1850 American Gold Tycoon

"Establish a shipping administration?" Liang Yaoming asked knowingly.

Historically, the Qing government established shipping administration nine years later. At that time, the war between the Qing government and Britain and France had ended. Therefore, the Qing government mainly cooperated with Britain and France on the shipping administration issue.

But this was nine years later. The external and internal environment the Qing court faces now are completely different from those nine years later.

The Qing court's current international relations with Britain and France are extremely bad, and the two sides may not cooperate in this field.

The projects that the shipyard is responsible for include not only the construction of ships, but also the construction of forts, the purchase of armaments, etc.

The Qing government spent tens of millions of taels of silver on shipping companies. If he could participate, the profits would be quite generous.

"Yes! Set up a shipping administration! Foreigners can build strong ships and cannons, so can we, learn from the foreigners and use their skills to defeat the foreigners!

If only we had built our own sea-ship cannon! The British and French foreigners did not dare to ignore our Qing Dynasty Navy and rush in and out of our Qing Dynasty waters. "Shen Baozhen said impassionedly.

After hearing this, Liang Yao just shook his head. In the final analysis, Shen Baozhen's vision is still limited, and his goal is only to build a defensive Yellow Water Navy.

However, among the corrupt Manchu officials, Shen Baozhen was already one of the best.

"It's just that I don't know something. It's a good thing that the imperial court wants to organize shipping administration. Since Brother Shen came to the United States for inspection on the order of Prince Gong, why didn't he inform the American consul in advance?" Liang Yao expressed his doubts.

When Shen Baozhen came to the United States this time, he didn't bring many entourage with him, and he didn't notify the American consul in China in advance. It really didn't look like he was going to do shipping management.

"The Qing Dynasty is a kingdom of heaven, and the United States is one of the Western barbarians. The Holy Lord and Prince Gong mean that this matter should not be made public for fear of losing the majesty and dignity of the kingdom." Shen Baozhen replied with some embarrassment.

His knowledge of Western countries mainly came from the "Pictures of the Sea Kingdoms" he read in Lin Zexu's study when he was young, and the "Tongjian of All Nations" written by Liang Yao.

"Wanguo Tongjian" written by Liang Yao is the most detailed, detailed and objective book about Western countries among all the books about Western countries.

Liang Yao didn't know it yet, but his book caused quite a stir in the Qing Dynasty and almost became a must-read for enlightened officials of the Qing Dynasty.

Like many officials who read Qing Dynasty Officials for the first time, they cursed Liang Yao before even reading a few pages.

After learning that Liang Yao had immigrated to the United States, this idea was confirmed. He believed that Liang Yao ignored the good people of the Kingdom of Heaven and instead naturalized as a barbarian. He was a villain without a king or father, and he forgot his ancestors.

It was not until recently that Britain, France and Russia invaded the border one after another and saw Liang Shaoqiong in person in the Jiangnan area, equipped with foreign guns and cannons, and trained Cantonese warriors with Western methods, that Shen Baozhen's view of Liang Yao changed. He bought another copy of "The Universal Mirror" by Liang Yao, read it carefully, and approved of the book.

Of course, what shocked Shen Baozhen the most was what he actually saw when he came to California today.

Californians live a prosperous life and are courteous to others. They are nothing like barbarians who lack education and don't know etiquette.

The wonder of a train that can travel thousands of miles in a day opened Shen Baozhen's eyes, as if he had entered another world.

This is still such a scene in the border areas of the United States. I wonder what it will be like in the best places of the United States and the more developed countries of Britain and France described in the book?

It is no wonder that the Qing Dynasty suffered repeated defeats in its wars with Western countries, and it was difficult to win, even if it was a tragic victory.

"In the final analysis, I still can't let go of my arrogance." Liang Yao was not surprised by this.

Those stubborn people in the Qing Dynasty would be damned if they could humbly learn deeply from the West and implement industrialization like Japan during the Meiji Restoration. Those people will not dig the foundation of Manchu rule on their own.

"In my humble opinion, if we want to organize ship administration and build a naval division, which country among the Western countries would be the best to serve as our division?" Shen Baozhen asked tentatively.

"Of course it's best to have Ying as your teacher." Liang Yao said without hesitation.

"The British Empire is the only superpower in the world, and its navy is unparalleled anywhere in the world."

In "Tongjian of All Nations", the country introduced by Liang Yao at the beginning is the United Kingdom, and the British chapter also occupies the largest space. In this book, Liang Yao defines the British Empire as the only superpower in the world.

This is also a point that many readers of the Qing Dynasty find difficult to accept. The opening chapter is poisonous, and it is extremely poisonous.

Therefore, many readers of "Wanguo Tongjian" gave up the book after reading it for the first time, and they only really read the book seriously for the second or even third time.

This was the case for Shen Baozhen. When he first read "Wanguo Tongjian", he was so angry that he felt that the book valued the barbarians and despised the Chinese.

"What's next?" Shen Baozhen continued to ask.

"France." Liang Yao replied.

"France is a traditional European continental power. Although it has gone through several ups and downs, its foundation of power remains. Moreover, the new French Emperor Napoleon III is good at domestic affairs. After Napoleon III came to power, France's national power has flourished. France is also the only country today that can compete with the British Empire. A contending country.”

"Brother Liang Xian is really a real person." Shen Baozhen praised.

Liang Yao did not mention the United States at all, and Shen Baozhen deepened his affection for Liang Yao, thinking that although Liang Yao was young, he was a real person.

"Liang is just stating the facts." Liang Yao said.

"How is America?" This time, Shen Baozhen finally asked about America.

"It's just a second-rate power. It can't compete with the traditional powers in Europe." Liang Yao said matter-of-factly.

"I don't think so." Liang Shaoqiong on the side couldn't help but interjected.

"My father once wrote to me, telling me what he had seen during his travels in the United States over the past six months. The United States has a vast territory, fertile fields, abundant products, and its people are full of vitality and vitality. Its future is limitless."

Liang Yao was surprised that Liang Shaoqiong had such a vision. It seemed that he had underestimated Liang Shaoqiong.

"So, if you want to do shipping management, Shen came to the wrong place?" Shen Baozhen asked with a smile.

"No, we have come to the right place." Liang Yao said.

"I would like to hear the details." Shen Baozhen asked for advice.

"Britain and France have a direct conflict of interest with the Qing Dynasty, and the relationship between the two sides is tense at the moment. If Britain and France are used as teachers in shipping administration, Britain and France may not agree to the Qing's request. Furthermore, even if Britain and France are greedy for the benefits of shipping administration and send people When Hua assisted the Qing Dynasty in setting up the shipping industry, he would not give everything to him. Instead, he would impose restrictions on everything and even install spies to collect intelligence." Liang Yao analyzed.

"The United States is different. There is no direct conflict of interest between the United States and the Qing Dynasty. Moreover, European countries have always looked down upon the United States. The United States is also eager to expand its international influence and very much hopes to cooperate with friendly powers outside the region."

In the mid-19th century, although the United States had reached the level of a second-rate power, its overall national strength was behind Prussia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and ahead of Spain and the Netherlands. However, the United States has not achieved an international status commensurate with its strength.

In the eyes of the European countries, the international status of the United States is even lower than that of Spain and the Netherlands.

Not only Europeans think so, but most Americans also agree with this view.

This can be seen from the "Valpleso" incident in 1873.

In 1873, an American merchant ship named the "Valpleso" was seized by the Spanish Cuban colonial authorities on suspicion of smuggling and participating in the Cuban independence movement.

The American government put pressure on the Spanish colonial authorities to release the impounded ship and its occupants, and threatened to take military action against Spain if Spain did not release the people.

However, the Spanish colonial authorities not only did not take the words of the American authorities seriously, they immediately tried and executed several American sailors.

This move caused the American authorities to lose face. In the end, the United States did not launch a special military operation against Spain because of this. The two sides resolved the issue through diplomatic channels.

It is true that the reason for this was the great loss of American national power after the Civil War, but it is undeniable that in the 19th century, the core position of the European continent in the world was not shaken by other countries outside the European continent.

"That's the truth." Shen Baozhen nodded to show that what Liang Yao said made sense.

Prince Gong also took into account the diplomatic relations between the Qing Dynasty and Britain and France before asking Shen Baozhen to visit the United States before making a conclusion.

"To be honest with Brother Shen, I have a considerable status in the shipbuilding industry in the United States and have made some achievements in the shipbuilding industry. If Brother Shen is willing to cooperate with the United States to establish a shipbuilding industry, I am willing to contribute. After all, I am also a Chinese. "Liang Yao said.

Because of Liang Yao's existence, Shen Baozhen had a better impression of the American industry and was more inclined to cooperate with the United States in shipbuilding.

But he was only a Han minister of the fourth rank. The decision of whether to run the shipping administration and which country to cooperate with to run the shipping administration was not in his hands, but in the hands of Prince Gong Yi and Emperor Xianfeng, the senior Manchu officials of the Qing Dynasty.

What he can do now is to conduct careful and detailed inspections in the United States, study the feasibility of cooperating with the United States to establish a shipping administration, and then report to Prince Gong and Emperor Xianfeng, and try his best to facilitate this matter in the middle.

"I have been on a warship built by Xiandi Shipyard. They are indeed good ships, especially the Bold Class warship. It can ignore the wind direction and travel very fast. The cannons on the ship are also very sharp. If we can jointly manage the shipbuilding industry, can Xiandi please Assist the Qing Dynasty in producing this ship in the Qing Dynasty?" Shen Baozhen looked at Liang Yao with burning eyes.

Liang Shaoqiong purchased a bold-class battleship and several loach ships from Liang Yao. Shen Baozhen and Liang Shaoqiong were good friends, so it was not surprising that they had sailed on ships built by Liang Yao's shipyard.

"If my San Francisco Shipyard can participate in the shipping administration of the Qing Dynasty, the relevant shipbuilding technology can be transferred in principle. If the Qing Dynasty urgently needs warships to protect the sea, I can also sell a few bold-class ships to the Qing Dynasty first. Emergency." Liang Yao expressed his attitude.

The Bold Class was launched in December 1853. After three years of production, production capacity was no longer an issue. During this period, many modifications were also produced based on user feedback.

However, no matter how the Bold Class is modified, it will still be tinkering on a kiloton level platform with limited potential.

The focus of the San Francisco Shipyard has long been on the design and production of 3,000-ton ships.

The Qing Dynasty did not industrialize, nor did it have a complete shipbuilding industry chain. It had no intention of setting foot in the ocean, so it would not pose a threat to Liang Yao's shipbuilding industry. Therefore, Liang Yao was willing to transfer relevant shipbuilding technology to gain profits from it and get a share of the Qing Dynasty's shipping movement.

Anyway, he doesn’t make the money, but Britain, France and Germany will make it in the future.

"That's very good. I will convey the words of my dear brother to Prince Gong and His Majesty. If this can be done, it will be of great benefit to our Qing Dynasty." Shen Baozhen said.

"I wonder if my dear brother can take me to visit the arsenal and shipyard someday?"

"Brother Shen has been tired from traveling all the way. Let's rest in a humble house today. Tomorrow I will take Brother Shen to visit the Sacramento Arsenal and the San Francisco Shipyard." Liang Yao agreed.

Anyway, he is sitting back and watching the development of the eastern form, and he has time, so why not take Shen Baozhen to visit California first.

If this thing can be accomplished, it will be a project worth millions of taels of silver at least.

"That's very good." Shen Baozhen said happily.

Seeing that the conversation was almost over, Liang Yao asked the maid to send Shen Baozhen to the guest room to rest.

"Third uncle, I heard that there are now fifty thousand Yue Yong, and you are now an important minister of the Qing Dynasty with fifty thousand troops."

After Shen Baozhen left, Liang Yao said to Liang Shaoqiong.

There were some things that the uncle and nephew were not comfortable saying in front of Shen Baozhen. Although Shen Baozhen is enlightened, he is still a loyal minister of the Qing Dynasty.

"Although there are 50,000 people, most of them are civilians. There are only 20,000 people who can fight. There are even fewer troops that can fight hard. There are only Xiangziying, Shanziying, Changziying, and Shengziying. There are only more than 5,000 people in the artillery battalion and cavalry battalion." Liang Shaoqiong shook his head and said.

"Furthermore, how can we support an army of fifty thousand people with the meager military pay from the imperial court that cannot be paid on time?"

The Yue Yong, with Liang Yao's Western Brigade as their division, is a quasi-modern force that uses muskets and artillery as its main weapons.

Therefore, Guangdong Yong's operations also rely heavily on logistics. Each battalion of the Hunan Army has one battalion officer, four sentry officers, and 500 brave men, plus 180 captains, for a total of 685 men per battalion. Logistics staff account for more than a quarter.

The ratio of Guangdong Yong's logistics personnel is even worse than that of the Hunan Army, directly exceeding three-fifths. Each of the regular Yong battalions of the Guangdong Yong has more than 800 people, which is also much higher than that of the Hunan Army.

Xiangziying, Shanziying, Changziying, Shengziying, Artillery Battalion and Cavalry Battalion are the ace troops of the Yue Yong, also known as the Lao Yue Ying among the people. These six battalions are the core combat troops of the Yue Yong.

In addition to the conventional army, the Yue Yong, like the Hunan Army, is also equipped with a navy in order to facilitate the projection of troops and provide support for the land division operations.

However, the scale of Yue Yong's navy was not as large as that of the Hunan Army's navy, which formed an army earlier. Peng Yulin's Hunan Navy Navy had ten battalions of 5,000 men when it was first established, and now it has grown to eighteen battalions of nearly 10,000 men. However, Guangdong Yong's navy only had three battalions and more than 2,000 men.

However, the degree of professionalism and specialization of the Guangdong Navy is much higher than that of the Hunan Army. It is equipped with steamships produced by the San Francisco Shipyard and has certain ocean-going capabilities.

The ships used by the Hunan Army Navy are basically requisitioned inland river civilian ships. There are very few serious warships, and their combat effectiveness is not at the same level as that of the Yueyong Navy.

The Yueyong Navy returned to Liang Shaoqiong to directly command and dispatch.

In fact, this navy attached to the land force is actually the most powerful surface force in the Qing Dynasty.

Liang Shaoqiong and Pan Shicheng's Guangdong Yong, like Liang Yao's Western Brigade, followed the route of elite troops.

Although the number is small, their combat effectiveness is definitely unique among the Qing army.

"The imperial court does not pay salaries on time, and the Yue Yong spends a lot of money. Where does the military expenditure come from? Like the Hunan Army, they set up lika to collect lijin? Pillage after siege?" Liang Yao asked about the source of the Yue Yong's military expenditure.

"I'm not as skinless as I've been peeled. I have my own way of making money." Liang Shaoqiong said with a smile.

"The military discipline of our Yue Yong army is not as bad as that of the Hunan Army, and we have never massacred cities and plundered people. However, we did accept Lijin. De She (Pan Shicheng) and I set up equipment on the main transportation routes in Huai'an, Yangzhou, Tongzhou, Haimenting, Songjiang, Jiaxing and other places. Youlika collects lika from merchants to finance the military, and draws one out of ten, so no one can be deceived.

Donations from Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang and Jiangnan merchants were also a major source of military expenses for the Yue Yong. Which place has merchants and squires paying more? I will send troops to garrison wherever they are to protect them from the long hair. Merchants and gentry were happy to spend money to buy peace, and local officials were also happy to spend money to protect their positions. Everyone was happy.

However, most of the military salaries of the Shanzi Battalion, Artillery Battalion, Cavalry Battalion and Navy are supported by our Liang family’s own profits from the coal mines in Guangzhou and the gold mining business in Australia. "

"I see." Liang Yao roughly understood Yue Yong's situation. His third uncle was quite clever and had the potential to become a warlord.

"My dear nephew, do you know anything about the Rakshasa country, which is also the country of Russia?" Liang Shaoqiong asked about Russia.

"I understand that due to Russia's unfavorable war in the Near East, its emperor Nicholas I died suddenly and was succeeded by his son Alexander II. Russia just signed the Treaty of Paris with Britain and France in March this year. The domestic political situation in Russia is currently relatively turbulent," Liang Yao said.

"A few years ago, I had an encounter with the Russian governor of Siberia, Muravyov. This guy was quite rude and took me for granted. He wanted to trick me into buying Russian war bonds, so I didn't do it later. How to deal with him."

After the Crimean War, Russia was burdened with huge war debts and its finances were in dire straits. Liang Yaozheng was thinking about spending money to buy Alaska from the Russians.

Of course, if conditions permit, he wouldn't mind directly sending troops to occupy it.

After all, Alaska's natural environment is harsh and it is far away from the core territory of Russia's European part. The population of such a large Alaska is only more than 2,000 people, of which only a few hundred Russians have settled.

The Russians who settled in Alaska were primarily whalers.

"What a bastard. This country of Russia is neither good at war nor so warlike. With such domestic virtues, it still dares to provoke the Qing Dynasty." Liang Shaoqiong felt confident.

"The Russians are the most unfaithful. In the 28th year of Kangxi's reign (1689), the Qing Dynasty signed the Treaty of Nerchinsk with Russia. Soon the Russians occupied the land to be discussed, and the court turned a blind eye. Close one eye. Now Russia is getting more and more excessive, ignoring the boundaries stipulated in the treaty, constantly crossing the border to harass border residents, taking in fugitives, and even firing off cannons on Heilongjiang."

At this time, Heilongjiang was not the boundary river between China and Russia, but an inland river of the Qing Dynasty. Setting off cannons on Heilongjiang was really too much.

"This is Russia's national policy to make up for what it lacks in the west and make up for its losses in the east. Russia lost troops and territory in the Near East and also lost control of the Black Sea. They want to find compensation in the Far East. This country is hopelessly greedy for territory. "Liang Yao said.

Since he had been blackmailed by the local police when traveling to Russia in his previous life, he not only had no good impression of this country, but also felt disgusted with it.

Closer to home, according to the provisions of the "Peace of Paris" signed in 1856, Tsarist Russia was forced to return the Crimea region to the Ottoman Empire, cede the Busarao and Novo Hasan regions to Moldova, and return the Dobruga region to the Ottoman Empire.

In addition, the Black Sea was neutralized. According to the Treaty of Paris, countries were not allowed to establish military ports and military facilities in the Black Sea. This restricted Tsarist Russia's naval activities.

Tsarist Russia's plan to find an outlet to the south went bankrupt.

After the war, Tsarist Russia's international influence weakened, and the war had an important impact on Russia's geopolitics and future strategic decisions.

Although compared to the huge territorial area of ​​Tsarist Russia, the area of ​​territory occupied during the forced return war was pitifully small.

When it comes to territorial issues, the Russians are only allowed to eat and are not allowed to vomit, which is even more uncomfortable than killing them.

In order to make up for Tsarist Russia's losses in modern areas, Tsarist Russia set its sights on the Far East just after the war and was ready to make moves.

"No matter how powerful Britain and France are, they are not bordering the Qing Dynasty after all. Russia is directly bordering the Qing Dynasty, and the border is thousands of miles long. It is definitely not a blessing to have such evil neighbors." Liang Shaoqiong said worriedly.

"Britain and France are just a problem at the elbow and armpit, but Russia is a serious problem at the heart."

"If there is a war between Russia and the Qing Dynasty, I will definitely support the Qing Dynasty." Liang Yao said with a smile.

"To be honest, I have an important trading base on Ezo Island, called Matsumae Port. The Russians often make troubles here and try to establish a colonial base on Ezo Island. Fortunately, my uncle drove them off the island. go.

But the Russian thieves are persistent and they keep coming and coming. My uncle is also disturbed by them. I also want to deal with these old idiots. "

After the signing of the Treaty of Goodwill between the United States and Japan, Ezo Island, later Hokkaido Island, has become Liang Yao's sphere of influence. Liang Yao gradually encroached northward on Ezo Island by occupying and operating Matsumae Port (later Hakodate). .

Liang Yao asked Deng Yan, who was based in Nagasaki, to be responsible for transporting immigrants to Ezo Island and establishing a large colonial stronghold in the Moiwa area (later known as Sapporo) to stabilize control of Ezo Island.

The Japanese general who conquered the barbarians did not conquer the barbarians, so I, Liang, conquered them for him.

The Japanese were defeated by Liang Yao during the Japan-US War and did not dare to have an opinion on this matter. Even if I have an opinion, I just dare not express my anger and can only keep it in my heart.

However, the Russians came to Ezo Island again and again to act as monsters and disgusting people.

Liang Yao had long wanted to clean up Russia so that they could be more at ease.

Anyway, the Russian navy is weak, and its main force cannot travel halfway around the world to beat him in California.

Furthermore, even if the Imperial Navy comes to California, he is not afraid.

The Imperial Russian Navy is not the navy of the Empire on which the sun never sets. The navy has always been the weakest link among the military services of the Russian Empire.