August 11, 1793, Tongzhou Wharf.

Since the re-opening of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal in the Yuan Dynasty, Tongzhou has become the northern terminus of the entire canal, transporting a large amount of goods from Suzhou and Hangzhou to Tongzhou, and then transshipment by land to Beijing, maintaining the operation of this megacity with a population of more than one million.

In the second year of Chongzhen, the Qing Dynasty broke through the wall, and Huang Taiji, who was born in wild boar skin, was keenly aware of the strategic position of Tongzhou, and immediately sent the Eight Banners army to occupy Tongzhou, making it impossible for the materials from the south to be transported into Beijing, which greatly dealt a blow to the will of the Ming court monarchs and ministers to resist.

With the permission of Emperor Qianlong, the fleet of the British mission to the Qing Dynasty sailed directly into the Haihe River, all the way to the Tongzhou wharf near the capital division, to dock at the dock of the two boatloads of gifts. Although the Qing government mobilized a large number of people to help unload the goods, the people of Tongzhou who were coerced by the government were very perfunctory, and they did their work roughly, and they did not care whether the goods in the cargo box were broken.

After a delicate table clock was broken, Lord Magalny's tense nerves could no longer withstand the torture, and decided to let his own people unload the goods, after all, there were many delicate astronomical instruments in the gifts given to Emperor Qianlong, and they needed to be carried with care and care.

As the commander of the independent company of the Marine Corps, Wickham must be present to direct the porterage, and if something goes wrong, he is responsible for it. Compared with the cool summer weather in the UK, the summer in northern China is very hot, the scorching sun does not hesitate to emit its own scorching sunshine, and the cloudless blue sky makes the hot light shine directly on the earth.

Wickham tore off the silk scarf around his neck with some irritability, and fanned the military hat in his hand vigorously, but unfortunately the faint wind was also filled with scorching heat.

Two Marines walked down the gangway carrying a wooden cargo box, one of them with a flushed face and an overexerted arm trembling slightly, showing that he had exhausted all his strength.

Perhaps the soldier was tired of energy, and the moment he stepped down the gangway, he didn't grasp the side of the wooden box, and the huge wooden box fell to the ground with a "clang", and all the brand-new brown bass muskets were scattered on the ground, and the fire cap of one of the rifles even fell off.

This is Britain's latest individual weapon, and it is also one of the special gifts from George III to Qianlong, but I didn't expect this to happen now.

Perhaps it was too hot, but Wickham only felt a rush of fire rising from under his lower abdomen, and rushed over to block the two hairy soldiers with an arrow, shouting, "Oh my God, look at the good things you two fools have done!" Do you have straw in your heads, don't you know how to be careful? Damn, it's an unlucky day. ”

With that, Wickham crouched down and picked up the rifle with the fire cap off, carefully checking for any repairs. Fortunately, the connecting rod of the fire cap did not break, but it fell off because the gap was too large and it was shaken because it was not carefully assembled.

Wickham expertly reattached the cap and was relieved to see that there was nothing wrong.

"Captain Wickham, I ...... I didn't mean to, because ...... My right arm was wounded in the last battle and was somewhat ...... I couldn't use my strength, so I didn't hold the box steady. The soldier looked a little frightened when he saw that one of the rifles in the crate had been broken, and he stepped forward to explain to Wickham.

After listening to the soldier's explanation, Wickham was not as angry as he was just now, waved his hand and said, "Forget it, you didn't mean it, since your arm is injured, don't come to do this kind of manual work in the future, it is likely that your old injury will recur." ”

After speaking, Wickham felt that the soldier in front of him was a little familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere, so he casually asked, "Soldier, what is your name?" The right arm was wounded in which battle? ”

The soldier rubbed his head in embarrassment, and replied, "Captain Wickham, my name is Jones Smith, and my arm was wounded in that battle with the French at sea." You saved my life at that time, sir, and if it weren't for the wound you helped me treat, maybe I would have died of the wound inflammation. ”

Wickham patted his head in a sudden realization and said with a smile: "I remember, you are the soldier who was seriously wounded in the battle with the French warship Warbler Flower, and the companion with you is called Ruhl, right?" By the way, how is that guy doing now? ”

In Wikeham's impression, Ruhr was a very active and nimble young man, while Smith was a bit wooden and not very talkative, so Wickham did not quickly recognize the young blacksmith soldier just now.

Seeing that the commander remembered himself, Jones Smith cracked his mouth and smiled: "Sir, Ruhr is now a corporal. Ensign Bert took him very seriously, and was now taking him on deck to supervise the loading and unloading of cargo. ”

Wickham was a little surprised, but he didn't expect Ruhl to be promoted to corporal, and the promotion speed was indeed not slow. Unlike the non-commissioned officers in the army in later generations, the gold content of non-commissioned officers in this era is quite high, and there are only two sergeants and three corporals in a company of the British army, and together with captain-level officers, they constitute the grass-roots command and control force of the army.

Originally, the promotion of junior sergeants was decided by the company commander, but since taking office, Wickham has been absent from the army for most of the time, and many military affairs are decided by the three second lieutenant officers, so Wickham is not aware of this.

Wickham remembered the trembling of Smith's right arm just now, so he asked with some concern: "Smith, how is your arm recovering, is it okay?" ”

Jones Smith had a wry smile on his face: "Sir, I can't shoot anymore because my injured right arm can't withstand the huge recoil of a rifle shot. At the end of this voyage back to England, I will leave the army, but I will no longer be able to wield a sledgehammer in my right hand, and I will no longer be a blacksmith. ”

Now Smith's physical condition is not enough to be a blacksmith at all, and if he leaves the army, then he will completely lose his source of livelihood.

At this time, Bert trotted over with Ruhl, glanced at the boxes scattered on the ground, and said carefully to Wickham: "Sir, what's going on here, there's nothing wrong with the goods in the box, right?" ”

Wickham glanced at Bert angrily and said, "Bert, what the hell is going on with you!" Is Private Smith fit to carry heavy cargo boxes? Are you pig-brained, you are a serious dereliction of duty! ”

In fact, wickham didn't care about malfeasance, and the reason why Wickham was really angry was that Bert knew about Smith's injury, but he didn't care about it, which reminded him of the so-called red children in the university in his previous life, who regarded ordinary people as grass and Kan.

Like a wronged little daughter-in-law, Bert cried out: "Sir, I didn't call Private Smith to unload the goods at all, and since his right arm was wounded, I let him do some light work to maintain his guns, and I didn't even ask him to go for shooting training." Could it be ......?"

Bert thought of something, and then turned to Ruhl who was following him with a dark face: "I put your kid in charge of this, and that's how you did it for me, huh?" ”

Ruhl was also dumbfounded, and scratched at his messy brown hair in confusion: "Captain Wickham, Ensign Bert, I asked Smith to rest in the cabin just now, I didn't know he came out to carry things." ”

At this time, Jones Smith smiled awkwardly and said, "Two chiefs, this has nothing to do with Ruhr, I came out to move it myself." I don't want to sit in the cabin and get moldy, like an old man who is about to return to God's arms, in the twilight, I just want to help everyone. ”

There was one more thing that Smith didn't say, and that was that he was afraid of the feeling of being useless, and that these days he was only doing simple gun maintenance, and that every soldier looked at him with the kind of look of pity and sympathy that made him feel like a wreck. He didn't like the feeling, so he sneaked out of the cabin to help, despite Ruhl's dissuasion, but he didn't expect to mess up.

Wickham understood Smith's thoughts, and everyone has their own pride, self-esteem, and persistence.

"Smith, your right arm is moderately crippled, whether you admit it or not, it's an irrevocable fact. Loading and unloading goods, going to the battlefield to kill the enemy is no longer your value, you have to find a more suitable position for you, even if you leave the army, you can live better and find your value. Tomorrow you will come to my side, just as I lack an attendant to deliver orders. ”

Smith's face turned red, and he said after a while: "Sir, I don't know anything, and I can't read, I'm afraid I can't do it." ”

He used to be an iron-striker, but now he can't even beat iron, what else can he do? Wickham smiled and patted Smith on the shoulder: "It's nothing, I can teach you, no one is born with anything, as long as you have that energy." Well, don't move anything now, just supervise these boys here, and if something breaks, see that I don't whip you. ”

Smith gave an excited military salute, "Yes, sir." ”

Turning his head, Wickham remembered that after unloading today, the two cargo ships of the East India Company were going to Zhejiang for duty-free trade, and their own business had to be arranged in a hurry: "Bert, you come with me." ”

Bert understood, and Wickham boarded the merchant ship they hired and found Zhang Mingxia: "Brother Mingxia, my partner doesn't know much about silk and tea, so I'll leave the matter of procurement to you when the time comes." "Before leaving Guangzhou this time, Wickham went to Dafeng Commercial Bank and specially invited Zhang Mingxia to help.

Zhang Mingxia didn't seem to be in a very good state, and said weakly: "Brother Zihan, I will definitely go all out, and I will definitely not let those unscrupulous businessmen slander this brother." ”

Looking at Zhang Mingxia's obvious dark circles, Wickham asked with some confusion: "Brother Mingxia, what's wrong with you, if there is anything you can tell me, I will do my best to help." When he was still in Guangzhou, Wickham found that Zhang Mingxia was a little absent-minded, but it was not good to ask about the situation at that time, so he dragged it until now.

Zhang Mingxia smiled bitterly: "Brother Zihan, the plan you told me last time has been vetoed by several elders in the door. The primary goal of the Hongmen was to drive the Manchu Tartars out of the Central Plains and restore Zhu Ming orthodoxy, and it was contrary to this purpose to throw forces into the South Seas, so the elders of the Gate did not agree. ”

Wickham was a little skeptical, even if this suggestion was rejected, Zhang Mingxia would not be worried about becoming like this. Zhang Mingxia really didn't say all the facts, it's not that Zhang Mingxia thinks Wickham is not trustworthy, but he doesn't know how to say this.

The last time the Guangzhou government was vigorously arrested, Hongmen lost a lot of elite forces, and it also made many people in the gate realize that the current Manchu Qing is not something they can shake. So when Zhang Mingxia threw out this proposal, many wealthy businessmen behind Hongmen thought that instead of dying in vain in the Central Plains, it was better to go to Nanyang to break through, where the profits of trade were a big cake.

The elders of the Hongmen didn't think so, they didn't even choose to think about the places that had turned out to be in the past. Seeing that Zhang Mingxia had bewitched many supporters, several people were angry and expelled Zhang Mingxia from Hongmen. Now Zhang Mingxia has made up his mind to pay attention, since the high-level Hongmen does not agree, then he will pull a group of like-minded people and go to Batavia to make a good trouble!

In this regard, Wickham was a little disappointed, originally he wanted to hope that Hongmen could create a world for the Chinese overseas, but now it seems that there is no drama. Seeing Zhang Mingxia's depressed expression, Wickham did not continue the topic, and instead said to Bert: "The head of the trading fleet is McIntosh, the captain of the Hindustan Shipper, and Barnett has already dredged the joints in it, you and this Mr. Zhang can follow the Indian company's fleet tomorrow." Also, that young man named Ruhl is good, you can take him with you this time, it can be regarded as an experience. ”

Wickham is a self-made man, and there is a big gap between him and those big families, which is very detrimental to his future development. That Ruhr is a good young man, although the level of education is not high, but he is also very flexible in his mind, and he may be a good talent in the future.

That's why Wickham asked Bert to bring it along, and gradually the world and the process of sea trade. Bert probably guessed what Wickham meant, and agreed without hesitation.