Shadow of great britain

In London, outside the Palace of Westminster, Scotland Yard today mobilized almost all the police forces it could mobilize to take charge of security here.

Neatly dressed Scotland Yard police officers patrolling in groups can be seen everywhere on the road. Near the palace gate, there are military police armed with flintlock muskets and live ammunition. They are also from the most elite force in Britain - the Coldstream Guards. Infantry regiment.

As an idle member of Scotland Yard who has won the trust of senior figures from both parties, Arthur, who has been fishing for more than a week, finally went to work for a serious day today.

Wearing a police officer's knife, white gloves, a dark blue and black tuxedo uniform, tight white breeches, and high-top riding boots. After completing his routine inspection mission, Arthur took off his black hat in boredom, revealing his shiny back, and dusted off his gloves. Dust on the brim of the hat.

Such an action quickly attracted the attention of the surrounding military police. Just when they were about to step forward to reprimand the young policeman for not working hard, they caught a glimpse of the police rank badge on Arthur's shoulder. A brand new, spotless gold and red crown.

Although the infantrymen in Coldstream do not know much about how the Scotland Yard police ranks are arranged, since the entire Scotland Yard police rank system is basically established on the basis of army ranks, a crown emblem is enough for the soldiers to understand this officer. What kind of status does a young man in his early twenties seem to have.

At least in the army, a crown represents an army major, and it also means that he has the authority to command an infantry company of 150 people, or to command a cavalry squadron of 50 people.

How many corporals are there to reprimand the major?

Being slapped by two big mouths means he is in a good mood today.

Although the soldiers felt that they were not too smart, they still had some brains.

Not long after Arthur stood outside the avenue of the Palace of Westminster, he felt someone tapping his shoulder from behind. He turned around and saw that it was Vidocq who had returned to his normal attire.

"Good afternoon, Arthur. Those things I gave you, aren't they good?"

Arthur took a box of tobacco from his pocket and threw it over: "I think it's okay, but whether it's good or not depends on what the boss says. To put it bluntly, it depends on how the meeting goes today?"

Vidocq struck a match and took a sip: "Oh, someone said: The British Ministry of Foreign Affairs always adopts a cold and matter-of-fact attitude in foreign policy. I used to think this was just a joke, but now I hear you say this It seems that this is really the case. You have done so many things anyway, whether it works or not, there is still hard work without credit."

Although Arthur only felt that his throat was itchy when he saw Vidocq smoking, he could only take out a candy bar from his pocket to satisfy his craving as he was on official duty at this time: "In Britain, there is no such thing as hard work. , it’s impossible to expect your superiors to promote you just because you have done so many meaningless things.”

Vidocq said: "So, your government is filled with elites?"

Arthur shook his head and said: "That's not true. There are many good-for-nothing people here among us, but the reason why we have to raise them is naturally useful."

"For example?"

Arthur said: "For example, I know that the Ministry of Finance maintains two useless but extremely senior affairs officers. The only role they exist is to make up three people with the guy the Finance Minister really wants to promote during the promotion selection process. Shortlist.

Those two guys are so useless that if you just bring a donkey from the street and put them on the promotion list, the donkey will be promoted to the next level smoothly. "

When Vidocq heard this, he didn't take a full puff of the cigarette and choked on his mouth and nostrils. He smiled and cursed: "You British guys are quite damn creative."

Arthur shrugged: "If you are referring to speculation, then I think that is indeed the case. But having said that, what does Ambassador Talleyrand think of what I gave you to bring to him?"

Vidocq whistled: "Mr. Talleyrand is very satisfied. Although I don't know what use that thing is for him, in short, he is satisfied. He got what he wanted, and this meeting passed smoothly. , my position as the head of the security department should also be stable."

Arthur said: "Is this the promise Mr. Talleyrand gave you? I remember his famous saying-the chameleon is the badge of politics. Kings often change their ministers, so I often change my king." He first turned from Louis XVI to the Republic, then from the Republic to the Directory, from the Directory to Napoleon, then from Napoleon to the restored Bourbon dynasty, and now from Bourbon to Louis Philippe. Are you sure the promise he gave you will work? ?”

Vidocq just smiled: "I know that Mr. Talleyrand's reputation is not very good, but calling him a chameleon is too much. In fact, if you really get along with him, you will find that not only does he not change color, Sometimes he is even a person who is so frank that everyone is surprised. As for why Mr. Talleyrand changed his allegiance to the king six times, I made this joke with him a few days ago. Guess how he answered me? ?”

"What he said."

Vidocque took a breath of cigarette: "He said: When I serve Mother France, I will not sacrifice her interests to the government. My policy has always been the policy of France, the policy of the nation, a wise policy, according to the times. I will be loyal to the king as long as they follow the public will. And I have never betrayed any party until it gave up on itself. If those outside who don't like me use this yardstick to measure my In all my actions, they will see that no matter what the appearance is, there is no contradiction in all my actions, which shows that I have always been consistent."

“Loyal to the country but not loyal to the government?”

Arthur smiled: "It seems to make sense, but the government probably won't like to hear it. However, Mr. Talleyrand has this kind of attitude, but he can be reused in five different governments, which also shows that he is indeed Very capable. If there is a chance, maybe I should have a chat with him."

Viddock joked: "As a superintendent of the Metropolitan Police?"

"No, of course not. Neither Robespierre nor Napoleon can catch Mr. Talleyrand, that cunning old loach, and I, a little policeman from Scotland Yard, have no interest in arresting him."

Arthur bit into pieces of candy: "I just want to chat with him as a stranger and a young junior."

Vidocq said: "If you really think so, I can introduce you to him in two days. Anyway, the London Conference will be held for several days, and there should be time later. But it will definitely not be possible today."

"Why?"

"Because Mr. Talleyrand just had a quarrel with the Austrian Prime Minister Mr. Metternich this morning."

Arthur raised his eyebrows. He had always been interested in such topics. As the head of LPS, he did not always collect political information.

Arthur asked: "What were they arguing about?"

Vidocq suppressed a smile and said: "Metternich said that he would not allow the French to rule Belgium, nor would he allow Talleyrand, a cripple, to ride on Austria's head. If everyone sitting here intends to sit back and watch Belgium become independent, then What happened to Napoleon will soon be repeated on the European continent."

"And how did Mr. Talleyrand respond?"

"Mr. Talleyrand said: I have always admired Metternich. I think Prussian diplomats cannot even predict what will happen a week later, but Metternich can just predict what will happen a week later, not even one day longer." I thought this was already a high praise, but Mr. Metternich is obviously not satisfied yet. He must have regarded himself as God and started talking nonsense. In addition, I also hope to remind Mr. Metternich In short, to act as a prophet in a country is, if not useless or dangerous, then at least a thankless role.”

As soon as Vidocq finished speaking, Arthur heard a burst of dull and scattered footsteps behind him.

They were a group of gentlemen who were all different in height, weight, and skin, and dressed in very different ways. However, just such a group of people, together, could cause an earthquake throughout Europe.

However, although Arthur did not know the content of today's negotiations, he could still analyze part of the results from the weight of everyone's steps and the expressions on their faces.

The British and French delegations walked very lightly, and Prussia followed suit.

As for the Austrian and Russian entourage, they were all worried and speechless all the way.

As the countries involved, Belgium and the Netherlands were caught between the two groups, and there was no place for them to talk at all.

The Duke of Wellington walked out of the hall first, followed closely by the new Whig Foreign Secretary Viscount Palmerston, who was chatting and laughing with him.

The two were originally talking, but when the Duke walked down the steps and found Arthur on duty, Wellington, who never liked to show his preferences in public places, actually raised his cane in one hand and said hello to him with the other. : "The weather is nice today, Arthur."

When Arthur heard this, he just raised his head and glanced at the gloomy sky. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew by, and the drizzle of rain hit his cheek.

Arthur shook his water-soaked hair, nodded with a smile and said, "Yes, I like the rain just like you."

"Hahaha." The Duke of Wellington didn't pay attention to this little incident. The attendants on the side quickly held up an umbrella for the Duke. Taking advantage of the pause, the Duke did not forget to introduce Viscount Palmerston next to him. The young man standing in front of him: "This is..."

Viscount Palmerston smiled and replied: "Officer Arthur Hastings, I heard him play the piano at the Coburg Theater last night, and he did play as well as everyone said."

When Duke Wellington heard this, he just smiled and said to Arthur: "You were quite busy last night. While you were working, could you still find time to play a song?"

When Arthur heard this, he just smiled and replied: "If I can mobilize more people, maybe I can accomplish more things."

The Duke of Wellington also understood what he meant. He had heard Sir Peel talk about the situation of LPS a long time ago, but he had more important things to be busy with at that time, so he never paid much attention to this organization.

But he didn't expect that in today's meeting, Britain would actually gain an unprecedented advantage by relying on Arthur's intelligence.

Although the Russians, who originally strongly advocated military intervention, were unwilling to change their position at the beginning of the meeting, Austria, which knew nothing about the Polish uprising, was equally stubborn. With the support of these two eldest brothers, Prussia's backbone was naturally strong. It's also too hard.

All three countries have been calling for armed intervention in the issue of Belgian independence throughout the morning.

When faced with the pressure from the three countries, the Duke of Wellington and Viscount Palmerston, who had already known in advance that the Russians were pretending to be calm, showed very ambiguous attitudes.

They neither said they agreed nor explicitly opposed it, but just allowed the French and the three countries to attack each other.

However, as the negotiations continued, during the noon recess, the French Ambassador Talleyrand actually approached his old friend the Duke of Wellington and proposed that Prince Leopold, the widower of the British Princess Charlotte, be the King of Belgium. plan.

This solution greatly exceeded Britain's psychological expectations. Talleyrand had almost made it clear that as long as Britain supported Belgium's independence and untied the geographical encirclement of France, France did not care if Belgium's new government could be pro-British. regime.

With such an alluring bargaining chip, the Duke of Wellington and Viscount Palmerston of course readily agreed. They could not think of any reason to refuse.

After Britain turned to support France, and after realizing that this meeting might be a protracted tug-of-war, Russia's attitude obviously relaxed, which basically confirmed that Arthur's intelligence was reliable.

And Talleyrand's concession showed that there was nothing wrong with the vague reports about France that Arthur handed over to the case early this morning.

A temporary organization without any funding, a twenty-year-old young man can accomplish such great achievements, it is no wonder that the Duke of Wellington does not appreciate him.

He patted Arthur on the shoulder and said to Viscount Palmerston: "I think Britain's biggest gain from this London meeting may not be Belgium, but Arthur Hastings. Scotland Yard excavated it for us A rare diamond.”

Viscount Palmerston also smiled and nodded in agreement. Suddenly he asked Arthur: "Mr. Hastings, are you interested in working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs? Maybe you don't know that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs actually has Of course, they have their own intelligence department, but they can’t do as well as you.”

If it were anyone else, he might have agreed to the invitation from the big man in front of him.

But for Arthur, he doesn't like a boss like Palmerston who has too clear a stance, not to mention that this guy also has the nickname of 'Cruel Overseer'.

Almost every department that Palmerston has worked in has some bad news. Not only is this guy a workaholic with so much energy that he has nowhere to show it, he also requires his subordinates to be the same as him. Working under his hands has never been considered a good job.

More importantly, even if he wanted to change the court, Arthur felt that he had many choices besides Palmerston, whether it was the popular Justice Lord Brougham or the resigned Sir Peel. With Arthur, one is a disciple and the other is an old official, no matter how you think about it, they are closer than Palmerston.

However, he did not want to directly refute the other party's interest. After all, Palmerston was well known for his lack of revenge.

Arthur smiled and said: "The department transfer is not something I can decide personally. Maybe you should talk to Viscount Melbourne about this issue. But even if I continue to work at Scotland Yard, I can still contribute to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. , just like this London meeting.”

Palmerston heard this and understood what Arthur was thinking, but he didn't take it to heart: "Instead of talking to Viscount Melbourne, I'd rather go talk to Lord Brougham about you. He knows about you." You have a lot more things to do than William. It’s just that your Lordship is a famously weird gentleman. If I snatch his students, I’m afraid he will be angry. So, let’s forget it. Mr. Hastings, last night The music is very nice, and the quality of the gramophone from Wheatstone Musical Instruments is also first-rate, so we will see you next time."

After saying this, Viscount Palmerston raised his hand and touched the brim of his hat, then boarded the carriage and left.

Arthur saw him leaving and breathed out slightly.

The Duke on the side saw his appearance and couldn't help curling his lips, then raised his eyebrows and smiled inexplicably.

"Inaction is a quality, and positivity is a vice. Knowing how to wait is a skill in politics, and patience can often lead to a strong position. When an opportunity arises, you must actively seize it. When you wait, you can Be so-so and be lazy.”

When Arthur heard this, he was stunned for a moment, and then said: "Your Excellency?"

Seeing him like this, the Duke of Wellington just asked: "Do you have an appointment tomorrow night? If you have an appointment with a lady, I won't keep you. If you have an appointment with a man, just turn it down. I want to have an appointment tomorrow night." I am hosting a banquet for several of my friends at the mansion, including your old boss Sir Peel and the author of the sentence just now, Mr. Talleyrand. Are you interested in coming over to try the skills of our cook?"

Perhaps because he was worried about Arthur's rejection, Duke Wellington emphasized at the end: "Believe me, talking to them more will be helpful to your future development, especially listening to Mr. Talleyrand talk about his experience." . This may be more precious than the power and honor you are about to obtain."