The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1475: Chapter 236: This Gentleman Is...? General Hastings! (3)

Arthur stroked his chin, ”I heard something about it, saying that many young people have been arrested.”

The chief raised his hand and pointed his thumb at the office of the director, ”There’s one detained in that office, a kid from the Yakovlev family.”

”Oh?” Arthur asked, ”What exactly is he accused of?”

The chief chuckled, ”What he’s accused of, I can’t say for sure, but the instructions from above are to arrest him first, and the specific crime will be investigated later.”

”But that’s against the rules!”

”Indeed, it is against the rules,” the chief explained patiently to Arthur, ”This is where I say regulations must make way for human sentiments. May I ask, when was the last time you were in Moscow?”

”It must have been a month ago?” Arthur counted the days on his fingers, ”The last time I came was during the carnival.”

The chief sighed, ”You’re fortunate not to have stayed in Moscow afterward, or otherwise, the fires would have surely unsettled you.”

”What fires?”

”Fires, deliberate arson. Ever since the carnival, there have been sporadic fires in Moscow. By Lent, there were fires almost every day, each one worse than the last, with the most severe almost destroying half of Arbat Street. This situation has frustrated us greatly, unable to catch anyone. Duke Golitsyn first severely reprimanded Police Chief Zienski, and then wrote a report on the fire situation to St. Petersburg. The Emperor was furious about this series of fires, ordering thorough investigations, not letting a single perpetrator escape.”

”The fires are indeed serious. Yesterday I saw black smoke rising on Neglinnaya Street, it must have been a fire,” Arthur pretended to ponder, ”But what does this have to do with arresting young people? I don’t rule out that young people like to do reckless things, but arresting every young person seems rather excessive.”

”Ah, of course, we can’t arrest all the young people in the city,” the police chief sighed, ”This stemming from last week when we caught a perpetrator in the act of arson. That scoundrel was quite defiant when he first arrived at the station. But after a little persuasion, he couldn’t hold up. He confessed that he committed arson due to dissatisfaction with the shutdown of the Moscow Telegraph...”

Arthur realized, ”Are you saying, he’s a liberal? So recently, everyone brought into the station is suspected of having liberal tendencies?”

The chief gave Arthur a thumbs-up, ”You’re really something, having held a third-ranking position in the London police, you’ve pinpointed the issue at a glance. I won’t conceal it; the Emperor suspects the same. Furthermore, there’s talk within the bureau that the Emperor and Count Bendendorf view the continuous fires in Moscow as provocations and demonstrations by liberals, and if not dealt with strictly, it might end in catastrophe.”

Arthur heard this and immediately understood that the problem was more difficult than he had imagined.

If this case was merely using Constitutional Soldier Commander Volkov as a stepping stone for his promotion, then resolving Volkov would be all it takes to get someone out.

As for how to resolve Volkov, there are actually many methods.

Either catch him in wrongdoing, leverage influential figures from St. Petersburg to pressure him, or if all else fails, directly meet him at the Constitutional Guard Headquarters.

After all, he’s merely seeking a stepping stone; it matters little whether the stepping stone is called Herzen, Gogol, or Pushkin.

However, according to the police chief’s revelations, the level of this case has already risen beyond Volkov’s personal control.

The establishment of the case requires not only the approval of the Moscow Trial Committee but likely a final decision from the Winter Palace.

Who can pressure the Tsar?

Who can force him to compromise?

Who can buy him off?

Even the backing from the British Embassy—the Government of His Majesty the King of England—cannot achieve this.

Because not long ago, they had just cooperated with other governments to prove—even with England and France jointly pressuring, with Austria expressing discontent, it’s impossible to force the Tsar to abandon his secret treaty with the Ottoman.

To avoid angering the Tsar, Arthur has secretly been busy for more than a month to ensure that Russia’s most temperamental figure does not discover Sir David Eckett’s secret arrival in the Caucasus.

What is the solution then?