Chapter 2493
Of course, Wang Tom's plan did not start preparations at this time. In fact, when he led the Northern Fleet to explore the northern Sea of Japan in 1638, he had already considered heading to America through the Bering Strait.
However, due to objective conditions at the time, the Northern Fleet returned home without even going to the Bering Sea, and the plan to explore transoceanic routes was shelved.
Wang Tom also realized that this matter could not be implemented entirely by relying on official resources, so he began to slowly prepare a private fleet. As a senior general of the military, although he did not have any direct industries under his name, he had many indirect investment targets, covering almost all overseas colonial areas in Haihan, and he had accumulated considerable savings over the years.
Tom Wang used part of his personal property to start ordering large sailing ships, recruiting ocean-going sailors, and preparing various materials needed for immigration. In the past few years, Morgan and Johnson also joined his plan. These two people were originally from North America. Now they are both over 60 years old, and they both have the idea of returning to their roots.
With the help of these two people, Wang Tom's plan was greatly accelerated. In 1652, when all preparations were completed, he formally submitted his resignation to the executive committee.
In the eyes of the outside world, this is just the curtain call of a Haihan veteran in the military world. If he wanted to, he could have stayed in politics for another ten years. But insiders all know that Wang Tom no longer has this ambition. After his resignation, he quickly led his private fleet to leave Haihan and head to the other side of the ocean to open up a new world.
Considering that European counterparts during this period had already established colonies on the California Peninsula on the west coast of North America, Wang Tom's appearance might conflict with the local Western colonists. The Executive Committee specially approved a large amount of arms and equipment for him, not only to allow him to His private fleet possessed powerful maritime firepower, enough to enable him to arm at least three thousand troops upon arrival at his destination.
According to the plan formulated by Wang Tom and others, their route this time will take the Hawaiian Islands in the middle of the Pacific as the relay point, San Francisco Bay as the first destination, and San Diego Bay in the south as the second destination.
These two bays can be regarded as the best natural harbors on the west coast of North America. If Wang Tom wants to settle down and establish a colonial area there, he naturally chooses such a strategic location.
However, these two places currently belong to Spain's sphere of influence, so it is very likely that they will face a fierce battle immediately after arriving there.
Of course, fighting is a common occurrence for Wang Tom, but fighting in a place so far away from Haihan's sphere of influence may not be as easy as before. Therefore, the risks faced by this expedition are actually not small. For this reason, Wang Tom also specially recruited many retired soldiers, including many of his old subordinates who had followed him in the north and south for many years.
Just a few days after the National Day in 1652, Wang Tom and others were preparing to leave Sanya. On the day of their departure, a large number of people who received the news rushed to Victory Port to see them off.
Ordinary people only knew that this was a long trip after Wang Tom retired, while the time-travelers knew very well that they would probably not have the chance to see each other again after they left. In particular, Morgan and Johnson, who are currently very old, have little chance of returning to East Asia from North America. This collective farewell can be regarded as a tribute to the contributions they have made over the years.
On the dock, Tao Donglai said to Wang Tom and others: "Crossing the ocean for thousands of miles, the risks are huge. Please be careful along the way! Also, if things go wrong when you get there, don't force yourself. You can come back at any time." Yan Chujie His attitude is consistent with the military style: "If there is a fight over there, we will definitely not lose the battle! The Haihan Army is invincible in the world, whether in Asia or America, this tradition cannot be broken!"
Tom Wang smiled and said: "Don't worry too much. With our current armed strength, those Europeans will definitely not be able to defeat us. If everything goes well, I should come back to see you in a few years."
Tom Wang spoke lightly, but everyone present knew how difficult it was to establish a colony in a distant overseas country. What's more, the North American areas they are going to are undeveloped and primitive lands, and the local indigenous people are difficult to naturalize. The population will restrict the development of these colonies for a long time. Perhaps it will take two or three generations before the local population has a certain population base and the situation will gradually improve.
But everyone has his own ambitions. Since Wang Tom and others have identified this path, there is no point in trying to dissuade them. What's more, if the operation is successful, it can be regarded as achieving the feat of transoceanic colonization. There will probably be no near-term benefits, but the impact of today's actions may not be felt for centuries.
After several leaders boarded the ship without hesitation, the huge fleet slowly left the Port of Victory. This fleet includes more than ten warships and more than thirty cargo sailing ships, with a total crew of more than 3,000 people, including most of the family members of the three leaders.
The first stop after leaving Sanya will be the Port of Manila in Luzon Island. The fleet will replenish and recuperate locally, and then enter the Pacific from the east side of the Philippine Islands. On the way, it will go to Guam for rest and recuperation, and the next stop will be the Hawaiian Islands. If possible, Haihan colonies will be established at both locations in the Pacific Ocean.
But even if everything goes well, it will be several months before the fleet reaches the west coast of North America. And it is still unclear whether transoceanic communication will be possible through radio in the future. If news could no longer be transmitted by telegraph, the North American colonies would probably become independent faster than expected.
The departure of Wang Tom and others also caused quite a stir within the Time Travelers. Many people woke up with a start. It turned out that there was not much time left and there were still unfulfilled wishes. They should seize the time now.
This also further triggered the issue of power transfer in Haihan. The departure of Wang Tom and others also took away many backbones of the military. These vacant high-level positions need to be filled. Many of them were born after 1627. Naturalized officers began to serve in upper-level positions.
And this kind of upgrading does not only occur in the military system. As more and more senior officials retire, the power in their hands also begins to be transferred to the new generation. The proportion of descendants of time-travelers is actually very limited, and a large number of emerging bureaucratic aristocrats were born in this era. Especially in various overseas colonial areas, most of the officials holding important positions are people who have no blood relationship with the time travelers.
(End of chapter)