shadow of britain

Chapter 16 The Examination System of the Royal Navy
The weather today is obviously not as good as yesterday, the sky is foggy, there is annoying light rain on the street, and there is a dampness that seeps into the bone marrow everywhere.

If it was the past, Arthur would definitely point to the sky and curse a few words before going out.

But now, he doesn't care, not at all.

Well, at least, that's what he said.

An ordinary pub in the East End of London, where the all-night party has just ended.

The waiter didn't even have time to clean the wine and oil stains from the table, and the lame table, half missing a leg, was occupied by two new guests.

Among the two guests, one was a strange guy named Kuo Shao with a pipe in his mouth, wearing a sailor cap, bloomers, and big-toed shoes.

As for the other, it was even more strange.

Another guest was holding an unopened bottle of wine in his left hand, a nearly new pipe in his right hand, a lively mixed-haired rabbit tied with hemp rope on his shoulder, and a pair of freshly bought wine from the store in his trouser pocket. playing cards.

He stared straight at the waitress until his face turned red and hot, and then asked politely, "Ma'am, can I marry you?"

Seeing this, Kuo Shao finally couldn't bear it anymore and yelled.

"Arthur! What the hell are you doing? You don't look like a gangster at all, you look like a fool! Fuck you, your handsome face is so white! Have you forgotten how I just said Teach you? Get out of the way, I'll do it!"

After finishing speaking, Kuo Shao, the geek, walked up to the waitress in person to demonstrate for Arthur.

His playful eyes looked back and forth between the other's chest and face, he lifted the other's chin with his fingertips, and then said in a flirtatious tone: "Little girl, are you interested in playing with me?"

"Go play with your mother, bastard!"

A crisp sound.

There was a clearly visible palm print on Elder's left face.

The waitress pinched her waist and pointed at Elder's nose and cursed angrily: "You messed with the wrong person! How dare you come to touch my old lady's head? Haven't you heard about your grandma' Pepper Penny from the drunks nearby? 's name?"

Elder crouched on the ground covering his left face, he screamed in pain.

"Fuck! She's a bitch, why is she so strong?"

Arthur glanced at the tray full of beer glasses in the hands of the waitress, and shrugged innocently.

"I think a person who can hold twelve pints of beer with one hand, even if she is a petite and lovely lady, her strength should not be small."

"Shut up, Arthur!"

"You don't seem to be any better than me, at least I didn't get beaten."

"Aren't I showing you a demonstration?"

"Wrong demonstration?"

Elder almost couldn't catch his breath when Arthur said a word.

He held back for a long time before he opened his mouth and said, "Arthur."

"what happened?"

"It's a shame that you went to the history department."

Arthur really liked his words, he nodded and said, "I think so too."

"If you come to the classics, you will be a great writer sooner or later. Shelley? Byron? Neither of them are worthy to lift your shoes. You are the real master of satire."

"Elder, you are really flattering yourself." Arthur said modestly, "I usually think that I can keep pace with them, not much better."

"Are you serious?"

"Of course. But the premise is that what you said before has to be serious."

Elder raised his hands: "Okay, okay, I surrender. Let's sit down and eat something. You called me out early in the morning in the rain, you didn't come here to argue with me, did you? "

"That's not true. I just want to ask about your future arrangements. Don't I really have to do anything before sailing?"

Elder leaned his head back on the seat, put one leg on the table, and almost kicked the oil lamp down.

"That's not enough. Although the management of the Royal Navy is loose during the rest period, since it's your first time on board, you should be given some basic training.

For example, teach you how to use a sextant to identify the heading, what kind of wind will blow in which sea area in which season, let you understand the basic structure inside and outside the cabin, probably something like that.

But that doesn't matter, anyway, most of the work on board is left to the sailors and officers, as long as you don't learn too badly.

Because after you finish your studies, the Admiralty may conduct a few simple assessments on you.

If you fail the assessment, then you will be in big trouble. "

Arthur ordered a bowl of mashed potatoes, and he asked as he ate, "That sounds quite formal. Why is it different from what you described to me before? Didn't you say that the Royal Navy is a corrupt and nepotistic society?" Serious garbage organization with rigid regulations?"

Elder rolled his eyes and said: "Unfortunately, Arthur. Although the Royal Navy is a garbage organization, I have to admit that it does have some advantages."

"for example?"

"For example, the officer selection mechanism of the Royal Navy."

"Didn't you say that most of the people selected are related households? By the way, I almost forgot, your uncle is a rear admiral of the Royal Navy.

That being the case, why don't you get an officer Dangdang.Navy Captain Elder, listen to this title, he is so handsome. "

Elder snatched the wine beside Arthur, snapped out the cork with his hand, and took a sip with his head raised.

He scolded: "You're handsome! What's so handsome about a navy captain? This is just the lowest rank among formal navy officers."

Arthur joked: "It's cooler than Patrol Constable Arthur, isn't it?"

"That's true." Elder laughed loudly: "But you are no longer the patrolling constable Arthur, but the naturalist Arthur."

"You haven't told me why you didn't become an officer."

"Of course it's because of my age. If I really made up my mind to go to the navy, I should have gone to naval school when I was 12 years old. After a year of training in school, I would go to the Navy as a cadet. Six years of trainee training on the ship. During these six years, I have to do basically all the work on the ship. Arthur, do you think this is like a human life?"

Arthur thought for a while, and replied: "It's really hard. But if you can become an officer, six years of hard work are worth it, and it will be fine when you get through this period."

"Oh! Arthur, what are you thinking? After six years of service, you don't necessarily become a naval officer. Some people can't even be an acting second lieutenant after six years of service.

And the most important thing is that all military cadets have to return to the Admiralty to take the exam after six years of probation. Only those who pass the exam can become full-time officers of the Royal Navy. Those who fail can wait to switch to the merchant marine.

The passing rate of that exam is appallingly low. If you have no means at home, even if the means are slightly soft, don't worry about passing. "

Arthur asked: "In this case, why do you still say that this is the advantage of the Royal Navy?"

Elder took another sip of his wine, and he had already drunk half of Arthur's wine by now.

"Although this exam depends on connections to pass, it doesn't matter if you have no skills. What's more, even if the person who passes the exam is no good, he has been working on a ship for six years since he was a teenager. This is much better than those real wastes who are pampered on the shore."

Arthur still had some doubts: "Is there no one who can be so hard as not to take this test?"

Elder shook his head solemnly: "This is the rare advantage of the Royal Navy. Do you know Prince William? He is the king's son, but he also has to work on the ship for six years and then pass the exam before he can be awarded the rank. The Admiralty Usually stiff ones are like medieval antiques, but that’s the only thing I approve of them.”

"Then why didn't you go to naval school? Isn't your uncle a major general?"

Elder rolled his eyes and said, "How did I know that he would become a rear admiral later? When I was 12 years old, he was only a colonel. If I had known that he would climb so fast, I would not have been stubborn back then. gone."

(End of this chapter)