The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1395: Chapter 206: The Tsar’s Interest: Who Is Arthur Hastings? (3)

”This is mainly due to the turmoil arising from the British Parliament reform.” Bendendorf explained, ”On the day before the voting of the parliament reform, a large-scale riot broke out in London, and this young man Arthur Hastings calmly commanded the police force to suppress the riot. Although this action earned him the trust of the royal family and the government, it also attracted criticism from the press. Therefore, to avoid angering the British public, the king who appreciated him decided to transfer him to Hanover for recovery.”

Upon hearing this, Tsar Nicholas I felt his dissatisfaction with Arthur lighten considerably and praised, ”A loyal and reliable Royalist, a dependable pillar of the nation, even though there is a seven-year difference, this young man, like you, solved a problem that you once solved in 1825. He eliminated Britain’s Decembrists. If this young man were under my command, I would not be as weak as King William IV. Surrender to newspaper reporters? Absolutely not! I would not only prevent him from being sent to Poland or the frontier, but would insist on keeping him in Russia, keeping him in St. Petersburg, keeping him in Moscow. I would put him in an important position, even if his qualifications as police chief are too shallow, I would at least let him be the commander of the Semyonovsky Guards. I have always complained to God that one Bendendorf is far too few for Russia; if only I could have a few more. However, there is precisely a young version under King William IV, but he does not know how to use him!”

Tsar Nicholas I continued speaking, feeling somewhat unfinished, ”Then, what is the reason he came to Russia?”

Bendendorf started to speak, ”Regarding this, I wrote to Dorothea inquiring, and she revealed to me an immature speculation.”

”What speculation?”

”Arthur Hastings is a graduate of the first class of the University of London and personally certified by Jeremy Bentham as a disciple. Therefore, Dorothea speculated that Arthur Hastings is a character crafted by British magistrates like Lord Brougham and the Ambassador to Russia, Earl of Dalmo, although she does not deny that this young man is outstanding enough, with his civilian background, without the collective support of these British political figures who founded the University of London, he could not have gone so smoothly.”

”A commoner?” Tsar Nicholas I, upon hearing this identity, seemed to be pondering something while stroking his beard, ”Aleksey Samuilovich Greg...”

Upon hearing this name, Bendendorf immediately knew what the Tsar was thinking.

Aside from the name and patronymic, just looking at the surname ’Greg’, one would know that it is a bona fide British surname.

In fact, the father of this person, Samuel Greg, was born in Scotland in 1735 as a commoner.

Like the early experiences of many British sailors, Samuel Greg worked on his father’s ship from a young age, and upon maturing, joined the Royal Navy and grew into a junior officer.

And after retiring from the Royal Navy, in 1764, at the age of 39, Greg voluntarily joined the frail Russian Navy and was granted the rank of First Class Captain.

And in the subsequent Battle of Chesma and Battle of Hogland, Greg’s excellent performance made him stand out in the Imperial Navy, and in 1782, he was promoted to Admiral, appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Port of Kalshtat, and during his tenure promoted the modernization of Russian ship design and naval training.

Due to his outstanding contributions, Samuel Greg was not only ennobled as an Earl but also enjoyed the title ’Father of the Russian Navy’.

As for Aleksey Samuilovich Greg, son of the Father of the Navy, he was also an indispensable major leader in the Imperial Navy.

During the early Anti-France Alliance War, Aleksey Greg already began to shine, and in the two wars against the Ottoman Empire in 1806 and 1812 his performance could only be described as outstanding.

In 1813, after successfully completing the blockade of Danzig, Aleksey Greg was promoted to Vice Admiral, and soon appointed as the Black Sea Fleet Commander and Governor of Nikolaev and Sevastopol.

And in the Seventh Russo-Turkish War outbreak in 1828, he successively captured the major Ottoman Empire towns of Anapa and Varna, and thus was promoted to Admiral, trusted deeply by the Tsar.

And last year, due to age factors, he left the position of Black Sea Fleet Commander and was appointed as a member of the State Council as a representative of the Imperial Navy.

The Tsar mentioning Greg at this time was nothing more than feeling a fondness for talent. As he said, talents like Bendendorf, for Russia, are never regretted for being too few.

And the successful examples of Britons in Russia are far more than just the Greg family.

If tracing back, Peter the Great’s confidant, who served as Infantry Vice Admiral and the first Governor of Saint Petersburg Robert Bruce, and his brother, who founded Russia’s first school of mathematics and navigation, the primary restructurer and reformer of Russian military artillery, rumored by contemporary Russian people to know ’black magic’, Artillery Major General James Bruce are typical representatives.

The Tsar looked somewhat conflicted, suddenly got up from the bench, and asked, ”Today our British friends seem to be somewhat unhappy, so I have prepared shiny medals for them. A standout figure like the Earl of Dalmo naturally deserves a Saint Alexander Nevsky Medal. As for the others, they also deserve a third-class Order of Saint Vladimir as commendation. But, for young men like Sir Arthur Hastings, a third-class Order of Saint Vladimir seems too light. My dear Alexander, do you have a more suitable suggestion?”

Bendendorf thought for a moment, quickly providing his answer, ”A second-class Saint Anna Medal is no more appropriate, in the military domain, this medal primarily rewards officers who perform heroically in battle, especially commanders at the regiment or brigade level. This matches Sir Arthur Hastings’ police force scale he commanded at Scotland Yard and his performance in the London riots. In the civil sector, this medal mainly rewards individuals who excel in diplomacy, law, education, etc., such as judges, scholars, or diplomatic envoys, which also quite fits his identity and contributions made in the cultural and scientific field.”

Tsar Nicholas I nodded contentedly, ”Remember, for dealing with young men like this, the Third Bureau must be careful and flexible, using methods and techniques that were utilized when dealing with Pushkin.”

Bendendorf slightly lowered his head, pressing his fist to his chest, ”At your command, Your Majesty.”