The Shadow of Great Britain

732: Chapter 351 Big News_2 732: Chapter 351 Big News_2 So, when Viscount Palmeston perceptively realized that Wellington’s Cabinet was on the decline, he decisively threw his support behind Earl Grey.

Even before his departure from the Tory Party, he did not forget to curry favor with the Anglican supporters, claiming that his reason for leaving the Tory Party was because he felt that the sacred status of the national religion was under threat.

Having talked about the two gentlemen of the Tory Party, it’s now time to turn to the two radicals of the Whig Party.

Lord Russell came from the illustrious family of the Dukes of Bedford, and his character was very much in the same vein as his forebears.

Even the maids in the house of His Lordship would privately mock, “The Russell family are all very peculiar people.”

Like other members of his family and many of the nobility in Britain, arrogance and pretentiousness were synonymous with Russell.

The blood that flowed in his veins was that of rebellion; even though he was a noble, it did not diminish his rebellious spirit in the slightest.

After all, hundreds of years ago, the family of the Dukes of Bedford themselves planned a rebellion against the King; his ancestor William Russell was executed for treason in 1683 after the Rye House Plot to assassinate Charles II and his brother James was uncovered.

However, Russell did not see this as a source of shame.

Far from it; he felt honored and even published a biography about that ancestor, highlighting the assassination plot in great detail.

But Arthur was not particularly interested in this assassination attempt because Lord Russell’s storytelling skills were so dreadful that even a young newcomer like Disraeli had no qualms about attacking Russell’s work in Parliament.

Disraeli straightforwardly mocked Russell’s play “Don Carlos” and the novel “Nun Aronca,” “Even if we set the storyline aside, purely from a literary perspective, these two works are the greatest tragedies in our nation’s literary history.”

Although Lord Russell often showed his cowardice, his greatest skill was to boldly ignore criticism when he stumbled, continuing to speak with an impassive facade.

However, Arthur was not interested in Lord Russell’s performance in Parliament; what intrigued him most was the story of how Lord Russell had once pursued the sister of Viscount Melbourne, Lady Copper, and had been mercilessly rejected.

In short, he was a man of exceptional character, but it must also be noted that his spirit was as dwarfed as his stature.

He had a volatile temper, appeared somewhat aloof in social situations, and made no attempt to hide his malice towards those he disliked.

Although he was a radical liberal, he had the haughty airs of old nobility, disdainful of even a simple nod or removing his hat to his followers.

In terms of interpersonal relationships, he was far less popular than Viscount Palmeston, who could shift his positions freely.

As for Sir William Lamb, the Prime Minister’s son-in-law, in some ways, he was almost cut from the same cloth as Lord Russell.

And there were a few more of such characters in the Whig Cabinet of this term, like Arthur’s mentor Lord Brougham and the Naval Minister Sir James Graham.

Perhaps, the Whig Party pushed them forward, hoping that these individuals with the traits of assault troops would adopt a death-or-glory approach to forcibly pushing through reform bills.

But was that really the case?

Arthur lifted his hand and gently placed the needle of the phonograph onto the record just delivered from Fiona.

Amidst a rustling sound, what followed was the passionate collision of male and female joy.

Arthur poured a cup of boiling water and dropped an Earl Grey tea bag into the cup.

As the reddish hue slowly diffused in the cup, his Adam’s apple moved gently, gulping twice, and finally, the record arrived at the place Arthur wanted to listen to.

“Darling, you…

you’re wonderful.”

“Heh, I’ve always been one to avoid boasting about myself.

But I must admit, this isn’t the first time I’ve heard such flattery.

Nearly every lovely young lady who has experienced my prowess has said as much.”

“So tell me, when will you come next?

To be honest, it’s only you I think about like this; the other guests don’t make me long for them in the same way.”

“Ah…

I’d like to stay here every day if I could, but a man’s got to work.

There’s an unsettling atmosphere in the unit lately.

They say the downsizing might affect us.

It was with great difficulty that I secured my current post through someone’s help, and now, just a few months in, they want me to retire.

It’s a complete joke!”

“Retire?

My dear, aren’t you an officer?

I’ve heard the other soldiers calling you ‘Major’.

Can a Major be asked to retire too?”

“Madam, you may be well-versed in the ways of tailoring, but military affairs are quite different.

Although there aren’t too many Majors in Britain, compared to our current army size, they are still in excess.”

“Does that mean…

there are Majors without troops?”

“Oh, Madam, that’s a bit harsh, albeit not incorrect.

However, in the military, we usually refer to them as reserves.”

“What’s the difference between reserves and active duty?”

“Of course, there’s a difference.

First off, the pay we get is different; reserves basically receive no pay, while active duty officers get a paycheck from the War Department every month.

Besides that, if we want something done, we can have our subordinates run errands for us.

And for officers stationed at home like us, the training isn’t too rigorous.

Apart from showing our faces at the station daily, we’re free to do as we please most of the time.”

“Hmm…

Being retired does sound quite terrible.

But someone as talented as you, even if put on reserve, I believe you’ll be reactivated before long.

You don’t need to worry so much.”

“That’s purely a woman’s perspective.

I heard from my uncle that if active duty officers are discharged this time, it’s not a transfer to reserves, but actual retirement.

From now on, there’ll be basically no ties with the military, and we can only draw a pitifully small pension each year.

Do you know what that means?

It means I can’t even recoup my initial investment!”

“I’ve heard that the pensions for officers aren’t all that much.

Everyone knows that when the Duke of Wellington returned from Waterloo, His Majesty the King rewarded him a hundred thousand pounds in one go!”

“You’re aware that’s the Duke of Wellington, who emerged from the Peninsular War and Waterloo.

Officers like me who have never been in battle can’t expect the same treatment as His Grace.

Of course, that’s only because I haven’t had the opportunity.

If they’d sent me to Waterloo, even if I couldn’t match the Duke, at least I could have contributed like Marquis Anglesey did under his command.”

“Alas…

but after all this, we’re back to square one.

My uncle says that if this cutback catches up to me, he’ll try to send me to serve in India since the downsizing is only targeting the home garrison.

If I go to the colonies, they’ll have no grounds to criticize me.”

“But then I won’t be able to see you, will I?

My dear, can’t you think of some way to stay in London?”

“My pretty little thing, how I wish to be with you too!

But some things are out of my hands; I must follow the orders from above.”

“Why do they do this?

Isn’t having more troops in London a good thing?

Many of our customers here are soldiers; if you all leave, we’ll struggle for business.”

“If only the Whig Party thought the same as you do, but sadly, they don’t.

You may like soldiers, but the Whigs fear them.”

“Why are they afraid of soldiers?”

“Hmph…

Because they fear one day we’ll put the bayonet to their necks.

Beyond that, I can think of no other reasonable explanation.”

Shh shh shh…

That’s where the phonograph stopped playing, its sound suddenly ceased.

Arthur picked up the record and stood up, glanced at the note attached to it, and chuckled softly, “Interesting.”