I was the Founding Father of the United States

Chapter 139 Royal Navy Patrol Ship

Chapter 139 Royal Navy Patrol Ship

"Abigail—"

John Adams looked somewhat resentful when his boss mentioned his fiancée's name.

He should have done the same thing as the other guy and taken his fiancée with him to England!

Now the boss's wife has given birth to children, and even several illegitimate children, yet he can only spend money in England to resolve this. Chen Wenbin couldn't stand his gaze and quickly waved his hand, saying, "—Dear John, you delayed your wedding because of work, so I can personally give you a wedding compensation payment—"

John Adams shook his head slightly and sighed. "No, Your Excellency, I am not sure if Abigail is still willing to honor the marriage contract. Her last letter to me was very cold!"

I suspect she might have fallen for another man!

"What?"

Chen Wenbin exclaimed in surprise, "That can't be, right? Her?"

Mr. Chen fell silent halfway through his sentence. It's been almost a year already. A long-distance relationship across the Atlantic, with communication taking at least four months at a time—it's perfectly normal for him to have a new love interest!

Not to mention Abigail, John Adams had a bed partner in England, who was a pretty theater actress.

"This—don't overthink it. What if you've misunderstood? After all, you're engaged—"

He had just offered a few words of comfort when he heard a knock on the door.

Adams rose and opened the door, and the first mate of the Iris, McCrees, immediately reported: "Your Excellency! Mr. Adams, two Royal Navy patrol ships have been spotted to the south. They have hoisted inspection flags and demand that we stop for inspection!"

Chen Wenbin and John Adams exchanged a glance, then immediately went out of the cabin and onto the deck. Sure enough, through their binoculars, they spotted two British Royal Navy warships flying the Blue Ensign in the southeast direction.

"Captain Dels, what do you think? Should we stop for inspection?"

Chen Wenbin handed the binoculars to the middle-aged captain and asked.

The bearded captain chuckled and shook his head, saying, "Your Excellency, this shouldn't be pirates in disguise. No one in the Atlantic dares to impersonate the Royal Navy these days!"

"It seems that since the implementation of the sugar tax law, there have been more and more smugglers, so the Royal Navy has increased its patrols—I suggest we send a ship to negotiate!"

"—Then let's leave it at that!"

Chen Wenbin nodded in agreement. All the goods on his three ships had been taxed properly, so he wasn't afraid of being inspected. Besides, he had the governor's appointment letter from George III, so he had even less to worry about.

Half an hour later, two Royal Navy lieutenant commanders and lieutenant commanders, along with three naval sailors, boarded HMS Iris by transport ship.

The naval lieutenant commander at the head of the group looked around at the crowd on deck, his gaze finally settling on the tall Chen Wenbin. A look of surprise flashed in his eyes as he stepped forward, removed his tricorn hat, and nodded slightly, saying, "You must be the esteemed Sir Robin Chen? I am Lieutenant Commander Sterling Corbyn, captain of the frigate HMS Ridgewells, Northern Patrol Squadron of the Western Fleet of the Royal Navy. This is Lieutenant Commander Calvin Ward, captain of HMS Romford."

We are on a routine patrol and anti-smuggling operation in the waters northeast of Newfoundland—please forgive any offense caused!

Chen Wenbin nodded and smiled at the two men, "Lieutenant Colonel Corbin, Major Ward, this shouldn't be a route that smugglers would typically take, right? Why are you two patrolling here?"

Upon hearing his uninformed words, Lieutenant Colonel Corbyn had no choice but to explain helplessly: "Sir, this is actually the main shipping route from Europe to North America!"

Since the end of the war, merchant ships have frequently violated navigation regulations by smuggling and evading taxes, so the Navy Department has increased patrols in the Atlantic Ocean this June.

However, your merchant ship is clearly not involved in smuggling, so there's no need to inspect it—”

As he spoke, a genuine smile appeared on his face. "In fact, all the captains in our Atlantic Fleet are very grateful for your discovery of allicin, aspirin, and the method of using lemons to combat scurvy!"

With your medicine, we no longer have to worry about dysentery, rheumatism, and scurvy!

Please accept our respects!

As he spoke, he, Major Ward, and the three sailors all took off their hats and stood at attention in front of Chen Wenbin.

Chen Wenbin subconsciously straightened up as well, but he simply did not believe that the two Royal Navy officers boarded the ship in person just to show their respect—and the North Atlantic is so vast, how could it be a coincidence that they ran into a naval patrol fleet?

Sure enough, the younger Major Ward seemed a little impatient and then said, "Sir! I saw in the Boston newspapers that you have a drug for treating syphilis—I have a friend who unfortunately contracted it, could you sell me some?"

Upon hearing this, Lieutenant Colonel Corbyn glared at Major Ward with displeasure, but he also pleaded with Chen Wenbin, "Sir Robin! I also have a friend who has contracted syphilis and needs treatment. Could you sell me some medication?"

I'm willing to pay ten pounds!

Good guy!

You both have a friend who has syphilis—is that friend either of you?

Chen Wenbin looked at the two of them strangely, and indeed found no signs of infection—could it be that they really had a friend with syphilis?

However, since both Royal Navy captains had pleaded with him in person, Lord Chen was willing to make a goodwill gesture. It was nothing more than a little homemade penicillin powder, and he had brought quite a lot with him this time.

So he instructed David Jones, who had rushed over, "David, go to my cabin and find Katrina—or rather, I'll go get her myself!"

He suddenly remembered that Katrina had been sleeping in late lately, and it wouldn't be good if David Jones caught her doing it.

Seeing Chen Wenbin go to get their medicine, Corbin and Ward both showed surprise and delight, while John Adams and David Jones, who had been observing them, also noticed something strange.

But the two officers remained silent until they disembarked and left satisfied with the medicine bottles given to them by Chen Wenbin—it was not a rational choice for the two captains of the Royal Navy frigate to refuse service at sea.

"—Something might have happened in North America that we don't know about!"

Looking at the transport ship carrying two naval officers, Chen Wenbin said with certainty, "I guess it's related to syphilis." John Adams nodded and said, "I think so too. It's common for officers and sailors in the Royal Navy's Atlantic Fleet to be infected with syphilis—perhaps they weren't lying, and heard that you were on board, so they came aboard to seek medicine?"

"Everything will be clear when we get to Boston."

Chen Wenbin shook his head, a bad feeling creeping into his heart. It had been a month since he last received a letter from North America—he hoped everything was alright there!

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