Wild North America 1846

The "Cold Wind" class steam ironclad frigate development plan is part of the "Securing the Sea" plan proposed by the Navy. It was first originated in 1850. After many drawing revisions and demonstrations, it finally received His Majesty's permission in 1853 and entered the substantial construction stage.

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In addition to the Navy's "Securing the Sea" plan, a plan was proposed to develop a first-class large-scale steam iron-clad frigate of 3,500 to 4,000 tons. However, as soon as the plan was proposed, His Majesty rejected it without hesitation.

It only allocated special funds to repeatedly polish and demonstrate the design of this class of ships, so that it could develop a new design plan based on the current situation of the navy using steam iron-clad warships.

so far

There are already 5 design plans quietly lying in the Navy Budget Office. As time goes by, the Navy continues to accumulate experience in using steam iron-clad warships, and new needs and defects appear frequently, which greatly affects the design of new ships.

Design.

Richard is not in a hurry. Once the design of an excellent 3,500 to 4,000 ton steam ironclad ship is finalized, it should be able to be used at least until the end of this century, which is a service period of nearly 40 years.

It's no exaggeration to say

This first-class ship will serve as the main force of the Tang Kingdom's navy for a long time to come, so it is necessary to be cautious and cautious, to demonstrate and demonstrate, and to optimize and optimize.

According to demand;

The new first-class steam ironclad must have a long range, that is, a range of no less than 5,000 nautical miles. It can go directly from Panama to Paradise Island in a single voyage without requiring fuel replenishment in the middle.

As for the naval gun firepower and armor, they all have to comply with the demand for the largest range. The main naval guns can be fewer and the firepower can be weaker. The armor coverage can also be smaller and thinner, all to give way to the need for a long range.

at the same time

The seaworthiness and habitability of warships are also the focus of attention. When patrolling on the vast Pacific Ocean and performing missions for a long time, the officers and soldiers of warships have a better living environment and can maintain a high combat level for a long time. This is Datang

Real needs of the Royal Navy.

It's a bit far-fetched...

With the current economic strength of the Tang Kingdom, there is not enough military budget to develop the army and navy at the same time.

The development of naval ships has always been a gold-eating beast. The cost of a "Hanfeng"-class Type II iron-clad frigate has exceeded 100,000 yuan, which is almost equivalent to the weapons and equipment cost of an entire infantry regiment. This is not a small sum of money.

The cost of a new steam-armored battleship of 3,500 to 4,000 tons is close to the weapons and equipment cost of an infantry division.

In 7 to 8 years, Richard will not consider developing a 3,500-ton main steam iron-clad battleship. The navy will most likely continue to improve on iron-clad frigates of the "Hanfeng" type 3 and "Biolfeng" type 4.

Construction of two ships is started every year, and 1 to 2 ships are completed and put into service. This is it until it lasts, thus freeing up more funds for strategic procurement and storage, militia training, and the development of army equipment.

At least before the end of the American Civil War, the Tang Kingdom would not shift its focus of military development from the army to the navy.

Fuso Island is still in seclusion these days, and the "Black Ship Incident" in history has not occurred. Richard has no intention of breaking this peaceful situation, so he can just let Fuso Island continue to sit back and watch the sky.

But this situation is unlikely to last long.

Living in this era, Richard had convenient information channels, and he clearly understood that before Fuso opened its doors to the country, the development trend of capitalism had actually emerged internally.

Countless Chinese immigrants set foot on North America to pursue their dreams of making a fortune. The Kingdom of the Tang Dynasty is known as the "Land of Hope", the "Golden Kingdom" and the "Land of Dreams". It is no secret among the upper-class knowledgeable people on Fuso Island that it is full of people.

All kinds of jealousy envy hate.

At this time, the voices within Fuso Kingdom calling for reform were getting louder and louder. Many Fuso people with a strong sense of crisis believed that reform was imminent. The "Meiji Restoration" initiative was in the making, and all it needed was a tipping point.

in the original history

The Black Ship Incident was only a catalyst that could make Fuso's reform progress more smoothly, and the "Meiji Restoration" that followed was a natural thing.

The "Black Ship Incident" started the far-reaching "Meiji Restoration" movement. For the island country of Fuso, this reform was very successful both politically and economically. However, the similar Chinese reforms, whether it was the Westernization Movement

, the Reform Movement of 1898 or the constitutional reform in the late Qing Dynasty, they all ended in failure.

History is like a mirror. The two cases in East Asia, one positive and one negative, reflect the different results of actively embracing reforms and passively accepting reforms.

At this stage

Richard will not take the initiative to lift this cover, but will allow Fuso Country to continue to isolate itself. As for when the active reform movement will be triggered, he does not know, let alone cares.

Back to the main hall

Regarding the inspections on Hawaii Island in the past few days, the accompanying ministers expressed their opinions and opinions. The collision of opinions generated many good ideas, which will be implemented one by one in the development of the region in the future.

In this imperial meeting, Richard listened more and spoke less. Occasionally speaking a few words of praise, the ministers discussed more enthusiastically, all wanting to show off their wits in front of His Majesty.

Gai Wangshan, Minister of the Interior, said: "Your Majesty, in the past few days, I have followed the Holy Emperor to inspect the towns on Hawaii Island and Oahu. It can be seen that urban construction and land reclamation have been very effective. There are many buildings in the towns.

The planning is orderly, with vast fields and crisscrossing ditches outside the city, and the development is indeed very orderly. There is basically no indigenous population in the local towns, but as far as I know; many local indigenous populations are hidden in sugar cane plantations and remote pastures

Among them, the number is as high as 100,000. This hidden danger must be paid attention to!"

When he said this, the faces of several cabinet officials present turned dark.

He can still play well if he sees through it but doesn't tell it. This man is not a son of man.

After years of severe suppression and the centralized hard labor camp system in the Tang Kingdom, the number of native Indians in the territory has been greatly reduced. Some large mines even faced shortages of manpower and had to use more machinery and mine rails, and recruit some Mexican laborers.

扺charge.

early years

In mines with harsh working conditions, the average annual mortality rate of indigenous Indian hard labor reaches 7.7%. Although there has been some improvement recently, with the overall mortality rate reduced to less than 4%, there are currently less than 270,000 indigenous Indians living in hard labor camps.

Today, the railway across the high mountains of the Rocky Mountains from Salt Lake City to Phoenix City on the Colorado Plateau is under construction with great difficulty. Tunnels, bridges and the harsh mountain environment have made the railway construction work slow, and the death rate of convicts remains high.

This Central Pacific Railway is crucial to connecting the hinterland of the Tang Kingdom with the Colorado Plateau, saving more than 2,600 kilometers of road, so it is currently a key project promoted by the Ministry of Transportation.

The number of indigenous hard labor prisoners will be replenished as much as the reduction will occur, and all efforts will be made to ensure the labor demand for the railway construction ahead.

With such intensive use, it is estimated that in a few years there will be no indigenous Indians left in the territory.

On Paradise Island, the expedition survey team has made great progress in encircling and eradicating the indigenous cannibals who were in a primitive state on the island.

In the entire Kingdom of the Tang Dynasty, there was no environment for indigenous people and black people to survive. There were also southern whites who brought black slaves to the Kingdom of Datang to do business. These black people were immediately sent to hard labor camps, and the white slave owners were also punished.

A heavy penalty has arrived.

According to a certain theory;

"The Kingdom of the Tang Dynasty is a paradise for civilized races. It does not accept primitive people and orangutans. They will pollute the free air here."

Therefore, the Minister of the Interior Gai Wangshan suddenly lifted the lid, especially in front of His Majesty. The faces of the cabinet ministers will definitely not look good, and a dereliction of duty will definitely not be able to escape.

The Prime Minister, Count Gu Yan, was shocked when he saw the situation. He coughed lightly and signaled with his eyes that the Minister of Economic Affairs, Chen Cailiang, came to the rescue. Don't just watch, lest it end badly.

In these large plantations and ranches on Hawaii Island, it is inevitable that there will be some investment from nobles and the Chinese upper class, and free and cheap indigenous labor. Isn't it delicious?

Chen Cailiang stood up bravely, saluted and said;

“Start your majesty;

I have a little understanding of what Sir Guy said. The natives of Hawaii Island are divided into raw and cooked tribes. Raw tribes are primitive tribes on remote islands. They are not good at communicating with civilized society and are very hostile to outsiders.

Most of them are on the Big Island of Hawaii and Oahu. They are familiar with Westerners' religious and life characteristics, accept and actively integrate into modern society, and are friendly and easy to manage.

The glory of our Kingdom, the Tang Dynasty, shines on the Hawaiian Islands, bringing with it the etiquette, culture and education of the heavenly kingdom, which is widely loved by all people, including these local indigenous people.

Generally speaking, the indigenous people on the island make a living by farming and herding. They are not as vicious and difficult to manage as the indigenous Indians. They are generally more docile and are a rare labor force for sugar cane plantations and remote pastures.

As far as Weichen knows

Today, all sugarcane plantations and ranches in Hawaii are run by Chinese businessmen and family members. Their plantations have more than a hundred people and as few as a dozen indigenous people from the island, all of whom are indispensable and main labor force in sugarcane plantations.

Once all are disposed of, there will inevitably be a large vacancy in the labor force, which will affect the output of plantations and pastures.

This is also the concern of the local government, so it has adopted the policy of "appropriate slowdown", and if it fails, it still needs to be judged by the Holy Spirit."

"Hmph, this "appropriate policy" is nothing but appeasement." Sir Gai Wangshan snorted coldly and said with a disdainful expression.

When he said this, Prime Minister Gu Yan couldn't sit still. He quickly stood up and saluted with both hands and said, "Sir Gai, be careful with your words. How can you taint someone's innocence like this?"

The government considers that it is difficult for immigrants to open up land and buy a home, and it is particularly kind and generous to provide "appropriate policies" to help Chinese immigrants get through this most difficult initial stage of starting a business.

It makes sense both emotionally and rationally, so how can we talk about the four words "tolerating and supporting adultery"?

Even if the local indigenous people are classified into hard labor camps and centralized management, there are no large-scale facilities that need to be built, and it is a waste of manpower..."

As soon as Gu Yan said this, Major General Pan Hengchen over there stood up with excitement and said loudly: "Your Majesty, I have my own intention to report."

Gu Yan; "..."

The Navy is worried that no one will build Pearl Harbor. Isn't this a coincidence?

A big piece of pie was smashed down, it was so delicious.

The Navy only needs to send more than a thousand Marines to supervise the construction, open up large areas of fertile farmland on Oahu, cut down trees to build houses, build docks and warehouses, and build forts and forts.

The construction should use local materials as much as possible. In just a few years, Pearl Harbor, a naval forward base, will look very similar.

Spending a small amount of money to do big things requires abundant free labor to be used. Isn't this ready-made?