central officials in the Forbidden City realized the seriousness of the matter.

And the good news about Ye Mingchen's victory came at the right time.

This report on the war against bandits shocked the senior officials of the Manchu and Qing Dynasties. Xianfeng was so happy that he directly named Ye Mingchen the crown prince Shaobao.

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