On the surface of Akinxia Bay, shrouded in a gray mist, John boarded Admiral King's speedboat in an army dress specially made for a famous ready-to-wear store on General Street.

In the United States, ordinary soldiers and officers generally use the allowance for the purchase of clothing to purchase uniforms purchased by the logistics department at the military service agency. But high-ranking military officers like John often preferred small ready-to-wear stores that were known for making military uniforms.

These shops usually have been in business for many years and have a very high reputation, and there is no need to worry that the uniforms purchased from them will violate the provisions of Army Regulations No. 700-84 "Distribution and Sale of Personal Clothing" and "Technical Manual" No. 10-227. Moreover, the quality of these tailor-made and individually made military uniforms will be much better, and they can better reflect the military appearance and sense of honor of senior officers.

Of course, the price of this military uniform is also much higher than that purchased by the military. Ordinary colonel-level officers really don't necessarily have to consume. John's set, for example, cost him almost $65. In addition, in order to be able to catch up with this meeting, he paid a lot of $8 for the rush fee.

However, this amount of money was not a problem for John at all. His concept of consumption has always been "good goods are not cheap, cheap goods are not good". At least in his own opinion, the "sky-high" military dress on his body now is still worth the money. The only fly in the ointment is that the salary slip (seniority stamp) on the chest is too thin.

At this moment, John was in the cockpit of the speedboat, curiously observing the battleship "Prince of Wales" a thousand yards ahead. The battleship, camouflaged with snakeskin-like colored circles, had arrived about 15 minutes earlier, along with five British and Canadian destroyers.

As the largest warship on the scene, the "Prince of Wales", which had just passed through an ocean storm not long ago, and Admiral King's beautiful flagship, looked like it was from another world. The thick steel patches welded to the hull and superstructure (this is the plaster that was applied after being hit by the Bismarck's main guns) reminded John that the change from the "Augusta" to the "Prince of Wales" meant not only from the United States to the United Kingdom, but also from peace to war.

John was staring at the Prince of Wales when the tail of the speedboat was suddenly lifted high by a wave that almost made him lose his balance.

"I'm very sorry, Your Excellency, but I didn't mean to." After stabilizing himself, John hurriedly apologized to the Viscount of Halifax beside him. Just now, in order to maintain balance, he subconsciously grabbed the empty left sleeve of the British ambassador to the United States.

"It's okay, Colonel. I don't think you should go to sea very often, it's normal, you don't have to worry about it. "Viscount Halifax, who suffered from congenital left arm atrophy and was born without a left hand (his real name was Edward Wood, who succeeded his father in 1934 and became the third Viscount of Halifax, and was renamed Earl of Halifax in 1944), was very generous in forgiving John for his faux pas.

"It's the first time I've gone to sea in such a dinghy." John explained, somewhat embarrassed. He didn't expect that the first time he met Halifax, he would make such a big ugly appearance. You know, this is not an ordinary diplomat, but a British Conservative bigwig who once stood up to Churchill.

After more than 30 years in politics, Viscount Halifax, who served as a member of the House of Commons, a deputy minister for colonial affairs, a secretary of state for education, a minister of agriculture, a viceroy of India, a minister of war, a keeper of the seals, a privy councillor and a foreign secretary, once had an influence above Churchill in British politics.

After Chamberlain's resignation, he was seen as the rightful successor to the premiership. Both Neville Chamberlain (who was still the leader of the Conservative Party at the time) and King George VI supported him in this position. But in the end, he rejected the nomination. First, because Churchill had already won the support of the Labour Party, and secondly, because Halifax, as the "first mate" of Chamberlain's appeasement ship, did not see himself as fit to run a successful wartime cabinet.

Although he missed the prime minister's throne, he soon asked for "dispatch" to the United States. But Halifax remains a sizable British politician on the national and international stage. Because of his superb political skills (cunning and cunning), and his extreme love of fox hunting (don't look at Halifax, who was born without a left hand, but is a sharpshooter who wears through a hundred steps), he was nicknamed "Holy Fox Halifax".

"It would be nice to go through it a few more times. The first time I went out to sea, I almost thought I was going to die at sea. Halifax seems to see his past in John, "It was 1907, in the Indian Ocean. At that time, my father decided that I would never be a sailor in my life. ”

"But you are the best sailor on this great ship of England, Your Excellency, Viscount." John took the opportunity to compliment Halifax. In his previous life, he remained ambassador to the United States until 1946 and would remain active in politics for a long time afterward. Especially after the United States enters the war, the role of Halifax will become very important, and it will carry a lot of weight in London and Washington. In the future, there are still many places where you can use each other.

Halifax is clearly very useful for John's little pony. Since arriving in the United States, he has been in a difficult situation, attacked by isolationists. Not long ago, while attending an event in Detroit, he was thrown eggs by protesters. It was rare for an unknown American to have such a high esteem for him, which made Halifax feel good, "You don't need to call me Your Excellency the Viscount, just call me Wood, Colonel." ”

"Yes, Mr. Wood. Again, introduce yourself, my name is John Vanderbilt, you can call me John. John accepted Halifax's offer with ease.

"Vanderbilt. What is your relationship with the Duchess of Marlborough? Halifax asked.

"Madame Consuelo is my cousin." John replied as he lamented the charm of Cousin Consuelo. She and the Duke of Marlborough have both been divorced for so many years, and British high society still sees her as a real "duchess".

"I am an old friend of the Duchess and have been friends with Chancellor Vanderbilt for many years (Halifax has been a trustee and honorary chancellor of the University of Oxford since 1933)." Speaking of this, Halifax's eyes suddenly lit up, "I remember, you are the same John who helped implement the Guest Boy Program, and Moggie (British Consul General in New York) has mentioned you to me many times. ”

With that, Halifax extended his right hand to John, "Thank you so much for everything you have done for the children." ”

"That's what I'm supposed to do." John hurriedly shook Halifax's hand. It was a wise decision I made in the first place. With a little effort, he was given a key to open the door to England. Alfred was right, philanthropy is an investment that never fails.