Chapter 147: Wellington’s Strategic Turn-in
Chapter 147: Wellington’s Strategic Pivot
Prime Minister’s Residence, 10 Downing Street, Westminster, London.
The Duke of Wellington leaned back in his crimson velvet seat, holding a copy of the Residence Newspaper from France in his left hand, and in his right hand he held a confidential letter from Paris delivered by the Rothschild postal service.
After he finished reading the two copies, he couldn’t help but look down and rub his temples, and then spoke at Sir Pierre, who was sitting across from him, “Heh! Anyway, Louis Philippe just bit the bullet and refused to admit that it was the French government that kidnapped people to Paris?”
Sir Pierre smiled and shook his head, “Your Excellency the Duke, you can’t say that. Louis-Philippe only denied it on the surface, didn’t he privately apologize to you in a secret letter?”
The Duke of Wellington with an impatient face folded up the two letters and put them into his jacket pocket: “What is the use of apologizing in private? After all, is it not a shameless intention to let us bear the risk of public opinion? I do not understand him, after all, he has only just climbed to the throne of France, if he just ascended the throne to the Great Britain to yield, then he is the king of France will probably be the end of the day.”
Sir Pierre looked at him with a fiery face and suddenly had a bright idea, he leaned forward slightly and advised, “But …… if Louis-Philippe wants to take advantage of this matter, then last month’s Brussels uprising that led to Belgium’s almost de facto independence ……”
The Duke of Wellington, hearing this place, also understood Sir Peel’s meaning.
Back then, after the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Britain, in order to create a strong buffer state in northern France in order to maintain continental parity, had proposed at the Congress of Vienna in 1815 that the two regions of Holland and Belgium should be merged to create a new Kingdom of Holland.
However, although Belgium and the Netherlands nominally formed one country, the two regions differed considerably in culture, religion and economic structure.
For example, the Netherlands is predominantly Protestant, while Belgium is Catholic. The Dutch speak Flemish, whereas the Belgians speak Flemish to a small extent and French to a large extent.
But that’s not the worst part, the worst part is that the Dutch, nicknamed the ‘Maritime Coachmen’, make their living mainly from commerce and fishing, while Belgium is a region with a deep industrial and agricultural base.
Therefore, the Netherlands will of course adopt the low tariff free trade policy that favors mercantilism, but in this way, it is necessary to sacrifice the interests of Belgium’s agriculture and industry, and they will bear the cost of a large number of cheap foreign goods flooding into the market, which of course, also violates their desire to demand the implementation of trade protection policy.
King William I of the Netherlands was also suspicious of the new Belgians, and in order to ensure the dominant position of the Dutch in the kingdom, he had been formulating discriminatory policies against the Belgian region over the years.
For example, only Flemish speakers were allowed to apply for the government employment exams, the top government and military generals had to be Dutch, Belgian newspapers had to undergo censorship, but the debts owed by Holland in the Napoleonic Wars had to be shared by the Belgians.
The Belgians have endured for more than ten years, they have long been dissatisfied with the rule of the Netherlands, and the July Revolution that broke out in France this year was like a shot in the arm, instantly igniting the enthusiasm for independence of every Belgian.
So not long after the outbreak of the July Revolution, the Belgians launched an uprising in Brussels. The French King Louis-Philippe, in order to show his image as a popular revolutionary to the people at home, was the first to send solidarity to Belgium.
For Britain, however, watching independent Belgium fall to France was absolutely intolerable. But want to let Belgium and the Netherlands quietly reunited and really not realistic. Therefore, the cabinet has been discussing whether it is necessary to send troops to intervene in the Belgian War of Independence.
Admittedly, King Louis-Philippe of France could not bow down to Britain at this time, but the result of wanting to save face was that he had to shell out a little bit of substance in exchange. For example, a promise to Britain not to continue to intervene on the Belgian issue.
The Duke of Wellington nodded slightly as he bit his quill: ”If considered from a practical perspective, this is indeed a rather cost-effective deal. If it was placed in the moment before the passage of the Catholic Emancipation Act, I would have accepted Louis Philippe’s application for this deal without even thinking about it. But now well ……”
The Duke of Wellington shook his head with a bitter smile, “We probably need a bit of useless face-saving issues more than he does. That’s why I’ve said before that I hate partisan politics, and while I might upset people if I put that out there, I’d still say that factionalism greatly harms the country’s interests. I clearly saved the country from a civil war, yet they treat me like a sinner.
I don’t know who prevented Napoleon from marching on England. If I had known that they were so insensitive, I would have died at Waterloo, so that they would all be Catholic and speak French.
Alas, Robert, I don’t think it’s a good idea to drag this on. Huskisson is dead, and things aren’t going well with the Whig moderates. Parliament is due to convene in two weeks, and the Whigs are sure to take the opportunity to bring a motion of no confidence in the cabinet.
From a soldier’s point of view, if we know that we’re bound to lose this battle, it would be better if we strike first and let me take all the blame. That way, perhaps you can still continue to unite the party and the voters so that the Tories don’t lose too many seats in the next general election.”
When Sir Peel heard this, he was stunned, then he looked shocked and said, “Your Excellency the Duke, what are you talking about? You are the leader of the party, surely the cabinet and the party’s backbenchers must work with you!”
The Duke of Wellington lifted the goblet on the table and looked at the wine sloshing inside and spoke, “There is no need for that, Robert. When His Majesty the King ordered me to form the cabinet, it was so that I could stabilize the chaos in the cabinet and resolve the Ottoman and Greek issues. But on a personal level, I have neither the talent for speeches nor the inclination to throw my weight around, so there shouldn’t be anyone who loathes the job as much as I do, or who is as ignorant of party affairs as I am.
I am a man of honor and a soldier of the highest character; I do not play the tricks of intrigue, and I have always preferred to be frank with people. But this, obviously, won’t work under the present circumstances.
I am still opposed to parliamentary reform, and I will not change my views because I am attached to these positions of power; I have always believed that the so-called reform is nothing but a revolution with due process of law.
They want to make a whole revolution in England, and I don’t agree with that. But if I don’t give in, it might not be just a revolution, they might even make a Robespierre. If that happens, it won’t do anyone any good.
Therefore, according to the principle of battlefield command, a disadvantageous situation should choose to gather troops, hunker down for defense, and wait for the time of day in order to prepare for a resurgence. Since the Whigs like this high ground so much, I’ll give it away.
But I really didn’t expect that I didn’t lose at the hands of Napoleon, but instead lost to the dark arrows of my own people.”
Speaking here, the Duke of Wellington’s words suddenly stalled, his eyes as sharp as a falcon’s stared at Sir Pierre and opened his mouth.
“Robert, from now on, the affairs of the party, I can leave to you.”
Sir Peel heard this, for a moment his mood was a little complicated, he half opened his mouth to speak.
After a long period of silence, Sir Peel could only sigh, “I understand, so you are planning to ……”
Wellington raised his hand slightly, “You don’t have to worry about the latter. The next time the Parliament is in session, I have to take all the fire that I’ve been forcing down for years and put it on their heads. After the Congress, all the public pressure against the Tories will be transferred to me. And after that, you and the existing Tories will all be able to breathe.”
As the Duke of Wellington said this, he couldn’t help but stand up and tug at his collar, “I want them to understand that not everyone looks at that little bit of political gain. Do they really think that I don’t know that little bit of their mind? Taking the initiative to propose reforms themselves so that all those newly enfranchised voters will vote for them. What do they think of British politics and national affairs? Childish, Naive!”
Just as his words fell, the door of the office was suddenly pushed open a crack, and the Duke of Wellington’s private secretary stood outside the door, his body leaning forward slightly.
“Your Excellency, there is someone below who is seeking an audience with you.”
The Duke of Wellington lifted his wine glass and drank the sherry in one go as he casually made a witty remark, “Wow? A familiar plot, Waterloo over ten years ago, the same time of crisis, could it be my old friend Marshal Blücher finally remembering me? Thank God. But it’s best if he doesn’t think of me, he passed away more than ten years ago, and I don’t want to rehash old friendships with him buried in the dirt so soon.”
The private secretary smiled back, “Not Marshal Blücher, but Sir Peel’s man, Arthur Hastings, the new superintendent of Scotland Yard.”
“Wow.” The Duke of Wellington gave a slight lurch, then spoke towards Peel, “Robert, that seems to be looking for you. I’m sorry, I’m fine with calling you here and delaying the normal work of the Ministry of the Interior, but hopefully nothing has gotten out of hand.
Although I kinda admire that capable young man, every time he appears in front of us, what he brings is not good news, but fortunately, every time, he is able to deal with it properly and turn it into a miracle.”
Sir Peel rose in a hurry and said, “You tell Arthur that I’ll be right down.”
“No, no, no.” The private secretary hurriedly waved his hand as he clutched the document, “Superintendent Arthur said by name that he is here to find His Excellency the Duke this time, it seems that something big has happened over at Hyde Park.”
“Looking for me? Hyde Park?” The Duke of Wellington furrowed his own white eyebrows, “It’s not likely that there’s someone who’s inciting the public to smash my family’s window panes again, is it?”
(End of chapter)