## Chapter 164: Eld’s Retribution (4K4)
Arthur and Eld strolled along the street, puffing on their pipes and idly chatting about the backgrounds of the guests attending the banquet.
It didn’t take long for Arthur to glean every detail of the guests’ pasts from Eld’s mouth.
Out of the three lower-ranking colonels, Sir George Elliot hailed from a distinguished family. His father was Gilbert Elliot, Earl of Minto, who had served as Governor-General of India.
Leveraging this powerful family background, Elliot’s naval career flourished. Upon joining the Royal Navy, he served under the command of two renowned admirals, Thomas Foley and Hyde Parker, aboard the first-rate ship of the line, HMS Saint George.
After being promoted to captain, he was assigned to HMS San Jose, serving as second-in-command to Charles Pole, who had just been promoted to Admiral of the Royal Navy in July.
Later, Elliot served under the spirit of the Royal Navy, Horatio Nelson, participating in the Copenhagen Bombardment and the Battle of the Nile.
These achievements propelled Elliot’s rapid promotion to the command of HMS Medstone, where he participated in the blockades of Toulon and Cadiz.
After that, the Admiralty transferred him to the East Indies, where he captured the French frigate Jena in the Bay of Bengal, participated in the invasion of Java, and assisted in the restoration of the Sultan of Bantam.
These impressive achievements led to his recall to Britain by the Admiralty three years ago, where he was promoted to captain of the HMS Victory, a ship of immense significance to the Royal Navy. Not long ago, the newly crowned King William IV bestowed upon him the honor of being a King’s Naval Aide-de-Camp.
It was safe to say that if Elliot continued on this path of success, his promotion to admiral was practically guaranteed.
As the flagship of the Portsmouth Naval Base Commander, Admiral Codrington, who was likely to succeed the current commander, would undoubtedly want to cultivate a good relationship with this promising young officer.
The relationship between Franklin and Admiral Codrington was even clearer.
During the Battle of Trafalgar, Colonel Franklin was serving as a midshipman aboard the 74-gun third-rate ship of the line, HMS Bellerophon. Admiral Codrington was the divisional commander of the Third Squadron at the time, making them old acquaintances.
Speaking of HMS Bellerophon, its captain at the time was Colonel John Cook. While John Cook might not be famous, his grandfather, James Cook, was practically a household name in Britain.
James Cook had been commissioned by the Admiralty and the Royal Society to explore the Pacific region three times, successfully discovering Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii. He also discovered a method to prevent scurvy by improving the diet of sailors.
However, as if it were a fate reserved for explorers, James Cook died on his journey to find the Northwest Passage.
During the Battle of Trafalgar, John Cook also met an unfortunate end, mirroring his grandfather’s fate. His officer’s uniform made him a prime target for French sailors, and he was shot through the chest.
When his subordinates asked him to remove his uniform and epaulettes, he simply closed his eyes and replied, “It’s too late to remove them. I know my situation, but I will die like a man.”
Interestingly, although John Cook died on the Bellerophon, the Cook family’s spirit of exploration was preserved by the sailors and officers who served on the ship.
The Bellerophon not only contributed to Britain with outstanding explorers like John Franklin, who dedicated himself to finding the Northwest Passage, but also with Colonel Matthew Flinders, who completed the first circumnavigation of Australia and meticulously mapped the continent.
Even more interesting, nine years after the Battle of Trafalgar, the sailors of the Bellerophon were tasked with transporting Napoleon, the first prisoner of France, to Saint Helena. In a way, this could be considered a form of revenge for their old commander, John Cook.
Once Arthur had a basic understanding of the three colonels’ backgrounds, he immediately grasped Admiral Codrington’s reason for inviting them to the banquet.
These three colonels, besides being acquainted with Admiral Codrington, were also interested in scientific research. Fitzroy and Franklin were exploration captains commissioned by the Royal Navy, while Elliot had participated in the technologically advanced Battle of Copenhagen.
The story of the Battle of Copenhagen was actually quite simple.
In essence, Britain sought to prevent Denmark, a nation with a wavering allegiance, from siding with Napoleon and handing over their naval strength to the French.
After internal discussions, the British Foreign Office concluded that if Denmark’s loyalty to Britain was not absolute, it was equivalent to being absolutely disloyal.
Therefore, after Denmark once again refused to hand over its fleet to Britain, the Foreign Office immediately issued a declaration of war. The Foreign Secretary, Sir George Canning, ordered the Baltic Fleet to immediately destroy the Danish Navy with overwhelming force.
As for how to effectively destroy the Danish Navy, which was hiding in port, there was much debate within the Admiralty. For example, the troublesome Admiral Cochrane repeatedly proposed using ships laden with explosives to carry out suicide attacks against Copenhagen.
Of course, after careful consideration, the Admiralty simply responded to Cochrane’s enthusiastic suggestion with a “We agree in principle.”
Admiral Sidney Smith, however, was much more pragmatic. He suggested that the Admiralty should try the Congreve rocket, which he had used and found to be quite effective.
Thus, under Smith’s strong recommendation, the Admiralty approved a batch of 25,000 Congreve rockets for the Copenhagen expeditionary force led by Admirals Hyde Parker and Horatio Nelson.
The result was astounding. The Congreve rocket’s first naval experience was a resounding success!
The shore batteries of Copenhagen could only stare helplessly as the British warships rained down fire from outside their range. These new rockets, with a range of two to three kilometers, transformed Copenhagen into a fiery inferno.
From then on, these rockets became a standard weapon for the Royal Navy.
This incident also revealed the true nature of Thomas Cochrane and Sidney Smith, the two visiting generals. They were both military and scientific fanatics.
Apart from the Congreve rocket and explosive suicide ships, the two generals had proposed other innovative suggestions to the Admiralty, including but not limited to:
* Developing torpedoes and naval mines, still in the conceptual stage, to destroy the French fleet at Toulon.
* Accelerating the large-scale adoption of steam ships within the Royal Navy.
* Consulting with Faraday to see if chlorine could be used in warfare, only to be scolded by Faraday and forced to leave with a disgruntled expression.
* Providing substantial funding to Robert Fulton, the inventor of the submarine, to attempt to reach Paris by submarine via the Seine River. If the French fleet refused to come out, they would go in themselves. The Royal Navy would turn its rearguard into a vanguard and poke Napoleon in the butt.
Of course, apart from the Congreve rocket, these suggestions were largely ignored by the Admiralty.
This wasn’t entirely due to the unreasonableness of their suggestions, but rather because both men were disliked by the military and political circles. If they weren’t genuinely skilled and capable of winning battles, they would have been kicked out of the Royal Navy long ago.
This was proven by the fact that both Sidney Smith and Thomas Cochrane had been forced into retirement by the Admiralty. Compared to them, even Codrington, who was stuck on the sidelines with the Channel Fleet, was considered to be highly trusted.
Perhaps it was for this reason that Admiral Codrington, a naval vice-admiral who had made a “small mistake”, invited them to seek comfort in each other’s company?
As Arthur pondered these thoughts, he realized that he and Eld had circled back to Codrington’s mansion.
At this time, a sleek, white carriage was parked outside the black iron gates of the mansion, adorned with ornate floral designs.
As soon as the carriage came to a halt, the male servant sitting in the passenger seat quickly retrieved a small wooden stool from beside him and placed it next to the carriage. Then, the door opened, and a hand adorned with a black silk glove and a pigeon blood ruby ring emerged.
Following that, a indigo gown with gold trim came into view. It wasn’t particularly wide, but the front-to-back ratio was a perfect two-to-one, accentuating the curves of the hips and revealing the wearer’s fair skin. A pale purple wide-brimmed hat with a Barfoed ribbon and three white feathers for decoration adorned her head.
However, Arthur’s first reaction upon seeing this scene was to quickly warn Eld beside him. He lowered his voice and said, “Stay calm.”
But this time, he clearly underestimated Eld’s self-control.
Despite feeling the scorching air like a Sahara Desert heat wave just by standing next to him, Eld still remembered his manners. He politely removed his hat and held it over his chest, bowing slightly to the lady.
“Good evening, Mrs. Cowper. I didn’t expect you to be a guest tonight. I don’t know if it’s an honor or a misfortune to be in your presence.”
Mrs. Cowper?
Arthur quickly caught the keyword.
He remembered that this lady was one of the seven female patrons of the Olmack Club.
Mrs. Cowper turned to Eld, looking slightly surprised. But she quickly adjusted her expression. She lightly touched her hat brim and nodded slightly. “Good evening, Mr. Carter.”
Eld was doing fine until he heard these words, and he suddenly lost his composure. “You… you remember me? I thought someone like me, who only met you once, would be quickly forgotten.”
Mrs. Cowper smiled. “Mr. Carter, don’t you know that women’s memories are always better than men’s? Especially when it comes to remembering people’s appearance and names, and I’m one of the best at that. Besides, you made quite an impression on me the first time we met. I couldn’t possibly forget you.”
“I… I… You… uh…” Eld’s face flushed red, and steam rose from his head where he had removed his hat.
Arthur, seeing this, quickly reminded him in a low voice, “Eld, calm down! Damn it, you’re a goddamn… if others saw you like this, they’d think you were the locomotive that ran over Mr. Huskisson!”
The Red Devil, witnessing this scene, couldn’t help but add fuel to the fire. “Arthur, the train is going to derail! Quick, hit the brakes!”
Arthur, upon hearing this, quickly and discreetly stepped on Eld’s shoe. Eld winced in pain, and with a series of deep breaths, he finally regained his ability to organize his thoughts.
“Madam, I… uh, I don’t know if you could remind me which aspect of myself left such a deep impression on you. Although I’m quite confident in myself, I remember that day we were simply introduced to each other and exchanged greetings.”
Mrs. Cowper, upon hearing this, covered her luscious red lips with her black silk glove. “Mr. Carter, our first meeting wasn’t that time.”
“Ah?” Eld was confused. “Could it be… could it be that last time wasn’t our first meeting?”
“Of course not.” Mrs. Cowper flatly denied. “The first time I saw you, you were still in your swaddling clothes. Your mother asked me to hold you and told me that I would have a day like this sooner or later. I wanted to experience the feeling of motherhood early, but unexpectedly, you little rascal peed on me, even staining my new dress.”
Eld felt as if God had poured a bucket of cold water over his head.
He took a deep breath, his face flushed red, and he couldn’t utter a word for a long time. “I… you…”
Arthur, seeing this, quickly removed his hat and intervened. “Madam, I think you should go in first. Mrs. Codrington and the others are waiting for you inside.”
Mrs. Cowper, upon hearing this, simply winked at Eld and playfully comforted him. “Mr. Carter, don’t mind it. I know you didn’t mean to do it. I promise, I’ll keep this secret to myself. I won’t bring it up in front of the ladies to ruin your social reputation.”
Eld, relieved, let out a sigh of relief. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and bowed slightly. “Thank God, thank you for your kindness. You are truly an angel sent by God to save me.”
Mrs. Cowper slightly pursed her lips and bid farewell. “Mr. Carter, there are many angels tonight, but whether you can seize them depends on you. Your mother and aunt complained to me earlier, saying that you’ve picked up some bad habits in the Royal Navy after only half a year. If you really want to find a suitable partner, you should try to change your speech patterns.”
Eld, upon hearing these words, his face, which had been as red as an apple, instantly turned pale.
He stared at Mrs. Cowper as she entered the mansion with the male servant’s assistance, his gaze completely changed.
Eld muttered, “Damn it! How can my mother tell everyone everything? She’s spilling all my secrets. How am I going to get around London now?”
After saying this, Eld felt uncomfortable all over. He reached into his pocket, wanting to have a smoke to ease his mind, but after fumbling for a while, his face changed, and he cursed, “Damn!”
Arthur turned to him. “What’s wrong?”
Eld widened his eyes. “I lost my wallet!”
“Huh? No way?” Arthur, upon hearing this, quickly patted his own pockets.
Fortunately, his wallet was still there, but at the same time, he felt a small note.
The note was scrawled with a crooked line of words: “To those who give to me, I wish you good fortune. To those who give nothing, retribution will follow.”
Arthur, seeing this, understood who had gotten Eld’s wallet.
He sighed helplessly. “Eld, you’re such a… oh, never mind. Let’s go in. I’ll figure out a way to get your wallet back later.”
The recent plot progression has been a bit slow, but I can’t leave out certain details. After all, this is British history, and the relationships between the characters in real history are quite complex. Many readers may not be familiar with these details, so it’s not a good idea to skip over them. I’ll try to update more frequently in the next few days, hoping to get past this part. This chapter is 4K words, and tonight there should be at least another 4K chapter. If I’m not too tired after finishing, I might even write another chapter.
(End of Chapter)