Wild North America 1846

Chapter 604 Cologne
peacetime
Under the Imperial Army of the Tang Empire, there are seven military-level permanent command organizations, namely, the Northern Military Region (based in Chicago), the Southern Military Region (based in Mexico City), the Central Military Region (based in Los Angeles), the Overseas Military Region (based in Panama), and the Datang Military Region. Imperial North American Headquarters (based in New York), Fortress and Homeland Defense Command, Andean Governor's Palace Command.

These seven military region-level organizations are all permanent military organizations in peacetime. The total force is maintained between 38 and 40, which fluctuates depending on the mission period.

If wartime
Elite troops were drawn from the major military regions to form field corps, which were given temporary corps numbers, which were revoked after the war, and all the troops under their command were returned to the establishment one after another.

Among them, the most powerful on paper is the Datang Empire's North American General Headquarters, which has more than 20 troops stationed in the United States of America all year round, with an average of 4.2 to 4.5 demobilized soldiers every year.

The weakest book strength is the Antis Governor's Palace Command, which has only two field divisions and 5 garrison regiments. One of the field divisions is the 2nd Royal Marine Division, which is only temporarily under the command of the Andes Governor's Palace.

After a brief stay of several days in Huwan City for inspection, and to issue a programmatic order on the development of the local economy, Emperor Richard and his entourage took the royal train again, passing through the province of Costa Rica without stopping, and went straight to the southernmost province of the empire Panama.

Panama Province is the last province in terms of area in the empire, with the narrowest point only 60 kilometers away. There are only two major cities in the province.

One is Panama City, the provincial capital, on the Pacific side.This is a large city with a total population of more than 69 people, and it is also the largest city in the surrounding area of ​​Central America.

One is the city of Cologne, which is on the side of the Caribbean Sea. There is a 78-kilometer railway line between the two cities, which is called the Panama Railway.

This railway is the busiest commercial railway in the entire empire, and it undertakes the task of transporting innumerable quantities of materials to the major cities along the Pacific coast, and the cities prosper because of this.

The export materials are transported from Panama to Cologne by rail, where they are loaded on a scheduled freighter flight to Europe, and will arrive at the port of Portsmouth, UK in about 17 days.

Imported materials also landed from Cologne, and after being transported by rail to Panama, they were loaded onto cargo ships and headed to major cities on the Pacific coast of the empire.

in the transport of bulk goods

The low-cost sea freight has a huge advantage, even if it is transited through the land port of Panama, it is much cheaper than railway transportation.

There are 4 channels for exports from the major metropolitan areas on the Pacific coast where the Tang Empire prospered to Europe, three of which are transported by railway lines.

The most convenient way is to go east to New York or Richmond, and from here to ship to Europe, it only takes 12 days to arrive at the fastest.

The disadvantage is that the transnational transportation procedures are complicated and the transportation costs are high. Because of the efficiency of the docks and railway stations, the timeliness is not strong.

On the contrary, goods are often lost, damaged, damp and other reasons, and it is quite troublesome to solve. Instead, it is the least economical and less used export channel.

The second is to transport it northward by rail to Chicago or Detroit, from where it is shipped to the Atlantic Ocean through the Great Lakes, and finally to Europe.

This route takes about two weeks, and exporters in the north will give priority to this route when shipping some high-value commodities.

The third option is to transport it southward by rail to the Port of Houston in Texas, or to various ports along the Gulf of Mexico, where it will be shipped to Europe, and it will take about two weeks.

Most of the frozen beef and fruit exports in the southern provinces adopt this method, and the distance is relatively short and convenient.

The fourth option is to transport by sea through the land port of Panama. More than 4% of the bulk exports are by sea. The railway transportation of one or two thousand kilometers is expensive, and sea transportation is cheaper.

Even after 76 kilometers of railway transshipment, it is much cheaper than long-distance railway transportation.

Cologne is a medium-sized city with a population of about 37. The pillar industries are ocean cargo transshipment, railway transportation services and warehousing services. It has more than a dozen warehouse areas with a wide area.

More than 8% of the city's residents are engaged in various storage and transportation services. With years of prosperous trade, the economy is relatively prosperous.

The Royal Army Overseas Command is located in Cologne, as is the Royal Navy's Caribbean Squadron and several important naval bases.

Some years later
The official opening of the Nicaragua Canal, which connects the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean, has had the biggest impact on the province's economy.

When the royal train arrived in Cologne, it was already the beginning of June 1873, and it was about to enter the hottest season of the year. The sun was quite hot during the day, and the highest temperature reached 6-26 degrees.

Here is a typical oceanic island climate. It is cool and pleasant under the strong sea breeze in the morning and evening, and it rains from time to time, making the air more humid after the rain.

Cologne is an ancient city with a history of more than 760 years. There are still temple buildings and altars imprinted by the Inca civilization in the city, and more are Catholic churches and Mediterranean-style buildings built by the Spanish.

Over the past [-] years since the empire was established, along with economic prosperity and colonial expansion, this ancient city has also regained its vitality, and high-rise buildings have continued to rise.

nowadays

It has become one of the beautiful port cities on the Caribbean coast, with the coconut wind blowing, the blue sea and silver sand, presenting a romantic and beautiful scenery, which often makes people linger.

This is indeed a relaxed and livable city. On the streets, you can often see officers and soldiers wearing military uniforms on vacation, including the army and the navy. There was a string of envious eyes behind him.

The vast majority of the city streets are Chinese with black hair and black eyes. From the language to the dress, it is impossible to tell who is an Indian?
Panama was one of the overseas provinces that integrated into the Tang Empire earlier, and it has already formed a trend of advocating imperial customs.

Wearing light-colored loose Tang suits and light-colored wide-brimmed cowboy hats are common attire here. They communicate in Mandarin with a slight accent, and it is difficult to distinguish them at first glance.

Careful identification, or can appreciate the subtle difference.

The Tang ethnic group appeared to be more high-spirited and confident, showing the pride and pride of the kingdom of heaven.

If the British are arrogant and the French are self-confident, then the Tang Empire has also cultivated its own characteristics.

It can always reveal a slight sense of superiority, reserved but not restrained.

that is

It always makes others feel the sense of superiority from the culture and strength of the upper kingdom of heaven, but it is not strong or straightforward, reflecting the golden mean of the Chinese nation.

Sheng Jia arrived in Cologne secretly, without any fanfare.

But sensitive clone citizens can detect;

Almost all of the more than 130 police officers in the city were dispatched, and many military personnel on duty were on guard on the road, but the number of officers and soldiers on vacation suddenly decreased a lot.

This makes the business of bars, teahouses and brothels in the bustling city much less. Could it be that some important person has come?

On a tea house near the bay
At some point, Li Cha, dressed in disguise, slipped out again, and sat alone on a seat by the window, drinking tea and watching the scenery, looking at ease.

On the other tables in the teahouse, General Liu Wu, dressed as a civilian, Liang Bojun, the deputy director of the secretariat, and several skilled Imperial Guard officers sat with vigilant eyes.

Now His Majesty the Emperor seems to be obsessed with private visits in micro clothes. When he was in the imperial capital Chang'an, he would often disappear for a day or two or two or three days. No one knew where he went?
Now that he is patrolling various provinces and places, he even wants to sneak out to experience the fireworks in this market. Those who are energetic can't complain, just like young people.

Emperor Li Cha never thought about the thoughts of his subordinates. He sipped his tea leisurely and looked at the 8600-ton iron-clad giant ship "Zhenhai" quietly moored in the harbor, with a look of satisfaction in his eyes.

Thanks to the empire's rich experience in building ocean-going ships and the world's top level of steam machinery manufacturing, the 8600-ton "Zhenyang" class iron-clad giant ship has maintained high reliability and maintainability since it entered service, winning the honor of the Royal Navy. favor.

There are a total of three "Zhenyang" class armored ships. The first ship "Zhenyang" and the second ship "Zhenhai" have been completed and put into service. The third ship "Zhenjiang" is still in the outfitting stage and is expected to be delivered to the Royal Navy by the end of the year.

The second ship "Zhenhai" is the flagship of the Caribbean Sea Squadron. After it officially entered service, it sailed tens of thousands of kilometers south to Cape Horn, the southernmost point of land in the world, crossed the Strait of Magellan into the Atlantic Ocean, and stopped at Storm City and Glory City along the way.

It was not until February this year that it arrived at the Port of Colon, the base of the Caribbean Squadron. Calculated from the departure point of Salem Port, it completed a total of about 2 kilometers of voyage around the Americas.

Immediately afterwards, from the end of February to May, he led the Caribbean Sea Squadron to implement the blockade operation.Consecutive seizures of 2 French, Venezuelan, Colombian and Brazilian freighters have basically blocked these South American countries' routes to Europe, demonstrating absolute maritime dominance.

All these things really deserve the title of "Zhenhai"!
In the entire Gulf of Mexico and the surrounding waters of Central and South America, the ironclad "Zhenhai" is an invincible existence.

Where the muzzle points, all the little Karamis have to be obediently called "Dad". The 305mm dual main naval guns they are equipped with are extremely convincing. No warship in the entire Americas can withstand its full blow.

The bright sunlight shone on the huge hull of the "Zhenhai", reflecting the cold luster of steel.

The fist-sized rivets are clearly visible, densely spread all over it, and the huge muzzle is the best endorsement of the empire's mighty power.

No matter how stubborn people are, they will be persuaded by it.

Looking at this sea monster representing the world's top combat power in the steam age, Li Cha couldn't hide his admiration in his eyes, and the more he looked at it, the more he liked it.

The Royal Navy's plan to develop a new class of 1.1-ton ironclad ships has been approved and officially named the Duke class, which is a top-level iron-clad ship with a displacement of [-] tons.

The construction of the first ship "Duke of Hawaii" will start next year, that is, the first steel plate will be cut at the end of February 1874. It is expected to be launched in June 2 for outfitting and will enter service at the end of the year.

No. 2 ship "Duke of Panama", No. 3 ship "Duke of Alaska", No. 4 ship "Duke of California", No. 5 ship "Duke of Costa Rica", No. 6 ship "Duke of Colorado" will be in the future The construction work will continue until the early 6s.

The construction and service of this type of 1-ton ironclad ship representing the advanced level of the world's navies was the first major decision made by Emperor Richard after he broke the shackles of thinking.

It is an indisputable fact that it has grown to the current size and is almost on par with the British Empire in terms of overall economic scale, and may surpass it sometime next year or the year after.

Britain's defensiveness towards Datang is becoming more and more serious, so there is no need to hide it, and speak directly with strength.

If the voice of the 8600-ton ironclad ship is not loud enough, then these six 6-ton ironclad ships must be deafening, which can make the British have more patience, more understanding, and more cooperation.

At this moment

There was a hustle and bustle from below the teahouse, and then there was the sound of going up the stairs, which attracted the attention of Emperor Li Cha.

It has already been agreed that the second floor is reserved, why does the shopkeeper of the teahouse still let people come up?
The angry flames in Admiral Liu Wu's eyes instantly ignited, and with a slight gesture, two guard officers disguised as civilians stood up and quickly blocked the stairs.

No one can afford to disturb Sheng Jia.

"Hey, who are you, how do you have the guts to block the way of Mr. Lei?"

"If you don't know the rules, you must be a foreigner. Hurry up and get out of the way. Mr. Lei always drinks tea in the private seat on the second floor. Don't force us to be rough!"

"Wait a minute... you guys step back, don't mess around." A young man with a proud expression was standing on the stairs, waving a folding fan, raising his hand to stop the armed entourage around him. It seemed that it was Mr. Lei.

Mr. Lei obviously had extraordinary eyesight. He looked at the two strong men blocking the stairway with a serious look, hesitated, cupped his hands and said;

"Two brothers, Lei Fengyun of Lei's family in Lower Cologne Harbor is engaged in shipping and population business, and there is no one I don't know in this city.

Seeing that the two of you are a bit unfamiliar, can we discuss it...

The 2nd floor of this tea house is quite large, and Lei only wanted a private seat to entertain guests, and he would never disturb the nobles, so please make it easier for him.

Lei Mou has traveled with his father's generation since he was a child, and he still has some sharp eyesight in himself.

If allowed, I shall be rewarded. The tea supplies on the 2nd floor are all covered by Lei Fengyun, just a little care. "

These words are well-founded, even if the nobles are here to drink tea for entertainment, it can be regarded as enough cards, so maybe they don't mind.

Lei Fengyun saw the immovable demeanor of masters from the two people blocking the stairs, and also exuded a different kind of aura, so he already had some guesses in his heart.

This may be a certain nobleman who has just arrived in Cologne, and he may be drinking tea with his family, so he doesn't want others to disturb him.

But Lei Fengyun is a business person, and the Lei family is also very popular in Cologne Port, so it is natural to have face and face when going out.

Isn't it embarrassing that half of the teahouse is blocked by people?

Things have gotten to this point, even if they go upstairs and just walk away, they can save some face.

never thought of
The two strong men blocking the stairs looked cold, lowered their voices, and scolded; "Where is there so much nonsense, why don't you get out of here."

"If you still wink, turn around and leave immediately. Don't make trouble for your family. You can't afford such consequences."

i wipe...

Lei Fengyun's face blushed and turned pale after being blocked by these two words, he had seen arrogant people before, but he had never seen such arrogant people.

But he is not an impulsive person, he pointed to the two strong men at the top of the stairs, and said, "Outsiders, I admit that you are overbearing, I hope you can have the capital to be overbearing, and I will find out how capable you are." .”

Leaving behind a few words on the spot, Lei Fengyun waved his hand very simply and said, "Let's go, a hero doesn't suffer from immediate losses."

This guy was indeed a bachelor, and he walked cleanly without sloppy at all.

over there

Emperor Li Cha withdrew his gaze, and when he looked out of the window again, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

Unexpectedly, there is such a person in a small place like Port of Cologne. His vision, knowledge and handling of people are all excellent choices. This person is by no means mediocre.

After putting a simple label in his heart, Li Cha stopped paying attention.

This kind of little person at the bottom of society is not worth spending energy. The imperial palace and government have brought together the elite talents of the Chinese nation.Any low-level secretary picked out at random is one in a million capable talents.

(End of this chapter)