Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 498 Acceleration

Jia Lian must read the court bulletin. Looking at the news about the Prince of Dongping, the Prince of Xining and Li Ni, Jia Lian could not help but sneer twice.

You're making a fuss. You're using this as an excuse, right?

Bullying the emperor and the cabinet for not understanding the Western world?

This time point should be 1779. There were French troops to reinforce the United States, but Russia was still in the aftermath of the Fifth Russo-Turkish War and had no time and energy to expand eastward.

However, the Russians' ambition for access to the sea must be guarded against. After Britain and France jointly knocked out the Russians in the Crimean War, the Russians once again turned to the East and Central Asia, and we had to guard against them.

Although there is still a time window of about 70 years, there is no need to cause trouble for the princes who are pioneering in the East and the West.

After much deliberation, Jia Lian submitted a memorial in which he discussed the country of Russia very seriously.

The memorial emphasized that Ross's greed for territory is endless, so it is imperative to guard against it. The court should still give the King of Xining some support. After all, the mountains are high and the roads are long, and there are both deserts and mountains. Other supplies are not easy to transport, so military supplies must be met. In the memorial, Jia Lian also emphasized that we should not repeat Gao Xianzhi's mistakes, so as to avoid being stabbed in the back by local forces.

There was another piece of news in the palace bulletin that caught Jia Lian's attention. That was that the English Minister to China, Wayne, informed Dai Ying through the Honglu Temple of his concerns about the expansion of the Zhou Empire in Central Asia.

What were they worried about? They were worried that the Xining King's army would go through Central Asia and attack India. This was the stage when Britain invested a lot of energy in India.

Dai Ying was proud at sea, but on land, Dai Ying really didn't have much confidence in competing with the Zhou Empire. Thinking of the population, Wayne felt that he would definitely be beaten.

Imperialism is like this, it bullies the weak and fears the strong, and when it really can't defeat you, its attitude is better than anyone else's.

The Honglu Temple conveyed the cabinet's intention that the contract signed between Daiying and the Zhou Empire only stipulated the sphere of influence on the sea, not on land.

Wayne immediately expressed his hope to reopen negotiations, consult on India's issues, and avoid misunderstandings through dialogue.

Jia Lian also received a letter of inquiry from the cabinet, written by Lin Ruhai, and a private letter, which mentioned when the Nanyang Xuanwei Office would be restored.

When Jia Lian saw Lin Ruhai's letter, Daiyu's face appeared in his mind. Alas, what an injustice! He had never thought so much about it.

In any case, we must speed up the construction of the navy. We have to find other ways to deal with the shortage of personnel.

Jia Lian summoned Jim again. This guy has been really busy recently, as he has to lead students and the navy. Despite being very busy, Jim still came as soon as Jia Lian called him.

Well, he is not a model worker. It’s just that Jia Lian’s promises were too good to be true, and now all the promises that should be fulfilled have been fulfilled.

Wearing a uniform with a lieutenant general's patch, Jim is not much different from the local officials except for his appearance. This guy is really trying to integrate into the Zhou Empire. His Chinese is not so good, but daily conversation is not difficult for him. When he was in the Royal Navy, Jim was a colonel, the kind who reached the top of his career. When he arrived in the Great Zhou, he was really promoted to a general.

"I am Jimu, your humble servant, and I am here to pay my respects to you, Your Excellency!" Jimu was the Chinese name that Jim asked someone to give him. Now he no longer used his English name, which seemed too low-class.

The harder I studied, the more I discovered how particular the Zhou Empire was about etiquette. In comparison, those nobles with English in their names were so bashful and pretentious, holding knives and forks and eating pig food every day. What the hell was that?

"Well, I called you here to discuss something. Let's talk about the current development of the Nanyang Fleet." When talking to people, Jia Lian never said navy, but fleet. The name navy is not grand enough.

Jim took out a notebook and reported everything that had happened recently in detail. The training effect of the three thousand Tanka youths was very good. They were all natural sea warriors and their learning progress was very fast. The biggest problem now was the lack of naval guns on the warships. With these three thousand people, there would be no problem operating ten third-level battleships. Including some of the original warships and personnel, the current Nanyang Fleet has ten true ocean-going battleships and more than a hundred other warships. There is no big problem with offshore defense, after all, there is no strong enemy, but it is far from enough to fight in Nanyang.

"Well, you did a good job. I have an idea to go to Europe to recruit a group of sailors and naval officers, and strive to build a certain combat capability within three years. Do you have any suggestions on this matter?"

Jia Lian's solution was very simple, that is, to build ships and buy ships at the same time, and then hire some mercenaries. When the war in the South China Sea was over, these people could form an adventure team and cross the Pacific Ocean or find Australia.

"Your Excellency's idea is very good. In Europe, as long as there is money, there is no problem in recruiting qualified sailors and officers. But as far as officers are concerned, we should start with the Royal Navy."

Jim gave his advice, and Jia Lian pretended to be curious and asked, "Why start with the British Royal Navy?"

Jim gave the truth as an explanation: "In the Royal Navy of Daiying, generals are all aristocrats. It is difficult for ordinary people to become generals. Many people I know can only become colonels at most. This is the difference between Daiying and my Great Zhou. Ordinary people in the Great Zhou can achieve their life goals through personal efforts. In Daiying, if you are not from an aristocratic family, there is basically no hope."

Well, Europe, which just emerged from the Middle Ages, does have this problem. It's the same in Britain and France. There are few modern French nobles, but there are too many of them who have been hung up on the street lamps. The nobles in the old revolutionary areas are not worth much. Unlike Britain, even in modern society, many people are still flocking to the so-called titles, which is a complete remnant of feudalism.

Don't even mention Daiying. The current Great Zhou is not much better. The difference is that the existence of the imperial examination provides a narrow path for the lower-class scholars to rise. In the military, with the opening of foreign wars, there will be countless opportunities in the future. But Daiying is different. If you are not a noble, it is really difficult to sit in the position of general. This is the basis for sweeping across Europe after the French Revolution. Ordinary people have more opportunities, both in the civilian and military sectors.

"Yes, that's true. Sima Gong recorded in the Records of the Grand Historian that Chen Sheng and Wu Guang raised their arms and shouted, 'Are there any kings, princes, generals or ministers who are of different species?' The Chinese Empire is willing to give opportunities to people at the bottom of society."

Jia Lian shamelessly reinforced the stereotype that class solidification is the same in every country. In modern society, some people's children can go to Peking University and Tsinghua University just because they play basketball. It is completely in line with the system regulations, and you can't find any faults. For children from ordinary families, if you want to take this kind of shortcut, you are dreaming. This road is reserved for some people for their children. And the entertainment industry, after developing to a later stage, it is all second-generation. For the sake of their own sons, the cutest people can do nothing.

If you want to say shameless, they really are shameless. Speaking of which, a well-known international director is relatively restrained. There are many more ruthless ones. The emergence of things like "The Ghost Soldiers Passing Through the Border" is not because of the box office, but because the movie is no longer a movie, but a financial game. Do ordinary people really think that they care about the box office? If they care about the box office, they will not force-feed shit to the audience.

Bad movies have one thing in common: they have already made back their investment before the movie is released. At least for those in the industry, they have definitely made a lot of money.

Director Jiaozi silenced the entire circle, not because he shut some people's mouths, but because the tablecloth on the table was lifted and the audience saw the filth hidden by the tablecloth.

You can't beat them, and smearing them doesn't work, what should you do? Use cold violence, just don't let you enter this circle. Wait for a while, the heat will pass, and you can continue to feed the audience shit.

This is a long story. Jia Lian's goal is to make the Nanyang Navy form combat effectiveness as soon as possible. "By the way, do you have any better suggestions on the selection of warships?" Jia Lian asked again, after all, he was an outsider.

Jim immediately gave a professional suggestion: "From the current actual situation and needs, larger warships are not necessary. The first and second class battleships of the Royal Navy are indeed larger and more combat-capable. But the disadvantage is obvious, and they are not suitable for ocean-going operations. From the actual situation of our Great Zhou, the most suitable is the third class battleship. I have seen the latest naval guns. After test firing, I found that the new naval guns are superior to the current British-made ones in terms of range and accuracy. As long as the personnel are trained, there are 30 third class battleships, and some other ships to assist, and blockade the Spanish and Dutch colonies in Southeast Asia, it should be possible."

"Thirty ships?" Jia Lian muttered to himself and fell into deep thought. He calculated the current shipbuilding capacity and cannon casting speed. Three years should be enough, and even better could be achieved.

After calculating for a while, Jia Lian, who had an idea in mind, looked up and said, "Forty ships. In three years, this governor can build a fleet of forty level three battleships. We should be able to build three or five of the larger level one and level two battleships. As long as we have the blueprints, it won't be a problem with the capabilities of the Great Zhou."

"That would be great. I will go back and write to my friends in Europe. I also hope that you will write to the envoys in England and France to get their help. In this way, it will be easy to recruit several thousand people, I don't know how many, and combined with the Tanka soldiers recruited locally, it will be enough. As for the combat after the landing, I can't guarantee it." Jim was also a little excited. After all, as a naval lieutenant general, he still had the opportunity to make progress.

"Well, I understand. If you work hard, I will guarantee you a title when Nanyang is pacified." Jia Lian's mention of the title was really the right medicine for the problem. Europeans really fall for this, not to mention now, even in a hundred years, it will still be like this. After becoming the world's first industrial country, the United States looked down on Europe, but when it met European nobles, it still licked their boots.

In this time and space, the title of the Great Zhou Empire is far more valuable than that of European nobles. After all, the filter is still there. Those European writers have created a lot of works to praise the ideal country in the East.

When did the filter break? Of course, it was during the reign of Emperor Qianlong, after the British embassy visited China.

Later, unable to compete with the Qing Dynasty in trade, Britain began to engage in opium smuggling on a large scale. When Lin Zexu banned smoking, the British fleet arrived.

To be honest, any other dynasty, even a cowardly regime like the Song Dynasty, would not have knelt down to the Qing Dynasty so quickly. The reason is very simple. In the hearts of the rulers, internal defense is prioritized over defense against foreign invaders. Otherwise, with such a vast territory, if they had continued to fight and refused to admit defeat, how could the British, with only a few people coming, still stay at sea?

In this sense, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom made great contributions. Without the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, there would have been no rise of the Hunan Army and the Huai Army, and there would have been no subsequent forced decentralization and self-protection of the six southeastern provinces.

In fact, there was an opportunity during the Three Feudatories Rebellion, when the Eight Banners were abolished and the Green Camp rose. How should I put it? This is probably history. This civilization is destined to spiral upward.

Deep down, Jia Lian still didn't treat these foreigners as human beings, and he still used bribery. How should I put it? These people are actually very loyal. There is no lack of similar phenomena in the Han and Tang dynasties. In contrast, some ethnic groups... I won't mention it, so as to avoid 404.
After deciding to expand the plan to recruit people from Europe, Jia Lian ordered the start of a second wave of recruiting young people from the Tanka tribe into the army.

Speaking of Tanka youths, they are really useful as naval soldiers. As long as they are given enough military pay, food and clothing, these young people will not be too satisfied. Jia Lian also gave them the subsequent social status. As long as the Tanka family joined the navy and obtained identity certification, they could go ashore to work. The children could also go to school and no longer have to drift on the sea.

When talking about the Tanka people, Jia Lian had to admit that the government officials in the past were really inhumane.

Just when Jia Lian was about to give up his plan to cooperate with Hai Longtou, the shopkeeper Qin San came to the governor's office with gifts and handed over the visiting card and gift list with both hands.

After hearing the news, Jia Lian first took a look at the visiting card and the gift list. There was nothing much to say about the visiting card, but the gift list really needed to be talked about. Hai Longtou was really generous.

Two-foot-tall Guanyin statues, golden Buddhas, one hundred pigeon-egg-sized pearls, three-foot-tall corals, etc., all of which are things that are hard to buy even with money.

In this era, it is no exaggeration to say that it is a rare treasure.

Jia Lian indicated that the things should be put away. Some things should be kept, such as the golden Buddha. Jia Lian had the pearls and corals packed and sent to the capital as a New Year gift to the emperor. Well, the Jia family would keep half of the pearls.

The golden Buddha was given to Wang Xifeng, and everyone else in the capital should prepare a gift and send it to them in advance. We cannot wait until the New Year is over to send gifts.

During this period, Jia Lian really collected a lot of good things. The real rare treasures were all given to the emperor, and only the second-rate ones were kept.

In the study, Jia Lian met with the shopkeeper Qin San. After he greeted him, he smiled and said, "I thought that the sea leader looked down on the conditions offered."

Shopkeeper Qin San stood up respectfully and replied: "The leader is willing to accept your conditions, but there is one condition, whether the children can go ashore."

Jia Lian frowned slightly after hearing this: "Hostages? I won't do that!"

Shopkeeper Qin San smiled bitterly and said, "Your Excellency has misunderstood. We just don't want our children to suffer. Also, Your Excellency should at least give us some justice."

Jia Lian understood what he meant, but he did not agree to it immediately. Instead, he asked with a smile, "Why, do you want to make conditions?"

Shopkeeper Qin San was so frightened that he trembled all over. He was not afraid of such a big shot with a cold face, but he was afraid of him smiling. He saw with his own eyes that the Chen family, which had been entrenched in Huizhou for decades, was uprooted. It was because this gentleman in front of him was not easy to kill, otherwise it would be hard to say how many male descendants of the Chen family would be left. Murder was not uncommon, but what was rare was that such a huge family was wiped out in the midst of laughter and conversation.

On the day of the beheading, Shopkeeper Qin San was at the scene, watching the executioner raise his knife and the head fall to the ground. How could that kind of pressure from the government be compared to that from using a knife at sea?

The destruction of the Chen family, for Hai Longtou, this was the power of the imperial court. The governor lazily moved his hands and beat Chen to death.

Why did Shopkeeper Qin San come late? It was not because he was hesitating, but because he was looking for a suitable gift.

"Your Excellency has misunderstood. I am not asking for conditions, but there are many Chinese in Southeast Asia. Hai Longtou is willing to be your pioneer. If we can have a righteous reputation, we can convince the local Chinese and gain their support, so that we can gain a firm foothold. Longtou said that he does not want money, but an official title."

Shopkeeper Qin San explained carefully, and Jia Lian pretended to be silent for a long time.

"After all, isn't it about surrendering?" Jia Lian pretended to be unhappy, but he did not get furious and immediately drive the man away. Instead, he fell into "thinking".

Shopkeeper Qin San didn't dare to breathe. He stood aside with his hands hanging down beside his legs, like a defendant awaiting judgment.

(End of this chapter)