1850 American Gold Tycoon.

This situation made Elliot feel mixed emotions. In the heavy rain, the soldiers of the Arizona Regiment standing like sculptures on the border destroyed Elliot's last confidence and arrogance.

The discipline and military literacy shown by these western brigade soldiers on the border line at 49° north latitude is no worse than that of the British regular army.

What's even more terrifying is that the Arizona regiment is not the most elite unit in the Western Brigade. The most elite infantry unit in the Western Brigade is the prestigious California Infantry Regiment.

In other words, Liang Yao was able to put such a lot of pressure on him before he showed his cards.

In the current situation, it is a good thing for British Columbia to amend the treaty to clarify the border line.

The competition for strength here is no longer about the strong and the weak, but the strong and weak.

On September 1856, 9, Elliot, the British representative, and Liang Yao and Ge Wen, the American representatives, revised the "Oregon Treaty Amendment" in Liangyao City, Israel. The treaty clarified the border between Britain and the United States.

The main contents are as follows:

First, the mainland maintains a border line at 49° north latitude, and residents of both sides are not allowed to cross the border to settle without permission.Violators will be dealt with in accordance with local laws.

Second, on the border issue of the island region, the US side respects the UK's sovereignty over Vancouver Island.The British side also respects the U.S. sovereignty over the San Juan Islands, Mayne Island, North Pender Island, South Pender Island, and Saturna Island, but the U.S. needs to pay the British side 5 pounds (24.333 U.S. dollars) within one year as Island purchase fee.

Third, the waterway in the area south of 59° north latitude is jointly used by both parties, and neither party can occupy the waterway under any pretext.

Fourth, allow free trade in the surrounding areas of Liangyao City and the Vancouver Plains.

Fifth, the British Columbia government needs to pay a fine of 2.25 pounds for the British and French residents who illegally crossed the border.

Compared with the "Treaty of Nagasaki", "Treaty of Edo", and "Treaty of Batavia" signed by Liang Yao before, the "Oregon Treaty Amendment" can be said to be an equal treaty for both parties.

After all, the previous three treaties were all signed by coercing the other party by means of war, but this time the treaty was revised, and there was no direct military conflict between Britain and the United States.

Furthermore, it is still as difficult as [-] million points to force Victorian Great Britain to sign unequal treaties.

Liang Yao had already maximized his own interests within his ability.

The greatest significance of the "Oregon Treaty Amendment" to the United States is not to take advantage of it, but to clarify the local border between Britain and the United States in the form of a treaty, creating a good and stable external environment for the development of Liangyao City and surrounding areas .

From this point of view, Liang Yao has already won.

Of course, cheap is not unaccounted for.

Before the revision of the treaty, Liang Yao's bottom line was to maintain the US-Canada border for future generations.

Through this treaty revision, Liang Yao not only maintained the bottom line, but also acquired four additional islands, Mayne Island, North Pender Island, South Pender Island, and Saturna Island, pushing the maritime border to the British side. a push.

"The price of the four islands is 5 pounds. Is Elliot so short of money?"

After the treaty was signed and Elliot left, Ge Wen couldn't help complaining.

"If it's Vancouver Island, the Congress may pay the $24, but for these four small islands where they don't know where they are, I don't think there is any hope for them to pay this money within a year."

The treaty stipulates that the United States needs to pay the British side 5 pounds ($24.333) within one year as the cost of purchasing the island.

The point is that within a year, Gwen has been a member of the Congress for so long, and Gwen is very clear about the piss of the congressmen on the issue of money.

Paying 4 US dollars for 24 small islands will definitely not be able to negotiate within a year.

Although Liang Yao rarely went to the Congress in Washington, he knew a thing or two about this situation. In history, the United States purchased Alaska with an area of ​​720 million square kilometers for only 171.8 million US dollars.

Later generations believed that the United States took advantage of the territorial transaction, and picked up a big leak at an average price of two cents per mu.Of course, it is true.

But the Americans at the time didn't think so, they thought they were being taken advantage of, and spent $720 million to buy such a big ice bump in Alaska.

Compared with the Louisiana area, which was bought from the French for $1500 million, this deal was a loss to grandma's family.

After the Alaska purchase was passed by the Senate, it was rejected several times by the House of Representatives, refusing to approve the funds.

In the end, the then Secretary of State Seward spent a year and a half persuading the opposition members of the House of Representatives one by one, and the bill was finally passed.

Seward also recalled in his later years that the purchase of Alaska was the most important and correct decision in his life, but few people could really understand him. It would take a generation for America to understand the benefits of this deal .

Of course, in this transaction, Tsarist Russia also exchanged a huge sum of US$720 million for its untenable territory. Later, Tsarist Russia used the US$720 million to buy the railway bonds of Western European companies and ate decades of interest to rebuild its own. For the army, this territory deal is also profitable for them.

Therefore, trading Alaska is a win-win deal for both the United States and Russia.

So if someone wins, is there any country that suffers?
The answer is naturally yes, and the country that suffers is the Qing Dynasty.

The Russians who are greedy for territory will naturally have to make up for the losses suffered by Western powers through other places.

After the Crimean War, Tsarist Russia continued to encroach on China's territory with this kind of thinking.

From another perspective, how much territory Tsarist Russia has cut off from China in modern times can also be used as a unit of measurement for how much they have suffered in the hands of Western powers.

"Then let's pay for it ourselves!" Liang Yao said, "After deducting the fine of 2.25 pounds for the British, we actually need to pay less than 5 pounds for the four islands, only 2.75 pounds."

Buying four islands for 2.75 pounds and moving the border forward is a sure-fire deal. If the British are willing, Liang Yao can’t wait to buy the entire Vancouver Island, or even the entire British Columbia, and monopolize the entire Northeast Pacific Ocean.

Liang Yao was also worried that the British would go back on their word. Even if California advanced the money first, he would have to pay the money first to make the treaty take effect and create an established fact.

"I always feel that we are so mobilizing teachers and mobilizing people, and we only took such a small advantage, which is not enough." Ge Wen said with some regret.

"Don't take advantage of small wins. A small win is a win, and taking advantage of a small advantage is also taking advantage." Liang Yao said with a smile, "Besides, we took advantage of the iron rooster in Britain."

"Your Excellency, since the treaty has been signed, should the Arizona Regiment stay on the border or return to Portland?" Kruger, head of the Oregon Infantry, asked for instructions, and he did not forget to add.

"The soldiers were exposed to heavy rain for several days, and many of them got sick, so they were holding on at the border with one breath."

"Before the cavalry regiment became an army, the Arizona regiment stayed in Liangyao City to maintain local order in case of accidents." Liang Yao patted Kruger on the shoulder, "Thank you, the British can bow their heads this time, and the Arizona regiment owes a lot , this year, each person in the Arizona regiment will be paid two extra months of salary as a subsidy for this operation."

"Yes, General!" Kruger happily saluted Liang Yao and left happily.

This year, two more months of salary will be paid, and he will be able to give the soldiers an explanation when he goes back.

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"I don't understand my brother-in-law's operation. While selling the bonds of the railway company, my brother-in-law asked the Atlantic Railway Company to undertake such a large project as the Garde Railway. I don't understand what kind of medicine he is selling in this gourd?"

In the manor of the Vanderbilt family on the banks of the Hudson River in New York, William, the eldest son of the Vanderbilt family, was puzzled by Liang Yao's recent actions.

After taking money from the shipping industry and investing in the railroad industry, after five years, the Vanderbilt family became the largest iron bank tycoon in the United States.

Unlike Liang Yao, Liang Yao's business is very extensive, and the railway is only one of the businesses of the American Group.

The Vanderbilt family is dedicated to cultivating the railway industry. For a railway giant with assets worth tens of millions of dollars, any disturbance in the iron depot industry will have a great impact on them.

Therefore, the Vanderbilt family is extremely sensitive to minor changes in the railway industry, not to mention Liang Yao's behavior of selling railway bonds in the Wall Street stock market.

"Do you not understand whether he is pessimistic about the prospects of the domestic railway industry, or optimistic about the prospects of the domestic railway industry?" Vanderbilt pointed to his brain and said.

"William, you have to learn to analyze and learn to speak from the data."

"Father, I have analyzed it. Although my brother-in-law's behavior caused the stock prices of major railway companies to drop at the beginning of selling the bonds, but a week later, the stock prices of the railway companies all recovered, so I was very confused." William Still puzzled.

"The public reports of the major railway companies are also very good. It seems that there is no need for my brother-in-law to sell their railway company bonds on a large scale at this time."

"The stock price rebound shows that the railway company bonds that Liang Yao sold were not sold, but were sold," Vanderbilt said.

"This is his brilliance. He is always one step ahead. If these bonds are sold before the crisis breaks out, do you think someone will take over these bonds? As for the public report of the railway company, do you believe it?"

"I can't believe it all." William replied without thinking.

Not to mention other railway companies, even the railway industry giants like the Central Railway Company, in order to raise more funds from the Wall Street stock market and obtain financial subsidies from local governments, will make their public reports as good as possible.

This has become a customary rule of all American railway circles. Only the core members of the railway company know how credible the public report is. The real information is internal information, and it is called a commercial secret to the outside world. .Every railway company is secretive.

"Looking at the data, you can't just look at the data of the railway company industry." Vanderbilt analyzed calmly.

"Currently, there are more than 70 medium and large railway companies on Wall Street that are endorsed by local governments. There are more than 200 pheasant railway companies. I have sent people to investigate these railway companies. Although they raise funds on Wall Street, they issue stocks on time every month. The progress of railroad construction, but in fact, many so-called railroad companies did not build even a mile of railroad at all.

In addition, more than 800 bank stocks, more than 70 insurance company stocks are traded on Wall Street, bonds of more than 300 companies, bonds of local governments, and even bonds of the federal government are traded on Wall Street.

More than two-thirds of these bonds revolve around the railway industry. "

What Vanderbilt meant was very clear. In the six years from 1850 to 1856, the mileage of railroads in the United States increased by at least 2 miles.

In 1850, there were only about 9000 miles of railroads across the United States.

The rapid economic growth of the United States in the past six years was largely driven by the railroad industry.

Only God knows how big the bubble in the railway industry is, and how much speculative capital is involved in it.

Knowing these data, William couldn't help taking a breath, feeling a chill down his spine: "We seem to be heading towards the abyss?"