The next day, Barnett and Baron Standon's attendants arrived on board the Jackal by transport boat. The squire had come aboard the Lion to fetch little Standon, who had been worried by the fierce battle a few days earlier, and who was his eldest and only son, who was carrying the hope of reviving the family. At this time, if little Standon was killed by a stray bullet in the chaotic battle, it would be a dilemma for the Standon family.

At the same time, Barnett also brought an order from Lord Magalny to Wickham to discuss some matters aboard the Lion. As for what it was, Barnett didn't say.

Wickham understood Baron Steindon's fears very well, and that day was indeed very dangerous, as the first mate Thomas of the "Jackal" was killed, and Major William Blair, Second Lieutenant Bert, and himself were all injured to varying degrees. If it weren't for the timely support of the "Encouragement", I am afraid that the "Jackal" would have fallen into the hands of the French. Fortunately, little Standon has been hiding in the ammunition compartment and has not come out, otherwise the little guy may have an accident in that chaotic situation.

"Brother Wickham, hurry up and tell me the story of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, okay?" At this time, little Stendon still had the appearance of the original little adult, staring at a pair of watery blue eyes, looking at Wickham with an innocent look, like an abandoned puppy.

After the battle that day, Stendon Jr. inadvertently broke into the bloody deck in search of Wickham. No matter how precocious little Stanton is, he is just a child, and such a tragic scene is undoubtedly a chilling nightmare for a child. That night, little Stendon was too frightened to sleep, but curled up pitifully in a corner of the bed, shivering.

Seeing such a little Stendon, Wickham's heart also became soft, so he told the story of Alice in Wonderland to the little one, hoping that he could be as brave and strong as Alice in Wonderland. Little Stendon was quickly drawn to the story and forgot about the terrible scene for a while. But after that day, Stanton Jr. often pestered Wickham to tell him stories.

Wickham stroked the little guy's golden hair and said, "Okay, little one, I'll write this story into a book, and I'll give you a hardcover copy when the time comes, okay?" ”

Little Stendon's eyes lit up and said happily: "Really, Brother Wickham? If that were the case, I would definitely have the book on my shelf. ”

Wickham just smiled and nodded: "Then you have to make sure to learn Chinese well, otherwise I won't give it to you." ”

Little Stanton hurriedly promised: "Don't worry, Brother Wickham, I will insist on learning Chinese." In fact, Wickham also has a selfish intention, if history has not changed, little Stanton will become the culprit who promoted the Opium War in the future, but if he is allowed to be influenced by Chinese culture since he was a child, will the warmonger still appear later?

Barnett didn't expect that in such a short period of time, the relationship between this little kid and Lieutenant Wickham would be so good, and his commander was really a man and a woman, young and old, just that elegant demeanor and beautiful face, it was hard to be annoying.

"Sir, I'm sorry I couldn't fight with you the other day, and you know that there are so many big names on the Lion that I can't leave as the head of the guard. By the way, how is Bert's injury, is it serious? Barnett said embarrassedly. On that day, the "Jackal" and the "Warbler Flower" fought fiercely, and he just watched from the sidelines, which made him feel an inexplicable sense of shame.

"It's nothing, Barnett, you and I have our own responsibilities. If you want to fight, there will be many opportunities in the future. As for Bert, he should be fully recovered in two months. Wickham didn't care much about this, he already vaguely felt that Barnett's family must not be simple. It's just a member of a prominent family who somehow came to serve in the newly formed army, and even the rank is not as high as that of Wickham, who also went through the back door, which makes Wickham confused.

Wickham changed into a neat military uniform, and led little Standon to the "Lion" with Barnett in a transport boat. On the deck of the Lion, Wickham saw Colonel Aldrich, the commander of the fleet, waiting on the deck. Although he didn't know why the middle-aged officer didn't have a good opinion of him, Wickham still saluted Colonel Aldridge with great respect: "Dear Mr. Colonel, Lieutenant George Wickham reports to you. ”

To Wyckham's surprise, this time Colonel Aldrich did not show himself a face, but returned a salute to him and said, "Lieutenant Wickham, well done." To those damned Frenchmen, let them know how good our Royal Navy of the United Kingdom of Britain is! ”

Colonel Aldrich is a typical professional soldier with a hard personality and no sand in his eyes. He has always looked down on the noble children in the army, especially those who directly became lieutenant officers by virtue of their connections, so he didn't have a good face for Wickham at the beginning.

The reason for the change in Colonel Aldrich's attitude is that Wickham has made a series of battles in the past period of time. While on the Gold Coast, Wickham was able to lead an army of less than 400 men, and in just a few days, he destroyed the lair of the princely state of Moxi, and even captured King Moxi, which shocked the indigenous tribes in the Ghana region in one fell swoop.

A few days ago, in the battle in which the "Jackal" encountered the French cruiser "Yingweihua", this officer, who had not been in the army for a long time, was able to stick to his post and did not withdraw from the battle even if he was wounded. Such an impressive record really made Colonel Aldridge's sense of Wickham's "relation" change a lot, and even some appreciation.

Since people gave face like this, Wickham beat the snake and sticked: "Mr. Colonel, this is what every soldier of the United Kingdom should do." And I'm just doing my part. This empty phrase has long been familiar to Wakeham in later generations, so there is no obstacle to using it.

Colonel Aldrich nodded with satisfaction, there are not many young people who can have such a record and still maintain modesty. In this way, Colonel Aldridge was even more satisfied with Wickham: "Okay, Lieutenant Wickham, I believe that His Majesty the King and the Admiralty will soon know about your contributions, and at that time I'm afraid I will have to change my name to Captain, haha......" The subtext of Colonel Aldridge's words was that he would strongly recommend Wickham to the Admiralty.

Seeing that the two were talking so speculatively and had no intention of leaving, Barnett had to bite the bullet and say, "Colonel Aldrich, forgive me for taking the liberty of interrupting your conversation. Lord Magalny and Baron Standon, and Lieutenant Wickham have matters to discuss, and I think it's time to take Lieutenant over. ”

Colonel Aldrich raised an eyebrow in displeasure, and stared at Barnett for a moment before saying, "Yes, Second Lieutenant Barnett, things between relatives are always more important than between friends. Then forgive me, Lieutenant Wickham. I think we'll have a chance to talk in depth in the future. With that, he took up his hat and went to inspect the work of the sailors.

Wickham is a little strange, this Barnett and Colonel Aldridge don't seem to get along very well, is there any reason? Barnett soon noticed Wickham's bewildered expression, and smiled bitterly, "Sir, you also know the character of Colonel Aldrich, who has been like this to me since he learned of my relationship with Lord Margarny. ”

Wickham was stunned, but he didn't expect that His Excellency, the commander of the visiting Qing fleet, would be such a straightforward person, and he didn't know how many people he had offended. However, what is strange is that such a straight man can be mixed into the ranks of senior officers, you must know that when the water is clear, there are no fish, and the British government and army in this period have a lot of dirty things, if you put on a face when you encounter something you are not used to, how can you gain a foothold in the officer corps?

Ever since Lord Magalny came to the Lion, the captain's room, the best room on the ship, has been occupied by him of the highest status. Barnett and Wickham made their way to the captain's quarters chatting, while little Stendon was led down to rest by the squire.

As soon as Wickham entered the captain's quarters, he saw Lord Margarny and Baron Standon drinking wine and talking happily. After Barnett entered the captain's room, he gave a meticulous salute and said with a full air: "Lord Magalny, Baron Stanton, Lieutenant Wickham have arrived. Barnett had always been a man of public and private affairs, and he would never call Magalny his uncle in public.

Lord Margarny nodded: "Second Lieutenant Barnett, we need to talk to Lieutenant Wickham alone, you can leave." Barnett spoke to him in a businesslike tone, and Lord Magalny smiled wryly, and had to act like a superior and command directly. Barnett saluted again, and slowly exited the cabin. Wickham didn't know about the bullshit of the Berts, but he was a little curious about what was going on between the awkward pair of uncles and nephews.

"Lord Magalny, is there anything I need to do? As a soldier of the United Kingdom of Britain, I will never shirk. "Wickham still keeps his posture very low on the face, who made him a small man now.

Lord Margarny raised his glass and said slowly, "Lieutenant Wickham, of course I understand your determination to serve the kingdom at any time as a soldier. But before we get down to business, wouldn't you like to taste this wine? ”

Baron Stanton also said, "Lieutenant Wickham, I would also like to thank you for protecting my son during the battle a few days ago. Come, taste the wines of Lord Margarny's collection, which I wouldn't have had a chance to taste today if it weren't for you. With that, he poured a glass of wine and handed it to Wickham.

Wickham couldn't figure out what the two old foxes were up to for a moment, so he kept silent and drank the red wine in his glass. No one spoke, and there was an eerie silence in the captain's room.

After a while, Lord Margarny was amazed at Wickham's composure, and spoke first: "Lieutenant Wickham, what do you think of this wine?" "Magalny doesn't look like a serious conversation, but rather a gentleman's exchange of wine tasting ideas with each other at a wine tasting.

Although Wickham did not study wine, he also felt that the wine in this glass tasted different from the French Bordeaux wine collected by Major William that day. Bordeaux wines are rich in flavor and slightly spicy. The wines in the Magalny collection have a stronger aroma, but the taste is a little sour, and they taste a different flavor.

Wickham's lack of knowledge of wine could not tell him where the wine was made, so he said frankly: "Your Excellency, I don't know much about wine, but this mellow question and astringent taste should not be produced in France, right?" ”

Lord Margarny did not expect Wickham to generously admit the fact that he did not understand wine, knowing that this was undoubtedly a very shameless thing among the nobles. Margarny's purpose today was not to taste wine, so he said, "To be honest, there are not many people who are as frank as Lieutenant Wickham these days. You guessed it right, this bottle of wine was not produced in France, but was brought to me by my friend from Cape Town. ”

"Cape Town? Your Excellency, with all due respect, isn't this a transshipment port for the Dutch in southern Africa? I can't imagine that there is still wine produced in that place. Wickham almost exclaimed, he had the impression that wine was generally produced in Spain, France and Italy, and he did not expect that there would be wine production in Africa in this era.

What Wickham didn't know was that South Africa was one of the world's six largest wine producing regions. The Mediterranean climate of the Cape region of South Africa is ideal for grape growing. The history of wine in the Cape Town region of South Africa began in 1655, when voyagers to the Far East of the Indus River brought grapes to the southernmost tip of Africa.

However, the Dutch had no tradition or craftsmanship to make wine, and in 1680 a large number of French Huguenots fled to Cape Town, bringing advanced wine-making techniques to the area. However, due to the lack of oak barrels in Cape Town, the aging process of the wine was not satisfactory, so it was difficult for South African wine to be exported to Europe and England during the eighteenth century.

However, all this changed after the outbreak of the French Revolution, which affected the important wine regions of southern France to varying degrees, and it became difficult for the British to enjoy the mellow French wines, which allowed South African wines to take advantage of a loophole and open up the British wine market.

Seeing that Wickham looked puzzled, Baron Stanton explained to him: "Cape Town is indeed only a trading port, and the Dutch don't know how to make wine, but the French immigrants there do. Now there are many Dutch merchants who transport South African wine to the kingdom for sale at frighteningly high prices, and those damned speculators are literally sucking blood from the veins of the United Kingdom of Britain! ”

Margarny stared at the wine in the glass and said slowly: "The Dutch have always been like this, they are the most sensitive people with a sense of money besides the Jews. It's just a pity that the Cape is such a rich hot land, and the decaying Dutch East India Company is no longer able to exercise effective jurisdiction over it. ”

Wickham suddenly understood what the two old foxes were going to talk about today, it turned out that the British were almost impatient and wanted to attack Cape Town, a strategically important colony! This guy Magalny is worthy of being an old fritter in the political circles, and it took a long time to go around before he got the topic around this.

Magarny changed his tone and asked Wickham: "Lieutenant Wickham, do you know how much Cape Town is for the United Kingdom?" Before Wickham could reply, Magalny said to himself: "Since the establishment of the kingdom's East India Company in Calcutta, hundreds of ships have crossed the Cape of Good Hope every year, and Cape Town has become the most important transit point for the kingdom to India. If we allow Cape Town, which is strategically strategically located, to remain in the hands of other countries, it will be a great threat to the security of the Kingdom's overseas colonies! ”