Chapter 19: Fighting Fire With Fire
TL Note: Changing Name “Elder” to “Eldred”
Arthur raised his hand politely, “I don’t recall having such a grandfather, nor am I interested in being anyone’s grandson.”
Colonel Fitzroy looked Arthur up and down.
“You are?”
“I am the naturalist you don’t want.”
Fitzroy was taken aback for a moment before he smiled apologetically.
“What a coincidence, you’re here. But it’s good, I can take this opportunity to explain to you in person why I rejected you.
It’s not that you’re not good enough. You fully meet the Beagle’s requirements for a naturalist.
But this is an order from the Admiralty headquarters. As captain and a soldier, I must strictly enforce the order.”
“But…” Eldred wanted to argue.
But Colonel Fitzroy interrupted him.
“Don’t ‘but’ me. Eldred, the person who issued this order, even your uncle has no right to negotiate with him.
Your friend here is very qualified. I think he will find a job that suits him.
Besides, you know, the Royal Navy is a disciplined organization, and obeying orders is our duty.
So now, shut up and carry out the order.”
He then nodded apologetically to Arthur. “Young man, I’m really sorry.”
Arthur sighed slightly, but he quickly accepted reality.
“It’s okay, Colonel. As you said, the Royal Navy is a disciplined organization. I understand your predicament because I’ve been in similar organizations before.”
“You’ve been in similar organizations?”
Fitzroy thought for a moment and came to a conclusion. “Oh! I knew you weren’t just any ordinary guy. Organizations, right, organizations! You were probably arranged to serve in the Army by your family, right? I’m glad to hear they even have organizations there.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Fitzroy realized his mistake. He apologized with a face full of embarrassment, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to insult the Army. It’s a great place, isn’t it?”
Eldred seized the opportunity to retort sarcastically, “Yes, the Army not only has organizations, they even have discipline!”
Fitzroy knew he couldn’t continue to dwell on this issue, so he quickly said goodbye. “Have fun, I have official duties and won’t be able to stay long.”
With that, he hurriedly walked into the Royal Naval College under the watchful eyes of the two.
Arthur glanced at Eldred, whose expression was strange, and asked, “Does Colonel Fitzroy look down on the Army so much?”
“What are you talking about, Arthur.”
Eldred said, “What do you mean Colonel Fitzroy looks down on the Army? It’s the whole Royal Navy that looks down on the Army. It’s practically a melting pot of thugs – prostitution, bullying, fighting, insults, corporal punishment, drinking, gambling, unpaid wages, strict hierarchy, survival of the fittest. You can apply all the bad words in the world to the Army.”
“So the Royal Navy is good?”
“Of course not. The Royal Navy was equally barbaric in the past, but the good thing is that all our officers have served at least six years at the grassroots level, so they understand the difficulties of the sailors. They will consider this to some extent when assigning tasks.
And the mutiny on the west coast of Puerto Rico in 1797 also served as a wake-up call for the Admiralty.
The sailors on the Royal Navy frigate Hermione were subjected to long-term abuse by the officers. They were forced to work long hours, insults and beatings were commonplace, and any slight mistake would be punished by the captain with orders to be hung from the mast for eight hours.
One night, the sailors, who could no longer bear it, united and charged at the sleeping officers with cutlasses and bayonets, slashing them dozens of times.
The surviving officers, along with the abusive captain Hugh Pigott, were bound to the Hermione’s bowsprit by the sailors and dragged for dozens of miles before being thrown overboard to feed the sharks.
And in the end, the sailors of the Hermione sailed to the North American colonies and swore allegiance to the US government.
Since then, the Royal Navy has created the position of Navigator, who is responsible for writing the logbook. He will record all the situations on board the ship and store them in a safe.
Before returning home, no one is allowed to order him to open the box. The Admiralty will also regularly check the logbook. If they find evidence of officers bullying the soldiers, they will be punished.
While this may not necessarily work, since the Hermione mutiny, the internal atmosphere of the Royal Navy has indeed improved somewhat.
But the Army hasn’t had something like this yet, so it’s still in a primitive state. Even officer positions can be obtained through donations. How can you expect them to have any discipline?”
Speaking of which, Eldred suddenly seemed to remember something. He slapped his forehead.
“Damn it! Arthur, I shouldn’t have told you this. It’s all my fault, I let you quit your job before things were settled.”
Eldred was full of guilt. He didn’t know how to face Arthur.
Just as he was thinking about how to apologize, a policeman with a truncheon strapped to his waist walked over.
“Arthur? Is that you?”
Arthur turned his head and saw his former colleague.
He greeted him with a wave, “Good morning, Dennis. I thought I could stay away from the police after taking off this uniform.”
But Dennis was surprised and delighted to hear this.
“Arthur, I finally found you! I just came back from your place. Oh dear, I thought you had already moved. My Arthur, come with me to Scotland Yard!”
Arthur frowned at the words, “Go to Scotland Yard? Did old Wilcox really start an internal investigation against me?”
“Oh dear! No! The internal investigation has indeed been launched, but the target is not you, but Tom and Tony!”
“Huh?” Arthur suddenly felt a sense of unease, “What happened to them?”
Dennis lamented, “The day after you resigned, Tom and Tony felt increasingly uncomfortable.
So they waited for Chief Inspector Wilcox on his way home yesterday and beat him up badly.
This is a serious matter. They’ll lose their jobs, but that’s not the worst. They might even be sent to the Magistrates’ Court.
You know, those two poor guys can’t afford a lawyer either. After thinking about it, you’re the only one who can help them get out of this.”
Arthur’s face changed. He grabbed Police Officer Dennis and said, “Take me there now.”
But before he could leave, Eldred spoke up again.
“Arthur, I’m really sorry about today. But if you need any help, feel free to come to me. Believe me, I can help you contact a professional lawyer.”
Unexpectedly, Arthur didn’t seem to care about these things. He nudged Eldred with his elbow.
“It doesn’t matter, I can’t get on the ship if I can’t get on the ship. Your story about the sailor mutiny is pretty good too. I’m not without gains, at least your story just taught me a lesson.”
“What lesson?” Eldred was confused.
Arthur paused. He stood there and said,
“Things like conscience and morality are for good people. To deal with those who are inherently cruel, you have to give them a lesson. Otherwise, things will never get better.”
Eldred thought about it, “Seems… like it makes sense.”
The Red Devil, who had been silent for a long time, reappeared and put his arm around Arthur’s shoulder, laughing loudly.
“That’s right! Arthur! You finally figured it out. Go ahead and take out that police chief who’s full of obedience and orders!
We’ve already tried reasoning, you have to talk to him with force!”
(End of Chapter)