Shadow of great britain

As a police worker, Arthur knows the basics of interrogating prisoners.

The reason why Hearst was so tough at first was because he felt that there was a group behind him, and as a member of the group, he would naturally be protected.

But unfortunately, in many cases, this is just an illusion.

As long as some evidence and questions can be produced to make him realize that he has actually been separated from the group, there are very few people who can still withstand the pressure of accountability under such circumstances.

And most of those people would never list a separate item of "health care" expenses in official bills.

After all, even a man like Mr. Bernie Harrison knows to spend his own money when he goes to spend his time, not the budget of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Commons on which he serves.

But Harrison didn't do this not necessarily because he was smart, but because he really wasn't ranked high in London.

The Port Master can at least be regarded as a prominent figure in this three-thirds of land in Liverpool.

As for within the Port Authority, Director Hester can speak for himself, and being domineering in his own territory is basically a common problem among the top leaders of various departments.

Facing the question raised by Arthur, Hester quickly smelled an unpleasant aura of 'I'm not targeting everyone here, I'm targeting you alone'.

Facing Arthur, who had two government plaques hanging above his head, 'Chancellor's Hall and Customs House', Hester suddenly woke up. He finally realized that this was not the Port of Liverpool Authority that he regarded as a safe house.

Insecurity also further stimulated the human nature of seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages. He easily figured out the truth - the best choice for an individual is not the best choice for the group, and vice versa.

Defending the Liverpool Association can certainly win him the support of the local squires, but if the General Administration of Customs kicks him out of the position of director because of billing issues, what's the use of his support?

Snobbery is a bad habit that humans cannot get rid of, and it is a rule that is universal for the world.

Can he still expect this group of profit-seeking businessmen to remember his kindness?

The reason why Viscount Goderich, the finance minister at that time, could not be overthrown after it was revealed that he had embezzled public funds to keep a mistress was because the Viscount's father was a senior Tory - Lord Graham, and his uncle served as the Governor-General of Ireland. The Earl of Hardwick, his wife was the daughter of the Earl of Buckinghamshire, and his brother-in-law was the Foreign Secretary, Viscount Castlereagh, who influenced the Congress of Vienna, and Viscount Goderich himself was also a Tory Canningist. one of the leaders.

Therefore, even though Viscount Goderich's incident caused uproar in London at that time, the Prime Minister, the Earl of Liverpool, did not go out of his way to replace him as finance minister. Instead, he chose to deal with it coldly and only asked him to make a public apology in the House of Commons. .

After everyone forgot about this incident, Viscount Goderich even briefly served as the transitional prime minister for half a year after the new prime minister, Sir Canning, died of illness.

Although he had done a terrible job in the past six months, his plan to form a coalition government with the Whigs was unsuccessful, and he was even angrily denounced by King George IV as "a damn, snot-nosed, sniveling fool."

The king, who was displeased with him, tolerated him for half a year and finally ordered Viscount Goderich, who had repeatedly failed to form a government, to submit his resignation to him in person. Instead, the hardline leader of the Tory Party, the Duke of Wellington, took over to form the government.

After the Duke of Wellington came to power, although Viscount Goderich briefly disappeared from the public eye for a period of time, after the collapse of Wellington's cabinet last year, this crybaby who was better at dealing with ladies than the king was like lightning. Returned like this.

When Wellington's cabinet was in turmoil, Viscount Goderich announced that he had severed ties with the Tories and led a group of members of the Canning faction of the Tory party to turn against him.

The Canning faction collectively joined the Whig camp, and Earl Gray was flattered and followed suit. In order to show his importance to Viscount Goderich, Earl Gray announced that the Canning leader would serve as Secretary of State for War and Colonial Affairs in the Whig cabinet as soon as he took office.

Although this position is not as good as the transitional prime minister and finance minister, Viscount Godrich can be regarded as blooming the second spring of his political career.

But Mr. Hurst, the harbor master, knows that no matter his background or relationships, he cannot be compared with the Canning crybaby boss. Just because someone can live a second life does not mean that he can also repeat this successful path.

If he really had what it took, he would be serving not on the Port of Liverpool Authority but on the Public Works Committee in London.

For Hester, if he goes down, he really goes down. He can't find any chance to make a comeback.

This principle is like the lice on Darwin's head, it is obvious.

Hester understood it, and certainly Arthur understood it.

Although the Port Master of Liverpool may seem a world away from the inmates of Newgate Gaol, interrogating him is much easier for Arthur than interrogating ordinary criminals.

Hester saw that Arthur had not expressed his stance, and the Director, who had been looking relaxed just now, soon became unable to sit still.

He took out his handkerchief and wiped his shiny head, and hinted in a low voice: "Mr. Hastings, irregular use of funds is common. It's like holes in cheese, some are big and some are small. But it’s impossible to do without it. And this is the tradition of the Port Authority. Before William Pitt became Prime Minister and before the customs department was reorganized, they made it worse than this.”

Arthur was not in a hurry to express his position. He just smiled and asked: "What did Liverpool do in the past?"

Hester replied cryptically while wiping his sweat: "Let's put it this way, in the 18th century, if you wanted to climb quickly in the customs department, it was very important to marry a good wife. Of course, it was up to you to decide whether your wife was good or not. , it depends on whether she has gained the appreciation of her superiors."

"Hiss..." Alexandre Dumas, who was standing in front of the window smoking, almost breathed out lung cancer when he heard this: "Britain is really full of surprises."

Heine, who was repeatedly frustrated in his pursuit of his cousin, was also shocked: "Looking at it this way, marrying a German country girl is not bad. The sense of security they can provide is absolutely unparalleled."

Louis was just taking notes. He turned to a new page and asked, "Sir, what do you think I can write better?"

Arthur crossed his fingers on his knees, leaned back in his chair and asked with a smile: "It depends on Mr. Hester's attitude."

Hester thought about it, and finally gritted his teeth and raised two fingers at Arthur: "Their limit is this much, you can definitely negotiate according to this number. If it goes more, they may be afraid of the rat." .”

Arthur nodded slightly when he heard the words, and said loudly to Louis: "Louis, just remember this. During the period when Mr. Rhys Hurst was the director of the Liverpool Port Authority, the old habits of the last century were swept away, and the accounts were rigorous and organized. , vigorously prohibiting private transactions by employees within the bureau. At the same time, it also perfectly responded to the free trade ethos advocated by the cabinet, spending every penny where it wanted to go..."

Louis was taking notes without raising his head, and he asked: "Do I need to indicate where exactly the penny went?"

Hearst heard this and quickly dissuaded him: "This is unnecessary!"

Hearing this, Arthur suddenly changed the topic: "However, at the actual implementation level, the Liverpool Port Authority also has some shortcomings, such as the lack of social services..."

When Hester heard this, he felt relieved again: "Mr. Hastings, where do you start talking about this?"

Arthur said: "Mr. Hester, I have said since the moment you walked in that this communication and dialogue with you was conducted in an open and honest manner. I base my evaluation of the work of the Port Authority on your There is no fictitious part of what I understand from my mouth, at most it is slightly polished.

If I remember correctly, you mentioned earlier that the Port Authority's 'health care' spending is earmarked for the authority's leadership and does not benefit ordinary employees, let alone general social services. Now I am adopting your words and giving you such a comment, shouldn’t it be too much? "

Hester gritted his teeth and asked, "Mr. Hastings, isn't this matter over?"

Arthur replied: "Mr. Hester, I am here for an audit. There is nothing that has been revealed or not revealed. There is such a sum in the Port Authority's bills every month for the past five years. Although the specific amount is not large, it is If the General Administration of Customs asks about this account in the future, I can't say that I ignored it due to personal negligence, right?

And now that there is an outbreak of cholera, the name "medical care" is really eye-catching, and you have to find a reasonable explanation for it. I will give you one night. Tomorrow I will see a reasonable written explanation document in two copies. One will be kept by the Port Authority and one will be taken back to London by me. One last reminder, don’t forget to stamp the official seal of the Port Authority, so that it has legal effect. "

Hearing this, Hester finally understood what Arthur meant.

He does not have to pursue this matter, but the prerequisite for letting this account go is that if the incident comes to light in the future, he must have a reason to be deceived by the Port Authority to prevaricate his superiors.

When Hester saw that Arthur wanted to use a non-stick pan, and thought that he might return to London with the explanatory document, the sweat on his forehead suddenly broke out again.

He leaned closer and whispered softly: "Mr. Hastings, there is no need to make such a fuss, right? It can be as little as a few pounds a month, or as much as a hundred pounds, just wipe it on the account book and it will be over. "

Arthur nodded slightly and said: "That's okay, but... I said at the meeting between the Port Authority and the Customs Department that the auditors are from the East India Company. As long as you can convince them not to list this amount separately, I I don’t particularly mind.”

Hester heard this and slapped him on the forehead.

Let him convince the East India Company? Isn't this a joke?

Although it is no longer the heyday of the East India Company, the director of the Port of Liverpool is not something that the directors will take seriously.

Besides, the matter of coming to Liverpool to investigate the case was still under the leadership of the cabinet, and he really couldn't see any reason why the East India Company had to let him go.

Hearst was afraid of wolves and tigers, and he felt guilty when he thought that he might be kicked out of the fat and oily position of harbor master at any time, or even be imprisoned in Newgate Prison.

He asked cautiously: "Mr. Hastings, are you free after the banquet? Or...or maybe tomorrow, any day you are free, will you waste half an hour to come to my house?"

The fat French man who was holding back his bad breath turned around and said, "Mr. Hester, you don't want to do some traditional port authority craftsmanship, do you?"

"No, no, no, how is that possible? Mr. Hastings' report also said that those are all stereotypes."

Hester's face was covered with sweat. He asked with a sneer: "I haven't asked for advice yet. Who are you?"

Alexandre Dumas lifted up his tuxedo, revealing the holster on his waist: "I am a special employee of the London Police Intelligence Bureau responsible for protecting the safety of Mr. Hastings. For security reasons, I feel that Mr. Hastings should not go to your place privately. .”

Hester just thought he had met a difficult kid. He pursed his lips and replied: "Then if you have time tomorrow, come to the port authority first, and I will discuss Mr. Hastings' safety with you alone. Security situation.”

When Heine heard this, he secretly said: "What about me? Mr. Hester, I am responsible for writing manuscripts."

When Hester heard this, he could only grit his teeth and reply: "Go, all go! Tomorrow morning, I will be waiting for you at the Port Authority."

Seeing that his attitude was as soft as a puddle of mud, Arthur knew not to push him too hard.

After all, he is a respectable local gentleman in Liverpool, so he still has to retain some dignity.

Besides, he never set out to extort Hearst from the beginning.

Arthur took off his pipe and said, "Mr. Hurst, there's no need to bother. Since the bill says 'health care' expenditures, you can just carry it out in this name. But there have been expenditures in this area for five consecutive years." , and the employees within the Port Authority don’t know anything about it, then you can only start from other aspects.”

Hester was stunned at first. He didn't expect Arthur to take the initiative to give him advice.

"what do you mean?"

Arthur took out a business card from his coat pocket and pushed it in front of Hester: "Today I met a gentleman who claimed to be the chairman of the British Child Protection Association. He claimed that the association has been committed to emigrating street children across the country overseas. I I don’t know if you have heard of this.”

Hester took the business card and glanced at it, and quickly remembered the matter: "You are talking about Mr. Brenton, right? He came to me before and mentioned this matter to me. He said it was his immigration The ship was seized and quarantined by the Port Authority, so there are now hundreds of children stranded in Liverpool."

Arthur asked: "How long has he been doing this? Did the immigration permit go through the formal route?"

Hurst rubbed his temples: "It must have been two years. Immigration permission is indeed through formal channels, and the Department of Colonial Affairs also knows this. You are a Scotland Yard policeman, so you should also know the cabinet policy.

Britain couldn't feed that many people, so instead of keeping those criminals at home, it was better to send them to overseas colonies to flourish. It's just that when Sir Peel was the Home Secretary, didn't he always emphasize the need to gradually change the usual tough law enforcement style and bloody laws.

Nowadays, there are fewer death penalty crimes than before, and naturally there are fewer people in exile than before. But if these serious criminals are not exiled, they will still have to do evil in the end because they have no money. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, the Department of Colonial Affairs has launched some subsidy policies for overseas immigrants, hoping that those who have the ability to immigrate overseas will try their best to do so.

The Children's Protection Society in Brenton also has the same idea, except that the street children they take in are basically those whose parents have died and have no money in their pockets. The subsidies given are not enough for the boat fare and cannot be moved out. So they raised funds voluntarily, contacted overseas factories and farms, and planned to send these children as apprentices as early as possible while they were still young.

When the apprenticeship is over, if you are lucky, you will be able to save some money. Whether they continue to work, start a small business, or go to reclaim wasteland, it is always better than them continuing to stay in the country. "

When Louis heard this, he couldn't help but ask: "You are so young, is it really not a problem to throw it out?"

Hester took a puff of cigarette: "That's hard to say. But for poor people, half of it depends on hard work, and half of it depends on luck. If you stay in the country and eat one meal without finishing another, sooner or later you will go to commit crimes. Wait until you are caught If he was sentenced to exile, he might as well risk his life with Brenton.

After all, the apprentices Brenton contacted them would at least be given some money and could learn some skills. If they were exiled, not only would they not be paid a penny for the work, but most of them would be sold as coolies. At the end of the same eight-year period, apprentices will have a brighter future after surviving, while those in exile will start over with nothing.

The oldest child in Brenton is already eleven or twelve years old. Children generally have to be the head of the family to support themselves at the age of eight. They should be able to think clearly about which is better and which is worse. And from a personal perspective, I think the public opinion’s attacks on Brenton are completely unreasonable. That is a group of people who think they are noble and have no worries about food and drink, moaning for no reason.

As long as they come to Liverpool, they will know that most of the colonial ships sent from Liverpool to various places were farmhands and craftsman families with some savings. A ferry ticket was not cheap, and even with subsidies from the Department of Colonial Affairs, it was not within the reach of ordinary poor people. It’s not easy for Brenton and the others to be willing to make up the difference for free. "

When Arthur heard this, he just said: "Since you think this is a good thing, why don't you get involved?"

"Huh?" Hester asked: "You mean..."

Arthur replied: "Hundreds of children are trapped in the docks of Liverpool now, and it is during the cholera period. If they do not solve their problems properly and let the disease break out among them, once the news gets out, not only the Port Authority will be affected. It's bad luck with the city council, on my side... you understand. From this perspective, I think the Port Authority's establishment of a special expenditure on 'health care' is completely reasonable and cannot be questioned."

"Ah..." Hearst heard the words and suddenly felt that the clouds had cleared up: "This... I haven't considered the problem from this perspective... It was originally a bad thing, but it was turned into a good thing. This is indeed A skill.”

When Arthur heard this, he smiled and shook his head: "There is no way a bad thing can be turned into a good thing. Being able to do a good thing only shows that it was a good thing from the beginning, but there was a problem in everyone's understanding at the beginning."

As soon as Arthur finished speaking, the door of the smoking room was pushed open, and Gladstone led an old gentleman in.

"Father, this is Mr. Hastings."