shadow of britain

Chapter 653: Hugh Te’s Gift: Who put this thing in Jazz’s study?
Arthur stood at the window of the study in Prince Golitsyn's old house, gazing out at Moscow covered with a thin layer of frost.

The cigar in his hand was already a quarter burned, but he seemed unaware of it, his thoughts wandering between the cold winter streets and the hot political conspiracy.

It was a quiet morning, and there was nothing but snow outside the window. Russia's eight-month-long snow season had trapped most people in their little houses.

The streets were almost deserted except for the poorest and most destitute classes.

Wearing ragged fur coats, they staggered and shuffled through the streets like winter ghosts, struggling for a meager livelihood.

Occasionally a carriage would gallop past, stirring up a few strands of ice and snow crushed by the wheels, leaving a brief trace that was soon covered by the wind and snow.

The Tsar suddenly ordered the closure of the Moscow Telegraph and arrested the editor-in-chief Polevoy and others, which released an intriguing and strange smell in this traditional and conservative city. Although the streets of Moscow looked deserted, Arthur could vaguely smell the smell of gunpowder hidden under the ice and snow.

If something similar had happened in London, William IV would have certainly been scolded by the Fleet Street media, and British liberals would have attacked the king from all walks of life.

Can you imagine The Times or Manchester Guardian being shut down by Scotland Yard?

Anyway, Arthur couldn't imagine it, and even if he could, he wouldn't want to do such a crappy job.

Because he was sure that if he really did that, then those petty-minded British journalists would remember him for the rest of their lives and would drag him out to criticize him every now and then.

In the UK, for gentlemen of status and position, there are two types of people you cannot afford to offend: lawyers and journalists.

These two types of people are to Arthur what Bal is to Agares.

However, after all, this is not Britain, but Russia.

Therefore, the closure of "Moscow Telegraph" did not cause any waves, at least on the surface.

The common people were not interested in this newspaper because one more or one less newspaper would not affect their going to work on time every day, nor would it make them earn one or two more or less kopeks.

Most of those who are concerned about this matter are Moscow's intellectuals, that is, the upper class.

And this is also the biggest difference between Russia and Britain.

In Russia, you are either a master or a slave, and the middle class between masters and slaves is very rare and almost non-existent.

Of course, this does not mean that there are no such professions as businessmen and doctors in Russia.

It's just that the outward appearance of these professions in Russia is completely different from that in Britain.

Take doctors as an example. Russian doctors basically have various official titles. One is a county medical officer, the other is a city pharmacist. They are all part of the bureaucratic system.

As for businessmen, Arthur actually met quite a few of them in Russia, some of whom were even richer than their British counterparts.

However, most of them like to show off their wealth in a vulgar way, flaunting their lives through excessive eating and drinking and luxurious houses.

Of course, in order to be able to make lasting fortunes from business activities, it is also very important for them to please officials.

Therefore, many of them are also training their offspring to become officials.

Usually, Russian merchants would only keep one son at home to help run the business, and the other sons would be sent to become officials.

But the contradiction is that although this group of businessmen are keen on sending their sons to become officials, they show no interest in public affairs. They often avoid political activities and social hot issues caused by politics.

This is in stark contrast to the performance of the British bourgeoisie. You know, no matter what the political issue is, the British business community is always the one that speaks out the loudest.

This behavior also caused Arthur to run into obstacles repeatedly when dealing with Russian businessmen.

Based on his work experience in London, Arthur had a preconceived notion that businessmen were generally the most liberal of all social classes.

But the strong nationalist tendencies and unswerving loyalty to the Tsar among Russian merchants completely changed his perception.

Arthur pondered over it for several weeks until Captain Huett's words enlightened him a while ago.

Huett, who had worked for the Moscow Company, provided Arthur with a rather unsophisticated but plausible perspective on the fierce nationalism displayed by Russian merchants and their unwavering loyalty to the authoritarian system, largely due to the protective tariffs that protected this class from the onslaught of foreign goods.

This group of Russian merchants may not really support the Tsar, but business people are very practical, so they deeply understand that if they leave the range of the "little daddy's" stick, with their production capacity and technical level, they can't even beat the counterfeit German products, let alone British products.

The timid and conservative character of Russian businessmen not only makes Russian writers hate them, but you can hardly find any popular Russian novels on the market that say anything good about them.

Even their masters, the successive tsars of Russia, often criticized their own merchants for lacking the pioneering and adventurous spirit of British merchants.

However, in Arthur's opinion, the lack of pioneering spirit cannot be blamed on these businessmen, because they did not become rich because of their pioneering spirit.

British businessmen like to explore and take risks because many of them were able to make their fortunes through overseas adventures.

When there are more stories like this about making a fortune overseas, it will naturally trigger the next generation's endless imagination about the myth of wealth, and then imitate their fathers and gamble their entire fortune to make a big profit.

As for Russia, the experience that Russian businessmen drew from the wealth myth is different from that of British businessmen.

In Russia, the path to wealth lies not in taking risks but in not fighting the government but in cooperating with it.

Another accompanying belief is that while competitors fight for political power, the wisest option is to wait and see.

Can you blame them for being conservative?

Of course not.

Because they are obviously right.

If the Tsar wanted to have a group of Russian businessmen with British characteristics, he must also accept that these Russian businessmen have the bad habits of British businessmen.

Only thinking about the benefits but not the disadvantages, where can such a good thing happen in the world?
When you want to have the substance on the side of the Royalists and the face on the side of the Liberals, you'd better pray that you can be like Sir Arthur Hastings and have the ability to survive being shot.

However, despite this, Russia has long had a very peculiar feeling towards Britain in terms of business and culture.

The origin of this sentiment can be traced back to the time of Peter the Great. In March 1697, Peter the Great, who was trying to initiate Westernization reforms, personally organized an unprecedented embassy delegation from Moscow to visit Europe.

The official statement about the main purpose of the mission was to further consolidate and expand the alliance against the Ottoman Empire, but in fact, Peter the Great wanted to personally observe "European political life that he and his ancestors had never seen, and to establish Russia's political and military system according to the model of European countries."

In order to achieve this goal and avoid unnecessary trouble, Peter the Great accompanied the delegation as a sergeant.

In early 1698, Peter the Great arrived in London and stayed in Britain for four months.

During this period, he not only visited various parts of the UK, but also visited military factories, handicraft workshops, schools, museums, naval bases, and listened to parliamentary debates in the Palace of Westminster, conducting in-depth research on the British political system.

After leaving London, Peter the Great also visited important ports such as Portsmouth and showed great interest in introducing British shipbuilding industry into Russia.

When he finished his trip, the Grand Duchy of Moscow, which had long been widowed in the inland, suddenly developed an interest in the ocean and ports.

Two years later, in order to gain control of the Baltic Sea, Peter the Great declared war on Sweden, thus opening the prelude to the 21-year-long Northern War.

In the following 100 years, the Grand Duchy of Moscow transformed itself into a true maritime empire - the Russian Empire.

As for the diplomatic relations between Britain and Russia over the past hundred years...it may be an exaggeration to say that the relationship between the two countries is very close, but it is an indisputable fact that the two countries often wear the same pants most of the time.

Throughout the 18th century, Britain adopted a policy of wooing Russia and opposed certain European powers by supporting Russia.

In order to win over Russia, Britain even turned a blind eye to the fact that its ally Sweden was beaten badly by the Russians, as if it could not see the Anglo-Swedish Mutual Defense Treaty.

The century-long honeymoon period naturally gave rise to a group of pro-Russian and pro-British factions in Britain and Russia respectively, as well as a large number of groups that made their living from Anglo-Russian trade.

80% of Russia's iron, 58% of its hemp, and 60% of its flax were sold to Britain.

The iron, timber, hemp and canvas needed by the British shipbuilding industry were also highly dependent on raw materials exported from Russia.

The best company in the UK is undoubtedly the Moscow Company, which makes a lot of money from the Anglo-Russian trade.

Arthur sat in the big chair in the study of Duke Golitsyn's old house, organizing his thoughts and the documents in his hands.

The flames in the fireplace danced, making the study warm and solemn.

There was a knock on the door. Arthur put out the cigar in the crystal ashtray, raised his head slightly and said, "Come in."

The door was gently pushed open, and Secretary Blackwell led a middle-aged man of medium build wearing a dark wool coat into the study.

He took off the black hat on his head, revealing a thin but capable face, with a businessman's shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

Behind him followed a young assistant holding a small wooden box.

"Sir Arthur." The middle-aged man bowed slightly and said, "I am Martin Huening, the agent of the Moscow headquarters of the Moscow Company. Thank you for taking the time to receive me."

Arthur stood up, nodded, and walked forward to shake hands with Huening.

"Mr. Xiuning, the Moscow Company is a well-known name. Please take a seat." Arthur made a gesture of invitation and motioned him to sit in the chair opposite the desk.

Xiu Ning nodded slightly, took off his coat and handed it to the assistant behind him, then looked a little reserved after sitting down.

His assistant carefully placed the wooden box on the ground and stood aside waiting for instructions.

Arthur returned to his seat, crossed his hands on the table, his eyes calm but with a bit of inquiry: "So, Mr. Huening, are you here to see me for business matters, or something else?"

Huening smiled just the right amount, "Sir, our visit to you this time is actually nothing big, just delivering some goods. Richard Huett used to be my assistant in the company. He came to the company a few days ago and asked me to get him some good tobacco. I asked in detail and found out that you had arrived in Moscow."

Arthur smiled slightly when he heard Xiuning's words, and his eyes stayed on him for a moment.

He nodded slightly and said, "Richard is indeed a man who knows how to enjoy life, but I am a little surprised that he asked you to make this trip in person."

Huening smiled a little stiffly: "Sir, Captain Huett and I have known each other for many years. He helped me a lot when he worked in the Moscow Company. This time we are old friends, so I would like to take this opportunity to visit you, hoping that it will be beneficial to our cooperation."

Arthur nodded and turned to look at the wooden box on the ground: "Is there tobacco in it?"

"Yes, sir." Huening patted the lid of the wooden box. "This is the finest Virginia tobacco shipped directly from North America. It has a mellow taste and is most suitable for those with unique tastes."

Xiuning signaled his assistant to open it, and the lid of the box was slowly opened, revealing a pack of beautifully packaged tobacco.

Arthur picked up a package, opened it and smelled it carefully, then nodded and said, "It is indeed top-quality stuff. You are so particular about such small things, no wonder you can gain a foothold in Russia."

Such good tobacco was brought to the table. Arthur weighed the amount in his hand, and the old smoker immediately had a basic estimate of the value of these things.

There are about ten pounds of tobacco here. This kind of high-quality tobacco produced in Virginia can be easily sold for 1 shilling per pound in London. If you consider that this is Moscow, plus the additional shipping costs, it can be easily sold even if it is priced at 2 shillings per pound.

In other words, the tobacco on display here is roughly equivalent to half a month's salary for a London worker.

For Arthur today, this amount of money is not too much, it can even be ignored.

Perhaps Xiuning had taken this into consideration. Such a gift would not appear too expensive, but would also be decent enough.

He knew that Arthur would not refuse, so he came under the pretext of delivering goods to meet this young knight who was said to be highly regarded by Earl Durham.

Arthur lit a cigar, slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, and said with a smile: "In this case, let's get straight to the point. Apart from this tobacco, has your Moscow company encountered any other difficulties?"

Xiuning didn't expect the young man to be so straightforward, but he was obviously prepared for this. He winked at his assistant, who took out a roll of exquisite parchment from the bottom of the box and handed it to Xiuning with both hands.

Huening placed the parchment on the table, opened it, and pushed it in front of Arthur.

"Sir, this is an analysis of our recent trade in Moscow and Petersburg."

Xiuning's tone was calm, but somewhat tentative: "We have noticed that the Russian government has recently tightened its supervision of import trade, especially on the transportation permits for timber and iron ore. Although we can still obtain licenses through traditional channels, the fees have increased by nearly 30% compared to the past, which has an impact on our profits..."

Unexpectedly, before Huening could finish his words, Arthur raised his hand to signal him to stop: "Mr. Huening, what do you think I am? You have been in Russia longer than I have, so you should know better than me that I can't help you get a license. If the Moscow company wants the embassy to file a protest on its behalf, you should go to Moscow to find Count Darama. But if I may be frank, the protest will probably have no effect."

Xiuning would never believe Arthur's nonsense.

Because when Hugh went to the company a few days ago, he explained all of Arthur's details to him.

And look at the house he lives in, this is the old house of Duke Golitsyn, the Governor of Moscow. As long as he is willing to ask the Governor, or even just let the Governor's secretary Zubkov say hello, the company can save a lot of "necessary" expenses on applying for licenses from various government offices in Moscow.

Xiu Ning took out a gold-edged envelope from his bosom without changing his expression and handed it over: "Sir, this is a letter of credit issued in your name. You can use it in all branches of the Moscow Company in St. Petersburg and Moscow. Whether it is obtaining resources or arranging logistics, there will be someone to serve you."

"What are you doing?" Arthur pretended to be surprised, as if he had forgotten that he was the one who sent Captain Huett to the Moscow company to spread the message.

Arthur rebuked righteously, "Are you trying to bribe a diplomat who works for His Majesty the King?"

Huening quickly denied, "Of course not, sir. I just heard from Captain Huett that you are a person who likes to make friends. I came to visit you this time just to make friends with you. As for this letter of credit, it is a testimony of our friendship."

Arthur refused again and again. He said seriously, "Mr. Xiuning, friendship cannot be measured by money. Between friends, what counts is the relationship and whether you can stick together at the critical moment, not some letter of credit! If you really regard me as a friend, take this thing back!"

Xiu Ning tried to persuade him a few more times until he was sure that Arthur really didn't intend to accept it, and then he gave up.

Arthur pushed him into a chair and said, "I'm not that complicated. Captain Huett is right about one thing. I like making friends. Since you really treat me as a friend, I naturally have the obligation to stick by you. I can talk about the license, but I can't guarantee it will work."

When Xiu Ning heard Arthur let go, his eyes immediately lit up: "You..."

But before he could finish, Arthur interrupted him again: "I don't want a letter of credit. But if this is done, I have a favor to ask of you."

Xiu Ning's heart just calmed down, but suddenly it was lifted up again: "You can tell me, I know a little bit about business, but there are some places..."

Seeing his timid evasion, Arthur chuckled and said, "Don't be afraid, Mr. Huening. This is not my personal matter. It concerns the entire embassy in Russia, British diplomacy and the reputation of His Majesty the King."

"You...you said..."

Arthur took off his cigar and puffed out a puff of smoke. "I remember that Captain Hught mentioned to me that in addition to your business in Russia, your Moscow company also has several trade routes to Persia through the Caucasus, right?"

(End of this chapter)