The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1487: Chapter 242: What Matters Most in the 19th Century? Talent!

In 1834, Arthur Hastings, or rather—Knight Bachelor of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, recipient of the Second Class Saint Anna Medal of the Russian Empire, the esteemed Arthur Hastings, Your Excellency.

Although these titles already carry considerable weight, at this time Arthur Hastings was far from being the Cabinet Secretary of the United Kingdom whose power shook the political world, whose mere sneeze could silence Bismarck, arouse suspicion in Napoleon III, and induce a serious illness in Whitehall’s corridors.

In a letter from Queen Victoria to her eldest daughter, she could hardly conceal her excitement and joy in expressing her affection for Arthur Hastings: Sir Arthur Hastings was elected as Cabinet Secretary, and Mr. Disraeli became the new Prime Minister! For two people who rose from among the people, this is indeed something to be proud of!

For a young man growing up in the rural areas of agricultural Yorkshire, whose parents were farmers and grandparents were farmers, it was self-evident that he should have been an honest farmer too. He had everything to be a qualified farmer, strong physique, upright posture, and endless energy. Despite the disadvantage of losing his parents early, the villagers never worried about young Hasting’s future prospects.

He would become an excellent farmhand; with his ox-like strength, he could have saved money in his early twenties, married a robust country girl, fathered four, five, six, seven, or eight lively children, and led an enviable rural life day after day, year after year.

But Hastings obviously had more ambition than the villagers imagined. An old country squire, with whom he had a suspicious kinship, exerted his last effort to send this young nephew to London, allowing him to sit in university classrooms and be indoctrinated with utilitarian thought.

While studying at university, Hastings already achieved outstanding performance. According to the fantasies of that aging country squire, after Hastings graduated, they would naturally be happy to see him stay at school as a history and literature teacher, and even contemplate a future as Dean of Academic Affairs or Principal.

But the sudden economic crisis shattered all dreams, and the shrinking job market left this student, monopolizing the London University academic awards as a ’Trust’, without prospects, ultimately forcing him to appear on the streets of London as a policeman. Fortunately, God mercifully took away Hastings’ sponsor first, allowing the old squire to take the inevitable glorious dreams of his young nephew with him to Heaven.

As for Hastings? Without support, Hastings initially ventured into the world, just starting out, but a typical trait of his nature soon emerged. That is, he was unwilling to irrevocably tie himself to any person or thing completely and wholeheartedly. This was the hallmark of Arthur Hastings. Clad in a police uniform, truncheon at his waist, he lived the life of an ascetic like other policemen. During his three years at Scotland Yard, outwardly and inwardly, he was indistinguishable from a policeman like Fouche.

However, as an integral part of the violent machinery maintaining the stability of the British capital’s order, he always remained reserved with the Home Office and his superiors, never clearly showing favor between the Tory Party and Whig Party. In any environment, he left himself a retreat, a possibility of shifting with the prevailing winds. His alliance with the Wellington Cabinet was merely a temporary expedient, not full allegiance.

Arthur Hastings, this cunning farmer, would not even pledge lifelong devotion to God, remaining restless even in his coffin, let alone pledge it to an ordinary person. Yet throughout his long and short life, there were always some annoying people who assumed he viewed them as special, that the person others couldn’t control, he could easily manage.

Fouche-styled police expert, Faraday-like European academic, Richelieu-intrigue politician, shoulder to shoulder with Liszt’s musical genius... This series of fascinating titles left them all dizzy. Every ruler aspiring to achieve in the world flocked to Arthur Hastings.

Napoleon III suffered a major setback with Arthur Hastings, while Queen Victoria was reluctant to believe that her little tutor had deceived her on important political matters. However, compared to that iron-willed figure from the Northern Country, Arthur Hastings’ dealings with Napoleon III and Queen Victoria were noticeably more moderate.

Tsar Nicholas I hoped to control this Yorkshire Pig with imperial tactics, yet didn’t even manage to retain a hair. He awarded Arthur Hastings a Second Class Saint Anna Medal, only to receive in return—the British Foreign Office’s declaration of war in 1853 and... Crimea.

—Stephen Zweig, ”Arthur Hastings: The Ambition of a Rational Prisoner Driven”

On the long table in the Kremlin, a snow-white linen cloth embroidered with a double-headed eagle was laid out, and silverware glistened with a cold sheen under the candlelight.

This was a typical Russian breakfast: black caviar, pancakes with sour cream, pickled herring, and steaming samovar tea.

Nutritionally balanced and, by breakfast standards, abundant enough, except for one flaw: Arthur wasn’t particularly accustomed to it.