SGB Chapter 257

## Chapter 257: The Police Emperor (4K2)

The cells of Scotland Yard were eerily quiet.

The prisoners awaiting their trials tossed and turned restlessly in the cramped cells. The damp, slightly warm environment made them feel sticky all over. Almost no one could sleep well here.

Just as the prisoners were about to drift off, a rousing voice echoed through the cells.

“Across the vast expanse of Europe, a palpable unease pervades, stemming from the lack of faith the people have in their rulers. How tragic it is that monarchs are unable to align their personal interests with the good of the public!

How tragic it is when the glory of one brings no glory to the other, when upholding one inflicts harm on the other, when one cannot trust the promises and oaths of the other!

Yes, as an upright French citizen and a Republican, I should oppose monarchy, but I do not oppose all forms of monarchy, only those that fail to intertwine with the interests of the people!

Ten years have passed since Napoleon’s demise! Yet, his name continues to be vilified throughout the beautiful and fertile land of France. But today, here, I must call upon you all! Frenchmen! Be just! Thank the man who came from the people and served the people!

When France was plunged into darkness, who illuminated the path with the light of human intellect? It was he, Napoleon Bonaparte!

When France’s political landscape was fractured, who unified all thoughts and brought us strength? It was he, Napoleon Bonaparte!

When all the nations of Europe were attacking France, when the entire world sought to erase France from the map, who safeguarded the dignity of the French nation and its independence? It was still he, the great Napoleon Bonaparte!

If one day, the people are free, and the longed-for happiness of independence, liberty, stability, fairness, and equality spreads, it will all be thanks to Napoleon Bonaparte!

He instilled in the people a habit of virtue, the only reliable foundation for a Republic. Do not blame him for his autocratic power, for it led us to freedom, just as the iron plow turns the soil, bringing us a bountiful harvest. The misfortune of his reign lies only in the fact that he could not reap all the seeds he had sown.

He has saved France, but the final victory is just a step away. People of France, believe me, our mother France will be free, liberty and glory belong to France!”

Louis Bonaparte, holding his speech manuscript, passionately honed his oratorical skills. However, this heartfelt speech not only failed to earn any applause but also elicited a chorus of curses from the prisoners.

“Will this Frenchman let anyone sleep?”

“Where is the Duke of Wellington? Quick, save us, I think I heard Napoleon is going to restore the monarchy!”

“Didn’t you get thrown in here for smashing the Duke’s window? How come you’re suddenly remembering him now?”

“I smashed the glass because he opposed parliamentary reform, but if he turns around and fights the French, I’ll still support him!”

Amidst the cacophony of insults, Louis Bonaparte felt a pang of fear, but his youthful arrogance quickly spurred him to retort.

He leaned against the cell window, gripping the iron bars, and cursed, “You bunch of British thugs don’t understand anything. You deserve to be locked up! If my uncle were here, would you dare talk to a noble Frenchman like this? Do you understand what a record-breaking feat 58 victories in 65 battles is?”

The prisoners, one by one, pounded on the bunks in their cells, retorting, “Oh! Our Duke of Wellington, though he didn’t fight as many battles in Europe as Napoleon, only 23, he won 22 of them. The unfortunate thing is, his only loss wasn’t the Battle of Waterloo.”

“Oh, oh, oh!!!”

The thugs cheered, their brief joy even making them forget their impending trials.

The officer patrolling the cells couldn’t help but speak up, “That’s enough. It’s just defeating the French, is it worth getting so excited about? Sit down, those who want to sleep, sleep, those who want to eat, eat. Bill, you’re going to court soon, I advise you to think more about how to defend yourself for smashing the window!”

Bill, the prisoner, replied unconvinced, “Officer, sir, I’ve told you so many times, I wasn’t the only one who smashed the window, I just didn’t run as fast as that Frenchman.”

“I…” Louis Bonaparte reached out through the iron bars, as if he wanted to strangle them. “If one day the French people are willing to follow my lead, I’m sure I’ll make you experience what it means to fear the Continent.”

As Louis Bonaparte muttered, he caught sight of Arthur leaning against the wall by the window outside the cell.

He was startled. “Black… Hastings Inspector, when did you get here?”

Arthur raised his walking stick to lift the hat that had been covering his eyes. “I’ve been here for a while.”

“What are you doing here?”

Arthur pulled out a large ring of keys hanging from his belt, opening the door as he replied, “Your personal protection order has been approved, so I’m here to release you, of course. But I saw you were in the middle of a rousing speech, so I didn’t want to interrupt you, so I just stood here and listened.”

Louis Bonaparte breathed a sigh of relief. He smiled and asked, “So, what do you think of my speech? Mr. Wheestone told me you’re also a talented speaker. You saved a young boy’s life in court with a speech, right?”

Arthur looked up at him. “Why does Charles tell you everything? As an employee of the Intelligence Bureau, how can he be so loose-lipped?”

“Intelligence Bureau? What Intelligence Bureau? Is it similar to the Security Department of the Paris Police Prefecture?”

Arthur replied, “It depends on your understanding, but I do have some connection with Mr. Vidocq, the head of the Security Department.”

“Some connection?” Louis Bonaparte pressed, “To what extent?”

Arthur opened the cell door. “Not that deep, just a near-death connection.”

“Is that not deep?” Louis Bonaparte sighed. “I’ve always heard that the British are hard to get close to, now it seems it’s true. Do the Britons think that unless you’re buried together, you’re not considered friends?”

Arthur nodded slightly, reached for a cigar from the cell table, lit it, and leaned against the wall. “Of course, Mr. Bonaparte, the British are not only hard to get close to, but our nature is also very nasty. If you have the time, you should take a trip to Ottoman. Hopefully, you can gain a deeper understanding of the British from the mouths of the Ottoman farmers.”

“Understand why the British go to Ottoman?”

Arthur exhaled a puff of smoke. “Because there’s a saying in Ottoman: If you trip over a stone while walking, that stone was probably placed there by the British. Now you understand, right?”

Louis Bonaparte laughed. “Are the Ottomans really that bad? Aren’t you British the ones who destroyed their Black Sea fleet at the Battle of Navarino?”

“Well, that’s true.” Arthur nodded. “In other words, you French shouldn’t hold a grudge against Britain until now just because of the Battle of Trafalgar, right?”

Louis Bonaparte’s face instantly changed. He emphasized, “Was it just the Battle of Trafalgar? What about Waterloo and the Seven Coalitions against France?”

“The coalitions weren’t all orchestrated by Britain.”

“But why did you participate in all seven coalitions?”

“It was a chance to join in the fun. That’s how the British are.”

“Then what about the Hundred Years’ War?”

“Just a little bit of unfriendliness between neighbors. Isn’t that normal?”

“From 1337 to 1453?”

“Britain wanted to end the war in 1360, but you French didn’t agree, right?”

“Of course, at that time, the whole area from south of the Loire to the Pyrenees was occupied by the British army, wouldn’t it be stupid to completely shake hands and make peace?”

Arthur shrugged, leaning against the wall. “If you put it that way, I can’t argue. But then again, why should I defend Britain? Whatever you say is what it is. After all, you’re a Bonaparte, and I’m just a small inspector at Scotland Yard. Louis, you do what makes you happy.”

Louis Bonaparte saw Arthur’s manner and felt even more uneasy. He pouted, “Mr. Wheestone said you’re a good speaker, but I didn’t believe him. But now it seems, although your speaking skills lack passion, they are enough to obscure the truth.”

Arthur replied, “Actually, I can be passionate too, it just depends on whether you can accept it.”

“Really? You can be passionate?” Louis Bonaparte questioned with doubt. “Say a few sentences to prove it.”

Arthur cleared his throat, then spoke loudly and clearly.

“Before me stands a nation, a nation groaning in humiliation! Since the end of that war, the pride of our nation has disappeared! The victors ride on our necks, flaunting their power, they trample on our dignity at will, the dignity of the noblest nation on the European continent!

You tell me, are you going to choose to be a freedom fighter like Napoleon, or are you going to be the vilest slave?

You might say: Mr. Bonaparte, I need a job, a piece of bread. Yes, you’re right, life is too precious. But I tell you, there is something more important than life in this world, and that is freedom! That is dignity!

What we need is not a piece of bread! But a space to survive! A space for a nation to survive! A country that only knows how to protest is a country without bones! A government that only knows how to protest is a government without bones! This space for survival cannot be achieved through begging and protesting, but through iron and blood!”

Arthur paused at this point, reaching out to touch his philtrum. “Maybe it’s better with a little mustache. But the meaning is clear. By the way, Louis, what do you think of this speech?”

Louis Bonaparte, hearing this, furrowed his brow, and after a long pause, said, “Overall, it’s not bad, but bread and work are still very important. My uncle tripped over that. By the way, did you come up with this speech yourself?”

“I couldn’t think of something like that.”

Arthur twisted his neck. “Only the birthplace of Mr. Hegel can give birth to this kind of thinking. This is his favorite rational state. As for Britain, on this small island, even unifying the thoughts of the English and the Scots is impossible, let alone considering those nonsense. In the end, every country’s situation is different. Implementing an absolute monarchy in Britain and parliamentary politics in Russia will ultimately lead to chaos in both countries. Everyone lives according to their own habits. Britain will naturally rebuild a parliament if it’s gone, and the Russians will naturally support another Tsar if they’ve lost one. At most, they’ll just change the name.”

Louis Bonaparte, hearing this, couldn’t help but be delighted. “So, you think the same way? I told you, France should establish a strong but not despotic, free but not anarchic, independent but not seeking conquest system.”

Arthur raised an eyebrow at this. “I didn’t realize you had so many demands.”

Louis Bonaparte ignored Arthur’s joke, and he continued to describe his views unabashedly. “In my opinion, France should be governed by the people, the legislature, and the emperor together. The people have the right to elect and approve, the right to deliberate should be in the legislature, and the right to administer should be in the emperor.”

Arthur took a puff of his cigar. “It seems you know which power is the most important.”

As soon as Arthur said this, he choked Louis Bonaparte speechless for a moment.

Arthur didn’t continue to make things difficult for him on this issue, he just patted the manuscript on the table. “You should take this “Political Thoughts” back and continue to revise it. Although Britain now advocates freedom of publication and doesn’t ban any publications, if you write it too poorly, it will affect other people’s evaluation of your book, won’t it? There are plenty of madmen and lunatics in Britain, but we have to admit, Mr. Bonaparte, you’re still a special one in my eyes.”

With that, Arthur patted him on the shoulder. “Your mother is waiting for you outside Scotland Yard. Hopefully, the next time I see you, you’ll have your nationality documents ready. It’s not convenient to be without a nationality when you’re out and about.”

Louis Bonaparte walked halfway, then turned back. He stared at Arthur, who was smoking his cigar, and suddenly asked, “If I get British citizenship, can I join Scotland Yard?”

“Hm?” Arthur’s smoking action paused, he was stunned for a moment, his brow furrowed slightly. “What did you say?”

Louis Bonaparte saw Arthur’s surprised expression, clenched his fist and pounded his chest. “The Carbonari uprising in Rome failed, and the skills I learned at the Swiss Military Academy have nowhere to be used. Besides, I can’t live with my uncle forever, can I? I have to find a job that can support myself. Mr. Hastings, I’m quite interested in your Intelligence Bureau. I don’t know why, but seeing you always reminds me of the former French Imperial Minister of Police, Fouché. I want to learn through working at Scotland Yard how he did things back then.”

Arthur stared at him for a long time, pondering for a moment, before finally crushing the cigar on the table inch by inch. “If you can get your citizenship, and if you can persuade your uncle and mother… I’m currently looking for a police secretary.”

“Understood, sir!”

(End of Chapter)