Chapter 324: How Much Is A Superintendent’s Life Worth? (K2)

Chapter 321 – How Much Is A Superintendent’s Life Worth? (7K2)

On the outskirts of Liverpool, a warm breeze blew across the fields, bringing up waves of lime green turnips.

Ever since the 18th century, when the agricultural revolution began in England, turnips have been introduced to Britain as a high-yield crop. Although at the beginning of the introduction, turnips were given high hopes of becoming a new generation of sugar crops. But when Francis Blakey discovered that sugar beets contained 8% more sugar than turnips, turnips fell out of favor.

But on the other hand, this loss of favor helped to spread turnip cultivation on a large scale, and people soon discovered its new role.

This high-yielding crop that grows in the fall and matures in the late winter can well fill the gap under the rotational cropping system, and although it can not be the best sugar crop, it is a high-quality pasture for feeding livestock.

If this story were simply recounted, it would seem to be an ordinary case of agricultural breeding.

However, if the story is unfolded, people will be surprised to find that in the past two centuries, it was not the British farmers who continuously promoted agricultural breeding and set off a new round of agricultural revolution, but a group of aristocrats who were crazy about planting and sheep-herding.

These people include both in Britain vigorously promote than turnip rotation system of Lord Townshend, and includes a life dedicated to improving the livestock Sir Cork.

Both because of their own fields irrigation is not enough to worry every day, so that every day to study the pottery pipe irrigation of the Duke of Portland.

There was also the Duke of Bedford, who was a lover of drainage in the early days of mankind, and who wondered every day how to turn his swampy land into a good field.

Unfortunately, although the Duke of Portland and the Duke of Bedford have made achievements in agricultural reform, the most famous figures of their two families are not agricultural researchers.

The most recognizable figure in the Duke of Portland’s family is called Henry Cavendish, represented by the Cavendish twisted scale experiment. In addition to this, he was the first guy to discover carbon dioxide and hydrogen, and in his later years, along with the young Faraday, he introduced the concept of the dielectric constant.

As for the Dukes of Bedford, they are slightly better off, the most famous one in their family has not been born yet, and got into mostly math and philosophy.

But no matter what, the love of the British aristocracy for agriculture from this point can also be seen.

Unlike the nobles in most of Europe who prefer to live in the cities, the Lords of Britannia will go to the countryside whenever they seize the opportunity.

The 15th-century Italian scholar Borgio Bracciolini spouted this British mindset that they could not understand.

“In this country the nobility consider it a disgrace to live long in cities. They lived mostly in the countryside, enjoyed cutting down trees and farming, and were actively involved in various rural endeavors; selling wool and livestock was considered a noble trade. I once met a rich Englishman who sold his family fortune, bought a large estate in the country, and took his whole family out of the towns to the countryside, only to raise his son to be a true nobleman. The end result was just as he had hoped, and after a few years in the country even he himself was accepted into the aristocracy.”

And this long-established emphasis on farming has been passed down from the 15th century to the present day, and even in the 19th century, there are still people who follow the example of the English tycoon who followed the example of that English tycoon hundreds of years ago.

For example, in the woods not far from the turnip fields, the son of a well-known Liverpool tycoon is carrying a small axe and chopping wood.

December is the coldest season of the year, but William Gladstone was wearing only a thin white shirt, ignoring the howling north wind, and chopping wood with his head down.

Judging from the sweat on his forehead and the soaked white shirt, the young man should have been chopping for a while.

Even though the Britons regarded chopping wood as a way to cultivate toughness, it was still rare to see a rich young man who could chop wood as oblivious as Gladstone.

I don’t know whether it is due to the party’s primary election vote by Disraeli caused by the disillusionment, usually regarded chopping wood as life Gladstone today is every axe chopping extra forgetfulness, extra strong.

In a short while, the firewood was piled up as high as a small mountain beside him.

If Arthur had been standing here, he would have remembered what Mr. Disraeli had said to him: “If Gladstone had fallen into the Thames and drowned this winter, there would have been a problem with the heating of the whole of London. A deluge sent by God would be nothing in his presence; what Noah did in seven days, Gladstone could do in an afternoon.”

Although even a sharp-tongued political opponent like Disraeli highly endorses his wood-chopping abilities, people are still people in the end, and it is people who eventually get tired.

Gladstone put down his axe and propped one hand on the tree trunk to look at the pile of this morning’s labor in front of him, raising his hand and wiping the sweat while breathing heavily.

He turned his head to look at the blazing bonfire beside him, and the swaying flames seemed to contort with his breathing, which was filled with Disraeli’s frivolous and narcissistic grinning face, and even the crackling sound of the combustion turned into his conspiratorial sarcasm.

As a devout believer who strictly adhered to the precepts of the church and could recite the Bible backwards and forwards, Gladstone never outwardly showed his feelings, and he did his best to want to become a man with noble qualities and chivalry, as his father had demanded of him.

But in the end, he was still too young at this time.

Being a young man, he would naturally have a bit of youthful vigor, or rather, fire.

Gladstone kicked at the bonfire pile, and the burning carbon ash sparks flew in the air, blurring his eyes.

“Benjamin Disraeli! Narrow-minded in politics, childish in thought, frivolous in action, pretentious in speech, and everywhere you go, you’re all narcissistic and smug with your little yellow pants, green undershirt, pointy-toed shoes, and lace cravat. You guys! What the fuck am I worse than you? Is it because you know how to climb Mrs. Sykes’ skirt?

Oh, my God! Will you open your eyes and see what Kent has chosen? It might as well be a fucking donkey, a donkey can whistle just as well and is smarter than he is!”

Gladstone’s white shirt chipped open and his gilded brass buttons spilled out, his firm chest heaving, it was obvious the lad was furious.

Agareth lay on his side on the branch of a tree, munching on an apple as he watched the show, “Pray to God? With that kind of awareness, it’s a good thing you won’t make it through the party primaries. You even despise Disraeli and the donkey, and you’re actually going to beg for something that’s inferior to them. At least they can still make a sound, and God, you wear out your mouth, it will not let a fart ah!”

Perhaps he heard Agareth’s whisper, or perhaps Gladstone realized he had lost his tongue.

He covered his forehead and shook his head as he looked at the mess, “God! William, look, what have you done? Don’t let anger sway you.”

Gladstone quickly adjusted his breathing and emotions as he reverently clasped the cross on his chest with both hands and closed his eyes in prayer, “Dear Lord! We need You and cannot live without You for a moment, and only by clinging to You can we have contentment and rest in our hearts. My Lord, we thank Thee! For You are the only light in these dark times, let Your true light banish the darkness within us, and make us holy and Your precious vessels, knowing well that all these things are not possible with men, but will they not be difficult with You. Holy prayer to you in the name of the Lord. Amen.”

Seeing this, Agareth just rolled his eyes and raised his hand to throw the apple core at Gladstone’s head, “This kid, it’s hopeless. You’re engaging in all this nonsense, you might as well sign an agreement with me. In the future, when we elect a councilor, it won’t even be your turn when it’s Elder’s turn.”

Agareth’s words had just fallen, when suddenly, a galloping hoof beats came from the front.

Gladstone looked back, and atop the steeds on the country lane were several familiar young faces.

Those are also several Liverpool rich family’s noble son, there are many of them with him since childhood to know the old friend.

Only for these friends, Gladstone in recent years is intentionally or unintentionally distant.

For no other reason, as a devotee, he really is to these guys paper drunken extravagant life and cynical attitude to life a little too much to see.

“Good noon! William! When did you come back to Liverpool, why didn’t you say hello to us? If we had known you were back, we would have brought you along on our morning hunt.”

Several young men saw their old friends also put down their waving horse whips and tightened the reins to stop in front of Gladstone.

Gladstone looked at the two foxes hanging on the saddle and smiled politely, “It’s not like you guys don’t know about my hunting skills, bringing me along is just more than one burden, I won’t bother you guys with your excitement.”

A few young men laughed loudly, “What’s the big deal, anyway, there are enough bullets, after practicing a lot you will always be able to get a good shot. But it’s okay that you didn’t make it to the hunt, since you’re back, let’s organize a cocktail salon tonight. You must have had a few good years at Oxford, eh?
It’s a pity you didn’t make the best of it. My brother wasn’t so strict when he was at Oxford. But you didn’t study in time to coincide with the introduction of that what’s-his-name Oxford prostitution offense. Heh, I have to say, the MP who proposed this motion is a fucking genius. Is he planning on treating Oxford students like prisoners?

I’ve heard that Oxford has lost more than half of its ladies since this bill was introduced. You must have been a medieval monk for three years while you were studying there? Without the company of pretty ladies, your daily pastime is reduced to drinking.”

Hearing this, Gladstone corrected himself in a serious manner, “Occasionally, I do drink a bit of wine, but it’s mainly when I eat communion at school. In private I rarely drink by myself.”

“Not much wine either?”

A couple of young men marveled, “William, my good brother, these last few years have been hard on you. It seems we must make up for three lost years to you today. Tonight at six o’clock, the place is tentative, we’ll send a servant to your manor to inform you when we’ve organized the game.”

“William, do you remember Catherine? The star-crossed little princess is now a big enough girl to attend social balls. She has always had a crush on you, so if you go and ask her for the first dance tonight, she will definitely not refuse. How’s that? The guys are good enough for you, aren’t they?”

Gladstone had been about to decline the invitation to the ball, but as soon as he heard the name Catherine, God’s commandments were thrown out of his mind.

Gladstone hesitantly asked, “Is this …… you guys sure that Catherine will go too?”

“It would have been uncertain.”

“But if you go ……”

“Then Catherine will more than likely go too.”

“Even if she doesn’t want to go.”

“Her parents would still bet on her going.”

A few young men grinned and winked repeatedly at Gladstone, “William, you’re just too modest and prudent, completely unaware of how charming you really are. Every native Liverpudlian knows that the surname Gladstone represents wealth, not to mention that the fact that you were spotted by the Duke of Newcastle at the graduation ceremony has long been rumored in our upper circles here.”

“My father says you’ll be a Cabinet regular like Sir Peel at worst, and if you think high, you might even do a term as Prime Minister like Sir Canning.”

“That’s right, George Canning is nothing but an actress’s son, and his uncle is a small-time banker. You, on the other hand, William, your father is one of Liverpool’s leading businessmen. You’re a far better man than Canning, both in ability and wealth. If Canning can do one term as Prime Minister, you can do two anyhow.” “William, if you want to elect an MP, talk anytime you’re short-handed, the guys have all grown up together. We can come up with a little money besides being able to hunt foxes from the woods. If it’s a couple of thousand pounds, you can just ask someone to send a message. Any more than that and we’ll have to talk it over with the family.”

“Discuss? My father said that if William gets on the Board of Trade, he’ll fork over five thousand pounds on the spot as a congratulatory gift. If William becomes Prime Minister and agrees to get me into the Board of Trade, he’ll sell the two estates his family just bought, and even if he can’t make ends meet, he’ll have to scrape together twenty or thirty thousand pounds for William.”

The broads laughed out loud at this.

However, Gladstone couldn’t help but frown when he heard this, but because of his friend’s feelings, he finally didn’t say out his campaign platform of vigorously rectifying government corruption.

He sidetracked the topic and said, “Speaking back, that dance tonight ……”

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot to tell you. There’s supposed to be another guest from London showing up at the ball tonight. You’ll have to watch out for him a bit more, we’re not in the group to steal Catherine’s first dance from you, but that guest won’t know that you’re two of a kind.”

“Hiss …… I hadn’t thought of that until you mentioned it. With that guest’s status, it’s not really easy for us to explain these things to him. If he took an immediate liking to Catherine and asked her to dance, Catherine really can’t refuse him directly.”

“Guest?” Gladstone asked in disbelief, “Is that guest’s identity special? Does he have some special title?”

One of the broads stifled a laugh and returned, “Special, indeed, and the title is quite long.”

The other broad beside him recalled the self-introduction he heard at the station that day, and groggily mimicked in his unique cockney voice, “Introducing myself, Arthur Hastings, Senior Superintendent and Head of the Criminal Crime Investigation Department of the Greater London Police, Director of the London …… something bureau, appointed by the Whosoever appointed special anti smuggling inspector in Liverpool.”

His parody had just been done when his friends beside him laughed and cheered.

“Hahaha! Well learned! Who’s this kid from London running Liverpool to scare? The special anti-smuggling inspector. Does he know that this isn’t the first time London has sent an anti-smuggling inspector to Liverpool?”

“What happened to the last one who came to Liverpool? Can one of you remind me?”

“Edmund, you have a short memory. Let me tell you, the last smuggling commissioner ah! Dead! Buried alive by the Hawkhurst gang, and London hasn’t sent a commissioner to Liverpool for half a century since.”

“Ha ha ha!!!”

Gladstone couldn’t help but blush when he heard this, “Superintendent Hastings? The commissioner for smuggling is him?”

“Hmm?” Broadchurch asked, “William, you know him? That’s just right then. It would be good for all of us if you had afternoon tea sometime and talked things over with him. You probably don’t know that the Port Authority, the Customs and Excise Department and the Town Council are pretty wound up about this Sergeant Hastings!”

“That’s right, they’ve been pissing yellow for the last two days. My father even got Edmund, Jonathan and Monk and their fathers together today for a trades meeting to discuss what to do about this Inspector Hastings. By the way, your father and your brother were supposed to be involved in this, and I seem to remember the meeting took place in your family’s trade office at the harbor.”

“William, since you’ve got the contacts, go and poke around for the old guys. Ask that Hastings how much money it would take to get this over with. The guys don’t want to get into too much trouble with London, and what’s the point of making a mess of the harbor trade just for a cholera control?”

Hearing this, Gladstone hurriedly asked, “That trade meeting you guys were talking about, when was it held?”

“Just this morning, it started at ten o’clock.” Broadchild looked up at the big sun in the sky, “According to the chronic nature of the old guys, it’s probably not over yet at this moment.”

Gladstone sniffed and directly rolled over onto his horse, he spoke with a stranglehold on the reins, “Steve, lend me this horse for a bit, and bring it over to return it to you when I attend the ball later.”

At the end of the sentence, Gladstone threw the whip, the dust on the path was flying, and the young man rode his horse all the way to run wildly and left.

A few broads looked at me and I looked at you.

“Come on, brothers, fewer horses, it seems that continuing to hunt is not an option.”

“Then what’s next to play?”

The broad named Steve glanced at the small axe Gladstone had left behind and the large forest, and suggested with a clench of his chin, “Why don’t we compete in chopping wood?”

The broads sniffed and looked around at the large open fields and the turquoise blue sky, but eventually rolled over and dismounted.

“Alright, I’ll be first then.”

Agares, who was lying on the tree, heard this and yawned and stretched, and Red Devil spat in disgust, “What a fucking …… one is more unproductive than the other.”

……

Liverpool, Old Docks, Gladstone Import and Export Trading Co.

The conference room on the third floor was filled with smoke.

The Danish camphor wood conference table imported from the Baltic Sea is filled to capacity, and the tabletop is covered with black bowler hats that guests have casually removed.

In the cloudy mountains that were like a fairyland, you could faintly see a small sun that was shiny and glittering with oil.

This iconic scene is enough to explain the identity of the participants, they are all like a fake British gentleman, any one of them individually carry out, is enough to cause the entire Liverpool import and export trade earthquake, and even affect the whole of Britain a certain or several kinds of commodities prices rise and fall of the characters.

Their business routes covered both the tobacco and sugar trade between the West Indies and West Africa, as well as undertaking the grain trade between England and Ireland. It also included timber and cotton and linen products to and from the Americas and the Baltic coast. Of course, they naturally did not forget Liverpool’s old business, and Greenland’s capture fishery was one of the areas they were involved in.

Old Gladstone held his pipe in his mouth, one hand propped up between his eyebrows as he examined the papers in his hand, and without lifting his head he asked, “I heard that yesterday he asked the Customs Department for a customs declaration?”

“That’s right.” The middle-aged gentleman sitting on his left hand stroked the few stubborn hairs left on his head, “The Customs Department sent the declaration over yesterday afternoon.”

“Whoa?”

Old Gladstone put down the paper and leaned back in his chair with his arms wrapped around it, “And they just gave in to London so easily? It’s not like their style!”

The old gentleman sitting on Gladstone’s right hand took off his glasses and said, “I heard that Whitehall is really angry this time, the Chancellor seems to be very dissatisfied with the dock riots that broke out in Liverpool a while ago. The Prime Minister, Earl Grey, even reprimanded the Customs and Excise Department and the Board of Trade in person a few days ago, demanding a written explanation for the state of affairs in Liverpool.

The Customs and Excise Department and the Board of Trade naturally could not hold their anger in their own hearts and digest it alone, so they kicked the ball to the Liverpool Port Authority, demanding that the Port Authority submit a written report and asking them to guarantee that they would not make the same mistake again.

Even if the Port Authority was hardened, it could not be so stupid as to bear the burden in such a situation. Even if they wanted to fight back, they had to wait for the storm to pass at the very least. That Hastings was sent from London and carries orders from the Lord Chancellor’s Office, the Admiralty, the Home Office and the Customs Service, the Port Authority still has to make a show of being explicit.”

“Just the plain look?”

“Yes, it’s still the same thing. They’ve left some painless errors and omissions for the youngster to check; after all, he’s got to show some results to London. And Customs, it’s a bit of a sham to be so watertight. Instead of letting him feel like a fly on the wall, why don’t we show him the way, at least we’ll know what he’s checking in advance.”

“Ninety-six hundred pounds of undeclared tea, seventy-three hundred pounds of tobacco reported as domestic for international shipments, half a pod of misvalued high-end clothing, and a few odds and ends of industrial raw materials. We’ll split the money equally, and when the Customs and Excise Department comes to collect, we’ll just make a show of arguing. If we lose in court, don’t go on appealing; it’s a case that can’t be won, and can’t be won.”

“He has the investigation, he can land a credit. The cabinet can land a reputation if they find out the problem. Our losses are also within reason, not affecting the subsequent business, then everyone will be happy.”

Speaking here, the gentleman sitting opposite Old Gladstone just touched his bald head and raised his finger to tap his head, “If things can be resolved smoothly, then of course it’s good. But the problem now is that I’m afraid he can’t see past these small sesame seeds and has to look into a big one.”

As soon as this was said, the gentleman sitting by the window spoke impatiently, “He’s been given so much, what’s not to like? When I was young, how much money did I make by shipping a strong nigger to America? Nine deaths from Britain to Africa, and then from Africa to America, a ship of niggers at least one-third to half to die. After deducting the wages of the crew and the ship’s loss, the net profit of a slave ship that can load 400 people is only 8,000-10,000 pounds. Now that he’s not doing a damn thing, lying asleep in his hotel, we’re paying him off for two shiploads of niggers, and that’s good enough.”

“Lovie, don’t be so quick to get angry. I’m not saying he’s sure he’ll do it, but we must take into account that he’s a young man. We came from a young age, just like you did when you were young; when you were young you could go out of your way to sell niggers in Africa despite malaria, but now that you’re older, can you still go out of your way to do this kind of thing? When you’re young you always want to want to eat a fatty in one bite, you want to swallow a watermelon, but you don’t consider that you’ll prop yourself up, that’s the common problem of young people.”

“Don’t you all take one bite of a nigger. We Britannia are now abolished slaves, what we are doing now is a proper business life.”

“How is selling niggers immodest? It was Parliament that made him immodest, but God didn’t say so.”

“All right, all right! We’re talking about young people’s business here, and why are you talking about niggers? You can use a whip on a nigger, can you do it on a Scotland Yard superintendent?”

“It’s not for us to say whether it’s okay or not; it’s up to Sergeant Hastings himself. That said, what’s his way, anyway?”

“I’ve sent someone to London to ask around, and it’s a bit hard to tell what his situation is. It’s both like he’s been in trouble so he’s been dumped in Liverpool to do this grunt work, and it’s also like someone at the top is looking at him and wants to give him a bit of a brush up.”

“Taking Liverpool’s harbor quarantine to brush up his grades? Isn’t that sick in the head? Ninety percent of the country’s cotton and linen are imported from Liverpool, once we stop here, all the textile mills in Lancashire will have to stop production. Instead of sending a veteran to take care of this, the Cabinet sent a rash man, and how can I not believe it when you say that he is not being punked.”

“Whether or not he’s being punked I’m not sure. But I do know that he’s a graduate of the University of London, a high-flyer of Lord Brougham, the Royal Chancellor, and Sir Peel’s right-hand man. You are right about one thing, though; that Brougham man is more or less sick in the head.”

“Sir Peel’s right-hand man? If you say so, it’s the Whigs who are in power now. If he was promoted by Peel, there doesn’t seem to be much psychological pressure on the Whigs to remove him if he doesn’t do a good job in Liverpool.”

“So the reasoning still gets clearer the more you argue, now doesn’t that make it clear. Why the boy was sent to Liverpool is now clear.”

Old Gladstone mused, “Then the next step is the question of how to contact him …… Do you have any views?”

(End of chapter)