The Shadow of Great Britain

497: Chapter 265: Meeting with the King 497: Chapter 265: Meeting with the King Astley Theatre.

Guided by a royal attendant, Arthur arrived at the door of the royal box on the third floor.

After handing over his police sword and pistol to the guard at the door, the attendant finally gently knocked on the box door.

The door was opened by Sir George Elliot, a royal naval aide-de-camp who had previously met Arthur at General Cordington’s banquet and was Captain of George III’s flagship, Victory, at Portsmouth’s Royal Naval base.

He smiled and ushered Arthur into the box, bowing as he said, “Your Majesty, Arthur Hastings has arrived as summoned, according to your instructions.”

Arthur bowed slightly with his left hand forward and his right hand clasped behind his back, saying, “Your Majesty.”

King William IV’s cheeks were flushed with drink by this time, but far from making him drowsy or listless, it seemed to invigorate the old sailor even more.

He raised his glass to Arthur and asked, “Young man, I just heard from the Duke of Wellington that you’re not only a master of swordsmanship but also a young man of great talent and initiative.

You’re currently in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Greater London Police Department and also single-handedly established the basic structure of the London Police Intelligence Bureau?”

Arthur replied with a light smile, “I’m honored by your high praise, Your Majesty, but I have merely fulfilled the responsibilities assigned to me by your lords.”

King William IV asked with a hearty laugh, “Quite modest, aren’t you?

How long have you been working at Scotland Yard?”

Arthur replied, “I joined Scotland Yard in September 1829, and have been in service for just over two years.”

King William IV eyed the St Edward’s Crown Badge on Arthur’s shoulder.

Although he was not clear about the rank structure at Scotland Yard, he could still infer from the epaulette that Arthur’s position corresponded to that of an Army Major.

Considering the rank of Colonel held by Charles Rowan, the head of the Greater London Police Department, he quickly grasped what Arthur’s approximate rank at Scotland Yard might be.

The 66-year-old king couldn’t help but exclaim, “You’ve reached this position in just over two years?

Your rate of advancement is no less impressive than my own days in the Royal Navy!

How old are you this year?”

Arthur replied softly, “21 years old.”

“21?” King William IV laughed and said, “That’s a bit slower than me.

I joined the Royal Navy at age 13, finished training at the Royal Naval Academy in Greenwich and went on to serve in North America as a midshipman at the age of 15, returned to the Navy Department at 20 after my apprenticeship and passed the final examination to become a regular Royal Navy officer, and at the age of 21 was promoted to Navy Colonel, earned the qualification to command an escort ship, and was once again sent to serve with the West Indies Squadron in North America.”

Hearing the old king talk about his illustrious past, Arthur understood what he wanted to hear.

Arthur replied with a smile, “I know of your experiences, Your Majesty.

I have a good friend who serves in the Royal Navy, he’s an ardent admirer of Horatio Nelson.

He knows not only the stories of General Nelson himself but also keeps a notebook with the resume of you, his close comrade in arms.

If I’m not mistaken, the ship you commanded in the West Indies Squadron was the Orion, an escort ship?

Later, you were promoted to Rear-Admiral in the Royal Navy and reassigned as captain of the battleship Conqueror?”

King William IV, pleasantly surprised that Arthur knew of his past, couldn’t hide his delight, especially as a king who had often been overlooked before his ascension.

He asked, “You know about the Orion and the Conqueror?”

Arthur replied with a soft laugh, “I know a bit about the Conqueror; it’s a famous ship in the Royal Navy that participated in the Battle of the Nile Delta that made Nelson famous throughout Europe.

If I recall correctly, to prevent Napoleon’s plan to invade Egypt, Nelson led thirteen battleships in the southeastern waters off Alexandria and formed a line of battle in Aboukir Bay to decisively engage the French Navy.

Nelson’s famous Royal Navy ships, the Goliath, Zealous, Orion, Theseus, and others were all part of that fight, and naturally, the Conqueror you commanded was among them.

In that battle, Conqueror displayed exceptional bravery, using its powerful firepower and tactical command to overwhelm the French battleship Conqueror.

The aftermath of this battle solidified Nelson’s unshakeable position in the Royal Navy, with astonishingly zero ships lost while decimating eleven of the French battleships.

The Royal Navy suffered only 218 casualties, as opposed to the 6000 wounded, killed, or captured French, truly a respectable and outstanding victory.”

Talleyrand, who stood by, quipped while swirling his glass at the table, “Mr.

Hastings, when you speak of these matters, you might want to consider the feelings of this old man here a tad more.

But you’re right, the victory is indeed respectable.

One Battle of the Nile and one Battle of Trafalgar, Nelson managed to make our fleet commander Villeneuve look like a fool.

Even Napoleon himself was powerless against Nelson; following the Battle of the Nile, he stood there dumbfounded with the battle report, mumbling incessantly, ‘Is my navy finished just like that?

Is it destined for destruction in Egypt?’

And after the Battle of Trafalgar ended, perhaps out of a hero’s admiration for another hero, Napoleon, while grieving over the fatal blow to the French Navy, ordered all ships of the Empire to display portraits of Nelson, saluting this adversary while also encouraging the Imperial Navy to emulate Nelson’s valiant spirit.”

Upon hearing this, the Duke of Wellington took a sip of wine and said, “I think what he did to Villeneuve was unfair.

Napoleon’s actions were tantamount to publicly humiliating Villeneuve.”

Talleyrand shrugged and responded, “There’s nothing to be done, that’s just his temperament.

He is indeed an outstanding general and possesses many traits of legendary figures.

I have never denied that he is the most unique and charismatic character of the era, but he is far from flawless.

Indeed, his shortcomings are almost on par with his merits.

“As Bernadotte summarized very aptly, ‘He is greater than all of us.

But God punished him because he only believed in his own wit, driving his colossal war machine to the point of exhaustion.

However, everything has its reversal, as has always been the case throughout history.’

“Most of Napoleon’s admirers have never had direct contact with him.

Anyone who has dealt with him wouldn’t like him.

He is the kind of unique individual that, when you hold a book and read about his experiences, you feel your blood boil and would almost die for him.

But only by having closer interactions with him would you understand that he is a man of extreme arrogance, someone who would disregard anybody for fame and recognition.”

“As he said himself, ‘The scabbard belongs to France, but the blade belongs to me.’ And the reason why I opposed him so much was simply to tell him that his way of thinking was wrong.”

Arthur listened silently to the conflicts and stories of these significant figures from the last era, pondering for a long time before ultimately deciding that it wouldn’t be appropriate to share Napoleon’s sexual preferences that he had learned through unconventional channels in such a setting.

King William IV, upon hearing these words, could not help but exclaim, “Speaking of that era, it was indeed a century of dramatic changes.

The greatest regret of my life is not having followed Nelson in the Napoleonic Wars.

If God were to grant me such an opportunity, I would even forsake the Crown, willing even to die on the battlefield.”

The Duke of Wellington, on hearing this, hurriedly persuaded, “Your Majesty, you must not speak nonsense.

It is always better not to fight if possible.

If I had to choose, I would prefer to have fought fewer battles.

I swear to you, every time I set foot on the battlefield, I wished the war would end the next second.

In a season of gunfire, no one is happy.”

King William IV laughed heartily at this, “Wellington, don’t be so nervous, I was just making a point.

Besides, when the anti-French wars started, I had strongly requested to return to active service in the Royal Navy.

From 1793 to 1814, I mentioned it nearly every year, but not once did Parliament and the Navy Department agree.

If not for that, I wouldn’t later have devoted myself to the House of Lords, squabbling and arguing there all the time.

A man ought to make a name for himself.

If Parliament wouldn’t let me fight the enemy, then I only had Parliament itself to fight against.”

The Duke of Wellington knew that the King was indirectly expressing his dissatisfaction with the House of Lords.

Indeed, as the King mentioned, ever since he was a Prince, he had been battling it out in the House of Lords.

At that time, many nobles took issue with his licentious lifestyle as a youth and his lack of classical cultural literacy due to years of service in the Royal Navy, so there was no shortage of head-to-head confrontations with King William IV in the Lords.

When King William IV ascended the throne last year, there were also several unpleasant disputes over the coronation, so there were still many in the Lords who disregarded the King to this day.

King William IV was extremely angry about this phenomenon, but perhaps due to being older and more mature, this once profligate Prince chose not to lose his temper.

Instead, he suppressed his dissatisfaction, at least outwardly maintaining a harmonious relationship with Parliament.

As a noble in the House of Lords and a representative of the Tory Party, the Duke of Wellington was naturally doing all he could to maintain the fragile and sensitive relationship between the King and the nobility.

After all, King William IV was still the King, and although the contemporary monarch was less likely to interfere in Parliament as George III had done, this non-interference was akin to an unwritten agreement between Parliament and the King.

The Crown still held powers such as dissolving Parliament and calling for new elections.

For Britain, King William IV’s current almost hands-off management style was considered fortunate.

It was just like the folk joke went:

Queen Elizabeth showed everyone how to manage Britain.

George I showed everyone how not to manage Britain.

George III showed everyone that anyone could manage Britain.

George IV then showed everyone that Britain didn’t need anyone to manage it at all.

Now, King William IV was walking even further along this path of non-management than his brother George IV, which was naturally pleasing to Parliament.

But it would be extremely impolite and inappropriate to directly tell the King that Britain didn’t need his administration.

The nobility’s own legal principles and powers came from the King, so to deny him was to deny themselves.

And finding some harmless work for the King that still gave a sense of achievement was indeed an art worth learning.

The Duke of Wellington deftly changed the subject, “Your Majesty, I remember you previously mentioned that since the Army and the Royal Navy both receive basic swordsmanship training, the police officers of Scotland Yard could also implement similar training programs and manuals.

Since Mr.

Hastings is here today, why not consult his opinion on the matter?

Don’t be fooled by his youth; his professional qualifications in this area are truly expert level.”