1850 American Gold Tycoon.

Chapter 350

Hong Mingxiang was more interested in smoothbore guns, Liang Yao was not too surprised, after all smoothbore guns were cheaper.

Moreover, in the middle of the 19th century, the artillery of the great powers was mainly equipped with smoothbore guns, and smoothbore guns were not too outdated at this time.

"If you buy 50 6-pound guns and 30 12-pound guns, can you buy some shells as well as buying guns?" Hong Mingxiang said in his mind after calculating the budget for the purchase of arms.

"In addition, I also hope that brother Liang can send some artillery instructors to help us train artillery. This purchase of artillery is just the beginning of our cooperation.

Governor Xu and Governor Ye also felt that the artillery on the Humen Fort was too old, and they were also considering buying some better foreign guns to replace those old cannons on the Humen Fort. "

This is a large order of $43000, including $125000 for rifles, $27360 for pistols, and a total of $5 for five loach boats.

Guangdong has already purchased 315360 US dollars worth of arms from him at one time, which can be said to have cost a lot of money.

"Each cannon comes with a hundred solid bullets. If Hong Junmen buys ammunition later, how about I give Hong Junmen a discount?" Liang Yao said very generously.

"Since Hong Junmen trusts me, buying ammunition from me and training personnel are naturally a matter of course. I will send two teams of artillerymen to Guangdong to teach you how to operate artillery, and there will be no charge."

Hong Mingxiang was very happy when he heard the words, and signed the order with Liang Yao after a brief negotiation.

After the orders were signed, Hong Mingxiang paid for these orders in silver, US$315360 is equivalent to 20 taels of silver.

Hong Mingxiang asked Liang Yao shyly if he could erase the change of 884 taels. Since the change was not too outrageous, Liang Yao agreed.

Except for the loach-class patrol gunboats, which cannot be delivered in full because there are only two existing ships, the rest of the munitions, Liang Yao, can be delivered in stock.

After the ammunition was loaded, Hong Mingxiang, who was in a happy mood, came to bid farewell to Liang Yao and prepared to return to Guangzhou.

"Has Hong Junmen thought about buying a production line directly from me?"

On the occasion of parting, Liang Yao poured a glass of wine for Hong Mingxiang to see him off.

"Production line?" Hong Mingxiang took the wine from Liang Yao with a puzzled expression on his face.

"It is to directly move my artillery production workshop in the Sacramento Armory to Guangdong, and manufacture artillery and shells by myself." Liang Yao laughed.

Liang Yao wanted to eliminate the production line of smoothbore guns at the Sacramento Arsenal. It would be great if Guangdong was willing to take over the production line.

As for the sale of the production line that would destroy the jobs of the Sacramento Arsenal, Liang Yao was not worried about this issue.

Firstly, what he wanted to transfer was the soon-to-be-outdated production line of smoothbore guns, and secondly, due to the inefficient and outdated management methods of the Qing Dynasty, the artillery produced locally in the Qing Dynasty would not pose a threat to his products in the future.

More advanced weapons still have to be bought from him.

Moreover, maintaining the production line also requires money. After transferring the production line, Liang Yao can still earn this money.

"Aren't you afraid of ruining your job in the arsenal?" Hong Mingxiang was very surprised.

"The Sacramento Arsenal doesn't only manufacture this kind of gun." Liang Yao smiled with his hands behind his back, "I, Liang, have more than one job, and I'm not afraid of losing my job."

"how much is it?"

Hong Mingxiang soon became interested in Liang Yao's transfer of the production line, but he also knew that this was a huge amount of expenditure, and he could not decide whether this matter would be successful.

"The price is 50 taels of silver." Liang Yao said with a smile.

"Brother Liang's appetite is not ordinary. This time I bought arms from you, and it only cost 20 taels of silver. You can sell me 50 taels of silver for this production line." Hong Mingxiang shook his head after hearing this, "It's too expensive. , too expensive."

"When I sell your arms, I sell eggs. When I sell your production line, I sell hens that can lay eggs. How can they be generalized?" Liang Yao said.

The 50 taels of silver was just his asking price, and it was negotiable. Even if it was the final price of 30 taels of silver, Liang Yao would still be able to accept it.

After drinking the wine in the cup, Hong Mingxiang clasped his fists at Liang Yao and said: "This matter must be decided by the Lord of the Ministry. After I go back, I will report this to the Lord of the Ministry. Brother Liang, farewell!"

After speaking, Hong Mingxiang left San Francisco and returned to Guangzhou.

After Hong Mingxiang left, Liang Yao asked his fifth uncle Liang Shaoqiong about the situation of the Yueyong camp: "Fifth uncle, how is the Yueyong training?"

"There are now 1500 people from Yueyong who have completed training and formed the Yueyong Battalion." Liang Shaoqiong said, "After the fall of Jiangning, Changmao became more and more courageous in the battle, and even divided his troops into the Northern Expedition. People in the capital city are still in panic."

Before the Tianjing Incident in 1856, the combat effectiveness of the Taiping Army was still on the rise. Even if the Hunan Army and the Taiping Army fought against each other, they might not be able to get any cheap.

"Will the imperial court approve the matter of Yueyong going out to fight in Guangdong?" Liang Yao continued to ask.

The suppression of the Taiping Army was the only good opportunity for Han Chen to gain real power in the two hundred years since the founding of the Qing Dynasty.It is also the hope of the Liang family to turn around.

Liang Yao didn't want only the warlord bureaucrats of Zeng Guofan's Hunan Army to gain real power after this incident.

After all, so far, he has nothing to do with the Hunan Army or Zeng Guofan.

"Last year, General Merchant Pan asked the imperial court to allow Yueyong to go out to fight in Guangdong. His Majesty only gave instructions: I understand. He didn't make a clear statement on this matter." Liang Shaoqiong said.

"However, since the fall of Jiangning, the imperial court issued an order to allow Yueyong to train two more battalions to go out to fight in Guangdong, and also granted 2 taels of silver to Yueyong."

"Is Yueyong ready to fight in Guangdong?" Liang Yao nodded.

Last year, the imperial court was hesitant about Yueyong going out to fight in Guangdong because the situation had not yet reached the point where it was difficult to deal with.

No matter how fierce the Taiping Army fought in Jintian, Yong'an, Guilin, Quanzhou, Changsha, Wuchang, Jiujiang, Hukou, and Anqing, in the eyes of the Qing court, they were nothing more than a group of thieves and nothing to fear.

However, after the Taiping Army conquered Nanjing to establish the capital and established the country, and they refused to leave, and began to establish a solid base, the situation was different.

As the capital of the former Ming Dynasty, Nanjing's political influence was not comparable to that of the cities captured by the Taiping Army.

Moreover, the Jiangnan area occupied by the Taiping Army is not the backwaters of Guangxi, but a fertile land. The wealth of the Qing court has threatened the foundation of the Qing Dynasty.

The Taiping Army obviously wanted to stand against the Qing court and replace it with the Qing Dynasty. This was unacceptable to the rulers of the Qing Dynasty.

Only then did the Qing government completely let go of the local bravery, and encouraged the local bravery to destroy the Taiping Army.

As long as Yueyong can go out to fight in Guangdong, Yueyong will have a chance to take the lead. Of course, Pan Shicheng and the Liang family who stayed in Xiangshan also have the chance to take the lead.

"Changmao has millions of people, and their morale is high, and there are generals under his command who are good at fighting like the Pseudo-Wing King, while Yueyong has only a thousand people. In all fairness, General Manager Pan and I don't have much confidence. " Liang Shaoqiong said truthfully.

"Before Changmao defeated Jiangning, General Manager Pan thought that the first battalion of Yueyongs could go out to fight in Guangdong. But after Changmao defeated Jiangning, General Manager Pan hoped that the other two battalions of Yueyongs would complete their training before going out to fight in Guangdong.

I came to California this time to purchase arms to arm the new battalion of Yueyong. "

"It's better to go out to Guangdong to fight sooner rather than later. When the bravery from other places makes a splash in the battle to suppress the Taiping Army, the weight of Yueyong will not be so important in the eyes of the court." Liang Yao said.

"At the beginning when I went to the Wa Kingdom, there were only two regiments with more than [-] soldiers. Wouldn't it be better to beat the [-] troops of the Wa Kingdom to the ground? The quality of soldiers is more important than the number of soldiers."

Liang Shaoqiong thought carefully about this nephew's words, and it was indeed reasonable. Liang Yao fought well when he traveled across the ocean to conquer the Japanese country, but when he came to him, he was afraid of his hands and feet.

As he said that, Liang Yao patted Liang Shaoqiong on the shoulder and encouraged him: "Uncle Wu, it's up to this time whether our Liang family can succeed. Whatever we say, we have to make a fortune. Even if we don't succeed, we still have a chance. With me here, the Liang family and Yueyong can afford to lose."

"What you said made my blood boil." Liang Shaoqiong smiled, "After I go back, I will urge Mr. Pan to dispatch troops as soon as possible, but my nephew, besides buying 4000 foreign guns this time, we Yueyong also want to organize Practice some artillery, you have to help me with that."

"Fifth Uncle's business is my business, and it's on me." Liang Yao said, patting his chest.

"Yueyong organizes and trains artillery, my nephew, do you have any suggestions?" Liang Shaoqiong asked Liang Yao for advice.

He has been familiar with the classics and history collections since he was a child, and he has read some military books for entertainment in his spare time, but he has never led soldiers to fight.

In terms of military affairs, this nephew who is already a general of the United States must be better than himself, and it will not hurt him to listen to Liang Yao's advice.

"Yueyong currently only has a battalion of 1500 people. It is definitely not Yueyong's turn to attack the city. Besides, the Taiping Army is in full swing and the Qing Dynasty is on the defensive, so there are few opportunities to attack the city." Liang Yaomo Said with a hard stubble on his chin.

"The battle between the Yueyong and the Taiping Army is mainly based on field battles and city defense battles. Yueyong needs to train artillery, and can train field artillery equipped with 6-pound guns and 12-pound guns, and 6-pound guns and 12-pound guns. It is relatively light, and can be pulled by mules and horses to march with the army. As for the organization, it can be modeled on my organization or the organization of the American Artillery Regiment, with 3 to 6 people serving a cannon."

Liang Shaoqiong nodded as if realizing something, and kept Liang Yao's suggestion in mind.

However, he still has a concern: "The artillery training takes too long, and Yueyong is about to leave customs. I am afraid that it will be difficult to train into an army in a short time and go out with the army."

"I can recruit some artillerymen with actual combat experience for your Yueyong in California, let my officers command theirs, and join the Yueyong as a mercenary to go out with the army." Liang Yao gave a solution.

It is obviously impossible for the artillery company he has worked so hard to serve as mercenaries for the Yueyong Battalion. Who knows how Pan Shicheng and Liang Shaoqiong, two people with no actual combat experience, will fight the battle.

He can support Yueyong, but he will not take his precious artillery into it.

However, he can still hire a small group of retired artillerymen and sailors who have used naval guns for Yueyong in California.

(End of this chapter)