The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 882 The Most Beautiful Scenery in California

In the summer of 1877, the 200-ton battleship "Hailong" sailed into San Francisco Bay like a dormant behemoth. This ship, which once carried the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's naval ambitions, has now removed the turret in the middle of the ship, leaving only the four twin mm main guns in the front and rear. On the rusty side, the scars left by the removal of the turret in the middle of the ship are particularly dazzling in the morning light.

In the fire control room of the bridge, Lieutenant Commander Luo Xinhua held up the latest binoculars from Shanghai Optical Company, and his eyes behind the lenses scanned the forts on both sides of the strait like a hawk. His fingers once again touched the four small regular script characters "纵横四海" on the copper tube of the telescope - this telescope was specially made by Luo Yaoguo for his son to be promoted to Lieutenant Commander.

"Three new turrets have been added to the Hukou Fort, and the gun elevation angle has been raised to 30 degrees, so the firing fan covers the entire waterway." Luo Xinhua's voice was deep and clear. Zhou Mosheng, a computer soldier beside him, immediately leaned over to record in the observation book, and the tip of his pen made a rustling sound on the paper. "Pay attention to the concrete fortress outside the Longkou Fort, the sloped design." He suddenly paused and squinted his eyes. "Do you see those hydraulic pipes? They must be equipped with the latest hydraulic ammunition delivery machines."

Zhou Mosheng immediately took the telescope and took a closer look. As expected, he saw the steel pipes extending from the rear of the fort looming in the morning mist. "My God, this is much more advanced than what I saw two years ago." He exclaimed in a low voice, "It's almost on the same level as the Humen Fort at the mouth of the Pearl River."

Luo Xinhua pulled up a bitter smile: "More than that. In terms of defensive fortifications, these two fortresses are no less than the standards of the Tianjing Garrison." He thought of the simple artillery he saw when he first came to San Francisco three years ago, and couldn't help but feel shocked at the speed with which the Californians were preparing for war.

At this moment, the megaphone suddenly emitted a shrill buzzing sound, and the command from the command tower cut through the silence in the room: "Gunnery commander, report immediately!"

Luo Xinhua told Zhou Mosheng to continue observing, and he turned around and left the fire control room. He quickly went down the vertical passage, and when he pushed open the heavy armored door of the command tower, he was greeted by the unique smell of ink and tobacco in the chart room.

In the command tower, the captain, Colonel Luo Zhongtian, was pressing his white gloves against the edge of a yellowed chart, while the deputy captain, chief engineer, and others stood on both sides like javelins. The sun shone in from the porthole, sprinkling on the golden braid of Luo Zhongtian's epaulettes.

"Young King will board the ship in half an hour," Luo Zhongtian pointed to the new ribbon on his dress uniform, with a meaningful smile on his face, "You will be responsible for accompanying him throughout the whole process. Remember, explain the benefits of the 'Sea Dragon II' in detail - the Californians should pay the Navy Department!"

"Are you trying to sell the ship that even the Taiping Navy dislikes?" Luo Xinhua couldn't help but smile bitterly. He knew all too well the flaws of the Hailong class - the unreliable barrel recoil gun, the bulky three-expansion engine, and the damn armor seam problem.

Luo Zhongtian suddenly slammed hard on the nautical chart, shaking the ink bottle and making it jump up: "Nonsense! The Sea Dragon II is tailor-made for the California militia!" He pointed his finger at the location of the Golden Gate Bay, "15,200-ton standard row, four twin-mounted 200mm rapid-fire guns, and the gun mount has reserved space for upgrades." He lowered his voice and said, "The core fort armor is equivalent to 310mm wrought iron, coal-fired boilers are equipped with heavy oil spray, and the combat cruise speed is 16 knots." He suddenly moved closer and sprayed hot air with the smell of tobacco into Luo Xinhua's ears, "If it is replaced with 240mm guns, the British'Invincible Class' will be a sitting duck! The Navy Department doesn't like it because the Navy Department has better options, and California doesn't."

Luo Xinhua's pupils shrank slightly. California really didn't choose California. California is too rich. California is the most important gold producing area in the United States. It also produces 30% of the oil in the United States - almost 20% of the world! It is also the largest agricultural state in the United States - this is of course all thanks to the Chinese! Although the federal government in the eastern United States looks down on the people of color in California, they will never give up California!

As the Hailong slowly docked at the San Francisco naval port, Luo Xinhua stood in front of the porthole, shocked by the scene before him and speechless. Four "Zhenyuan-class" ironclad ships flying black, red and yellow tricolor flags stood in the harbor like a steel mountain range, with their brand new paint jobs gleaming in the sun. Even more surprising was that fully armed sailors were neatly lined up on the decks of each warship. Their dark blue uniforms were exactly the same as those of the Taiping Navy, except that the cap badges were replaced with the logo of the black, red and yellow tricolor flag of the West Coast of the United States.

The scene on the pier was even more spectacular. A whole battalion of California militiamen stood in awe, their brand new breech-loading rifles of the 22nd year of the Tianli calendar glowing with murderous intent in the sun. When the sound of the trumpet pierced the sea breeze, the soldiers immediately straightened their backs and saluted in unison.

Hong Tiangui boarded the ship quickly, accompanied by several young officers. Luo Xinhua noticed that the "young king" was thinner than three years ago, but the sharpness in his eyes was more compelling. He wore a well-tailored gray California militia officer's uniform, with medals on his chest and a gorgeously decorated command sword on his waist - it was a gift from Luo Yaoguo on his twentieth birthday.

"Salute!" The deck duty officer's command sounded like thunder. The officers of the Taiping Navy immediately put their heels together and raised their right hands to their temples. Hong Tiangui returned the salute neatly.

Luo Xinhua stood at the end of the queue, watching Hong Tiangui and Luo Zhongtian chatting. As the two talked, Hong Tiangui kept his hand on the hilt, his knuckles turning white from exerting too much force. When his eyes swept over Luo Xinhua, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Major?" Hong Tiangui strode over and patted Luo Xinhua's shoulder badge, "How about coming to California to be the captain?" He pointed to the largest Zhenyuan-class ship in the port, "The Arizona is short of a chief officer, you can be the captain!"

Luo Xinhua straightened his back and said, "Commander, I would rather serve in the Taiping Navy." "Ha!" Hong Tiangui laughed, "Are you worried that these old ships can't outrun the new guns?" A sly look flashed in his eyes, "Why not buy a Sea Dragon II? After upgrading, it can still beat the British battle cruiser?"

Luo Xinhua's heart trembled - Hong Tiangui obviously knew the Navy's plan a long time ago. He replied calmly: "You are joking. I heard that my father is working on a 20,000-ton 'Qianlong'. How can the Hailong class be of interest to you?"

Hong Tiangui suddenly stopped smiling and grabbed Luo Xinhua's wrist with amazing force: "Follow me." He dragged Luo Xinhua to the middle of the ship and pointed at the base left after the turret was removed. "Look at this structure! The number of Hailong II turrets has been reduced to four, but each gun mount has been strengthened by 200%. Not only can it withstand the recoil of a 240mm gun, but even a mm gun should be no problem. It's just that the current three-expansion power is insufficient, but to make full use of the steam turbine, we have to use California oil. And to protect the oil tanker across the ocean, we need such a ship!"

Luo Xinhua suddenly understood Hong Tiangui's intention, no, it should be the intention of the Heavenly Kingdom's top leaders. The California Militia Navy will be responsible for escorting the Pacific route in the future - protecting tankers, troop transports, and ammunition ships from passing through the Pacific Ocean under the guns of British battlecruisers!
The Hailong II, with a combat cruising speed of up to 16 knots, is undoubtedly the best leader of the escort fleet!

When leaving the military port, the carriage the three of them were riding in was forced to stop at the customs checkpoint. Luo Xinhua lifted the curtain of the carriage and gasped at the sight before him - a winding line of people stretched from the dock to the end of the sight, with at least tens of thousands of ragged immigrants crowded in the strong wind on the California coast. Most of them had sallow complexions and sunken eye sockets, but their eyes were burning with the flame of hope.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!" Several California Patrol officers in black uniforms waved their batons and cleared a path through the crowd. As the carriage slowly moved forward, Luo Xinhua saw a skinny woman on the side of the road wrapping a baby in rags, with tears staining the baby's purple face.

The roar of a tin horn suddenly exploded above the queue: "Those who are willing to open up the land, please submit the land application form! Sign the reserve militia volunteer form, and the state government will provide resettlement -" The sound was like some kind of magic spell, and the originally lifeless crowd suddenly became agitated.

Hong Tiangui grabbed the curtain and looked out the window coldly. "There was a severe drought in the Central Plains this year, and the number of people fleeing to the sea has quadrupled." His voice was terrifyingly calm. "Last week, the record of 5,000 people entering the country in a single day was broken."

Luo Xinhua saw the dirty hands of immigrants rushing to the service window, grabbing the militia volunteer form as if it were a lifeline. A young woman squeezed to the window with a baby in her arms, but the clerk shook his head and handed her a form. The woman suddenly knelt down, banging her forehead on the ground.

"What is she asking for?" Luo Xinhua couldn't help but ask.

"Birth exemption." Hong Tiangui explained with a smile, "Everyone in California has a gun...including adult women!

But how can you hold a gun with a baby? So there is a maternity exemption, which can be exempted until the child goes to nursery. She is new here and doesn’t know the rules. She thought she didn’t have to serve in the militia reserve and got the land for free! ”

He pointed to the distant hillside, where rows of simple tombstones had been newly added. "California doesn't support idlers. Either you farm, serve in the military, or raise children. Everyone has to do their best!"

When the carriage passed the foothills of Kinmen Mountain, Luo Xinhua saw dozens of new bluestone tablets added to the Martyrs Cemetery. The latest one was engraved with "Died in the Rocky Mountains in May 1877, suppressing the White Bandits", which was less than three months ago.

It’s easy to make money in California, with starting salaries five times higher than in heaven! But this money is deadly!
"At this rate," Luo Xinhua said hoarsely, "I'm afraid the second civil war won't be able to wait ten years."

Hong Tiangui suddenly pulled out a crumpled copy of the New York Times from under his seat and threw it on his lap. In the front-page photo, President Hayes was surrounded by an angry crowd in front of the Capitol, with an egg smashed on his forehead. The headline was shocking: "Racial Compromisers Get Out of the White House!"

"Five years at most!" Hong Tiangui's finger almost pierced through the newspaper. "Hayes came to power with the one-vote advantage brought to him by the twelve western states. Vetoing the New Chinese Exclusion Act was already the limit." A cold light flashed in his eyes. "As a result, riots broke out in the thirty eastern states of the United States, and he had to announce that he would not run for re-election." Suddenly he grinned, "He said that he won four years of respite for the United States, but I said these are the last four years of preparation for war!"

(End of this chapter)