shadow of britain

Chapter 500: Diplomacy is a dangerous profession
The smoking room in the east wing of the Draisaitl Mansion is private and comfortable, designed for gentlemen to enjoy a cigar or a glass of liquor after dinner.

However, since most people's attention was focused on the dance party at this time, the smoking room that was crowded not long ago was now deserted.

Arthur leaned his back against the heavy walnut door, and a faint aroma of tobacco mixed with the scent of wood wafted in his face, making people feel a sense of tranquility and relaxation.

Schneider, standing opposite him, was admiring a pastoral landscape hanging on the dark green velvet wallpaper, holding a glass of amber Scotch whisky in his hand.

He listened quietly to Arthur's narration before he slowly spoke.

"An expedition to Italy? It sounds interesting, but can you find out which city they are planning to start the uprising in? Even if we don't know the specific city, at least we need to know which country they want to start the uprising in. Is it the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the Duchy of Tuscany, the Papal States, or the Kingdom of Sardinia?"

Arthur crushed the butt of his cigar in a silver ashtray, leaned back in his leather armchair and spoke.

"Although we don't know their destination yet, I think it won't be difficult to find out. If they are determined to launch an uprising, they will have to gather people, purchase weapons, and raise supplies. In the final analysis, they must first solve the problem of money. It was the same when I was handling cases in Scotland Yard. If I had no clue about the case, I would check the bank account and recent bills of the parties involved, and I would always find big surprises."

"Well, that makes perfect sense."

Schneider nodded slightly and said, "But the difference between diplomacy and police work is that detectives can openly look through the financial accounts of the parties involved as long as they file an investigation application with the magistrates' court. But unfortunately, diplomatic incidents usually do not occur within the country, so in most cases we can only play dirty. Stealing, robbing, cheating, and other methods that are enough to get a death sentence in China can be used in the diplomatic field. Of course, the premise is that you must not be discovered."

Arthur suddenly said, "Fred thought the same thing back then."

"Who's Fred?"

"It turns out that the thief general from the East District was sunk to the bottom of the sea by me."

"Arthur." Schneider looked at the younger brother strangely: "Are you mocking the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a gangster's lair?"

"No, that's not what I meant." Arthur loosened his collar. "Although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Fred both seek to exercise control and influence within a certain range, the existence and activities of Fred and his followers are not protected by law."

At this point, Arthur raised his glass and clinked it with Schneider's: "This is a toast to the French government."

Schneider smiled and replied: "And to the Austrian government."

Arthur took a sip of the spicy whiskey, put down his glass and continued to introduce his grand plan to Schneider: "As you said before, it is impossible for us to directly investigate Mazzini's private activities abroad. We have neither the power nor the ability to do so. After all, we can't just break into every bank in Paris and ask them at gunpoint whether Mazzini has opened an account here..."

"No no no."

This time, before Arthur could finish, Schneider interrupted him and said, "We really can't do this. It's not in line with diplomatic etiquette, nor is it in line with the upright style of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But just because we can't do it doesn't mean others can't do it. The hooligans in Paris are just as violent as the hooligans in London, and they're also cheaper than their counterparts in London."

Schneider thought that the diplomatic tip he taught would impress Arthur, but unexpectedly Arthur suddenly shook his hand with an expression that he felt that they had met too late.

"August, you and I are so in tune with each other. Maybe it's because we once soaked in the same pool at Nightingale Mansion, so even our thoughts are the same."

"Have you hired a gangster?" Schneider heard Arthur's words and immediately put the half-pulled business card back into his pocket. "You are indeed a former policeman! Arthur, your brain is much more flexible than those young people who have just finished their education at the Bar or university. You know, young people who have just graduated always talk about laws and regulations. If you teach him with good intentions, he might sell you out to his superiors. Only when he gets frustrated himself, he will understand what is truly useful."

Arthur thought he would have to choose his words carefully if he wanted to explain the bank fraud to Schneider.

But what he didn't expect was that this German-British man understood "tolerance" far more than ordinary people, and was even more morally vacuum than real British officials.

In addition, this person is a long-term customer of Nightingale Mansion. Arthur, who holds the handle, has always been frank with such emotionally stable friends who only care about interests.

So he quickly revealed Victor's fraud plan.

Of course, Arthur deliberately omitted the part about the contact with the French royalists. After all, sending the royalists out of the city was different from paying attention to the young Italy. The former did not benefit Schneider at all, so his position on this issue was hard to be trusted.

Schneider drummed his fingers on the coffee table, and his darting eyes revealed what he was thinking.

"Excellent! A fake bank, and one that is completely controlled by you. If Mazzini and his gang want to transfer the funds for the uprising out of France, they will definitely not concentrate them all into the accounts of those big banks. After all, these big banks are usually monitored by the governments of various countries. Therefore, they will most likely use the trick of ants moving their houses to transfer them in batches, divide them into multiple accounts, and divert them out from different small banks."

Schneider stood up with his hands behind his back and paced back and forth, saying, "The only problem now is how to make Mazzini trust us and make him willing to transfer money out of this bank..."

"This is very simple."

Arthur took the lead in proposing his idea: "I can contact Mazzini on behalf of the Paris Intelligence Station of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and tell him that we are willing to provide him with some sponsorship to maintain friendship. This part of the sponsorship will be paid quarterly and all from the bank we designate. According to the information I have received, Mazzini and his men will soon be expelled from France. At that time, unless they don't want the money, they will definitely take the initiative to come to our door to inform us of their next destination. As long as we know where they plan to go, the fact that these people are purchasing large quantities of supplies locally cannot be concealed."

Schneider's eyes lit up when he heard Arthur's suggestion: "What a genius idea! I will report to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately. Viscount Palmerston is trapped in the poor mountains and bad waters of Portugal and cannot get out. He must want to find something for Metternich of Austria to do, in case Austria will join forces with the Russians to feast in the Ottoman Empire while we are too busy to deal with it." Arthur couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he saw that Schneider's attitude was so positive.

With the endorsement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the last bit of worry about bank fraud is gone.

Even if the truth is finally revealed, the British government will have to punish him for the sake of face, but it will be the same as the treatment during the Reformation riots, a cold treatment that is a downgrade in name only and a promotion in reality.

When everyone forgets, Sir Arthur Hastings will return as soon as lightning.

After finishing the political task, Arthur felt more relaxed. He joked with Schneider, "By the way, August, why did you appear at this banquet? Do you have a personal relationship with the Draisait family?"

"Me?" Schneider answered casually while considering how to draft the proposal document: "I worked as a clerk in the Paris Embassy for two years, and then as a second-class secretary for another year. That was when I met Mr. Dresset..."

At this point, Schneider came back to his senses and turned to look at Arthur, saying with an ambiguous smile: "By the way, have you heard about Miss Dresset? Arthur, don't tell me that you came to this party just for work."

"That's not the case. Even a workaholic like Viscount Palmerston can find time in his busy schedule to flirt with the ladies of the Allmark Club." Arthur leaned back in the armchair with one hand supporting his head. "August, I am also a human being, not Jesus Christ."

"That's true." Schneider stroked the stubble on his chin, "And your spare time is as rich as mine."

When Arthur heard this, he said with a double meaning: "Oh, I almost forgot. Although I am not Jesus, you really played Judas."

Schneider understood and said, "My good brother, I thought that matter was over. Besides, you have already whipped me. Now we are loaches tumbling in the same pit."

"Am I that slippery?"

"Of course, you are much more slippery than an ordinary loach." Schneider suggested, "But although you have forgiven me magnanimously, in order to make up for my mistake, I will never steal your limelight tonight. Arthur, go ahead bravely, the rich woman of the Draisait family, a dowry of 100,000 francs is waiting for you."

Boom boom boom!
There was a gentle knock on the smoking room door.

Schneider stood up and opened the door. The visitor outside was an unexpected person.

It was none other than the graceful Miss Emily Delysert, who had waited in the main hall for Arthur but could not find him, so she had her servants look around for him before finally confirming that he had been 'marinated' in the smoking room for half an hour.

When Schneider noticed the young lady's visit, he immediately greeted her cordially: "Oh, ma'am, do you remember me?"

As the most outstanding girl in the Draisaitl family, Emily has always had a good memory. Not only can she remember every novel she has read, but she can't forget the titles on her business cards for ten years.

"Mr. August Schneider?" Emily folded her hands on her stomach and bowed slightly. "I haven't seen you for several years."

"Haha." Schneider didn't know whether he was smiling for real or fake. He took off his hat and said, "Thank you for your concern. I didn't mean to leave without saying goodbye. It was just that I had to return to London for work and was left there by accident."

"Ah..." Emily's eyes reflected the light of the crystal chandelier: "So, you got a promotion?"

"It can't be called a promotion." Schneider said modestly, "I just changed the place to continue serving the British people."

Emily's eyes revealed confusion: "British people? But I remember you are not German?"

"Uh..." Emily hit Schneider's sore spot. What he hated most in his life was being called a German, and it was particularly painful for him to expose this in front of a beautiful lady.

Schneider defended himself: "Miss, I don't mean to refute your point of view. But I must point out that there are factual errors in your words. My father is German, my grandfather is German, and my entire family is a German family. However, I, August Schneider, moved to London when I was 10 years old. I lived in London for much longer than in Hesse, and completed my secondary school education in Westminster. My blood is German, this is undeniable, but culturally speaking, I am already a thorough British.

If you insist on thinking that I am a German, then by this logic, Napoleon cannot be considered a Frenchman. Because he was born in Corsica, and when he was young, he was a Corsican separatist. And the status of Corsica in France is like that of Ireland in Britain. But even so, who in Paris today would say that Napoleon is not a Frenchman? This shows that when people judge a person, they don’t look at where his blood flows, but where he finally achieves success. ”

Seeing this, Arthur also stood up to defend his colleague, saying, "August is right. From what I know about him, whether it's personal cultivation or hobbies, there are not many more British guys in London. Take whipping for example, even an orthodox British tough guy can't withstand ten lashes of the cat-of-nine-tails whip, but August can actually withstand twenty."

"Nine-tailed Whip?" Emily was shocked. She covered her mouth and said, "Oh, my God! I thought the job of a diplomat was very safe. I didn't expect that you would have to risk your life?"

Schneider blushed and said, "Of course! In the world of men, dangers can occur everywhere, and the diplomatic world is no exception."

"That's right." Arthur added, "If you were there, you would have cheered for August's courage. He remained calm when facing five or six shirtless guys. He took so many beatings without even a word of complaint. He even had the courage to challenge them and said that this was far from enough."

(End of this chapter)