Shadow of great britain

"You are a coward, a coward, you are not worthy of the Jewish nation!"

"Oh, Mr. Disraeli, I accept everything you say. And you are indeed much nobler than me. A respected Tory MP, an Anglo-Saxon at heart, with noble British blood flowing through you. Blue blood. But what I can’t figure out is that most people’s bloodline is inherited materially, but you seem to be purified spiritually.”

Alexandre Dumas looked at Disraeli and Heine who were tied to two chairs and yelling at each other from a distance. The fat Frenchman, who was always optimistic and heroic, couldn't help but feel a headache.

He asked Arthur: "How about we stop their mouths again? Do you still have Elder's socks?"

Arthur put one hand on the back of the sofa and drank tea calmly: "Alexander, I have never advocated letting others suffer the same hardships I have suffered."

As soon as Alexandre Dumas heard this, he immediately remembered what happened in the theater that day. He couldn't help but sarcastically said: "I didn't expect that our Superintendent Hastings has such a humane side!"

"Of course." Arthur accepted Alexandre Dumas's praise in full: "Our Scotland Yard policemen are all professionally trained. You can take a good look at the Metropolitan Police Act. Britain should be the most responsible for police officers in the world. The country with the most restrictions.”

"Yes, that's right, you don't even have the power to regulate illegal publications. I mean, I hope you really don't."

As soon as Alexandre Dumas finished speaking, he heard Disraeli roaring: "I dare to stand in the parliament and proudly declare my Jewish ancestry in front of all the members and enumerate the glorious past of the Jewish nation. What about you, you dare to do this Such a thing?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"How dare you?"

Heine said disdainfully: "If you don't believe it, go to the Palace of Westminster with me tomorrow."

When Arthur and Alexandre Dumas heard this, they both took out their handkerchiefs to cover their uncontrollable coughs.

Disraeli was so angry that his head was filled with smoke: "Why in Westminster? Don't you dare to do such a thing in Prussia?"

Heine replied seriously: "I'm not stupid. If I do that, the police will arrest me. There are many people in Prussia who want to send me to prison, and I can't comply with their wishes so easily. ”

Disraeli's chest heaved violently when he heard this.

In the past, everyone had always called him a narcissist, and Mr. Disraeli admitted that he could sometimes be self-confident to the point of being slightly frivolous. But today, he finally found a guy who was more narcissistic than him. What was even worse was that the other person didn't seem to feel that he had done anything wrong at all.

Thinking of this, Disraeli suddenly understood why everyone often said that the French dominated the land, the British occupied the sea, and the Germans ruled the kingdom in the air.

Just as German thinkers are always satisfied with freedom in their thoughts and dreams, and do not think this is a defect of the Germans at all.

Although Heine, a German Jew, was not satisfied with the freedom in the dream, he was satisfied with himself in the dream who had become a fearless warrior.

All in all, this guy in his early thirties is a bit self-aware.

To use Talleyrand's words, if the average person is still like this when they are thirty years old, they are already hopeless.

But the reason why Heine was saved was that when he found that he had not yet obtained a stable but well-paying job, he was still willing to bend down temporarily, just like when he faced the large German publisher Koda That way.

Arthur couldn't stand Heine's continuous attacks. He took advantage of Disraeli's moment of peace and said: "Heinrich, I can understand your ideals and ambitions. However, considering that Due to the current changes in the situation in London, we are also considering whether to convert the second volume of your "Travel Sketches", "North Sea Collection", to samizdat. You happen to be here today, so we plan to listen to your opinion."

"Samizdat publishing?" When Heine heard this, he couldn't help but ask: "Why?"

The review of Heine's works has always been in charge of Alexandre Dumas. The fat French man explained to him: "Heinrich, maybe so much time has passed that you have forgotten that you were in "The North Sea". What did you write?"

He returned to the editing room, dug out Heine's manuscript, excerpted a passage and recited: "As long as people have no food or drink, they can't help but beat the drum with their fingers and play the "Red Guillotine March." At that time, the nobles would also He was pulled and hung from a streetlight pole."

Heine frowned and asked, "Is there anything wrong with this paragraph? I'm talking about German nobles."

Arthur replied: "Sorry, Heinrich, although your description is indeed very vivid. However, our king is also from Germany. And most of our princes marry princesses from German states."

"Oh!" Heine heard this and replied with a hint of ridicule: "I almost forgot about this. After all, Germany is the largest monarch breeding ground in the world. With their breeding speed, I even think that in the future, all countries in South America will The presidents and kings of China can also marry German princesses. If we follow British business thinking, if South American countries decide to marry six at once, then we will give away the seventh one for free."

When Tennyson heard this, he just coughed and reminded carefully: "I beg you, Mr. Heine. If you stand on the street and talk nonsense like this, the police will have to invite you to tea."

Heine glanced at Arthur, then at the teapot in front of him and the rope on his body, shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Am I not drinking?"

Arthur took the manuscript from Alexandre Dumas and turned to the marked page: "Of course, if you just said those words, when "The Englishman" is summoned by the court, you can still use the excuses you just mentioned. . However, this section is a bit serious.”

Arthur showed the manuscript in front of Heine and saw clearly written on it:

In the country of Hanover, there is nothing but family trees, horses tied to the trees, and trees everywhere. Therefore, the country is dark and hazy. Although there are countless horses, the country is unable to move forward. The nobles in these places are very arrogant, but I don't blame them because they have never received a good education. If the young nobles of Hanover could receive a better education, they would be spared a lot of complaints.

But like father, like son, like grandfather, like grandson, people here, old and young, think equally absurdly, as if they are all flowers in the world, while others are just weeds. People of all ages do the same stupid things, all trying to cover up their own insignificance with the great achievements of their ancestors.

As for those fools who are kings, as long as their deceptive masks are taken off, you can find that they are actually no better than their subordinates. The benefit of the French Revolution was that it ended the autocratic rule of many small country kings in Germany. This was definitely a good deed of immeasurable merit for the fragmented Germany.

It makes me shudder to think that we Germans once had to feed so many insects that were not only useless but harmful, even though today may be the hottest day of the year in Germany. Sorry, my dear readers, please allow me to stop here because I have to sneeze first...

Ah sneeze!

Arthur put down the manuscript and asked seriously: "Heinrich, don't you know that the king of Hanover and the king of Britain are the same person?"

"I know!"

"Then how could you tell the truth?"

Heine frowned. He first glanced at the embarrassed Dumas, then at the embarrassed Tennyson, and finally fell on Arthur's face, and replied uncertainly: "I thought Britain can tell the truth."

Arthur nodded: "Of course Britain can tell the truth."

Alexandre Dumas then added: "But you can only say a little bit, you have to leave us a little space."

"Alexander, although you are right, please don't interrupt."

Arthur turned to Heine and emphasized again: "Britain can tell the truth, but our problem now is that there are too many authors of "British" who want to tell the truth recently!"

Alexandre Dumas scratched the side of his face and said: "In short, that's it. Heinrich, our quota is a bit insufficient recently. If you don't mind scheduling, we can also help you publish in the main journal. Of course, In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, I will delete the part about the king to some extent."

Unexpectedly, when Disraeli heard this, he was so shocked that he interrupted their conversation: "What? You want to publish this kind of stuff! You guys are afraid that Palmerston won't have any reason to counter me. ?"

When Arthur heard Disraeli mentioning Palmerston, he couldn't help but turn around and ask: "Didn't you not hand over the impeachment case about him on the Polish issue? How did you offend him?"

Disraeli rolled his eyes: "Although the Polish issue is now settled, I cannot speak directly. But I am not ready to give up the plan to attack Viscount Palmerston so early.

After all, if a new member like me wants to make a name for herself in the parliament, she has to pick a few big names to target. The biggest figures in the cabinet are the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Home Secretary, the Foreign Secretary and the Lord Chancellor.

But attacking the Prime Minister, I don't have that weight yet. Attacking the justice will obviously make it difficult for you. To attack the Chancellor of the Exchequer, I now plan to sit on the Finance Portal Committee. To attack the Home Secretary, you basically have to mention various problems at Scotland Yard. So after picking and choosing, I think Palmerston, the Foreign Secretary, is the most suitable candidate. "

Alexandre Dumas asked curiously: "But now the Polish issue cannot be raised? What else can you use to attack him now?"

Disraeli said proudly: "It doesn't matter if I can't mention Poland. I can mention the Ottoman and Egyptian affairs! Hasn't Palmerston always flaunted himself as tough? So I urged him in the House of Commons to send troops as soon as possible. On the one hand, Protecting our commercial interests in the Ottomans, on the other hand, we can also avenge the defeat of our interventionist army by Ali in Alexandria in 1807."

"Does Palmerston agree?"

"Agree? Of course he disagreed. Who knows why he was so hesitant about the war between the Ottomans and Egypt. If his unwillingness to intervene in the Polish issue was due to fear of worsening diplomatic relations with the Russians, I can understand it. But He is so hesitant about Egypt. Is he worried about worsening the relationship with Ali?

You know, Ali's army had a dedicated French officer corps, and his army also adopted a set of French training standards. Isn't he afraid that after Egypt defeats the Ottomans, the French power will grow in North Africa?

I was not the only one in the House of Commons who couldn't figure out why. Even some Whig MPs didn't know what Palmerston was doing. If you ask me, he must have received the money from Ali, otherwise this problem would not be explained at all. "

Having said this, Disraeli couldn't help bragging about his wonderful battle in the House of Commons today.

"You should really go to the MPs today to sit in. This is a classic battle since I became an MP. Palmerston was completely speechless by my refutation. When he stepped down after accepting the question, even his face was green. Hahaha! The Earl of Lyndhurst and the others also greatly praised my performance, and said that this great victory almost completely overshadowed the adverse effects of my disastrous maiden speech."

He couldn't help but improvise his opening remarks in the House of Commons, which had won the House of Commons.

"Viscount Palmerston, maybe everyone likes to call you this. But since you have always flaunted your noble Anglo-Saxon ancestry, then I will follow the Anglo-Saxon method and affectionately call you Pam.

I call you that to show that I have no ill will towards you as a person. Moreover, pam sounds quite rhyming with sham (shame), flam (fraud), and scram (go away). "

Alexandre Dumas couldn't help but smile and give a thumbs up and praised: "The House of Commons is indeed not a place for good people to stay. If I were in that kind of place, I would probably have drawn my gun long ago."

Arthur said calmly: "This is the reason why we do not allow members to carry guns and swords during meetings."

Alexandre Dumas put his legs on the coffee table and said nonchalantly: "But can't they still duel after leaving the gate of Parliament? Didn't the Duke of Wellington have a pistol duel with the Marquis of Winchelsea last year over the Catholic Emancipation Act? ?"

"In fact, theoretically speaking, the Duke of Wellington was the Prime Minister at the time, and the Marquess of Winchelsea was also a member of the House of Lords, so their duel was illegal."

Hearing this, Alexandre Dumas teased: "Then why didn't Scotland Yard arrest that old man?"

Arthur shrugged while holding the tea cup: "What do you think? I didn't see the French gendarmes dispatched when Napoleon came to the throne! The nature of that incident was much more serious than a duel with the Duke of Wellington."

Alexandre Dumas widened his eyes and said, "That's because I wasn't there! If I were there, I would definitely rush to the arsenal as soon as possible."

If someone else had said this, Arthur would have thought he was talking nonsense, but when Dumas said this, Arthur could only be convinced. After all, someone actually did this once.

Arthur nodded and said: "Alexander, this is the reason why I invite you to join Scotland Yard. You alone can bear 30,000 tons of explosives."

Disraeli saw the two of them chatting and quickly asked about the illegal publications they had talked about before.

Arthur and others first briefly introduced the situation of "Red and Black" and "Ancestor Sacrifice" to him.

Then he took out the manuscript of "Red and Black" for him to read.

Unexpectedly, Disraeli had just finished a quarter of the movie, especially when he saw the part where Julien hooked up with the mayor's wife, the Jewish boy's face was already turning red.

He turned to Alexandre Dumas angrily and asked: "What Stendhal! Alexander, I think this book was written by your boy! I regard you as a friend, and you actually treat me like this? Didn't we agree that we have You know what I know, will no third person know about it? But now, what is going on with this book!"

"Benjamin, I really didn't write this book."

"Do you think I will believe you? Just writing about Mr. Carter's experience can no longer satisfy you, right? Of course, I am not against you adapting my experience, but at least you have to help Mr. Carter polish it. , help me decorate it too! What do you think Mrs. Sykes will think of me if she sees this?"

No matter how Dumas explained, Disraeli did not believe it. He only felt that he was a replica of Julien England.

In particular, in order to help him realize his wish to enter the political arena, Mrs. Sykes took the initiative to hook up with the Earl of Lyndhurst and bridged the gap between the two, which made him convinced that Alexandre Dumas took out "The Red and the Black". Making fun of him.

He resolutely refused to publish "The Red and the Black" and even threatened to report it to Parliament if he found it circulating in the market.

Mr. Disraeli insisted that this unhealthy trend should have been controlled long ago!

When Heine saw this situation, he just whistled and shrugged at everyone: "Gentlemen, it seems that you have now found the man behind the obstruction of freedom of the press."

Seeing that Disraeli was so stubborn, Arthur had no choice but to relent and said, "Okay, Benjamin, you are the majority shareholder, and you have the final say on publishing matters."

Alexandre Dumas was quite dissatisfied: "But... Benjamin, I have to tell you frankly. Even if we don't publish this book, other publishers will consider it. Paris Second Press considered several publishers, just because Because of my relationship, they first recommended "The Red and the Black" to "The Englishman".

Topical books like this always sell well. Think about it, Parliament has been vigorously banning erotic literature for more than a century, but I often find fish that have slipped through the cracks in Elder's bookcase! "

"Isn't that just right?!"

Disraeli replied angrily: "If Blackwood dares to publish this thing, I will definitely take the opportunity to bankrupt them!"

"All right."

Arthur and Alexandre Dumas looked at each other and said tacitly: "I think "Blackwood" should be published."

Disraeli had just calmed down when he suddenly remembered the purpose of his trip.

He shouted: "Damn it! Arthur, please untie me! I didn't come to the editorial office to quarrel with you. You have to go with me to the Central Health Committee. Members of the Public Works Committee of the House of Commons are also waiting there. Looking after you and me."

"Well..." Arthur took a puff of cigarette leisurely: "What do they want from me?"

"Why else?" Disraeli said: "Of course it's for the Liverpool urban renewal bond worth 200,000 pounds!"