## Chapter 204: Arthur’s French Counterpart (4K6)
**London, No. 1, Wellington’s Private Residence, Apsley House.**
The Duke of Wellington leaned back against the crimson velvet sofa, his gaze fixed upon Arthur, who stood before him in a sharp, police officer’s tailcoat, a black top hat perched on his head, pristine white gloves, and a police officer’s sword hanging at his side.
The Duke, with his silvered hair, tapped his fingers against the table, saying, “You seem to be in good spirits, young man.”
Arthur merely smiled, “If you had called me over a few days ago, I wouldn’t have been in such good spirits.”
Wellington took a sip of tea, “Is that so? Well, it’s understandable. You used to be too close to me and Peel. Now that the Whigs are in power, those who dislike you will inevitably want to take you down. But seeing you like this, it seems you’ve weathered the storm?”
“Sort of,” Arthur replied, not wanting to hide his connection to the Whigs. After all, for someone like the Duke of Wellington, there was no need to specifically target a small fry like him.
In Arthur’s understanding of the world, beggars and millionaires rarely envied each other. Beggars only envied beggars with higher incomes, and the same applied to millionaires.
Everyone prefers to spar with opponents of their own level. If you were to fight a monster beyond your level, it’s either a last resort for the desperate or a sign of a delusional madman.
Arthur said, “The Whigs’ rise to power almost finished me off. But you should know that I graduated from the University of London. The newly appointed Lord Chancellor, Lord Brougham, happens to be the chairman of the University of London’s board of trustees. I used to attend some of his lectures, and he had a good impression of me. So, he simply saved me this time.”
“Brougham?” Wellington said, suddenly realizing, “I almost forgot about him, that quirky lawyer. You managed to get along with his bad temper. That’s quite a feat. But your luck is truly good. The Whigs came to power right after the death of King George IV. If the King hadn’t died, Brougham would never have gotten the position of Lord Chancellor. You know, the King held a grudge against Brougham for helping Queen Caroline win the divorce case.”
With that, Wellington changed the subject, “But you’re here to see me today. Is Scotland Yard planning to entrust me to you for security during the London Conference?”
Arthur, hearing this, quipped, “I hope you won’t be angry about this, but the security for the other British representative at the London Conference, Viscount Palmerston, the Foreign Secretary, is being handled by Chief Constable Rowan himself. I’m in charge of your security, which might be a little lower in level.”
The Red Devil, standing nearby, couldn’t help but chuckle, “Oh! Arthur, you little rascal! You’re trying to bury Rowan alive. You’re laying traps for him with the Whigs, and then you’re tripping him up with the Tories.”
As expected, Wellington, hearing this, raised an eyebrow and said, “Hah! Rowan’s ability to shift with the wind is truly remarkable. But let him be. After all, I’m only attending the conference as an advisor. According to legal procedures, Palmerston’s security level should be higher than mine.”
Arthur smiled and leaned forward, “With your broad mind, you naturally don’t care about these trivial matters. But even if you don’t, as the person responsible for security, I still need to thoroughly investigate the terrain and environment inside and outside Apsley House to ensure that no problems arise during the conference.”
Wellington, hearing this, stood up and tapped his finger against his iron window, making a self-deprecating joke, “There’s really nothing to investigate. Look at this window, it’s as sturdy as it can be. Didn’t the Times say that my whole body is made of iron? Trying to assassinate me, the Iron Duke, with a few bullets is probably not going to work.
But if you want to investigate intelligence, then go ahead. I can understand your feelings. Going into battle without knowing anything about the terrain, the troops, the deployment, or the weather can make people feel uneasy. By the way, during the London Conference, when you have nothing to do, you can have a good chat with François Vidocq, who is responsible for the security of the French ambassador, Talleyrand.
But in terms of police intelligence work, the French ‘Security Brigade’ under his jurisdiction can be considered the best in Europe. If you can learn a trick or two from him, I believe it will be helpful in improving your work skills.”
Security Brigade?
As soon as Arthur heard the name of this organization, he immediately understood what the Duke of Wellington meant.
Actually, in terms of the establishment of police organizations, France was far ahead of Britain.
As early as 1667, King Louis XIV of France ordered the establishment of the Paris Police Department. However, due to the overly violent enforcement style of the Paris police, in the early days, it was almost impossible to distinguish between the French police and the army. Even then, the highest official of the Paris Police Department held the military rank of Police Lieutenant General.
During the French Revolution, the Paris Police Department was reorganized into the Paris Police Headquarters. After Napoleon became Emperor, it was reorganized again into the Greater Paris Police Department. Their enforcement style and scope of responsibility gradually moved closer to modern municipal police.
Although the Paris police were gradually becoming more civilized, their historical traditions were still there. Even if they became civilized, it was only relative. In most cases, the Paris police still adhered to the principle of ‘guns over words’.
Because of their bad reputation, even Arthur’s British counterparts, the Paris police, were also affected.
At the beginning of Scotland Yard’s establishment, Londoners practically equated them with repression, violence, and bloodshed. This was a major reason why Scotland Yard’s frontline patrol officers often faced attacks during their daily patrols.
But no matter what, in the world today, countries like Britain and France, who boast of being world exemplars, hope to use violence as little as possible, and do their best to bridge domestic conflicts. After all, no one wants to stage a revolution on their own turf.
And the Greater Paris Police Department, in order to appear civilized at least on the surface, had come up with all sorts of wacky ideas.
More than a decade before Arthur suggested the establishment of the LPS to Sir Peel, the French, who were quite creative in this area, had already taken the lead in implementing domestic security intelligence work.
The François Vidocq mentioned by the Duke of Wellington was the founder and head of the intelligence department of the Greater Paris Police Department. This highly capable old secret agent, who had made great contributions to the Greater Paris Police Department, had a quite impressive resume.
Vidocq, at the age of 14, killed a man in a sword fight and had to flee his hometown. He went to Paris, changed his identity, and fell in love with a French actress, but this forbidden romance didn’t end well, and Vidocq ended up losing all his money.
Just then, the French Revolution broke out, so Vidocq joined the army. His performance was initially good, and he was very brave in the first six months of combat.
But soon, his love for attention and his rebellious nature got him into big trouble. He challenged an officer who was constantly antagonizing him to a duel, but was refused.
Vidocq, not giving up, directly drew his sword and ambushed the officer. In a one-on-fifteen battle, he successfully killed two officers and was subdued, only to be sentenced to death by hanging.
Before his execution, Vidocq, always bold, naturally wouldn’t sit back and wait to die. He fully utilized his extraordinary combat skills, led his fellow inmates in a prison break, and escaped back to his hometown.
His unlucky old father, after learning about his son’s experiences over the years, was also stunned. He could only pat his son on the shoulder and solemnly advise, “You, my boy, are bound to die a violent death. Go get married, at least leave a descendant for our old Vidocq family.”
Vidocq obediently followed his father’s advice and found a girl from his hometown to marry.
Happily, Vidocq got married and his wife gave birth to a big, fat boy within a few months.
But Vidocq, holding his child, couldn’t help but feel something was wrong.
Something wasn’t right. Didn’t people normally carry their babies for ten months? Why was my son born after only six months? Could he be a prodigy?
Unable to figure it out, Vidocq finally left his hometown in the middle of a rainy night, heading back to Paris. Soon after, he was imprisoned again for brawling.
His repeated imprisonment finally made him realize something in prison. He learned the advanced craftsmanship of making fake documents from an old French pickpocket, and was repeatedly imprisoned as a result.
The Greater Paris Police Department, unable to handle him, finally put him in the Navy Prison. However, they clearly underestimated Vidocq’s abilities. Not long after, Vidocq bribed the guards and got hold of a Navy uniform, then swaggered out of prison.
When he was captured again, the Greater Paris Police Department raised his danger rating to the highest level. So, this time, he was sent to the most heavily guarded and tightly controlled prison in France, the Toulon Prison.
But Vidocq, with the motto ‘As long as the mind doesn’t slip, there are always more solutions than difficulties’, escaped from Toulon Prison again and again.
He and the Greater Paris Police Department ‘You go 3, I go 4, You go 5, I go 6′ all the way for ten years. Through these experiences, Vidocq’s fame in France grew, and many of France’s underworld friends saw Vidocq as their idol.
At a party celebrating Vidocq’s Nth escape from prison, Vidocq simply sneered, pulled out a piece of identification from his pocket, and slapped it on the table, “Sorry, I’m a cop.”
Soon after, the Greater Paris Police Department publicly announced that the esteemed Eugène François Vidocq had abandoned the dark side and would serve as the highest administrative official of the Greater Paris Police Department’s intelligence department, leading the newly established Paris plainclothes detective team – Sreté.
This Sreté was the predecessor of the Paris Security Brigade that the Duke of Wellington mentioned.
The Paris Security Brigade, having absorbed a large number of former criminals, was simply unstoppable under Vidocq’s leadership. Relying on his network built over years of mingling in the Paris underworld and his understanding of criminal psychology, he reduced Paris’ crime rate by forty percent in just a few years.
To commend Vidocq’s achievements, the overjoyed King Louis XVIII of France directly pardoned all of Vidocq’s past crimes.
Of course, the reason why Vidocq was so successful was not entirely due to his connections and experience.
He also introduced many technological innovations and system reforms into police work, such as undercover police, ballistics, criminal file preservation systems, plaster casts of criminals’ shoe prints, indelible ink, crime scene protection mechanisms, and more.
Because Vidocq was so successful, Scotland Yard had also specifically studied his various innovations when it was first established, incorporating some of them into Scotland Yard’s ‘Police Enforcement Manual’.
Arthur had also thought about going to see this old senior, but unfortunately, Scotland Yard’s operating expenses were too tight. Moreover, the Tories were in a precarious situation, and even if Sir Peel trusted him, he wouldn’t let Arthur go on a government-funded trip to Paris while London’s political situation was in turmoil.
But unexpectedly, Arthur didn’t go to find Vidocq, but Vidocq came to him.
However, the fact that Vidocq, who usually stayed in the Paris security intelligence system, was sent to accompany them showed how much the French valued the London Conference.
But as soon as Arthur thought about this, he suddenly felt something was wrong.
He frowned slightly and muttered, “Security is more professional when done by the police, but sending Vidocq over, wouldn’t that be to get Alexander back?”
Arthur suddenly felt a chill in his heart. If they lost Dumas at the London Conference, it wouldn’t be a small matter.
Although Dumas was not a high-ranking official, due to the hype from the media, he had become a symbol of Britain’s defense of justice and righteousness.
Although this matter of face didn’t have much practical significance, it could profoundly affect the media environment and party support.
Both parties were not averse to pushing someone out to apologize for such a problem, one where they could find someone directly responsible.
If something really happened, even if Lord Brougham wanted to protect him, he would have to weigh the pressure of public opinion.
Thinking about this, Arthur suddenly felt the need to meet with Mr. Vidocq, who was famous for his reputation.
Although he might not be able to pry the truth out of his mouth, even if he could get a bit of information, it would be very beneficial to Scotland Yard’s operational deployment during the conference.
Arthur was thinking about these things when the Duke of Wellington, leaning back on the sofa with a glass of red wine in his hand, suddenly spoke again.
“Arthur, would you mind doing me a small favor?”
Arthur came back to his senses and smiled, “Is it a private favor or a public one?”
The Duke of Wellington shook his glass of red wine, “It doesn’t matter, either one will do. If I only used one identity, I’m afraid you wouldn’t be able to handle this. And since you’re responsible for my security during the London Conference, it should be reasonable for me to give you two orders, right?”
Arthur didn’t refute this. He pondered for a moment what the Duke of Wellington had said before, and suddenly said with a smile, “Are you hoping I’ll act like Mr. Vidocq?”
“No, I need you to do better than him,” the Duke of Wellington stood up and paced, “Although I know this might be difficult for you, but on the issue of Belgian independence, we have some differences with the French and the Russians. Some things are not convenient to inquire about from my perspective, but if you inquire from below, you might get some unexpected gains.
You can start with Vidocq on the French side. As for the Russians, I heard some friends say that a new pianist named Arthur Hastings joined the Almack Club recently? The little gadget you brought, called a phonograph, is also very satisfactory.
Last week at the club’s dinner party, I heard Lady Cowper say that Countess Lieven, the wife of the Russian ambassador, Count Lieven, also ordered one from you? I wonder if you’ve sent that phonograph to her?”
The Duke of Wellington had already said it all, how could Arthur not understand what he meant?
Arthur took a deep breath, took off his hat, and said with a wry smile, “Your Grace, you’ve really given me a difficult task.”
The Duke of Wellington laughed heartily. He patted Arthur on the shoulder and said, “Young man, you need to exercise more. But don’t be too stressed about this. Although the Whigs and the Tories belong to different camps, we’ve always been united on external matters.
As long as you can get this done, the Whigs will be very happy. Of course, even if you can’t, it’s not a big deal. After all, with Brougham, you probably won’t be in any trouble.”
Arthur looked up at the clock on the wall, the hour hand pointed at twelve. The clock chimed, and Arthur placed his hand on his chest and bowed slightly, “Your Grace, I accept your order.”
There is one more chapter, I’ll write it later.
(End of Chapter)