shadow of britain

Chapter 570 The Prime Minister Next Door Grows Up

By realism, I mean an art that not only faithfully depicts the details of reality, but also truly reproduces typical characters in typical environments. The authenticity of the details is important, but more importantly, the writer should use these authentic details to show the typical character of that social environment, so that readers can not only see the lives of individuals from the plot, but also see the trends and contradictions of social development through these individuals. In this regard, the authors of "The Englishman" have always done a good job.

—Friedrich Engels

The small room in the hotel was filled with the sound of banging and hammering.

Perhaps to commemorate the failed but significant Savoy expedition, Garibaldi and others who had been trapped in self-doubt and guilt over the past week used "The Internationale" as a channel for them to vent.

In a small room of less than 20 square meters, Adolphe Nouri, the principal tenor of the Paris Opera, served as temporary conductor, Garibaldi and other young Italian party members served as the chorus, and even the tone-deaf Heine and Dumas spontaneously beat the rhythm for them.

As for Bismarck, the young man was reluctant at first, but under the temptation of the scholarship, he had no choice but to do the job along with Garibaldi's magnetic and infectious voice.

Bismarck singing "The Internationale", how ridiculous is this scene?
The only thing more ridiculous than the guy playing the violin to accompany the Internationale was Arthur Hastings.

Garibaldi and others sang passionately, as if they had endless energy.

Soon, Bismarck could no longer endure this hellish torture and raised his hand to ask to go outside to smoke a cigarette to relax.

The young man's beautiful traditional Prussian values ​​would not allow him to stay here for even a second longer, even with the temptation of a scholarship.

If he took one more breath of the air in the room, he would feel that the Bohemian aristocratic bloodline of the Bismarck family, which had been passed down from the time of Charlemagne, would be tainted by the petty-bourgeois temperament.

Bismarck walked down the stairs of the hotel, came to the street, leaned against the wall, lit his mahogany pipe, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled the smoke.

He looked up along the street and could see students' heads and shoulders sticking out of every window on the street. Everywhere he looked were rows of tacky smoking hats and shapeless robes. As for whether he could see long pipes and shiny tassels through the windows, that depended on how heavy their smoking addiction was.

Yes, just like in London, smoking was also a fashion in Göttingen. Not only those whose names contained "von" like Bismarck followed the trend and learned to smoke, but even those without "von" in their names also loved it.

Only at this time could Bismarck reluctantly accept that he had something in common with most of the students in Göttingen.

But he still wanted to say that smoking does not mean maturity. Although they all have cigarettes in their mouths, most of the people in the windows on the street are childish.

Bismarck smoked silently while greeting friends passing by on the street.

"Hey! Gustav."

Gustav Schuberland, with a sword at his waist, was lowering his head to adjust his duel gloves. He heard someone calling him and quickly raised his head. After seeing that it was Bismarck, he joked.

"Hey, isn't this Mr. Otto, the chairman of our Student Union? I heard from John, the American, that you, the peasant leader, are planning to change your ways and become a citizen leader?"

If someone else said this, it would most likely be a compliment to Bismarck.

But the person who said this was Bismarck's brother in the Pomeranian Sword Society - Master member Mr. Gustav Schuberland.

Therefore, this sentence was almost a roundabout ridicule of Bismarck's intention to abandon the German traditional duel glory of the "Pomeranian" society and instead cater to the petty bourgeois students who were not very interested in fencing.

Although Bismarck had a bad temper, he was not angry with everyone.

In particular, Gustav Schuberland was also a respectable master of swordsmanship. He knew the German swordsmanship master Marcin Lutherner's posthumous work "Light Sword" by heart and successfully applied it in actual combat.

In order to express their respect for him, the lower-level members of the 'Pomeranian' society would usually refer to Shuberan by his nickname, calling him 'Lightsaber' Shuberan.

Bismarck did not want to be looked down upon by Shuberland, so he could only argue: "You don't understand. I have my reasons for doing this. I became the chairman of the Student Union not because I wanted to go along with them, but because I had a grand plan. Moreover, I think that all people in 'Pomerania' should not only not blame me, but should also get closer to me?"

"Grand plans? To move closer to you?"

Shuberan sneered, "Why? Are you planning to turn us into petty citizens who only dare to curse but not to take action? Since the establishment of Pomerania, our motto for more than a hundred years has been to talk less and do more, and never talk if you can take action."

At this point, Shuberan paused for a moment, as if he remembered something. He was stunned for a moment, then laughed out loud, holding his belly: "Sorry, Otto, I almost forgot. You were beaten so badly by the new school supervisor before, I guess you don't have the courage to draw your sword now, right?"

When Bismarck heard Shuberan mention that he was beaten up by Arthur, his face immediately turned red and his neck became thick: "Gustav! If you think you can knock him down, you can go to him and challenge him at any time! He is upstairs in the hotel now, how about I call him down for you?"

When Shuberan heard Bismarck was about to call the school supervisor downstairs, he immediately stopped him and said, "Otto, I am not as confused as you. If I challenge the school supervisor to a duel, if I lose, I will go to the hospital clinic. If I win, I will be put in the school's detention room for a few weeks."

Bismarck glared at him and said, "You actually still think you have a chance to go to the detention room? How many times do you want me to tell you that he is really not a good person. Although he is a bastard, his character has nothing to do with his swordsmanship. He is a genuine Fiore-style Swift Sword Master. Do you know? The famous Paris Sword Master François Bertrand lost miserably to him!"

"Humph..." Shuberan didn't believe Bismarck's words: "The French foil is just a show, and the Paris Swordmaster may not be that strong."

Bismarck argued vigorously: "But he did not use the French foil, but the Italian swift sword. In addition, he also used the English silver sword and the British military saber very well. I am not exaggerating when I say that even with the pointed cane in his hand, he was enough to defeat most people in Pomerania."

When Shuberan heard Bismarck's exaggerated words, he thought that the other party was trying to save face for him: "Yes! Let alone the cane, just seeing the school supervisor's robe he was wearing scared me so much that I threw down my sword and surrendered. You can actually stand under his cane for several rounds. You are indeed stronger than many people in Pomerania."

When Bismarck saw Schuberland's attitude, he knew that he probably could not convince him.

Under normal circumstances, even if he had a good relationship with Shuberan, Bismarck would at least have given the other party a few gashes on the chin after being ridiculed to this extent.

But after all, his identity is different now. As the chairman of the Student Union, Bismarck urgently needs to expand the manpower of the Gestapo.

If he sent those petty-bourgeois students to carry out the tasks assigned to him by the Hastings schoolmaster, no one knew what kind of trouble would happen in the end. However, if these Pomeranian brothers were willing to help, everything would become easy.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this." Bismarck said, "Gustav, do you remember what I just said?"

"What? Big plan?"

"Yes, that's right."

Bismarck extinguished his pipe, cleared his throat and said, "Gustav, in 'Pomerania', you are a highly respected master because of your superb swordsmanship. But what if you graduate, leave Göttingen, and leave us old brothers? Will you still be respected by others? Will you still enjoy the style of being called 'Light Sword' Shuberan? Don't be silly, when you get out into society, those people won't call you by titles like 'Light Sword', they will only call you 'Minister', 'Minister', 'Judge', 'General' and so on."

"I..." Shuberan was stunned by Bismarck's question. The calmness and composure that he had just used to mock Bismarck disappeared, and was replaced by an embarrassed scratching of his head.

In fact, Shuberan had thought about the issues raised by Bismarck.

He is one grade higher than Bismarck and will soon face employment issues.

However, like Bismarck, although Shuberan could barely cope with his studies, he was not the kind of person who could concentrate on studying.

Therefore, even without considering the difficulty of obtaining a university teaching position and the necessary poor life before becoming a professor, Shuberan would not be able to pass the test simply in terms of his dedicated attitude and superhuman learning ability.

If you can't pursue an academic career, then the only option is to go straight to employment.

But what is worrying is that although there are not many college students in Germany, there are even fewer jobs suitable for college students. If they go directly to work, the jobs they do are likely to be jobs that even middle school students can easily do.

In this case, what is the point of going to college?

After thinking it over, Shuberan finally pursed his lips and said, "I think I might join the army. I'm good at swordsmanship and I'm knowledgeable. I'll start as a junior officer and then slowly climb up. Maybe when we meet again decades later, you'll have to call me Mr. Chief of Staff."

Bismarck saw through Shuberland's guilty conscience at a glance: "Come on, don't you know what the army is like? People like me with 'Fon' in my name may not receive special treatment, because my 'Fon' is only plated with a layer of copper, while some 'Fon's are plated with silver, and some 'Fon's are not only plated with gold but also inlaid with diamond edges. Even someone like me with 'Fon' can't guarantee that I can make a name for myself in the army, so what can you do without 'Fon'?"

Hearing this, Shuberan couldn't help but get a little angry: "What can we do? And, Otto! Didn't you want to tell me about your big plan? Is your big plan to show off the "von" in your name in front of me?"

Bismarck waved his hands and said, "I'm sorry, Gustav, I don't mean to hurt you, I'm just stating an objective fact. If it weren't for this, how could you have the patience to listen to my grand plan?"

"So, what exactly is your big plan?"

“My big plan starts with my life plan.”

Bismarck paced back and forth, solemnly introducing his grand blueprint.

"After graduation, I want to take the Prussian national judicial examination, and then use my glorious status as the legal heir to the manor to exchange for a civil servant loyal to His Majesty the King, that is, to be a trainee judge in the Berlin City Court. I plan to intern there for a year, and then go to the provincial government court in Aachen. In the second year, I will take the diplomatic personnel examination again. Then, no matter whether the great god of fate will mercilessly send me to the snowy St. Petersburg or the wild rainforest of Rio de Janeiro, I will happily go there as fate dictates..."

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Schuberland interrupted him: "Otto, my dream of becoming the chief of staff in a few decades is unrealistic, but you are obviously more daring than me! Where do you get the confidence that you can pass the judicial examination, and how can you be sure that you will be assigned to the Berlin Court? As for the diplomatic examination later, I am too lazy to say it. Don't you think everything is too simple? Who do you think you are? You must know that your last name is Bismarck, not Hohenzollern!"

Bismarck sneered and then said, "I'm sorry, Gustav, you know I'm used to talking about myself. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by my petty vanity. Maybe I exaggerated a little about the diplomacy exam, but I didn't exaggerate about the judicial exam at all. I will definitely pass it. And, if you want, you can pass it too."

Shuberan originally intended to ridicule Bismarck, but when he heard the second half of the sentence, he immediately frowned: "What do you mean? You..."

Shuberan pondered for a moment and asked, "Has anyone in your family been transferred to work at the Prussian Ministry of Justice?"

"No."

"Will the next judicial examination questions be set by a friend of your elders?"

"Stop it, leaking questions is a crime."

"Hiss..." Shuberan pinched his chin and took a deep breath. He looked Bismarck up and down and said, "Could it be that your family has arranged a place for you as a trainee judge without taking an exam? I remember that your grandfather seemed to have been the president of the Berlin Court of Appeal? I remember that Professor René seemed to have mentioned your grandfather in class. He must have had a great influence in the Prussian judicial community, right?"

Bismarck coughed and said, "Of course, I don't deny that my grandfather can provide some help. If he were still alive, I wouldn't have to worry so much about the judicial examination."

"He's dead?"

"Well, he passed away two years ago." Bismarck said sadly, "Although my mother said that our family can still find some channels in the judicial system, it is definitely not as convenient as when he was still alive. So, even if I can be selected as a trainee judge in the Berlin Court and then shorten my internship period by transferring to the Rhineland, the premise of everything is that I can pass the judicial examination."

After hearing this, Shu Bolan couldn't help feeling sad.

Although they both majored in law, their prospects were completely different.

Bismarck would be able to rise to prominence as long as he could pass the judicial examination. Maybe the three dogs he raised could be recruited by the court and become trainee police dogs.

Even if Shuberan passed the judicial examination, there was no telling where he would be assigned.

The most likely outcome might be to waste your life in a court in some remote area.

However, there is no point in thinking so much. After all, that kind of "tragic ending" at least means a golden rice bowl as a civil servant. If Shu Bolan wants to go to the remote countryside, he must first cross the threshold of taking the civil service exam.

Schuberland sighed dejectedly. He looked at Bismarck and didn't know what to say. All he could say could only be a blessing: "I wish you a bright future, Otto."

Bismarck saw that Shuberan was about to leave, so he quickly stepped in front of him and said, "Gustav, don't leave so quickly! As long as you get close to me, it will be easy to pass the judicial examination."

"Ah?" Schuberland said self-deprecatingly, "Don't be ridiculous, Otto. I don't have a grandfather like you. The position of trainee judge in the Berlin court is passed down through blood."

"Gustav!"

Bismarck said quickly, "You don't have a grandfather like me, but we have the same dean! Dean Hastings said that the work of the Student Union is a hard experience and hard work. So, if you can do a good job in the Student Union, all the leaders of the Gestapo can get a letter of recommendation issued by the school. Do you know? This letter of recommendation can add points in the judicial examination!"

"This……"

Shuberan's lost eyes gradually brightened up, and his body was shaking: "Are you telling the truth?"

"Of course!"

Bismarck generously opened his arms and said with a smile: "When this good news comes up, the first people I think of are my old brothers in Pomerania! When it comes to talent, there is no one better than us. We all have the same lofty ideals and beautiful traditional values. However, just because our academic level is a little bit worse, we lose out in the competition with those petty citizens. Now, there is finally a way to help us bridge this gap!"

Shuberan thought about Bismarck's words several times, and then he laughed as if he had just woken up from a dream and punched Bismarck in the chest: "Damn it! Otto, I thought you really betrayed us!"

"How could that be?" Bismarck said with a grin, "We are brothers who have seen blood together. Don't you know what kind of person I am?"

As soon as Bismarck finished speaking, he heard a sneer from the side.

"What a shameless young man."

Fortunately, this sentence was said in English, so Bismarck could pretend not to understand it. If it was said in German, he would have to fight with the other party even if he didn't want to cause trouble.

However, although Bismarck had no intention of fighting, he still wanted to see which blind guy dared to challenge him.

He turned his eyes and happened to catch a glimpse of the gentleman standing on the street smoking.

His face looked very familiar, and Bismarck recognized the guy's true face immediately after a simple recollection.

Damn it! This is the British diplomat who did dirty business with Hastings!

He's back from Munich?

Schneider, who was smoking, noticed Bismarck looking at him, and politely took off his hat and smiled: "Good afternoon, Mr. Gestapo. I just heard you say that Mr. Hastings is upstairs. If it's not too much trouble, could you help me call him?"

(End of this chapter)