1850 American Gold Tycoon.

Chapter 203 The Power of Industry

"The $50 is just the cost of the ship, and it's more than $50 including the interior decoration and the crew on board.

From the captain to the ordinary crew, the fireman, and the coal carrier are all elites selected by me, and they are the best steamship crews in the United States. said Vanderbilt complacently.

"My old man, I remember when the Polaris was just laying the keel, you told me that you would give yourself a long vacation when the Polaris was finished?"

Van Dazer asked.

"Are you going to travel to Europe on the Polaris?"

"There is this plan. A large yacht from the United States, with the American Stars and Stripes flying on the ship, and the American crew and rich people on the ship are parading in places such as the English Channel and the Baltic Sea. It is exciting to think about it."

When it comes to vacations and travel, Vanderbilt's eyes sparkle, full of anticipation for a trip to Europe.

"It's really exciting." Liang Yao said.

"But the plan can't keep up with the changes. I think you don't have time to go to Europe to show off your wealth before your railway company completes the acquisition and reorganization."

"As you said, I have postponed my travel plans and postponed my vacation for a while."

Vanderbilt shrugged helplessly.

"If I didn't want to enter the railway industry, I would have taken the Polaris to London to visit the World Expo in London to see the world."

"I also heard about the World Expo in London. I heard that the British used steel and glass to build a fantastic crystal palace. This kind of palace only appeared in fairy tales! Now it has become a reality!" Van Daze said.

"It's the power of industry. Industry makes fairy tales come true." Liang Yao said.

"With 4500 tons of steel, 30 pieces of glass, and 9 months of construction time, only a first-class industrial power with a complete industrial system and strong organizational and mobilization capabilities can build the Crystal Palace to host the World Expo.

The Polaris under our feet is also the crystallization of industry, and industry is changing the world. "

In the middle of the 19th century, the national strength of the British Empire was at its peak, and it was a well-deserved world hegemony. The operating efficiency of the British Empire's state machinery in this period is beyond doubt.

In terms of showing national strength to the outside world, not only the United Kingdom, but all rising powers after the United Kingdom are very efficient in showing off their national strength.

What was the concept of 4500 tons of steel in the middle of the 19th century?Equivalent to the steel output of the United States in half a year in 1850.

"My old chap, the World's Fair has 23 weeks of exhibition time, and we have plenty of time to go to London to participate in the exhibition, and the Brits sent invitations to the World's Fair to civilized countries.

The United States has also received an invitation letter from London, which at least shows that the British still recognize that the United States is a civilized country. said Theodore.

"It is an irrefutable fact that America is a civilized country, and it does not need to be acknowledged by the British." Vanderbilt said with his chest straightened out.

"One day, the United States will be able to host a World's Fair."

"Why didn't Daying invite me to the Qing Dynasty for such a grand event? Could it be that my dignified Qing Dynasty is still a barbarian?"

Zeng Jinsong muttered in Mandarin very displeased, and complained.

The British Empire sent invitation letters to civilized countries to participate in the World Expo. The United States received it, but the Qing Dynasty did not. In other words, Great Britain regarded the Qing Dynasty as a barbarian country.

This is something Zeng Jinsong, who has accepted since childhood that the Qing Dynasty is a celestial kingdom and that there are barbarians everywhere, can never bear it.

"The imperial court avoids dealing with foreigners. Even if Britain sends an invitation letter to the Qing Dynasty, is the imperial court willing to send people? Even if the imperial court is willing to send people, will any ministers be willing to go?"

Pan Zhengwei asked Zeng Jinsong two questions worth pondering.

Pan Zhengwei still knows the concept of 4500 tons of steel.

The steel mills in California are working hard every month, and they can only produce about 20 tons of steel every month.

After seeing how Liang Yao trains soldiers in California and visiting some factories in New York, some of Pan Zhengwei's thoughts have changed.

Now he no longer continues to think that the Qing lost to the British in the war 11 years ago was the one in the Forbidden City who sympathized with the common people.

This is nothing more than the imperial court giving itself a step down for the sake of dignity.

The actual situation is that the Qing Dynasty really couldn't beat the Great Britain. The Eight Banners soldiers that the Qing Dynasty was proud of needed to be trained from an early age to be able to skillfully master the riding and archery skills and form combat effectiveness.

The infantry of the California Infantry Regiment trained by Liang Yao in California only takes a few months to form combat effectiveness.Not to mention Britain, which has a more robust military system.

Elvis hired by Liang Yao was an officer of the British Empire Army before.

Elvis trained soldiers as efficiently as a commodity could be mass-produced in a factory.

These cheap infantry, who want to eliminate well-trained Eight Banners soldiers, only need to pull the trigger of the rifle and shoot a bullet worth less than 2 cents out of the barrel.

The range and accuracy of bows and arrows and matchlock guns in the Qing Dynasty are far inferior to the new rifles, and the gap in artillery is even greater.

What's more, the Eight Banners soldiers of the Qing Dynasty were already rotten, and the green battalion was also rotten.

Daqing is no longer a question of whether he is willing to fight Daying, but that he really can't beat him.

People have more steel, harder ships, sharper guns, more professional officers, and more professional soldiers. What can they use to fight them?
If things go on like this, sooner or later, the Qing Dynasty will be reduced to the meat of the continental powers and even the American chopping board.

"Whether he invites the Qing Dynasty or not is different from whether the Qing Dynasty is willing to send someone there." Zeng Jin still defended Song Song.

"I will write to the senior officials in the DPRK and China to tell them what I have seen and heard in the United States." Pan Zhengwei ignored Zeng Jinsong's defense, but said unwillingly.

"It's useless. You can never wake up a person who pretends to be asleep. If the Qing Dynasty was willing to wake up, it would have woken up more than [-] years ago. It doesn't have to wait until today." Liang Yao said.

He couldn't be more clear about the virtues of the Qing Dynasty, which was cruel on the inside and cruel on the outside.

"My old man, the journey to Europe can only be put on hold for the time being, but we can take a short trip, such as from New York to Baltimore, and we can also take this opportunity to test the Polaris. The sailing ability and the level of the crew."

Jeremiah suggested.

"That's a good idea."

The Polaris had sufficient fuel and supplies, and Vanderbilt readily agreed, ordering the crew to blow their horns and set off.

Liang Yao walked out of the cabin and came to the deck.

There were still excited people waving at the Polaris on the pier, but Liang Yao was not interested in these.

His attention was focused on the Polaris' powertrain.

Vanderbilt transferred all his shipbuilding skills and shipyards to him, and he wanted to know what level of shipbuilding skills Vanderbilt had mastered.

The power system of the Polaris is two huge walking beam steam engines, the stroke of which is a full 3 meters, and there are 4 huge boilers, each with a diameter of up to 3 meters.

Two massive walking-beam steam engines powered the paddle wheels on either side.

In the era when steamships were not yet popular, the Polaris was undoubtedly very advanced, at least in the United States, and there was no opponent who could compete with the Polaris.

But looking at the whole world, the Polaris can only be said to be one of the best in terms of luxury, and some of the technologies used on the ship are actually not the most advanced.

For example, there are two huge paddle wheels on the strings of the boat.

Compared with paddle steamers, Liang Yao prefers dark steamers, that is, steam boats driven by propellers.

History has proved that dark steamships are the direction of future ships, especially large ships.

He didn't want to stick to the direction of the paddle steamer and go all the way to the dark.

"Mr. Jeremiah, I heard that the Polaris was designed and built by you and Vanderbilt?"

Vanderbilt was in high spirits, and Liang Yao didn't want to bring up the technical problems of the Polaris in front of Vanderbilt.

Jeremiah is one of the top shipbuilding experts in the United States, and he is deeply involved in shipbuilding technology.

There are specialties in the art industry. Jeremiah may not be as skilled as Vanderbilt in terms of sailing, but he is more expert than Vanderbilt in shipbuilding.

The effect of asking Jeremiah is also better than asking Vanderbilt who is a little drifting now.

"Yes, Mr. Liang, do you have any questions?"

Holding a bottle of rum in his hand, Jeremiah took a sip and asked.

"How much do you know about propeller boats, that is, dark steamships?" Liang Yao asked Jeremiah.

(End of this chapter)