Wild North America 1846

Chapter 797 Fubo’s new look
The bloody palace coup in the Kingdom of Oman means that the history of this small Middle Eastern country has taken a fork in the road and will never be the same as its original trajectory.

Sir Zhang Zhicheng, without any surprise, became the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Oman, with the rank of major general, and concurrently served as the country's police chief.

This was Xu Jinxun's idea. Controlling the military and police force of the kingdom would make him a truly powerful figure, capable of manipulating government changes behind the scenes.

The trip was delayed for half a month. Richard and his party declined the large amount of gold, silver, wealth and beautiful women presented by Major General Zhang Zhicheng, and took a boat from Muscat to Fubo City (Massawa), a dazzling star city in Yunzhong Province on the coast of the Red Sea. .

When the passenger ship approaches the Fubo City (Massawa) Seaport Passenger Terminal, you can see magnificent buildings covering the valley flats along the coast, and as the mountains increase, the high-rise buildings look extraordinary.

This is just the port area of ​​Fubo City (Masawa). The real urban core area has to go deep into the valley and is on the plateau more than 20 kilometers away.

Although it is located in East Africa, most of Yunzhong Province is located in the northeastern part of the Ethiopian Plateau, with an average altitude of more than 1170 meters. It is bordered by the humid Red Sea and has a mild climate all year round, with an average temperature between 18 and 27 degrees.

The largest city in the entire Yunzhong Province is Fubo City, with a population of 74.3 at the end of the period, which is more populous than the capital Yunzhong City (Alamas), has a more developed economy, and has a better climate.

Because Yunzhong City is located inland, the climate is hotter and drier than Fubo City. The average annual rainfall is 360 mm, which is almost at the same level as Gansu in China.

However, there is no shortage of water in Yunzhong City. Lalemache and Tataikuraro in the upper reaches are the birthplaces of the Congo River, with a total area of ​​approximately 8.5 square kilometers, many tributaries, and abundant water.

to the beginning of this century

After 35 years of development, Yunzhong City has a total population of 58.23, making it the second largest city in the province, second only to Fubo City (Masawa).

This is also a characteristic of agricultural provinces. The population concentration is far lower than that of industrial provinces. The carrying capacity of cities is weak, and more of the population is scattered in surrounding towns and plateau pastures.

The total population of Yunzhong Province reaches 337.63 ​​million, of which 82% are Chinese, 14.7% are whites, and 3.2% are Arabs. There are basically no traces of black people in the province.

This is the best vast plateau pasture. Businessmen from the Tang Empire used advanced European equipment here to invest in milk powder production factories, beef and mutton food canning processing plants, and fruit processing plants.

Taking advantage of the well-developed railway and highway transportation in Yunzhong Province and the climate characteristics of the tropical plateau closest to Europe, a large number of agricultural and animal husbandry products and canned goods are produced and sold to Europe, and the business is booming.

During the Boer War in South Africa that just ended a few years ago, the vast pastures and fruit processing factories around Yunzhong City won a large number of orders, worth millions of pounds.

Including Eritrea and 12.6 square kilometers, the entire Yunzhong Province totals 21 square kilometers, with a total area equivalent to the size of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai combined.

And guarding the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which is the only route for the Eurasian channel, it is gaining increasing international influence.

Again

Even if it is located in a strategic location, if the national power is weak, it will not be able to form strategic control.

For example, the Kingdom of Oman guards the entrance and exit of the Persian Gulf, Sumatra Island on the south coast of the Malacca Strait was originally under the jurisdiction of the Dutch colony, and the Bab el Mandeb Strait is jointly controlled by Yemen and Eritrea.

The above areas
It did not play any role in the original history and did not exert even 1% of international influence because the strength of the coastal countries was too weak.

Everything is different now. These important strait passages are in the hands of the Tang Empire. Once the Red Sea Fleet and coastal heavy forts of the Tang Empire are deployed there, no world power dares to ignore its presence.

Even the rapidly developing German Navy, which has surpassed the Tang Empire's fleet to rank second in the world, still does not dare to break into the Red Sea without the permission of the Tang Empire.

During the Russo-Japanese War

The Tsarist-Russian Pacific Fleet, which had traveled thousands of miles to the Far East, gave up its plan to go to the Far East via the Suez Canal and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait because of the joint blockade of Britain and Tang Dynasty, and chose to bypass the distant Cape of Good Hope.

The Tang Empire also increased its international influence and became one of the four major powers in the world today, along with Britain, Germany, and France.

some of

The British Royal Navy has dominance across the seven seas. Germany has the strongest army in Europe and even the entire world. France's navy and army are world-class. The Tang Empire is firmly seated as the world's largest economic power, but its military strength is indeed weak. A little more.

After conquering the East Indies, the Tang Empire bucked the trend of the world arms race and began to gradually disarm in recent years.

In the disarmament plan, one-third of the Royal Guards of more than 33 people were laid off, and a large number of retired officers and soldiers settled in various parts of the East Indies.

The Royal Army of the Tang Empire, with a total of more than 42 people, laid off more than 8 people, and its strength was once again reduced to 34.

Compared with the vast territory of the Tang Empire of 2000 and [-] million square kilometers, this number of troops is really too small.

But this was the long-term strategy set by the Holy Ancestor Emperor Richard during his reign. Because the Tang Empire did not have any enemies around it that could threaten its national security, there was no need to retain too large a standing force.

The mature militia reserve system of the Tang Empire ensured that in time of war, up to 1350 million reserve soldiers could be mobilized. This astonishing number was enough to scare away any covetous power.

What's more, the Tang Empire is not without its trump cards.

The Royal Navy of the Tang Empire ranks third in the world in terms of tonnage of main battleships, with unified ship types, a complete sequence of various battleships, advanced technology and the world's top training standards. It is a huge force that no one can ignore.

Any enemy who attempts to attack the Tang Empire must first eliminate the tough opponent of the Royal Navy of the Datang Empire, and secondly break through the various strait arteries controlled by the Datang Empire.

For example, if the European powers want to attack the Tang Empire, they must first capture the city of Suez, which has become a fortress-like city. Secondly, they must send troops to occupy the entire Yunzhong Province and occupy several coastal heavy forts guarding the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Troops must also be sent to control Yemen and Oman, because the Chinese forces in the above-mentioned areas have a dominant position, and it is too much to cause trouble in the rear.

Only in this way
Only then can we open the many passes leading to the overseas provinces of the Tang Empire, and this is only the first step to victory.

The next step is to cross the vast Indian Ocean, break through the Sumatra Island occupied by the Tang Empire and the local military ports and coastal heavy forts, and open up the Strait of Malacca.

Think about it, these are all nerve-wracking and impossible combat tasks. Almost no country in the world can do it, including the world's great powers such as Britain, Germany, France and Russia.

In summary

The Tang Empire had no real enemy threats, whether in the Americas or in its overseas provinces, so it did not need to retain excessive military force. It would be a waste.

compared with

The strategic environment of European countries is much worse. The arms race between France, Germany, Russia, Austria and Italy is becoming increasingly fierce, and all countries are increasing their armed forces one after another.

Even the weakest Kingdom of Italy had a total army of 69.3 at the beginning of this century, which was almost double the army strength of the Tang Empire (Note, the statistics do not include the Royal Guards.)
From the port area of ​​Fubo City to the city, the road is spacious and elegant, with tall street trees planted in green belts on both sides, and the road surface is paved with asphalt gravel layers. The city is like a large garden that feels like spring all year round, and the construction standards are very high.

On the urban roads here, various cars shuttle back and forth. The number of cars is not only the highest in Asia and Africa, but also higher than that of developed industrial countries such as Germany and France.

From this point alone, we can see that Fubo City, as the most important distribution city on the European and Asian trade routes, has developed into a trade city, a shipping city, and a brightly lit city that never sleeps along the Red Sea coast.This not only attracted more and more Chinese immigrants, but also attracted many white European immigrants. There were even many wealthy businessmen and celebrities from Britain, France, Germany and other countries who came to Fubo City to purchase land and properties as a stable investment.

As an overseas province of the Tang Empire, the prices of various industrial products in Yunzhong Province are among the lowest prices in surrounding areas and even in Europe.

Since there is no need to pay import duties, kerosene, diesel, and gasoline here are surprisingly cheap. Many European smugglers wholesale them from Yunzhong Province and then smuggle them to Europe through various channels.

France, for example, imposes a high tariff of 85% on imported kerosene, diesel, and lubricants. After import, prices are increased layer by layer, which leads to extremely high local oil prices.

The oil smuggled from Yunzhong Province to Algeria can enter France openly, which also leads to the formation of the gold smuggling route from Yunzhong Province to Algeria to France.

Countless traders have made huge profits from this, and they can't do without their base camp, Fubo City.

Over the years, this place has almost become a base camp for smugglers from all over the world, and the volume of goods traded every year is astonishing.

So the people here are very wealthy, with per capita income higher than in big cities like London and Paris. It’s not surprising that the streets are full of cars.

In Fubo City
Richard and his party stayed at the Aladdin Temple Hotel, which is the most luxurious hotel in the city. It is located on a hillside. The top suites are separate palace-style manors.

These palace-style manors are all in Arabic style. Some cover an area of ​​one or two acres, some cover an area of ​​three to five acres, and some cover an area of ​​more than ten acres. The larger the area, the more luxurious it is, and the price is naturally more expensive.

There were only four people in Richard's party, so he booked a luxurious manor covering an area of ​​4 acres. There were 3.3 servants in this manor, and the daily basic fee was as high as 17 Tang Yuan, which was a good deal.

In addition to the basic fee
Guests in the luxurious manor can enjoy any fine wine and any delicacy, including French cuisine, Chinese cuisine, Arabic flavor or British dark cuisine.

Beauties of all skin colors, Arabic belly dancers, French blonde strippers, handsome pretty girls, as long as you can imagine the enjoyment of drunkenness and glamor, we can provide you with it.

Of course, this all comes with additional charges.

Having said all that, the Aladdin Temple is not omnipotent, because the Huangmei Opera Troupe that Richard ordered cannot be produced.

Not only were there no troupes for Huangmei Opera, Peking Opera, Cantonese Opera, and Kunqu Opera, they couldn't even recruit beautiful Chinese women for the troupes.

For this reason, the head shopkeeper of the Aladdin Temple came here to solemnly apologize and explain the reason.

Because these beautiful Chinese girls are so popular, as long as they get them to the Aladdin Temple, they will be redeemed by wealthy businessmen within a few days and bought home as concubines.

You can get as much as you want, but you can't keep them at all.

In Fubo City, where wealthy businessmen gather, there are many wealthy Chinese businessmen. Are they short of money?

the answer is negative.

What they lack is a woman they like, preferably one who is beautiful, well-educated and Chinese. Wouldn't it be wonderful to take her home as a wife or concubine?
In Yunzhong Province, white women with blond hair and blue eyes are not uncommon at all, and there are as many as they want.

However, these ghost women do not speak Mandarin, have different living and eating habits, and are not willing to be bound by the strict rules and regulations of Chinese families. Conflicts often occur.

It's okay to have fun occasionally, but just marry him and go home.

This has also resulted in a severe shortage of Chinese women in Yunzhong Province, and prices have always been high.

Ordinary Chinese or new immigrants from the lower class would not have the opportunity to marry a Chinese woman.Most of them first buy an Arab woman as a concubine, and then have children and gradually develop.

When the conditions are met, it will be revealed that the media is marrying a Chinese wife.

If you really have no choice, then marry a Caucasian woman. Fortunately, there are a lot of Italian immigrants in the area, so you don’t need any betrothal gifts to marry her home.

But truly capable wealthy businessmen and local upper-class figures must have a Chinese wife to be dignified, to be considered worthy of their status, and to avoid being ridiculed.

After hearing the explanation, Richard was dumbfounded. In today's world, the rise of the Tang Empire has brought about a widespread butterfly effect.

The powerful empire made the Chinese more confident, and white people also looked up to them. This was all the influence brought by the powerful empire.

The Fuso Kingdom, the follower of the Tang Empire, defeated the powerful Tsarist Russia in the Russo-Japanese War that just ended and made it unable to take care of itself.

The Tang Empire had a population of 1.85 million, and its gross national product was that of Britain, Germany, and France combined. The latest statistics have reached 462 billion Tang yuan. This is a very amazing achievement, accounting for about 27.6% of the world's total share.

The per capita income level is the same as that of Britain and Germany, and about one-third higher than that of France.

The reason why the GDP is so high is that after more than fifty years of industrial development, the Tang Empire has become a very mature industrialized country with a complete range of industrial categories.

Secondly, because of the large population of the Tang Empire, it has become more and more powerful in its continuous development, its development has become more and more smooth, and its domestic market has become more and more prosperous.

The Royal Navy of the Tang Empire ranked third in the world, and the Royal Army ranked ninth in the world. These were both real military forces.

After the Russo-Japanese War

The total number of Fuso Kingdom's troops once swelled to more than 117 million. Although they have now begun to retire on a large scale, they are still more than three times that of the Tang Empire.

The total strength of the armies of Russia, Germany, and France is more than one million. Next, the strength of Japan, Britain, Austria-Hungary, Italy, Ultraman and other countries ranges from more than one million to more than 70. The strength of the armies are all Pretty strong.

The Royal Army of the Tang Empire has a total army of 34, and its strength exceeds that of the Qing Dynasty, which has an army of 86. It is temporarily ranked ninth in the world. This is only a strength on paper.

As the Tang Empire once again entered a period of hiding its power and biding its time, it curbed its sharp edges and became more of a nation founded on trade.

In today's world dominated by European powers, hostility is correspondingly much smaller.

In contrast, the aggressive Kaiser Wilhelm II was anything but reserved, shouting in public conversations;
"The world's colonial powers, led by Britain, France and Tang, should fully take care of the concerns and interests of the German Empire. Leaving some colonial space for latecomers to develop is something they must consider now."

"Some countries occupy a wide range of colonies all over the world, and the actual degree of development and utilization is pitiful. This is a deformed international reality, and the status quo needs to be changed urgently..."

Such a tough attitude is undoubtedly a show of sword against the proud old colonial powers such as Britain, France and Tang Dynasty.

The British reaction was particularly fierce. Chamberlain, the Secretary of the Colonial Office, publicly declared: "Any provocation to the current international order is an absolutely intolerable offense, and the British Empire will resolutely fight back."

What a joke!
The majestic British Empire has ruled the world's oceans for two centuries. How could it allow the provocation of the German Empire, which was only established in 1870?
Edward VII was the uncle of Kaiser Wilhelm II, but he firmly supported the London government on this issue, which led to the beginning of a decades-long period of indifference between the British and German royal families.

(End of this chapter)