Shadow of great britain

When Arthur heard Plunkett's words, he did not refute his point of view. Instead, he smiled and nodded.

"Thomas, I am very happy to be able to reach an agreement with you. You may not believe it, but my thoughts are completely the same as yours. The Duke of Wellington is not only the flag of the army, but also the flag of this country. He cannot fall, let alone Taken away by others. If anyone dares to do such a thing, not just you, I will fight him to the death."

He stood up and filled Louis's wine glass. He was about to give Plunkett some too. Unexpectedly, the out-of-shape sharpshooter smiled broadly and said: "Sir, just pour it for yourself. Leave the rest." Just give me the wine you ordered, including the bottle. Although the goblet you have here is quite high-class, but for a guy like me who came from a big-headed soldier, I still feel like blowing on the bottle is enough."

Arthur laughed dumbly and said: "Are you sure? The strength of this brandy is not low."

"You don't understand, when we soldiers were on the battlefield, we could only live on this drink."

Plunkett took the wine bottle from Arthur's hand, raised his head and took a sip. He raised his sleeve and wiped his mouth. Maybe the alcohol had hit his head, so he talked more.

Plunkett's eyes revealed a look of reminiscence: "I still remember the night before the Battle of Waterloo, the night of June 17, 1815. The rain was so heavy that I could see ghosts, and the cold wind blew along my clothes. It was as if someone was scraping my bones with a dull knife.

At that time we had just suffered a lot of losses in the Battle of Quatre Arms, and I found that many Prussians seemed to be pessimistic about whether we could win in the end. But I didn’t take it to heart at the time. It wasn’t until after the Battle of Waterloo that I learned that Prussian Marshal Blücher’s chief of staff, Gneisenau, was persuading him to lead the Prussian army to retreat eastward.

Gneisenau did not believe in the combat effectiveness of our British Army, and also believed that the Duke of Wellington might retreat in front of Napoleon. He told Marshal Blücher that Wellington might pretend to hold on and then slip away, leaving the Prussian army at a disadvantage. Napoleon could then attack Blücher's army, giving Wellington enough time to save his own men.

What a ridiculous idea. He actually thought that the Duke would be afraid of Napoleon. And not only Gneisenau thought so, but most of the Prussian staff also thought so. When I got up to pee that night, I met a Prussian staff officer, Major Carl von Clausewitz, who joked with me: 'It was only one night, but I feel like my hair has turned gray. ’”

When Louis heard this, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. He continued: "It's really nice to hear the inside information of the anti-French alliance army from your mouth. Do you want to know what's on our end, Napoleon's staff?" What kind of emotion are you feeling?”

"Uh..." Plunkett slapped his head and laughed loudly: "I almost forgot about you, you are Napoleon's nephew. Hmm... Actually, I was quite interested. You guys really thought that at that time Are you sure of victory?"

Louis shook his head slightly and said: "On the contrary, you and the Prussians are afraid of Napoleon, and many people in the French staff have been warning my uncle to pay attention to the danger from the Duke of Wellington. Unlike the Prussians, Yes, the French generals thought highly of the British Army.

Marshal Soult advised my uncle: 'Your Majesty, in a direct confrontation, the British infantry is the devil. ’

General Raye commented gloomily: "The British infantry occupying good terrain is unshakable and invincible." ’

But you also know what a confident man my uncle is. He was very unhappy with the generals' comments and got angry at them: 'You have been defeated by Wellington, so you think he is an excellent general! Let me tell you now, Wellington was a bad general and the British soldiers were bad soldiers. And this battle will be over before lunch today! ’

Of course, I don't think my uncle would be arrogant to the point of arrogance, because he later said: "The Duke of Wellington's military skills are as good as mine. In addition, he also has a more cautious attitude." Strengths. ’

He knew that our generals were all afraid of the Duke, so I am more inclined to think that he wanted to boost morale by belittling his opponents. "

Plunkett heard from the front and was about to fight back for the Duke, but when he heard from the back, his butt smoothly sank back into the chair. The sharpshooter rubbed the back of his head and laughed.

"Actually, what Napoleon said is not wrong. If our commander-in-chief is not His Excellency the Duke, but the Marquis of Anglesey or someone else, then we will probably collapse at the first touch. You may not know that Napoleon's name alone can The crowd was so frightened that they fled in all directions. We were still fighting on the front line at that time, but the citizens of Brussels in the rear thought that our army had been defeated by Napoleon when they saw the wounded being transported back in a steady stream from the front line.

I heard from a brother in the 95th Regiment who was sent to the rear for treatment of injuries. At that time, Brussels was full of rumors about the Duke of Wellington's defeat at Four Arms. Everyone was in panic, shouting that the enemy was coming. In the forest of Soignes, he saw the servant throw his luggage to the ground, jump on his animal, and run away to the rear. The farmer who was carrying supplies in a cart quickly cut off the harness ropes, abandoned the cart, and fled on his oxen.

Things were even worse in the cities, where masters and servants, grooms, maids, coachmen and gentlemen quarreled over the horses and carriages leaving the area, all blaming each other and insulting each other in French, English and Flemish. , after the quarrel, it was time to take action. Nearly half of the Belgian carters responsible for transporting grain and fodder refused to start or let their animals go. They made many gestures, prayed to God, called all the saints and angels in heaven to witness, and swore that they would never go out, even to rescue their prince, the Prince of Orange.

Everyone was running around in a daze, shouting: 'Napoleon is coming with the French! ’ This is really a very strange thing. The front line is obviously orderly and calm, but the rear is already running around like crazy. What's even more ridiculous is that many people who don't know the inside story of the Battle of Waterloo usually think that the situation is the opposite. But in fact, whether it is French soldiers or us soldiers from the Allied Forces, although everyone is afraid, they still do their best to carry out the orders from above. We do not lose order like the small citizens. "

Having said this, Plunkett couldn't help bragging to Arthur with some pride: "Sir, don't worry, although London has been very chaotic recently, I will not be intimidated. We veterans who have been on the battlefield can They have all seen the world. The night before the Battle of Waterloo was simply a miserable nightmare of wind, rain, and mud.

With no shelter from the wind and rain, not even a roof or leaf above our heads, we had no choice but to settle in the mud and filth as best we could under the heavy rain, and most of us didn't even have anything to eat. Those who carry provisions are lucky. For example, I happened to get some smoked and salted beef ribs that morning. I kept them in my pants for a whole day, and only dared to take them secretly at night when I couldn't see my fingers. Come out and enjoy. Even better, I had a little bit of brandy left in the bottle, so I was in a better position than most.

I looked around, looking for a dry place to lie down and have a good meal. But unfortunately, there was mud everywhere, and I only found some straw and branches to cushion my body. With these and a dead tree, I could barely withstand the heavy rain that continued all night long. When it came time to go to bed at night, we all wrapped our cloaks around us, huddled together, and lay in the mud with our eyes closed, like a bunch of half-drowned and hungry rats. "

When Louis heard this, he couldn't help but ask: "With your life like this, didn't you go and rob the local farmers?"

"Uh...well..."

Plunkett looked a little embarrassed: "I don't deny that such a situation does exist. At least I know that General Frederick Adam's brigade of the Second Division was allowed to plunder three farmhouses. But most of Wellington The troops the Duke has commanded all know His Excellency the Duke's temper. He is firmly opposed to plundering civilians and severely punishes soldiers who steal civilian property. During the Peninsula War, hundreds of people were sentenced to whipping for theft and robbery, and one man was convicted of robbery. The murderer was ordered to be hanged because of his extremely heinous nature.

Although it is normal to fight and rob things, the Duke of Wellington has always believed that burning, killing and looting is not conducive to maintaining the discipline of the army and will make unnecessary enemies. He believed that when they were in Spain, the French aroused the hatred of almost all Spaniards because of their wanton plundering. Therefore, no matter where our troops went during the Peninsular War, the Spaniards were happy to assist us in attacking the French troops. .

Although this rule is a bit excessive in my personal opinion, since His Excellency the Duke can arrange our logistics and supplies in an orderly manner in most cases, we will never starve to death. Therefore, although some soldiers complained about not being able to rob, they would not directly attack and abuse the old nose because of it. The most important thing is that the military regulations set by Old Nose are also very suitable. If you steal, you will only be imprisoned, if you rob, you will be whipped, and only if you kill someone, you will be hanged. So everyone can accept it and think that he is very fair. "

Having said this, Plunkett said with some envy: "But to be honest, on the eve of Waterloo, if our commander allowed us to rob, I would definitely do it. Because the weather was so damn bad Now, you don’t know how much I want to get some combustible objects such as tables, chairs, benches, sofas, cradle, and wooden barrels and throw them into the fire to make them crackle and warm my frozen body.

There was thunder that night, the thunder was rolling and rumbling in the night sky, and occasionally lightning flashed across. I just lay in the ditch next to the tree, using my backpack as a pillow. It rained heavily all night long, soaking the ground and knocking down the crops. I don't know how my friends slept, but I saw them all lying motionless and quietly for a long time.

For example, we veterans who participated in the Peninsular War disdain to complain in front of recruits who have just tasted the war. Those young recruits didn't dare to complain, lest they get scolded. They know that if they dare to complain, they will immediately be ridiculed by the veterans.

'God bless your poor delicate body! Look at your pink ass, maybe we should send you to a brothel in London and take care of you. What can you do in the Pyrenees? ’

Or 'Oh, my little baby! Do you need dad to sing you a lullaby? Can’t bear this little hardship? snort! Compared to when we were in Spain, this was child’s play! ’”

When Plunkett said this, he couldn't help laughing.

"Because of this, those who couldn't sleep pretended to sleep, and everyone endured these ordeals with admirable heroism. When the next morning, I saw that everyone looked exhausted , I can guarantee that no one in the whole group fell asleep, because even a tough guy like me didn't fall asleep.

We were supposed to go to the battlefield exhausted, but our useless quartermaster finally played a little role. He got some milk and sugar from the regiment next door. We boiled a large pot of water and poured the sugar, milk, and tea soaked in water from our backpacks into the pot. When the officers nearby saw the smoke coming from our place, they all came over and asked for a cup of tea. I assure you, that was the first time I saw so many big men in the army, including three or four generals alone.

There was a new recruit in our regiment who was a fool. He disliked the taste of the tea, so he poured a little black powder into his cup. I asked him how it tasted, and he told me it was the worst he had ever tasted in his life. thing. Haha, I was joking with him, saying that if there were not enough cannonballs in a while, I would stuff him into the cannon and shoot him out. "

When Plunkett said this, he pursed his lips with some lingering thoughts: "Although the memory of that day is not a good one, I don't know why, after so many years, I can still think of every minute and every second of that day. , happened bit by bit. If, I mean if, sir, you are going to order me like Old Nose led us to fight the French at Waterloo, even if you let me sleep in the ditch again, and drink it again, it will not be sweet. It doesn’t taste like milk, and even tea with black powder added, I won’t frown at all.”

Arthur did not answer Plunkett's question directly, but instead said: "Thomas, I can't be as good as the Duke. But the only thing I can guarantee you is that the military flag you guard will not fall down. And This time, I am going to hand over the task of holding the flag to you. Your task is both simple and complex. In the next period of time, many unexpected things will definitely happen in London.

I hope you can allocate some of your manpower to monitor Mr. August Schneider, the Assistant Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I have reason to guess that when Viscount Palmerston was in charge of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they had some connections with the forces in the City. . So, if you find something unexpected happening there, you can do it easily.

In addition, I have already found out the Duke's travel route in the next few days. I want you and your brothers to set up defenses along the Duke's travel route. If you find anyone who dares to attack His Excellency the Duke, I grant you the authority to open fire on the spot. "

"Fire on the spot?"

Although Plunkett had already expected it, shooting and killing directly in the street was still a bit beyond his expectations. After all, this was not a war period. If there was a miscarriage of justice, he would be sentenced to hanging in the criminal court. More importantly, Scotland Yard does not have criminal immunity. Arthur's authorization sounds like a trap.

Arthur also understood Plunkett's worry, and he nodded slightly at Louis beside him.

Upon seeing this, Louis immediately handed Arthur two copies of the meeting minutes.

Arthur took the record document, stamped his seal on it without thinking, then stood up and handed it to Plunkett.

His figure blocked the sunlight outside the window, and lightning flashed outside the window, illuminating the St. Edward's emblem on his shoulder. Plunkett looked up at the young man's face. Half of it was illuminated, and the other half was submerged in darkness. What could be seen in the darkness were only the reddish eyes and the upturned corners of his mouth.

The moist, cold air, the lightning, thunder, and oppressive atmosphere all reminded Plunkett of the rainy night before the Battle of Waterloo.

"Thomas, this is the record of the conversation between you and me today. Please check carefully to see if there are any discrepancies between the two documents. If there are no discrepancies, one document will remain in your hands and the other will be kept in the archives of Scotland Yard. . If something unfortunate happens in the future, you can use this document to prove your innocence. No matter what happens, all responsibility lies with me. This is my personal malfeasance and overstep of authority and has nothing to do with you."

When Plunkett heard this, he was inevitably overwhelmed by Arthur's aura.

He was stunned for a long time, and then took a deep breath. His unruly fingers reached into his pocket. Plunkett took out his pipe, struck a match, and took a puff.

The sharpshooter from the 95th Regiment blew out two streams of smoke from his nose. He lowered his head and shook his head. He suddenly laughed: "Sir, what do you think of me? I am not a young child. I have fought on the peninsula. The war has also gone through Waterloo. A rough guy like me can't understand documents or anything like that, but I understand your attitude."

Arthur tilted his head slightly and put one hand on the desk: "Thomas, this is not a trivial matter. Take this document, it will save your life at a critical moment. You don't have to worry about me, I have mine." No matter what, I will definitely be able to escape unscathed in the end."

"You are kidding. Nothing on the battlefield can be guaranteed to escape unharmed. Did the Duke know that he could defeat Napoleon before Waterloo? Just like Sergeant Bonaparte said, Napoleon belittled the Duke for the sake of stability. Military morale, and you are using these nonsense to deceive me because you want to reassure me."

Plunkett stood up with a pipe in his mouth. He wouldn't have known it until he stood up. As soon as he stood up, he realized that the figure of this large sharpshooter was obviously bigger than Arthur: "However, even if you treat me as Silly boy. But I have to say, I admire your temper. Do you know why? "

Arthur raised his eyebrows: "Why?"

Plunkett laughed and said: "On the battlefield, soldiers usually divide officers into two categories. One category shouts: 'Follow me!'. The other category gives orders: 'Come on me!' 'Sir, I personally think that the saying 'charge me' is not suitable for a leader. At the same time, I am also very happy that you are the former type. I don't need documents or anything like that, because you just have this This paragraph is enough for me and our brothers in the 95th Regiment. I now truly believe that the discussions about you in the hall are all nonsense, and I will also convey the attitude you conveyed to me today. For everyone on the Ghost Team, I’m sure they’ll be very happy.”

Arthur smiled and asked: "Are you sure? The task I gave you includes not only the Duke of Wellington, but also the German Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

"Oh, so he is a German?" Plunkett pinched the stubble on his chin and said with a smile: "Don't tell me that he once served in the Brunswick Regiment."

Louis opened Schneider's document and replied: "Schneider did not serve in the Brunswick Regiment, but his father was indeed a Brunswick Cavalry during the Battle of Waterloo. The Brunswick Cavalry commanded them at that time. Duke Friedrich Wilhelm.”

"Ha!" Plunkett patted the holster on his waist: "He better be a good boy, otherwise he will have to pay for the sins his father has done."

When Arthur heard this, he took out another bottle of wine from the wine cabinet and put it into Plunkett's hand: "Does the 95th Regiment have any grudge against the Brunswick Cavalry?"

"It's not a big hatred." Plunkett took a puff of his cigarette and said, "We just hate them eating dog meat."

Louis said with confusion on his face: "What does their eating of dogs have to do with the 95th Regiment?"

Plunkett put the pipe upside down in the ashtray: "Originally, it had nothing to do with us that they ate dogs. But one day, we found that our regiment's puppy 'Rifle' suddenly disappeared. This poor puppy was ours." I picked it up on the roadside and survived many battles with us. During the battle, it often ran around and barked to express its joy. In the cruel war, only it could bring us a glimmer of joy. So, when 'The Rifle' went missing, we spent the whole afternoon looking for it. And guess where we ended up finding it?"

Arthur and Louis looked at each other, and they both saw something strange in each other's eyes.

Plunkett spat violently on the ground, rolled up his sleeves and cursed: "These damn Brunswickers! I've wanted to give them a taste of the gun for a long time. He'd better not be killed. I’ve caught the enemy, otherwise I’d have to put him in the pot and boil him!”