Shadow of great britain

As Edmund Burke said: good intentions are not enough to constitute political behavior, it is the results that are important. Most historians and politicians hold the same view. Therefore, in historical research for a long time, historians often ignore the failed expedition launched by "Young Italy" in Genoa in 1833.

Even if they occasionally mention it, most of them use it as an example to criticize the immature and unrealistic thinking of the leaders of "Young Italy" such as Mazzini and Garibaldi in their early years. Mazzini originally thought that as long as the expeditionary army raised the green, white and red tricolor flag and shouted the slogan of Italian national independence and unification, the Italian people would join their army with food and drink.

However, from the subsequent situation, this was completely absurd delusion. The uprising failed, and the main reason was "innocent naivety and betrayal by traitors". Objective reality and subjective beliefs are completely disconnected, which is due to their excessive desire for victory and caused inappropriate illusions. The gap between the people in the dreams of Mazzini, Garibaldi and others and the people in reality is too large. All of these inevitably lead to a miscalculation of the situation.

At that time, Mazzini subjectively believed that: in the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont, the people were generally dissatisfied with King Carlo Alberto. The people yearned for freedom, were unwilling to be slaves of foreign countries, and were ready to rise up at any time. Therefore, as long as bold actions were taken, especially with a well-equipped army crossing the border from Switzerland and France into Italy, calling on the people to revolt along the way and receiving positive responses, a chain reaction would occur in the cities and towns along the way, and the troops would grow stronger as they advanced. And Genoa, which had long hated Piedmont, would also participate in the uprising.

Mazzini naively thought: In the face of this double threat, King Carlo Alberto might make certain concessions, just as the British government did a year ago when facing the parliamentary reform riots. In this way, the revolution would break out in the Apennine Peninsula, and the whole of Italy would be on fire.

Before the action, Mazzini once encouraged his companions by saying: "As long as we light a spark with brave actions, Italy from Sicily in the south to the Alps in the north will become a volcano that can erupt at any time."

In most biographies about Mazzini and Garibaldi, it is recorded that the passionate Garibaldi once cheered loudly and waved his sailor hat at Mazzini's words to encourage morale. However, in a recently declassified file of the British Foreign Office, another interpretation of this failed uprising appeared. Behind the brave young Italian members, there is also a calm and well-hidden shadow.

As one of the main promoters of the Genoa Uprising, it is indeed surprising that his identity was not declassified until a hundred years later. This may be due to his sensitive identity and the enormous power he once held. Even if the prime minister's experience cannot be treated with such high-level confidentiality, the head of the famous British intelligence agency enjoys such courtesy.

First he was a legend in Scotland Yard, then he was one of the best offshore balancers in British diplomatic history, the main drafter of countless famous reports, the greatest common divisor between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party, the name of Hastings College, University College London, the most trusted right-hand man of two legendary British prime ministers, the greatest knight in British history alongside William Marshall, a pillar of the country who served three dynasties, a well-known favorite and court elder of Buckingham Palace, born in a humble pigsty in the countryside of Yorkshire, and buried in Westminster Abbey with great honors after his death.

Those who don't like him accuse him of being a treacherous and cunning European conspirator, a public enemy of the European people, the Machiavelli of the 19th century, the lowly British Bismarck, the disgusting London Richelieu, and his moral level even makes Metternich and Talleyrand look as pure as virgins.

However, the quick-talking and straightforward Dumas enthusiastically called him "my good brother, my lifelong good friend", Alfred Tennyson wrote poems for him, Frederick Chopin composed music for him, Heinrich Heine could not bear to criticize him even a word, Charles Dickens thought he was the most outstanding person in the world at that time, Elder Carter was willing to go through fire and water for him, Charles Darwin called him "the perfect form of human evolution", Michael Faraday praised him as "the second Isaac Newton"...

Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to solemnly introduce to you this old friend that the Italian people never knew:

His left foot stands on the territory of the Conservative Party, and his right hand holds high the flag of the Liberal Party. Disraeli is as close to him as a brother, Gladstone is as close to him as a brother, and the leaders of the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party together constitute the two wings of his wings.

His head is full of atheist thoughts, but he always has God in his heart. He exercises the rights of a gangster with gentlemanly etiquette, and he uses a top hat, tailcoat and cologne to cover up the rogue's breath on his body.

No matter how the first place in the annual best lover selection list of "The Brit" changes, he always ranks second all the year round.

His first command appearance was commanding the Scotland Yard police to achieve a "great victory" under the Tower of London, and his last appearance was the death charge in the smoke and gunfire of the Crimean War, and both operations were equally successful.

From abolishing the corrupt military system to establishing the General Staff, from creating the London Police Intelligence Bureau, the predecessor of MI5, to coordinating the establishment of the British intelligence system, from combating the shameful habit of selling official positions to cultivating the permanent civil service system that Britain is proud of, his figure can be seen in every corner of historical documents.

For half a century, he was the first servant of this world empire spanning five continents and four oceans.

Before he came into this world, the British people had nothing except the poorhouse.

After he turned around, the British people had pensions, medical assistance and universal suffrage.

He changed Britain, but modestly insisted that he had only done three small things.

He kindly told the children present at the Royal Society's Christmas public lecture day that his contributions and faults should be determined by history.

But the next day, he listed all the files about himself as the highest level of confidentiality on the official confidentiality list.

This is Sir Arthur Hastings, a rogue gentleman, a rogue knight, the first British civilian who declined the title of nobility three times, the secret liberator of the Italian people, the behind-the-scenes savior of the British people, the contradiction between nobility and meanness, the great, the shadow of Great Britain!

——Romano Ugolini, "The Secret of Italian Unification: The Three Axes of London, Paris and Rome"

Garibaldi and Dumas argued for a long time about the Egyptian port director, but neither of them could convince the other.

But this did not affect the relationship between the two of them at all.

Because in terms of personality, Dumas and Garibaldi have very similar temperaments. Not only are they both republicans, but they also disdain to hide their political views. According to the current laws in France, just the words they said during the short time they met would be enough to sentence them to hundreds of lifelong hard labor.

Dumas and Garibaldi got along better and better, and they drank one glass of wine after another.

The two sturdy men were arm in arm with each other, looking even more intimate than the lovers they had just met.

And Louis, who was a little restrained at first, quickly joined their camp after two glasses of wine.

Under the cover of the penetrating singing of the actors on stage, the three people each held a glass of wine in the box, jumping and singing anti-government political songs. If an ordinary Parisian suddenly broke into the box at this time, he would have been frightened to the point of paleness and weakness in his legs, thinking that he had mistakenly entered a public gathering of terrorists.

But Arthur was not afraid of this, and the reason was very simple. First, he was not French, and second, he was a British diplomat. As a diplomat, even if he was only a second-class secretary, he still enjoyed judicial immunity in Paris.

In other words, even if the three drunkards in front of him were all imprisoned, it would not affect Arthur's normal appointment to Hanover.

If you have to say what impact this incident will have on him, at most it will anger the French government, and he will not have the opportunity to come to the embassy in Paris to serve in the future?

Although Paris is the favorite destination for countless diplomats to serve, because there are endless banquets and charming Parisian girls here, Arthur doesn't buy it.

Although the girls in Paris are indeed prettier than those in London, they are not so pretty that he is willing to attend social dinners all the time.

Besides, there is also the French Academy of Sciences in Paris that gives him a headache. Ampere, Poisson, Gay-Lussac, Coriolis, etc. Looking at these names, Arthur just wants to stay away from them.

I don’t know if Dumas can read minds, or if most of the men’s pocket heads are filled with half-baked things.

Arthur just thought of the difference between Parisian girls and London girls, and Dumas has already started to ask Garibaldi about the customs of Arab girls with a smile.

"Giuseppe, are Egyptian girls really like what is said in the books, wearing black robes and veils all day long?"

Garibaldi did not shy away from this question. He is also a young man with excessive hormones. When he arrives in a new place, he will naturally pay more attention to the girls. And Garibaldi naturally has his own views on the dressing of girls from various countries.

"The way Egyptians dress is very different from that in Europe. Although in Paris, men's clothes are basically the same, with a four-cornered hat on their heads, a pair of black shoes on their feet, and the fabric of their clothes is usually black velvet, there is no specific clothing for everyone. Everyone can choose their own clothes within the scope allowed by customs.

No matter how you dress, you can follow your heart, as long as you pay attention to cleanliness. In Paris, except for very poor people, no one can see fleas or other pests on others. But Egypt is very different. Their dressing habits are a bit strange. Everyone wears uniform clothes, and perhaps because the weather is too hot, they only wear one coat. The more particular ones will wrap a vest, but most people Under the burqa, there is only a vest.

Perhaps because of the lack of water and the dry weather, even the rich people in Egypt do not change their underwear several times a week like the Parisians, so many people have lice or something. And the clothes of Egyptian women are not as elegant as those of French women. Most of them are dressed simply. And there, you can't expect to see the immodest women at the Paris banquet.

However, although the clothes are simple, there is another world under the burqa of Egyptian women. Perhaps because the dress is strictly regulated, Egyptian girls like to wear jewelry, even if these jewelry can usually only be seen by their husbands. Gold-plated earrings, gold bracelets, light silver necklaces, and all kinds of jewelry. Oh, they also like to wear anklets..."

"Anklet?" Dumas suddenly thought of the big iron chain worn by the prisoners in the Bastille. He smacked his lips and said, "Can the girls drag such a thick chain?"

Garibaldi waved his hand and said, "Alexander, you are thinking wrongly. The anklets worn by Egyptian girls are very thin silver anklets, which are different from the styles issued in prison."

Dumas imagined it again, and then drank another glass of wine with a dry mouth. He turned his head and said to Arthur, "Arthur, I think you can suggest Miss Fiona to introduce this project when you return to London."

Arthur came over with a glass of wine: "Come on, Alexander, you can't wear that kind of silver chain, and your ankles are almost as thick as the girls' waists."

At this point, Arthur threw the topic back to Garibaldi without waiting for Dumas to get angry. The old British spy was surprised to find that the topic about women seemed to go well with wine unexpectedly. Garibaldi had to drink a little more and then he could get the next action of the young Italian from his mouth.

"Giuseppe, by the way, since only the husbands of Egyptian girls can see what's inside their robes, how do you know they like to wear jewelry?"

Garibaldi whistled: "This is about the misunderstanding of most people about Egypt. As early as ancient Egypt, there was the profession of dancers. You can find them in many ancient Egyptian murals. And this profession has not disappeared until today. These dancers usually perform dances in temples or noble families. Their clothes are much more revealing than the girls on the streets of Paris, and all kinds of colorful jewelry make them look as brilliant as gems.

By the way, have you heard of belly dancing? That is the specialty of Egyptian dancers. It is said that this dance originated from ancient The religious rituals in Egypt are to show off women's fertility and breastfeeding nature, and to express human beings' infinite worship of life and nature.

The ancient Egyptians believed that the human body was an important part of worshiping the gods, so it was also full of divinity, such as plump buttocks, exposed navels, soft waists, and deliberately shaking "triangle parts". They are all to express their desire for passion and harvest and their awe of human reproduction and survival.

In many high-end restaurants in Egypt, you only need to order a few drinks and a meal to enjoy the free performances of Egyptian dancers. Although the prices of these restaurants are usually not cheap, it's not a good trip to Egypt if you don't take a look, isn't it a waste of time? "