shadow of britain

Chapter 451 Commercial Director in China
In the small hotel, Vidocq and Arthur were smoking cigarettes almost face to face.

The two just sat there saying nothing, and the situation seemed unsuitable for their cheerful talk.

Although these two best detectives in the French and British police circles were perfect in most cases, this time, both of them clearly miscalculated.

What kind of guests would book a room in a modest hotel on a Thursday afternoon? What was their purpose in opening the room?
This is a topic worthy of study.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with not studying nature.

Benefiting from the poor sound insulation of this small hotel, Arthur and Vidocq already knew the behavior of the guests at this moment, even without confirming it with their own eyes.

Needless to say, there is no need to mention Balzac and Madame Bern next door. They are naturally here to revise the new work Balzac has just finished. Of course, in addition to modifications, some other activities are also needed as entertainment.

For those guests whose main job is not writing, their purpose is obviously even simpler.

Although the afternoon sun has been blocked by thick clouds floating in the sky, the air in the room is more manic than before.

Vidocq was smoking calmly, and he joked to Arthur, who was sitting opposite him: "Brother, don't tell me, you have never encountered this kind of situation when you were at Scotland Yard before."

Arthur shrugged and said: "Of course I have encountered it before. In our industry, don't we just like to pick such moments to strike? However, this is the first time that we are surrounded by men and women having affairs from all directions. Mr. Vidocq , Is today a good day in Paris? The business of a small hotel can be so good. "

Vidocq lowered his voice, arched his waist and smiled: "Brother, you don't know this. Every working day when the husband is away from home is a good day for Parisians."

Arthur joked: "Does this happen every day? In other words, Parisians are really energetic. When I first came to Paris, Alexander told me that eating asparagus can strengthen my body. I didn't believe it, but today in Paris My experience finally convinced me. Although I don’t know the scientific principle, facts speak louder than words.”

Vidocq was overjoyed and said: "You come to my house another day, and I will ask the cook at home to prepare you some asparagus to replenish your health. If you eat jelly in London, you have to eat asparagus in Paris. How do you say that, in Rome? , you have to act like a Roman, you have to do as the Romans do, right?”

Arthur did not refuse Vidocq's invitation. He had always been interested in this veteran in the detective world: "Of course you have to eat asparagus, but what I want to know more is, how did you look at it two days ago? Do you know that this hotel is a gathering place for these sneaky cats? "

Hearing this, Vidocq couldn't help boasting: "Maybe you will be unhappy if I say this. But brother, this is the difference between you and me. I just need to stand in front of a person and observe him for a few times. I can immediately tell what the guy's sexual orientation is, whether he likes men or women, whether he is a liar, a sexual pervert, or a gambler. This skill was learned when I was in prison when I was young, and when I joined the security department, I learned it. In order to strengthen this ability to see people, I also spent a few weeks among these people and observed their behaviors.”

Arthur asked curiously: "Mixed among these people? Gamblers and liars may be easy to find. You can easily meet a bunch of these little losers as long as you mix into a criminal group, but you can't find people like sexual perverts and homosexuals." Where did we meet? Are Parisians open enough to tell others about their sexual orientation? The crime of sodomy has been outlawed here? "

"No, of course not. In Paris, as in London, sodomy is punishable by death."

Vidocq held his pipe in his mouth and said: "But the death penalty does not mean that no one is engaged in this kind of business. At least I know that there is a gathering place for male prostitutes at the pier on the right bank of the Seine. You can find them from time to time in the area from the Louvre to the Place Bridge. They were there. I was among them, observing how they looked for business partners and how they extorted and extorted customers after the transaction. They threatened that if they didn't pay twice as much, they would go. The police accused the two of committing sodomy together, and then they were hanged together."

At this point, Vidocq reminded again: "By the way, the young man who walked into the house opposite us before was a homosexual. I could tell at a glance. If you don't believe it, I will give him to him in a moment. Fish him out and negotiate a deal with him. You just need to rescue me at the right time. Of course, if you are willing, we can make a deal with him. However, I don't really recommend that you do this. There is not much money, and our first goal should be to punish those fraudsters.”

Arthur's eyes were opened by what he heard, and he asked lightly: "Does your wealth come from those fraudsters?"

Vidocq laughed: "Brother, what do you think I am? I am now a serious businessman."

Arthur looked at the cunning in Vidocq's eyes, but he didn't know how to figure it out.

Whether it's Scotland Yard or the Paris Metropolitan Police, everyone has some not-so-good sources of income.

For senior police officers, there are naturally various trade associations who come to ask for money, but for those front-line police officers, they usually come to ask for money themselves.

At least as far as Arthur's experience is concerned, when he was working at Scotland Yard, he handled many cases of extortion by frontline patrol officers.

Most of the people who are being ripped off are these black industry practitioners who have been manipulated.

Of course, it is not always possible to bribe the police. Except for those two types of people with extremely high moral character and those who are extremely profit-minded, whether most police officers accept bribes mainly depends on whether they want to be promoted or make a fortune recently.

Arthur was about to chat a few more words with Victor, but unexpectedly there was a low voice talking in English outside the door.

"The East India Company sent a message to the country a while ago, saying that China has learned that they have lost their exclusive rights to trade with China. Therefore, the governor-general of Guangdong and Guangxi asked us to send someone as soon as possible to replace the chairman of the East India Company's Guangzhou Committee to prime the British trade with China. matter?"

"It is indeed true. This is not the first time that the governors of Guangdong and Guangxi have asked us to send special personnel to take charge of trade matters. Viscount Palmerston and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs believe that this may indicate that the Chinese have loosened their attitude towards foreign trade, so he is now We are stepping up our efforts to identify suitable candidates for the newly established position of Commercial Director in China.”

"Who do you think will have a chance? Does the Foreign Office intend to transfer someone directly from the East India Company's administration, or does it choose an experienced officer from the Department of War and Colonial Affairs?"

"The news is not clear at the moment, but I heard that Lord William Napier has the best chance to take on this important task. He has a good personal relationship with Viscount Palmerston, and the Viscount has great trust in him. Moreover, Lord Napier was still in the royal family in his early years. He has served in the Navy, participated in the Battle of Trafalgar as a trainee officer, and later served as General Thomas Cochran's deputy, so there should be no doubt about his ability."

"Hmm... Napier? What is his relationship with General Charles Napier, who just helped the Portuguese liberals and Queen Maria defeat the usurper Miguel in the Battle of Cape St. Vincent?"

"William Napier is his cousin. By the way, the Napier family also has a brother serving in the army. Major General Charles James Napier is stationed in Manchester and is in charge of the army garrison in northern England."

"It's no wonder that Viscount Palmerston has indeed selected a very suitable and suitable candidate. Both brothers are very influential in the army and the Royal Navy. I think that in this way, the Colonial Affairs Department should not object to the appointment of William. ·Lord Napier is appointed as the Director of Commerce and Trade in China. However, although Lord Napier has proven his leadership, his experience in serving in the Royal Navy does not mean that he can handle commercial trade well. Perhaps the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should assign him a new one. Just the right deputy to handle day-to-day matters.”

"Don't worry, Viscount Palmerston has already thought about it. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has assigned him a good trade commissioner secretary."

"Who?"

"This is the person we are going to meet today, Mr. Charlie Elliot. He also served in the Royal Navy for many years, especially in combating the slave trade along the coasts of Africa and Jamaica. He performed extremely well. After retiring from active service as a colonel, , and was assigned by the Ministry of Colonial Affairs to serve as a colonial official in Guyana for many years. Maybe you are not familiar with this name, but you probably know his brother.”

"Sir George Elliot?"

"Haha, I didn't expect you to guess right right away."

"This is not a difficult question. There is no second choice for Elliott, who is currently popular in politics. His Majesty's Royal Attaché, and the former captain of the Portsmouth base flagship 'Victory' , a rising star of the Royal Navy who had already stood out during the Napoleonic Wars, and his combat performance in Southeast Asia has been even more outstanding. If my guess is correct, he will be promoted soon, right?"

"If nothing else, that's probably it. I did hear some news from St. James's Palace that Sir George Elliot has become the favorite to be the next Secretary of the Admiralty. As long as he Once he proves his ability in that position, the door will be open to him at the Royal Navy Commission."

Arthur originally just stood inside the door and listened quietly, but the names of acquaintances popped up one after another in the conversation outside the door.

He had met General Charles Napier when he was in Liverpool. This retired rear admiral of the Royal Navy left the port for Portugal under his arrangement. With the strong support of Queen Maria and her father, Emperor Pedro I of Brazil, Served as Commander-in-Chief of the Navy of the Kingdom of Portugal.

From the conversation just now, it can be seen that General Napier seems to have done a good job in Portugal. He helped the Portuguese liberals wipe out the maritime power of the autocrats. But for retired generals of the Royal Navy, this is nothing too novel.

After all, before Napier, 'Bomb Ship Maniac' General Thomas Cochran and 'Swedish Knight' General Sidney Smith had already helped South American countries defeat Spain, helped Sweden annihilate Tsarist Russia's Baltic Fleet, etc. .

As for Sir George Elliot, he can be regarded as an old acquaintance of Arthur.

The first time the two met was at a private banquet hosted by General Codrington. When Arthur was awarded the title of 'Sir,' it was Elliot who stood beside the king and held the knight's golden spurs for Arthur. and cloak.

When he thought of this, Arthur turned around and winked at Vidocq, indicating that he wanted to go out for a walk.

As soon as Arthur opened the door, he saw a rather familiar face, or to be more precise, it was one of his division commanders - John Lambton, Earl of Durham.

In Britain, whenever the Lord is mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind is not what he has done, but that he is the son-in-law of the Prime Minister, Earl Grey. His identity with Earl Gray is so dazzling that most people forget that this lord himself is by no means an ordinary person.

All in all, this is an old Whig who stood in the same trenches as Arthur's mentor Lord Brougham for most of the time: supporting the Catholic emancipation movement, supporting parliamentary reform, supporting free trade, and supporting universalization Educated, helped found the University of London, advocated the removal of all legal barriers to non-conformists.

Because of this, Arthur and Lord Daramo actually met quite early. He had already met this liberal representative nicknamed 'Radical Jack' when he was studying at the University of London.

However, what impressed Arthur most about this part-time teacher who occasionally came to campus to give speeches was what he heard when he chatted with Count Duramo in private.

At that time, Earl Durham told Arthur quite naturally: "I think 40000 pounds per year can be called a middle income, an income that can lead to a stable life."

Such remarks naturally shocked Arthur, whose annual expenditure at that time could reach 20 pounds. Even until now, Arthur has not reached the middle-income level described by Lord Daramo.

However, Lord Durham's income of 40000 pounds is not a boast, because this guy has an identity that most people in the world would not envy - the founder and chairman of the British New Zealand Company.

Since the New Zealand Company was established in 1825, it quickly controlled most of the commercial institutions throughout New Zealand and monopolized the local trade in luxury goods such as linen, wood, and pearls.

Such wealth allowed Count Daramo to retire early at the age of 41.

As the prime minister's son-in-law and one of the key members in drafting the parliamentary reform bill, he could have continued to hold an important position in the cabinet, but he chose to leave politics early.

As for the reason, it is very simple. He feels that someone has stolen his credit for the parliamentary reform process. For such a man who is not short of money, leaving a name in history has become the only pursuit. However, his goal has been ignored by everyone. This makes Lord Daramo feel insulted, so he decided to leave the parliament shortly after the completion of the reform. He submitted his resignation to his father-in-law, Earl Gray.

Earl Gray has always been worried about the behavior of his radical son-in-law. Especially after the riots over parliamentary reform last year, the Whig party also began to reflect on whether its own behavior was too radical. So when a radical representative like Lord Dalamo proposed to resign, Earl Gray immediately approved it.

Of course, Count Daramo's departure was quite honorable. Just like Arthur was knighted when he left London, Earl Daramo was also knighted when he left London. He was originally just a baron, but now he is an earl.

Just as Arthur discovered Count Durham, so Count Durham discovered Arthur, an outstanding graduate of the University of London.

He opened his eyes wide, and soon there was a smile on his face. He walked forward and patted Arthur's shoulder affectionately: "Oh, Arthur, why are you here?"

Arthur took off his hat and greeted, "Sir, I heard that you are not in good health. Are you here in Paris to recover?"

Count Durham laughed and said: "Indeed, I have an old problem with migraines. As long as I stay away from London and the Palace of Westminster, my health will immediately improve. Do you think this is strange?"

Arthur laughed and said: "Actually, I'm the same. I had a hole in my heart in London, and it immediately grew out of my heart as soon as I arrived in Paris. Do you think this is strange?"

Count Daramo also understood what Arthur meant. Most likely, this young man was teasing the guys in the cabinet and parliament for their lack of conscience. Why did they dump him to Hanover like this?

Also being ostracized, Earl Dalamo had some sympathy for Arthur.

And on the other hand, Count Daramo was quite grateful to this student from the University of London for successfully stabilizing the situation in London on June 6th.

If the riot that day expanded into an uprising, then Count Daramo, who had been advocating for parliamentary reform and personally drafted the parliamentary reform bill, would certainly not be able to escape the liquidation within the party.

He comforted Arthur and said: "Just because some people have no memory does not mean that everyone has no memory. Arthur, you are a good person. I have read all the Fleet Street reports. Those reporters either don't know the inside story or It’s just pretending to be confused. With the situation in London that day, you have spent almost everything in your position.”

When Arthur heard this, he felt a little relieved.

He never thought about what kind of promise Earl Durham would make to him, but he had to show himself to all the British political figures he met as much as possible. After all, Hanover is not located at the foot of the Palace of Westminster and Whitehall Street, and he does not have an elder brother like Sir George Elliot or a rich heritage like the Napier family.

Therefore, if you don't create some ripples face to face, these guys might really forget about themselves one day.

He didn't want to spend the rest of his life hiding in a hotel with Vidocq and spying on other people's affairs.

Having said this, Earl Durham introduced Arthur to his companions: "Come, Arthur, let me introduce you to him. This is Mr. John Bonning, a member of the British Unitarian Association." Foreign Secretary. He also served as editor-in-chief of the Westminster Review. He and Mr. Bentham are also old friends. "

Hearing this, Arthur smiled and shook hands with Sir Bonning: "I have heard Mr. Bentham mention you before, but what interests me most about you is that Mr. Bentham said that even if you are not the most beautiful person in the world, An outstanding linguist must be among the top three. You seem to be able to speak two hundred languages. Is this true? "

Baoning had a good impression of the student from the University of London in front of him. He smiled modestly: "Mr. Bentham really praised me too much. I have not yet mastered two hundred languages. I am only in my early one hundred and can communicate fluently." There are about 60, but being able to read and write 200 languages ​​is definitely my goal.”

Arthur originally just wanted to joke with Baoning, but what he didn't expect was that the other party actually mastered such a large number of languages.

Even if Arthur were asked to count on his fingers, he might not be able to count 60 languages, but the other party could actually communicate in 60 languages.

Seeing Arthur's surprised expression, Baoning couldn't help but smile and asked: "I remember that the University of London should have offered courses in Greek, Latin, French, Spanish and German. When you were studying there, you learned Which ones?"

Arthur blinked: "Greek and Latin are compulsory subjects in school. I also minored in Spanish and French. This time, in order to prepare for my new position in the Kingdom of Hanover, I learned some German unexpectedly. But I don’t speak fluently yet.”

At this point, Arthur suddenly mentioned: "By the way, I also know a little bit about Chinese."

When Count Dalamo heard this, he smiled and said: "Really, Arthur, do you understand Chinese? You must have heard the conversation between me and Baoning before, so you said such a sentence, right?" "

(End of this chapter)