Shadow of great britain

In the villa on the second floor of the 'Little Castle' hotel.

There was a round oak table in the center of the room, with two carved wooden chairs on both sides. A faintly bright kerosene lamp was placed on the table. The exquisite ceramic tea set placed on the coffee table is exuding the alluring aroma of black tea.

Several pairs of riding boots stepped on the richly decorated Turkish carpet, accompanied by the low voices of gentlemen chatting and laughing, and the faint scent of lavender emitted by men's perfume.

"Arthur, this is Sir Charles Elliot, a Royal Navy captain. He has been responsible for combating the rampant maritime slave trade in the Guyana colony in South America for the past few years. He conveyed the local slave life back from Guyana. The status report provided a strong factual basis for our abolition movement. This year, Parliament finally made up its mind to completely end slavery in the empire and overseas colonies, and Charles played an important role.”

When Elliot heard Lord Durham's compliment, he modestly took off his hat and said: "I am happy that those unfortunate slaves have been emancipated, but it is still too much to give me credit for the complete end of British slavery. I think it is too much. , half of the credit for slave liberation is due to the decades of abolitionist propaganda of Mr. Wilberforce and the 'Clapham League' under his leadership.

His slogan is really deeply rooted in the hearts of the people: "A family that consumes five pounds of cane sugar every week can save the life of a soul like ours if they insist on not eating cane sugar or drinking rum for two weeks." If 8 such families persist for 20 years, the lives of 100 slaves can be saved. If 38,000 families act at the same time, the slave trade can be completely destroyed! ’

If it weren’t for such soul-touching words, Britain’s sugar sales would not have dropped by one-third so quickly in such a short period of time, nor would it have frightened the West India Company, which controls a large number of sugar plantations in the West Indies. House of Commons It is absolutely impossible to receive 519 abolition petitions signed by 400,000 people in just over half a year.

As for the other half of the credit, I think it should be attributed to the unremitting propaganda of the church, although I don't like this group of priests very much. But at least on the matter of abolition, whether it is the Bishop of London who called on Anglican believers to stop selling and raising slaves, or the Wesleyan clergy who have been firmly opposed to slavery since its establishment, they have carried out their mission of spreading the gospel very well. . "

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help joking: "Wilberforce and God's blessing are naturally very important, but the sharp drop in sugar consumption is probably the result of the West India Company and the West Indies planters." The biggest reason for being willing to give up slavery. Before I left London, I went to the Parliament to observe a debate on the Abolition Bill. Mr. Buxton, the chairman of the Abolitionist Association, stabbed the knife in with just one sentence. In the hearts of all pro-slavery MPs.”

Mr. Bowring on the side asked curiously: "What did Mr. Buxton say at that time?"

Arthur repeated in Buxton's tone: "I have always believed that ever-advancing technology requires overseas markets, not the supply of cheap labor. Emancipating slaves will increase local consumption capacity and provide new opportunities for our industrial exports." And as Adam Smith said in "The Wealth of Nations": Judging from the experience of all ages and countries, I believe that with a high probability, the labor of free people will be cheaper than the labor of slaves. Gain both market and labor efficiency improvements.”

At this point, Arthur did not forget to add humorously: "As soon as Mr. Buxton finished speaking, representatives from the industry gathered from Manchester, Birmingham and London stood up and applauded. The East India Company came to listen. The board members were also excited by his speech. From that moment on, I knew that slavery was definitely going to end."

Earl Durham held the tea cup and laughed: "The joy of the industry can be easily understood. As for the East India Company, they are probably because they have long been dissatisfied with the West India Company's monopoly on the sugar trade, right? I heard that they are in India It seems that a lot of sugar plantations have also been opened.”

Elliot shook his head slightly and said: "No matter what the reason is, the abolition of slavery is a good thing. I have seen too many inhumane things in Guyana. If you haven't seen it with your own eyes, you will definitely not believe it. Once, in a restaurant One of my black slaves spilled my black tea, and the scalding hot water burned his arm to pieces. I was about to lift him up and ask him if he wanted to call a doctor. Who knew he would lift him up when he saw me? He held his hand, but his expression showed extreme panic and fear. I don't know what kind of life can turn a living person into this. Slavery has no meaning in existence.

However, although slavery has now been abolished in Britain and the overseas territories, I do not think this is the end. From a humanitarian perspective, since Parliament banned British ships from participating in the slave trade in 1807, the Royal Navy has been carrying out long-term operations against slave ships on the coast of West Africa and South America. However, even so, the slave trade is still prohibited. Spanish and French slave traders were particularly abominable in this regard.

From the perspective of maintaining Britain's maritime superiority, prohibiting the slave trade and fully emancipating slaves also means that the number of slave ships in Britain will definitely be greatly reduced. However, if we cannot force other countries to abolish slavery together, then when wartime comes, they will These slave ships with certain armed capabilities can be recruited to serve in the army. Therefore, both emotionally and logically, the Royal Navy should be more determined to crack down on these slave traders, and the cabinet should also urge other countries to join us in abolishing slavery. "

Arthur couldn't help but pinch his chin after hearing Elliot's words.

Regarding the abolition of slavery, Arthur had considered it from a humanitarian perspective and an economic perspective before, but he had never considered it from a military perspective.

But when I thought about it, what Elliot said really made sense. After all, it was not just once or twice that European navies hired slave ships and pirate ships to fight during wartime. Although these small armed ships cannot play as big a role in the decisive battle at sea as the large fleet, they are more than enough to disrupt the commercial routes, the lifeblood of Britain.

From this perspective, it is no wonder that the cabinet frequently sends notes to countries such as Brazil, Spain, France, and Austria, asking them to join Britain in the great cause of abolition of slavery in an attitude of God's mercy.

Arthur took a sip of tea and suddenly changed the subject: "I just heard from His Excellency the Earl that after you return to China to report on your work this time, you will go to China with Lord Napier? Your position is Secretary of the Trade Commissioner?"

Elliot nodded slightly when he heard this and said, "I have been a commercial representative under the Governor of Guyana for a period of time, so I am quite familiar with this aspect."

Arthur received a positive answer from Elliot, but for a moment he didn't know how to proceed.

Are you asking about the opium trade?

Or ask about the five-port trade?

As for the opium trade, sales were booming in Britain itself.

There is only one group in Britain that strongly opposes the opium trade - the church forces. And the name of the political party that will stand for the power of the church is the ‘Tory Party’.

Even judging from Elliot's anti-slavery stance, he probably didn't have a good impression of the opium trade, but Arthur, as a graduate of the University of London, suddenly went to Titus in front of three Whig members. There is something wrong with the ideas of the Libertarian Party and the Church.

Arthur was thinking about how to mention China to Elliot, but suddenly he heard Elliot turning the topic to Lord Dalamo.

"Your Excellency, I remember that you visited Russia last year on behalf of Viscount Palmerston for the Belgian issue? What is your impression of His Majesty the Emperor of St. Petersburg? Is he really as bad as the rumors say?"

When Lord Dalamo heard this, he frowned while sipping tea: "You mean Nicholas I? I... I actually feel that he is pretty good, and he is very polite and gentle to others, so my trip was also very... Successfully. After receiving assurances that Britain would not provide any active assistance to either the Netherlands or Belgium, he readily agreed that Russia would not take the initiative to interfere in the domestic affairs of the Low Countries. "

Baoning asked: "Are you sure that His Majesty the Czar promised not to interfere in Belgium's independence because of his gentle personality and not because he was worried about Poland's problems?"

"Poland?" Count Dalamo curled his lips: "I'm sure it's not because of Poland, because right now he has a more difficult matter to solve."

"What's up?"

Count Dalamo felt funny when he thought of that incident. He smiled and said: "You may not believe it, but now he is fighting a potato war with the rioting farmers."

"There's a famine in Russia?"

"No, on the contrary, the potato war was fought to solve the famine."

Arthur asked curiously: "How do you say this?"

Count Dalamo saw that everyone was interested, so he patiently told all what he had seen and heard in Russia: "You should also know that there are many cold places in Russia, and potatoes are not only a crop. Because of its strong adaptability and high yield, Russia has been hoping to promote potato cultivation in the country since the time of Peter the Great.

But this good idea could not be promoted. Not only could it not be promoted, Peter was even labeled as someone who tried to poison the Russians and make room for the Germans. During the period of Catherine II, she planned to repeat her old tricks, but was met with collective boycott by the Russian peasants, so she ended the matter later.

A few years ago, due to the impact of cholera, there was a food shortage in Russia, so Nicholas I found an old way to promote potatoes. Moreover, his determination this time was greater than that of Peter I and Catherine II. No matter what the farmers say, whether they are willing to plant it or not, you must plant it once the seeds are distributed.

As a result, this policy was conveyed to the local level, and farmers turned a deaf ear to his words. Nicholas I was so furious that he planned to arrest several influential peasants who resisted the decree as a warning to others. But when the local farmers found out about this, they not only refused to surrender to the authorities, but instead beat up the officials sent by the authorities.

Nicholas I sent additional military and police personnel to suppress the rebellion. As soon as the news spread, the violent resistance quickly turned into a large-scale riot. Although the scale of these riots was not large, as soon as they subsided here, other areas where potatoes were forced to be promoted rebelled. This is really crazy. The Decembrist uprising when Nicholas I came to the throne made less noise than potatoes!

So since I visited Russia this time, I no longer believe the nonsense about Russia in the newspapers. The Russian people are not all obedient, loyal and honest people as the newspapers say. Like the British people, they also know how to express their opinions. In my opinion, it is unbelievable that a nationwide riot occurred because of this matter. If the Tsar could really act arbitrarily, how could he not be able to promote even a potato? "

When Arthur heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up. He seemed to have found an entry point.

Arthur said: "I may be able to answer this question. When I was in college, I majored in Russian history."

"Huh?" Earl Dalamo asked, "Am I right?"

Arthur smiled and replied: "Of course you are right, but what the newspapers say is not entirely wrong. The Russian people can be as obedient as the newspapers say, or they can be as knowledgeable about fighting for freedom as the British people are. The difference between obedience and freedom mainly lies in their definition of their own obligations and rights. In the Russian concept, they have a high degree of recognition of reasonable tax payment and military service.

For example, there are two taxes that are easy to collect in Russia. One is a tax to raise soldiers, and the other is a ransom. Because in the history of Russia, they have been fighting foreign wars all year round, and were often attacked by nomadic tribes such as the Tatar Khanate and the Crimean Khanate, so Russians often have the possibility of being captured and sold.

Because of this, in the minds of Russians from generation to generation, paying military expenses and collecting ransoms is a matter of course. And ordinary families usually cannot afford high ransoms, so the tsarist government has to provide them with ransom subsidies. From the 16th to the 18th century, the Russian government's annual ransom expenditures accounted for up to a quarter of the annual fiscal expenditure. Therefore, Russian peasants sometimes refer to the Tsar as 'little daddy'.

In most cases, these Russian peasants were unquestionably monarchists and unquestionably royalists. In traditional Russian culture, they regard the Tsar as God's agent on earth and the head of Russia created by God to manage and care for farmers. They could not imagine any other secular authority except the Tsar, and habitually ascribed all good things to the Tsar and attributed all bad things to God's will or to landowners and officials.

This is a very strange feeling. There are many Russian peasants who believe that the Tsar knows them. If they knock on the door of the Winter Palace, they will get the warmest reception. Their sufferings will not only be heard but understood by the Tsar. Even the smallest details will be appreciated. It was from this paternalistic conception that the peasants felt an intimacy with their prince which was so perfect as to seldom exist in Britain or France.

A historical record I read in college mentioned that when the French Ambassador to Russia, Count de Segur, accompanied Catherine II on a trip to Russia, he was surprised to find that ordinary local rural residents When talking to the Queen, his speech and behavior were not affected at all, and he communicated in a very natural way.

Although they don't know why, these farmers seem to firmly believe that the Tsar wants them to own all the land. However, the Tsar's wish is blocked by the bully landowners and corrupt officials, but one day the Tsar will overcome all obstacles. "

Count Dalamo frowned in confusion and said: "If you say so, wouldn't it be easy to promote Russian potatoes? This is an order given by the Tsar himself."

"No, you got it wrong."

Arthur smiled and replied: "It doesn't matter what the Tsar ordered. What matters is whether the Tsar's order conforms to the traditional habits of the farmers. If they can't understand the Tsar's order from a traditional perspective, they will soon be filled with anger." I guess this is the reason why the Decembrist uprising was not as loud as the Potato uprising.

The peasants probably couldn't understand what the Decembrists were. To them, they might just be a group of rebels with novel slogans. However, farmers know best what crops to grow in the fields. Their ancestors have never grown potatoes for generations, so no matter how tough the Czar's attitude is, they are unwilling to agree. Being on errands and paying for food is a natural thing, but growing potatoes is an absolute no-no. "

When Count Dalamo heard this, he couldn't help laughing: "If it is really what you said, then the situation in Russia is reasonable. But after understanding the reasons behind it, I only think this matter becomes more funny. ”

When Arthur said this, he just laughed softly, and then turned to Elliot and reminded tactfully: "Although I don't have a detailed understanding of China, I think the situation there should be similar to that in Russia." There is a certain similarity. After you take office, maybe you can refer to what I just said and try not to offend things that are beyond their understanding. Take it step by step. This may be helpful to your work. "