Shadow of great britain

The cold evening wind blew into the box along with the light rain, soaking the curtains hanging by the window.

A bead of sweat gathered on Bertrand's forehead. He glanced at the suitcase containing banknotes. As a swordsman with excellent eyesight, he seemed to be able to clearly see the edge of each banknote. Sharp edges.

Arthur looked at him with a smile and said, "So, Mr. Bertrand, what do you think?"

Bertrand snorted, stretched out his hand and pressed on the lid of the suitcase, and closed the suitcase with a snap. He stood up and glared at Arthur and said: "Mr. Hastings, you want to use money to bribe him." My honor? I, François-Joseph Bertrand, the glory of modern swordsmanship, the representative of the French foil! Measuring my worth in pounds, this is simply the greatest thing I have ever suffered since my birth. Insulted!"

When Arthur heard this, he just sighed helplessly. He put a hand on his eyebrows and shook his head gently: "Louis."

When Louis Bonaparte heard the officer's words, he just took out a warm check from his arms with a cold face and pressed it on the suitcase.

He said: "As you can see, Mr. Bertrand, there are nine piles of notes in this suitcase. Each pile contains ten notes, each worth one pound. The total is ninety pounds. And the one I have in my hand now It's a bearer draft from the Rothschild Bank, with a face value of one hundred and twenty pounds. If you add in the appearance fee you got from the organizer, you can make a total of two hundred and sixty pounds from this game. Now pounds and francs The exchange rate is approximately one to twenty-five, so two hundred and sixty pounds represents six thousand five hundred francs.

As far as I know, that's enough money to buy a house with a garden on the Champs Elysées in Paris. Or if you want a steady income, you can also deposit the 6,500 francs in the Paris branch of Rothschild. The annuity interest rate there is about 5%, and the annual income is 325 francs, although there is no guarantee that you will eat every meal. A big meal, but going to a regular restaurant once a day should be enough. "

When Arthur heard this, he just smiled and said: "Louis, I thought you had lived in Switzerland since you were a child, and maybe you didn't understand the prices in Paris."

Upon hearing this, Louis Bonaparte just smiled modestly and said: "I really don't understand. But have you forgotten? Mr. Dumas is an expert in Paris life. Almost all my knowledge of prices there comes from "The Count of Monte Cristo" Learned from it.”

Arthur nodded slightly and once again turned his gaze to the sweating Bertrand: "Well, Mr. Bertrand, as you can see, the weight of friendship is as heavy as the garden room on the Champs Elysées. Sometimes. , people have to make a choice between honor and friendship. The aloof and strong always lack friends, just like Master George Silver. I understand his original intention to maintain the traditional swordsmanship of England, but sometimes, what he said A more tactful, more appropriate way of doing things might be more conducive to developing his beloved English dagger technique.

However, it is precisely because Master George Silver did not know how to adapt, so now, his Silver Stream swordsmanship has been swept into the dust over time. As you can see in London, England's martial arts has been in decline for a long time. In this regard, Master Michael Hunter has done a good job. He understands that times are changing, so swordsman masters should sometimes change their sword approach.

The truth is true, M. Bertrand, although we are about to become opponents on the duel stage. But I actually really appreciate your fencing ideas. You reduced the traditional eight fencing positions to the commonly used four, and pioneered the move of the center of gravity forward to the middle of the legs. This approach made the swordsmen counterattack. Actions can follow defensive actions.

This kind of move is very avant-garde and very consistent with Master Hunter's informal and ever-changing style of play. In terms of swordsmanship, you are a true master, and I am just an entry-level apprentice. But, you know, on the British stage, if we don't play well enough, if we both adopt ugly defensive postures to win, oh my God, I can't imagine what will happen then. .

You may not know that the London audience is very grumpy. If they lose interest in the opening game, then the rest of the show will not go on as planned. The stage of the performance will be overturned by them, and the auditorium will be filled with flying bottles. Mr. Bertrand, you have to believe me, I am a Scotland Yard policeman, and I am simply terrified of the riots that may occur in such a large performance. So experienced. "

The sweat on Bertrand's forehead pattered down on the back of his hands. His eyes were fixed on Arthur like carrion-eating vultures. All he could see was the young superintendent. gentle smile.

He wanted to make a case, wanted to state that his honor could not be bought, and wanted to angrily denounce the immoral behavior of Arthur.

But, but...

They gave so much!

Bertrand took a deep breath and said, "Mr. Hastings, you have always known that I attach great importance to honor, and I cannot abandon it easily."

Arthur nodded and smiled: "Yes, paying attention to honor is a necessity for a strong swordsman."

Bertrand stood up and emphasized excitedly: "But I also value the friendship with my friends very much!"

Louis Bonaparte also had a smile on his cold face: "Yes, friendship is also very important."

Bertrand's face turned red and he preached loudly: "If one day my honor conflicts with my friendship..."

Arthur heard the words, stood up slowly, and recited in English: "Fish is what I want, and bear's paws are what I want. You can't have both. You give up fish and take bear's paws. Life is what I want." Yes, righteousness is also what I want. You cannot have both, and you have to sacrifice your life for righteousness."

When Bertrand heard this, his body shook violently. He couldn't help but clapped his hands and said, "Mr. Hastings, you really spoke to my heart! Honor is what I want, and friendship is also what I want." If you can’t have both, give up honor and gain friendship! These words are so philosophical, where did you learn them?”

Arthur smiled and said: "These are the words of an Eastern philosopher. I just borrowed them."

"Eastern philosophers! Oh, my God! Mr. Hastings, how can we be so alike!"

Bertrand exclaimed: "So you also like Eastern philosophers? You may not know, but I do too. It seems that we can really talk together. Speaking of which, do you know Mr. Voltaire? Then The conscience of Europe and the king of thought in France, I am his admirer, and it was from the works of Mr. Voltaire that I learned about Eastern philosophy."

Arthur just smiled softly when he heard this, and he joked: "So what is your favorite work of Mr. Voltaire?"

"Oh, my God! That's too much."

Bertrand racked his brains to recall, trying to bring himself closer to Arthur. He felt that his brain had never turned so fast in his life, and the speed was simply playing tricks on him. The sword flower is the same.

Bertrand slapped his thigh suddenly and said: "Mr. Voltaire wrote many works, but my favorite is a little anecdote he popularized to the French public, an anecdote about Sir Isaac Newton."

"Oh?" Arthur asked curiously: "Mr. Voltaire is still related to Sir Isaac Newton?"

Bertrand laughed and said: "To be precise, it has something to do with Sir Isaac Newton's niece. Mr. Voltaire said that he heard this story from there. It is said that one day, Newton was While walking in the garden of his former residence at Cambridge University, he saw an apple fall from a tree and hit him on the head, so Newton had an idea and the origin of gravity was born."

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help but murmured in a low voice: "I've been working on it for a long time. Did this story come from Voltaire's mouth?"

Bertrand didn't hear Arthur's words clearly. He stretched his head and asked, "What did you say?"

"Nothing." Arthur smiled and replied: "I mean, the apple that hit Newton is now on display in a certain shop on Jermyn Street. When you are free another day, I will take you there. turn to."

"The apple is still there?" Bertrand was shocked when he heard this.

Even Louis Bonaparte was a little surprised. He asked: "Sir, are you telling the truth?"

Arthur took a sip of tea, paused slightly and said: "Not only is it true, that apple also has a worm. Although I can't guarantee that the worm has seen Mr. Voltaire, it has probably seen Newton's niece. .”

Bertrand said in awe when he heard this: "If this is the case, it seems that I have to go there for a pilgrimage. Compared with this friendship with Mr. Voltaire, my little honor is really too much. It’s insignificant.”

Arthur waved his hand gently and said: "No, Mr. Bertrand, please don't misunderstand me. I didn't mean to make you lose your honor completely. I said it from the beginning, I just came to make friends with you."

"Huh?" Bertrand frowned slightly and said, "What do you mean?"

Arthur snapped his fingers and said, "Louis."

Louis Bonaparte reopened his suitcase, took out two neat and clean document bags from under the banknotes and placed them on the table.

He introduced: "As you can see, there are two document bags here. The one on the left contains the script for your victory, and the one on the right contains the script for Mr. Hastings' victory. Just like Hastings, Mr. Tings said that our purpose is to play this game well and not let the audience be disappointed, rather than sticking to simple winning or losing.

Moreover, after this duel, Mr. Hastings will also play his second personal piano piece that he has carefully prepared for many days, so he must not injure his arm during the duel, or in other words, he cannot really injure his arm. You can choose to have a real duel with Mr. Hastings in this place today, and the final result of today's duel will also determine which scene the audience sees on the day of the performance. "

When Bertrand heard this, the last knot in his heart disappeared without a trace. He turned to look at Arthur who nodded slightly at him, and even felt a trace of indescribable respect in his heart.

"Mr. Hastings, I... I'm sorry, but I thought you were despicable before. I should have thought earlier, how could an upright Scotland Yard police officer, a well-respected nemesis of evil, be so useful? What about using money to bribe others? You...you are not trying to bribe me at all, but you are sincerely considering the audience. I have no objection to your approach. Please allow me to apologize to you. I, François- Joseph Bertrand, here and now, will accept your offer immediately!”

Arthur smiled and nodded: "Mr. Bertrand, this is no big deal. I have said from the beginning that I respect you very much. It is enough to blaspheme you to let you perform a stage play on the duel stage. How can I Dare you even change the result of the duel? May God witness our battle of honor. Louis, lend your police officer's knife to Mr. Bertrand. Before the food is served, we will preview it here today. .”

Louis Bonaparte didn't say much after hearing this. He directly took off the police officer's knife from his waist and handed it over.

Bertrand took the sword and drew it out of its sheath with a loud sound. His stubble reflected on the bright white sword. He couldn't help but sigh: "What a good sword! The edge of this sword is comparable to that of our fencing club." The sword bars used are much stronger. Can an ordinary Scotland Yard police officer use such a good weapon?"

"That's not true." Arthur smiled and stood up, holding the police officer's knife and said: "This knife was specially made by Louis. It is not part of Scotland Yard's standard equipment."

"Specially made?"

Bertrand's eyes moved slightly upward, and finally his eyes were fixed on the handle of the knife, where two decorative coats of arms were engraved, one was the imperial eagle symbolizing the First French Empire, and the other was It represents the golden bee emblem of the Bonaparte family, and under the two emblems, the honorable name of the owner of the police officer's knife - Charles-Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte is written.

Bertrand's body shook violently, his palms were soaked with sweat, and even his legs and knees couldn't help but feel weak.

He looked up at Louis Bonaparte with a seal beard, and his voice trembled as he spoke: "Dare I ask who Napoleon Bonaparte is..."

Louis just nodded slightly, with no emotion revealed in his eyes: "Yes, you guessed it right, Napoleon Bonaparte is my uncle."

Bertrand's hand holding the police officer's knife was shaking a little, and he didn't know whether it was due to surprise or fear.

He swallowed and then asked: "Then who is your father?"

Louis Bonaparte exhaled. He didn't know whether he was happy or disappointed. His tone was quite calm.

"Napoleon's fourth brother, Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, once served as the king of the Netherlands, but was later forced to abdicate. By the way, he also served as a policeman in Paris when the French Empire was first established after the Brumaire Coup. Chief. So, as you can see, although I did not become the king, I am now working as a policeman at Scotland Yard, and maybe I can become a police sergeant later. In a sense, I can be regarded as inheriting from my father. It’s done.”

Hearing this, Arthur just smiled and comforted: "Louis, don't be discouraged. As your boss, I guarantee that you will definitely become the police chief in the future. As for the king, I don't have that much authority, but I think maybe you can still do it in the future." To be greater than a king.”

Louis Bonaparte only thought that Arthur was making fun of him. He waved his hand and said: "Arthur, forget it, don't make fun of me. I know how much I weigh. With my name, I got A lot. On my own, I have nothing. I was born into the aristocracy, but my nature and political views are democratic.

I could have gotten everything through inheritance, but in reality I was focused on elections. I know there are people who want to take advantage of me and flatter me because of my name and some because of my titles.

If I took a step beyond my daily trajectory, I would be called ambitious. If I sit quietly in a corner, someone will say I'm indifferent. In a nutshell, my name strikes a similar chord of fear among liberals and absolute monarchists alike.

Even if I had the intention to do so, my only political allies would be among the gamblers who believe that among the many possibilities, I might be a useful bargaining chip. At this point, my cousin in Vienna had already demonstrated to me that he had become a prisoner of the Austrian Empire and Metternich. "

As soon as Louis Bonaparte finished speaking, before Arthur could answer, suddenly, Bertrand's excited voice was heard in the room.

"No, that's not the case, Your Excellency!"

I saw Bertrand kneeling on one knee, holding the police officer's knife in both hands and handing it to Louis. He shouted excitedly: "Maybe because you are abroad, you don't understand the meaning of the surname Bonaparte to France." What does it represent? Whether it is Bourbon in the past or Orleans today, they cannot bring true glory to France. I don’t care what those people say, and I don’t listen to what those people say. In our minds, that dignity The supreme position belongs to that man from beginning to end. Your Excellency, please remember that no matter what rumors you hear, the highest honor and only creed of the Bertrand family is that the manly sword of the Bertrand family will always be It can only be waved for the people of the Bonaparte family!"

When Arthur heard this, he leaned back on the chair involuntarily. He covered his mouth with one hand and muttered in a low voice: "Damn it! So he can still get away with money?"

The Red Devil, who was enjoying the show, couldn't help but slapped his thigh and laughed loudly: "Arthur, you little bastard also makes mistakes sometimes! You know that bringing the kid from the Bonaparte family may be harmful to the French." It works, but you probably didn’t expect the effect to be so good, right?”

Seeing this situation, Louis was stunned for a long time at first, and then became a little excited and emotional. He sighed: "Mr. Bertrand, please stand up first. I am very grateful for your loyalty to France, but this honor Not that it belongs to me, but like you said, it belongs to that person.”

Seeing this, Arthur nodded slightly and said: "Mr. Bertrand, just like Louis said, you'd better stand up first. Even if you want to swear allegiance like a medieval knight, you have to finish it with me first." This is a duel, isn’t it?”

After hearing this, Bertrand stood up slowly and tremblingly while holding on to the table. His hands were still shaking slightly, which showed that his excitement was not fake. For such a staunch Bonapartist, nothing could be more rewarding than meeting the core members of the Bonaparte family.

He first took a few heavy breaths, and then forced out a smile: "I'm sorry, Hastings first, I lost my composure. But I feel that there is no need to compete in today's duel. It is impossible for me to attack you, and it is impossible for me to stain my sword with the blood of a close comrade of the Bonaparte family, not to mention that you are still my friend, I..."

Hearing this, Louis quickly interrupted him and asked repeatedly: "But if you don't compare, what will you do about the script and your honor..."

Bertrand waved his hand, he seemed a little relieved.

I saw him draw out the police officer's knife, tighten his body and perform a sword show: "Your Excellency, for me, it is the greatest honor to serve the Bonaparte family. Besides, this can also be compared with Mr. Hastings. The friendship coincides with each other. Winning or losing is just a trivial matter. If I can't look past this, what face do I have to call myself the Paris sword master? I am just complimented by others and called Napoleon of foil, and At this moment, the real Napoleon is standing in front of me, how can I be so shameless as to compete with him?"

Out of affection for what Bertrand had just said, Louis wanted to continue to persuade: "But..."

But at this time, Bertrand had already made up his mind. He suddenly grasped the handle of the suitcase, picked it up in his hand, and announced in a righteous voice: "Your Excellency, please stop trying to persuade me!" Decision! Mr. Hastings, I choose the second script. Whether it is for honor or friendship, you must defeat me!"