Chapter 521: Ship Administration

"Establish a shipping administration?" Liang Yaoming asked knowingly.

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

But this was nine years later, and the external and internal environments faced by the Qing court now are completely different from those nine years later.

The Qing court's current international relations with Britain and France are extremely bad, and the two sides may not cooperate in this field.

The projects that the shipyard is responsible for include not only the construction of ships, but also the construction of forts, the purchase of armaments, etc.

The Qing government spent tens of millions of taels of silver on shipping companies. If he could participate, the profits would be quite generous.

"Yes! Set up a shipping administration! Foreigners can build strong ships and cannons, so can we, learn from the foreigners and use their skills to defeat the foreigners!

If only we had built our own sea-ship cannon! The British and French barbarians did not dare to ignore our Qing Dynasty Navy and rush in and out of our Qing Dynasty waters. "Shen Baozhen said impassionedly.

After hearing this, Liang Yao just shook his head. In the final analysis, Shen Baozhen's vision is still limited, and his goal is only to build a defensive Yellow Water Navy.

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

"It's just that I don't know something. It's a good thing that the imperial court wants to organize shipping administration. Since Brother Shen came to the United States for inspection on the order of Prince Gong, 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 entourage with him, and he didn't notify the American consul in China in advance. It really didn't look like he was going to do shipping management.

"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 came from the "Pictures of the Sea Kingdoms" he read in Lin Zexu's study when he was young, and the "Tongjian of All Nations" written by Liang Yao.

"Wanguo Tongjian" written by Liang Yao is the most detailed, detailed and objective book about Western countries among all the books about Western countries.

Liang Yao didn't know it yet, but his book caused quite a stir in the Qing Dynasty and almost became a must-read for enlightened officials 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, this idea was confirmed. He believed that Liang Yao neglected the good people of the Kingdom of Heaven and instead became a barbarian. He was a villain without a king or father, and he forgot his ancestors.

It was not until recently that Britain, France and Russia invaded the border one after another, and saw Liang Shaoqiong's Yue warriors equipped with foreign guns and cannons in the Jiangnan area, and trained with Western methods, that Shen Baozhen's view of Liang Yao changed. He bought another 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 a prosperous life and are courteous to others. They are nothing like barbarians who lack education and don't know etiquette.

The wonder of a train, which can travel thousands of miles in a day, opened Shen Baozhen's eyes, as if he had entered 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 its wars with Western countries, and it was difficult to win, even if it was a tragic victory.

"In the end, I still can't let go of my arrogance." Liang Yao was not surprised by this.

Those stubborn people in the Qing Dynasty would be damned if they could humbly learn from the West and implement industrialization like Japan during the Meiji Restoration. Those people will not dig the foundation of Manchu rule on their own.

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

"Of course it's best to have Ying as your teacher." Liang Yao said without hesitation.

"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 of the Qing Dynasty find difficult to accept. The opening chapter is poisonous, and it is extremely poisonous.

Therefore, many readers of "Wanguo Tongjian" gave up the book after reading it for the first time, and they only really read the book seriously for the second or even third time.

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.

"What's next?" Shen Baozhen continued to ask.

"France." Liang Yao replied.

"France is a traditional powerful country on the European continent. Although it has experienced ups and downs, its foundation of power is still there. Moreover, the new French Emperor Napoleon III is good at internal affairs. After Napoleon III came to power, France's national power has flourished. France is also the only country today that can compete with the British Empire. A contending country.”

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

"It's just a second-rate power, and it's hard to compare with the traditional powers in Europe." Liang Yao said realistically.

"I don't think so." Liang Shaoqiong on the side couldn't help but interrupt.

"My father once wrote to me and told me about his experience in America in the past six months. America has a vast territory, fertile land, abundant resources, and the people are full of vitality and vigor. Its future is limitless."

Liang Shaoqiong's vision surprised Liang Yao. It seems that he underestimated Liang Shaoqiong.

"So, if you want to run a ship administration, Shen has come to the wrong place?" Shen Baozhen asked with a smile.

"No, I have come to the right place." Liang Yao said.

"I would like to hear more about it." Shen Baozhen asked.

"Britain, France and the Qing Dynasty have direct conflicts of interest, and the relationship between the two sides is tense at the moment. If Britain and France are used as models to run the shipbuilding, Britain and France will probably not agree to the Qing Dynasty's request. Moreover, even if Britain and France covet the benefits of the shipbuilding and send people to China to assist the Qing Dynasty in establishing the shipbuilding, they will not give everything they know. Instead, they will restrict it everywhere and even plant spies to collect intelligence." Liang Yao analyzed.

"But the United States is different. The United States and the Qing Dynasty have no direct conflicts of interest. Moreover, the European countries have always despised 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 second-rate powers, its comprehensive national strength was behind Prussia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and before Spain and the Netherlands. But the United States did not obtain an international status that matched its strength.

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

Not only Europeans think so, but 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 for suspected smuggling and participation in the Cuban independence movement.

The American government pressured the Spanish colonial authorities to release the seized ship and the crew on board, and threatened to take military action against Spain if Spain did not release them.

However, the Spanish colonial authorities not only did not take the words of the American authorities seriously, but also immediately tried and executed several American crew members.

This move made the American authorities lose face, and in the end, the United States did not launch a special military operation against Spain. The two sides still resolved the issue through diplomatic channels.

It is true that the United States' national strength was greatly damaged after the Civil War, but it is undeniable that in the 19th century, the core position of the European continent in the world could not be shaken by other countries outside the European continent.

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

Prince Gong also considered the diplomatic relations between the Qing Dynasty and Britain and France and asked Shen Baozhen to go to the United States for an inspection before making a final decision.

"To be honest with you, Brother Shen, I have a high status in the shipbuilding industry in the United States and have made some achievements in the shipbuilding industry. If you are willing to cooperate with the United States to establish a shipbuilding administration, I am willing to contribute. After all, I am also a Chinese." Liang Yao said.

Because of Liang Yao's existence, Shen Baozhen has a better impression of the American industry and is more inclined to cooperate with the United States to build ships.

But he is only a fourth-rank Han minister. The decision on whether to run a shipbuilding administration and which country to cooperate with is not in his hands, but in the hands of Prince Gong Yi?? and Emperor Xianfeng, the high-ranking officials of the Qing Dynasty.

What he can do now is to conduct a serious and detailed investigation in the United States, study the feasibility of co-founding a shipbuilding administration with the United States, and then report to Prince Gong and Emperor Xianfeng, and try his best to promote this matter in the middle.

"I have ridden on warships built by my brother's shipyard. They are really good ships, especially the Bold-class warships, which can ignore the wind direction and travel very fast. The cannons on the ship are also very sharp. If we jointly run the shipbuilding administration, can you help the Qing Dynasty produce this ship in the Qing Dynasty?" Shen Baozhen looked at Liang Yao with a fiery look.

Liang Shaoqiong had purchased a Bold-class warship and several loach boats from Liang Yao before and after. Shen Baozhen and Liang Shaoqiong were good friends, so it was not surprising that he had ridden on ships built by Liang Yao's shipyard.

"If my San Francisco shipyard can participate in the Qing Dynasty's shipbuilding administration, the relevant shipbuilding technology can be transferred in principle. If the Qing Dynasty urgently needs warships to protect the sea borders, I can also sell a few Bold-class ships to the Qing Dynasty for emergency use." Liang Yao expressed his attitude.

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

However, no matter how much the Bold Class is modified, it is still a repair on a thousand-ton platform, and its potential is limited.

The focus of the San Francisco Shipyard has long been on the design and production of 3,000-ton ships.

The Qing Dynasty did not carry out industrialization, nor did it have a complete shipbuilding industry chain. It was also unwilling to get involved in the ocean, and would not pose a threat to Liang Yao's shipbuilding industry. Therefore, Liang Yao was willing to transfer the relevant shipbuilding technology, gain profits from it, and share a share of the Qing Dynasty's shipbuilding movement.

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

"That's great. I will convey your words to Prince Gong and His Majesty. If this can be accomplished, it will be of great benefit to my Qing Dynasty." Shen Baozhen said.

"I wonder if you can take me to visit the arsenal and shipyard someday?"

"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 sitting back and watching the development of the eastern form, and he has time, so why not take Shen Baozhen to visit California first.

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

"That's very good." Shen Baozhen said happily.

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

"Third uncle, I heard that there are now fifty thousand Yue Yong, and you are now an important minister of the Qing Dynasty with fifty thousand troops."

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

There were some things that the uncle and nephew were not comfortable saying in front of Shen Baozhen. Although Shen Baozhen is enlightened, he is still a loyal minister of the Qing Dynasty.

"Although there are 50,000 people, most of them are civilians. There are only 20,000 people who can fight. There are even fewer troops that can fight hard. There are only Xiangziying, Shanziying, Changziying, and Shengziying. There are only more than 5,000 people in the artillery and cavalry battalions," Liang Shaoqiong said, shaking his head.

"Furthermore, how can we support an army of 50,000 people with the meager military pay from the imperial court that cannot be paid on time?"

The Yue Yong, with Liang Yao's Western Brigade as their division, is a quasi-modern force that uses muskets and artillery as its main weapons.

Therefore, Yueyong'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 685 men per battalion. Logistics staff account for more than a quarter.

The ratio of Guangdong Yong's logistics personnel is even worse than that of the Hunan Army, directly exceeding three-fifths. Each of the regular Yong battalions of the Guangdong Yong has more than 800 people, which is also much higher than that of the Hunan Army.

Xiangziying, Shanziying, Changziying, Shengziying, Artillery Battalion and Cavalry Battalion are the ace troops of the Yue Yong, also known as the Lao Yue Ying among the people. These six battalions are the core combat troops of the Yue Yong.

In addition to the conventional army, the Yue Yong, like the Hunan Army, is also equipped with a navy in order to facilitate the projection of troops and provide support for the land division operations.

However, the scale of Yue Yong's navy was not as large as that of the Hunan Army's navy, which formed an army earlier. Peng Yulin's Hunan Navy Navy had ten battalions of 5,000 men when it was first established, and now it has grown to 18 battalions of nearly 10,000 men. However, Guangdong Yong's navy only had three battalions and more than 2,000 men.

However, the degree of professionalism and specialization of the Guangdong Navy is much higher than that of the Hunan Army. It is equipped with steamships produced by the San Francisco Shipyard and has certain ocean-going capabilities.

The ships used by the Hunan Navy are basically requisitioned inland river civilian ships. 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 returned to Liang Shaoqiong to directly 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 the number is small, their combat effectiveness is definitely unique among the Qing army.

"The imperial court does not pay salaries on time, and the Yue Yong spends a lot of money. Where does the military expenditure come from? Like the Hunan Army, they set up lika to collect lijin? Pillage after siege?" Liang Yao asked about the source of the Yue Yong's military expenditure.

"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 facilities 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. One out of ten is drawn, and no one is 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, Artillery Battalion, Cavalry Battalion and Navy were supported by our Liang family’s own profits from the coal mines in Guangzhou and the gold mining business in Australia. "

"I see." Liang Yao roughly understood Yue Yong's situation. His third uncle was quite clever and had the potential to become a warlord.

"My dear nephew, do you know anything about the Rakshasa country, which is also the country of Russia?" Liang Shaoqiong asked about Russia.

"I understand that due to Russia's unfavorable war in the Near East, its emperor Nicholas I died suddenly and was succeeded by his son Alexander II. Russia just signed the "Peace of Paris" armistice 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 an encounter with the Russian governor of Siberia, Muravyov. This guy was very rude and took me for granted. He wanted to trick me into buying Russian war bonds, so I didn't do it later. 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 wouldn't mind directly sending troops to occupy it.

After all, Alaska's natural environment is harsh and it is far away from the core territory of Russia's European part. The population of such a large Alaska is only more than 2,000 people, of which only a few hundred Russians have settled.

The Russians who settled in Alaska were primarily whalers.

"Damn it, this Russian country is not good at fighting but so warlike. With such a bad character in the country, it dares to frequently provoke the Qing Dynasty." Liang Shaoqiong knew the bottom of his heart.

"The Russians are the most unfaithful. In the 28th year of Emperor Kangxi (1689), the Qing Dynasty signed the Treaty of Nerchinsk with Russia. Not long after, the Russians occupied the disputed land, and the court turned a blind eye. Now Russia is getting more and more excessive, ignoring the border stipulated in the treaty, constantly crossing the border to harass border residents, accepting fugitives, and even firing cannons on the Heilongjiang River."

At this time, the Heilongjiang River was not the boundary river between China and Russia, but an inland river of the Qing Dynasty. Firing cannons on the Heilongjiang River was indeed excessive.

"This is Russia's national policy of making up for the lack of the west in the east. Russia lost troops and territory in the Near East, and also lost control of the Black Sea. They want to get compensation in the Far East. This country is greedy for territory and is hopeless." Liang Yao said.

Because he had been blackmailed by local police when he traveled to Russia in his previous life, he not only had no good feelings towards this country, but also had some disgust.

Back to the point, according to the Treaty of Paris 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 Dobruja region to the Ottoman Empire.

In addition, the Black Sea was neutralized. According to the Treaty of Paris, countries are not allowed to build military ports and military facilities in the Black Sea, which restricts the naval activities of Tsarist Russia.

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

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

Although compared with the huge territory of Tsarist Russia, the area of ​​territory occupied in the war that was forced to be returned was pitifully small.

For the Russians who can only eat and not spit out territorial issues, it is more uncomfortable than taking their lives.

In order to make up for the losses of the Tsarist Russia in the modern region, the Tsarist Russia turned its attention to the Far East and was ready to move as soon as the war ended.

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

"Britain and France are just a side problem, but Russia is a big problem."

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

"To be honest, I have an important trading base on Ezo Island, named Matsumae Port. The Russians often make trouble here and try to establish a colonial base on Ezo Island. Fortunately, my uncle drove them off the island.

However, the Russians are still determined to drive them away. They keep coming back and coming back. My uncle is overwhelmed by them. I also want to deal with these old Russians."

After the signing of the US-Japan Treaty of Amity, Ezo Island, which is the Hokkaido Island in later generations, has become Liang Yao's sphere of influence. Liang Yao gradually encroached on Ezo Island to the north by occupying and operating Matsumae Port (Hakodate in later generations).

Liang Yao asked Deng Yan, who was stationed in Nagasaki, to be responsible for transporting immigrants to Ezo Island and establishing a large colonial base in the Moiwa area (Sapporo in later generations) to consolidate control over Ezo Island.

The Japanese general who did not conquer the barbarians, I, Liang, will conquer them for him.

The Japanese were defeated by Liang Yao in the US-Japan War and did not dare to have any opinions on this matter. Even if he had an opinion, he dared not speak out and could only keep it in his heart.

The Russians came to Ezo Island again and again to make trouble and disgust people.

Liang Yao had long wanted to deal with Russia so that they would behave themselves.

Anyway, the Russian navy was weak, and its main force of the navy could not travel halfway around the world to California to beat him.

Moreover, even if the Russian navy came to California, he was not afraid.

The Russian navy was not the navy of the British Empire. The navy has always been the weakest link among the various branches of the Russian Empire.