Wickham had just taken the time to sleep when the staff of the Royal African Trading Company knocked on the door of the lounge: "Mr. Wickham, Mr. Mellon has asked me to inform you that the evening party at the town hall is about to begin. ”

Wickham got up from the bed in a daze, only to feel a terrible headache. Sailing on the sea these days is really an exhausting thing, and it is not easy to sleep peacefully on land, but I have to go to some kind of welcome dinner of Rausch, and I really want to lie in bed and don't get up. However, tonight's dinner must be attended, and Wickham is still thinking about how to persuade Lord Margarny to take him to Beijing with him after smashing the fleet to China.

After tidying up, Wickham put on a neatly ironed Marine officer's uniform and hung the captain's sword around his waist, but unfortunately the fly in the ointment was that Wickham did not have a medal on his chest that represented meritorious service. When he pulled himself together and walked out of the door, he found that his three subordinates were already waiting outside the door.

Bert and Barnett did not wear military uniforms, but changed into black dresses. The fabric of the dress is England wool, which is worth a lot of money at a glance. Like Wickham, Evan is dressed in a neat Marine officer uniform, which is simple but also very atmospheric.

Bert grinned and said, "Lieutenant, how was your rest just now?" ”

Wickham yawned and said with some dissatisfaction: "Ensign Bert, I don't know what your uncle, Mr. Fritz Mellon, thinks, why don't you postpone the welcome party until tomorrow night?" Everyone just got off the boat today, and we really need to rest. Actually, Fritz Mellon didn't want to be in such a hurry, but he received bad news yesterday and urgently needed the help of the visiting fleet, so he hurriedly held a welcome party.

Bert Chelsea's originally handsome face, with a lewd smile on his face at this time, whispered: "Sir, according to reliable inside sources, there is a special purpose for this party. ”

To put it bluntly, the party is a buffet, where everyone drinks together and talks about some topics of interest with interested people. Could it be that there is something new at Mr. Mellon's dinner? With doubts, Lin Zihan asked curiously: "Bert, you kid just say it directly, what's the special program?" Bert's uncle is Fritz Mellon, so he is also relatively well-informed.

Bert motioned for the three of them to come closer to him, and then smiled: "The Royal African Trading Company has made a lot of money this time, and has prepared a chick for each of the members of the mission and the officers of the fleet. It is said that these chicks are the princesses and princesses of the indigenous kingdom of Ghana, and they are the trophies captured by the company's mercenaries when they stormed the royal city of the princely states of Ghana some time ago! ”

When he thought of those black women whose skin was darker than carbon and whose faces could not be distinguished by men and women, Wickham only felt goosebumps all over his body! "If I'm not mistaken, Bert, those so-called princesses and princesses in your mouth are all black slaves, right?" Wickham had a strange expression on his face, he didn't expect that Bert guy to be so heavy-mouthed, so excited at the mention of those black women, could it be that a month of sea voyage had suffocated him?

Bert directly ignored the disdain on Wickham's face, and said indifferently: "Sir, although these girls are black, they are all former princesses and former princesses!" I didn't expect that I, Bert Chelsea, could have something to do with the African princesses, and I couldn't be so excited just thinking about it...... "It turns out that Bert is paying such attention, which is the same reason as the rich people of later generations to maintain female stars, not that these female stars are beautiful, but their identities can bring a sense of psychological satisfaction to these rich people."

Originally, Wickham wanted to hurt Bert, but when he saw the yearning look on Evan guy's face, he swallowed the sarcastic words vividly, he couldn't be discouraged when everyone was in high spirits, right? These guys can be suffocated at sea, so it doesn't matter what white and black people, anyway, when the candle blows, isn't it the same? It is precisely because of these suffocated European colonists that a large number of mixed-race children appeared in the former European colonies such as Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

Barnett stepped forward and pressed Bert, who was struggling, and then said to Wickham: "Sir, the reason why Mr. Fritz Mellon is in such a hurry to invite us is because the Royal African Company seems to be in some trouble and needs your help."

"Huh? What's the trouble? Wickham was a little puzzled, and if he wanted to ask Margarny for help, he believed it, but when he asked him for help, he didn't believe it. He's just a petty officer, what can he do to help people?

Seeing that Wickham was not convinced, Barnett explained, "This is what my uncle, Lord Margarny, told me, but he did not say what the trouble was. ”

"Let's stop guessing, won't we know after tonight? The task of everyone going today is to clean up the food, don't save money for the Royal African Company, these guys are rich. Wickham felt that nothing had much to do with his little lieutenant, and put his curiosity away for the time being. The three of them listened to Wickham's joke, and they all smiled, and then silently added in their hearts: "And the princess and princess of Africa."

Tonight's town hall is a rare light of all the candles, making this military fortress with both defensive and administrative functions look brilliantly lit. This time, the dinner was held according to the buffet that was popular in continental Europe, a bit like a buffet, and the format was conducive to conversation among the participants. Looking at the dazzling array of delicacies, Wickham waved his hand to the three subordinates: "Brothers, everyone spread out and start sweeping the goods!" ”

Arriving at the table, Wickham quickly eliminated a plate of foie gras to fill his stomach, then picked up some tropical fruit and began to feast. In order to prevent and treat scurvy, he is afraid of eating bean sprouts on the ship these days, and now he has fresh fruits to supplement vitamins, and he is a fool not to let go of eating!

Just as Wickham looked at the bananas on the table with bright eyes, there was a disobedient laugh next to him. Wickham was a little embarrassed, he didn't expect to be seen as a foodie. Wickham, who was thinking about how to save his image, turned around and found that a little hairy man less than 1.4 meters tall was looking at him and laughing. The little ghost grimaced at Lin Zihan: "I didn't expect Mr. Officer to be a glutton, the same as the gluttony in the seven deadly sins written in the book." ”

Where did the little kid come from, did you make the seven deadly sins according to Catholicism? Look brother, I don't do justice for the Anglican of England, punish and punish you little infidel. Wickham saw the child's fleshy little round face, smiled, and then stretched out his An Lushan claw: "Where did you come from, you still know the seven deadly sins?" Tomorrow I'll go to the priest of the fleet, Mr. Medellin, and let him spank you! "Anyway, the little kid's face is so soft, and it looks like plasticine when pinched. When I was staying at the Schmidt Hotel, the little girl Alice's face was not less "poisoned" by Wickham.

The little boy's fat little round face was pinched by Wickham's An Lushan claws, and he twisted his small body with some dissatisfaction: "Don't pinch my face, I'm not a child!" Also, my baptism was done by Pastor Medellín, so he didn't believe you. After saying that, the little kid found a gap and got rid of the "weird Shu" of Wickham.

Yo, the little kid still thinks of himself as an adult? Wickham wanted to tease the little fellow, so he said, "Little one, let me tell you, under twelve is a child, are you twelve years old?" According to Wickham's eyesight, this little guy should be ten years old.

Hearing this, the little kid retorted with a bit of a stinky fart, "Mr. Glutton, although I am only eleven years old, I am a midshipman in the Mission. Lord Magalny, the head of the mission, you know, I am the attendant who holds up the lord's cloak. How's that, isn't that amazing?"

In order to prove that he is not a child, the little guy deliberately straightened his chest. Looking at the little guy with a stunned look, Wickham was a little emotional. Life is like this, when I was a child, I always wanted to grow up, and I wanted adults to treat themselves the way adults treated them. And when I grow up, I hope that I will never grow up, so that I can live in a simple and happy world forever. In his previous life, Wickham always wanted to get out of school and go out to work quickly to earn money, but when he was old enough to work, he realized how difficult it was to work hard in society.

Wickham didn't control his hand and pinched the little guy's nose again: "Yes, yes, you're not a child anymore." By the way, little friend, how can you be on your own, your family?" There were too many people in the Mission, Wickham had been on the Jackal all along, and he hadn't really met many of the members of the Mission on the Lion.

When the little kid saw that Lin Zihan recognized his status as an "adult", he happily replied, "Mr. Glutton, I came with my father, who was with Lord Magalny just now. Huh, Daddy?" The little kid didn't care about Wickham, and ran excitedly to a middle-aged man in a blue dress: "Dad, I just met an officer brother." ”

The middle-aged man picked up the little boy, walked over and said politely to Lin Zihan: "This gentleman, thank you very much for taking care of my son. I am the Vice-Chancellor of the Mission, George Staunton, may I ask you, sir? ”

Wickham paused for a moment, the middle-aged man in front of him was George Staunton, the deputy envoy of the mission, so wasn't the little kid in his arms George Thomas Staunton? The other day, he had been focusing on the mission's envoy, Magalny, and had neglected the deputy, Georges Staunton, from the baron.

For those who are more familiar with British history, Baron George Staunton, the deputy envoy of the mission, is a soy sauce existence. But his son Xiao Sidangdong is not soy sauce at all. The little guy went to the Qing Dynasty twice, and served in the Canton office of the East India Company many times, and later he became the most resolute fighter in the British Parliament, advocating the use of force to open the door to China. After his active lobbying, the British House of Commons passed a resolution on the use of force against China by a narrow margin!

It can be said that Xiao Si Dandong has to bear half of the responsibility for the suffering of China's modern history. But now this little guy is only an eleven-year-old boy, and he has not yet been in the mood to make a war speech in parliament in the future. When Staunton saw Lin Zihan from the baron, he looked at himself for a while, and then at his son, and coughed a little embarrassed: "Sir?"

Wickham came back to his soul and saluted Baron Staunton: "Your Excellency Baron Staunton, I am the commander of the separate company of the Marine Corps accompanying the fleet, George Wickham. Your son is lovely, and I'm sure he will be a person who will make a difference in the future. "Wickham is considering whether to find an opportunity to throw the little boy into the sea in the future, so that there will not be a hawk in the British parliament who is advocating war against China.

Baron Staunton was pleasantly surprised: "You are Mr. George Wickham!" Lord Magalny has often mentioned you in my presence that you have studied that Oriental country very well, and I think we will have a lot in common to talk about in the future. Baron George Staunton was not a simple figure, he was a member of the Royal Society, a doctor of law from Oxford University, and a lifelong lover of Chinese culture, even some Teochew dialect.

Little Stangon, who was still in his father's arms, was also happy: "Brother Wickham, I heard Uncle Magagarny say that you can speak the official language of the Qing Kingdom, I wonder if my brother can teach me?" The little kid is a goblin, and instead of calling Wickham "Mr. Glutton", he calls "Brother Wickham" by heart.

Looking at the expectant look in the little child's eyes, Lin Zihan smiled and said, "Of course, Xiao Si Dangdong." But if you want to learn, you have to keep going, and you can't give up halfway. "Just now Wickham thought of a way not to throw little Stanton off the boat, that is, to instill some Chinese culture in the little guy while he is still young, maybe in the future, this little guy will be like his father, and become a scholar who is busy studying Chinese culture, so as not to jump up and down in parliament and provoke Britain to go to war against China.

Little Staunton pouted and said dissatisfiedly: "Brother Wickham, I'm not a child, since I want to learn, then I will definitely persevere, Brother Wickham, you can rest assured."

Lin Zihan couldn't help but wonder, he didn't expect this fart boy to be so worried about his age, but no matter how he pretended to be mature, he was still a little fart: "Yes, yes, Xiao Si Dangdong is not a child, but a man, of course I believe you." After listening to Wickham's words, Xiao Stone smiled: "That brother is going to teach me tomorrow." ”

Baron Staunton looked at his son, interacting with the young Marine officer, and his eyes were full of love. He was expecting a lot from this child. That's why he blushed and begged Lord Magalny to let his son be his apprentice, and let little Standon see the mysterious Qing Kingdom. Little Stendon has been very smart since he was a child, always looking like a little adult, and he doesn't want to be so childish in front of this gentleman today, which makes him feel happy when he has only one son, this is the state that a normal child should have.

At that moment, Wickham saw Barnett lead Lord Margarny and Fritz Mellon over.

ps: Readers who like this book, smash the collection and red ticket in your hand at the author.