Shadow of great britain

London, Westminster, St. James's Palace.

St. James's Palace, built in 1532 by Henry VIII, has been the main residence of the British kings in London since 1678. Although its magnificence cannot match the Palace of Versailles in France, Schönbrunn Palace in Austria and Sanssouci Palace in Prussia, the novelist Daniel Defoe even jokingly called it a short and ordinary little house.

What's even more unfortunate is that a fire in 1809 destroyed its internal buildings, which were not particularly wealthy. Even the king's private apartment was not spared. However, the accumulation of history and the honor of the royal family have allowed the interior of St. James Palace to retain quite rich historical traces and exquisite artistic decoration.

Across the lush green lawn in front of the palace and along the magnificent marble steps, one can lead to a series of well-appointed rooms. There are many valuable furniture, porcelain and crystal chandeliers in these rooms. Most of them have profound historical value, and many are treasures passed down from generation to generation.

Entering the palace hall, the first thing that catches your eye is the dome of the hall decorated with exquisite murals and gilded carvings.

The content of the murals includes royal emblems, mythological stories and symbols representing national glory.

The walls blackened by the fire were not idle either. Most of them were covered with thick brocade tapestries, embroidered with portraits of past monarchs or important historical events.

In the palace banquet hall, the gold and crimson tones set off the spectacular scene of a royal banquet, with candlesticks and tableware shining brightly, reflecting the heirloom paintings hanging on the walls.

The study room and reception room are full of cultural heritage, displaying a rich collection of books and precious artworks, such as Renaissance sculptures, paintings by medieval masters, etc.

If you come here as a tourist, the collections in St. James's Palace will definitely last you a whole day.

However, none of the guests who came here today had the intention to stop and admire these treasures that make antique collectors and historians crazy.

Earl Lyndhurst's carriage came slowly, and before the carriage came to a complete stop, the two gentlemen in the carriage couldn't wait to open the door and walk out.

Royal Navy Attaché George Elliot, who was standing in the front hall chatting, saw someone coming. He walked down the steps in two steps, and the sword hanging on his waist swayed and jingled.

"Your Excellency, Mr. Crocker, His Majesty the King has been waiting in the study for a long time."

The face of former Lord of the Admiralty Crocker was not good-looking. Even if he did not speak, onlookers could tell from his face that the formation of the Tory government must not go smoothly, and even the position of Prime Minister is still difficult to obtain until now.

However, Elliott saw through and did not speak out. As a professional Royal Navy officer, although he had Whig leanings, he also knew very well that he should never get involved in the dispute between the two parties at this time. Because he was walking neither the way of the Whigs nor the way of the Tories, but the way of His Majesty the King himself.

The current King William IV has always been proud of his experience in the Royal Navy and valued his status as Marshal of the Royal Navy. Therefore, after he was crowned Queen, he selected a large number of royal officers he admired from the Royal Navy. Naval officers served in the imperial court.

And George Elliot was one of those who benefited from this.

William IV was very satisfied with his experience of following famous Royal Navy admirals such as Horatio Nelson, Charles Ball, Thomas Frey during the Napoleonic Wars, and also admired his role in the blockade of Cadiz and the Battle of Cape San Vicente. , the Battle of the Nile, the Copenhagen Expedition, the blockade of Toulon and other famous battles of the Royal Navy.

What is even more commendable is that Elliott also performed very well when he was leading the army alone. When this Royal Navy captain was commanding the 36-gun battleship Modeste, he single-handedly repelled the French attack in India in the Bay of Bengal. The invasion of Java and his performance in helping the Sultan of Palembang restore his country made great contributions to safeguarding Britain's colonial interests in Southeast Asia.

Such a talent naturally had a temper for William IV, who claimed to be the 'Sailor King'. So when Elliott was ordered by the Admiralty to be transferred back to the mainland, he didn't stay on the Victory at Portsmouth base for long before he was transferred to William IV's side.

Although there is no way to achieve military exploits while staying at home, anyone familiar with the promotion route in British politics knows that His Majesty the King intends to cultivate Elliot to develop in the political arena.

If nothing else happens, after Elliot becomes familiar with handling government affairs, he will soon be sent to an office in the Admiralty.

Or to put it more bluntly, as long as Sir Elliot doesn't mess around and does his job step by step, he will have a very good chance of seizing the most powerful position in the Royal Navy - First Sea Service. The minister's.

Political veterans like the Earl of Lyndhurst and Crocker naturally understood that the colonel had a bright future, so even if they were in a bad mood, they still gave him as many smiles as possible.

Elliot also reciprocated and comforted the two Lords, although he himself had Whig leanings. But at the same time, he also knew very well that, at least at this moment, his interests were tied to these royalists.

To shake the reign of William IV was to shake his bright future.

Elliot pushed open the door to the study room, nodded slightly and said, "Your Excellencies, His Majesty is inside. You can talk slowly. Although the current situation is not good, I believe that the matter will definitely be resolved."

The Earl of Lyndhurst and Crocker were about to say a few polite words to Elliot, but before they could speak, they heard the king's urgent call: "What's going on?"

The red-nosed sailor king with a drunken face wore a cloak and his desk was filled with various new warship design drawings submitted by the Admiralty, but he was obviously interested in these designs in the past. A day's worth of gadgets doesn't arouse my interest.

Crocker walked into the study, took a deep breath and said: "According to your wishes, I visited the Duke of Wellington again on Saturday. He is very serious and difficult to communicate with. But the good thing is, His Excellency the Duke did not care about the question of stature. He sent me in a very serious tone to send a message to Peel. The Duke said that he very much wanted to work with Peel. If Peel needed it, he would serve under him. If Peel did not need it, then he would He is also willing to remain in the opposition and use all his abilities to help Peel's government run."

When William IV heard this, he paced anxiously: "What about Pierre's attitude?"

The Earl of Lyndhurst said: "Peel refused again. He said that he did not want to be a martyr for betrayal like the Catholic Emancipation Act. Many people at Oxford University and the party were because of his role in the Emancipation Act. 》He suddenly changed his position and still hasn’t forgiven him until now.”

Crocker couldn't help but cursed when he heard this: "Pierre is just pretending to be innocent. He makes himself seem noble by doing this!"

The Earl of Lyndhurst had a good personal relationship with Peel, and he could not help but defend him after hearing this: "Peel also has his own considerations, and I have had an in-depth exchange with him. He said that although he also opposed reforms, he could not go against the British The will of the majority of the people. Not long ago, a riot of 100,000 people broke out in Bristol over parliamentary reform. The town hall and prison were stormed. We spent a lot of effort to restore order there. Just the bill The rejection in the House of Lords had caused such a massive backlash that Peel feared that if he came out to support Wellington at this time, he might escalate the situation further and push the country towards civil war."

Crocker cursed: "It's all the fault of the French! They themselves have made a mess of the country, and now they have brought trouble to Britain! Didn't you hear Superintendent Hastings of Scotland Yard speaking in Parliament? Report? Scotland Yard just seized a large number of red, white and blue cap badges at the Reform Meeting Place last week!"

Upon hearing this, Earl Lyndhurst pursed his lips and said: "Perhaps there are really French people involved here, but as far as I know, the situation of the French July Monarchy is not much better. The Republicans and the Poles The Napartists are using cholera to cause trouble in Paris. Thinking of the uprising that broke out in Lyon last year, I think we cannot rule out the possibility of these guys starting a revolution in Paris. Because of this, we must form a strong force as soon as possible. And a strong government, and be prepared in advance for possible changes in Paris in the future."

When William IV heard this, he stopped. He stared at Earl Lyndhurst and asked: "Are you saying that Britain might be preparing to plunge into the wave of the anti-French war again?"

The Earl of Lyndhurst pressed his chest and bowed slightly: "Your Majesty, I think we must prepare for the worst at this stage. The rule of the French July Dynasty is not stable. You must not be fooled by Talleyrand's calmness. His appearance deceived him, he is the best at this kind of trick, I can guarantee that he has no confidence in his heart."

William IV's hand was pressed on the desk, and the rhythm of his knuckles tapping on the table was very chaotic, just like his chaotic heart at this time.

The king suddenly said: "Do you think that if I and Wellington go together to persuade Peel, it is possible for him to accept our persuasion and become prime minister?"

Crocker shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, although I don't want to spoil your interest, I must say that Peel is unlikely to accept it. He is a Tory, but he is not like Wellington and I. The Duke was a pure Royalist, but a Whig leader among the Tories. According to his own words, he was a moderate Tory."

When William IV heard this, he couldn't help laughing at himself: "When the Catholic Emancipation Act was passed, I remember my brother was furious at Windsor Castle. He said: 'Now everyone says that the king of England forced the Catholic Emancipation Act to pass. Act of Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, the King of Ireland is Daniel O'Connell, the great rebel who declared independence without emancipating the Catholic Church. So what am I? Am I the Bishop of Windsor Castle?'

At that time, I just thought it was funny when I saw him getting angry, but looking back now, I seem to be worse than the king who looks like the Bishop of Windsor Castle. Gray and Brougham wanted parliamentary reform. They did not hold a majority in the House of Commons. They wanted me to dissolve parliament and hold a general election so that they could take over the mainstream. Although I was not very happy, for the sake of the overall situation, I finally agreed.

The reform bill was passed in the House of Commons, but was rejected in the House of Lords. They came to ask me to urgently confer fifty Whig nobles into the House of Lords. Such a childish suggestion, I knew it was impossible for me to agree to it. But I was so considerate of them, but they didn't understand my difficulties at all. Instead, they launched a cabinet speech at the slightest disagreement.

When I took a walk outside the palace these days, I could hear boos and boos from everywhere. The banking industry threatened a strike, and every house in Birmingham had signs plastered on its windows saying 'I will not pay taxes unless the bill is passed'. I heard that newspapers and magazines across the country have stopped publishing these days because those scheming printers have no time to take their orders. All printing houses are busy printing various protest slogans and stickers to use in the chaotic current situation. Make a fortune.

I saw this and thought that the Whigs could not be trusted after all. That's why I summoned you to my side, but I held the Prime Minister's throne and searched everywhere, but when I looked around, I couldn't see even one person who dared to accept this position. If you firmly believe that reform is not conducive to the development of Britain, isn't this a good opportunity to prove your point?

From the standpoint of a marshal of the Royal Navy, if my crew detects an enemy situation ahead, the most straightforward solution is to fire a cannon instead of just roaring twice. The French are not going to hold their hands up high and let us take them prisoner without any effort.

The first principle of Royal Navy operations is to seize the upper hand before the war begins. Among the navies in the world, we are the only ones who like to seize the upper hand. Most others like to be downwind, because being downwind allows them to quickly get out of the battle when the battle situation is unfavorable.

The Royal Navy gaining the upper hand means that we have never thought about the possibility of retreat. Once we meet the enemy, we have only two tactical options. First, beat them head-on, and second, beat them and then pursue them in the wind. "

Having said this, William IV said half-excited and half-accusing: "I don't understand why you ignore the excellent tactics of the Royal Navy and insist on learning from second-rate navies like France and Spain."

When William IV said this, suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a straight figure standing in front of the study door, a figure covered in bright red. It was Wellington wearing a field marshal's uniform.

Elliot stood behind the old Duke and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, I originally wanted to inform you, but... you just gave a speech too happily, so..."

The Duke of Wellington's riding boots fell on the red carpet in the study. He was half-kneeling in the tunnel, holding the Order of the Garter on his chest: "Your Majesty, I'm sorry that the chaos during this period has made you unhappy. As your most loyal Your servant, this is my dereliction of duty."

William IV quickly helped him stand up: "Wellington, I am not talking about you. Everyone can see what you have done during this period, and no one can doubt your loyalty to this country and the royal family. I do I’m annoyed, but my anger is directed at the reeds swaying from side to side.”

The king wanted to pull up the Duke of Wellington, but the Duke refused to get up. He reflected on himself: "If the soldiers don't carry out the orders, even if you accuse me, the commander, I don't dare to shirk any responsibility. I don't know what will happen next. What's the matter, but..."

Wellington paused for a moment and then replied seriously: "The only thing I can be sure of is that no matter what happens in the future or what kind of difficulties we encounter, I will always stand by your side and do my best to solve the problem." You are saved from a difficult situation. I understand that neither Harrowsby nor Peel want to come forward at this time, but if they do not come out to form a government, then the problem will be solved by me. I have been in trouble all my life. In the whirlpool, so I don’t mind running into one more thing.”

"Your Mightiness……"

"you……"

The Earl of Lyndhurst and Crocker looked at each other. They wanted to tell the Duke that it was too sensitive for him to form a cabinet at this time. But before their words left their mouths, they were swallowed back in their stomachs. Because they also discovered that in the current situation, the only person with prestige and willingness to come forward seems to be the Duke of Wellington.

If he doesn't do this job, who can do it?

Thinking of this, they both couldn't help but feel a little sad.

"well……"

William IV held Wellington's hand, his eyes filled with hope and some unbearability: "Wellington, are you sure? I respect you very much. You are a person who has truly lived and died for the country. You have used Things that have been worked hard for half a life...those medals, honors...if you are not careful, you will be wrong...How about we think about it again, maybe there are other candidates, um...Eldon? Newcastle ?or……"

"Your Majesty, you don't need to worry." Wellington replied: "I have considered all possibilities. I think that forming a cabinet by me is the only solution at this time. As for those medals and honors, I have not I don’t care, I only care about whether you and this country can get through this crisis safely.”

William IV was silent for a long time after hearing this. He turned his back to the Duke. After hesitating for a long time, he picked up the sword on the table in the study and said, "Alas!"

He turned around, stared at the calm face of Duke Wellington, and suddenly raised the sword blade and put it on the Duke's shoulder.

"Wellington, I, William IV, in the name of God and in the name of the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, order you to be the new Prime Minister and grant you full power to select the members of the new cabinet."

The Duke of Wellington put one hand on his chest, half-knelt on the ground and bowed his head slightly: "As you command, Your Majesty!"