After more than a month of sailing, Wickham finally arrived in Calcutta, the center of British East India Company rule in the Indian subcontinent. Kolkata is not only the political and economic center of Britain in India, but also the most prosperous trading port in South Asia.

Before the British East India Company discovered this fine harbor, Calcutta was just a small village under the rule of the Mughal Empire. What is now in Wickham is a trading city that blends Indian culture and British style, exquisite and prosperous.

In 1690, Channock, an agent of the British East India Company, came here along the Hooghly River and found that the place was not only wide, but also relatively deep, making it a good inland port. Because of its proximity to water on three sides, it was easy to build fortifications, so Chanok built a trading post here.

In 1696, after a peasant revolt in the nearby Bud region, the Mughals allowed the British to build fortifications for their own defense. The merchants of the East India Company took advantage of this opportunity to build a fortified fort on this privileged site and named it "Fort William", the forerunner of what would become the city of Calcutta.

In 1756, British forces, led by Robert Kleavour, the "Conqueror of India", defeated the forces of Governor Hiraj of Bengal, thus establishing the East India Company's dominance in the Bengal region, and Calcutta became the administrative center of the Bengal colonial province.

In 1772, by resolution of the Board of Directors of the East India Company and the British Cabinet, Calcutta became the capital of the British Indian colony, with a large area including Mumbai and Madras on the west coast of India.

At that time, the cotton textile industry in Bangladesh was famous all over the world, and the cotton cloth produced there was not only a delicate texture, but also very good breathability, which was suitable for wearing in hot weather. British merchants with a keen sense of smell saw a huge business opportunity from this, and they sold this high-quality and inexpensive cotton cloth to European countries in large quantities, and at the same time made a lot of money, but also effectively suppressed the development of the cotton textile industry in the European continent.

However, this business model did not last long, and as far as Wickham knows, after the Industrial Revolution began, the light textile industry in Britain developed by leaps and bounds, and the demand for raw cotton became more and more vigorous. Faced with this situation, the British changed their business strategy in India, and instead transported the cotton grown in India back to Britain to be spun into cloth, and then dumped it back into Asia, including India, and the Indian textile industry, which was still in the stage of manual work, was devastated.

After the independence of the thirteen colonies in North America, Britain lost a major source of raw cotton, and India became the most important source of raw materials for the British cotton textile industry.

Although India's cotton textile industry was crushed by cheap cotton cloth from the British, the port of Calcutta developed deformously after the supply and demand relations of the colonies depended on their suzerains became clear. Of course, Kolkata was not only a center of British trade with India, but also a transit point for Britain to Southeast Asia, and most British ships destined for China and Southeast Asia would choose it as a transit point.

As soon as the "Rose" on which Wickham was riding sailed from the Bay of Bengal into the Hooghly River, he saw a busy scene of thousands of sails racing, large and small merchant ships coming in and out of the port, but most of the ships flew the St. George flag high, and foreign merchant ships were rare.

The reason for this British dominance was that after the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War, Britain defeated its biggest colonial rival in India, France, and thus naturally monopolized Indian trade. India, which became part of Britain's global colonial system, provided Britain with a vast dumping market for industrial products and industrial raw materials, and was an important cornerstone of the British Empire's struggle for world hegemony in the future.

The "Rose", guided by a dinghy, soon docked at the East India Company's dedicated dock. Standing on the deck, Wickham soon spotted the towering mast of the "Lion" on the dock, no way, the nearly sixty-meter-high mast was too conspicuous in a group of merchant ships.

It seems that the visiting fleet has not yet left the port of Calcutta, and this discovery has made Wickham's mood a little better. This meant that the next trip to China for life at sea, accompanied by a group of friends such as Bert, Barnett and Major William, would not seem too monotonous.

Because Wickham was really fed up with the monotonous and boring life at sea on the "Rose", and he could only pass the time by reading books. Damn, he doesn't know anyone on this spy ship!

As soon as he got off the boat, Wickham was almost knocked to the ground by the strong fishy smell on the dock! The fishy smell of the sea, mixed with the smell of sweat of Indian laborers, is really more terrifying than biological weapons, which is probably a common problem in all seaports in this era.

Wickham pulled out a silk scarf and put it on his nose, and then he felt that his lungs were much clearer. The wharf against the riverbank was filled with many Indian laborers who made a living by carrying goods, these poor, dark-skinned, skinny people, who looked numbly at the well-dressed British merchants on the wharf, their dark eyes without a trace of life.

It is only when a cargo ship docks that the dead eyes of these labourers shine a light, for it means that they will find a job loading and unloading the cargo, and earn a small salary in exchange for good food.

The first mate of the Rose was clearly not going to waste his mercy on these lowly Indian coolies, and he was wielding his civilized stick to drive away the Indians who tried to come up and get their jobs. A few Ah San coolies couldn't avoid it, and the head wrapped in a turban was mercilessly beaten, and the blood flowed.

The Indian soldiers on the docks, who maintained order, turned a blind eye to their beaten compatriots, and perhaps they were not surprised by such a scene. In fact, these hungry laborers just wanted to get an errand to help the gentlemen carry their luggage, but they didn't expect to find the errand, but they were beaten up, which was really unlucky.

Wickham looked at the beaten Ah San in amazement, and didn't know what to say for a while, he had never seen such a scene in his previous life. Perhaps it was a moment of impatience, and Wickham said to the first mate of the "Rose": "Mr. first mate, forget it, they are also poor people who came out to beg for a living." ”

The first mate of the "Rose" was very surprised by Wickham's dissuasion, staring at his eyes, which were not much bigger than a crack in the ground, and screamed: "Poor man? Mr. Wickham, these Indian untouchables do not deserve your mercy. I've been to Kolkata many times, and I don't know what these damn untouchables look like? They're born thieves, robbers, and murderers, but don't let them get to you, sir! ”

The first mate of the "Rose" is indeed right, there is an old Chinese saying that "poor mountains and bad waters produce bad people", poverty is more likely to become a breeding ground for crime, and the dock area is not only a gathering area for the poor, but also a criminal paradise with mixed fish and dragons. Shaking his head, Wickham decided not to speak out to dissuade Mr. First Mate, for he had no sense of being a social reformer. Besides, what does it matter to him whether India Ah San lives or dies, you don't see how arrogant Indian Ah San is when he is arguing with our Great Celestial Empire three hundred years later.

Because of Mr. Jeff, the first mate had a good attitude towards Wickham, and personally called a carriage of the East India Company, and then said to the East India Company clerk: "Send this gentleman to the Governor's Palace, he is a guest of Mr. Governor, you understand?" ”

Wickham did not correct the exaggeration in Mr. First Mate's words, and in fact he did not know who the current Viceroy of India was. But if you elevate your status appropriately, you will be better served, so why not. Sometimes, life also needs a few tricks that can make our lives better.

Wickham thanked the enthusiastic first mate, who waved his hand and said, "That's all as it should be, Mr. Wickham." With that, the first mate of the "Rose" took his leave and left. After more than a month at sea, the first mate needs to find a lively pub, have a drink, and then find a busty bar hostess to vent.

The young East India Company clerk was warmed up when he saw that Wickham was dressed very decently, and that he was a guest of Mr. Governor. I saw him take three steps and two steps, and took the two suitcases in Wickham's hand: "Sir, I'll just take these things." ”

The suitcase contained the diamonds that Wickham had brought from South Africa, and he didn't want to give it to a stranger, so he politely declined: "Thank you for your kindness, sir, but I'm still in the habit of carrying my own luggage." If it's convenient, maybe you can help carry the box behind me to the wagon. "There were ten tusks in that box, and the weight was a bit heavy.

Far from being embarrassed, the East India Company clerk diligently loaded Wickham's box into the wagon, and then gave a few words to the coachman before leaving. Once Wickham had boarded the carriage, the carriage left the busy but dirty docks along the wide sandy road, and headed for the Governor's Mansion without hurry.

At this time, the Indian Viceroy House in Kolkata was still in the Belvedere Building, and the most famous attraction in Kolkata in later generations, the Governor's House Building, had not yet been built.

The Belvedere Building is a typical European Baroque style building, with white marble and intricate reliefs showing the luxury of the Doge's Palace everywhere, and is full of luxury. However, the British mainland has gradually abandoned this flamboyant Baroque style, and neoclassicism and Gothic style have begun to become the new favorites of London architects. Having lived in London for a while, Wickham has an understanding of the prevailing signs of European architectural styles.

Wickham presented his credentials to the guards at the Governor's Palace, but he was subjected to strict scrutiny, and all weapons except sabers were kept on his behalf.

"Brother Wickham?" Wickham heard someone calling for him, so he looked for the sound and looked over there, and it turned out to be little Standon who had not been seen for two months. At this time, little Standon's face flushed with excitement, and he shot into Wickham's arms like a small cannonball: "Brother Wickham, where have you been for the past two months?" Neither Dad nor Lord Magalny will tell me your whereabouts. ”

Wickham couldn't help but touch little Standon's supple blonde hair, and said with a smile: "My brother is an officer in the United Kingdom, so of course he has a mission." In the two months that I was away, did Xiao Standong study Chinese well? ”

If someone who was familiar with little Standon was here, he would have been shocked by such a scene. Because Stanton Jr. was a precocious child, he would never allow anyone to touch his head, but Wickham was an exception.

Little Stendon pouted with some dissatisfaction: "Brother Wickham, you don't trust me so much?" I've been copying what you've taught me every day, but I'm not lazy, but I want to hear the story of Brother Wickham. ”

Wickham was instantly overwhelmed by the little boy's pouting, and despite the little boy's protest, he pinched his little face, and then said with a smile: "Yes, Mr. Stanton." ”

While the two were laughing, one of Lord Magalny's attendants hurried into the hall and said to Wickham, "Lieutenant Wickham, Your Excellency has asked you to go to the small parlor to talk in detail, please come with me." ”

Wickham promised to tell little Stan more stories in the future as compensation, and then followed the squire upstairs.