In the 18th century, London was a vibrant, powerful world-class metropolis. In Europe's most populous city, factories producing wealth with high efficiency have sprung up on both sides of the Thames every day, and with the efforts of many industrialists and craftsmen, mankind has begun to enter an era with steam as the main power; On the Thames River, known as the "Mother River" by the British, ships flying different flags shuttle back and forth, transporting Britain's high-quality and cheap industrial products to all parts of the world, and then transferring huge amounts of wealth back to Britain; Theatres of all sizes and private residences full of the aesthetic taste of the new wealthy class have sprung up in the city of London. Banks in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, began to shift vast amounts of capital from war-torn Europe to safer London, and a global financial center slowly emerged. London, the only city in Europe with a population of more than one million, is a city that creates miracles every day!

The Times in Lin Zihan's hand was impressively printed with the words June 14, 1792. That's right, just this year, the first steam-powered cotton mill was built and put into operation in Manchester, the "cotton capital", showing the world a more efficient way of production. Lin Zihan felt a storm in his heart, what kind of big era is this! And he is about to become a member of this great era.

London and Paris are undoubtedly the leading political and economic leaders in Europe in this era. How to return to the twenty-first world seems to have become an unsolvable problem for Lin Zihan, with the mentality that if you don't go to London in this era to see and see, wouldn't it be a trip in vain? As for Paris, which is leading the fashion trend in Europe, France is not a safe place in the current state of revolution, and it is best to stay in England honestly for now. Lin Zihan, who made up his mind, got up early the next day, sorted out all the few luggage in Wickham, and started a "go-and-go" trip.

Lin Zihan is now finally enjoying the treatment of a handsome guy, and since he went out, the young ladies on the street have blushed and peeked at Wickham's handsome face. Even a richly dressed woman boldly throws flattery at herself, and a married woman is arrogant. After a somewhat obese middle-aged lady threw a wink at Lin Zihan, Lin Zihan admitted that he was about to lose it, if he still enjoyed it triumphantly just now, then Lin Zihan now only has one feeling, that is, he Nima is a monkey in the zoo! There's no way, Wickham's face is too bewitching, it's even more beautiful than the elf prince in the Lord of the Rings, this is simply big and small! It is no wonder that Wickham later became the object of many young girls in Meritun, including Elizabeth, the heroine who has always been known for her wisdom.

After asking a well-dressed gentleman, Lin Zihan finally found the only carriage shop in the small town called Harveyford, and he needed to hire a carriage to take him to London.

After negotiating the price with the boss, Lin Zihan hired a carriage with ordinary decoration for one pound and two shillings. The coachman was a brown-haired and blue-eyed young man, with the vigor and vigor of a young man. Although the coachman still looked very young, only twenty years old, the bronzed skin exposed outside the linen shirt made people feel full of wild power, and it was almost the bodybuilder of later generations.

After the coachman helped him put his luggage away, Lin Zihan asked casually, "What's your name?" ”

When the coachman saw that the gentleman who was well-dressed and well-educated was questioning him, he hurriedly saluted: "My name is William?" Edward. It is a pleasure to serve you, sir. ”

Lin Zihan always felt that this young man was not just a country coachman, and the temperament and spirit on his body were definitely not possessed by a coachman who had not stepped out of the British Isles, this may be an intuition. Lin Zihan continued to ask, "William Edward, you haven't been a coachman for long, have you?" ”

William Edward was taken aback, he didn't expect the gentleman in front of him, who looked like a little white face, to have such eyesight, so he replied respectfully: "Sir, you guessed right. I used to work as a sailor on the merchant ships of the East India Company, and after saving up money for a few years, I bought a carriage and became a coachman with peace of mind. Although he didn't make as much money as he used to be a sailor, it was better to be safe. There will be no storms and waves on land, sir. "In the end, William? Edward also made a joke with a sense of humor.

Lin Zihan knew in his heart that it was no wonder that this coachman could have bronzed skin in the rainy England, and it turned out that he had worked as a seaman. Lin Zihan wanted to inquire about the news of the East, so he took out a white bread from the basket containing food and handed it to William: "William, then you must have been to the East?" Can you tell me about what you've seen in the East? ”

William looked at Wickham, who handed over a white loaf of bread from the back seat, and thought to himself that this gentleman was really kind and generous, after all, decent gentlemen generally disdained to talk to inferior people like them. William took the bread and did not eat it, but carefully packed it in a small cloth bag, and then while driving the carriage, he excitedly recounted what he had seen in the East: "You are the right person, sir." I had been working as a sailor on the Oriental Princess for the past few years, and it was a beautiful galleon! Thinking of his career as a sailor, William looked nostalgic: "I have been to Cape Town, the stronghold of the Dutch in South Africa, to India, which is full of precious stones, and on our last voyage we reached Canton in the Qing Kingdom. It was an evocative experience, sir. ”

This coachman named William is really well-informed, and I really underestimated him just now. Lin Zihan has little interest in South Africa and India, but he is really interested in his native China, and maybe he will be able to return to China in his lifetime. Lin Zihan asked eagerly, "William, can you tell me about the Qing Kingdom in the East?" ”

Speaking of his own sailing experience, William's interest was very high: "Sir, that old country is simply amazing! The expensive porcelain and silk in London's shops came from this country. Isn't it unbelievable that this country is said to be the size of the whole of Europe and has a population of over 300 million, sir? Unfortunately, however, our merchant ships stopped on Huangpu Island at the mouth of the Pearl River, and the Qing officials in Guangzhou did not allow foreigners to move around the city at will. Eh, it's a shame not to be able to appreciate a city that's a little more prosperous than London. ”

Listening to William's saliva-flying commentary, Lin Zihan was in a trance. The great ancient country of the East in William's mouth trembled under the guns of the British Royal Navy fifty years later! An old empire with an army of millions was broken by thousands of British troops! Eh, I hope I don't see this in my lifetime.

As if sensing Lin Zihan's depressed mood, William also fell silent, stopped chattering, and began to concentrate on driving the carriage. Far from the bustling hustle and bustle of the northern industrial centres, the countryside of southern England is much quieter, with shepherds herding flocks of sheep singing country tunes on rolling meadows, and occasional wagons laden with forage slowly driving down muddy country roads.

Lin Zihan stretched out his hands out of the carriage, feeling the natural atmosphere of the English countryside and the leisurely rhythm of life, which made him feel a little relieved and calm when he had been running around for life in his previous life. It would be nice to have a big manor in this English countryside, Lin Zihan couldn't help but fantasize. Every day, in his spare time, he rode a horse to patrol his territory, and when he was rising, he could also go hunting and fishing, which was really a desirable and peaceful life. It's a pity that Lin Zihan is just a poor ghost with only thirty pounds on his body at this time, and he can't afford to buy a manor at all. Maybe after arriving in London, you will have to find a way to get money.

By noon, William had parked the carriage on the side of the road, ready to rest before heading on the road. Lin Zihan took out the small basket containing food, which contained a few white breads, a bottle of wine, and a few pieces of beef. This is what he asked the maid of the inn to prepare for him when he left the hotel. And these sumptuous foods cost less than a shilling, and the pound is really worth it in this era. William glanced at the white bread in Lin Zihan's hand, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and then silently took out a piece of black bread and a kettle from the small cloth bag and started his lunch.

Lin Zihan looked at the disgusting black bread, feeling that he had lost any appetite, last night he ate a piece of this most famous food in modern Europe out of curiosity, and almost vomited all the bile! Although he grew up in the countryside, he has lived for more than 20 years and has never eaten such disgusting food! This kind of food specially prepared for the common people is mixed with a large amount of wood chips and wheat straw powder, which is more "multigrain" than the multigrain that modern people flock to, and it is simply difficult to swallow without water.

Looking at William's envious eyes, Lin Zihan took out another piece of croissant and handed it to the young and straightforward coachman. William felt that he was so lucky, the people in the upper echelons who had hired him before, who were looking at him? Not to mention chatting with yourself and generously giving bread. He took the bread gratefully, but, as in the morning, silently put it into his little cloth bag. He doesn't necessarily get to eat white bread once a year, and he must save it for a bottle of gin and enjoy it, not on the hurried road.

Lin Zihan looked at William's cautious movement in front of him, and felt in his heart, the life of European civilians in this era is really not easy, no wonder the French Revolution has such a strong agitation for the people at the bottom of those countries. "William, don't eat brown bread, I have some wheat bread here, you don't have to put it away."

William said heartily, "Thank you for your kindness, sir. But white bread is only available to a gentleman like my husband, and I wish I had black bread. ”

Listening to William's answer, Lin Zihan was dumbfounded, Britain during this period was at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, and industrial civilization did not bring any dividends to ordinary people, but instead lost land under the aristocrats' wanton circle and became industrial workers living on meager wages. This is a form of development of internal predation, much like the industrialization of polar bears in the future. This is the helplessness of the period of capital accumulation, either internal plundering or external plunder, while Britain used both, which greatly accelerated the accumulation of primitive capital and laid a solid economic foundation for the establishment of an empire on which the sun never sets. Marx is right in saying that from the moment capital is born, from head to toe, every pore is filthy and bloody.