North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 144 The Best Sucker

After hearing just the first sentence, Azu was already impressed by Paparo King, this outspoken old man.

"General Jin, it's a pleasure to meet you! I like your straightforward personality!"

Azu said, "You're right! China right now is at its weakest point in its five-thousand-year history!"

"But the China you see is not the real China, well... or rather, you only see the worst side of us."

"Oh...? Is that so?" Paparo King was skeptical of Azu's words.

Azu didn't dwell on the issue too much, but went straight to the point: "General Jin, the reason I'm visiting you today is to show you a revolutionary ship!"

"A ship that could make the U.S. Navy rise to become the dominant maritime power!"

"Hmm...?" A hint of surprise flashed in Paparo King's old eyes, but more than that, there was a look of indifference.

“Mr. Li, I’ve heard a lot about you. I know you’re a young Chinese man who’s good at creating miracles, but…!”

"Building a strong navy is not as simple as it seems."

"Unlike those brainless idiots on land who just wait in line to be shot or get shot, our navy is a technical branch. Whether it's building ships or training personnel, it requires a long period of accumulation and learning. It's a long process."

Brigadier General Paparo Kim continued, "A navy with a century of history, a navy with a century of history, who has the right to call themselves powerful without a century of accumulation?"

“Mr. Li, even if you have invented a revolutionary ship, it can only be said that it has shortened the time and distance for building a powerful navy.”

"Moreover, I am cautious about what kind of revolutionary ships Mr. Li and your Huamei Industries can build!"

Upon hearing this, Klein, without waiting for Azu to speak, hurriedly said, "Uncle Jin...!"

Paparo King glared at him: "Captain, this is a work setting, call me General!"

"Yes, Sir...!"

Klein quickly stood at attention and saluted, then put on a smile and said, "General, Mr. Li and his Huamei Industries have truly built an absolutely powerful and revolutionary ship. You don't know, his new steamship can already exceed twenty-five knots...!"

"What...?" General Jin could hardly believe his ears. "Klein, say that again?"

"General, I'm telling you, Mr. Li and his Huamei Industrial Company have built revolutionary steamships that can now exceed 25 knots!"

"Bang...!" Brigadier General Paparo Kim jumped to his feet, almost knocking over the chair he was sitting on.

"Captain Klein, you are a naval officer, and you must be responsible for your words!"

Brigadier General Kim's face showed disbelief and astonishment: "You should know what kind of responsibility you will bear for lying about military intelligence and deceiving your superiors!"

Captain Klein puffed out his chest and declared loudly, "Reporting to the General, I stand by every word I have said! The 450-nautical-mile journey from San Francisco to San Diego took me just over 22 hours aboard this new steamship!"

“What…?” Brigadier General Paparo King’s eyes flashed with shock once again: “Four hundred and fifty nautical miles, twenty-two hours, and an average speed of over twenty knots… Captain Klein, are you sure you know what you’re saying?”

“Yes, General!” Captain Klein puffed out his chest even more: “I experienced all of this firsthand, and there is absolutely not a single falsehood in it!”

Brigadier General Paparo Kim, seeing his junior speak so resolutely, couldn't help but believe him to some extent.

He knew his junior very well. Despite his usual carefree and irresponsible demeanor, the navy paid him a meager salary, which he spent entirely on women and fine wine. He was a notorious playboy.

But General Jin knew very well that this playboy in front of him would never let him down at crucial moments!
“Mr. Li, Captain Klein, where is that kind of ship you mentioned? If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would hardly believe what you’re saying. This… is simply too astonishing!”

Faced with General Jin's question, Azu calmly replied, "General, the new ships we have built are currently docked at the naval pier, with the boilers still running, ready to set sail at any time."

“Good, very good!” Brigadier General Paparo Kim took his general’s cap from the staff officer: “Then what are we waiting for?”

With that, General Jin put on his general's hat, and without looking back, led everyone out of the reception room and out of the headquarters.

A moment later, a large, strangely shaped, black ship appeared in General Jin's sight.

"Mr. Li, is this the revolutionary steamship you built?"

Azu nodded and said, "Yes! I'll name this ship 'Taishan'!"

Paparo walked closer and carefully examined the strange ship from top to bottom: "Mr. Li, why doesn't your ship have paddle wheels or sails? How is it propelled?"

Azu replied, "General, both paddle wheels and sails are outdated products destined to be eliminated by the times!"

"is it?"

“Of course!” Azu continued, “The propulsion efficiency of paddle steamers is too low. Their existence is only a transitional phase for steamships.”

Ah Zu patted the steel hull of the Taishan: "The Taishan I built adopted a completely new and revolutionary propulsion method, as well as a revolutionary advanced steam turbine!"

"In every respect, my Taishan is at least thirty years more advanced than paddle steamers or sailing ships!"

"Thirty years ahead?" Not only General Jin, but also the naval staff behind him scoffed and didn't believe it at all.

"General, please board the ship. After experiencing it for yourself, the facts will prove everything I have said!"

Brigadier General Paparo Kim, accompanied by a group of staff officers, boarded the ship and toured the unremarkable bridge and the core engine room.

Like Captain Klein, they found it hard to believe that such a small steam engine could power such a large ship, let alone reach speeds exceeding twenty-five knots.

"Beep beep...!"

After two blasts of the ship's horn, the Taishan slowly departed from the port again and soon appeared on the open sea.

"Captain, hold nothing back any longer, full speed ahead!"

Under A-Zu's command, the Taishan sped up, spewing thick black smoke, and accelerated across the sea!
"Fifteenth section...!"

"Twenty sections...!"

"Twenty-five sections...!"

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

"Oh my God! My God...!"

The Taishan, speeding across the sea, cut through layers of waves with its sharp bow, leaving a long trail behind it. In the blink of an eye, it had left the San Diego naval base far behind.

Brigadier General Paparo King and his naval staff could hardly believe what they were seeing!
"Twenty-eight sections...!"

Brigadier General Paparo King's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he stared at the speedometer: "What the hell...! This is absolutely the fastest ship in the world!"

"This is simply a miracle...!"

General Jin and his staff were all utterly shocked!
"Hehe!" Captain Klein leaned closer to General Jin: "General, what do you think? I didn't lie to you, did I?"

"Slap! Slap!" General Jin slapped Klein hard on the shoulder: "Klein, you brat, tell me right now, I'm not dreaming!"

"General, I assure you, you are more lucid now than ever!"

General Jin rubbed his face hard with both hands before he could barely pull himself out of his shock.

“Mr. Li, I believe that you and your Huamei Industrial Group have indeed created a revolutionary vessel!” “This vessel, whether for civilian or military use, has epoch-making revolutionary significance!”

"Especially in military applications, such ships not only have significant tactical importance, but also extremely important strategic importance!"

General Jin exclaimed in an aria-like tone, "A speed of twenty-five knots, or even twenty-eight knots, is at least twice as fast as the original sailing ships or paddle steamers."

"This means that, strategically, the same warship can control more than double the area of ​​sea!"

"This means that, strategically, the U.S. Navy is able to extend its sphere of influence to more distant places."

"Tactically speaking, a speed that is at least twice as fast allows for a quicker seizure of advantageous positions and a faster pursuit or escape from enemy ships!"

"For the vast territory of America, this revolutionary steamship is the new warship they have always dreamed of!"

General Jin's eyes burned with fervor as he stared intently at Azu and said, "Mr. Li, tell me, based on this revolutionary steamship, can you build powerful warships for the American Navy?"

Azu smiled and nodded: "Of course! Apart from the naval guns, my several Huamei shipyards and twenty dry docks can all build warships based on the Taishan!"

"It's okay if you can't build the ship's guns!" General Jin waved his hand dismissively and said, "As long as you can build the hull, the ship's guns can be provided by our navy."

The artillery equipment on modern warships is not substantially different from that of sailing warships, and is completely different from the dreadnoughts of later generations.

General Jin continued, "How large of a ship can Huamei Shipyard build now?"

Azu replied, “Of our twenty docks, eight are 200 feet long and twelve are 300 feet long. The 200-foot docks build ships of around 1,000 tons. The 300-foot docks build ships of around 3,000 tons.”

General Jin replied, "In other words, if you can build frigates and cruisers, that's enough!"

The largest warship in the current U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet is only 1,200 tons.

Even if you include the entire U.S. Navy, the largest warships, such as the USS Mississippi and the USS Pennsylvania, only have a displacement of a little over three thousand tons.

Paparo King then asked a crucial question: "Mr. Lee, if the U.S. Navy were to order armored warships of 1,000 tons and 3,000 tons from you, what would the approximate cost be?"

After a moment's thought, Azu sensed that General Jin's lack of confidence suggested that even the American Navy didn't have much surplus supplies.

The United States is currently in the stage of primitive capital accumulation, and the entire society and country are quite short of money and investment.

In short, they are still relatively poor! Even American businessmen who want to make large investments have to find ways to do so from abroad, especially from old money from Europe!

In an effort to attract investment, many American businessmen even set their sights on the Qing Dynasty.

For example, the Wu family of Guangzhou has a lot of investments in the United States, mainly in finance and railways.

Therefore, Azu felt that the price should not be too high, so as to scare away the US Navy, a big spender, first.

"General Jin, to be honest, the displacement of this Taishan ship is 1,500 tons. Because it is the first one, the cost is higher."

"How tall?" General Jin's voice was full of probing.

"Approximately $140,000!"

"Phew...!" General Jin breathed a long sigh of relief. Although the price was not cheap, it was still within the Navy's acceptable range.

As long as the navy squeezes resources in other areas, procuring a few ships each year shouldn't be a problem.

“However…!” Azu changed the subject, saying, “What we are building now are civilian ships. If we were to design and build warships based on these, the price would definitely be much higher.”

"How expensive?" General Jin's heart jumped into his throat again.

"The warship needs to be redesigned, mainly to strengthen its structure and armor. Hmm... excluding the naval guns, it will cost about $170,000!"

"That is to say, the cost per ton is about $110. If it is a 3,000-ton armored ship, the cost is about $350,000."

"Hoo...!" General Jin let out another long breath and said, "A 1,500-ton armored frigate costs $170,000 to build, and a 32-pounder gun costs less than $1,000. Even if it is equipped with thirty naval guns, it will still cost less than $200,000!"

"A 3,000-ton armored ship, including its cannons, costs approximately $400,000!"

"Reasonable, this price is very reasonable! It's not much more expensive than a paddlewheel armored ship of the same tonnage."

General Paparo King looked at the young Chinese man before him with great admiration.

“Mr. Li, you and Huamei Industrial created this revolutionary ship, but you did not become too greedy and make huge profits from it.”

General Jin's gaze softened considerably: "Mr. Li, you have made me look at you Chinese people in a completely new light! Or rather, you are a remarkable Chinese person, and you have earned my respect!"

As he spoke, Brigadier General Paparo Kim warmly grasped Azu's hands with both of his own.

"Mr. Li, I will immediately dispatch an inspection team to conduct an on-site inspection of your shipyard. After everything is confirmed, my Pacific Fleet will strongly recommend to the Navy Department the purchase of this new type of warship!"

General Jin shook Azu's hands vigorously: "It won't be long before the Navy Department conducts an on-site inspection of your shipyard and this revolutionary new ship."

"I believe that even those incompetent fools in the Navy will be astonished after they actually see your new ship and will be eager to place orders with you!"

"I hope so!" Azu shook hands warmly with General Jin, and calmly smiled, "General, I hope we can cooperate happily!"

"We're sure to have a pleasant collaboration!" General Jin laughed heartily. "Hahaha, Mr. Li, if anyone dares to obstruct our cooperation, don't blame my naval guns for being blind!"

Now that things had come to this point, Azu naturally seized the opportunity: "General, to be honest, there are indeed some conflicts between me and Brigadier General George Phillips...!"

“I’ve heard!” Brigadier General Paparo King interrupted before Azu could finish speaking, “Whether it’s Elephant Mountain or your Model Village, that idiot George has suffered greatly at your hands!”

The Navy also has an intelligence department, and events that happen in California certainly wouldn't escape the Navy's notice, especially such a major event as the heavy casualties suffered by the U.S. Army.

General Jin patted Azu on the shoulder: "But don't worry, the army is the army and the navy is the navy! That idiot George has attacked Huamei Company's legitimate businesses several times without cause, which has violated a major taboo for soldiers. If it weren't for... well, let's not talk about those greedy guys."

"Mr. Li, our navy will not interfere in your affairs with George, much less side with that idiot George!"

“However, Mr. Li, as far as I know, that idiot George has already sent the battle report to Washington, and the result may be very unfavorable to you. You should also be prepared.”

"If you can weather this crisis, I believe the U.S. Navy will be your best customer!"

Indeed, the American armed forces of later generations were typical examples of fools who had too much money and were easily taken advantage of!
Nuts costing $90,000, water cups costing several thousand dollars, toilet seats costing tens of thousands of dollars, goats costing millions of dollars... Although Smith's purchasing agents in this era were not yet so arrogant and unscrupulous, the signs were already emerging.

That evening, at the Pacific Fleet headquarters in San Diego, Brigadier General Paparo King personally hosted a welcome banquet to warmly receive Azu and his delegation.

These guys in the Navy are all incredibly heavy drinkers!
Following British naval tradition, these naval officers relied on rum daily to supplement their vitamin intake while at sea. The navy even made rum a mandatory, rationed supply, distributing it daily to all naval personnel.

These guys who are into alcohol drink it like water.

If Shi Dakai hadn't stopped most of the drinks, Azu might not have been able to get up the next day!

The following morning, Brigadier General Paparo Kim personally led a large expedition team of dozens of people aboard the "Taishan" and headed straight for San Francisco, 450 nautical miles away.

To provide a direct comparison of the speeds of both sides, and also as a means of transportation for the delegation's return journey, Brigadier General Paparo Kim dispatched a 500-ton paddle steam patrol vessel to accompany them.

However, even Azu did not expect that there was a shadowy figure lurking on this route, waiting for them!

(End of this chapter)