xymnovel Chapter 102 Language Genius
Chapter 102 Language Genius
"...John, I don't think things have reached the point of no return."
Chen Wenbin analyzed:
"The conflict between London and North America has only just begun. There is still much room and time for compromise. It may not reach the point of war for another fifteen years."
But you have a point; I was indeed a bit conservative.
Here's the arrangement: starting tomorrow, you and James Holly will be in charge of recruiting artisans. I will also have Mr. Scott increase the number of German mercenaries recruited. They won't need to come to England; they can go directly to Rhodes by ship.
In addition, Providence Shipping Company plans to increase the size of its merchant fleet, aiming to transport at least two thousand migrants and four thousand tons of supplies to the Mississippi River estuary in North America over the next two years!
"Benjamin! John!"
He looked at the two of them, his tone very serious.
"...We are all from North America, and you are shareholders in several of my companies, especially the Southern Development Corporation. I don't need to say more about the potential of this company. If everything goes smoothly, in ten years it will allow us to own millions of acres of land and hundreds of thousands of acres of thriving plantations!"
Therefore, our fundamental interests can only lie in North America, and not in Britain!
We are destined to fight for everything we have in North America!
I believe there are three things a person should never give up: freedom, life, and hope for the future!
If anyone tries to take away our freedom, our lives, and our hope, then we will be forced to fight back until we achieve complete victory!
"Freedom, life, and hope..."
John Adams muttered a few words, his eyes gleaming, and stood up, exclaiming, "I understand, sir! I will do my job well!"
Chen Wenbin nodded slightly to him, then looked at Benjamin Franklin, who had no choice but to respond.
"Robin! Like you, I will always be a North American! When war is inevitable, I will always stand on North America's side!"
He didn't really agree with going to war with Britain... in his opinion, it was just too crazy!
Britain had just defeated the Franco-Austrian alliance and seized almost all of France's overseas colonies, gaining maritime supremacy... The best solution was to reach a compromise with Britain.
But he also knew that Chen Wenbin and John Adams' choices were correct; London never showed mercy to rebels!
If we don't prepare now, it will be terrible if British soldiers come stabbing us with their bayonets in the future...
Seeing that both of them had expressed their opinions, Chen Wenbin explained some specific work arrangements to them and then saw them downstairs.
As soon as the group stepped out of the manor's garden gate, they saw a four-wheeled carriage bearing the Spencer shield and shell emblem stop at the entrance.
Then, Robert, Chen Wenbin's father-in-law whom he hadn't seen for a week, and a young gentleman carrying a black leather suitcase alighted from the carriage. Upon seeing them, Robert asked:
"Mr. Franklin, John, Robin, are you heading out?"
Chen Wenbin shook his head and said, "No, it's Benjamin and John who want to go back... And who is this gentleman?"
"He was a student at Oxford University, William Jones."
Robert gave a brief introduction, then pointed to the black leather suitcase and said:
"Didn't you tell me you wanted some Latin and Chinese books to create a Latin alphabet that could be used to annotate the Chinese language?"
I borrowed these books from a friend at Oxford University. William heard about it and became very interested. He's a language genius and will definitely be able to help you.
William, this is my son-in-law, Baron Robin Chan.
The young gentleman, who looked to be only in his early twenties, immediately removed his top hat and said respectfully:
"Sir! It's an honor to meet you!"
Chen Wenbin nodded slightly. "Hello William, why don't you and Robert go to the living room on the first floor to rest and have a cup of tea? We'll talk again later."
"Yes, Sir!"
William Jones put on his top hat, looked up at the magnificent garden mansion before him, and became even more certain that he had made the right choice in coming here.
Being an assistant to a wealthy British baron is far more promising than burying yourself in language studies at Oxford!
If I could gain the favor and recommendation of a knight, I might be able to enter London's high society ten years earlier...
Chen Wenbin didn't care about John Jones's thoughts. After seeing the two of them off and returning to the living room, he just wanted to spend some money to get rid of this Oxford University language genius.
After all, he already had a mature system of Chinese phonetic symbols in his mind, so he didn't need to create one himself.
He told Robert that he needed Chinese and Latin books only to get his father-in-law away from the scene.
It wasn't that Chen Wenbin was heartless in separating his father-in-law and wife, but rather that he simply didn't have any aristocratic habits, while Robert was an aristocrat who had the family traditions ingrained in his very being.
Besides being able to talk about topics such as history, politics, economics, and philosophy, the two have many differences in their lifestyles.
For example, he didn't like having servants help him dress and bathe, but Robert said he had to adapt to the life of an aristocrat... In addition, after Mary became pregnant, he originally wanted Mary to live at home to take care of her, but Robert insisted that Mary should move out, even if she moved next door, so that she could not give birth to an illegitimate child at home!
Even when Diana tried to persuade him, the old man remained adamant in his refusal.
Chen Wenbin was in the wrong to begin with, so he had no choice but to put Mary in the next room. Fortunately, Mary had a good attitude and even advised him not to have a falling out with Robert.
After that incident, he found an excuse to ask Robert to help him borrow books from Oxford University, and finally had a few days of peace and quiet. But Mary insisted on not moving back.
After sitting down on the sofa, Chen Wenbin suddenly remembered something, picked up his teacup, and casually asked his father-in-law:
"...My dear Robert, how have you been in Blenheim, Oxford? I saw in your letter that Caroline is pregnant?"
"Unfortunately, it seems Caroline isn't pregnant." Robert shook his head. "Didn't you say she was healthy after your last checkup? Maybe the timing isn't right."
Chen Wenbin touched his nose and quietly breathed a sigh of relief. "...Yes, that should be it!"
Thinking back to the time he examined Caroline, he felt a chill run down his spine. It was definitely not his initiative; Caroline had deliberately seduced him… Luckily, she didn’t get pregnant. Otherwise, if they found out, George would have really challenged him to a duel.
Not only George, but Francis of the Russell family also had to cause him trouble, because he was Caroline's older brother!
"Oh, right! William, give me your bag."
Robert gestured to William Jones, then took the black leather bag, took out two letters sealed with sealing wax, handed them to Chen Wenbin, and said:
"This is a handwritten letter from George and Caroline to you. Caroline seems to have some private questions about her illness that she wants to ask you, so she wants you to write back to her!"
Chen Wenbin's heart tightened, but he calmly accepted the letter and nodded, saying:
"Okay, I will reply to her."
He quickly changed the subject, saying, "Robert, you must be tired from your journey. Diana is on the third floor making clothes for the children. If you don't want to rest, go and see her!"
I'll stay and talk to Mr. Jones.
Robert, after hearing what he said, also missed his daughter a little. He nodded, got up and left, and before leaving, he recommended William Jones a couple more times. It seems he received quite a bit of flattery on the way.