Outnumbered? I'll conquer America with an unlimited number of suicide soldiers.

Chapter 47 Shipyards and Ship Conversion

night.

Zeng Tai raised an eyebrow as he looked at today's expenses.

"Good heavens, treating those two hundred-plus girls and three hundred-plus men once has completely emptied out half of the Chinese medicine supply in Chinatown."

"Commonly used tonics like Atractylodes macrocephala, Poria cocos, and Glycyrrhiza uralensis are still in good condition, but the stock of Sophora flavescens, Phellodendron chinense, Cnidium monnieri, sulfur, Ephedra sinica, and Cinnamomum cassia... is almost completely depleted."

Li Shizhen, who was far away at the clinic, replied: "My lord, after all, they have been at sea for several months. Externally, they suffer from scabies, sores, lice and mites, and are also affected by wind, cold and dampness. Internally, their spleen and stomach are weakened, their qi and blood are deficient, and they are prone to palpitations and anxiety. Without strong and sufficient medicine, it will indeed be difficult to control the epidemic in their bodies."

"Don't skimp on the necessary medications; saving lives is the priority. But remember to charge them. If they don't have money, have them sign an IOU with their fingerprints, stating the reason and agreeing to repay it gradually as they earn income in the future."

Zeng Tai said, "Alright, I won't bother you anymore. You can focus on treating their illnesses."

He disconnected and then contacted Hongwu, who was adrift at sea.

In the afternoon, he used up all his remaining summoning slots, summoning all the assassins with the [Angel of Death] trait, and put them under Hongwu's command.

Then Hongwu led his team to sail one of the ships out of San Francisco Harbor and anchor it in deep waters far from the coastline.

At this moment, Hongwu stood at the edge of the deck. In front of him were white sailors whose hands and feet were bound.

The suicide squad lifted the white sailors one by one and threw them into the dark sea from the ship's side; they were going to find the Little Mermaid.

A series of splashes rang out, and after a string of bubbles rose to the surface of the sea, there was no more movement.

"Hongwu, is the boat usable?" Zeng Tai's question arrived at that moment.

Hongwu replied, "My lord, the ship's structure is largely intact. The keel and main ribs are not severely corroded. Only the outer layer and bottom need to be cleaned of barnacles."

"In addition, the cabins need to be thoroughly cleaned, especially the cargo holds on the lower decks. Some of the severely soiled planks may even need to be replaced; they really stink!"

Zeng Tai asked, "Speaking of which, isn't it a bit too blatant for us to just steal the ship like this? After all, it's a British baron's ship. What if the British navy comes looking for trouble?"

Hongwu gestured to the assassins, signaling them to steer the ships back to port.

"My lord, you are overthinking it. The British navy is indeed powerful, but they will not go to great lengths for two merchant ships smuggling slaves."

"With the main fleet engaged with the Russians in the Black Sea and Baltic Sea, and the colonial fleet tasked with maintaining shipping lanes from the mainland to India and the Far East, they have no time to concern themselves with us."

"Furthermore, everyone who witnessed this at noon has been apprehended by our people. Even if someone did manage to send the telegram out in the afternoon, at most they would issue an international arrest warrant for the ship."

"As long as we quickly modify the two ships and obtain a clean set of American ship registration documents, ship registry certificates, and voyage logs through Hosea, we can disguise them as legitimate American merchant ships engaged in trade, and no one will be able to detect it."

Upon hearing the word "modification," Zeng Tai became interested: "Modification? How exactly do you want to modify it?"

Hong Wu said, "The sails and hull color definitely need to be changed. In addition, I suggest that my colleagues in the engineering team help us buy a few cannons and install them to improve the ship's firepower."

"The original weapons of the two ships were a few old, small-caliber deck cannons, which were barely enough to deal with pirates."

"Buy cannons..."

Zeng Tai stroked his chin and pondered for a moment. "I remember the materials team seems to have made a new breakthrough recently. I'll ask them if the new cannon can be developed as soon as possible."

"As for ship conversion, I will have Hosea find a small shipyard with basic dry dock and repair capabilities."

"This way, we can lay the foundation for building our own warships in the future, killing two birds with one stone."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Day two.

Davis Street, the air is filled with the smells of wood, tar, rust, and sea breeze.

Because of its proximity to the docks, this area is home to most of the ship-related industries in San Francisco.

For example, there are shops selling canvas, ropes, and anchor chains; blacksmith shops that make parts for ships; ship design firms with faded signs; and of course, the most numerous are shipyards, repair shops, and dismantling yards of varying sizes.

Whatever your needs, as long as you can afford it, you can find the corresponding factory here.

Joshua acquired one of the small shipyards located on the coastline for $50,000. The shipyard had a wooden dry dock and slipways.

Immediately after the purchase, the two merchant ships seized yesterday slowly sailed into the open dry dock.

Zeng Tai, who had arrived on horseback, looked around and glanced at the slightly dilapidated wooden factory buildings, the material yard piled with various timbers and rusted iron parts, and the dry dock that was draining seawater. He couldn't help but click his tongue.

"This shabby place costs $50,000? It feels like we might as well just rob a place."

The shipyard is not large; the dry dock is 200 feet long, or 60 meters, and can only repair merchant ships ranging from several hundred to a thousand tons.

As the seawater gradually receded, the thick layer of concrete poured at the bottom of the dock was exposed again, with sturdy wooden support piers standing densely on top of the concrete.

The two boats were securely placed on the wooden blocks, and the aquatic plants and barnacles attached to the bottom of the boats were clearly visible.

Thick wooden planks were laid on the stepped slopes on both sides of the dry dock, serving as working platforms. At this moment, more than ten engineers were already standing on the planks, using tools to hammer and tap, carefully inspecting every part of the ship's structure.

Hosea, standing beside him, shrugged and said, "Among all the small shipyards, this one is considered good value for money. It has a dry dock and slipways, it's willing to use steam pumps for drainage, and it was only recently repaired."

"I also considered whether to just snatch it up, but those shipyards in San Francisco with large docks and advanced equipment are either backed by large conglomerates in the East or have close ties with the U.S. Navy."

"If we rob them, we'll have to replace all the staff inside, which would easily attract the attention of the federal government. The risk is too great."

"Moreover, given our current size, we can only build ships in the thousand-ton range at most, and this small dock is sufficient for the time being."

Zeng Tai thought about it and felt that Hosea's words made sense. Although they had several thousand men at the moment, directly provoking the federal government was still somewhat risky.

After standing there for a while, an engineer-turned-fighter quickly stepped down and came to Zeng Tai.

"My lord, the preliminary survey of the two ships has been completed. No obvious decay or damage was found in the main structure, such as the keel, ribs, and hull plates; only some planks need to be replaced."

Changing the hull color, replacing the bow hull, and modifying the sails to camouflage the appearance are all technically simple tasks that can be completed within a few days.

He then changed the subject: "As for deeper modifications, we'd like to hear everyone's opinions first in order to develop a detailed plan."

Hongwu began, "My requirements are twofold. First, strengthen our weaponry. These two ships currently have almost no defensive or counter-attack capabilities and must be equipped with cannons."

Secondly, I want to modify the propulsion system. Currently, the pure sail design of the ship is too restrictive, making it extremely vulnerable in calm or headwind conditions. I plan to install a steam engine and an underwater propeller to improve speed and reliability.

The engineer, a suicide soldier, quickly pulled out a small notebook and charcoal pencil from his pocket, taking notes as he asked, "Regarding artillery, do we favor main guns with long range and high power, or rapid-fire guns with high rate of fire and good close-range suppression?"

Hongwu replied without hesitation, "Main guns and rapid-fire cannons consume too many shells, and there isn't enough space on the ship."

The two ships were only 100 feet long and 28 feet wide, which translates to 30.5 meters long and 8.5 meters wide, weighing around 400 tons.

After deducting the food, water, and cargo to be carried on the voyage, there was not much space left, not to mention that steam engines, boilers, and coal bunkers would be added later. The main gun was more in line with the space and tactical requirements.

The engineer nodded and said, "If we're going to install a main gun, I recommend the 120mm breech-loading gun that the materials team and the military industry team jointly developed, along with the recoil recovery device that our team developed."

Compared to the recoil-propelled guns currently used in various countries, this should significantly reduce the displacement of the artillery during firing, and also greatly improve loading speed and firing accuracy.

Zeng Tai blinked, somewhat surprised, and interjected, "Wait, a 120mm breech-loading cannon? You've already developed it? I remember the materials team only achieved a stable breakthrough in the formula and process for the new high-pressure steel just two days ago?"

"My lord, strictly speaking, the research and development is not yet complete."

The engineer scratched his head and explained, "When the military industry team saw that the steel research and development was completed, they took a batch to cast cannons. Currently, the core steel inner tube has been cast, and the outside has been fitted with wrought iron hoops."

However, the rifling of the inner bore is still being cut, and the matching transverse wedge breechblock is also being rushed into production. It is expected to be completed tonight, and the first live-fire test can be conducted tomorrow.

If the data is satisfactory and there are no accidents like barrel explosions by then, the research and development will be considered complete.

"Test firing?"

Zeng Tai touched his chin and suddenly thought of something.

The temporary committee members selected by Governor Bigler will be arriving in San Francisco by boat tomorrow. Aren't they perfect candidates for the test firing?

"Remember to call me when you test fire tomorrow."

His gaze returned to the outlines of the two ships in the dry dock, and a sudden thought struck him: "Speaking of which, is it possible to add armor to ships? For example, by directly adding the steel used for breech-loading cannons?"

Since we already have breech-loading cannons, let's just add armor as well and make an armored ship.

The engineer, a suicide soldier, shook his head frantically, almost leaving afterimages.

"The special steel used in breech-loading cannons is designed to withstand extremely high chamber pressure and high temperature, and it has a high carbon content, which makes the material brittle and lacking in toughness."

This type of steel is suitable for making gun barrels, but it is completely unsuitable for ship armor that needs to withstand wave impacts, collisions, and even the massive deformation caused by shell hits without shattering.

He paused, then continued, "Moreover, this ship only has a displacement of four hundred tons. Adding cannons and steam engines requires calculating the ship's reserve buoyancy and stability to prevent it from sinking as soon as it hits the water."

"If you are really worried about the ship's protection, we can add a layer of wrought iron plates to the engine room, ammunition depot, and other core areas to prevent secondary explosions or the like."

Zeng Tai sighed with a hint of regret: "Alright, one must take things one step at a time. For now, let's follow the approach you've discussed and install the cannons and steam engines first."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Meanwhile, in Sacramento, more than 300 kilometers away.

The news of Samuel Brannan's death caused an uproar.

"How dare they? How dare they?!"

John Neely Jensen, leader of the California American Party, was furious when he saw the news report that "hundreds of people have died and their bodies were burned beyond recognition."

For a Christian, the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, a promise and assurance from God through His great power to transform the believer's perishable life into a new, imperishable, and glorious life.

Burning the bodies of the deceased is not only an extreme insult to the individual, but is also seen as a brutal trampling and desecration of sacred promises and a provocation against the core of faith.

This religious emotional shock, intertwined with his anger over the killing of his political allies, nearly drove him to madness.

In front of Jason were senators and representatives from the United States Party.

One of them slammed his fist on the table and said, "How dare you? Mr. Johnson, the Democrats have already done it!"

"Is it really the Democrats?" someone frowned. "To directly organize an armed attack and murder a sitting senator—that's a serious charge. And do those corrupt bastards really have the guts to do something like that?"

The man who spoke earlier said, "You and I are both aware of the defensive strength of Mr. Brannan's manor: nearly two hundred experienced armed guards, as well as a sturdy stone fortress and complete fortifications. It would be impossible to breach it without mobilizing several times the manpower at once."

"And now, the estate is destroyed, and the firepower used has blasted a large breach in the fortress. In all of California, besides the Democrats, who else has this kind of power?"

He paused, then said, "Don't you understand? It wasn't enough that the Democrats massacred our mayor and our council members in San Francisco; now they're going to start massacring us all over California!"

"Anderson, there's no need to exaggerate to that extent."

A man in the distance sipped his red tea, nonchalantly saying, "Everyone knows that you and Brannan are the backers of the San Francisco Vigilance Committee. If you're afraid of retaliation, just say you're afraid of retaliation. Why drag everyone into this?"

Anderson's expression remained unchanged, still filled with righteous indignation: "Fine, take it as me exaggerating, even if I have ulterior motives."

"But the senator's murder is undeniable, and the fact that all our people in San Francisco were killed is undeniable. We've been bullied to this extent by the Democrats; we should at least offer some form of retaliation!"

His barrage of questions made the atmosphere in the room even more tense.

Regardless of any internal disagreements, these fundamental facts are undeniable, and they do indeed constitute a blatant challenge to the authority and interests of the American party.

Jason took a deep breath and said, "Regardless of who exactly attacked Brannan, the San Francisco tragedy and the Calistoga atrocities ultimately benefit the Democrats, and Bigler."

If we don't fight back, if the American Party doesn't respond strongly, our political lives are over.

His gaze swept over the crowd, and he said, word by word, "I want to paralyze the state legislature, freeze the state government's functions, and initiate impeachment proceedings against Bigler!"

Let our prosecutors' offices at all levels launch independent investigations, let our supporters take to the streets, and let the Democratic Party know the consequences of undermining political consensus!

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PS: Based on the majority of opinions, the main character's name has been changed from "曾" to "曾泰".