shadow of britain

Chapter 229 The chameleon is the emblem of politics (4K4)

As night falls, Apsley House is brightly lit in London No. 1 today.

Although no one's name in Britain is louder than that of Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, the number of people attending the banquet today was not too large.

Perhaps it was because the number of people invited by the Duke was relatively small, or perhaps everyone was busy drawing a clear line with the former Prime Minister who stepped down because of his opposition to the Parliamentary Reform Bill. In short, compared with the huge banquet hall, the number of people attending the banquet was small. A little bit deserted.

Arthur stood in front of the window and watched the raindrops that were dyed dark by the night. The finger-sized raindrops shook the lights on the roadside.

He watched a lone pedestrian on the road step across the streetlight, his boots stepping into the puddles, splashing mud, and his figure quickly disappeared into the endless rain curtain.

The red devil stood behind Arthur. The red devil whispered: "Arthur, did you see? On a rainy day, even the shadow will be absent. So, if you don't want to be abandoned, please remember to keep walking. In the sunshine.

Why do you need to come into this troubled water? Your reputation with the Whig Party is also on the rise. It will do you no good to have a relationship with Wellington at this time.Doesn't the position of director of the London Police Intelligence Bureau still win your heart? "

When Arthur heard this, he just glanced at the Red Devil: "I'm just here to have a meal, Agares, why are you so worried?"

"Is that so?" the red devil raised his eyebrows and said: "You have to know that your behavior today may have an impact on your experience in the next ten years. Not everyone has the tolerance to tolerate others, especially when it comes to returning after 30 years of separation. Whig Party in power."

Arthur just said: "If you are just seeking a position, you can go all the way to the end. But if you want to accomplish something, you need to balance the relationships between all parties. Britain is not France, so there is no faction. After they step down, they will be crushed to ashes. Even in France, it will not take long for the crushed faction to make a comeback. This time may be ten years, or it may be 20 years, but it will never be because someone said something about me. If he doesn’t like it, what he doesn’t like will disappear from the world, not even God. God hates demons so much, but Agares, aren’t you still alive and well now?”

When the red devil heard this, he just smiled softly: "Okay, Arthur, since you insist on doing this, I won't advise you. But please be careful, you must not kill yourself. Many people do Because I thought I was omnipotent, when I looked back, I realized that I had reached a situation where I had to die.

You may not believe it, but the greatest love God has for mankind is to give you ignorant bugs the equal right to die.Whether you are the most devout believer or the most deviant atheist, everyone has only one life, and this is very fair. "

After saying this, the red devil turned into a puff of smoke and disappeared into the hall.

When Arthur came to his senses, he lowered his head and realized that the red wine glass in his hand was gone.

He shook his head and said: "I've been talking for a long time, and it's not just to cheat for some food? The Duke of Hell, who commands 31 demon legions, can only do so much."

As soon as Arthur finished speaking, Alexandre Dumas, who had been at the dining table looking at the pre-dinner desserts for the guests to satisfy their hunger and boredom, also came around.

Accompanying Dumas was Vidocq, whose hands were wrapped in gauze and who had planned to kidnap Dumas and return home a few days ago.

Vidocq led Alexandre Dumas to Arthur, lowered his voice and said: "Let's go, I have informed Mr. Talleyrand in advance that he is willing to meet you."

Arthur nodded. He and Vidocq walked together and asked, "Is there anything I should pay attention to later?"

Vidocq thought for a while and said: "Mr. Talleyrand is usually quite easy-going, but there is one thing. He doesn't like others to mention his lame leg. But even if you mention it, as long as you don't use rich attacks He made sexual remarks, but joked in a joking tone, which Mr. Talleyrand usually would not take to heart."

Alexandre Dumas curled his lips when he heard this and said: "I guess Louis XVI, Robespierre, Napoleon, and Louis XVIII all thought so at the time."

Vidocq stood outside the door of the entertainment room, holding the doorknob with one hand, and patted Dumas on the shoulder: "Okay, Alexander, it's just a bunch of dead people, what do they do? But you have to understand, Mr. Talleyrand You are still alive now. And I must be fair, you are a young man, so you have not experienced that era. Compared with the people you mentioned, Mr. Talleyrand is obviously much easier to get along with."

After saying this, Vidocq knocked on the door, then opened the door and introduced: "Your Excellency, Mr. Dumas and Mr. Hastings are here to visit."

Arthur stood at the door and looked inside. He originally thought that this group of big shots across Europe must be talking about some big deal with a glass of red wine. However, the scene in the entertainment room made him feel a little confused.

He only saw a few old men sitting around the card table playing poker. If it weren't for the luxurious clothes they wore, they would be no different from the old men playing chess he saw in the park in his previous life.

Talleyrand raised his head and glanced, then flicked out a J and said: "Come in and sit down, it's just to cancel a wanted order. What's the big deal? Who hasn't been wanted by the government when they were young? Victoria? Doc, aren’t you and I the same?”

When Vidocq heard this, his old face turned red with embarrassment, and he corrected him: "Your Excellency, I have long since changed my ways, and I am now a good citizen of France."

Talleyrand looked at the card table and said: "A good citizen cannot do the job of the police, let alone the security department."

Vidocq's face was covered with sweat. He complimented: "Your Excellency, I am not a wise person like you, so please don't embarrass me. You can talk slowly with Mr. Dumas and Mr. Hastings."

After saying this, Vidocq gently closed the door and ran outside to smoke.

Talleyrand lost his target and soon turned his attention to Alexandre Dumas.

He patted the empty stool next to him and said, "Sit down. I know you young people are in good health, but there is no need to show off in front of an old man like me."

Dumas looked a little stubborn. Although he promised Arthur to have a good talk with Talleyrand, when he came to Arthur, he couldn't let go of the knot in his heart.

After all, the collapse of the French Republic was indispensable to Talleyrand.

Of course, correspondingly, Napoleon's defeat was also the same.

Seeing his appearance, Arthur just shook his head, and then pushed his friend to sit on the bench. He smiled helplessly and said: "Your Excellency, don't be offended. You are a French republican. You should know that." .”

Talleyrand just smiled when he heard this: "It's nothing. Alexander's behavior is just like his father. But I have to say, Alexander, I don't like your father, but I don't hate you yet."

Alexandre Dumas didn't want to talk to Talleyrand at first, but when he heard this, he couldn't help but turned around and asked: "Why?" Talleyrand hit another pair of 5s: "I always think that you can't trust a person who is not mature before the age of 30. Nor should a republican trust a person who remains a republican after the age of 30. You now belong to the former, and your father belongs to the latter."

Alexander thought about these words and asked: "Why...why is this?"

When Arthur heard this, he just opened his mouth and added for Talleyrand: "Because people who are not republicans before the age of 30 have no conscience, and people who are still republicans after the age of 30 have no brains."

Talleyrand couldn't help laughing when he heard this. He said to his old friends at the card table: "See, I said it, a good citizen cannot be a good policeman."

When Alexandre Dumas heard this, he couldn't help frowning and asked Arthur: "Then do you have a conscience?"

When Arthur heard this, he neither said yes nor no. He just replied calmly: "Alexander, fishing law enforcement is my job. Do you want to join Scotland Yard?"

Talleyrand was so amused by them that he even put down the poker in his hand, and he said: "When Vidocq told me that he had discovered a talent at Scotland Yard, the first thing I thought of was Fouche. That bastard without conscience or emotion, but now it seems that you and Fouche are nothing alike.

If it were Fouche, he would have already tied up this fat boy Alexander and made a private deal with us.But it's good not to be like Fouche. After all, the situation in Britain and France is different. Maybe a guy like you can do better here than him. "

Friends on the side heard this and cheered: "Young man, you are really lucky today! So far, our Mr. Talleyrand's prediction has a [-]% success rate. He said that Napoleon will fall. Napoleon collapsed. He said that Robespierre could not achieve anything, and sure enough, Robespierre lost his head. Talleyrand, you were a bishop when you were young. Did God tell you these things?"

Talleyrand also joked after hearing this: "Of course, God told me. You may not know that when they elected me as their patriarch, I warned them: sooner or later you will regret it! At that time, everyone They all thought I was scaring them, but now they know how powerful I am."

Friends also laughed when they heard this: "Really? Then what language do you use when you talk to God?"

Talleyrand laughed and said: "Of course it's Spanish. Don't you remember what Charles V said? To communicate with God I speak Spanish, with women I speak Italian, with men I speak French, and with me The horses speak German.”

Arthur heard this and added: "It's not that troublesome to communicate with the devil. Whether it's English, French or German, you just need to speak human language."

As soon as Arthur said these words, the whole room burst into laughter again.

Although Arthur didn't know why these people were laughing, he was just stating a fact, but it was always regarded as a joke.

Agares, who was leaning on the card table in the entertainment room eating jelly beans, heard this and just said: "It's okay if you don't speak human language. Monkeys and I can still communicate. I mean, if you are willing to admit If you were a monkey."

Arthur glanced at him and was about to speak when Alexandre Dumas, who was sitting next to him, finally couldn't hold it in any longer.

He said: "I want to ask a question."

Talleyrand raised his eyebrows and said: "Tell me, since I am willing to see you, I am not afraid to talk to you about problems. I have problems everywhere in my life, and I don't have many questions like yours. However, I guess what you want to ask is nothing more than Those are the ones, why did I betray Napoleon, or why did I rebel against the Republic? These things actually make my skin crawl, which one are you going to ask?"

"I'd love to hear both, if you'd like to answer."

Talleyrand put one hand on the card table and sighed: "Originally, I wanted to say something happy at today's banquet. But since you insist on listening, I will tell you.

Regarding the Republic, I had already expressed it in 1792 - the old belief in monarchy collapsed, but the new idea of ​​freedom was not widely accepted. I saw that France would fall into a sea of ​​blood, that would be a country without justice. , only the age of violent beasts.

Facts have also proven my opinion. I can say to you very seriously that the reason why you can stand in front of me is because the person sitting in front of you is Talleyrand.If it were Robespierre sitting here right now, your head would have moved by now. "

Alexandre Dumas frowned and said: "I am a republican."

"Oh, is it?"

Talleyrand smiled and said: "Dandon, Marat, Brissot, Hébert, Desmoulins, etc., these people are all republicans, and even Robespierre himself was sent to the guillotine. You Is it because I object to their indiscriminate killing of people if they don’t like me?”

When Alexandre Dumas heard this, he held it in for a long time and finally said: "I think with your ability, you may be able to correct them."

Talleyrand just shook his head: "Maybe you still overestimate me. I always feel that when making a choice and taking sides, we must first understand whether the side that suits us is enough for us to win. There is no such guarantee. To go in was to be crazy. And at that time, it was clear that everyone was going crazy, and no matter which side you joined, you were destroying yourself."

"So that's why you went abroad during that time?"

"of course."

"Then how do you explain your betrayal of Napoleon later?"

When Talleyrand heard this, he just said: "I did not betray Napoleon, but Napoleon betrayed France. I warned him not to launch an expedition against Russia, but he insisted on doing so and brought the entire French nation to Destruction. In this case, is there any problem with me finding a way out for all the people of France in advance?

Napoleon left France with hordes of orphans and widows, collapsed national finances, and a stagnant domestic economy. But I at least obtained surrender conditions for France at the Congress of Vienna that included no ceding of territory, no indemnities, and no return of the spoils previously plundered.I didn't want to ask for credit like this, but Alexander, if you insist on saying how much benefit Napoleon brought to France, I don't agree.

But you're a young man, so I don't blame you because you didn't live through that turbulent period.In the past half century, I have seen too many people who claim to be able to save France.But have you really thought about what they ultimately brought to France?
During those 30 years, everything was filled with capriciousness, and there were many moral principles everywhere. However, behind those moral principles was a life of cruel killings that could not be seen to the end.The people who starve to death are left unattended, the families of fallen soldiers do not receive pensions, the streets of the city are overgrown with weeds, and there are always wars but no one truly wins.

In those 30 years, France was always saved by various people for various reasons. I have long been used to it.But fortunately, that era has passed. However, Alexander, your next sentence is very important. You'd better think about it carefully before answering.Are you going to tell me that you're going to be next? "

(End of this chapter)