shadow of britain

Chapter 605 I think you don’t want to make progress!
In most cases, people, even bad people, are much more immature and naive than we give them credit for. The same is true of ourselves.

——Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

"The Imperial... The Imperial Envoy stayed in a small hotel for five days and five nights?"

The mayor was devastated to hear the news. He had been thinking about how to please the imperial envoy and let him see Druidsk, who had been transformed under his governance.

But if the imperial envoy had already arrived here, then all the superficial work that had just been arranged would have lost its meaning.

When the mayor thought of this, sweat broke out on his back in the cold weather. He couldn't help but lower his back a little and poured tea for the old squire attentively: "Grigory Nikiforovich, what kind of person is the imperial envoy, and what does he look like?"

The old squire rudely snatched the teacup from the mayor, took a sip of tea, and sneered sarcastically.

He glared at the mayor, his tone was full of superiority and disdain: "My Lord, the Imperial Envoy? That Lord Hastingoff, huh! Although he is dressed simply, he looks more refreshing than your mayor's uniform. You ask what he looks like? I tell you, his appearance is simply a textbook example of 'don't judge a book by its cover'!"

The old squire paused and continued, "Look at his face, especially his eyes. They are just like a knife in winter, so sharp that they can draw blood! His eyes are not only sharp, but also have the power to penetrate people's hearts. Even a blind bear in the snow can't resist the sweep of his eyes! His eyebrows are also very thick, like two brooms across his forehead. You can tell at a glance that no one has ever dared to lie to him. His nose is very straight, not crooked like some people, as if he is always ready to collude with someone to do something small."

Even when describing Arthur's appearance, the old squire had to make some sarcastic remarks to the mayor.

However, Bakaldin did not dare to talk back to him at this time. After all, he still had to rely on him to learn about the imperial envoy's preferences.

Seeing Bakalkkin's apologetic smile, the old squire snorted and continued contentedly, "The Imperial Envoy is a cavalry colonel, so he is naturally tall and mighty, with a distinct skeleton. He has a straight back, and when he walks, it always seems like he is stepping on something hard. His steps are steady, and every step gives people a sense of oppression that a Petersburg noble should have. Anyone who dares to act pretentiously in front of him will be arrested by him and sent to Siberia long ago!"

The mayor got a chance to ask, "Is he a young man or a middle-aged man?"

The old country gentleman closed his eyes and said, "About twenty-five or twenty-six years old."

The mayor was slightly relieved when he heard this. He smiled and said, "Young people are good, young people are good! Young people are easy to approach. If they sent an old fox, it would be bad!"

The old squire couldn't help but widen his eyes after hearing this: "Bakardin! You still didn't listen to me. You think the imperial envoy is a fool! If you dare to fool him and something goes wrong, don't blame me for not warning you!"

The silent city judge suddenly spoke up: "Are you sure he is the imperial commissioner? A cavalry colonel in his twenties, could he be a liar in disguise? Even if he is promoted quickly, he shouldn't be in such a position at this age!"

When the old squire heard the judge questioning him, he remembered the old grudge that the judge had accused his son-in-law in the morning. He sneered and said sarcastically: "Nikolai Ivanovich, if you bring up the "Regulations on Promotion of Official Ranks", yes, it is true that under normal circumstances it is impossible for someone to become a cavalry colonel before the age of thirty. But does this mean that there are no cavalry colonels under the age of thirty in Russia? Fool! If you really think so, then you deserve to be promoted slowly according to the speed of the "Regulations on Promotion" for the rest of your life. You are a bookworm. You went to a secondary school and didn't learn much knowledge. Instead, you filled your head with rules and regulations. Do you really think that all promotions in Russia must be done step by step? Who dares to say that there is no young man with extraordinary talent and special status in this land who can break the rules, jump over all obstacles, and directly rise to a high position? In St. Petersburg and Moscow, there are many people like Lord Hastingov. He does not rely on those rigid rules, but on strength! His family background may be deeper than you think. You just haven't seen it."

He twisted the teacup between his fingers, as if he was savoring the flavor, or as if he was ready to throw all these words directly at Bakalkin's head: "You are at this level, and you actually doubt the imperial envoy. Let me tell you, if it was really a liar disguised as an imperial envoy, he would have been discovered long ago. Besides, if he was really a liar, I would recognize him as an old man! A liar who can speak German and French, who recites the articles of Voltaire and Goethe, who has a gold-plated revolver on his waist, who can afford clothes that cost 800 rubles, and who wears a handkerchief badge of the Third Bureau. If such a person comes to be a liar, I am afraid that even the emperor can be fooled by him and reward him with a genuine cavalry colonel!"

The old country gentleman's last sentence was provocative, and he obviously hoped that his words would make everyone realize the seriousness of certain problems.

Although the city judge was blushing after being refuted, he did not dare to argue with the old squire anymore.

Faced with the pressure from Lord Hastingoff, whom he had never met before, the mayor couldn't help but feel a palpitation.

Instead, the inspector who had just calmed down finally asked, "Since Lord Hastingoff is so young, he must have strong support behind him. How should we deal with it? According to what you said, he can't be a character who can be easily manipulated."

The old squire snorted, and it was obvious that these words made him even more proud. "You still underestimate him! This young man, Hastingoff, not only has a sharp eye, but also a very shrewd mind. He can see at a glance what is the corruption and hypocrisy in the officialdom. Do you think he will bow to you local officials? He was attending a banquet in St. Petersburg, and the people who served him tea and water were all upper-class people you dare not even think about! Whoever dares to underestimate him will surely fall first in the end! Since he is here, you might as well behave low-key from the beginning, and don't think about using those old-fashioned methods to leave a good impression on him. Otherwise, when he makes trouble for you, I'm afraid it will be too late to cry!"

The mayor asked cautiously, "Did Lord Hastingoff tell you why he came here? Was he here to investigate the unfinished church at the Charity Hospital, or did some of our troublemakers go there to file a complaint?"

The old country gentleman acted like an eighth-rank civil servant and analyzed in a serious tone, "Bakardin, do you know why you have been stuck at the ninth-rank civil servant and couldn't move up, while I broke through the gap between the ninth and eighth ranks and became a hereditary noble?"

The city judge interrupted, "Isn't it because you took the initiative to apply to go to that godforsaken place in the Caucasus?"

"Bullshit!" The old country gentleman was furious when his shortcomings were exposed: "If going to the Caucasus can get you promoted, then the Caucasus would have been crowded with people long ago! The reason why I was able to become an eighth-rank civil servant is because of the political sense and foresight I have gained from decades of experience in the officialdom!"

Mayor Bakaldin stepped forward to ease the atmosphere: "You don't need to be angry with him. As you said, Nikolai Ivanovich has been studying in a secondary school and his brain has become dull. Grigory Nikiforovich, my dear old senior, please enlighten me quickly."

The old squire glared at the city judge and said reluctantly, "With your attitude, even if I said nothing, you wouldn't be able to find fault with me. But since officials and gentry are one, if Druisk has a problem, I will also be implicated. So, I still have to explain the key points to you."

The old squire coughed and continued, "A while ago, when I was in the provincial capital attending a noble meeting, I went to a few old friends' homes to catch up with them. They told me a semi-public secret that the emperor is currently considering revising the Civil Service Rank Promotion Regulations." "The Promotion Regulations are going to be revised?"

"Oh my! Why are you telling me such an important thing now?"

"Grigory Nikiforovich, could you tell me a little more about this? What else is going on?"

In Russia, official rank is of great significance. From a practical point of view, the inescapable poverty in Russia has given rise to the pursuit of official positions among Russians. Anyone who does not have an official position will starve. Even lower-level administrative managers such as mayors and city judges, although they have escaped hunger, still have the need to obtain hereditary noble status.

In Britain, hereditary nobility has increasingly become a kind of honor and a false title to demonstrate secular status, but even so, it still attracts many people.

In Russia, hereditary nobility is not only a title, but also has many benefits.

There were a large number of tax exemptions, exemption from military service, free trade of land and serfs, and crimes would be transferred to the aristocratic courts where criminal prosecution was more lenient.

Descendants can attend middle schools, universities, and military schools. If they join the military, they do not have to start from scratch but can directly start from a junior command position. If descendants who have received secondary and higher education choose to enter administrative agencies, they can skip the clerk stage and start with a rank of 14th-rank civil official. And whether in the government or the military, the rigid age requirement for each promotion of hereditary nobles is at least three years shorter than that of officials from ordinary families.

Under an act of 1827, the government divided clerks into four categories based on their origin.

The first category is people of hereditary aristocratic origin.

The second category is the children of lifelong nobles, big businessmen, and missionaries.

The third category is the children of clerks.

The fourth category consists of those who were not qualified to be civil servants but were clerks before the promulgation of the decree.

The years it takes for these four types of clerks to be promoted to the 14th-rank civil servant are two years, four years, six years and twelve years respectively.

Precisely because of these benefits, Russian civil servants' desire for promotion continued to increase, and some officials' desire for promotion in order to obtain hereditary noble titles even reached a pathological level.

Unfortunately, it is more difficult for low-level and mid-level officials in the civil service to get promoted than senior officials, so every sense of achievement in their careers means a lot to them.

The old squire caught everyone's attention and said slowly, "I heard that the current "Promotion Regulations" will shorten the time it takes for clerks to be promoted to the fourteenth-rank civil servants..."

"what……"

Everyone couldn't help but smile with joy.

"Don't worry! I haven't finished yet."

The old squire cleared his throat and said, "Although the period has been shortened, after the new decree is promulgated, the prerequisite for promotion to the 14th-rank civil servant is that you must have received education above primary school. If you have not attended primary school, you must pass the examination. The main contents of the examination are: essay, religious scriptures, common sense and subject knowledge. In addition, officials must be reclassified. Those who have received higher education will be the first-class officials, those who have received secondary education will be the second-class officials, and those who have received primary education will be the third-class officials. In addition, the examinations for the promotion of third-class officials to the eighth-rank and second-class officials to the fifth-rank will also be strictly implemented.

After the new regulations were issued, the most popular ones were the first-class officials. I heard that according to the new regulations, the first-class officials could be promoted by leaps and bounds, while the second- and third-class officials could only climb up the ranks. However, according to the situation of our Druisk, no one should take advantage. But don't be discouraged. Lord Hastingoff's inspection gave you a chance to catch the last train. "

The mayor, who had just been disheartened, had a gleam in his eyes: "What do you mean? My dear Grigory Nikiforovich, don't keep me in suspense at this time!"

The old squire sneered, glanced at the mayor meaningfully, and continued: "One good news and one bad news, which one do you want to hear first?"

"Ok!"

The old squire coughed and said, "Lord Hastingoff's inspection should not only be for the purpose of inspecting the construction of Druisk, but his task is far more than that. Have you forgotten the Regulations on the Promotion and Appointment of Civil Officials promulgated by the late Emperor Alexander I? It is clearly written there that the appointment of all local officials shall be finally determined by the number of people required in the region. At the same time, in order to respect those who are capable, they shall be judged whether they are suitable for a higher-level position when necessary, but they shall not be promoted higher than one level. For those who have made no achievements, they may be demoted one level. Similarly, they shall not be demoted more than one level. Lord Hastingoff's visit this time is ostensibly for a quick visit, but in fact it should be the last inspection of local officials before the new regulations are promulgated. We have quite a few ninth-rank civil officials here. If you officials who are not very prominent on weekdays can make him happy, you can take the opportunity to use him to make a leap and step onto the ladder of hereditary nobility."

The mayor was overjoyed and asked, "What about the bad news?"

The old squire pounded his cane on the floor and yelled, "You left him alone in the hotel for five days and five nights, his bottom is frozen, and you still want to make him happy?"

(End of this chapter)