Wild North America 1846

Chapter 515 Nicaragua Canal Project
There is a saying; one cannot fall twice in a pit.

As if they were the enemy of destiny, the French have fallen in the pit of the United Kingdom countless times. France had the opportunity to ascend to the throne of the world's hegemon twice, but was pulled down by the British.

The Seven Years War between Britain and France counted as one, and the French emperor Napoleon ruled Europe as another. When talking about modern French history, it is impossible to avoid the shadow of England hanging over the head.

Emperor Li Cha saw this clearly;

The British are the magic star in the fate of the French. Napoleon III is not as heroic and courageous as his uncle. Since he ascended the French throne, he has always adhered to the concept of obedience to what the British asked him to do. .

Since Napoleon III ascended the French throne in 1852, he has followed the British baton from beginning to end, acting as the leading horse in the charge.

In 1853, Britain and France declared war on Russia and participated in the Crimean War. Later, Tang and Italy declared war on Russia successively, forming a five-nation coalition of Britain, France, Odonnay and Italy to fight against Tsarist Russia.

In February 1856, the Paris Peace Conference was held, Russia conceded defeat, and France, Britain, the Ottoman Empire, Tang, and Italy won the war.

This major victory in the European war also brought the personal prestige of Emperor Napoleon III to its peak, allowing him to taste the sweetness of the younger brother of the horse.

Then in 1857, France and Britain declared war on the Qing Dynasty, provoking the "Second Opium War".

In November of the following year, the British and French allied forces invaded Beiping and burned the Old Summer Palace, forcing the Qing court to sign the Treaty of Beijing. The Second Opium War ended with the victory of the British and French allied forces.

If the original history has not changed, in 1862, France will join forces with Britain and Spain to invade the precarious Mexico...

Just like a combination of robbers who rob all over the world, Britain and France have tasted the sweetness in their cooperation.

But with the rise of the Tang Empire in North America, the historical trajectory has changed, and the alliance between Britain and France will naturally come to naught.

Based on these bad deeds of the French, Emperor Richard concluded that the agreement reached in the meeting memorandum was likely to be overthrown by the French themselves after returning.

If Britain is the magic star in the fate of the French, then the Germans should be the nightmare of the fate of the British.

No matter what the British say, the Prussians, who are upright and ignorant, will admit to death... If you go there, you have to see the truth, and you're done!
Emperor Richard thought for a while and said, "The exchange of interests is not impossible. If the British can facilitate the signing of the defeat treaty by the Brazilian Empire and resolve the war in South America as soon as possible, they can develop with peace of mind. It is possible to transfer no more than half of the equity at the original price." Accepted. Let’s talk about the specific matters.”

"My minister obeys the order!" Prime Minister Liu Xianjun accepted the order with a respectful expression.

listen to the sound
It seems that His Majesty the Emperor is not satisfied with the procrastination of the South American Andean Governor's Palace, and does not approve of the bullshit "onion peeling tactic"?
Convincing people directly with force would be the end of the game. Assemble the army and rush all the way, first defeat the defense of Sao Paulo State, and then occupy Rio de Janeiro, the largest city in the Americas, to win a clean victory.

Rio de Janeiro is just an agricultural city with a population of more than 43. Can it not be defeated?

If the war was delayed for one more year, the empire would have to spend tens of millions more in military expenditures. The first governor, Lord Gu Yalun, had made a mistake. He had already lost his family on this issue. In the future, don't count on the position of the center of Qingyuntai.

After discussing this matter, Prime Minister Liu Xianjun took the initiative to mention;
"Show Your Majesty;
On the occasion of the official opening of the Suez Canal, the French engineer Fernand de Dresseb who presided over this magnificent project showed great interest in digging a Central American canal, and sent French engineers to jointly survey with us. Actively promote canal project cooperation.

The government does not reject international cooperation, but prefers that the empire independently complete this grand project and firmly control the equity of the Central American Canal.

The Central American Canal has been proposed for a long time. During the Spanish colonial rule in 1771, they considered opening the Tehuantepec Isthmus and made considerable preparations for it.

However, the outbreak of the Latin American War of Independence in the early 19th century disrupted the whole plan.

Since then, the plan to dig a canal in Central America has been proposed many times, but it has come to nothing.

during imperial rule
The representatives of Panama Province and Nicaragua Province have repeatedly mentioned the proposal to build the Central American Canal. After careful deliberation, the government believes that there are indeed huge hidden economic benefits and strong feasibility.

The smooth opening of the Suez Canal has further strengthened our confidence.

Among the four proposed excavation sites, the Isthmus of Panama is the narrowest (61 kilometers), and the Isthmus of Nicaragua is available for use by Lake Nicaragua and the San Juan River.

The Panama Canal proposal lies in the minimum amount of earthwork excavation, low construction difficulty, and affordable construction period and investment, so it is proposed as the most optimal proposal.

The Nicaragua canal plan is available because of the wide Nicaragua Lake and the Sanhuan River. These two places are deep and wide. They are natural Central American water channels. Once connected, hundreds of thousands of tons of large ships can come and go unimpeded. Geography The hydrological conditions are better.

The disadvantage is that the investment is almost double that of the Panama Canal plan, and the canal will pass through the famous Momo Tombo volcano, which is also one of the hidden dangers of the canal project.

However, the advantages of the Nicaragua Canal are also obvious. Compared with the Panama Canal, the voyage is shorter, and the water area of ​​the Canal is wide, suitable for the passage of large transoceanic ships, and the economic benefits are more significant.

From Los Angeles to Baltimore, taking the Nicaragua Canal route is 4000 kilometers shorter than the Suez Canal, and 7500 kilometers shorter than bypassing the Cape of Good Hope. The advantage is quite obvious.

The benefits of digging a canal are self-evident. With the increasing development of shipping between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, a more convenient route will obviously bring many benefits.

The empire will be the biggest beneficiary, if the canal is opened, take the Panama Canal as an example;

The voyage from New York to Chang'an, the imperial capital, can be shortened by 16%, the voyage from Liverpool to Chang'an, the imperial capital, can be shortened by 43%, and the voyage from New York to Sydney can also be shortened by 28%, which is of great economic significance. "

"Aiqing's words are justified. The construction of the Central American Canal is imperative. From the perspective of long-term development, the Nicaragua Canal project with greater investment has greater advantages." Emperor Richard agreed, but the words changed He asked again; "The development of Beihai Province, the development of Central America and the war in South America are continuing to advance. These are all places where money will be spent. With the government's financial resources, can it guarantee subsequent project funding?"

This question really put Prime Minister Liu Xianjun in the army, he hesitated to answer;
"Show Your Majesty;
If we start to promote engineering survey and design this year, and pre-build cement plants, prefabricated slab plants, quarries and other project preparations, the entire Sino-US canal excavation project will be invested in 12 to 15 years, and Wei Chen believes that the current finances are sufficient. .

For the insufficient parts, bank loans and support from the Royal Household Office can be used to promote the construction of the project. "

"Liu Aiqing, are you trying to play with the royal family's purse?" Li Cha couldn't help laughing when he heard this.

Prime Minister Liu Xianjun replied confidently; "Your Majesty Qizuo; I think it is necessary for the imperial family to participate in this important project. After all, this is a century-old project that demonstrates the strength and glory of the empire. It will benefit all people. How can you be absent? "

"Hehehe...very convincing, I agree. This project will require a lot of labor. Based on the calculation of the Nicaragua Canal, where will these labor come from?"

"Qi Zou Your Majesty; I believe that this matter can be handed over to the governor of the Andes. The current South American war is advancing slowly, providing no less than 50 laborers for the Nicaragua canal construction site." It can be seen that Prime Minister Liu Xianjun is opposed to this The project has already been carefully considered, and we continue to talk about it;
"Benefiting from the progress of the empire's industry, the government plans to widely use engineering machinery such as automobiles and tractors in the Nicaragua Canal Project, and will also customize some engineering equipment such as mud conveyor belts, high-power water pumps, bulldozers, and the use of blasting equipment. Technology and many emerging technologies, strive to promote the construction of excavation projects quickly and well.

The government plans to invest in freight cars and tractors in batches as the canal project is excavated to reduce the use of labor.

The economic development momentum of Panama and Nicaragua is now good. On the basis of reducing foreign exports, they are able to supply the grain and oil products needed for the canal project, which allows us to control investment at a low level.

......"

1869 was the last year of the second term of Ryu Hyun-jun’s cabinet. General elections will be held in June of this year. After several rounds of primary elections, the next five-year prime minister and new cabinet will be elected at the end of November. And re-elect 2/6 of the members of the Imperial Council.

At the time of major political changes
Prime Minister Liu Xianjun was still able to focus on political affairs, and vigorously promoted major engineering projects that were conducive to the integration of the empire's territory and economic development.

Therefore, after the discussion at the court meeting, Emperor Li Cha directly decided in favor of the Nicaragua Canal Project, agreed to the construction of the project by the imperial government, and warmly praised the Prime Minister and other cabinet ministers, which really poured chicken soup for the country and the people.

The effect was also immediate. Prime Minister Liu Xianjun and the cabinet ministers who participated in the court meeting felt like they had been injected with chicken blood. They left the Palace of Qinzheng vigorously.

Therefore, not only children need encouragement, but also sophisticated ministers need encouragement!

History takes a turn here
Originally, the Panama Canal disappeared, and the Nicaragua Canal was prepared in a hurry under the leadership of the imperial government.

The Andean Governor's Palace was ordered;
In 1869, deport no less than 30 able-bodied young and middle-aged laborers to the Nicaragua Canal construction site, and deport 20 young and middle-aged laborers in the next year.

(End of this chapter)