North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 143: Full of bad intentions
That afternoon, Captain Klein Perry, whom we hadn't seen in a long time, indeed came as invited.

"Oh! My dear Li, it's been so long! You've grown taller, stronger, and...fairer!"

Although it had been a long time since they last met, Captain Klein greeted Azu very warmly.

"Long time no see! My dear Captain Klein, how have you been?"

Monica handed Captain Klein and Azu a glass of wine each, then swayed her plump buttocks as she walked out of the office.

"Tsk tsk tsk...!"

Klein's eyes were fixed on Monica's large buttocks in her bodycon skirt, and he refused to look away.

Once Monica had disappeared from sight, Klein turned around, winking at Azu and saying, "You rascal, now you even have such a stunning secretary! No matter how well I live, I'm not as comfortable as you!"

As he spoke, Klein took a sip of the liquor, his eyes immediately lighting up as he stared at the beautiful amber color: "This is... an aged Macallan whisky, isn't it? Tsk tsk... fine liquor, truly fine liquor!"

Young men from prestigious families like Klein may have varying abilities in other areas, but their appreciation for fine wines and women is absolutely top-notch!
Klein took another sip of Macallan whiskey and couldn't help but sigh, "Sigh! The meager salary the U.S. Navy pays me isn't enough to buy a bottle of this for two months without eating or drinking! Let alone support a woman like that!"

"Hehe!" Azu smiled slightly: "Want to make money? That's easy, isn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Klein immediately became interested: "Lee, I know that you are not only the Assistant Governor of California, but also the biggest and richest BOSS in all of California!"

"How about it? Any opportunities to make money and help out a lowly naval sailor like me? After all, we were sworn brothers who fought side by side back in the day, weren't we?"

Azu smiled and said, "I invited you here today because there's a chance to make a fortune. Let's see if you, Captain Klein, have the ability to do it!"

"Really?" Young Klein's eyes lit up. "Tell me quickly, what kind of opportunity is it?"

"Don't rush, come with me!"

Azu, accompanied by Captain Klein, arrived at his family's shipyard dock.

On the dock, there was a huge, completely black ship!

"This is... an iron-hulled steamship?"

After all, they were a naval family, and Klein immediately understood what Azu was going to show him.

Klein stroked the hard, cold steel hull and asked in confusion, "Where are the paddle wheels? Why don't they have sails?"

In this era, steam power was only an auxiliary power source for steamships, and they would only rely on steam power to drive them in the absence of wind or when there was no wind or a headwind.

Paddle steamships were far less efficient than sails in terms of propulsion and reliability.

Therefore, even paddle steamships were equipped with sails as standard equipment.

On this brand-new iron-hulled steamship, Klein saw neither sails nor even paddle wheels.

"This is a brand new, revolutionary iron-hulled steamship that has just been launched by our Huamei Industrial!"

Azu brought Captain Klein to the ship and first showed him around the engine room.

"Oh! Li, don't blame me for being nosy, but the steam engine you equipped this ship with is far too small. It definitely won't have enough horsepower to drive such a large ship!"

Azu calmly smiled and said, "Klein, how about we make a bet?"

"What kind of bet?" Klein asked.

"How about we bet on whether my new boat can reach a speed of over twenty knots?"

"Twenty knots? No, absolutely impossible!" Klein said decisively. "I estimate this ship's displacement to be around 1,500 tons. Even if you equipped it with a steam engine several times larger, let alone such a small one, it still wouldn't be able to reach a speed of twenty knots."

The speed of a paddle steamship is even slower than that of a clipper ship; it is absolutely impossible for it to reach a speed of twenty knots. This is the most basic common sense for a naval soldier.

"My boat can reach a speed of at least twenty knots. I'll bet a dollar!"

Azu pulled a dollar from his pocket, waved it at Klein, and said, "So? Dare to bet with me?"

"Of course I'll bet against you on a bet that's a sure win!"

Klein reached into his pockets and slapped all his savings—seventeen dollars and several coins—into Azu's hand: "I'm betting my entire fortune with you!"

"Very good, it looks like our naval captain is about to go bankrupt!"

Azu led Klein to the bridge of the "Taishan".

"Captain, haul in the moorings and weigh anchor!"

"Okay, BOSS!"

"Beep beep...!"

After two loud blasts of the ship's horn, the massive Taishan began to weigh anchor, its tall smokestacks billowing thick black smoke as it slowly departed from the dock.

Once they reached the open sea, Azu ordered, "Captain, full speed ahead!"

"Yes Sir!"

"beep……!"

After another loud blast of the ship's horn, the black smoke billowing from the chimney turned into thick white smoke and began to accelerate rapidly across the sea.

Klein's eyes were fixed on the speedometer in the cockpit.

"Ten sections...!"

"Twelve sections...!"

"Fifteenth section...!"

When the speedometer reached fifteen knots, it had already exceeded the limits of paddle steamships!

But the acceleration showed no sign of stopping!
"Seventeen sections...!"

"The Eighteenth Festival...!"

Captain Klein's forehead began to bead with sweat; he could hardly believe his eyes!

"The nineteenth section...!"

……

"Twenty sections...! Oh my God!"

Klein's eyes widened in disbelief, and he exclaimed, "You really broke the 20-quarter mark! My God, Lee, how did you do that?"

Azu gave him a faint smile: "Don't rush, it's not over yet!"

Even though it had already broken through 20 knots, the massive hull of the "Taishan" continued to accelerate!
"Twenty-one sections...!"

"Twenty-two sections...!"

……

"Twenty-five chapters... Oh My God! Oh My God! Oh My God!"

Klein couldn't help but start gesturing wildly and shouting!
"My God! Twenty-five knots! This is absolutely the fastest boat ever built!"

Even with favorable winds and no cargo, the maximum speed of a clipper boat is only twenty knots.

As we all know, steamships of that era were not as fast as clipper ships!

But this brand-new steamship under our feet not only caught up with the speed of the clipper ship, but also increased its speed to twenty-five knots!
what does this mean?
This means that a brand new era has arrived!

Klein was overjoyed, putting his arm around Azu's shoulder and jumping up and down with laughter: "Li, you absolutely created a miracle!"

"I bet this is absolutely the fastest ship in the world!"

Azu smiled calmly: "So, Captain, are you convinced of your defeat?"

"I'm totally convinced, I'm completely convinced!"

Klein was extremely excited: "Lee, if our American Navy could be equipped with this kind of ship, then...then...then we could even defeat the arrogant British invincible navy!"

"Li, are you selling this kind of ship? How much? No matter the price, the U.S. Navy must buy it!"

Klein is right, this "Taishan" is definitely the fastest ship of this era!
It's not just the superior propulsion efficiency brought by the curved blade propeller, but also the powerful drive provided by the compound impulse steam turbine.

Currently, both Britain and France are building propeller-driven steamships, but they are still using old-fashioned reciprocating steam turbines.

Whether in terms of thermal efficiency, size, or weight, Azu's compound impulse steam turbine can crush reciprocating steam turbines to dust!

Seeing Klein dancing with excitement, Azu calmly said, "Klein, you're just a captain. How can you represent the U.S. Navy to purchase my ships?"

"This...!" Klein snapped out of his extreme excitement, scratched his head, and said, "My old man still has a lot of influence in the Navy!"

"Unfortunately, your father is far away in the Far East, so he's not worth mentioning!" Azu said mercilessly.

Captain Klein said, "My old man has a pretty good relationship with Brigadier General Paparo King, the commander of the Pacific Fleet."

"If Brigadier General Kim could see this revolutionary new ship with his own eyes, he would definitely be eager to purchase it."

“Brigadier General Paparo King?” Azu smiled knowingly; this was the real reason he had invited Klein here.

"King, as a captain, do you think you can speak up for Brigadier General Kim?" Azu asked. Klein quickly nodded, "Of course! My second sister is married to Brigadier General Kim's eldest son. Do you think I can speak up for Brigadier General Kim?"

"Since there's this connection, things become much easier!"

Ah Zu said, "Captain, go back and pack your things. Tomorrow morning, we'll take this boat to San Diego, how about that?"

"That's wonderful! It's a deal!"

The "Taishan" took Captain Klein directly back to the naval fortress dock.

Klein was about to disembark when he remembered something, turned back awkwardly, and scratched the back of his head, saying, "Li... Neng... could you lend me some money? I just gambled away all my living expenses for this month!"

"I've already prepared it for you!" With that, Azu snapped his fingers.

Monica, carrying a small suitcase, walked gracefully up to Klein, handed the suitcase to him, and winked at him playfully.

"Gulp...!" Klein stared at Monica's swaying buttocks again and swallowed hard.

Then he opened the small box.

“This…this is…!”

Azu smiled and said, "Captain, here's fifty thousand dollars! Consider it a loan to you for now."

"Once you successfully facilitate the Navy's purchase of new ships from our Huamei Industrial, there will be a generous reward!"

"This...this is too much!" Klein, looking like a thief, quickly closed the small box. "Isn't this...a bit inappropriate?"

“It’s just money I lent you, what’s wrong with that?” Azu winked at him.

"Hehe, you're right!" Klein said. "See you tomorrow morning. Trust me, as long as Brigadier General Kim sees this ship, everything will be fine!"

After Klein disembarked and left with his small suitcase, Monica took Azu's arm and pressed her high, full, snow-white breasts against Azu's arm.

"My master, are you really going to sell our ship to the U.S. Navy?"

Azu nodded and said, "Sell, why not sell? Selling a boat isn't like selling guns; you can't just sell it to them and expect them to use it."

"Even if the U.S. Navy places an order with us, the construction time will still be at least one or two years, right?"

"As long as we establish a relationship with the U.S. Navy and weather this most dangerous period, who can say what will happen in a year or two?"

"Giggle...!" Monica whispered in Azu's ear, her breath sweet as orchids, "My master, you're such a wicked person!"

"Smack...!" Azu slapped her plump, bouncy butt hard: "I saw you seducing Klein just now. Has it been too long since I've dealt with you?"

“My master…!” Monica said, her voice trembling with grievance, “You still dare to say that? How long has it been since you last showed me any affection?”

"I've accumulated quite a bit of bad intentions, do you want some...?"

Azu scooped Monica up in his arms and carried her into the still-unfinished luxury cabin.

……

The next day, early in the morning, the "Taishan" carrying Azu, Klein, Zuo Zongtang, Shi Dakai, Victoria and others embarked on a sea voyage to San Diego.

San Diego is 450 nautical miles from San Francisco. The Taishan maintained a speed of 20 knots and arrived in San Diego in one day.

At this time, San Diego had just become the United States Navy's most important naval port in the East, and everything was still under construction.

Apart from the San Diego Naval Base, San Diego is an unremarkable little city!
The headquarters of the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet is located within a naval port.

As soon as the "Taishan" entered the naval port, small boats immediately approached it.

"This is a naval port. Civilian vessels have no right to dock here. Leave immediately!"

The naval soldiers on the small boat shouted loudly at the bridge of the "Taishan".

Klein, dressed in a crisp naval captain's uniform, appeared on the ship's side and called out to the soldiers on the small boat, "I am Captain Klein Perry of the San Francisco Naval Fortress Garrison. I have urgent military information to report to Brigadier General Paparo King!"

"Yes Sir!"

The soldiers on the small boat, upon recognizing Captain Klein's rank, quickly saluted.

"You two lead the way!"

"Yes Sir!"

Guided by a naval boat, the "Taishan" successfully docked at the naval port.

Another lieutenant on duty quickly approached: "What's going on here? Why are civilian ships allowed to dock at our naval port?"

"Hi! Flake, long time no see!"

Klein disembarked from the "Taishan" and affectionately put his arm around the shoulder of the lieutenant on duty.

"Klein, so it was you all along!"

Lieutenant Fleck, clearly someone Klein knew, joked, "Why aren't you enjoying yourself in San Francisco? What are you doing in this godforsaken place like San Diego?"

"And why are you traveling on a civilian vessel?"

Klein patted the black, sturdy hull of the "Taishan": "Buddy, you have no idea how fast this ship is!"

"It only took me a day, less than twenty-four hours, to get here from San Francisco...!"

"What?" Lieutenant Frank's eyes widened. "What are you bragging about? You can get from San Francisco to San Diego in a day? Less than 24 hours? You're still that braggart!"

In the eyes of these naval officers, the distance from San Francisco to San Diego is a full 450 nautical miles, and even the fastest clipper ship would take at least one and a half to two days to reach.

This strange-looking steamship, slower than a clipper ship, would be lucky to arrive in two days.

A day? Less than twenty-four hours?
What a joke!
"Hehe!" Captain Klein didn't explain further, but simply asked, "Is Brigadier General Kim at headquarters? I need to report something important to him!"

“How would a mere lieutenant like me know the general’s whereabouts?” Flake replied, “I’m not like you, kid, with a father who’s a general and a fleet commander protecting you!”

"Hehe!" Klein patted Flake on the shoulder: "I'm going to see the general first, I'll treat you to drinks another day!"

"You still have money to buy me drinks? You still owe me thirty dollars, when are you going to pay me back?"

"Slap...!" Klein slapped his forehead: "Buddy, I almost forgot about it if you hadn't mentioned it!"

As he spoke, Klein pulled out a wad of American dollars from his pocket, took out fifty dollars, and stuffed it into Fleck's uniform pocket.

"Hehe, buddy, I'll pay you back everything, principal and interest!"

"Huh!" Frank looked at the thick wad of banknotes in Klein's hand and exclaimed in surprise, "When did you get rich, kid?"

Klein winked at him: "All I can tell you is that San Francisco is a great place, it's full of gold!"

"Really?" Fleck asked, his heart pounding.

“Absolutely true!” Klein patted Fleck on the chest: “Find a way to transfer to San Francisco, and I’ll make you rich!”

At this moment, Azu and his group of people leisurely disembarked from the boat.

When Fleck saw the group, he was about to ask a question when he suddenly saw a stunningly beautiful woman with dark golden hair. All his questions got stuck in his throat.

"Flake, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Li, the Assistant Governor of California and the owner of Huamei Industrial!"

Klein patted Fleck's chest again: "The boss of Huamei Industrial, hehe, I don't need to say anything more, right?"

"Snap!" Fleck struggled to look away from Victoria, then gave Azu a proper military salute: "Good morning, Mr. Li!"

Azu smiled and shook hands with him: "Lieutenant Fleck, we're here to see Brigadier General Kim. Please show us the way!"

"Yes, Sir...!"

Led by Lieutenant Fleck, Azu and his men soon arrived at Brigadier General Paparo King's office.

"Report, General! Assistant Governor Lee of California, along with Captain Klein of the San Francisco Fortress Garrison and others, are requesting an audience at the gate!"

Brigadier General Paparo Kim, who was engrossed in his work, was an elderly man with gray hair and a face full of wrinkles, but who exuded an air of authority.

"The Assistant Governor of California? What does he want with me?"

Brigadier General Kim slowly raised his head: "And Klein...?"

"Yes, take them to the reception room. I'll see them later."

"Yes Sir!"

A moment later, Brigadier General Kim, accompanied by two naval staff officers, slowly walked into the reception room.

Azu, who was waiting in the reception room, stood up with a smile and shook hands with Brigadier General Paparo Kim.

Brigadier General Kim looked the unusually young Chinese man up and down and spoke directly.

“Mr. Li, I have been to Guangzhou and Ningbo in China, and to be honest, they left me with a very bad impression…!”

(End of this chapter)