Shadow of great britain

Amidst the din of discussion and laughter from the audience, suddenly, the lights in the Astrid Amphitheater suddenly went out.

The diners in the theater bar who were just exchanging glasses and tasting specialties from all over the UK also stopped moving. They looked up through the glass window at the theater stage below, but they could not see anything.

Under the silent night sky, the tens of thousands of spectators crowded in the Astrid Amphitheater were left to appreciate only the bright stars twinkling in the sky.

The weather is good today, with no dark clouds and no light rain. Although there is a bit of cold wind and desolate weather, we can still see the charming and bright white moonlight.

While enjoying fine wine and food in the royal VIP room on the third floor of the theater, William IV, who was having a passionate conversation with the Duke of Wellington next to him, couldn't help but stop talking.

He was stunned for a moment, and then he remembered that beside him stood a war hero who was as important to Britain as Horatio Nelson.

William IV couldn't help but ask: "What's going on? I haven't come to a theater for a while. Is this some new form of performance?"

The Duke of Wellington just smiled heartily. He pulled his friend Talleyrand beside him and clinked the wine glass with the king: "Your Majesty, you don't need to think too much about the reasons behind this, just enjoy the surprise. In terms of delivering surprises alone, this lad from Scotland Yard is better than your best expectations."

Talleyrand held the wine glass in one hand and put the other behind his back: "Although I never like to disagree with others, on this point, I must disagree with His Excellency the Duke. This young man does not always bring good news. He and I He always makes me feel bad when we're with him."

When Lionel, who was carefully waiting on several big shots, heard this, he stepped forward with a smile and added a little more brandy to Talleyrand: "Your Excellency, Arthur is not that bad, is he? At least, I I remember we had a lot of fun playing on the golf course last time."

Talleyrand shook his finger when he heard this and said: "No, young man, although golf is very interesting, I am talking about what happened on the way to the golf course."

When William IV heard this, he asked curiously: "Did that young man named Arthur offend you?"

"Your Majesty, your guess is very close, but there are still some slight deviations."

"So, what happened?"

Talleyrand shook his glass and sighed: "That boy won me another ten pounds on the road. If you count carefully, this seems to be the seventh time. This is the first time in my life that I have met such a person who can always make me win." As for my poker friends who are still winless, the frustration this guy gives me is really too strong.”

William IV laughed loudly when he heard this: "This really surprised me. It turns out that even you, Talleyrand Périgord, made mistakes sometimes!"

The Duke of Wellington also joked: "Come on, it's only ten pounds. I heard that you just received a small gift from the Netherlands not long ago? That is enough to make up for the little money you spent at the card table." Is it a loss?”

After hearing this, Talleyrand did not answer directly, but took a sip of champagne, and then stared at the crystal clear wine in the glass, shaking his head and commenting: "Good wine! I tasted it as soon as I tasted it, it's Hennessy's Brandy, right? It should be ten years old, and the taste is mellow enough."

Lionel on the side heard this and responded with a smile: "No wine can be hidden from your taste buds. Yes, this brandy is indeed specially shipped by us from the Hennessy Winery in Cognac, France."

Talleyrand curled up his lips and smiled softly: "Being able to taste Hennessy is not a skill. The flavors of vanilla, cloves and cinnamon are immediately obvious. Even a novice can feel the difference, let alone me. He’s a connoisseur.”

The Red Devil, who was sitting on the sofa behind them and holding a wine glass, couldn't help but nod after hearing this: "You're right, Hennessy only tastes like that when you drink it. Remember to change it to a drop of Jinzhuang for me to try another day."

William IV didn't care what kind of wine he drank. Although the king liked drinking, he was not particularly picky about brands and types. After all, he came here on a Royal Navy ship, and no matter how good the wine was, it couldn't make him feel better than the light beer on the ship, because it contained the taste of the passion of his youth.

The king was obviously more concerned about the small gift the Dutch gave Talleyrand than the wine.

William IV couldn't help but ask: "Would you mind telling me what the Dutch gave you? Why didn't I receive a gift?"

Talleyrand just smiled politely when he heard this: "Your Majesty, those are just some small gifts. A noble person like you will never look down upon them. If the Dutch presented fifteen thousand pounds to your throne, they would It is simply blasphemous and insulting to make the whole Windsor Castle smell like copper."

When William IV heard this, he understood what was probably going on.

After all, Talleyrand's character is well known. In addition to being a well-known diplomatic activist in Europe, he was also a habitual criminal of corruption and bribery. The Dutch offered fifteen thousand pounds, most likely to ask Talleyrand to do something.

However, Talleyrand couldn't control his little money-making hands. This was not something the British King should worry about. This kind of thing should be left to the French King Louis Philippe to worry about.

Just when everyone in the room had just adapted to the dark theater and was about to talk about other things, suddenly, they saw countless torches coming in one after another from both sides of the circular stage of the Astrid Theater from the two channels behind the theater. field.

Looking down from upstairs, the torches seemed to be like marching ants, jumping neatly and rhythmically. As they moved, the torches gradually formed a regular circle with the stage as the center. .

William IV couldn't help but murmured: "What is that?"

Lionel on the side smiled and responded in a low voice: "Just as His Excellency the Duke just said, Your Majesty, the surprise is here."

As soon as he finished speaking, the audience in the theater held their breaths, and saw the torches being waved down from the outer circle to the inner circle one after another as if they had been agreed upon.

The darkness faded away like a tide, replaced by a bright scene that returned to the earth.

Amidst the gasps, the audience finally saw the scenery around the stage clearly. They were torch pillars standing outside the stage. The red and yellow flames were rolling in the cold wind of late autumn, as if they were They will form a ball of fire and burn the entire theater together.

Under the illumination of these flames, the audience finally saw clearly who had just entered the venue holding a torch. That was the golden sign of the Astley Theater - the equestrian of the Astley Circus. them.

It's just that today's equestrian dress is not as flashy as in the past, nor is it as close-fitting and simple as when he is about to perform the stunt of walking through a ring of fire.

Since the founder of the Astley Theater, Mr. Astley, was a sergeant major who retired from the cavalry force, after that, almost all the jockeys of the Astley Circus were selected from retired cavalry.

Today, the equestrians are wearing the same uniforms that they wore when they served in the army in their early years. Even the horses under them are specially chosen in the same color as their old army.

The leading equestrian holds the iconic white horse of the old army with his head held high, his dark red coat, blue-gray close-fitting vest, yellow and white lines on the belt, and the blood-red tassels fluttering in the wind on top of the black-gold helmet. These are all... Needless to say, he is an outstanding knight retired from the 1st Royal Dragoons, and the eagle flag he holds high also appropriately demonstrates the glorious history and nickname of the regiment - the Bird Hunters, who captured France in the Battle of Waterloo. The Imperial Eagle marks the most glorious moment in the regiment's history.

Following closely behind were two bearded knights riding gray horses. He had a standard Scottish broadsword slung around his waist, a gorgeous red saddle, a towering bearskin hat, long gray breeches, and Wearing a red striped coat, this is a veteran from the 2nd Royal Dragoons 'Scottish Greys'.

Behind them were several equestrians wearing white feather-decorated helmets and strange equipment. Although they wore blue fur coats with golden tassels, mink shawls and exquisite weapons in their armed belts, The pistol also attracted attention, but the focus of everyone's attention still fell on the leather holster hanging on both sides of the saddle. There were four long pole weapons with unknown functions neatly inserted in the holster.

There are knowledgeable gentlemen in the audience who have already recognized their identities based on these equipment.

They whispered: "They are the Royal Horse Artillery. Those four long poles are rocket launchers. They can launch 12-pound rocket warheads when they are lit."

At the end of the entire team, the person responsible for holding down the formation was a cavalryman who was filled with majesty and nobility.

The gold-rimmed helmet on his head shone in the light of the flames, and the deep black tassels danced in the wind. The shining St. Edward's crown badge embedded in the middle of the golden helmet almost lit up the astonished faces of the audience, sewn with golden threads. A saddle embroidered with two daffodils, a dark red coat with gold and green lines, gray breeches with green edges, boots decorated with hexagonal silver spurs and a signature 1796 British heavy cavalry sword, his identity is self-evident.

Just by virtue of the name of the unit, he can undoubtedly become the highest status among the equestrians in the field. He comes from the cavalry regiment with all the noble modifiers such as "Guards" and "Royal" - the Princess Charlotte of Wales's cavalry regiment. Dragoon Guards, 5th Royal Dragoons 'The Green Dragons'.

Seeing so many retired cavalrymen who had witnessed the artillery fire of Waterloo, the Duke of Wellington in the box couldn't help but restrain his emotions. However, since the king was beside him, he still had to restrain his emotions.

Unexpectedly, he did not speak, but the king standing next to him called him to his side affectionately: "Wellington."

The Duke of Wellington bowed his head slightly: "Your Majesty?"

"bring it on."

The king laughed and invited him to the small balcony of the box.

Seeing this, Lionel quickly asked the waiters around him to light up all the lights in the box.

The bright lights completely highlighted this box, and the equestrians who were controlling their horses on the edge of the stage and ordering their horses to walk on small steps also noticed the king and the Duke of Wellington on the balcony.

They all drew their sabers and saluted to the balcony, and the audience's eyes also drifted to the balcony.

William IV smiled and asked: "Wellington, when you were at Waterloo, how did you issue the order for the general attack?"

When the Duke of Wellington heard this, he just laughed softly. The old Duke cleared his throat, and even his slightly curled-up waist seemed to straighten a lot.

He glanced at the cavalry in the audience, suddenly waved his white gloves forward, and his penetrating sonorous voice poured into the ears of everyone present like a hurricane.

"Stand up! Guards! Immediately, attack again!!!"

The words were loud and clear. Almost at the same moment when Wellington gave the order, the cavalrymen raised their whips and whipped them down hard. Then, the horses neighed in unison, and then, the cavalrymen began to surround them. The circular stage in the center began to gallop wildly.

The dust in the theater was flying, and the passionate performance of the cavalry instantly released the emotions of the audience. They cheered and applauded. The gentlemen threw their hats into the sky one after another, and the always sweet and quiet ladies also covered themselves. His chest seemed to be suffocated by this passionate environment at any time.

In a haze of dust, the announcer skipped the steps and jumped onto the stage, which he usually had to support with both hands to climb up.

He also merged into this sea of ​​carnival, his face was red, and his voice when announcing the curtain seemed to be trembling.

"Gentlemen and ladies, look to the east side of the stage!!!"

Following the announcer's order, the two torches on the east aisle of the stage were instantly ignited. Perhaps it was a problem with the angle of the light. The figure was reflected on the floor tiles and was instantly pulled to be extremely slender and slender, like an indescribable line. The evil behind the scenes spread to the center of the stage.

"Please allow me to solemnly introduce to you, the man who has brought the glory of British swordsmanship to dust and made the London Swordsmanship Association ashamed, the legendary swordsman from Paris and the French foil Napoleon - François-Joseph Bert~~~ Mr. Lan!"

As soon as the announcer finished speaking, crisp and clear footsteps sounded in the passage. In the darkness, a muscular man wearing a blue cloak gradually emerged. He walked out of the passage with calm steps.

The man's face was completely hidden in the shadow of the cloak, so that his face could not be seen clearly. The only thing the audience could see clearly was the iconic slender French foil sword carried on his waist.

Bertrand stepped onto the stage, his arms slowly opened like the crucified Jesus. Upon seeing this, the attendants on the side quickly stepped forward to take off the cloak from his body.

The shadow covering his face dissipated and was replaced by a black mask covering the upper half of his face. It was a typical French style and a masterpiece of Arthur's inspiration. In Arthur's opinion, European sword masters should wear it. Such a mask is just like Zorro.

Bertrand put a hand on his waist, and the audience held their breath. Suddenly he pulled out his foil sword and drew a Z-shaped mark in the air like lightning. Before the audience could take a breath, he had already finished sheathing the sword. The action of sheathing.

Bertrand crossed his arms and looked down at the audience. He snorted slightly and then spat on the ground.

"British swordsmanship is nothing more than that!"

As soon as this was said, the French expats in the audience burst into warm applause and cheers. Even Talleyrand, who was beside William IV, stood up with a smile and clapped along.

While applauding, Talleyrand also nodded to the king and the Duke of Wellington and said, "Funny."

Before Talleyrand could finish his words, the announcer's rich voice was heard throughout the audience again: "As we all know, nearly half a century ago, there was also a swordsman from France who swept the entire London swordsmanship circle. Although this It's been so long, but we still can't forget the name of that great swordsman, the European swordsman from the country of iris - Dion de Baumont!

Although until the time of his death, we still couldn't figure out whether the Europa Sword Master with a confusing gender was a leader! But the only thing we know clearly is that Dion defeated the strongest swordsman in London, St. George, at the age of 59! My grandfather said that he witnessed that game with his own eyes. At that time, Dion struggled to hold up the hem of his skirt with one hand and defeated St. George with seven clean stabs with the other hand.

As we all know, losing to a French man is absolutely unacceptable, but if Mr. Dion was a woman, I believe the audience would feel better. After all, this is not the first time that Britain has lost to a French woman! "

At this point, the audience in the audience burst into laughter.

"If it's a French man, even Napoleon can't defeat us. But if it's a woman, just sending a French village woman is enough to fight."

"So, there is really no reason to lose today's game?"

"The French didn't even send village women to show up. The London Fencing Association can't handle it anymore. In my opinion, this fancy association should just be disbanded!"

Seeing that the atmosphere was getting more exciting, the announcer quickly stopped talking and directed the audience's attention to the west.

"Challenger on the west side! Walking in the dark corners of London, with hands stained with sin, but always with justice in his heart, avoiding desperadoes, the Barbary pirates surrendered to me, with lightning flashing on their fingertips, knowing the secrets of magnetic energy, blooming The shining police star of Scotland Yard, a waltz in the name of the trial will be played at the Astley Theater tonight! Please, Arthur Black Stings!!!!!!!!!”

As soon as the announcer finished speaking, Wheatstone, who had been prepared for a long time, hurriedly ordered his boys: "Fucking electric!"

Wheatstone gave an order, and the iron pillars lined up in front of the west passage suddenly exploded. Under the gaze of the audience, blue-purple lightning one after another wrapped around and sublimated on the iron pillars, and finally exploded at the top of the iron pillars. bloom.

The cold wind blew at night, and along with the sound of Arthur's footsteps, his black cloak made waves.

Arthur's steps were slow, but seemed to be beating rhythmically.

He climbed the steps step by step and came to the center of the stage. He put his white gloves on the hat of his cloak and pushed it gently with two fingers. His face appeared in front of the audience.

He also wore a mask that covered his entire face. His pale face looked like that of a lady who had applied arsenic cream. However, this pale face had a terrifying smile and two hooked long beards. And dark, cold eyes.

Just like Bertrand's Zorro mask, Arthur's mask also has a name. This name is familiar to all Britons, but this style of mask has never been seen in Britain in the 19th century.

It was named after Guy Fawkes, the leader of the British Gunpowder Plot, but in later generations, fans gave its wearer a unique and special name - V for Vendetta.

Arthur held his spotless white gloves to his chest and bowed slightly to the audience who came to support him today.

He slowly straightened his back and asked Bertrand, who was standing not far in front of him: "Mr. Bertrand, my hearing is not good. What did you just say? Can you repeat it again?"

When Bertrand heard this, he just pinched his waist with both hands, raised his head and laughed to the sky, then stared at Arthur and said: "Repeat it again? Are you just going to send a deaf man to fight me? Okay! Then I will say it again. Once again! British swordsmanship, nothing more than that! Mr. Hastings, you can’t even understand such a simple statement, what are you doing here today?”

When Arthur heard this, he just grabbed the collar of the cloak and lifted it suddenly, revealing the swordsmanship uniform hidden under the cloak as dark as night.

He pulled out the 48-inch long English dagger from his waist, took a half-step forward, and took a stance. His voice was not particularly loud, but it was enough to ring through the entire audience in the quiet atmosphere.

"The purpose of my coming here? I just want to prove that you are wrong."