1850 American Gold Tycoon.

Chapter 294 Guangdong Coastal Defense
"How many soldiers should there be in the Shajiao Fort?! How many soldiers are there in the Shajiao Fort now?!"

Hong Mingxiang asked Liu Fang in a deep voice.

It's not that Hong Mingxiang doesn't know the situation of the Guangdong Navy, but Hong Mingxiang, like most Qing officials, had the mentality of muddling along.

Liang Yao's visit and Japan's rapid defeat sounded the alarm for Hong Mingxiang.Hong Mingxiang felt that Guangdong Province was on the front line of coastal defense and could not continue to be so corrupt.

In fact, thanks to Lin Zexu's rectification of the coastal defense of Guangdong Province twelve years ago, the Humen Fort is already the best coastal defense fort in the entire Qing Dynasty.

The south is an important area for coastal defense. The three major naval forces of the Qing Dynasty, the Guangdong Navy, the Fujian Navy, and the Yangtze River Navy, were all located in the south.

Among these three naval divisions, the Guangdong Navy is also the one in the best condition, followed by the Fujian Navy, and the most corrupt is the Yangtze River Navy.

Rao is the Guangdong navy in the best condition, and the situation is also very worrying.

"Shajiao Fort should have more than [-] soldiers, but actually there are more than [-] soldiers. Many brothers have asked for leave."

After being asked by Hong Mingxiang, Liu Fang was so frightened that she woke up, shaking like a sieve.

"You are talking nonsense, open your dog's eyes and see, there are six hundred people on the Shajiao Fort?! Liu Fang, Liu Fang, I think you have always done this."

Liu Fang's answer made Hong Mingxiang furious.

As the commander-in-chief of the Shajiao Battalion, Liu Fang couldn't even answer how many soldiers he had, and kept talking nonsense with his eyes open.

"The Shajiao Fort is garrisoned by the Shajiao Battalion. There are a total of 1132 soldiers of various colors in the register, but the actual number is 421."

At this time, a general who was kneeling aside replied.

"Finally someone has a clue."

Hong Mingxiang said to the general manager.

"Let's get up and talk, what's your name, what position do you hold?"

"I report to Hong Junmen, Chen Hai, a humble officer, is now the general manager of the Foreign Committee of Shajiao Fortress." The general manager replied.

"I've heard of the corruption of the Lvying Navy in Guangdong Province, but I didn't expect it to be so corrupt."

Xu Guangjin was also shocked by the current situation on the Shajiao Fort.

"My lord, this is just a human being. The situation of the cannons is also very worrying. I specially asked Mr. Pan to ask for a tribute cannon from the United States. Compared with the tribute cannons from the United States, the cannons on the Humen Fort are basically called It's not a cannon, it's scrap metal!"

Immediately, Hong Mingxiang asked again.

"How many cannons are there on the Shajiao Fort, and how many of these cannons are usable?!"

Not surprisingly, Liu Fang still couldn't answer Hong Mingxiang's simple question.

"Reporting to the Hongjun Gate, there are a total of 37 new-style artillery pieces cast in the 1835th year of Daoguang (26) on the Shajiao Fortress, which are related to the military gate and were supervised by the French robot from Macau. It's just that these artillery pieces are not well maintained. There are only [-] doors that can still be used." Chen Hai replied.

"Test the cannon!" Hong Mingxiang gave the order to test the cannon in a cold voice.

When they heard that the cannons were going to be tested, the faces of these artillerymen were all terrified.

"Hongjunmen, there are quite a lot of merchant ships outside the Pearl River Estuary. If you test the guns rashly, you may hurt the merchant ships." Liu Fang said.

"If you can hit the merchant ships, I will reward you with fifty taels of silver!" Hong Mingxiang's face became more and more ugly.

Seeing that Hong Mingxiang was so resolute, the Qing soldiers on the Shajiao Fort could only bite the bullet and hurriedly test-fire the cannon.

As Chen Hai said, among the 37 cannons, 11 failed to fire.

After less than three rounds of test firing, one of the cannons exploded directly, and the two cannons cracked to varying degrees.

As for the accuracy and range, it is even more unsatisfactory.

Due to material and workmanship problems, the quality of the artillery of the Qing army is not good enough.

For the artillery on the Humen Fort, Lin Zexu and Guan Tianpei asked the Portuguese in Macau to help cast new artillery pieces.

But the so-called newness is only relative to the cannons used by the Qing army itself, and the iron used to cast the cannons is hard and brittle white iron, which is easy to burst.

The method of casting cannons also uses the outdated mud film technology.This cannon-casting process is easy to be unevenly heated and mixed with impurities when the molten iron is poured.Therefore, the quality of the cannon is inevitably reduced and the risk of bombing is increased.

During the Opium War, the coastal defense guns of the Humen Fort and the British warships fired at each other, and it was no surprise that they fell into a disadvantage.

At that time, the naval guns used by the British army were all front-mounted smoothbore guns, but the British naval guns were made of mussels with better toughness and wax casting. The quality of the artillery was not a little better than that of the Qing army.

Coupled with the rich variety of ammunition of the British Army and the addition of the ancestral gunpowder ratio of the Royal Navy of the British Empire, the gunners who operate the guns are all experienced and experienced gunners.

It was expected that the British warships could crush the Qing army on the Humen Fort.

This was only twelve years ago. After twelve years of development, the gap between the Qing army and the British army has widened.

Two of Hong Mingxiang's soldiers brought up the 2-inch cannon that Pan Zhengwei had asked for. This small cannon was said to be a tribute, but it was actually a naval gun tailored by Liang Yao for the Loach class.

The gun adopts the design of the rear-loading rifle, and the sound of the gun is not integrally cast. The inner barrel of the gun is made of steel, and the outside is covered with wrought iron. It adopts a breech block with a vertical air-tight structure.

In front of these stupid, big, black and thick front-mounted guns on the Shajiao Fort, this 2-inch trot looks a bit pocket-sized and has a very thin figure.

But in terms of workmanship, it is really better than those old guns on the Shajiao Fort. The gun body is very smooth and tidy, and it is very comfortable to look at.

On the other hand, the cannons on the Humen Fort are rough and full of potholes, and even the inner wall of the barrel is also full of potholes.

Hong Mingxiang personally picked up a cannonball and stuffed it into the cannon barrel on the Shajiao Fort, only to see that there was a gap of nearly half an inch between the cannonball and the cannon barrel, and they couldn't fit together at all.

Such a cannon, such a cannonball, if it can be fired accurately, then it is a ghost.

Later, Hong Mingxiang personally tested the 2-inch trot. Within three miles, this small and powerful cannon can be said to be able to shoot anywhere. The range is not inferior to these old coastal defense guns on the Shajiao Fort. .

"Western guns are really good."

Xu Guangjin on the side also had to admit this.

He himself is also very fond of this cannon. There are many mountainous areas in northern Guangdong and Guangxi, and most of the bandits that Xu Guangjin wants to suppress are also in these mountainous areas.

"My lord, I implore you to rectify the Guangdong Navy, reduce redundant troops, and purchase Western guns to strengthen Guangdong's coastal defense."

Hong Mingxiang said to Xu Guangjin in a sincere tone.

Xu Guangjin looked at the ships from various countries coming and going at the Pearl River Estuary, his face was full of helplessness.

How could Xu Guangjin, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, not know about the long-standing malpractices of the Luying Navy in Guangdong Province, but there are some things, even if he knows, Xu Guangjin is powerless to change this situation.

If the Qing Dynasty had sufficient financial resources more than ten years ago, it might be possible to reorganize the Guangdong Navy, reduce redundant troops, and purchase new firearms.

As for now, it would be nice to be able to maintain the status quo, so how dare we hope to make good and eliminate bad.

"Shang Shan, you are also an old man of the Guangdong Navy, how could you say such naive words. Reducing redundant troops and purchasing Western guns, you said it lightly, but no matter what you do, you will spend money, a lot of money The Guangdong and Guangxi regions can't get the money you want, and the imperial court won't allocate it either.

As for the elimination of redundant soldiers, don't you think it's not chaotic enough now?The long-haired rioters and the refugees all over the place, these are enough for the governor to have a headache.Have you ever thought about the consequences of these eliminated redundant soldiers losing their livelihoods? "

"It's a humble job without consideration." Hong Mingxiang was very disappointed with Xu Guangjin's remarks, but he also had to admit that this was the current situation in Guangdong, or the entire Qing Dynasty.

It is not easy for Xu Guangjin to maintain the situation in Guangdong and Guangxi, but Hong Mingxiang is still not reconciled.

"It's not that the lowly position doesn't care about the difficulties of the ministers, it's just that the English are very rampant in Guangdong. The gentry in Guangdong have suffered from the English for a long time, and the hearts of the people in Guangdong can still be used.

It would be better than doing nothing if we could raise some silver to strengthen the defenses of several forts around Humen to deter the British and barbarians.The humble job does not want to be the next one to shut down the army. "

"It's good for you to have this kind of heart. To strengthen the coastal defense of Guangdong Province, the Governor supports it. If you have any ideas, go ahead and do it. As long as you don't make a big mess, the Governor will take care of you."

Xu Guangjin was taken aback for a moment, and after pondering for a long time, he spoke slowly.

"Lord Xie Butang!" After hearing Xu Guangjin's statement, Hong Mingxiang was overjoyed. He didn't have much hope for Xu Guangjin's substantive support for him, and Xu Guangjin's statement was enough.

Hong Mingxiang walked up to Liu Fang, whose knees were numb, and said, "Liu Fang, you have neglected your duties. From now on, you are no longer the chief executive of the Shajiao Camp, and Chen Hai will be the chief executive of the Shajiao Camp."

It was mid-December 1852 when Liang Yao returned to Xiangshan, and the winter in Xiangshan was slightly warmer than that in Nagasaki.

The accompanying officers and soldiers were stationed in Xiangshan Daying as usual, just like last time.

Only this time, Liang Yao was not stopped by the Guangdong authorities like last time.

Presumably the Guangdong authorities also know that they can't stop it even if they want to.

What's more, the last time Liang Yao was in Xiangshan, he didn't cause any trouble to these officials in Guangdong.

Seeing the return of Citigroup soldiers carrying the Stars and Stripes, the local residents of Xiangshan were the happiest.

After all, not only do these soldiers not disturb the people, but they are also famous for giving money for shopping. The last time these Citi soldiers left Xiangshan, the local residents were reluctant to part with them.

With the return of these Citigroup soldiers, a bustling market soon formed around the Xiangshan Camp.

The merchants in Guangzhou heard that Liang Yao had returned to Xiangshan, and they rushed from Guangzhou City to Xiangshan Daying to welcome Liang Yao.

"This is Pan Shicheng, the current general merchant of Thirteen Banks and the helm of our Tongfu Bank."

Pan Zhengwei introduced Pan Shicheng to Liang Yao.

"Pan Zongshang, I have admired him for a long time. I have long heard that Pan Zongshang is a big celebrity in front of you today, and his family is prosperous." Liang Yao greeted him with a smile.

"What kind of celebrity, if Prince Gong hadn't come forward to say a few words for us this time, I'm afraid our brothers' heads would have been confessed to Caishikou." Pan Shicheng laughed at himself.

"I think Brother Tingyu or Brother Liangyi said something that shouldn't be said, which made the Holy Majesty unhappy?"

Liang Yao guessed wildly.

Pan Shicheng has been immersed in the officialdom of the shopping mall for so many years, and he will not make such low-level mistakes as saying things that should not be said. The problem can only be caused by Pan Zhengwei and Wu Yuanhua.

The two had stayed in California for a long time and got used to the atmosphere of California. It was a matter of cleaning up if they didn't get used to it for a while after returning to Qing Dynasty.

"The emperor is quite interested in things from foreigners, but some ministers don't like things from foreigners." Pan Zhengwei smiled bitterly and said, "Brother Liang, I lost the bet between us. There is no room for the Qing Dynasty."

"Everyone, please sit down." Liang Yao motioned for everyone to sit down, and then continued.

"You can't say that. Naturally, these things will not be useful in the capital, but they may not be useless in Guangdong. Hong Junmen is very interested in the guns equipped by my army.

You have a deep foundation in Guangdong, where the sky is high and the emperor is far away. If you set up a factory in Guangdong, as long as you manage it properly and don’t make too much noise, the sky is far away from the emperor, and the emperor can control our Guangdong? "

Liang Yao pointed out a clear way for them. As for whether they dare to do it, it depends on whether these Guangzhou merchants have the courage.

Liang Yao's Xiangshan ship repair yard also needs some industrial support. Moreover, most of the coal he hoards in his Xiangshan warehouse is bought from Hong Kong.

Liang Yao also didn't want to be stuck by the British in terms of coal burning. It would be great if the Guangzhou merchants could open several coal factories in Guangdong to refine coal.

Even if the coal quality is much worse than that of the British, Liang Yao can accept it.

"Speaking of Hong Junmen, Hong Junmen came to me a few days ago, saying that he wanted to buy some foreign guns and cannons to strengthen the coastal defense of Guangdong and guard against the British. I hope our Wu family can donate some money." Wu Shangrong Said.

"If Hong Junmen buys boats and guns from me, it's because of the love of fellow countrymen and fellow countrymen. Liang is willing to make a profit and sell them to Hong Junmen at a lower price," Liang Yao said.

"If the Guangdong sea area is stable, it will be good for me and everyone. If the British invade Guangdong again and force the Qing to pay compensation, the compensation will still be shared among you in the end.

Instead of paying the british people all these vain money, it would be better to donate some to Hong Junmen to buy guns. "

These words of Liang Yao are not alarmist. For the indemnities of the two Opium Wars, there are not a few indemnities borne by Guangzhou merchants in the form of donations and losses.

Arms has always been a very profitable business, and the profit is not lower than that of opium.

Liang Yao also intends to open up the arms foreign trade market. Countries with strong industrial strength such as Britain, France and Germany naturally look down on these arms produced in California.

The Qing Dynasty is a good choice. If the arms market of the Qing Dynasty can be opened before the Westernization Movement and a good reputation can be established, it will be easier to seize the arms orders from the Qing Dynasty in the future.

(End of this chapter)