Shadow of great britain

Arthur Hastings's first exile begins. The retired senior head of the London police lives in a luxurious mansion in the small city of Göttingen, although the life here is far less than the luxury of London and Paris. But here he enjoys the same power as a sovereign prince. He was now only twenty-four years old, but he had experienced to the full the hardships and joys, the successes and misfortunes, the eternal shifts of the tides of destiny in a political career.

He has experienced the grace of the powerful, and has also experienced the despair of being down and out. He was once so poor that he even worried about his daily bread. Today, he is extremely wealthy, loved and hated, revered and despised - now as an OBE, special representative of the country and proctor of the University of Göttingen, with a fortune of tens of millions. A millionaire who only obeys his own will and belongs to no one, he can rest at will in the great library in Göttingen, which is famous in Europe.

He took a slow ride in a carriage painted with complicated patterns, visited the nobles of the Kingdom of Hanover, and accepted the loud praises from the small city of Göttingen and the quiet sympathy from London. He no longer had to do that annoying job. Drudge: Dealing with stupid officials and autocratic masters every day. If you saw his contented look and believed it, then Arthur Hastings really felt the comfort of being without an official.

Hastings's memoirs are as unreliable as the man himself. This stubborn man who didn't like to talk much refused to tell the truth until his death. Most people have long tongues to express their thoughts, but Hastings has long tongues to hide his thoughts. He was afraid that others would know his secret, so he took the secret into the coffin so that he would always be a fog in the streets of London, a hazy mystery in the night, and an unpredictable shadow.

But there is one passage in his highly questionable memoirs which suggests that this air of self-satisfaction was a mere illusion - a deep-rooted desire to know everything haunted me, a desire to peep into secrets. The "exile life" in Hanover was extremely comfortable but monotonous. Whenever I encounter this kind of boredom, I am even more unable to get rid of my quirks that I don’t know when I developed it.

According to his confession, his "charm of retirement" did not lie in the soft scenery he glimpsed during his short stay in Paris, nor in the vitality of inspiration gained from immersing himself in the ocean of natural philosophy. Rather, it comes from the pleasure of sorting out newspaper headlines, street rumors, and gossip as complex as balls of yarn, and analyzing them to extract valuable intelligence.

"Relying on reliable friends and loyal messengers, I arranged secret correspondence. This secret communication channel was supported by regular letters of greetings from several friends in London. As for the unexpected visits of Heinrich, Alexander and others, I communicated with Garibaldi and others The still nascent friendship between the members of the Young Italia extended my network to Genoa and Paris, and Sir August Schneider, with whom I have been a close friend ever since. Thanks to the local specialty he brought me from Munich, the Munich lager goes well with pretzels, and the sudden arrival of the Duke of Sussex also made me realize how much I mean to this country and the royal family. It’s not just about taking a bullet, although it’s very immodest to say that, but yes, it makes me secretly proud.”

This restless man was not allowed to carry out official duties, so he used it as amusement. He longed for it when he was not allowed to set foot in Whitehall again. He thought that he would at least have to peek through the keyhole through other people's eyes and eavesdrop on the meeting through other people's ears, especially to see if there would eventually be a chance for him to recommend himself and make a comeback.

This prisoner was not happy to leave the "cell". Others paid bail to get out of prison, but he tried his best, spilled a lot of gold and silver, and racked his brains to come up with plans, just to get himself back to " Prison” in order to squeeze to the gambling table of the history of the times for another round.

——Stephen Zweig, "Arthur Hastings: The Driven Ambition of a Prisoner of Reason"

It was not difficult to persuade Lionel to pay attention to railway investment.

Long before the railway craze started in the City of London, Rothschild had already noticed the huge investment potential behind railway construction.

Britain's first passenger railway, the Manchester-Liverpool Railway, which killed former Secretary of State Mr. Huskisson, was financed and constructed through Rothschild Bank. After the success of this railway, Rothschild, who had tasted the sweetness, quickly turned his attention to the Great Western Railway, which was the largest and most discussed in the railway construction boom, and took Arthur and Dislay with him. Lee and others made a lot of money together.

However, investing in Hanover's railways is not as convenient as investing in British railways.

Rothschild does not lack funds, what they lack is policies that are 100% implementable.

After a railway construction plan is proposed, it must be approved by parliament.

If this were in the UK, Lionel wouldn't even have to spend a lot of money to find out which railway companies would get approval for construction this year, because that's what Disraeli currently serves on the House of Commons Railway and Industrial Infrastructure Select Committee.

In Hanover, Rothschild did not have such resources.

Of course, the absence of resources does not mean that resources cannot be created.

Lionel casually flipped through the construction plan Arthur gave him. For bankers, it doesn't matter how to build a railway. As long as the railway can ensure profitability, someone will eventually build it. It doesn't matter if this German named Liszt can't build a railway. British companies are gearing up one by one. As long as the Hanover government is willing to relent, they can't wait to start work the next day.

Lionel can automatically understand many words without Arthur having to say them.

He closed the plan book and said with a smile: "I knew you didn't call me to Leipzig just to watch an opera. Before I entered the theater, I saw the carriage of the Duke of Sussex outside the theater. This must be the biggest reason why you called me here.”

Arthur didn't hide it either: "His Royal Highness the Duke has a good relationship with His Majesty the King. If we can convince him that building a railway in Hanover is profitable, and then let him forward our ideas to His Majesty the King, then His Majesty can directly give it to Hanover The cabinet ordered to approve the railway construction, but all this must be done quickly before Hanover passes the constitutional reform. If the constitutional reform is passed, the railway construction plan may need to go through the Hanover Parliament again. "

Lionel nodded slightly: "It just so happens that I also plan to meet His Royal Highness the Duke. Arthur, the oil painting "Liberty Leading the People" you got for me in Paris is a good painting and not worth much. The value of this painting is even higher when one considers that it was created during the July Revolution, which cost Rothschild more than 1 million guilders.”

Arthur also smiled and nodded: "Do you think His Highness the Duke will like this painting?"

"Most likely, he will like it. He is the only one in the royal family who has a good impression of the revolutionary ideas. Maybe he will hang this painting in the living room." Lionel put on his coat: "I hope this painting never ends. If his brothers, especially the Duke of Cumberland, see him, there will definitely be a big fight."

After saying this, Lionel asked again: "His Royal Highness should be on the third floor, right?"

"Not only His Royal Highness the Duke, King Anton I of Saxony will also visit tonight." Arthur put away the plan on the table and put these documents into his small bag: "If we are lucky, maybe we can visit again." Build one more railway.”

"How do you say this?"

Disraeli helped explain: "Mr. Lister, the proposer of the Hanover railway construction plan, is a genuine railway expert, and he was also the proposer of the German Customs Union. He also proposed it a year ago There is an initiative to build a railway between Leipzig in the Kingdom of Saxony and the capital Dresden, but there are still differences within the Kingdom of Saxony on the matter of building a railway. Some people think that it is more cost-effective to dig a canal than to build a railway. ”

Lionel immediately sensed a business opportunity: "It seems that we can actually make two deals today."

Disraeli joked: "If two railways were built at one go, how could Rothschild handle such a large financing plan in a short time?" Lionel smiled slightly: "Benjamin, although Frankfurt can't compare with London's financial Center, but don’t forget that Rothschild started in Frankfurt. Even if Frankfurt can’t do it, we can still get support from Vienna, Paris and Naples.”

Arthur led the way and asked: "Leaving Naples aside, are you sure it is a good idea to raise funds in Vienna and Paris? Even the Kingdom of Saxony does not care where the railway funds come from. But from the standpoint of the British Foreign Office, they The Austrians and the French would not be happy to have their hands in Hanover."

Lionel rubbed his brows in annoyance: "Oh, that's true, but if everything goes according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' ideas, then even American funds will have to be rejected."

Arthur heard something was wrong. He stopped and turned around and asked, "American?"

Lionel replied with a slightly showy smile: "I almost forgot that this news has not been announced to the public. But for you, Arthur, I have nothing to keep secret. Rothschild is negotiating with the US government. , if all goes well, we will become the official banker of the US government, responsible for assisting them in managing their investment affairs in Europe."

Arthur raised his eyebrows when he heard this and couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

Unexpectedly, his dream of becoming an Atlantic policeman spanning Europe and the United States has not yet been realized. Lionel took the lead in becoming an Atlantic banker.

However, he was not too discouraged, after all, the two had different starting points.

While Arthur was still raising pigs in the countryside, Rothschild had already begun helping the Brazilian government issue public bonds in London.

Now, although he has not become an Atlantic policeman, he is at least proficient in transatlantic animal breeding technology.

Besides, it’s not like he doesn’t have international loan business.

When Elder was defrauded out of all his money by a woman in Rio de Janeiro, Arthur still stuffed him with a few guineas in his reply.

Arthur led everyone upstairs. Just as the Leipzig police responsible for guarding the third floor wanted to stop him for inspection, the Duke's attendants slowly walked forward and shook their heads slightly at the police.

"Sir, His Highness is waiting for you inside."

Arthur and others followed the attendants to the box.

The theater lights have not yet been fully lit, and the figure of the Duke of Sussex is hidden behind the thick velvet curtain of the box, like a silent statue.

He leaned forward slightly, his hands resting naturally on the carved box railings, his eyes focused and deep, as if he was trying to penetrate the layers of historical dust and interpret the secrets of the painting in front of him.

"Liberty Leading the People" was hung on the wall opposite the box, and the outlines of the characters were vaguely reflected through the dim light, the half-naked female flag bearer, the fluttering tricolor flag, the young man holding a musket, and the smoke in the sky.

The whispers of others outside the box, the occasional footsteps in the theater, and the faint smell of tobacco behind the curtain seemed to be completely blocked by him.

Until the servant called softly: "Your Highness."

The Duke of Sussex woke up from his dream and turned around and said in surprise: "Lionel, Arthur... Mr. Disraeli is here too."

The three took off their hats and bowed slightly: "Your Highness."

The Duke of Sussex waved his hand to signal them not to be polite: "This painting is indeed good, but what I am most interested in is that I heard that Mr. Dumas is also in this painting, but I have been looking for a long time and can't find anyone who looks like him. Where is he?"

Arthur smiled when he heard it: "It's not your fault, Your Highness. When I first got this painting, I also looked for it for a long time."

"Oh." The Duke of Sussex made way and called Arthur over: "Point out who is Mr. Dumas."

Arthur walked forward and pointed to a black spot with a human outline and said: "Look, Your Highness, he is here."

The Duke of Sussex was stunned For a moment, then he stared with wide eyes for a long time, then laughed and joked: "Is this Mr. Dumas? Where were you at that time?"

"Your Highness." Arthur said seriously: "I was at Scotland Yard at that time."

"So the name of this painting should be "Arthur Hastings at Scotland Yard"?" The Duke of Sussex laughed and said: "In my opinion, this painting is far inferior to Mr. Turner's "Rain, Police and Tower of London-Arthur Hastings 1832"."

Sussex smiled and asked several people to sit down: "Okay, no more jokes. I have been busy with the Royal Society and the Electromagnetic Conference recently, and I almost forgot my most important task this time. Arthur, your police reform report has been read by His Majesty the King and the Duke of Cambridge, the Governor of Hanover. But some of the expressions in it are still not so satisfactory."