1850 American Gold Tycoon

Seattle blew a whistle, allowing these Indian riders to demonstrate their superb riding skills in front of Liang Yao.笗

Seattle, who was wearing bright eagle feathers, mounted his horse, pointed at a small mound not far away, and then accelerated towards the direction of the mound.

While galloping, Seattle kept changing his riding position with very smooth movements, and finally showed Liang Yao his unique skill.

He stood on the saddle and let the horse gallop. He could still stand firmly on the saddle and free one hand to draw a gun and shoot.

After the performance, Seattle jumped down slightly and sat back in the saddle easily.

Other Indian riders followed, and although not all of them had the unique skills of Seattle, they all controlled their horses steadily.

They shouted loudly and ran forward, drawing their long and short rifles and shooting as they galloped.

The arrival of Liang Yao made it very easy for the Indians to obtain high-quality weapons. The Indian tribes on the west coast, especially the pro-China Indian tribes, have gradually eliminated spear throwing, bows and arrows, and popularized firearms in recent years. .笗

Horses were a necessity for the Indians, and Indians in the western region widely used horses for hunting and transportation. Therefore, these Indians were pretty good at riding.

At least the riding skills are better than those of the cavalry in Liang Yao's cavalry camp.

As for horizontal comparison with the American regular cavalry regiment, there is definitely still a gap.

The gap here does not simply refer to the gap in riding skills, but the gap in tactical literacy.

The American cavalry is a modern cavalry force no matter how you say it. It is unrealistic to expect a group of Indian riders with different weapons to compete with the regular American cavalry force immediately.

Before the American Civil War, there were a total of 6 organized cavalry regiments (including standing cavalry regiments and volunteer cavalry regiments) in the American army, namely the 1st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Cavalry Regiment, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 5th and 6th Cavalry.

Without exception, these paid and semi-paid cavalry units belonged to the north.笗

Before the Civil War, the entire state apparatus of the United States, from the regular army to taxation and even the judicial department, was firmly in the hands of the North.

However, Liang Yao had never had contact with these regular cavalry regiments in the north.

Liang Yao only came into contact with the southern cavalry units during the Second Mexican-American War.

The Southern Army did not formally form cavalry regiments, but the Southern states had their own guerrilla cavalry units. Therefore, when mobilizing for war, the South could quickly form their cavalry units.

To be fair, except for weapons, the southern cavalry troops can surpass Liang Yao's cavalry battalion in terms of riding skills and combat effectiveness, let alone these Indian horsemen.

During the Civil War, although the Northern Army performed relatively poorly, the performance of the Northern Cavalry Regiment was nothing to criticize.

Northern cavalry regiments not only played a role in intelligence gathering, reconnaissance and pursuit, but also played a decisive role in some battles, such as the famous "Stonewall Jackson" raid and the famous counterattack in the "Battle of Gettysburg" action.笗

Showing their superb combat effectiveness and flexible tactical literacy.

After the performance, Liang Yao applauded the riding skills of these Indian riders.

"These riders have good riding skills. With more training, they will surely become powerful cavalrymen on par with regular cavalry regiments." Liang Yao said to Seattle who was jumping off the horse.

"Seattle, you will first become a lieutenant colonel of the cavalry regiment here with me."

Lieutenant Colonel is the highest military rank directly awarded to Seattle by Liang Yaoneng.

Of course, Colonel Liang Yao is not unable to give, but it is more troublesome for the American Army to appoint an officer at the colonel level, which requires approval from the Department of War and on-site inspection.

The resistance to appointing an Indian as colonel of a cavalry regiment was too great.笗

Furthermore, Seattle has no military merit. The three colonels of the Western Brigade, whether Elvis, Kruger, or Deng Yan, who is currently in Nagasaki, all have military merit.

If an Indian chief is suddenly appointed as a colonel, the veteran officers will also have objections.

However, most of the cavalry regiment's troops came from Indian tribes, and Liang Yao also needed a senior Indian officer to stabilize the morale of these Indian cavalry.

Lieutenant colonel was the most suitable military rank. It was high enough and easy to appoint without the approval of the War Department.

"Thank you, Chief!" Seattle happily thanked Liang Yao.

"What about these soldiers?"

He knew that this rank was second only to Elvis and Kruger among Liang Yaojun, and he was very satisfied with this appointment.笗

With his position secured, Seattle asked about the treatment of the Indian riders he brought.

"Enjoy the same treatment as recruits of the Western Brigade. During the recruitment period, each soldier receives a monthly allowance of US$18. The veteran cavalry battalion is responsible for training. After passing the training, after becoming a regular soldier of the Western Brigade, he will enjoy the treatment of a regular soldier, and he will receive a monthly allowance of US$18. Receive a stipend of US$30," Liang Yao said.

Seattle and a group of Indian riders were very satisfied with this treatment.

Since the days of the Gold Rush, Indians and Chinese on the West Coast, as well as Californians of other ethnic groups, have used U.S. dollars to conduct transactions.

These Indians still have a sense of the purchasing power of the US dollar.

In other words, the monthly allowance they received as recruits could buy a very good long gun, 5 pairs of high-quality leather shoes, and 9 pairs of jeans that are very popular among Indian tribes.

Liang Yao also laughed. Although these Indians lacked discipline and tactical literacy, they were good at riding. They had combat experience with white people and even brought their own horses into the army.笗

Horses are very expensive on the West Coast. A war horse that can meet combat requirements costs at least 150 US dollars to buy.

The old cavalry battalion includes cadet officers recruited by Liang Yao from military academies in the east. With a little training, these Indians can become qualified cavalry.

After watching the performance of these Indian riders, Liang Yao attended the evening party and got in touch with the Indian tribe.

After the party, Liang Yao and Ge Wen studied the "Oregon Treaty" signed by Britain and the United States in Washington, DC on July 15, 1846.

Of course, they were not studying the originals, but copies sent to them from Washington by the Fillmore administration.

The Treaty of 1818 signed in 1818 stipulated that Britain and the United States should be bounded by 49 degrees north latitude from Minnesota to the Rocky Mountains.

The western part of the Rocky Mountains was a disputed area, known as the Oregon Country to the Americans and the Hudson's Bay Company's District of Columbia to the British.笗

However, the state of joint control between the two parties became unstable over time. The then President of the United States, James Knox Polk, proposed to use the 1818 Treaty to demarcate 49°N as the boundary, but the then British Prime Minister rejected the proposal.

At that time, the expansion of the United States was very smooth, which led to the ambition of domestic expansionists. The expansionists in the United States clamored to annex all the areas south of 54° north latitude to the United States. He also shouted the fanatical slogan of either 45° north latitude or war, and wanted to expand northward at all costs.

However, the U.S.-Mexican War in 1846 consumed most of the U.S. military, and the federal government owed huge war loans and was unable to start another war.

Furthermore, the United States has no precedent for expanding northward. But this is a failed precedent.

After the War of Independence, the struggle for sovereignty between Britain and the United States did not stop. As a British colony, the Canadian province was sparsely populated and poorly defended.

The United States believes that it has the advantage. Canadian residents have been exploited by the British colonial government and must be eager for freedom and liberation. Once the United States declared war on Britain, the British colonial government launched a northern expedition to Canada.

The people of Canada will definitely be shaking their hands to welcome the artist, and all parts of Canada will also be watching.笗

Driven by this kind of thinking, in 1811, hawkish members of the House of Representatives advocated launching a war to liberate Canada, and won the support of the majority of members.

On June 18, 1812, after President James Madison addressed Congress, Congress voted to declare war. The United States officially declared war on Britain.

But the facts were contrary to what the Americans expected. The Canadians did not regard them as liberators. Instead, they actively joined the army to fight against the US invasion.

Canada's 5,000 British regular troops and a group of Canadian militiamen defeated the US military at that time. They once invaded Washington and burned the White House.

The American rulers at that time ignored one point. Their victory in the War of Independence was largely due to the assistance of Louis XVI. Without French assistance, it is unclear whether they could have won the War of Independence.

In 1812, France was fighting a fierce battle with the anti-French alliance and was preparing to invade Russia, and had no time to look west.

From October 1813 to March 1814, Britain defeated Napoleon in Europe and sent more troops to the North American battlefield. The British occupied northern states such as Maine.笗

In the end, the southern army, led by the famous southern general Andrew Jackson, defeated the British attack in the south on the Louisiana battlefield, successfully defended New Orleans, and killed the British commander Major General Edward Buckingham. . This re-boosted the morale of the US military.

The two sides then entered a stalemate stage and finally negotiated.

In view of this, both sides took a step back in 1846 and signed the "Oregon Treaty", which stipulated that 49° north latitude be the boundary.

However, this treaty did not completely resolve the border issue between Britain and the United States.

The United States advocates the strict enforcement of the 49° north latitude boundary line, and the sovereignty of the area south of 49° north latitude on Vancouver Island belongs to the United States.

But how can the UK be willing to put aside disputes and pursue joint development? It only agrees to implement the 49° north latitude boundary in the mainland area, and to follow the traditional customary boundary in the island area. The British colonial authorities enjoy absolute sovereignty over Vancouver Island and cannot be violated by the United States.

Subsequently, the British built Victoria City, named after Queen Victoria, as a fortress port in the southeast of Vancouver Island, controlled the San Juan Channel, and extended its hands to the San Juan Islands, whose sovereignty was unclear.笗

The two sides once again entered into a stalemate over the Oregon border issue.

"In any case, according to the Oregon Treaty, it was the British who crossed the border first and illegally built a stronghold in Bellingham, violating the Oregon Treaty. Our dispatch of troops this time is justified."

Liang Yao carefully read the "Oregon Treaty" against the map and asked Ge Wen.

"What's the opinion from Washington?"

“What Washington means is that although there is no hope for Columbia Island, it still wants to take this opportunity to gain sovereignty over the San Juan Islands.

There is also the content of the treaty regarding waterways south of 59° north latitude. Washington hopes that this article will not only be written in the treaty, but can be implemented.

As you know, our power in this area was very weak before. Although the treaty stipulates that the United States and the British can jointly use the waterway south of 59° north latitude, but because the British actually control the waterway, our ships use this waterway. The waterway was blocked by the British many times. "痗

Ge Wen relayed Washington's attitude to Liang Yao, and he did not forget to add at the end.

"The most important thing is that Washington hopes to end the Oregon border dispute in a relatively peaceful way."

Washington's thoughts and attitudes coincided with Liang Yao's.

There is definitely no hope for Columbia Island. The British have stationed troops on the island and built a permanent military fortress. To capture Columbia Island, it cannot be solved by intimidation, but by actual use of force.

But the right to use the San Juan Islands and the waterway must be obtained. If this waterway is locked, Liangzhou will not be able to develop. It will be a coastal area without even an outlet to the sea.

Liang Yao's bottom line is to maintain the border between the United States and Canada in future generations. Above this bottom line, he can strive for as much as he can, and there will be no loss anyway.

"I feel confident."

Liang Yao nodded, indicating that he knew what was going on, and asked Carnegie to call Sven and Strauss.

"Sir, are you looking for me?"

Soon, Sven and Strauss arrived at the old territorial governor's palace, which is Liang Yao's current temporary residence.

"The Arizona regiment has arrived at the border. We also need to take action at sea." Liang Yao asked Sven, "Where are the warships of the Umbrella fleet now?"

"They are all on the sea outside Bellingham, surrounding Bellingham tightly." Sven said, "If the siege continues for a few more months, Bellingham will become a dead port."

"The intensity is not enough, the British must continue to increase the intensity." Liang Yao pointed to Victoria Harbor on the map, "The main ships were sent to Victoria for live-fire exercises, and the shells were opened. I don't believe that the British will still If you remain indifferent, Yilu can still sit still."

The British navy is very powerful, but the British navy is spread all over the world. It is impossible to deploy a powerful fleet everywhere, especially in frontier and poor places like the Oregon region. It is not the core colony of the British. The British are on the sea in the Oregon region. The power is also very limited.笗

The British only have a few outdated sailing warships inherited from the Hudson's Bay Company here, and they are all small boats, not even a third-class ship.

Liang Yao still has the upper hand in terms of maritime power in the Northeast Pacific.

"Yes, Your Excellency, I'll do it right away." Sven said excitedly.

"Boss, what about me?" Strauss asked.

"Have you seen the San Juan Islands on the map?" Liang Yao pointed to the San Juan Islands, "Take immigrants and settle directly on the San Juan Islands. I want our immigrants to be on every island? Do you understand? ?”

"Understood." Strauss nodded.