The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1453: Chapter 228: Hutter’s Grand Gift: Who Put This Thing in Sir’s Study?

Arthur stood at the window of Duke Golitsyn’s old mansion study, gazing at the frost-covered Moscow outside.

The cigar clamped in his hand had already burned down by a quarter, yet he seemed completely unaware, his thoughts wandering between the cold winter streets and the heated political intrigues.

On the quiet morning, outside there was nothing but snow, the eight-month-long snow period in Russia had confined most people within their small cabins.

On the streets, aside from the poorest and most troubled classes, there was hardly anyone walking.

They wore shabby leather coats, staggering along the streets like winter ghosts, struggling for their scanty livelihood.

Occasionally, a carriage dashed by, stirring up wisps of ice and snow crushed by the wheels, leaving a fleeting trail that was soon covered by the wind and snow.

Tsar suddenly ordered the closure of ”Moscow Telecommunications,” arresting editor Polevoy and others, releasing a strange and intriguing scent in this traditionally conservative city. Although Moscow streets seemed deserted, Arthur could faintly smell the scent of gunpowder hidden under the ice and snow.

If something similar happened in London, King William IV would already have been scolded by Fleet Street media, and Britain’s Liberals would join society in attacking the King.

Can you imagine ”The Times” or ”Manchester Guardian” being sealed by Scotland Yard?

Anyway, Arthur could not imagine it, even if he could, he wouldn’t want to do such lousy work.

Because he was certain that if he did, those petty journalists in Britain would remember him for a lifetime, dragging him out for criticism now and then.

In Britain, for gentlemen of status, there are two kinds of people you cannot offend, and those are lawyers and journalists.

These two types of people to Arthur are like Baal in Agares’ eyes.

However, talking is one thing, but this is not Britain after all, it is Russia.

Therefore, the closure of ”Moscow Telecommunications” did not stir any waves, at least on the surface.

The common people were indifferent to the newspaper office, as an extra or fewer newspaper office did not affect their daily work schedule, nor did it let them earn more or less a few kopecks.

Those concerned were mostly Moscow’s Knowledge class, the upper society.

And this is the biggest difference between Russia and Britain.

In Russia, you are either a master or a servant, the middle class between master and servant is very rare, almost nonexistent.

Of course, this doesn’t mean there are no merchants, doctors, and such professions in Russia.

It’s just that these professions in Russia manifest externally completely differently from Britain.

Take doctors for example, Russian doctors usually hold various official titles, this one is a county physician, that one a city apothecary, they are all part of the bureaucrat system.

As for merchants, Arthur actually saw quite a few in Russia, some even wealthier than their British counterparts.

However, most of them liked to flaunt their wealth vulgarly, showcasing their lifestyle through indulgent feasting and luxurious homes.

Certainly, to continually extract wealth from commerce, pleasing officials is very important for them.

Thus, many of them also groom their offspring to become officials.

Usually, a Russian merchant would leave one son at home to help manage the business, while the others are sent off to become officials.

But the irony lies in that although these merchants are keen on sending their sons to become officials, they show no interest in public affairs, often adopting an evasive attitude towards political activities and issues triggered by politics.

This demonstrates a stark contrast with the British bourgeoisie, known for being the loudest group on any political issue.

And this attitude repeatedly caused Arthur to hit a wall when dealing with Russian merchants.

Arthur, based on his London experience, had preconceived the notion that merchants are usually the most liberal group among all social classes.

Yet, the intense nationalism and unwavering loyalty to the Tsar exhibited by Russian merchants completely rewrote his understanding.

Arthur pondered for several weeks, until recently being enlightened by Captain Hutter.

Because Hutter had worked at Moscow Company, he provided Arthur with a simple yet rather sensible perspective—the strong nationalism displayed by Russian merchants, and their unwavering loyalty to the despotic regime, is mainly due to the protective tariff policies implemented by the regime, allowing this class to withstand the fierce impact of foreign goods.

These Russian merchants may not genuinely support the Tsar that much, but businesspeople are practical, so they deeply understand—that without the ’Little Father’s’ protection, given their production capacity and technological level, let alone competing with British goods, they couldn’t even match Germany’s inferior products.

This timorous conservative nature of Russian merchants makes Russian literati grit their teeth with hatred, in popular Russian novels you’ll scarcely find one that speaks well of them.

Even their masters, Russia’s successive Tsars, often strictly criticize domestic merchants for lacking the adventurous spirit of British merchants.