shadow of britain

Chapter 601: Poor and Lower-Middle Peasants Hestin Goff

If someone tells a lie, I can't tell the truth.

—Russian proverb

In a corner of Vitebsk Province in Russia, there is a remote small city called Druisk.

There are neither majestic buildings nor the grand gardens like those in ancient Babylon. Walking along the dirt streets without even tiles, you can't see a single house with more than four floors. The small church in the square is low and shabby. When the wind blows in winter, the windows creak, and it sounds like a visitation from God.

Even if the standard of luxury is lowered from a four-story building to a three-story building, a three-story building that can be considered luxurious is still extremely rare here.

The few splendid houses were those of the mayor, the postmaster, and the chief of police.

Yes, the mansion!
Although most people living in this city don't even know what this word means, perhaps only a few teachers with secondary and higher education experience in schools understand that this word actually means someone's house.

But in this city, the more obscure and difficult to pronounce a word, the more it can highlight a person's identity.

How would one describe an ambitious outsider's first impression upon entering this small town?
Sitting in the carriage and looking at the heavy snow flying all over the sky, it seems as if the snowflakes are not falling on the muddy streets, but on your heart.

That feeling was cold and chilly, as if a lifetime of fame and fortune had come to an end, and both life and career had been relegated to the cold palace.

For the rest of your life, you can only smell the cool snowflakes and savor the memories of the past.

This damn place doesn't even have a road leading to the outside world. It seems like this is the end of the world. Standing on the street and looking in which direction outside the city, you can only see wilderness, forests and grasslands.

However, even in a place like this, there are still many things that are necessary.

There were prisons, charity hospitals, churches, town halls, police stations and local courts, as well as the "Sloboda" (market) that would liven up the city from time to time, as well as bureaucrats, landlords, priests, serfs and merchants.

Oh, right!

We must not forget that in the only hotel in the city, there lived a British diplomat who had been trapped by heavy snow for five days and five nights. He was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, but he had no way to deal with General Winter. He could only stay in his bed all day and curse, "Russian cities look like Jerusalem from the outside, but like Bethlehem that has been punished by God from the inside!"
However, what made Arthur most angry was not General Winter, but the difficulty of entering Russia.

In the 19th century, the immigration management of various countries was very backward, so that wanted criminals sentenced to death like Garibaldi could roam around openly and enter most European countries unimpeded as long as they avoided the inspection of border posts.

Even France, the most authoritarian country in Europe, often managed to miss two-thirds of the exiles from "Young Italy".

If this group of people were planning to go to the UK, what would most likely trouble them was not the visa, but collecting enough money to buy a boat ticket to the UK.

Yes! There is no visa system in the UK these days. All you need to do is show the customs your ship ticket to prove that you came to Britain via a legal route.

Of course, in order to combat smuggling, you will also need to declare any carry-on goods, valuables, books or any items that may be taxable when you submit your ticket.

But Russia, this damn place is different!

If you are an ordinary Russian who is not a noble or an official and wants to go abroad, I advise you to give up this fantasy.

Because not only do you have to apply for a passport from the provincial police station, you also have to go to St. Petersburg to apply for an exit permit from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs and declare your property. In addition, you must also attach a detailed travel plan and the expected use of funds and accommodation arrangements abroad.

These legal procedures can take you several years, and when you are ready to embark on your journey, you will have to undergo strict scrutiny at the border checkpoints, just like being a spy. If you want to cross the border smoothly, you must not only prepare the money in advance, but also contact the person who collects the money in advance.

Although the entry of foreigners was not as strict as the exit of domestic nationals, Sir Arthur Hastings, who had been spoiled by the lax customs of Western European countries, was still extremely angry about the Russian government's attitude towards him.

In order to enter Russia, he must carry, including but not limited to:

1. A diplomatic passport issued by the British government to prove the identity of a diplomat.

2. The Foreign Ministry’s appointment letter and diplomatic correspondence explaining the purpose of the trip to Russia and Arthur’s position and identity.

3. The British Embassy in Russia obtains entry permit and domestic pass from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs after consultation with the Russian government.

3. Because there were still sporadic cases of cholera in continental Europe, Arthur was forced to be quarantined for seven days upon entry. After the quarantine, he obtained a health certificate issued by the hospital to prove that he did not carry any infectious diseases.

4. A customs declaration form obtained at the border customs, which describes Arthur's declared personal belongings and ensures that everything is in compliance.

5. Registration document obtained from the local government of Grodno Province, Russia after completing entry at the border checkpoint.

6. The reception document provided to Arthur by the Russian Embassy in the Kingdom of Hanover before his departure, which was intended to ensure Arthur's diplomatic treatment in Russia.

……

Arthur had been working on these damn documents since mid-December last year, but he still hadn't finished anything until mid-January this year.

As the date of taking office drew closer, Arthur had no choice but to write a letter to Moscow and find Colonel Shubinsky, who was serving in the gendarmerie regiment under the Third Bureau of the Privy Council.

Colonel Shubinsky is Arthur's good friend whom he has only known for a few years and a lifelong brother.

Shubinsky not only viewed his friendship with Arthur sincerely, but also had a broad perspective that was beyond the reach of ordinary Russian officials.

Shubinsky seriously believed that if Arthur could not take office on schedule, it might affect the diplomatic relations between Britain and Russia, thus seriously damaging the invaluable friendship between the two friendly countries.

Therefore, Shubinsky helped Arthur speed up the approval of entry and exit documents directly through private channels. What was even more surprising was that along with these documents, a false domestic travel certificate issued through official legal channels was also sent to Arthur.

What is a domestic travel certificate?

In short, not only is it difficult for Russians to travel abroad, but they must also apply for a travel certificate even when traveling within the country. Leaving the territory without a travel certificate will be considered a crime.

Merchants who want to trade across regions need merchant passes.

People with devout religious beliefs who wish to make a pilgrimage to a distant monastery or holy site need a pilgrimage certificate.

Artisans or migrant workers need to carry a migrant worker card when looking for work.

Soldiers or veterans who need to be transferred across regions need to carry a military permit. If they are going to sensitive areas such as the border, they must also apply for an additional border area permit.

As for the travel permit that Shubinsky obtained for Arthur, it was the one with the most relaxed conditions, and generally only officials and nobles could apply for it.

This type of passport does not need to strictly indicate the travel route, but only needs to indicate the starting and ending points of the journey and state the purpose of the trip.

The military police colonel obviously had not forgotten Arthur's desire to travel around Russia, which he had mentioned to him last year. If Arthur only had a diplomat's pass, he could only travel along a fixed route.

Therefore, in order to let Arthur travel more, Shubinsky specially made him a fake identity document and a travel permit that matched the fake identity. Of course, this travel permit does not allow Arthur to go everywhere, at least those sensitive areas cannot be approached by Arthur, he just has a few more routes to enter Petersburg.

However, it's always good to visit more places.

Arthur still remembered Colonel Shubinsky's kindness.

However, when he thought it would be a pleasant journey, an unexpected snowstorm directly ruined his good mood.

When his carriage finally arrived at Druisk after overcoming numerous dangers, Arthur suddenly discovered that all the diplomatic passports, entry permits and reception documents that he hated so much were missing!
Also disappeared was his suitcase containing 5,000 rubles!

Relying on the intuition of an old cop from Scotland Yard, Arthur immediately suspected the Russian youth who got off at Vilna in the same train with him.

"You damned thief! How dare you steal the money of Italian revolutionaries! Agares, you clearly saw it at the time, right? You treacherous devil, you didn't even bother to remind me once!"

But even if Arthur cursed to the heavens and cursed all his paternal and maternal relatives, it could not change the fact that the only things he had on him were the two hundred rubles in his wallet, a smart frock coat, shirt, scarf, and top hat.

However, this is not the worst. The worst thing is that the rubles in Arthur's wallet are not silver rubles, but paper rubles.

Although both are rubles, the Russian government's forced use of paper money has resulted in a higher total circulation of paper rubles than silver rubles, causing the actual purchasing power of paper money to depreciate.

Therefore, 1 paper ruble can usually only be used as 0.75-0.8 silver rubles.

Based on the price of gold and silver, 1 pound is approximately equivalent to 9.5 silver rubles, or about 12 paper rubles.

In other words, Sir Arthur Hastings had less than 17 pounds of property left at this time.

Since the Sir left the front line of Scotland Yard, he finally returned gloriously to the ranks of poor and lower-middle peasants in January 1834.

Fortunately, although the knight had no money and lost all his diplomatic documents, he needed to show his domestic travel permit and domestic passport when passing through various cities and checkpoints along the way, so Arthur always carried the fake identity document that Shubinsky had obtained for him in his arms.

That is why there is no Sir Arthur Hastings in this little inn in Druisk.

The only person here is Mr. Artur Agaresovich Hestingov.

Arthur sat on the bed in the inn, the cold wind blowing through the broken window like ice knives on his face.

He looked at the passport in his hand with the double-headed eagle of the Russian Empire printed on it with mixed feelings. He was so hungry and cold that he didn't even have the heart to argue with the red devil who was patting his belly and laughing beside him.

Internal passport of the Russian Empire

Personal information
Name: Artur Agaresovich Hestingov

Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire
Date of birth: April 1809, 1

Nationality: Russian Empire
Occupation: Civil servant
physical description
Age: 25 years old

Height: 2.6 Alshin

Eye color: Black

Hair color: Black

Special mark: There is a slight scar at the corner of the left eye
Issuing authority information
Issuing authority: Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Empire

Issued on: January 1834, 1

Validity period: 5 years

Passport number: 2323451
Travel Permit Section
Travel destinations: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Minsk, Kyiv

Purpose of travel: Official business

Note: According to this passport, travel within the territory of the Russian Empire is allowed for the performance of official duties.

"my Lord!"

Arthur looked at the snow outside the window and couldn't help feeling sad.

If the snowstorm doesn't stop, he won't know when he can send his letter for help to Moscow.

Some people may ask, why didn’t Arthur ask the city government for help when he had problems?
This is the most haunted place in the city of Druisk!

In the past few days, Arthur went to the second-story building of the city hall almost every day to ask to see the mayor, but the guard's answer every time was that the mayor was out hunting.

In this snowstorm, anyone who heard it would know that this answer was just to appease Arthur.

Arthur was finally forced to reveal his identity to the security guard, but then he thought that if he revealed his identity at this time, it would be difficult to explain the fake domestic travel document he had on him.

If the city government reports this matter to the higher authorities, the kind-hearted Colonel Shubinsky will be in big trouble. Arthur has caused such a big mess for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before he even took office. Even with the protection of Earl Darramo, his life may not be much easier.

Therefore, even though he hit a wall every time, Arthur could only use the dumbest method, which was to hang around in front of the city hall every day, hoping that one day he would be lucky enough to meet the mayor who suddenly came to work on a whim.

Seeing Arthur's defeat, Agares, the Red Devil who had been holding back for more than half a year, felt a great sense of revenge: "You escaped the bullets under the Tower of London, but you couldn't escape the Russian pickpockets. Arthur, how does it feel to have a small capsize? How many days will your two hundred rubles last? Why don't you listen to me, take the knife Garibaldi gave you, lie down in the snow on the road, and let's go robbing people."

Arthur glared at Agares fiercely. He was about to curse the Red Devil, but the biting cold wind soon taught him a lesson - instead of wasting his energy on talking, it would be better to wait for the snow to stop and try his luck in front of the City Hall.

Arthur snorted, trembling as he wrapped the hotel's ragged quilt around himself layer by layer, wrapping himself up like a caterpillar. He then opened the closet door and hid inside: "Don't give me that, robbery? I swore an oath under the flag of St. George to act in the spirit of chivalry!"

In the same city, some people are shivering in their closets in the freezing cold, while others are sitting by the fire in the warm city hall.

The fireplace was crackling. The mayor, wearing a deerskin coat and bearskin hat, sat at the main seat of the round table and looked at the people in front of him. He suddenly stood up and asked, "Are you all here?"

"We're all here."

The mayor nodded slightly, and a serious expression appeared on his face that everyone might not see once in several years. He announced solemnly: "Everyone, I asked you to come here today to announce some very bad news. According to reliable information, an imperial envoy from Petersburg will arrive in this city soon. What's even more embarrassing is that he is likely to be visiting incognito this time!"

(End of this chapter)