The days slipped quietly in the intense run-in training, and the 60-member Qing delegation led by Lord Magalny also came to Portsmouth Harbour to make final preparations for Yang Fan's voyage. Colonel Aldrich attached great importance to the arrival of the mission, and even held a grand welcome dinner for the mission in the military port.

After all, many members of the mission this time are inextricably linked with the major families in Britain, which is not something that he can slack off as a middle-level officer without a knighthood, and there is no loss in accompanying a smiling face. Moreover, the naval officers will work with the members of the Qing mission for up to two years, so it is very necessary to contact them in advance.

In order to make this grand dinner go smoothly, Colonel Aldrich also invited Portsmouth's local celebrities and many ladies and ladies dressed up to bring a touch of life to the solemn and gloomy Portsmouth military port. However, Lin Zihan didn't go up, because Ma Garni's perfunctory attitude last time made him very annoyed, so the image of this historical celebrity has dropped to the lowest point in Lin Zihan's heart, and he didn't bother to pull the relationship.

On this day, Lin Zihan was discussing some training matters with his three subordinates in the officer's lounge. "Sir, I'm about to set sail, but the basic training of our company has not yet been completed, especially the speed of reloading, which is simply outrageously low. If we go to war, I'm sure we haven't fired a second salvo yet, and the other side will drown us with bullets. ”

After these days of training and observation, Barnett's pampered aristocratic temperament has dissipated a lot, but there is a trace of capable aura in it. Barnett didn't say anything, and there were quite a few children of their family who served in the military, so he had the privilege of visiting the Army's shooting training, and those elite standing troops could fire an astonishing two volleys in a minute! But now in the Marine Corps Separate Company, the untrained soldiers can reload and shoot in less than a minute, thank God. The immature soldiers either looked scrambling to reload, or they were too nervous to fire before the officer gave the order, and the level of training was simply miserable.

The experienced Evan said unceremoniously: "Second Lieutenant Barnett, don't expect too much, how many days have you been training?" Two weeks ago, these soldiers were a bunch of unskilled weavers and vagrants, and now they are able to do so thanks to Lieutenant Wickham's training methods. Evan didn't know why he liked to stand up and disagree with Barnett so much, maybe it was because of Barnett's aristocratic status and getting the position he had struggled for ten years to get, so he felt a little unhappy. Barnett seems to be accustomed to Aven's merciless provocation, he is a more rational person, and he knows why Evan's attitude is like this, but he understands that he does have many deficiencies compared with Evan, an old soldier, so he didn't take Evan's unkindness to heart.

Lin Zihan waved his hand and said: "It doesn't matter, the main task of our Marine Independent Company this time is to act as a guard for the Qing mission, not to fight the enemy, as long as you can save face for Lord Magalny in the queue, there is no big problem." It just so happens that sailing is a boring thing, and we can train soldiers on the deck of a warship on their reload speed. ”

Just as the four of them were happily expressing their opinions, the door to the officers' lounge suddenly opened, and the person who entered was none other than the envoy of the mission, Lord Magalny. Lin Zihan looked at this uninvited guest with some surprise, and secretly guessed in his heart how Lord Magalny suddenly came to the barracks of the Marine Corps, shouldn't he be at the welcome ball at this time?

Magalny first looked around the room, and then said politely, "Gentlemen, I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation. Although he was a little unhappy with the old guy Magalny, Lin Zihan still stood up and saluted: "Your Excellency, your arrival is an honor for all the officers of our Marine Independent Company. Several others also stood up to greet Lord Margarny, a leading figure in British diplomacy whose name few people had never heard.

Barnett didn't show any surprise at all, but bowed slightly, "Uncle Magalny, is there anything wrong with you?" ”

Uncle! Barnett turned out to be Lord Magalny's uncle! Lin Zihan's mouth was big enough to hold an egg, originally he thought that Barnett was just a child of a small aristocratic family, but he didn't expect that he would be related to a big nobleman with a prominent background like Lord Margarny, and he was also a direct family! Lin Zihan thought silently in his heart: "It seems that the family background of this kid Barnett is not simple, and he is the one who pretends to be a pig and eats a tiger for a long time." ”

Lord Magalny felt a little strange in his heart, Lin Zihan, who had a relationship with Viscount Bernard at that time, would be here and become a lieutenant officer. However, Margarny's face did not show any expression, and he only said in a polite, but obviously commanding tone: "Mr. Wickham, it is a pleasure to see you again, it seems that your wish to go to the Qing Kingdom has been fulfilled. It's a bit presumptuous, but I wish I could talk to Ensign Barnett alone, alone! With his status, he really won't take Lin Zihan, a young man who has never shown his face in high society, to heart.

Lin Zihan's face was a little unnatural, but he still agreed: "Lord Magalny, you are at your own convenience." With that, he took Evan and Bert out of the lounge, giving the uncle and nephew a private space to talk.

After Lord Margarny confirmed that it was only him and Barnett in the room, he said in a helpless tone: "Barnett, how can you secretly leave Berkshire to join the army, don't you know how worried your mother is about you?" "Looking at his nephew, who looks like his sister, he was going to say something about the lesson, but Magalny couldn't say it.

Hearing his uncle mention his mother, Barnett's expression moved slightly, but he quickly regained his composure: "Uncle, can that still be called secret?" Otherwise, how could I have been transferred to the Marine Corps for no reason, otherwise I was in the Army. ”

Magalny smiled bitterly and said, "You kid, do you think your uncle doesn't know anyone in the War Department?" I know your whereabouts from the day you left Berkshire. Of course, I'm also doing this for your own good, now that the situation in Europe is so tense, maybe one day the Cabinet and His Majesty the King will decide to declare war on France, will you be safe in the Army Infantry Regiment? Instead of making your mother worry about your safety, it is better to go to the Far East with your uncle, so that there will be no great danger and you can earn some meritorious service. You have to know how much attention the little Pitt Prime Minister attaches to this diplomatic action. If you behave well, you will be able to enter the field of vision of Prime Minister Pete Jr., which will help you in the future. Margarny said bitterly, and he also hoped that his nephew would have a good future, after all, the whole family loved Barnett's mother so much.

The control of the children of the aristocratic family has always been very strict, from what kind of friends should be made, to what kind of person should be married, and then to what kind of career to engage in in the future, the children of the nobles, especially the eldest son of the family, generally have no choice. Barnett has always been very disgusted by this, and said with some anger: "Uncle, if I die in battle on the battlefield in Europe, it will be the wish of my father and brother!" ”

Barnett's mother came from the Scottish aristocracy of the Margarny family, which has always been very powerful in Scotland, and with George Margarny himself becoming the Earl of Ireland this year, the whole family can be described as a succession. However, Barnett's mother was not the first wife of the Earl of Burke, which means that Barnett and his brother were half-brothers.

The Earl of Burke was very jealous of Barnett's mother's maiden family, and had always feared that the people of the Magalny family would harm his eldest son, and their family's title and estate would all fall into the hands of the Magalny family. For this reason, the Earl of Burke has always been lukewarm to Barnett, the second son, and instead spends all his energy on the eldest son. Barnett was very dissatisfied with his father's partiality when he was a child, but when he was a teenager, he knew how to have a strong relationship, so he lost this family affection, if it weren't for the concern of his mother at home, he would have left the huge manor without the slightest human concern. Barnett, who had completed his studies at Oxford, decided to break away from the family's control, so he secretly ran out to join the army without even telling his mother. Unexpectedly, he was discovered by his uncle, and then he was inexplicably transferred to this independent company of the Marine Corps.

Hearing Barnett's resentful words, Margarny had no choice but to let out a long sigh: "Barnett, although your father, Earl Burke, is a little confused, you can't help but understand things. When you leave, your mother's life at home is even more difficult, and sometimes it is better to face the problem bravely than to run away from it. ”

may be thinking of the unsatisfactory family life of his sister, and Magalny was unwilling to continue to talk on this issue, so he changed the topic: "Your commander is George Wickham, I didn't expect him to have some ability, not only squeezed into the team to the East this time, but also obtained the rank of lieutenant as soon as he joined the army, which is not simple." ”

Barnett thought of what Bert had told him before, and said, "Uncle, I heard that Lieutenant Wickham got a letter of recommendation from Viscount Bernard, and the Admiralty ordered the transfer. However, he was supposed to serve on the Lion, but for unknown reasons, he was transferred to the Marine Corps by Colonel Aldrich. There are rumors that Lieutenant Wickham is the illegitimate son of Duke Ancaster, and I don't know if it's true? ”

Magalny smiled contemptuously: "It's just rumors. Your chief, George Wickham, turned out to be the son of the Darcy family's butler, but it is unknown why he suddenly left the Darcy family and gained the favor of Viscount Bernard. However, this young man has some real talents and knowledge, and he has a deep understanding of the human geography of the East, which is of great help to the Qing mission. ”

If Lin Zihan heard what Magalny said here, he would definitely grow his mouth in surprise, he rarely mentioned his life experience to others, but he didn't expect that he was like a naked person in front of the British magnates, without the slightest **. As for why Lord Margarny didn't investigate Lin Zihan's departure from the Darcy family, it was entirely because Darcy wouldn't go around publicizing that his sister had eloped with Wickham, otherwise wouldn't he have slapped himself in the face?

Barnett said in surprise, "The Darcy family who married the Fitzwilliam family?" This was a surprise to him, although the Darcy family had declined and had not even kept the title, the Fitzwilliam family, which was related by marriage, was a famous name in British politics. The fourth earl of the Fitzwilliam family and the Duke of Buckingham were uncles and nephews, and had great influence on the Whigs, and many Whig politicians who were active in parliament and cabinet had been promoted and funded by the Fiffey William family.

In addition, after inheriting the estate of the Duke of Buckingham, the Fitzwilliam family became one of the richest families in Britain. With such a rich and powerful family, how many of the magnates in London have not heard of it? I didn't expect that although his chief was from a lower background, he could be related to such a powerful family, so it made sense for Viscount Bernard to recommend Wickham like this.

Magalny continued: "Yes, it is said that the head of the Darcy family, who was particularly fond of George Wickham, not only sent him to Cambridge with Darcy to study, but also hung his portrait in the family member exhibition room at Bloombury Manor. Moreover, Thomas Fitzwilliam, the youngest son of the Fitzwilliam family, had a good relationship with Darcy and Wickham when he was a child, but after Thomas went to the army, there was less contact. ”

What Margarny said is indeed not wrong, Colonel Fitzwilliam often ran to Darcy's house when he was a child, so he became familiar with Darcy's little henchman Wickham, but the relationship is only average, perhaps because Colonel Fitzwilliam, who was born in a large aristocratic family, does not look down on George Wickham from a humble background in his heart.

Barnett nodded and said, "I see. Either way, Lieutenant Wickham is indeed a capable man, not only with super fighting ability, but also with his own experience and insights into military training. Then, he told Ma Garni some of the suggestions and practices that Lin Zihan had given them these days.

Magalny pondered for a while before he said, "Hehe...... When you say that, I'm getting a little interested in this George Wickham. I hope he can surprise me differently in the next year's journey. Barnett, you can try to get along with your boss, Lieutenant Wickham, and I'm sure it won't do you any harm. ”

Barnett said earnestly, "I see, uncle."