The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1088: Chapter 92: The Paradox of Nobility and Baseness

As Edmond Burke said: Good intentions are not enough to constitute political actions; it is the results that matter. Most historians and politicians hold the same view. Therefore, in long periods of historical research, historians often ignore the failed expedition in Genoa in 1833 initiated by ’Young Italy’.

Even when they occasionally mention it, it is mostly used as an example to criticize the early immature and unrealistic thoughts of ’Young Italy’ leaders like Mazzini and Garibaldi. Mazzini originally thought that as long as the expeditionary army raised the green, white, and red tricolor flag and shouted slogans for Italy’s national independence and unification, the Italian people would eagerly join their army.

However, from the later situation, this was completely an absurd delusion. The uprising failed, mainly due to ’innocent naivety and the betrayal of traitors’. The objective reality and subjective belief were completely disconnected, caused by their overly eager desire for victory which led to inappropriate illusions. The gap between the people in Mazzini and Garibaldi’s dreams and the people in reality was too great. All these inevitably led to a misjudgment of the situation.

At that time, Mazzini subjectively believed that in the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont, the people were generally dissatisfied with King Carlo Alberto. The people were eager for freedom, unwilling to be a nation’s slaves to foreign powers, and ready to rise up at any time. Therefore, as long as bold actions were taken, especially when combined with a well-equipped army crossing the border from Switzerland and France into Italy, inspiring people along the way to revolution, and receiving positive responses, the cities and countryside along the way would have a chain reaction, and the troops would grow as they advanced. Genoa, which had long been disgusted with Piedmont, would also join the uprising.

Mazzini naively thought that under this dual threat, King Carlo Alberto might make certain concessions, similar to how the British government responded to the parliamentary reform riots a year earlier. In this way, a comprehensive revolution would erupt on the Apennine Peninsula, and the whole of Italy would be ablaze.

Before the action, Mazzini once encouraged his companions saying: ”As long as we bravely light the spark, Italy, from Sicily in the south to the Alps in the north, will become a volcano, ready to erupt at any time.”

In most biographies of Mazzini and Garibaldi, it is recorded that the passionate Garibaldi once fervently applauded Mazzini’s inspiring words and waved his sailor’s hat. However, a recently declassified British Foreign Office file presents an alternative explanation of this failed uprising. Behind the brave members of ’Young Italy’, there was a calm and well-concealed shadow.

As one of the main promoters of the Genoa uprising, his identity was not declassified until a century later, which is indeed astonishing. This privileges his sensitive identity and the immense power he once held. Even the experience of a Prime Minister could not receive such high-level confidentiality treatment, but this famous British intelligence agency leader enjoyed such dignity.

First, a legend of Scotland Yard, then one of the top offshore balancers in British diplomatic history, the main drafter of numerous famous reports, the greatest common denominator between the Conservative and Liberal parties, the eponym of University College London’s Hastings College, the most relied upon assistant by two legendary British Prime Ministers, ranking alongside William Marshal as the greatest knight in British history, a national pillar who served through three dynasties, a famous favorite and court elder at Buckingham Palace, born in a humble pigsty in Yorkshire, and was buried with great honor in Westminster Abbey.

His detractors accused him of being a cunning and deceitful European conspirator, an enemy of the European people, the Machiavelli of the 19th century, Britain’s sordid Bismarck, an abhorrent London Richelieu, his moral standards even highlighted Metternich and Talleyrand as virginally pure by comparison.

However, the straightforward and candid Great Dumas passionately called him ’my good brother, a lifelong good friend’, Alfred Tennyson wrote poems for him, Frederic Chopin composed music for him, Heinrich Heine couldn’t bear to criticize him even once, Charles Dickens regarded him as the most outstanding person in the world at that time, Eld Carter was willing to go through fire and water for him, Charles Darwin called him ’the complete form of human evolution’, and Michael Faraday praised him as ’the second Isaac Newton’...

Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to solemnly introduce this old friend whom the Italian people never knew:

His left foot stands on the Conservative Party’s land, his right hand holds high the banner of the Liberal Party, Disraeli is as close as a brother to him, Gladstone calls him brother, the heads of the Conservative and Liberal parties together form the two wings of his wings.

His mind is filled with atheistic thoughts, yet he constantly bears God in his heart, he exercises rogue rights with gentlemanly manners, he covers up his hooligan essence with a top hat, tailcoat, and cologne.

No matter how the top position on the ’British’ annual best lover ranking changes, he remains stably in second place every year.

His first command appearance was commanding Scotland Yard officers to achieve a ’great victory’ below the Tower of London, his last appearance was the fatal charge amid the smoke and cannon fire of the Crimean War, and both actions were equally successful.