The Shadow of Great Britain-Chapter 643 - 316 Departing on Their Own Journeys_2

Chapter 643: Chapter 316 Departing on Their Own Journeys_2 fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

"It’s truly a legendary story," Arthur said with a smile, "Generals of the Royal Navy always have legendary experiences."

Napier shook his head sarcastically, "No, no, no, Gambier doesn’t have such legendary stories. Oh, but I can’t say that either; his story is quite legendary in a certain sense. As a Royal Navy officer, he sat in an office for over a decade yet rose to the rank of Marshal. What could be more legendary than that?"

At this, Napier couldn’t help but sigh, "The reason I joined the Royal Navy was that I heard the environment here was better than the Army’s. Had I known both were equally rotten, I would have followed my cousin to the other side."

"Cousin?" Arthur recalled the current generals of the Army for a moment, then asked, "Are you referring to Major General James Napier of the Army?"

"Correct, the three men of our generation in the Napier family all took an interest in the military. I joined the Royal Navy, and my two cousins went to the Army, one is James Napier, and the other is William Napier, who has also written a historical work on the war, ’The War in the Pyrenees Peninsula and Southern France.’ Have you read it?"

Upon hearing this name, Arthur’s expression suddenly became strange, "That book... I read it during my university days, and if I remember correctly, when it was published, didn’t it cause some controversy in Parliament and among historians?"

Owen also remembered, "If I’m not mistaken, the literary critics unanimously considered the book ’the best French report about the war that had never existed before.’"

Arthur laughed, "If I remember correctly, ’Blackwood’s’ at that time even commented, thank goodness the commander of the Peninsular War was the Duke of Wellington. If the army had been led by General William Napier, he probably would have surrendered to Napoleon directly."

Napier took a sip of tea, "Let them curse if they enjoy it. The men of the Napier family won’t be brought down by a few words. Besides, they should thank us for having enough culture and stomach to bear it. Had it been Cochrane dealing with this, he would surely have taught these folks a lesson."

Arthur asked, "Do you mean that time when General Cochrane was suspected of manipulating the stock market and, instead of cooperating with Parliament’s investigation, led his officers to beat up the investigating committee officials?"

"Not just that," Napier put down his teacup, "Later when the Navy Department sent people over, didn’t he beat them up as well? Those idiots at the Navy Department didn’t think it through. Cochrane, after all, is the person who remained unrepentant in military court, cursing his superior Gambier as ’a coward, a rat in the hold,’ right in front of everyone."

Arthur asked, "But this year, Cochrane inherited his father’s Earl title. Surely his volatile temper must have moderated somewhat?"

"Moderated? You’re really overthinking it."

Napier began, "Now he is clearly worse than before. With a seat in the House of Lords, his words to the Navy Department are of course more assertive. Why else would they be so selective in picking me out if not because they can’t command him?

Alas, they can’t handle Cochrane, but they can handle me! Damn it! If I hadn’t gotten involved with that Steamship Company, I wouldn’t have gone bankrupt and fallen to the point where the Navy Department can manipulate me at will."

"Steamship Company?"

Arthur was about to inquire about what exactly happened, but Owen suddenly had a realization.

Owen said, "So, it was you who invested in that steamship passenger service company crossing the English Channel?"

Napier expressed surprise, "You know about that?"

Owen commented, "Not only do I know, but I’ve also ridden on it. But forgive me for being blunt, the steamship’s speed doesn’t seem much faster than sailboats. The first time was novel, but for long-term commuting, its ticket price is obviously much more expensive than regular sail ferries."

Napier slapped his forehead, "Exactly, even you, an outsider, spotted the problem. Sigh... Looking back, it was also a spur-of-the-moment decision. Ever since I saw that steamboat made by Robert Fulton in New York, I just couldn’t get it out of my mind.

At that time, all of Britain had no steamship companies, and I thought to myself how stupid these people were for missing such a great business opportunity. It was only after I jumped in that I realized there was a reason Britain had no steamship companies. Their speed hardly surpassed that of sailing warships, and most of the time, they still required sails as auxiliary power, plus they were especially coal-consuming. On all accounts, they did not have any cost-effectiveness."

When Arthur heard the name Fulton, he couldn’t help but laugh, "Why are all the generals of the Royal Navy its enthusiasts? General Sidney Smith recommends Fulton’s torpedoes to the Navy Department daily, and Thomas Cochrane likes his submarines, and you..."

Arthur hadn’t finished speaking when Napier’s eyes lit up as he asked, "A submarine? Right! How could I almost forget about that thing. Perhaps after I finish this job, I could consider starting a submarine company?"

Hearing this, Arthur quickly advised, "You might want to hold off on deciding that. Before starting a company, you should probably visit Paris to investigate. If the French haven’t dismantled Fulton’s invention, that submarine he invented should still be moored near the Seine River."

"Really?" Napier took out a notebook from his pocket and noted earnestly, "What’s the name of that submarine? When I’m free, I’ll swing by Paris to have a look."

Arthur replied with a smile, "Fulton’s submarine is called the Nautilus. But I think instead of using it to start a company, you’d be better off writing a novel about it."

Owen also spoke jestingly, "A novel? Then it seems I should join the investigation as well? Who knows, I might get inspired and leave behind an immortal masterpiece."

Arthur shook his head with a smile, "Mr. Owen, you’re already quite famous. The Nautilus should be left for others. Perhaps we should talk more about what prompted you to come up with that nickname for New York in ’The Hodgepodge’?"

"A nickname?" Owen was first taken aback, then laughed, "Oh! You mean Gotham? I just filled it in randomly, it doesn’t mean anything special. If you must find a meaning, well, Gotham means Fool’s Village. But let’s not dwell on that, I didn’t expect you to have read ’The Hodgepodge,’ that magazine must be over twenty years old by now."

As they were discussing, suddenly, Louis pushed the door open and entered the parlor.

He spoke with a smile, "Mr. Owen, Mr. Napier, your departing vessel is ready. Schwaiger & Son’s ships, one is below the Azores, and another is transiting in the West Indies."

Upon hearing this, Owen and Napier each grabbed their wooden suitcases and stood up to take their leave, "Mr. Hasting, thank you very much for this time."

Arthur also stood with a smile, "I’m looking forward to meeting you both again, I wish you a bon voyage."

He watched them leave the parlor under the escort of servants, then suddenly turned to Louis and asked, "Is my carriage also ready to depart?"

Louis nodded slightly, "Today at 1 p.m., you will not be the only one accompanying the carriage, there will also be officials from the Liverpool city council dispatched to London for reporting duties, as well as lobbyists from the Liverpool association. Of course, there will also be a diplomat from the Foreign Office."

Upon hearing this, Arthur straightened his lapel and nodded, "It seems everyone is in a hurry. Let’s head out now, and remember to call Alexander and Heinrich along. Louis, I’ll be relying on you while I’m away from Liverpool."

"Rest assured. However... Arthur, there’s something, I’m not sure if it’s inconvenient..."

As Arthur was putting on his coat and slipping on his gloves, without raising his head he said, "You mean about your cousin, Valevsky?"

"Yes... if you find out his whereabouts, or even better, find him directly, could you..."

"You want to meet him?"

"Yes, but don’t worry, our meeting will absolutely not harm British interests."

Arthur stroked his gloves and looked up at Louis, then suddenly smiled, "Louis, you don’t need to emphasize that to me. When it comes to harming British interests, who can surpass the Britons themselves? Every country’s biggest enemy is itself. If you are to harm anything, it would be the interests of France, oh, and Poland’s too."

"So..."

Arthur pushed open the door of the parlor, "You want to meet, that’s completely fine. But, the condition is... I have to be sure that the bullet behind isn’t fired by him."