The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 945: Chapter 37: Conspiracy in the Gutter

Under the night sky, classic limestone buildings stand quietly on both sides of the street, the Baroque facades and elaborate sculptures telling stories of the past.

On the cobblestone-paved roads, pedestrians are dressed in varying attire, from the splendid garments of the nobility to the plain clothes of the commoners, each person an indispensable brushstroke in this era’s painting. Occasionally, other carriages pass by, stirring up slight dust.

Suddenly, a squad of cavalry escorting a magnificent carriage entered, and passersby quickly made way. A street ruffian, chewing tobacco in his mouth, stared intently at the dark wooden carriage adorned with golden patterns and copper engravings. He knew it surely carried some royal figure, but what he hadn’t guessed was that accompanying the King today was Paris Police Chief Henry Jissoke.

The carriage windows were half-covered, and through them, one could faintly see the King engaged in an intimate conversation with the Police Chief sitting across from him.

Perhaps it was because Jissoke did not originate from the police force, or more accurately, he was parachuted into the Great Paris Police Hall as the top leader only after the July Revolution.

Thus, this Police Chief lacked both the professional demeanor of police like Arthur and the worldly, adaptable cunningness of street-bred detective Victor.

Even though he stood tall, donned in the typical French officer’s black robe, with a medal symbolizing honor on his chest, and wearing the characteristic tall top hat, yet the gold chain of the pocket watch hanging on his chest and the cane placed by his side still indicated his other identity—as a banker, in addition to being the Paris Police Chief.

Jissoke’s expression was focused and serious, clearly reporting to the King on the current important security situation in Paris or the latest intelligence gathered from various channels.

For Jissoke, being merely the Paris Police Chief did not satisfy his ambitions; he also looked to see higher positions, and the news that the King intended to replace the Home Secretary afforded him a glimmer of hope.

Jissoke unfolded the documents in his hand and reported methodically to King Louis Philippe.

”Since the beginning of this year, due to the gradual improvement in economic conditions, the crowds idly wandering the streets have significantly decreased. However, the Great Paris Police Hall will not relax the monitoring of such groups for the time being.

Even if such groups initially comprise fewer than five people, they quickly swell. If our officers cannot arrive promptly, then half an hour or an hour later, by five in the evening or as late as midnight, the situation can quickly evolve into a small-scale riot.

According to reports from our informants, behind every riot, one can see the shadow of this inflammatory organization. They spare no effort to exploit the potential of every riot, attempting to turn grain price disturbances or demonstrations in sympathy with the Poles into large-scale uprisings.

Last year, the criminal Contreras, who attempted to incite chaos by setting fire to Notre-Dame de Paris, also admitted to having a background with the ’Friends of the People and Human Rights Association,’ and openly confessed his profession as a ’rioter.’

However, compared to last year, due to the successful handling of last year’s cholera outbreak and June’s Paris uprising by the Great Paris Police Hall, we have reasons to believe that this reactionary organization devoted to overthrowing the dynasty’s rule, the ’Friends of the People and Human Rights Association,’ is now in name only.

These republicans never accurately assessed their numbers; they hope that many would join them, believing that they have hundreds of thousands of allies, but after the first shot is fired, the onlookers disperse, leaving them only with a few hundred.

Another noteworthy point is that I believe overly relying on the army to maintain the order and stability of France is extremely dangerous. Our spies have found that within the army, there is a large crowd of ignorant, drunken soldiers who are corrupted by democratic viewpoints and easily befriend some ill-intentioned characters after hearing a few pleasant words and drinking a few beers, being instilled with erroneous beliefs.

A large-scale infiltration of the army like this is uncommon in countries other than France. Such social unrest and fervent zeal not only threaten social order but also pose a risk to the dynasty’s rule, and I fully understand that addressing this issue is the principal goal during my tenure. Therefore, since they pose a threat, I must use all moral and material means to counter them.

For most of the disturbances, I am not dealing with organized conspiracies; most of the targets the police confront are identifiable interest groups, and we must utilize any known methods to defeat these interest groups that can become troublesome at any moment.

And the best way to address this problem is to separate our police force from the local security system and the military, using Britain’s Scotland Yard as a model, to establish a highly professional police system with an independent financial budget and an independent administrative structure.

Your Majesty, I must say that the current police system is far too interconnected with various aspects. The history of establishing a police force in Paris is far older than in London, yet judging from the effectiveness of handling riots in Paris and London since last June, we have already fallen significantly behind our neighbors across the Channel.”