New Han Dynasty 1834

Chapter 101 We must speed up the pace of immigration to the Americas.

The US military commander was the first to be sniped, and the ambush ensued, plunging the country into panic.

There was simply no energy left to consider or discern whether the direction they were fleeing in was planned by the enemy.

These exhausted and panicked American soldiers ran forward in disarray for several hundred meters before suddenly hearing a burst of artillery fire.

A dense barrage of large shotgun shells erupted, piercing through the soldiers running at the forefront, who then fell to the ground screaming like wheat being harvested.

The remaining soldiers saw that there was an ambush ahead, and witnessed the tragic sight of their comrades being shot and falling to the ground. Their minds went blank, and they even forgot to run away.

After a round of shotgun fire, the firing stopped. The bugler blew a specially made horn, and the infantrymen who had been lying in ambush charged into the battlefield with bayonets, eliminating the enemy who were on the verge of collapse.

Zhang Zongyu, taking advantage of the enemy's fatigue and his own cunning, swiftly defeated the two thousand-strong expeditionary force of the United States.

More than 1,200 people died on the spot, and more than 700 people collapsed and surrendered in extreme panic.

When Zhang Zongyu was arranging for his soldiers to capture and count the prisoners, Lü Daqi also returned with thirty militiamen to join him.

Lu Daqi left thirty militiamen near Fort Fordholm to keep watch, while he led the remaining militiamen to follow behind the American expeditionary force.

Zhang Zongyu allocated another 500 militiamen to Lü Daqi, ordering him to immediately capture Fort Fordholm and then strengthen its defenses as much as possible.

Zhang Zongyu led 1,500 militiamen to escort 500 prisoners back to Wenjiatun.

Zhang Zongyu summoned officers of all ranks in Wenjiatun and assigned them a new task in addition to reclaiming wasteland and building houses.

The Columbia River waterway is at its most treacherous and winding, in places unsuitable for ordinary ships to navigate.

Based on the data obtained by the current exploration team, trees will be felled, the ground leveled, bridges erected, and land roads built to accommodate large horse-drawn carriages.

This was to enable the army to move quickly between Wenjiatun, Naizitun, and Fordholm.

These makeshift roads may become candidate routes for future railway construction.

All the newly captured prisoners were taken to work as laborers to build roads.

Then Zhang Zongyu wrote a special report for the emperor and the governor's office.

First, let me explain what happened after the fleet left this year, and then I will explain the bumper harvest this year.

It then explains that immigrants and missionaries from the United States were discovered on the west coast, and that topographical and road data recorded by American explorers were obtained.

This means that the United States has found a land route across the Rocky Mountains.

The following section describes the plan to annihilate the two thousand American expeditionary troops, then arrange for the militia to capture Fort Fordholm, and prepare to block the southern passage.

Finally, he requested the emperor to expedite the immigration process along the west coast, ideally by arranging for a regular contingent to be stationed in the Americas to handle the influx of more immigrants and troops from the United States.

After Zhang Zongyu finished writing his report, he handed it to a special communications soldier and boarded an ocean-going ship to return to the Han Dynasty's homeland.

Several large ocean-going vessels are stationed in the Americas to ensure that they can quickly send messages back to the mainland in case of an emergency.

Zhang Zongyu felt that he was now facing an emergency.

The North Pacific is windy and has high waves in winter, so navigation is only possible in spring, summer and autumn. However, the central Pacific is relatively calm and can be navigated all year round.

The communications ship does not trade with Mexico; after leaving the mouth of the Columbia River, it sails directly southwest.

After passing the Hawaiian Islands, it traveled westward along with the low-latitude easterly winds.

After more than two months of sailing, Zhang Zongyu's urgent report was finally delivered to Emperor Liu Yulong of the Han Dynasty at the end of December of the second year of the Han Dynasty.

Liu Yulong looked at the report and his first reaction was that he was slightly surprised.

Liu Yulong was used to Britain's "weakness" and did not expect that the United States and Britain had the same origin, but their reactions were so different. The United States was so quick and decisive. It was probably because the United States regarded the west coast of the Americas as its own homeland. So after receiving the news that Han immigrants had appeared on the west coast of the Americas, it directly sent two thousand troops to the west coast.

These two thousand people actually made it there.

It's probably time for the US to start rapidly migrating to the West Coast.

Adventurers, missionaries, and traders from the United States have spent decades exploring the western mountains and have basically figured out the routes through the Rocky Mountains.

The group of immigrants led by the missionaries had a bunch of simple maps that the adventurers had surveyed.

If it weren't for this group of immigrants revealing their whereabouts and allowing Lü Daqi to explore upstream using their map, those two thousand American troops would have suddenly arrived at Naizitun.

They would then have the opportunity to directly besiege and seize Naizitun, or even to quickly seize Naizitun by force, forcing the local Han immigrants to retreat back to Wenjiatun.

Liu Yulong greatly admired Zhang Zongyu's approach.

If Zhang Zongyu hadn't acted decisively, those two thousand American immigrants would have gained a foothold on the West Coast, and it would have taken extra effort to drive them away later.

Liu Yulong also agreed with Zhang Zongyu's judgment that the Americans would not give up so easily, and might even declare war on the Han Dynasty for the sake of these two thousand troops and the western lands.

The British are unlikely to abandon their claims to the west coast of America outright, especially given that the United States is already preparing for war. The British would most likely support the United States in its fight against the Han Dynasty.

Not doing that would make one seem unlike a Briton.

The Han Dynasty needs to quickly strengthen its control over the west coast of the Americas.

By blocking the passage through the Rocky Mountains, the United States would have no way to migrate its people to the west coast of America by land.

But they can still travel by sea.

Historically, some immigrants from the United States chose to cross the Rocky Mountains, while others bypassed South America.

In order to quickly circumnavigate the entire Americas, Americans designed the fastest sailing ship of its time.

This type of fast ship was called the Yankee Clipper in the United States, which later became known as the clipper ship.

Traditional civilian sailing ships would travel around the entire Americas, taking an average of six months to reach San Francisco from New York.

Clipper boats can be completed in as little as three months.

While the future will undoubtedly be the era of steamships, steamships will require a continuous supply of coal for navigation.

Before coaling stations were established along the world's major shipping lanes, sailing ships remained the most commonly used cargo ships in the steam age, only disappearing from the market completely at the end of the nineteenth century.

The clipper boat was invented around the late 1830s, which is within the last few years.

Simply blocking land routes is not enough; we also need to guard against immigrants coming from the sea.

The most crucial and fundamental approach is to rapidly transport more immigrants to the Americas and deploy more troops.

Liu Yulong instructed the eunuchs around him to summon the military advisors, naval commanders, central army commanders, and left army commanders to the West Palace for a meeting.

Liu Yulong went to the globe in the West Palace and started turning it to think about global navigation.

Estimate the distances between the various places the Han Dynasty needs to go and its homeland and controlled areas, as well as the distances between these places and the east coast of Europe and the Americas.

This occurred after the Han Dynasty controlled the islands of Southeast Asia, but before the opening of the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal.

Within the Pacific and Indian Oceans, the Han Chinese had access to most coastlines much closer than Europeans.

As long as the Han Dynasty has enough navy and transport ships to control the South Pacific islands where the Pacific and Indian Oceans meet, then both oceans will rightfully be within the Han Dynasty's sphere of influence.

Therefore, under the current circumstances, if the Han Dynasty does not intend to operate on the east coast of North America or in mainland Europe, then opening the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal would not be beneficial to the Han Dynasty.

It's as if the Han Dynasty voluntarily opened its gates, making it easier for Europeans to enter and exit these two sea areas.

Half an hour later, all the high-ranking military officers summoned by Liu Yulong arrived at the West Palace. Liu Yulong first circulated Zhang Zongyu's report letter to them.

After reading it, Admiral Wang Yong said directly, "Your Majesty, since Zhang Zongyu annihilated two thousand of their troops right on America's doorstep, anyone in America who isn't made of clay will surely retaliate. So, are we going to fight in the Americas next?"

Liu Yulong did not answer directly, but asked a question first: "When the fleet went to the Americas, if it departed from the mouth of the Yangtze River, it did not stop in Vladivostok for resupply."

"Sail directly east through the strait south of Ezochi in Japan, heading towards the Gulf of America or Qiaojiatun."

"On the return voyage, they did not trade with Mexico, but went directly to Hawaii and then sailed west, returning directly to the mouth of the Yangtze River."

"Following this route, how long would the entire journey take? Could it be completed with two trips a year?"

After listening, Wang Yong carefully calculated and replied, "Your Majesty, the outbound journey of this route is estimated to take about fifty days, and the return journey will take about seventy days."

The entire round trip will take a total of 120 days.

"If the loading and unloading time for both trips can be kept within 20 days, it is possible to make two trips a year."

"The outbound journey can be arranged in spring and autumn, and the return journey in summer and winter."

"Avoid the season when North Pacific storms are at their most intense."

After listening, Liu Yulong nodded slightly: "Then let's plan the Americas route like this next year."

"In preparation for potential wars in the Americas, the immigrant fleet will not trade with Mexico for the time being."

"The immigrants have already established a foothold in the Americas, and we should send enough armed forces there as soon as possible to avoid any unforeseen circumstances."

"The fleet and soldiers to be sent to the Americas next year should also be adjusted."

"The Beiyang Fleet will still be in charge, and more ocean-going passenger ships from various places will be requisitioned or rented."

"The spring route will first deploy 10,000 Imperial Guards, and then transfer 20,000 elite veteran militia from Anhui and Jiangsu."

"Those who are already married and have children are required to not bring their wives and children this year."

"First, send 30,000 combat-ready troops over in one go."

"In the fall, another 30,000 troops will be sent according to the same standards, bringing the total number of combat troops in the Americas to at least 60,000."

"We'll send the wives and children of these militiamen over next year."

"Is this arrangement feasible? Are there any difficulties?"

The military advisors and commanders quickly considered the matter and concluded that the requests were not problematic: "Your Majesty, they can be fulfilled without difficulty."

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