Wild North America 1846

Chapter 252 Naval Development
As an emerging immigrant country, the Tang Kingdom has no historical burden and can travel lightly.Its urbanization process is second only to the United Kingdom and ahead of the United States, with an urbanization ratio of over 6%.

This is because most of the population of the Tang Kingdom came from Chinese immigrants. After landing in North America, they were successively absorbed by large coastal cities as workers, shop staff, sailors, or waiters in restaurants. They were deeply attracted by the prosperity and job opportunities of the city. Attracted by them, they settled down and became local urban residents.

Only some inland provinces who have fixed-point immigration loans and farmers who are eager for land will go deep into the inland provinces to develop and operate their own farms and plantations.

In the coastal provinces, migrants were denied free land grants, which were only available in the interior northern and southern provinces.

Therefore, the vast majority of Chinese immigrants enter factories and cities to find jobs, which is also the main reason for the rapid expansion of cities and population explosion.

The United States is different, because the industrialization process lags behind the Datang Kingdom, and the historical burden is heavy and other factors.

At the end of the second quarter of 1856 in the United States, the urbanization ratio reached 30%, and the urbanization ratio in the north was much higher, while the south was completely a large rural area, and there were very few cities with a population of more than 10.

The city of Datang Kingdom is developing rapidly, showing the characteristics of the coast and along the railway line. The convenient transportation has promoted the great development of the city, which is more intuitive from the map.

Many previously unknown cities developed rapidly because they were located along the coast and along the main roads of railway lines, where the flow of people and materials gathered.

New York is the largest city in North America, with a population of about 1856 million at the end of June 6, only tens of thousands more than Chang'an (San Francisco).

These two super metropolises on the North American continent, one east and one west, have many similarities. For example, both are located by the sea, have world-class excellent harbors, are the economic centers of the country, and are also the most desirable metropolises for immigrants.

in the original history

From 1820 to 1910, about 3500 million European immigrants landed in North America, more than 7% of them disembarked from New York, and then transferred to other cities and the interior of the United States to settle down on this rich continent.

Tang and the United States are both emerging immigrant countries, and there are many similarities in their development trajectories.

The United States is more guided by the market, while Datang Kingdom shows more traces of policy guidance. The development is more purposeful and efficient, and the effect is more obvious and prominent.

1856 year 6 early month
Richard took a boat from San Francisco Harbor to Hawaii for a one-month inspection trip.

Due to time constraints, the inspection target was only the Hawaiian Islands, not Midway Island.

Against the blue sky and white clouds, the beauty of the blue sea and white sand here is like a fairyland.

Today, the main island of Hawaii and Oahu have frequent ship exchanges, and they are designated transshipment ports on the North Pacific route.

A large number of Chinese chose to settle on the island, which made the population of the Hawaiian Islands exceed 50. Most of the population on the island is engaged in sugar plantations and grazing cattle and sheep, and the shipbuilding and service industries are well developed.

The climate of the Hawaiian Islands is very suitable for the development of the sugar industry, especially on the most populous island of Oahu, where there are 5 large-scale sugar factories. The islands in the province have 10,000+ head of cattle and have developed a fruit planting industry. The Hawaiian Canned fruit is famous in Europe.

Li Cha and his party stayed in the Hawaiian Island Palace, surrounded by coconut groves. From here, you can overlook the beautiful scenery of the Hawaiian port and the town, and you can have a panoramic view.

It's early summer

Wearing only a cool short-sleeved thin shirt, Li Cha stood in the shade of the terrace, pointed at the picture-like beauty in front of him, and said;
"Hawaii is a beautiful archipelago. The blue sea and silver sand here are precious gifts from the heavens. They must be cherished and protected, and passed on to future generations.

Coconut groves, beaches, original mountains and strange rocks in the coastal areas, including nearby coastal resources, should be included in the scope of protection. Fishing activities and private construction are strictly prohibited, which will destroy the overall beauty.

Within 10 kilometers of the coast, it must be included in the no-fishing zone.

Just like the Yellowstone area in the Rocky Mountains, with the economic development in the future and conditions permitting, it will be open to everyone as a scenic spot for tourism and vacation.

The formulation of national policies must be close to reality and conform to the law of long-term development. "

"Your Majesty has a far-sighted vision, and my ministers are far behind." Gu Yan, the prime minister who followed up with him, lost no time in flattering him.

Since His Majesty has spoken, everything he said will be regarded as the golden rule and will be carried out without any compromise.

In an absolute monarchy, there is nothing out of the ordinary about this situation.

Li Cha stood with his hands behind his back, without any intention of explaining what he wanted to do.If you understand, you must implement it, if you don't understand, you must implement it.

Not far away, a few huge bald eagles folded their wings and landed. They looked over with sharp eyes, and when they saw Li Cha's tall figure, they yelled a few times as if to please him.

Li Cha smiled slightly, and took the golden basin presented by the waiter with both hands. The basin was filled with slices of fresh and tender beef, which immediately aroused the excitement of several bald eagles.

Raising his hand, the strip of meat flew out of the air, and was immediately grabbed by the bald eagle with a lightning-like bite, and swallowed it in one or two bites.

"The Navy hopes to build Pearl Harbor as a base to go out of the Pacific Ocean. This wish is good. But Pearl Harbor is too big, and the Navy should come up with a long-term development plan of no less than 20 years and persevere in long-term construction. rather than overnight.”

Li Cha slowly fed a few bald eagles, but he didn't stop talking, as if he was explaining something, his expression became more leisurely.

"The purpose of operating Paradise Island is to have a reliable springboard and logistics supply base in the Western Pacific region, which will play an excellent role in assisting the Kingdom's next expansion in South Asia.

long term
For the time being, there are no maritime opponents worthy of attention in the Pacific Rim region, so the weakness of the Royal Navy's long-distance combat capabilities has not yet appeared.

As an emerging kingdom on the Pacific coast, the foundation of the Tang Kingdom is still weak, and its national strength is not strong enough, so it is not suitable for large-scale development of sea power.

Therefore, from the perspective of short-term and medium-term goals, the main focus is still on the pattern of hegemony in North America.

The kingdom's military power, financial power and resources will be focused on the army, and accumulated for a long time to wait for the changes in the current situation, thus establishing a new pattern in North America in one fell swoop.

After this
Only then can there be spare energy to take into account the development of the navy. This is the only way for the Datang Kingdom to become a world power, and it is also the strategic demand for the establishment of the Datang Kingdom's dominance in the Pacific Rim. The road of expansion must be taken.

In the short term, this cannot be taken into account.

However, the navy can do some work first, such as collecting information on Luzon Islands and the Dutch East Indies, historical and cultural conditions, drawing military maps, developing pro-Tang Chinese forces, paying attention to the movements of local European colonists, and infiltrating influence and so on.

If you know yourself and the enemy, you will never be imperiled in a hundred battles!

The demand for the construction of dock warehouses at the naval base does not necessarily require funding from the Royal Government. It can be actively combined with local civilian facilities, and it can also play a good role in logistical support during wartime.

You need to use your brain more, think of ways, don't know that you need money all day long, and fight for the budget. If you have money, you can put a pig in the position of Chief of Staff of the Navy and you can do it. Who can spend money?
How to develop the navy step by step within a limited budget, build a naval base step by step, and approach the goal of an ocean-going navy step by step, this is a topic worthy of in-depth study. "

After feeding the beef strips in the basin, Li Cha casually handed the golden basin to the waiter, then washed his hands in another golden basin filled with tea warm water, and wiped it off with a snow-white towel.

Then he turned around and looked at Rear Admiral Pan Hengchen, the chief of naval staff with a flushed face. His sharp eyes seemed to be piercing into his heart. This made Rear Admiral Pan Hengchen feel his legs were a little weak, and his back was wet with sweat.

Major General Pan Hengchen replied with a trembling voice

"Show Your Majesty;
The humble minister is dull, and he used to always focus on getting more budget to develop the navy, without taking into account the country's overall development strategy, he really deserves death.

Now, after being instructed by the Holy One, it is like seeing the sun through the clouds, only then can we understand the distinction between primary and secondary, and the way of up and down, which is really embarrassing.

The minister prays that His Majesty will punish the crime and use it to rectify the court. "

"Don't convict at every turn. It's far from that point. What you should think about now is to properly mobilize private funds to participate in the construction of ports and bases within the limited budget of the navy, and gradually approach the direction of the ocean-going navy. Courtiers After they are all punished, who will work for the kingdom?" Li Cha reprimanded coldly.

Major General Pan Hengchen was reprimanded by His Majesty, felt the pressure on his shoulders lighten, and the word "comfort" was revealed all over his body, and he replied humbly; He ordered you to use your brains and exert all your energy to develop the navy."

"Okay, let's go back and think about it carefully. The navy is just two or three big cats and small cats. If you want to develop, you have to work hard on your internal skills. You must not slack off."

"My minister obeys the order, and you must not slack off." Major General Pan Hengchen withdrew, wiping off his sweat.

In Richard's overall strategy, the navy is indeed a small role, temporarily in a subordinate position.

The "Cold Wind" class iron-clad frigate, which began to be developed in 1853, was completed in the first batch of 6 ships and entered the service of the Royal Navy for three years.

In this way, almost two ships are commissioned in a year.

The main reason is that the Naval Academy took a long time to train professional officers. The first batch of graduates did not graduate until 1. After one year of practice, they were awarded the rank of Second Lieutenant of the Navy.

From 1855 onwards, every year 120 graduates of naval academies will enter the army after a complete education. The majors are divided into navigation department, command department, torpedo artillery department, engine department, chart surveying department, etc. Modern education system.

The navy is an out-and-out high-tech arm, and it is also an aristocratic arm. In old naval powers such as Britain and France, it has always been a place where noble children gather together. High-quality naval personnel education is the basis for ensuring combat effectiveness.

According to the priority continuation clause, the Navy was very satisfied with the use of the 1550-ton "Cold Wind" class iron-clad frigate. It was approved in early 1856, and the contract for the continuation of 6 ships has been signed, and the shipyard is intensively organizing production.

The 6 continued ships are improved types. The navy attaches great importance to the defects of the first batch of "Cold Wind" class iron-clad frigates in use. The second batch of steam iron-clad frigates has been comprehensively improved, and the displacement has also increased by more than 2. tons, reaching more than 320 tons.

The improved "Cold Wind" class steam ironclad ship is larger in size, more stable in navigation, longer in range, and has a maximum speed of 14.5 knots. It has initially possessed the superior capabilities of modern ironclad warships, especially the simple and elegant deck design, which is comparable to European ships. The messy deck layout is very different.

The most distinctive feature of the "Cold Wind" class II ironclad ship is the two large chimneys. When sailing at high speed, thick smoke billows, and it is really spectacular to cut through the waves all the way.

Due to the comprehensive consideration of cost and range, this class of ships did not blindly pursue high speed, but compromised on speed and range indicators to further enhance seaworthiness.

Therefore, although the tonnage of the "Cold Wind" class II ironclad ship has increased by more than 300 tons, the firepower configuration remains the same. The bigger bow floats outward, which enhances the wave suppression effect.

After improvement

The voyage of the "Cold Wind" class II ironclad ship has increased to 3800 nautical miles, and it can reach Paradise Island as long as it passes through the Pacific Islands for resupply.

Stimulated by the development of steam iron-clad frigates by the Tang Kingdom, the 9137-ton steam iron-clad battleship "Warrior" under construction in the UK will be launched at the end of the year. This is the most powerful warship in the world today.

at the same time
The British Royal Navy deeply realized the advantages of steam ironclad warships, and made a strategic change to develop an all-ironclad fleet, which can be described as unique.

From now on, in the sequence of the British Royal Fleet, sailing battleships will no longer be built, and steam ironclad battleships will be vigorously developed instead.

Unlike Datang Kingdom’s careful testing of the water, the Royal Navy launched four 4-ton “Warrior”-class ironclad battleships. The design of subsequent super-[-]-ton battleships has entered the design drawing review stage, and the development momentum is extremely strong. fierce.

The British Admiralty Lord Gill once threatened; "The Royal Navy needs iron-clad giant ships that are free to cruise in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, not gadgets that can only play around on the beach..."

Gan!
Li Cha can only say that this force was installed by the British. In the early stage of the development of the giant iron-clad ship, everything is progressing through exploration, and various technologies are immature, and it takes time to verify repeatedly. The scale can only be said to be a panic when you have money. What other explanations can you give?

The reason why the Tang Kingdom did not develop a large-scale steam ironclad naval fleet is also due to this consideration. A lot of problems such as ship power matching, multi-sealed cabin anti-sinking design, protective armor, naval guns and ship type selection, etc. Improvements need to be repeatedly verified in practice.

From "Cold Wind" to "Cold Wind Type II", there is a clear path of technological evolution. In the future, there will be "Cold Wind Three" and "Cold Wind Four"...

Step by step is the kingly way. Only the rich and powerful British can do it by spending millions of pounds at once to build a huge ship. Even the French can't follow suit.

(End of this chapter)