The Shadow of Great Britain

182: Chapter 129: The Generals’ First Encounter 182: Chapter 129: The Generals’ First Encounter At that time, the lounge had become livelier than when Arthur first arrived.

As the invited gentlemen and ladies carried their champagne glasses and chatted leisurely in the lounge, Arthur was busy in the courtyard, adjusting the Faraday cage and hand-cranked generator that had just been transported from the Royal Society.

Arthur turned the hand-cranked generator and raised the discharge rod towards the Faraday cage; before long, he saw an electric arc, as thick as a wire, forming between the cage and the discharge rod.

When Arthur had finished adjusting, he was about to wipe his sweat when he realized that three generals had appeared behind him unnoticed.

Without needing further introduction, these were none other than Rear Admiral Thomas Cochrane, Lieutenant General Edward Codrington, and Admiral Sidney Smith.

General Smith, stroking his chin, watched the discharge rod and muttered, “Quite interesting.”

Codrington, holding a glass of red wine, smiled and said, “General Smith, I did not deceive you.

Mr.

Hastings is currently second only to Michael Faraday in electromagnetism research.

Look at that rod producing electric arcs; could just anyone do that?”

Upon hearing Faraday’s name, Cochrane shivered, then frowned and whispered to Codrington, “Hastings’s temperament isn’t as explosive as Faraday’s, is it?

Last time, I merely mentioned using chlorine gas against the enemy, and that made him furiously kick me out of the laboratory…”

This time, before Codrington could respond, Arthur joined the conversation, setting down the discharge rod and saying, “Mr.

Faraday’s temperament is quite good under most circumstances.

He got angry with you because using chlorine gas for chemical warfare is indeed inhumane.

The cruelty and destructiveness of chlorine gas far exceed your imagination.

Moreover, its manufacturing process is not particularly complex.

If you insist on using this substance in war, soon the enemy will also utilize it against you.

If you plan to treat the Royal Navy’s precious sailors as expendable, then by all means proceed, and before long Britain will reap crowds of invalids with lung ailments who can never work again for the rest of their lives.

Moreover, even if you seek to gain a battlefield advantage through scientific and technological means, there’s absolutely no need to resort to chlorine gas.

I believe that Britain’s distinguished scientists are fully capable of supporting the world’s most advanced navy.

Only when the weak challenge the strong do they need to resort to such methods.

If one day, the Royal Navy, which can currently withstand attacks from three maritime powers, were to decline, I believe you, hailed by Napoleon as the ‘Sea Wolf,’ could still exhibit your superb tactical skills to lead us to defeat the enemy once more.”

Cochrane, who was about to get angry, instantly calmed down after hearing Arthur’s words.

He clapped Arthur on the shoulder while holding his wine glass, chuckling at the other two generals, “Look, look!

Scientists are just on another level compared to those brain-dead folks at the Navy Department!

Young man, if you had been the commander during the Battle of the Basque Roads instead of Gambier, we surely would have won.”

Sidney Smith also nodded slightly, “It seems Mr.

Hastings is somewhat more agreeable than Faraday.

When Eld said you were a policeman, I honestly thought you wouldn’t amount to much.

It turns out that not everyone at Scotland Yard is bad, occasionally there are a few decent ones.”

On hearing this, Arthur just smiled and replied, “That’s right, in that regard, Scotland Yard is just like the Royal Navy.”

General Cochrane burst into laughter upon hearing this, his eyebrows raised humorously as he replied, “The same applies to Parliament.”

Hearing this, Codrington burst into laughter, handing one of his two glasses to Arthur and pointing at Cochrane, who was currently serving as a Member of the House of Commons, and then at Arthur, Smith, and himself, he asked.

“So, does this mean that the cream of Scotland Yard, the Royal Navy, and Parliament is all here now?”

General Smith raised his glass to toast with everyone, “Come, let’s have a drink to Scotland Yard, the Royal Navy, and those bastards in Parliament, may they all have good luck!”

With the sound of clinking glasses, the four of them raised their glasses and downed their drinks in one gulp.

After finishing his drink, General Smith couldn’t help savoring the aftertaste in his mouth, “Nice taste, this hawk wine really has a kick!”

Cochrane, intrigued, set down his wine glass, picked up the hand-cranked generator and discharge rod that Arthur had put down, and as he turned the generator to produce electricity, he asked, “Mr.

Hastings, do you think there’s a possibility…

that we could apply this thing to the battlefield?

Like, have each soldier carry one of these generators and advance while releasing lightning at the enemy with the discharge rod?”

Arthur thought about the scenario Cochrane described, feeling as though he had seen something similar before.

After a long silence, as if he had suddenly thought of something, he tentatively asked, “Magnet… magnetic infantry?”

Cochrane, hearing this, pointed at Arthur excitedly and said, “Exactly, exactly!

I read about it in the Royal Society’s journal; the principle of the hand-cranked generator is electromagnetism, so naming it ‘Magnetic Burst Infantry’ doesn’t seem to be much of a problem.

And to think you’ve come up with the name so quickly suggests that my idea might be feasible?”

Seeing Cochrane so enthusiastic, Arthur didn’t want to dampen his spirits and could only gently remind him, “Although, for now, I think the power output from the hand-cranked generator is insufficient for it to be used as a weapon.

Moreover, considering the varied physical conditions of soldiers, not everyone has a strong arm to operate the generator.”

However, I think you might consider proposing exploratory research to the Navy Department first.

For example, temporarily using it to electrocute fish might solve some supply issues for ocean-going fleets?”

Arthur meant it as a joke, but Cochrane took a moment to think and then nodded, saying, “That makes sense, I’ll think it over.”

While Arthur and several generals were talking, Mrs.

Codrington, who had been waiting in the lounge, her temples graying and dressed to the nines, couldn’t stand being left out and rushed out.

Mrs.

Codrington complained, “Edward, all the guests are inside; how can you, the host, run off here to relax?”

General Codrington, scratching his bald head, replied cheerfully, “My dear, am I not helping Mr.

Hastings prepare for the science demonstration?

Don’t you ladies from the Bluestocking Society always want to meet this emerging scientist of Britain?”

“Is that so?” Mrs.

Codrington said with slight skepticism.

“Then what exactly have you prepared for Mr.

Hastings?”

General Smith, putting an arm around General Codrington’s shoulder, his face rosy with a hint of inebriation although the party had not yet started, chimed in cheerfully, “Don’t worry, Anna, your Edward knows how to host guests.

He just handed Mr.

Hastings a glass of Hock to bolster the young man’s courage.”

“What?

Oh!

My God!

Edward, can you not give me a break?”

Mrs.

Codrington, her face filled with concern, lifted her skirt and stepped down the stairs, asking Arthur worriedly, “Mr.

Hastings, I remember you told me earlier that this experiment could be somewhat dangerous.

You haven’t been drinking too much, have you?”

Reassured by her concern, Arthur replied, “Although I’m not much of a drinker, one glass of Hock is no problem for me.”

General Codrington also nodded and said, “See, a young man having a drink is nothing.

I was thinking that once I’m back at the headquarters, I should seek out Mr.

Hastings to be my scientific secretary.

How can one hope for a good career in the Royal Navy if he only knows how to fight but can’t handle his drink?”

Cochrane, overhearing this conversation, followed up sarcastically, “Exactly, if you know how to drink, you don’t even need to know how to fight.

Look at Marshal Gambier; no one understands better than him how to get our former Royal Navy Admiral and Naval Minister, now His Majesty King William IV, blissfully drunk.”

With this, he also patted Arthur on the chest and whispered in his ear, “Young man, if you’d built a rapport a few years earlier with Admiral Sidney Smith, you’d have made a connection when he was still active.

But now, he is nothing but an old man dodging debts.

Do you know why he lives in Paris?

It’s because if he lived in London, he’d be sued by his creditors within days and then Scotland Yard’s police would throw him into debtors’ prison.”

Upon hearing this, Arthur finally understood why Cochrane’s infamy had spread far and wide across South America and Britain.

With a mouth like his, if it weren’t for his father, Earl Donald, and his two brothers serving in the Army and the Navy, Cochrane would have faced more than just being forcibly retired when he got into trouble.

Arthur looked up at the sky that was gradually darkening, and politely asked Mrs.

Codrington, “The time is almost upon us.

Why don’t you call everyone out?

This large experimental equipment is really not suitable to be moved indoors, so let’s have our first scientific demonstration outside today.”

Mrs.

Codrington, feeling a bit anxious, clutched her handkerchief.

Today was her first time hosting a salon dinner in months, especially since she hadn’t expected Mrs.

Copper, who usually declined her invitations, to strangely accept this time.

Mrs.

Copper was a leading figure in London’s upper social circles, and Mrs.

Codrington did not want to embarrass herself in front of her today at all costs.

After much consideration, Mrs.

Codrington finally said, “Mr.

Hastings, didn’t you say you have a science assistant today?

Since you’ve had a drink, to prevent any accidents, why not let the assistant handle the dangerous tasks?

You can take care of the safe ones.”

Arthur, listening, did not object and nodded slightly, “That could work.

Would you please tell Mr.

Eld Carter that Arthur Hastings needs him to step into the cage immediately?”

“Into the cage?” Mrs.

Codrington responded, taken aback, “Oh God!

And here I thought your cage was for monkeys.

Are you sure Mr.

Carter needs to go in there for science?”

Upon hearing this, Arthur felt compelled to clarify, “Madam, you should not speak lightly.

In my view, the contributions of monkeys to science cannot be matched by Mr.

Carter.”