The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1781: Chapter 92: For the Sake of Our Shared Hastings Name, Give a Brother a Hand! (Part 2)

Arthur opened his mouth and agreed: ”I heard General Thomas Cochrane mention him before. The number of Royal Navy officers praised by General Cochrane is not many, but Frank is one of them. When he was 11, he participated in the Battle of Trafalgar as a cadet. If I remember correctly, he should have been on the Neptune at that time, directly confronting the Spanish navy flagship Holy Trinity under the command of Sir Thomas Fremantle.”

When the Marquis heard Arthur mention his late younger brother, his eyes brightened considerably: ”That’s right, I often heard my father praise our elder brother when I was a child. At that time, everyone said he would have a promising future. But... sadly his temper wasn’t very good, and after the Battle of New Orleans, he had a falling out with the Navy Department and quit the Royal Navy in a fit of pique. Later, to make a living and also to prove himself, he ran off to join that ’Redemption Fleet’ led by General Thomas Cochrane, joining the Greek War of Independence and fighting for the Greeks.”

Arthur nodded slightly: ”General Cochrane has always been quite pleased with Frank. He said more than once in front of me that Frank is the most outstanding naval Officer among the British volunteers at that time. In the critical moment when Athens was besieged, he cut off the Ottomans’ sea supply line. In the battle of Sarona Bay, Frank almost single-handedly annihilated a small fleet of Ottomans. It’s just a pity... he indeed lacked some luck and ended up dying in the defense of Myson Gin like Lord Byron. But I heard the Greeks highly respect him, they held a state funeral for Frank, built a monument, and buried him in the Greek Naval Academy.”

Arthur was always generous with his praise for such a character, and he said: ”I have no doubt that if Frank had lived to today, he would definitely be put to good use in the Royal Navy. Even if the Navy Department didn’t favor him, he could get a position in the Greek Navy where he could fully utilize his talents.”

”Exactly.” The Marquis slowly opened his mouth, inevitably lamenting: ”If he were still around, their lineage wouldn’t have deteriorated like this.”

”What’s wrong with their lineage?”

The Marquis pushed away the teapot, signaling the servant to pour some Sherry for himself and Arthur: ”Frank has an older brother named Charles. As you might know, their lineage comes from my great-uncle’s illegitimate son, so our relationship has always been quite good. After my father passed away in 1826, I inherited the title and entered the House of Lords. I handed over the seat in the Lower House from my controlled Leicester constituency to Charles to occupy. From 1826 to 1831, he stayed in that position steadily. But... as you know, Leicester is a city constituency, so after the Parliament reform, my control over this seat weakened considerably. As for Charles, he naturally lost that position.”

Upon hearing this, Arthur’s heart began to get a clue as to the purpose of the Marquis of Hastings calling him today.

Although the Marquis of Hastings doesn’t often involve himself in politics, that doesn’t mean he’s unaware of what’s happening in the political arena.

Moreover, his sister, Miss Flora Hastings, is a maid to the Duchess of Kent.

Therefore, he can certainly guess how Arthur managed the memorial ceremony for Robert Cali, expanded Princess Victoria’s reputation, and helped Disraeli, a young MP with no roots in London, win the Tower Hamlets constituency.

In plain terms, even though Arthur has never run for MP, he is undeniably a qualified campaign assistant.

Moreover, from the current perspective, Arthur has considerable influence in many areas of London, and what’s even more enticing to the Marquis of Hastings is Arthur’s title as Chairman of the Empire Publishing Company.

You might not believe in Arthur Hastings, but you can’t ignore the persuasive power of the ”Brits,” the professionalism of ”Economist,” and the ability of the Empire Publishing Company to sway public opinion.

In summary, this could be a good relative.

The Marquis of Hastings slowly raised his glass, stared at the amber liquid for a while, then drank it all in one go.

He took out a handkerchief and wiped his mouth: ”Arthur, my brother, I don’t want you to think I’m a selfish person. But I did invite you today not just for a nostalgic conversation.”

Arthur smiled lightly and did not respond.

He actually does not dislike this kind of transparent selfishness; he only hates those who are selfish without realizing it, with limited ability yet ambitious.

”Charles has been quite dispirited these years.” The Marquis sighed: ”The reform of 1832 caused many lesser nobles to lose their foothold in Parliament. You and I know that after the Parliament reform, Leicester’s constituency is hard to reclaim once lost.”

”But you also said earlier that the British are forgetful.” Arthur smiled gently: ”Voters are the same. They might be angry today, but forget tomorrow. George, you should have let George find me earlier. Although finding me might not be useful, it always provides a bit of hope.”

The Marquis shrugged helplessly: ”At that time, who could have known you were our brother? If it hadn’t been for Flora’s temporary return home and mentioning your origins, and the priest from my aunt’s family happened to know about it, our brotherhood might not have been recognized even now.”

”Indeed.” Arthur pulled out a notebook from his pocket and began writing: ”But finding me now can’t be considered a bad thing, because running for MP isn’t something that works when done last minute; we have to plan several years in advance. Although my luck is usually quite good, I also don’t dare to assure that before the next election, there will be coincidental events that can help our brother Charles with the campaign.”

”You already have a plan?” The Marquis was stunned by his brother’s decisiveness; he had imagined that this brotherly recognition would be smooth, but he didn’t expect it to be this smooth.

Arthur wrote a few lines in the notebook, suddenly looked up at the Marquis: ”George, our cousin, Charles, does he have any specialties? Besides being an MP for Leicester, what other positions has he held?”

”Positions? He worked as Sheriff of Derbyshire for six or seven years. Of course, after the municipal administrative reform led by the Whig Party, this position of his was also terminated.”

”Sheriff? Are you saying he worked as a Sheriff?” Arthur’s eyes slowly widened, and his stern face gained a touch of a smile: ”Oh my, George, you’re not lying to me, are you?”

”Why would I lie about something like this?” The Marquis, seeing Arthur’s expression, couldn’t help but ask joyfully: ”Have you thought of a good way?”

Arthur nodded slightly and inserted the notebook into his jacket pocket: ”You must have heard from Flora that I am now the Dean of Academic Affairs at the University of London, right?”

”Yes, I know. I heard that you hold several positions at the University of London. Besides managing academic affairs, you also have to teach electromagnetism and constitutional history. But, with all due respect, Arthur, having Charles as a Sheriff is fine, but if you intend to make him a professor... Of course, I’m not saying your idea is bad. The University of London is a stronghold of the Liberal Party, and getting some recognition there would surely favor the city’s voters’ favor, but...”

”No, George, you might misunderstand me. I’m not planning to let Charles teach students natural philosophy and history.” Arthur laughed as he raised the Sherry glass naturally crossing his legs: ”Back when I was at Scotland Yard, although I often encountered setbacks, those years I managed to do some things for the police department. First, establishing a police intelligence system. Second, promoting the professionalization of London’s police force. As for the third... it was the London Police Academy jointly built by Scotland Yard and the University of London.”

Upon hearing this, the Marquis was first taken aback, then immediately delighted: ”Are you saying, Arthur...”

Arthur raised his glass for a gentle clink, followed by a crisp ringing sound, as Arthur’s voice echoed: ”I think introducing an experienced Sheriff to the London Police Academy would undoubtedly benefit the school’s development.”