shadow of britain

Chapter 616: True and False Imperial Envoy
In the early morning of Druisk, the air was filled with the scent of moist earth, and the quiet little town welcomed a grand scene it had never seen before.

In the distance, dust was raised on the road outside the city, the sound of horse hooves roared, and the snow on the ground was swept away. The team rushed towards the small town like a torrent.

The sound of wheels and the neighing of horses intertwined as they gradually approached the city gate. Even the villagers on the roadside stopped what they were doing and cast their curious eyes towards this spectacular team.

Following a deafening sound of horse hooves, the first thing that came into view was a group of cavalry.

Their uniforms were mostly made of dark leather and coarse cloth. Their breastplates, shoulder pads and leg armor gleamed coldly in the sun. The short bows, quivers and pistols hanging around their waists exuded a calm deterrent force.

Each cavalryman had a metal chain hanging on his chest, and the ornaments on his shoulders shone with gold and silver, as if marking their identity and honor. Many people also had feathers on their hats, which swayed gently with the pace of the horses, exuding a wild and unruly temperament.

A well-dressed cavalryman walked in front of the team. He was wearing a high-quality leather robe embroidered with golden patterns, symbolizing his high-ranking status in the cavalry.

Citizens either stood on the streets or leaned against their door frames, discussing in low voices this famous cavalry unit.

"Look at their attire, they are so majestic!"

An elderly businessman who traveled extensively all year round stopped his neighbor, pointed at the cavalrymen, and whispered, "These are not ordinary cavalrymen. Look at the scimitars in their hands. They are Don Cossacks. I bet you that each of them is a hero who has killed countless people. Even the leather armor they wear has been tempered through years of fighting and is as hard as iron!"

"I've heard of it, I've heard of it," a young carpenter interrupted, rubbing the wooden box in his hands. "The Cossack cavalry are no ordinary soldiers. In battle, they ride very fast, and with a swing of their scimitars, they can chop the enemy into straw!"

"Yes, scimitars..." The old businessman nodded, his mouth corners slightly raised, as if recalling the past: "These Cossacks are not only good at fighting. They have one of the most violent tempers. They will draw their swords when they see someone they don't like. Look at their eyes, they are cold and don't seem like they are easy to mess with."

A woman nearby pulled at her apron and interrupted with a hint of worry, "You say, with these Cossacks coming to Druisk, should we ordinary people be careful too? I heard that the Cossack cavalry all come from the border areas. They are not afraid of anything and might really do something outrageous."

She turned her eyes away from the cavalry and towards her own corner shop, feeling a little hesitant.

"Don't worry, don't worry." A young man wearing greasy workman's clothes shook his head and said with some comfort in his tone: "Our place is quiet, nothing serious will happen. The Cossacks all follow the emperor to fight. If they really come here, they will definitely go to the front line right away and have no time to care about us ordinary people."

"You mean to say that we are going to fight again? With whom? The French? The Swedes? The Poles?"

The citizens were still discussing in fear, but the leading cavalryman had already stopped riding, dismounted, opened the door, and announced loudly: "Imperial Envoy, Pavel Andreevich Barkov has arrived!"

Barkov stepped out of the carriage, and the air on the street seemed to freeze.
They looked up at his gorgeous military uniform, with golden five-pointed stars and thick gold tassels on the epaulettes, symbolizing his noble identity and a status that could not be ignored.

Barkov had a cold and stern temperament, and his steps were as firm as iron. He glanced around, and all the street scenes seemed to have become the background in his eyes, with only his presence occupying the entire field of vision.

The colonel's eyes swept across the streets of Druisk with a stern expression on his face.

His arrival seemed to shock the entire street.

In front of this stern figure, the garrison commander Captain Potemkin seemed increasingly uneasy. He quickly stood at attention, took a deep breath, stepped forward, and whispered, "Sir, I, Captain Potemkin of the eighth rank of the Army, respectfully salute you." His voice trembled, and the awe in his words was evident.

Barkov just glanced at Potemkin coldly, without much emotion in his eyes: "Potemkin? What an ugly name. Are you the commander of the garrison here?"

"Yes, sir, it is me." Potemkin lowered his head, almost bending to the ground, and his voice was trembling and almost inaudible.

Sir, he hasn't said this word in formal occasions for several years, because in Russia, only officials above the fifth rank are worthy of this title.

The five-pointed star on Barkov's shoulder and the gold tassels on his shoulder straps already revealed his identity - Army Brigadier General!
This is an out-and-out fifth-rank official who has already stepped into the threshold of a senior official.

Barkov did not respond. Instead, he took out his pipe and turned to walk towards a roadside inn. In the air, he left only one command that was enough to make Potemkin tremble: "Call all the officials in the city before I finish this pipe."

……

The morning sun shone into the house through the gaps in the curtains. Mayor Bakalkin and his wife were sitting on the sofa in the living room.

The mayor's wife glanced at the silver teapot beside the table, lifted her complicated hairstyle, and said proudly: "Look, Alexei, our hospitality is really impeccable. That young man, Hastingoff, has been showing you admiration in every way recently. I know that if we serve him well, this trip will definitely be worth it. You will definitely soar to the sky in the officialdom in the future."

She gently picked up the teacup, her eyes full of pride and fantasy: "When he returns, he will definitely give you a high position. Not to mention transferring you to big places like Petersburg and Moscow, at least don't let you stay in a mountain valley like Druisk. Even if he transfers you to the provincial capital, you can be the director of the tax bureau. Oh! For our family, it is a godsend to be able to meet such a noble person."

The mayor took a deep breath, and all the fatigue in his body was swept away. A bit of vanity appeared on his face. He whispered, "Yes, ma'am, you see his demeanor, he is really extraordinary. Such opportunities can only come to us a few times in our lifetime. I can't wait to see what kind of opportunity he will find for me when he returns."

When the mayor's wife heard this, she suddenly whispered to herself, "If you really become the director of the tax bureau, it will not only bring you promotion, but also make our family's business and industry more prosperous. Think about it, isn't this what we want?"

The lady was completely lost in fantasy, her eyes sparkling slightly, and she seemed to have already planned her life for the next ten years in her mind - not to mention anything else, just the increasing number of properties, the opening of businesses, and the palace-like mansions were enough to intoxicate her.

Suddenly, she frowned slightly, and while adjusting her overly gorgeous shawl, she whispered to the mayor: "Alexei, I'm thinking, we finally got in touch with such an outstanding person as the colonel. Although it's good to get help once, do you think it's possible for us to turn it into a long-term relationship?"

"Long-term relationship?"

Bakalkin was not stupid, he immediately understood what his wife meant. He secretly glanced at his daughter who was sitting in the living room in the distance. She was leaning against the window, looking down at a French book, with a look of contemplation and anxiety on her face.

He said, "It's God's will! I've never seen Marina study French so hard in my life."

The mayor's wife rolled her eyes. "I told her to learn French and German fluently, but she just wouldn't listen. You know, when I was her age, I was one of the most talented women in Vitebsk. But our daughter, although she is beautiful, has fair skin and clear eyes, the only shortcoming is that she has stayed in a small place for too long, so that there is something wrong with her mind. She only thinks that marrying the postmaster will lead to a good life. She doesn't know that if she learns French and German well, she can stay in St. Petersburg and Moscow, which she has always loved, and not have to stay in the countryside like her mother. Now she has met a person like Colonel Hastingoff, and she has difficulty chatting with him because he only speaks German and French. Now she is starting to get anxious!"

Bakalkin retorted, "Although Marina's German and French are not so good, she is not like those worldly girls. She has a unique temperament and is a bit unique. She can be shown off even in the salons of St. Petersburg and Moscow. At least I took her to the banquets in the provincial capital, and she never embarrassed me. Even the provincial governor said, 'I never thought that a man as strong as a bear like me could give birth to a daughter as beautiful as a lark.' Besides, Colonel Hastingoff is not the kind of person who sticks to details. If he speaks German and French not so good, he can learn them slowly. And young people, how can they not like beautiful girls?"

The lady snorted and poured cold water on her husband: "That's right, men all like beautiful girls. But how could a young and handsome man like the colonel be interested in only Marina? Look at his demeanor, his bookish air, his bright future, his sophisticated way of dealing with things, and he can even talk about science and music. Which girl wouldn't want to get close to him?"

Bakalkin listened and nodded without comment, but a hint of uncertainty flashed in his eyes: "What you said makes sense, and how can a person like the colonel only care about our family's business and promotion? However, I think we should take it slow and not be too hasty. If we can really make this marriage happen, our family's future status will be different. I will definitely not be a sixth-rank official in my lifetime, but if I can have a son-in-law who is a sixth-rank official, that would also be... Or, let's settle for the next best thing, what do you think of Captain Huet?"

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"Captain Huette?" The lady recalled Huette's cold and unapproachable face. "Oh, I don't like it, but Marina might be happy about it. This stupid daughter of ours always likes to put her face on someone who doesn't like her. She was like this with the postmaster before, but now she's made progress with the captain of the military police!"

Suddenly, there was a sound of hurried footsteps outside the door, and the servant came in hurriedly, reporting breathlessly: "Master, the imperial envoy is here!"

"Is Colonel Hastingoff up?" The lady quickly straightened her clothes and lifted her skirt. "Take the hot breakfast in the pot to the dining room, and brew a pot of the colonel's favorite black tea, with sugar and milk."

Bakalkyn saw his wife stand up and asked, "Where are you going?"

"Of course I chatted with the colonel." She raised her eyebrows and said, "You don't understand. Men always like women who can talk to them about elegant topics. You also know that he is not an ordinary officer. I have to make him understand that Druisk is not just a country woman. My temperament is unique and is definitely not worse than those high-ranking women in Petersburg."

Upon hearing this, the servant said in a panic, "It's not Colonel Hastingov! It's Master Pavel Andreevich Barkov! He just got off the car and is at the city gate. He ordered Captain Potemkin to summon all the officials in the city, and said that if he couldn't see anyone within a pack of cigarettes, he would send the Cossacks to 'invite' the masters to come."

"Balkov?" The mayor was stunned for a moment, then almost shouted: "Sir!"

The mayor's wife frowned, with a hint of displeasure in her eyes: "Balkov? Don't we already have an imperial envoy? Why is there a new one?"

There was an impatient tone in her voice and the slightly raised eyebrows showed that she obviously did not like the news that disturbed her quiet morning.

The mayor was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot, walking around the living room with his hands behind his back. "Something is wrong! It's only been a few days, how come two imperial envoys came? Is there something serious? The old one hasn't left yet, and a new one has come. How can we deal with this?"

"How to deal with it?" The mayor's wife sneered and pursed her lips slightly. "Isn't it just an imperial envoy? What's the big deal? Isn't Colonel Hastingov here? Alexei, you are a useless person. With the colonel here, what can't be handled?"

The servant hurriedly explained, "Madam, that's not the case. The new guy is a brigadier general! A fifth-rank officer who is higher than Colonel Hastingoff!"

The lady didn't take this to heart at all. She still looked nonchalant and continued to stroke her carefully groomed hair. "Brigadier General? So what? Even though he is a Brigadier General now, Colonel Hastingoff's talent is admired by even the people in the palace. Although Colonel Hastingoff is young, he has a bright future ahead of him."

However, how could the mayor dare to take it lightly?
After all, from a bureaucratic perspective, although Arthur is indeed young, the gap between the sixth rank and the fifth rank is as huge as the gap between the ninth rank and the eighth rank.

No matter how promising Colonel Hastingoff is, he is still far behind a brigadier general.

The mayor hurried to the window, looked through the half-open window at the group of officials and guards running all over the street, and couldn't help feeling anxious.

"Let's go and discuss it with Colonel Hastingoff." The mayor frowned and said in a low voice.

As soon as he said this, he felt that he had no confidence, but this matter did not seem like something that could be dealt with just by passion: "I hope that the new imperial envoy can be gentle for the sake of the colonel."

(End of this chapter)