SGB Chapter 342

## Chapter 342: The Royal Navy’s Master of Humiliation

The second floor of the Golden Lion Inn, a larger bedroom had been cleared out and turned into a temporary meeting room.

Back in the day, a single gunshot in Lexington had sounded the call for independence for the North American colonies.

But half a century later, a gunshot in Liverpool brought in hundreds of Scotland Yard’s finest.

Sitting by the window of the meeting room, one could hear the sounds of police officers’ scabbards rubbing against their white breeches just by listening quietly while smoking.

Looking out from the street, the Golden Lion Inn’s front street, which wasn’t particularly wide, was filled with Scotland Yard officers smoking in groups of three or five.

The Liverpool citizens passing by were rather curious about this group of Londoners who had descended from the sky. Apart from their individual features, their uniforms, spotless from head to toe, were definitely much cooler than the local Liverpool security team.

Among the officers, the highest ranking was Inspector Braiden Jones, who had now risen to the position of Chief of the Tower Hamlets Police District.

Standing beside him were Arthur’s right-hand men, Sergeant Tony Eckhart, who was in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department’s Search Section, and Sergeant Tom Flanders, who was in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department’s File Section.

Although Jones’s rank was higher than Tom and Tony’s, he dared not act arrogant in front of them.

Especially Tom. Jones still felt grateful to this honest and loyal officer for speaking up for him in front of Arthur. Otherwise, his body might already have been floating down the Thames River towards the English Channel.

Jones pulled out two exquisite porcelain bottles from his pocket and threw them at them: “Try this, it’s much more comfortable than smoking a pipe.”

Tony took the bottle and glanced at it: “Snuff bottle? When did you start playing with this?”

Jones laughed and replied: “Where would I have the spare money for this? Someone gave it to me. It’s free anyway, why not take it?”

Tony opened the bottle and took a deep sniff, feeling refreshed: “You know what, it’s actually pretty good, much better than a pipe. Why don’t you get one for Arthur?”

Hearing this, Tom, holding the snuff bottle Jones gave him, said: “Why don’t you just give this to him? I don’t smoke much, and I wouldn’t use a snuff bottle.”

Jones, upon hearing this, simply pressed Tom’s hand back: “Don’t worry, I already prepared one for Inspector Hastings. By the way, you guys arrived before me, you must have seen him already? Inspector Hastings, is he… badly injured?”

Tom, hearing this, could only helplessly say: “Sir, you don’t have to be so cautious. You know Arthur doesn’t get angry often, if you have any questions, just go up and ask him directly. Speaking of which, you left Tower Hamlets unattended and volunteered to do security work in Liverpool to Chief Rowan, can you handle the work in the police district?”

Jones shook his head: “Tom, you guys are different from me, mine… are all in his hands. Besides, I’m not as important over there in Tower Hamlets as you think. We lack frontline patrol officers, not executive leaders. Chief Rowan takes leave every other day to find someone to cover for him, doesn’t Scotland Yard still operate? Besides, my assistant Ridley is still there, the order came from above, he’ll just follow it.”

“Ridley?” Tony put down the snuff bottle and asked: “Ridley King? The kid from Whitechapel?”

“Yes, it’s him.” Jones laughed: “That kid, although greedy and lustful, is a master at his job. Or let’s put it this way, if you want to do a good job in Tower Hamlets, you have to be a greedy and lustful kid like him.”

Tony exclaimed in amazement: “He became a sergeant in a year, and less than half a year later, he became an assistant inspector. This kid, Ridley, climbs fast! Almost half as fast as Arthur.”

Tom asked: “Tony, how do you know him?”

Tony glanced at him: “You’ve been in the archives all day, of course you don’t know anyone. As someone like me who’s always leading people out on patrols, I’m familiar with the rising stars in every police district in London. And this kid, Ridley King, is one of the most progressive.

He smiles on the surface, but hides a knife behind his back. He uses his innocent appearance to hide the traps he’s already set up. This kid is a classic case of saying one thing and thinking another, he’s a set of sets upon sets.

For the sake of his decency, I’ll pray for him that the things he’s done won’t be caught by the higher-ups. And you, Jones, if things go south, you won’t be able to escape either.”

Tom became increasingly curious: “What exactly has that kid done?”

Jones pulled out his handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his chin: “Well, it’s nothing really, just that he’s too eager to progress. Aside from some minor personal misconduct, he just planted contraband in the territory of some gangs that are difficult to convict, or used a more forceful law enforcement style.

In short, if you dare to give Ridley a target, he’ll dare to deliver 200% of the extra workload for you. That’s why I brought him over from Whitechapel, if I rashly sent him out on a mission, this kid might really get you into trouble.

Last time, the office issued an order saying that there were too many car accidents in London lately, and we needed to clean up the traffic congestion in each district. I didn’t take it seriously and just handed it over to Ridley.

Then I found out that the bastard actually blocked off half of the police district’s roads, and when cars came by, he lied to them, saying that there was construction ahead and asked them to take a detour. As a result, Tower Hamlets was indeed no longer congested, but the car accident rate in the surrounding areas actually increased steadily.

The office didn’t know the specific situation and thought we were doing a good job, so not only did they not criticize us, but they also commended our work. I can only say that Ridley is lucky to be under my command, if he were in another place, he would definitely be a menace.”

At this point, the three of them couldn’t help but sigh.

Tony jokingly said: “Jones, you’re holding Ridley back from progressing.”

Jones took a sniff of snuff: “If I don’t hold him back, he’ll start holding me back. Everyone wants to progress, but there’s a sequence to it. Speaking of which, Inspector Hastings’s thing seems to have some leads, you guys know, right?”

Tony asked: “You mean the London District Prosecutor’s Office thing? Wasn’t that decided a long time ago?”

“It’s not just that.”

Jones raised his white glove to cover his mouth and said softly: “I heard that the London District Prosecutor’s Office is supposed to set up a District Prosecutor General and four Deputy District Prosecutors. The Prosecutor General will be nominated by the House of Lords Judicial Committee headed by Royal Justice Lord Brougham and appointed by His Majesty the King.

According to rumors, the most likely to get this position is Professor John Austin, Dean of the Law Faculty at the University of London and King’s Counsel. He, like Inspector Hastings, is someone Lord Brougham highly values.

As for the four Deputy Prosecutors, the Justice Hall nominates one, the Home Office nominates one, the British Bar Association nominates one, and the last one is specifically reserved for the police, namely Scotland Yard. Chief Rowan isn’t an idiot, so this Deputy Prosecutor from the police will 100% be Inspector Hastings.”

Tom asked: “Isn’t this something everyone knows?”

Jones waved his hand: “The key is in the back. If Inspector Hastings becomes a Deputy Prosecutor, then Scotland Yard… although the Inspector’s rank is not low, but as Scotland Yard’s representative in the London District Prosecutor’s Office, he should at least have the rank of Assistant Superintendent, right?”

Tom took a deep breath and pondered, pinching his chin: “But… didn’t the office just issue that ‘Anti-Hastings Regulation’ a few months ago? Now, to be promoted to Assistant Superintendent, you have to serve at least eight years. It’s written in black and white, how can you fudge it? Unless, the office is planning to revise the management regulations again soon?”

Jones took a puff of smoke: “Originally, this would indeed be difficult, after all, it would be too much to revise the new regulations just after they were issued. But now, isn’t Inspector Hastings being shot? You’ve seen the newspapers, right? The Home Office is now planning to establish police organizations all over the country, and they may even revise the 1829 Metropolitan Police Act, the jurisdiction and responsibilities of Scotland Yard should also be redefined. If the office intends to take this opportunity to upgrade the Criminal Investigation Department as a whole, then it would be logical for Inspector Hastings to be promoted to Assistant Superintendent. Not to mention, he just took a bullet for the Home Office.”

Speaking of which, Jones smiled at Tom and Tony and congratulated them: “Maybe in a few months, you guys will be like me, with three Bath stars on your shoulders. After all, once the Criminal Investigation Department is upgraded, it will be a whole-scale upgrade, and you guys will have to go up with it.”

Tom and Tony, upon hearing this, couldn’t help but feel dizzy.

“My God!”

“We haven’t done anything, and we’re getting promoted again?”

Jones, seeing this, could only sigh with envy and jealousy: “Life is like that, especially working in a place like Scotland Yard, following the right person is more important than anything. Unfortunately, I followed Inspector Clemens back then, if I had known that there was such a ‘blue blood’ from York hiding in the corner of Greenwich Police Station, I might have been promoted to Inspector next year.

Oh, Inspector, three Bath stars, the shoulder badge is the same as a Lieutenant in the army, and the official price of a Lieutenant’s uniform is £1,000 starting. As for Inspector, one Saint Edward badge, equivalent to a Major in the army, that’s £2,000 and above. As for Assistant Superintendent, you need a Bath star on top of the Saint Edward badge, a Lieutenant Colonel in the army, this position is not only about money, but also good luck to encounter a vacancy…”

Just as Jones was lamenting, a chaotic sound of boots coming down the stairs suddenly came from his ears.

He turned his head and saw a few officers leading two well-dressed gentlemen towards the front door of the inn.

The leading middle-aged gentleman, with a pipe in his mouth, lightly tapped his walking stick against his hat: “Young man, you like shiny shoulder straps? I have to admit, you have good taste. I was the same as you when I was young. But in my opinion, although everyone’s shoulder straps are equally shiny, the Royal Navy’s officer uniforms are still much cooler than the army’s. Of course, if you’re judging from the perspective of police uniforms, your Scotland Yard uniforms are not bad either.”

Jones, upon hearing this, frowned slightly and asked the young officers: “Who is this?”

The secretary following closely behind the middle-aged gentleman, upon hearing this, pulled out a document from his pocket, pointed at the red stamp on it and said: “We’re from the Foreign Office, we have urgent matters to discuss with Mr. Hastings.”

“Foreign Office?”

Jones’s head grew bigger as soon as he heard this name, Tom and Tony also put on serious faces.

“We didn’t hear that anyone from the Foreign Office was coming today. Besides, I don’t have the right to open this kind of special letter, do you have any other documents to prove your identity?”

The secretary, seeing Jones’s disbelief, didn’t bother arguing, he simply pulled out a Foreign Office badge engraved with a unicorn, a lion, and a crown from his inner pocket.

Jones had already memorized the logos of all the departments in Whitehall, he just glanced at it and knew it was genuine.

But out of safety considerations, he still politely requested: “It seems you are indeed from the Foreign Office. However, the situation in Liverpool is currently rather sensitive, in order to prevent accidents and ensure your safety, could you please take off your coats and allow us to inspect them? We need to make sure that you are not carrying any firearms or ammunition.”

The middle-aged gentleman, upon hearing this, couldn’t help but frown and hum softly: “I just want to ask Mr. Hastings to do a small favor, and it’s a favor with special authorization from the Foreign Office, is it really necessary to be so troublesome?”

Jones, sensing that things were not going well, quickly explained: “Sorry, sir, but this is the rule, I have no right to violate the resolutions of the Home Office and other higher management departments.”

“Heh… using the Home Office to scare me? Alright!”

The middle-aged gentleman raised his white eyebrows, he directly hugged Jones’s head and stuffed it into his own coat.

The middle-aged gentleman took a puff of his pipe and asked: “Can you see clearly? What’s hanging on my shoulder under my coat?”

Jones, pretending to be calm, reported loudly: “Reporting! It’s a gold-trimmed shoulder strap! It’s also inlaid with a Saint Edward badge, a crossed baton and sword, and two sun stars.”

The middle-aged gentleman asked: “What does this shoulder strap represent?”

“Reporting! This shoulder strap represents that you are an active Royal Navy Rear Admiral!”

The middle-aged gentleman laughed out loud, he released Jones’s head and said: “Young man, it seems your knowledge level needs improvement.”

Jones, sweating profusely: “Please enlighten me!”

The middle-aged gentleman patted his shoulder: “You missed one point, I’m not only a Royal Navy Rear Admiral, but also a Royal Navy Red Ensign Rear Admiral, which also means that I’m only one step away from being promoted to Vice Admiral. In other words, if I’m lucky, when I return from Portugal, in the Grand Fleet, I can get away from the damn rearguard fleet and go command the vanguard fleet.”

Jones, with a flattering smile: “I disagree with you, in my opinion, you might have a chance to become the Deputy Chief of the Admiralty, or the Second, Third, Fourth Sea Lords or something.”

The middle-aged gentleman, hearing this, became even happier: “Then I’ll take your good words as a joke, but according to the Admiralty’s long-standing tradition, warriors like me and Thomas Cochrane are never as stable as office marshals like Gambier who can curry favor with the King. So, young man, I’ll just take your good luck words as a joke.”

The secretary, who was following closely behind the middle-aged gentleman, slightly pursed his lips, he just urged: “Since Mr. Napier doesn’t want to be inspected, then please go and ask Inspector Hastings if he can be a little more accommodating. We do have a secret order from the Foreign Office, this matter cannot be delayed.”

Jones, upon hearing this, dared not play coy with the other party, he quickly saluted: “Alright, I will relay your words to Inspector Hastings.”

However, as soon as he finished speaking, the sound of boots coming down the stairs came from behind him, followed by Arthur’s slightly dry and hoarse voice.

Arthur, with his white gloves, held the railing with one hand and pressed the King’s sword with the other: “General Charles Napier? I’ve heard of your name.”

Napier, upon hearing this, also showed a smile, he lifted his hat and greeted: “Mr. Hastings, a young talent, I’ve also heard Codrington and Cochrane mention you. Many people in the Royal Navy have a good impression of you, I hope you can keep that impression…”

At this point, Napier’s words suddenly stopped, he saw the needle puncture on Arthur’s eye corner.

However, unlike most people who showed sympathy, Napier, upon seeing this wound, felt rather intimate, he casually pulled down the frill at his neckline and pointed to a finger-thick, hideous scar on his neck.

“I have one of these honorary badges too. Young man, don’t feel sad because of your injury, many ladies find this rather charming. It shows that we have truly fought for Britain, it’s a testament to our honor.”

Arthur walked down the stairs: “You’re right, but you should keep your honorary badge hidden here, because I’m afraid it might cause a diplomatic incident.”

Napier hummed and said, his eyes darting slightly, then he asked with a smile: “Is there a traitor from North America here?”

“You guessed right.” Arthur nodded slightly: “The secretary of the American embassy, Mr. Washington Irving.”

Napier, upon hearing this, couldn’t help but laugh: “I don’t know Irving, but I know Washington. I’ve been there, have you ever seen Washington at four in the morning? Under the bright night sky, the shells are like shooting stars, the Capitol Building and the Federal Building are ablaze with beautiful fireworks.”

Arthur, upon hearing this, just sighed: “I knew it was right to stop you here. Although Mr. Irving also despises America, he wouldn’t go as far as you to burn everything down.”

Napier said: “Don’t say that, I have made contributions to the Americans. Do you know the American military song “The Star-Spangled Banner”? That song was actually composed on my ship.”

“Huh?”

Napier’s casual trivia made Arthur stunned: “You can compose music?”

Napier, leaning on his walking stick, shook his head: “No, no, no. I don’t understand music as well as a pianist like you. That song was composed by an American lawyer who happened to be on my ship. At the time, I was under orders to surround Baltimore, and that American lawyer was sent to negotiate and ask me to release an American prisoner on board.

Our attack was fierce, so the lawyer thought that Baltimore would fall tomorrow. But when dawn broke the next day, he found that the American flag was still flying over Baltimore’s city walls, so he knelt on the deck, tears streaming down his face, and wrote this song.

To be honest, although I don’t think much of those hicks, this kind of simple emotion also touched me deeply. So, I took the initiative to ask him if I could write lyrics for this song, and if not, I would be willing to help him polish it.”

Tom, Tony, and the others, upon hearing this, all looked strange.

Arthur, on the other hand, recalled the lyrics of the song and asked: “Which part of the lyrics did you polish?”

Napier, with a carefree air, hummed the tune of “The Star-Spangled Banner”: “It’s that part—the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Those rockets and bombs were all fired by me. Without me, could this song rhyme like this?”

As soon as Napier finished speaking, everyone present burst into laughter.

Perhaps the laughter was too loud, even Louis and Alexandre Dumas, who were sorting through documents on the second floor, were drawn out.

They looked at each other with puzzled expressions: “What are you laughing about?”

Arthur turned his head and glanced at them, after thinking twice, he finally said: “You guys quickly arrange someone to take Mr. Irving for a walk around Liverpool.”

(End of Chapter)