Shadow of great britain

On the endless coastal plain, the grass is green, and the gentle breeze blows, lowering the tall grass, revealing a group of sheep foraging leisurely like clouds in the pasture fence in the distance.

Suddenly, there were bursts of violent roaring in the distance. The sheep, who had been leisurely just now, were frightened by the sudden noise and ran away in panic. With a sharp whistle, the uneasiness of the sheep instantly rose to the highest level. The highest point.

They stared restlessly at the pitch-black cave. Since last year, such terrifying sounds of hell have been heard from there almost every day.

Every sheep who has lived in Liverpool since childhood knows that as long as such a sound appears, it means that the arrival of the steel worm is not far away.

Sure enough, with the sharp sound of the whistle tearing apart the tranquility, thick white steam suddenly spewed out from the dark cave.

Immediately afterwards, the sheep saw the jet-black steel worm breaking through the smoke screen like a wild horse, revealing its thick barrel-like body and countless round-shaped legs.

And in its belly, there are countless erect apes flapping its transparent belly in fear, as if calling for help from the sheep.

The timid Mr. Sheep was lying on the grass, and human faces deformed by fear passed quickly in front of his eyes. Waves of almost hoarse exclamations sounded in his ears.

As an upright and well-educated English sheep, he really wanted to save these erect apes. But reason tells it that it will not end well if it goes against this steel worm.

Last month, its little wife was so frightened by the sound of the whistle that she couldn't move. She froze directly in the path that the big worm must pass, and was torn to pieces by it.

Mr. Sheep could only mutter silently in his heart: "Dear Ape erectus! You'd better ask for your own blessings. I don't have the guts to compete with such a ferocious animal."

Mr. Sheep silently watched these poor little things being dragged away by the big worm. Suddenly, he discovered that among these frightened people, there was actually a man wearing a big-brimmed hat, holding a newspaper in his hand, and calmly smoking a cigarette. gentleman.

When Mr. Sheep saw this, he just lamented: "Poor little guy, he must have been frightened, just like my little wife who was torn to pieces. Look, he didn't even have the strength to scream in fear." "

However, while he was praying silently for the gentleman, Mr. Sheep suddenly noticed a big red face that was squeezed out of shape and almost covered the entire window in front of the car window.

It was a guy with the same horns on his head, and what was worse, he was very rude.

I saw the red devil pointing his middle finger at the sheep, widening his eyes and shouting: "Sheep? I hate sheep!"

Arthur glanced at the red devil, took a puff of his cigarette and asked, "Hate sheep? Why? Just because Jesus said: I am the Good Shepherd, I know my sheep, and my sheep know me?"

Agares turned back and roared: "Yes, these sheep are all shameless guys."

Arthur turned to the next page of the newspaper: "But the Bible doesn't always say good things to sheep. I remember that in some religious stories, it was said that sheep would play the reed flute to lure boys and girls into falling into them. A trap?”

The red devil slapped the table and said: "Arthur, you have made it clear. It is the goat that seduces the girl, but what we are talking about now is the sheep. Sheep are gentle and obedient, so they strongly advocate it. Goats have horns, have a bad temper and are easy to contradict, so They always have a negative image of goats whenever they appear in mythology.”

Arthur clicked the ashes in his pipe: "So, you are also a goat? And you are a goat only in hell. After all, you are not only at odds with God, but even Baal can't urinate in the same pot with you. inside."

Agares raised his eyebrows, his eyes almost touching the tip of Arthur's nose: "What? Do you have any objections?"

Arthur picked up a piece of sugar and put it into the tea cup and stirred it: "Agares, I am not belittling you, but flattering you. How can you, a devil, be so good at talking? Goat, GOAT, Do you know what this means? Greatest Of All Time! The best devil in history. Baal is nothing compared to you, you are the most authentic guy in hell. Isn’t hell not known as the rebel of heaven? And you, I My friend, you have to resist even hell, can other devils be stronger than you?"

When Agares heard this, he slowly calmed down. He sat on the window sill with his legs crossed and said, "You know what you are doing. Because you are so sensible, I will give it to you when I go to Liverpool this time." A little suggestion, would you like to hear it?"

Arthur responded absently, without even moving his eyes to him: "If this is just a chat between friends, I don't mind listening to more friends' suggestions. But if it's a business, then we'd better It's better to establish a written record. But to be honest, Agares, I hate doing business with friends, it will affect the pure friendship between us."

When the red devil heard this, he just shook his head, frowned and sighed: "Arthur, you little bastard, you take advantage of others and you still have to say it so beautifully. As a punishment for being naughty, I will only say one thing. You I’ve been reading Hume’s book recently, which is very good, at least it’s much better than reading Kant.”

After saying this, the red devil snapped his fingers and disappeared into the air.

Arthur put down the newspaper in his hand and turned to look at the car window where Agares was sitting: "Hume?"

He was wondering what Agares' words meant when suddenly, he was tapped on the shoulder.

Arthur turned around and saw that it was Alexandre Dumas who was walking around excitedly in the carriage.

"I have long heard that the train is an amazing new invention, but today it is my turn to sit on it, and I realize how amazing this thing is! London to Liverpool is 200 miles, and it only takes 5 and a half hours to reach the destination. . Arthur, do you know what this concept is? This means that if I organize a rebel army in Marseille, it will only take half a day to enter Paris! Then I only need to spend another half hour to get there. Take Louis-Philippe by the neck and throw him from his throne in the Tuileries into the Seine."

Louis Bonaparte on the side heard this and couldn't help but add: "My dear Alexander, if you revolt from Marseille, then I will send troops from Zurich, Switzerland. According to my estimate of the speed and carrying capacity of the train, , I only need three Rocket locomotives to transport hundreds of artillery pieces to Paris within 9 hours.

After that, I will take the lead in organizing citizens to build barricades and artillery positions on the Champs Elysées, and take the lead in launching an attack on Paris City Hall.

Out of some respect for Louis-Philippe, who led the French army to defeat the Austrian attack in the early days of the Revolution, I will allow him to use any of solid cannonball, buckshot, and grapeshot he liked. Likewise, out of my distaste for his subsequent defection to Austria, I will not allow him to choose the caliber of the shell, and in my opinion he must take a sixteen pounder. "

If anyone else had said these words, Arthur would have just smiled and passed on.

But knowing the trajectory of history, he understood quite well that these two French rebels were not just talking.

One of them already has a relevant criminal record, and the other is always planning to add more criminal records to himself.

Hearing this, Arthur hesitated and thought for a long time, and finally could only shake his head and sigh slightly: "It seems that I have to consider writing a letter to Mr. Vidocq in Paris and let him see if he can endanger the safety of Paris." We are urging the French government to suspend plans to build passenger railways."

When Heine, who was sitting at the next table and watching the scenery, heard this, he just waved his hands disdainfully and said: "Arthur, you don't have to be so aggressive. As far as I know, the two of them and I together are even tied to your waist." I couldn’t afford a Colt revolver, let alone a hundred cannons.”

"Oh? Running out of money so soon?"

Arthur picked up the tea cup and raised his eyebrows: "I can understand Alexander's lack of money. After all, he has always spent money lavishly. Ever since "The Count of Monte Cristo" made money, he has always asked people to shine shoes and wash clothes. Pay double. Two days ago, he saw someone not tipping, and deliberately paid an extra guinea to humiliate them.

As for Louis, I can understand that he has no money. After all, he is currently receiving the salary of a second-class patrol officer. If he does not accept funding from his uncle, it will be quite difficult to maintain the usual living standards of the royal family.

As for you, Heinrich, why do you have no money? I remember that the editorial department just settled the royalties for the first volume of "Travel Sketches" to you the day before yesterday, right? Even in London, twenty pounds is enough for a single, respectable gentleman to live comfortably for three to five months. "

When Heine heard this, he held his head in annoyance and complained: "If you just live a simple life, twenty pounds is indeed a lot of money. But, didn't I believe Alexander's evil? We were watching a play a while ago. Tired of watching, Alexander took me to a casino to play. And he also told me that someone made a lot of money here in the past two years. He and I played there like crazy, and as you can probably guess, we They went in with their pockets full, and came out with their butts almost naked.”

When Alexandre Dumas heard this, he was immediately furious: "Heinrich! I took you there because you said you were a veteran! If I had known that you were so bad at playing cards, I would not have taken you there. You go to the casino. There are many charitable organizations in London. If we donate money to the casino, we might as well go to the streets and give porridge to beggars!"

Heine retorted unconvinced: "I didn't lie to you! When I traveled to the Saxon island of Norderney, I was a frequent visitor to the casino. And didn't you also see it? We all won when we first started. It’s on!”

Alexandre Dumas asked: "Did you win money on the island of Norderney?"

"That's not true." Heine replied honestly: "I lost 50 quintals in four weeks. Although I am the most knowledgeable person in Germany, I have to admit that as soon as I enter the casino, I will lose 50 quintals." I'm as stupid as a donkey. That time in Norderney, I even had to borrow money from a friend to get home. This time in London, I probably won't have the money to go back to Paris until the royalties for the second volume are paid. .”

The German gambling monster's words made Arthur frown. He suddenly seemed to remember something: "Wait a minute, isn't the casino you two went to the one on St. James Street?"

Heine was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and then asked suspiciously: "You sent someone to follow us?"

Louis also seemed to remember something. Arthur had sent him to investigate that casino before.

He said: "The only casino in London where people have won big money in the past two years is the one on St. James Street, and we also know who won the money. Heinrich, please tell me how he won the money. You can’t learn it. For ordinary people, it’s better to stop gambling in time.”

Heine heard this and asked: "Why, does he have any secrets for winning? Ha! I knew there must be something wrong with that casino. My card skills can't be that bad. Someone among them must be old. A thousand!"

After hearing this, Arthur put a hand on his forehead and said, "Heinrich, I wish I didn't know you. You guy has completely destroyed your image in my heart."

Hearing this, Heine followed Arthur's words and replied: "Arthur, I wish I didn't know you. You have completely ruined the image of the police in my heart. If all the police in Prussia were like you, If it’s work, then I don’t have to leave there.”

When Alexandre Dumas heard this, he just pursed his lips and opened his eyes wide. He put his hand on Heine's shoulder and shook his head: "Heinrich, if you think so, then the dozen or so Barbarians who died in his hands The pirates will definitely not agree. Our Officer Hastings is an out-and-out ruthless man. If you think he is gentle and lazy, it is simply because he has no intention of dealing with you. If you don’t believe it, you can ask Louis, he If you look into the details of your experience after arriving in London, it would be enough to write a short story.”

When Louis heard this, he quickly changed the subject.

After all, that story was not a wonderful memory worth savoring for him.

Louis handed the bound documents in his hand to Arthur and said: "I have sorted out the relevant situation in Liverpool. It's just that we left too hastily. For some details, I guess we can only continue to the relevant departments when we get to Liverpool. inquire about."

When Arthur heard this, he suddenly remembered Agares' unclear instructions just now and Director Rowan's suspicion in front of the Chancery Hall.

He looked up at Louis with a smile and asked: "Louis, have you read Hume?"

"Hume?" Louis nodded: "Although I don't read as much as Voltaire, I have read more or less Hume's books. After all, he is also one of the representatives of the Enlightenment."

"Very good." Arthur said: "Since you have read Hume, you must know his principle of rogue hypothesis, right?"

Without waiting for Louis to answer, the most knowledgeable man in Germany had already taken the lead in answering.

Heine raised a finger and recited: "Hume assumed that human nature is evil, so everyone who enters a power mechanism may be a rogue. Under this premise, when designing a power mechanism, we must pay close attention to Taking into consideration the weaknesses of human nature, we ensure strict institutional protection against scoundrels.

Because Hume believed that ambition accounts for a large proportion of human nature, desires are very difficult to satisfy. If a person lives at the bottom of society, such as a thief, then what he pursues is the top of his level, that is, becoming the king of thieves.

And once he reaches the top and becomes the king of thieves, he will pursue the promotion of his level, such as becoming a decent gentleman, or being elected as a member of Parliament. And he will try every means to evade the constraints imposed on himself by the corresponding mechanisms, such as destroying his criminal records and spending money to cover up the immoral things he has done. "

Arthur nodded slightly, and he said with a smile: "Yes, that's exactly the case. But Hume also admitted that it is obviously wrong to treat everyone as a scoundrel. But when we are designing the system, we should do the best Plan for the bad instead of expecting the best.

Hume also emphasized: When designing any government system and determining a number of constraints and monitoring agencies in the system, each member must be conceived as a rogue, and all his actions must be for the purpose of pursuing personal gain and nothing else. Target.

And I think this set of theories is extremely correct and can also be used in our case-solving process. Of course we have to refer to the information provided by Liverpool, but its credibility must be questioned. Louis, how reliable is the government's data? I believe you have made a good discovery in Scotland Yard's statistics on London's wandering warblers. "

"This..." Louis held the document and thought for a long time, then stood at attention and saluted: "Understood, sir."

Accompanied by a long whistle and a series of harsh and almost shrill brake sounds, sparkling sparks burst out from the rails, and the train slowly entered Lime Street Station in the center of Liverpool.

The conductor struggled to open the cast-iron door, but before he could catch his breath, he was stunned for a long time by two rows of gentlemen holding canes and wearing formal suits waiting to pick up the train in front of the station.

Some of the gentlemen looked familiar to him.

As a veteran train conductor who has been working for a year, he remembers that when the Manchester-Liverpool railway opened to traffic last year, several gentlemen appeared on the platform at Liverpool Station waiting to be received by the Prime Minister, the Duke of Wellington.

Just as the conductor was hesitating whether to go up and say hello to the big shots, he suddenly heard a gentle voice coming from behind: "Sir, could you please give me a moment?"

The conductor turned his head and glanced. It was a young face. The gentleman who had been leaning against the window reading the newspaper had changed into a Scotland Yard uniform at some point. At this time, he was calmly looking at the face. Put on white gloves.

Under the sunlight, the coat of arms of St. Edward on his shoulder and the palace sword given by the king hanging on his waist shined together.

"Of course, sir."

The conductor quickly got out of the way.

Under the leadership of Arthur, Louis and others carrying large and small bags walked out of the carriage with him.

Arthur let go of his hand holding the hilt of the sword. His eyes first scanned the crowd, and then he slowly raised his hand and saluted the officials waiting for his arrival in front of the station.

"Introducing myself, Arthur Hastings, Senior Superintendent and Head of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Metropolitan Police, Chief of the Intelligence Bureau of the Metropolitan Police, appointed by the Privy Council and House of Lords, Lord Chancellor, Admiralty, Home Office and The four departments of the General Administration of Customs have appointed the new Special Anti-Smuggling Inspectorate of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in Liverpool."