1850 American Gold Tycoon.

"Set up a shipping administration?" Liang Yaoming asked knowingly.

In history, the Qing court established the shipping administration nine years later. At that time, the war between the Qing court and Britain and France had ended. Therefore, in the shipping administration issue, the Qing court mainly cooperated with Britain and France.

But this is nine years later, and the external and internal environment that the Qing court is facing now is completely different from that nine years later.

The current international relations between the Qing government and Britain and France are extremely bad, and the two sides may not cooperate in this field.

The projects that the shipping administration is responsible for include not only ship construction, but also fort construction and armament purchases.

The Qing court poured tens of millions of taels of silver into the shipping administration. If you can participate in it, the profits will be quite huge.

"Yes! Establish a ship administration! Foreigners can build strong ships and sharp guns, so we can build them too. Learn from the barbarians to control the barbarians!
As long as we build our own sea-ship cannons!Yingyi and Fayi didn't dare to regard my Qingshui master as nothing, and rushed in and out of our Daqing sea. "Shen Baozhen said impassionedly.

After hearing this, Liang Yao just shook his head.After all, Shen Baozhen's vision is still limited after all, and his goal is to build a defensive yellow water navy.

However, among the corrupt officials of the Qing Dynasty, Shen Baozhen was already one of the best.

"It's just that I don't understand one thing. It's a good thing for the imperial court to do shipping affairs. Since brother Shen was ordered by Prince Gong to come to the United States for inspection, why didn't he inform the American consul in advance." Liang Yao expressed his doubts.

When Shen Baozhen came to the United States this time, he didn't bring many entourages with him, and he didn't notify the American consul in China in advance.

"The Qing Dynasty is a kingdom of heaven, and the United States is one of the Western barbarians. The Holy Lord and Prince Gong mean that this matter should not be made public for fear of losing the majesty and dignity of the kingdom." Shen Baozhen replied with some embarrassment.

His knowledge of Western countries mainly comes from "Pictures of Sea Countries" he read in Lin Zexu's study when he was young, and "Tongjian of All Nations" written by Liang Yao.

The "Tongjian of All Nations" written by Liang Yao is the most detailed, meticulous and objective book on the Western countries among all the books about the Western countries.

Liang Yao didn't know that his book caused quite a stir in the Qing Dynasty, and it almost became a must-read for the officials of the Enlightened School of the Qing Dynasty.

Like many officials who read Qing Dynasty Officials for the first time, they cursed Liang Yao before even reading a few pages, scolding Liang Yao for being a villain with impure intentions and worshiping foreigners.

After learning that Liang Yao had immigrated to the United States, it confirmed his own idea. He thought that Liang Yao would not be a good citizen of the kingdom of heaven, but instead became a naturalized barbarian.

It was not until recently that Britain, France and Russia invaded the border one after another and saw Liang Shaoqiong in person in the Jiangnan area, equipped with foreign guns and cannons, and trained Cantonese warriors with Western methods, that Shen Baozhen's view of Liang Yao changed.He bought a new copy of "The Universal Mirror of All Nations" written by Liang Yao, read it carefully, and approved of the book.

Of course, what shocked Shen Baozhen the most was what he actually saw when he came to California today.

Californians live affluently and affluently, and treat others with politeness. They are not like barbarians who are uneducated and ignorant of etiquette.

The train, which can travel thousands of miles a day, opened Shen Baozhen's eyes even more, as if he had come to another world.

This is still the scene in the border areas of the United States. I wonder what it will be like in the best places of the United States and the more developed countries of Britain and France described in the book?
It is no wonder that the Qing Dynasty suffered repeated defeats in wars with Western countries, and it was difficult to win a victory, even if it was a miserable victory.

"After all, I still can't let go of airs." Liang Yao was not surprised by this.

The gang in the Qing Dynasty are old and stubborn. If they can humbly learn from the West and implement industrialization like the Japan of the Meiji Restoration, it will be hell.Those people will not dig out the foundation of Manchu rule by themselves.

"In my humble opinion, if we want to organize ship administration and build a naval division, which country among the Western countries would be the best to serve as our division?" Shen Baozhen asked tentatively.

"Of course it is best to take English as a teacher." Liang Yao said without thinking.

"The British Empire is the only superpower in the world, and its navy is unparalleled anywhere in the world."

In "Tongjian of All Nations", the country introduced by Liang Yao at the beginning is the United Kingdom, and the British chapter also occupies the largest space.In this book, Liang Yao defines the British Empire as the only superpower in the world.

This is also a point that many readers in the Qing Dynasty find it difficult to accept. The poison is released at the beginning, and the damn poison is extremely poisonous.

Therefore, many readers of "Wan Guo Tong Jian" gave up the book after reading it for the first time, and really read this book seriously only after the second or even third reading.

This was the case for Shen Baozhen. When he first read "Wanguo Tongjian", he was so angry that he felt that the book valued the barbarians and despised the Chinese.

"Secondly?" Shen Baozhen continued to ask.

"France." Liang Yao replied.

"The country of France is a traditional power in Europe. Although it has gone through many ups and downs, its strong foundation is still there. It is also the new emperor Napoleon III who is good at internal affairs. After Napoleon III came to power, the national power of France is booming. The country of France is also the only one that can compete with the British Empire today. A country at war."

"Brother Liang Xian is really a real person." Shen Baozhen praised.

Liang Yao did not mention the United States at all, and Shen Baozhen deepened his affection for Liang Yao, thinking that although Liang Yao was young, he was a real person.

"Liang is just stating the facts." Liang Yao said.

"How about America?" This time, Shen Baozhen finally asked about America.

"It's just a second-rate power. It's hard to compete with the traditional European powers." Liang Yao said matter-of-factly.

"I don't think so." Liang Shaoqiong couldn't help interjecting.

"My father once wrote me a letter, telling me what he had seen and heard about his travels in the United States in the past six months. The United States has a vast territory, thousands of miles of fertile land, abundant products, and the people are full of vigor and vigor. Its future is limitless."

Liang Shaoqiong's vision surprised Liang Yao, it seemed that he underestimated Liang Shaoqiong.

"So, if you want to do shipping management, Shen came to the wrong place?" Shen Baozhen asked with a smile.

"No, we came to the right place." Liang Yao said.

"I would like to hear the details." Shen Baozhen asked for advice.

"Britain and France have a direct conflict of interest with the Qing Dynasty, and the relationship between the two sides is tense at the moment. If Britain and France are used as teachers in shipping administration, Britain and France may not agree to the Qing's request. Furthermore, even if Britain and France are greedy for the benefits of shipping administration and send people When Hua assisted the Qing Dynasty in setting up the shipping industry, he would not give everything to him. Instead, he would impose restrictions on everything and even install spies to collect intelligence." Liang Yao analyzed.

"The United States is different. There is no direct conflict of interest between the United States and the Qing Dynasty. Moreover, European countries have always looked down on the United States. The United States is also eager to expand its international influence and very much hopes to cooperate with friendly powers outside the region."

In the mid-19th century, although the United States had reached the level of a second-rate power, its overall national strength was behind Prussia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and ahead of Spain and the Netherlands.However, the United States has not achieved an international status commensurate with its strength.

In the eyes of European countries, the international status of the United States is even lower than that of Spain and the Netherlands.

Not only Europeans think so, even most Americans agree with this view.

This can be seen from the "Valpleso" incident in 1873.

In 1873, an American merchant ship named "Valpleso" was seized by the Spanish Cuban colonial authorities on suspicion of smuggling and participating in the Cuban independence movement.

The American government put pressure on the Spanish colonial authorities to release the impounded ship and its occupants, and threatened to take military action against Spain if Spain did not release the people.

However, the Spanish colonial authorities not only did not take the words of the American authorities seriously, they immediately tried and executed several American sailors.

This move made the American authorities lose face. In the end, the United States did not launch special military operations against Spain because of this. The two sides resolved the issue through diplomatic channels.

It is true that there are reasons for the great loss of American national power after the Civil War, but it is undeniable that in the 19th century, the core position of the European continent in the world was not yet able to be shaken by other countries outside the European continent.

"That's the reason." Shen Baozhen nodded to show that what Liang Yao said made sense.

Prince Gong also considered the diplomatic relations between the Qing Dynasty and Britain and France before asking Shen Baozhen to visit the United States before making a conclusion.

"Brother Shen, to tell the truth, I have quite a position in the shipbuilding industry in the United States, and I have made some achievements in the shipbuilding industry. If Brother Shen is willing to cooperate with the United States to establish a shipping administration, I am willing to contribute. After all, I am also a Chinese. "Liang Yao said.

Due to the existence of Liang Yao, Shen Baozhen has a better impression of the American industry, and he is more inclined to cooperate with the American shipbuilding industry.

But he is only a Hanchen of the fourth rank, and the decision whether to run the ship administration, and which country to cooperate with in the ship administration is not up to him, but in the hands of the high-ranking Manchu officials such as Prince Gong Yi and Emperor Xianfeng.

What he can do now is to conduct a serious and meticulous investigation in the United States, study the feasibility of jointly establishing a shipping administration with the United States, and then report to Prince Gong and Emperor Xianfeng, and try his best to facilitate this matter in the middle.

"I have been on a warship built by my brother's shipyard. It is indeed a good ship, especially the Bold class warship. It can ignore the wind direction and travel very fast. The cannons on the ship are also very sharp. If we cooperate with the shipping management, can you please Assist the Qing Dynasty in the production of this ship in the Qing Dynasty?" Shen Baozhen looked at Liang Yao with fiery eyes.

Liang Shaoqiong bought a Bold-class battleship and several loach boats from Liang Yao successively. Shen Baozhen and Liang Shaoqiong are good friends. It is not surprising that they have been on a ship built by Liang Yao's shipyard.

"If my San Francisco Shipyard can participate in the shipping administration of the Qing Dynasty, the relevant shipbuilding technology can be transferred in principle. If the Qing Dynasty urgently needs warships to protect the sea, I can also sell a few bold-class ships to the Qing Dynasty first. Emergency." Liang Yao expressed his attitude.

The bold grade was launched in December 1853. After three years of production, the production capacity is no longer a problem.During this period, many modifications were produced based on user feedback.

However, no matter how the bold class is modified, it will be repaired on a kiloton class platform, with limited potential.

The focus of the San Francisco Shipyard has long been on the design and production of [-]-ton ships.

The Qing Dynasty did not carry out industrialization, nor did it have a complete shipbuilding industry chain, nor did it intend to set foot in the ocean, so it would not pose a threat to Liang Yao's shipbuilding industry.Therefore, Liang Yao is willing to transfer the relevant shipbuilding technology to gain benefits from it and get a share of the Qing Dynasty's shipping management movement.

Anyway, he didn't make this money, and Britain, France and Germany would make it in the future.

"That's very good. I will relay the words of my virtuous brother to Prince Gong and His Majesty. If this can be done, it will be of great benefit to the Qing Dynasty." Shen Baozhen said.

"I wonder if my virtuous brother can take me to visit the arsenal and shipyard some other day?"

"Brother Shen has been tired from traveling all the way. Let's rest in a humble house today. Tomorrow I will take Brother Shen to visit the Sacramento Arsenal and the San Francisco Shipyard." Liang Yao agreed.

Anyway, he is now watching the development of the eastern form, and he has time, why not take Shen Baozhen to visit in California first.

If this matter can be accomplished, at least it will be a project of millions of taels of silver.

"It's so good." Shen Baozhen said happily.

Seeing that the conversation was almost over, Liang Yao asked the maid to take Shen Baozhen to the guest room to rest.

"Third Uncle, I heard that Yueyong now has [-] soldiers, and you are now an important minister of the Qing Dynasty with [-] soldiers."

After Shen Baozhen left, Liang Yao said to Liang Shaoqiong.

There are some things that it is inconvenient for their uncle and nephew to say in front of Shen Baozhen.Although Shen Baozhen is open-minded, he is still a loyal minister of the Qing Dynasty after all.

"Although there are 2 people, most of them are civilians. There are only [-] people who can fight. There are even fewer troops who can fight tough battles. There are only Xiangzi Camp, Shanzi Camp, Changzi Camp, and Shengzi Camp. There are only five thousand people in the artillery battalion and cavalry battalion." Liang Shaoqiong shook his head and said.

"Furthermore, how can an army of 5 people be supported by the imperial court's small amount of military pay that cannot be paid on time?"

Yueyong, with Liang Yao's western brigade as their division, is a quasi-modernized unit that uses muskets and artillery as its main weapon.

Therefore, Guangdong Yong's operations also rely heavily on logistics.Each battalion of the Hunan Army has one battalion officer, four sentry officers, and 500 brave men, plus 180 captains, for a total of 680 five men per battalion.Logistics staff account for more than a quarter.

The proportion of Yueyong's logistics personnel is even worse than that of the Hunan Army, directly exceeding three-fifths.The regular battalion of Yueyong has more than 800 people in each battalion, which is also higher than that of the Hunan Army.

The Xiangzi Battalion, Shanzi Battalion, Changzi Battalion, Shengzi Battalion, Artillery Battalion and Cavalry Battalion are the ace troops of the Yueyong. The folks also call them the Old Yueying. These six battalions are the core combat troops of the Yueyong.

In addition to the regular army, Yueyong, like the Hunan Army, is also equipped with naval divisions in order to facilitate the projection of troops to provide support for the land division's operations.

However, the scale of Yueyong's navy is not as large as that of the Hunan Army's navy that formed an earlier army.When Peng Yulin's Hunan Army Navy was established, there were 5000 people in the tenth battalion, and now it has grown to nearly [-] people in the eighteenth battalion.However, Yueyong's navy has only three battalions of more than [-] people.

However, the degree of professionalization and specialization of the Yueyong Navy is much higher than that of the Hunan Army. They are equipped with steamships produced by the San Francisco Shipyard and have certain ocean-going capabilities.

The ships used by the Hunan Army Navy are basically inland river civilian ships that have been conscripted. There are very few serious warships, and their combat effectiveness is not at the same level as that of the Yueyong Navy.

The Yueyong Navy was under Liang Shaoqiong's direct command and dispatch.

In fact, this navy attached to the land force is actually the most powerful surface force in the Qing Dynasty.

Liang Shaoqiong and Pan Shicheng's Guangdong Yong, like Liang Yao's Western Brigade, followed the route of elite troops.

Although there are not many people, their combat effectiveness is definitely the only one in the Qing army.

"The imperial court did not pay salaries on time, and Yueyong was spending a lot of money. Where did the military expenses come from? Like the Hunan army, they set up likas to collect lijin? Looting after the siege?" Liang Yao asked about the source of Yueyong's military expenses.

"I'm not as skinless as I've been peeled. I have my own way of making money." Liang Shaoqiong said with a smile.

"The military discipline of our Yue Yong army is not as bad as that of the Hunan Army, and we have never massacred cities and plundered people. However, we did accept Lijin. De She (Pan Shicheng) and I set up equipment on the main transportation routes in Huai'an, Yangzhou, Tongzhou, Haimenting, Songjiang, Jiaxing and other places. Youlika collects lika from merchants to finance the military, and draws one out of ten, so no one can be deceived.

Donations from Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang and Jiangnan merchants were also a major source of military expenses for the Yue Yong.Which place has merchants and squires paying more?I will send troops to garrison wherever they are to protect them from the long hair.Merchants and gentry were happy to spend money to buy peace, and local officials were also happy to spend money to protect their positions. Everyone was happy.

However, most of the military salaries of the Shanzi Battalion, the Artillery Battalion, the Cavalry Battalion and the Navy were supported by our Liang family's own profits from the coal mines in Guangzhou and the gold mine business in Australia. "

"So that's how it is." Liang Yao probably understood Yueyong's situation. His third uncle is quite smart and has the potential to be a warlord.

"Nephew, do you understand the Raksha country, that is, Russia?" Liang Shaoqiong asked about Russia.

"I understand that because Russia's war in the Near East was not going well, its Emperor Nicholas I died suddenly and was succeeded by his son Alexander II. Russia just signed the "Paris Peace Treaty" with Britain and France in March this year. The domestic political situation in Russia is currently relatively turbulent," Liang Yao said.

"A few years ago, I had a relationship with Muraviyov, the governor of Siberia in Russia. This kid was quite rude, and he took me for a fool, trying to trick me into buying Russian war bonds, so I didn't How to deal with him."

After the Crimean War, Russia was burdened with huge war debts and its finances were in dire straits. Liang Yaozheng was thinking about spending money to buy Alaska from the Russians.

Of course, if conditions permit, he doesn't mind sending troops directly to occupy it.

After all, the natural environment of Alaska is harsh, and it is far away from the core territory of the European part of Russia. The population of Alaska is only more than [-] people, and the Russians who have settled there are only a few hundred people.

The Russians who settled in Alaska were mainly whalers.

"Damn it, this Russian country is neither good at war nor so good at war. With such virtues in the country, it still dares to provoke the Qing Dynasty frequently." Liang Shaoqiong had the bottom line in his heart.

"The Russians are the most unfaithful. In the 28th year of Kangxi (1689), the Qing Dynasty signed the Treaty of Nerchinsk with Russia. Soon the Russians took over the land to be discussed, and the court turned a blind eye. Only one eye. Now Russia is getting more and more excessive, ignoring the boundaries stipulated in the treaty, constantly crossing the border to harass border residents, taking in fugitives, and even setting off cannons on Heilongjiang."

At this time, Heilongjiang is not the border river between China and Russia, but the inland river of the Qing Dynasty. It is too much to shoot cannons on Heilongjiang.

"This is the national policy of the Russian state to make up for what is lacking in the west. Russia has lost troops in the Near East and lost control of the Black Sea. They want to find compensation in the Far East. This country is greedy for territory and there is no cure. "Liang Yao said.

Since he had been blackmailed by the local police when traveling to Russia in his previous life, he not only had no good impression of this country, but also felt disgusted with it.

Closer to home, according to the "Paris Peace Treaty" signed in 1856, Tsarist Russia was forced to return the Crimea region to the Ottoman Empire, cede the Busarao and New Hassan regions to Moldova, and return the Dobruga region to the Ottoman Empire.

In addition, the Black Sea was neutralized. According to the "Paris Peace Treaty", countries were not allowed to establish military ports and military installations in the Black Sea, which restricted Tsarist Russia's naval activities.

Tsarist Russia's plan to find an outlet to the south was declared bankrupt.

After the war, Tsarist Russia's international influence weakened, and the war had an important impact on Russia's geopolitics and future strategic decisions.

Although compared with the huge territory of Tsarist Russia, the territory occupied in the forced return war is pitifully small.

For the Russians who are only allowed to eat and not to vomit on territorial issues, it is more uncomfortable than killing them.

In order to make up for Tsarist Russia's losses in modern areas, Tsarist Russia set its sights on the Far East just after the war and was ready to make moves.

"No matter how strong Britain and France are, they don't border the Qing Dynasty after all. Russia directly borders the Qing Dynasty, and the border is thousands of miles long. It is definitely not a blessing to have such a bad neighbor." Liang Shaoqiong said worriedly.

"Britain and France are just ailments at the elbow and armpit, but Russia is a serious problem."

"If there is a war between Russia and the Qing Dynasty, I will definitely support the Qing Dynasty." Liang Yao said with a smile.

"To tell you the truth, I have an important trading base on Ezo Island, called Matsumae Port. The Russians often provoke troubles here, trying to establish a colonial base in Ezo. Fortunately, my uncle was driven off the island. go.

However, Russia is not dead-hearted, rushing and coming, coming and rushing, my uncle is also very disturbing, I also want to clean up these old men. "

After the signing of the "U.S.-Japan Treaty of Goodwill", Ezo Island, which is later known as Hokkaido Island, has become Liang Yao's sphere of influence. Liang Yao gradually encroached northward on Ezo Island by occupying and operating Matsumae Port (later Hakodate) .

Liang Yao asked Deng Yan, who was based in Nagasaki, to be responsible for transporting immigrants to Ezo Island and establishing a large colonial stronghold in the Moiwa area (later known as Sapporo) to stabilize control of Ezo Island.

The Japanese general who conquered barbarians did not enlist barbarians, and I, someone from Liang, recruited barbarians for him.

The Japanese were defeated by Liang Yao in the Japan-US War, and they dare not have any opinion on this matter.Even if you have opinions, you just dare not speak out, you can only hold them in your heart.

However, the Russians came to Ezo Island again and again to act as monsters and disgusting people.

Liang Yao had long wanted to tidy up Russia so that they could live in peace.

Anyway, the Russian navy is weak, and it is impossible for the main force of its navy to go around more than half of the world and come to California to beat him.

Furthermore, even if the imperial Russian navy came to California, he would not be afraid.

The Imperial Russian Navy is not the navy of the Empire on which the sun never sets.The navy has always been the weakest link among the various services of the Russian Empire.