With a violent swing, a loud bang was heard, and the leather golf ball flew far into the sky and disappeared behind the green.

Lionel stretched out his hand to look at his eyebrows, and then smiled: "Mr. Talleyrand, is this really your first time playing golf?" It's hard to believe that you can have such a level on the first tee-off. ”

Talleyrand tossed the club upwards slightly, then held it in the air, raised an eyebrow triumphantly, and said to Arthur, "Young man, it's your turn." ”

Arthur nodded, he first held the club to feel the distance from his arm to the holder, and then swung it hard, but before the club could touch the golf ball, Arthur's arm lightly unloaded the power.

The golf ball fell to the ground with a clatter, as if it had been caught by a gentle breeze.

"Ahh Arthur pretended to be stunned at first, then raised his head to look at Talleyrand and said, "Your hand is slipping." ”

Talleyrand laughed at his reaction, and he clutched his stomach as he spoke, "Come on! Arthur, this is not a banquet, don't play such a funny joke on me. ”

And Lionel, who was standing aside and had some experience in swordsmanship and fighting, saw some ways from Arthur's movements.

He first took a slight breath, then shook his head with a smile and said, "Arthur, it seems that I shouldn't have come to you to play golf." With this level of power control, I dare say that no one in the London Fencing Club can beat it. Why don't I take you there another day and fight them? ”

When Talleyrand heard this, he couldn't help but pat his head: "Oh! You don't say I forgot. I remember reading in the newspapers two days ago that 'Foil Napoleon' seemed to be killing all sides in London. Arthur, aren't you going to defend the glory of your British swordsmanship? ”

"Foil Napoleon?" Arthur picked up the golf ball and put it back on the holder: "Why is the nickname always so uncreative lately, Napoleon in the perfume world, Napoleon in the tailoring world, and there is a Napoleon in the astronomical world sitting in the Royal Observatory behind our butt." Without Napoleon, the London press would have lost half of its press coverage. ”

Lionel joked: "It's not all Napoleon, aren't you called the Wellington of Scotland Yard by The Times?" ”

Arthur pulled out his handkerchief and wiped the club: "I guess you gave them the idea, right?" After all, Rothschild invested a lot of money in The Times. It's just that the Times called me that, and I don't know what the Duke of Wellington himself would think. ”

"What do you think?" Talleyrand laughed as he pestled his club, "I had dinner with Wellington two days ago, and he doesn't mind you using his name, after all, he now has a new nickname, and the citizens of London call him the Iron Duke now, don't they?" ”

Speaking of this, the playful Talleyrand also pouted: "Boy, according to me, do you want to make a war letter to Napoleon the sword?" I've heard them say that you can fight seventeen pirates by yourself, and if you can take down Napoleon the foil, then you can get the nickname of the foil Wellington again. ”

Hearing this, Arthur just said helplessly: "Your Excellency, have you been really bored lately?" ”

"That's right, you guessed it."

Talleyrand smiled: "Didn't you say it before? The Bullbridge Thames Boat Race is held at the end of March, the Derby Marseille is held in June, the Bull Run is now overwhelmed by tax increases, and you, the Scotland Yard policeman, hate big boxing matches. In this case, if you don't play the foil Wellington, the arrangement of the British sports world in the second half of the year is really too bleak. ”

When Arthur heard this, he suddenly remembered Talleyrand's trip this morning, and he asked casually, pretending to be inadvertent: "If I remember correctly, England and France are now arguing over the Polish question. You also made a special trip to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs this morning, did you solve the problem of the life and death of millions of people in Poland in one morning? ”

When Talelang heard this, he just smiled and shook his head: "It's not that it's solved, but that this matter is no longer solved." Since there is no solution, why should I bother to put so much effort into it? Arthur, let me say that sooner or later your new Foreign Secretary, Viscount Palmerston, will regret the answer he has given me to-day. If I had spoken to the unfortunate Viscount Castlereagh today, he would not have said it so decisively. It's a pity why such a brilliant figure as Castlereagh would commit suicide because he couldn't think about it. ”

Hearing this, Arthur hurriedly spoke: "Your Excellency, although I do not want to oppose your opinion, but for the sake of justice and the honor of Viscount Castlereay, I must hereby correct your opinion, he did not commit suicide, but was unable to stop his impulsiveness due to insanity. I remember that you were Bishop of Auden, how could you make a mistake in such a thing? ”

When Talelang heard this, he was stunned for a moment and then laughed: "Oh! I almost forgot. Suicide is considered an unpardonable act in the eyes of the Church and British law. What does that law say? To succeed in suicide, a wooden stick is used to pierce the heart of the deceased. Attempted suicide is punishable by hanging. These two laws haven't been repealed yet, right? ”

Arthur said solemnly: "The former has been abolished by order of Sir Robert Peel, but the latter is still being discussed and studied in the Chancellor's Hall. ”

Talleyrand nodded slightly, "In this way, Peel has done a good job. At least he knows how to look at things with a sporty eye, which is much better than Palmerston. ”

Hearing this, Lionel's eyes moved slightly, and he asked with a smile: "Viscount Palmerston had a little unpleasant encounter with you?" ”

Talleyrand glanced at Lionel and said seemingly nonchalantly: "If he can learn to talk to foreign ministers with respect, I believe he can do better in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs." Or at least I hope he will treat France with half the respect he has for Russia. ”

Agares, who was lying on the acacia tree and nibbling on apples, couldn't help but sneer when he saw this scene: "One wants to listen, the other wants to speak." But on the surface, she twisted and pinched half-pushed, it's really mother-in-law's, just like his mother's mother. ”

When Arthur heard this, he just glanced at the Red Devil: "Agareth, I understand your complaints, but we humans usually call this diplomacy. ”

Lionel followed up and asked Talleyrand, "What did he say to you?" ”

Talleyrand coughed twice, and said in Palmerston's formal and serious tone: "I believe that even if Britain makes friendly mediation on the Polish question, it will be rejected by Russia. Moreover, the great powers had only recently rejected the French proposal to intervene in the Polish question.

British and French intervention in the Polish question could only be of a coercive nature in the event that friendly mediation would have been rejected by Russia, but the close partnership between the authorities of St. James's Palace and St. Petersburg did not allow the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to do so.

Moreover, Russia's rights to Poland had long been confirmed in the Peace of Vienna. Moreover, I am convinced that the Russian Tsar today is a strong and powerful monarch. Therefore, the time is far from ripe for Britain and France to engage in armed intervention against a hard-line monarch with indisputable rights. ”

When Arthur heard this, he finally understood why Talleyrand was unhappy today.

Although Palmerston's words seem coherent at first glance, when you think about it, there is no logical coherence in any place.

First of all, judging by the news reports of the past few days, not all the great powers have refused to intervene in the Polish question.

For example, Austrian Chancellor Metternich, who once stood in the same trench as the Russians on the issue of Belgian independence, could not sit still on the Polish issue.

Austria was reluctant to allow Belgium to become independent from the Netherlands because the Austrians hoped to use a complete and powerful Netherlands to hinder France's eastward expansion. In the same way, Austria did not want the Russians to swallow Poland in one gulp, but wanted Poland to serve as a barrier between Austria and Tsarist Russia.

Therefore, Palmerston lied in the first paragraph.

And in the second paragraph, he took the initiative to raise the level of intervention to armed intervention, which was almost intimidating the French to their faces, or not to intervene, or to intervene, they would have to fight with the Russians. And in the event of a war between France and Russia, Britain would never provide France with any form of assistance.

As for the "Vienna Peace Treaty" in the third paragraph, he directly put his own cheekiness on the table. In the Treaty of Vienna, Russia's possession of Poland was conditional on Russia respecting Poland's 1815 constitution. France and Austria wanted to intervene in Poland because this precondition was now gone.

After hearing this, Lionel couldn't help but be a little surprised: "This ...... Is this really what Viscount Palmerston said? I am already surprised that he did not take the initiative to trouble the Russians, but if we speculate from this passage, he did not intend to ask the Russians for any compensation, so he directly betrayed Poland? This is not in line with everyone's impression of him, since he entered the political arena, he has always shown a tough image! ”

When Arthur heard this, he just read softly: "Lionel, that only shows that your understanding of Viscount Palmerston is still too shallow." Viscount Palmerston has always been tough on the weak, but his attitude towards the strong can be summed up in one of his early speeches in Parliament. ”

When Talleyrand heard this, he also became interested: "What did he say in the council?" ”

Arthur began: "Some people want us to threaten in the negotiations, regardless of the fact that if the negotiations fail, we are not prepared for war. If we talk about war and in fact think of neutrality, if we threaten the army and hide behind official documents, if we only wave our sword provocatively when discussing issues, and when it comes time to fight, we grab our pen and write a protest in large letters, then we are braggart cowards, and not only will we be despised and ridiculed by the whole of Europe, but no one will take what we say seriously. ”

Talleyrand pondered for a moment, and then asked, "When did you say this?" ”

Arthur rubbed his temples: "If the archive is correct, it should be in 1823 when France was commissioned by the Holy League to send troops to intervene in the Spanish Revolution. At that time, many liberal members of parliament believed that Britain should immediately embark on an expedition to defend the progressive liberal forces and send troops to aid the revolutionary constitutional government in Spain.

Viscount Palmerston then made the above speech in Parliament, in which he tried to prevent what he considered to be a Don Quixote crusade for the sake of abstract principles. Because this operation is neither economical nor realistic in his opinion, and it risks offending most of Europe. ”

When Talleyrand heard this, he suddenly smiled: "If that's the case, I can understand why he made that kind of speech today." I understand that he does not want to take risks, not soft persimmons he does not pinch. But I can also put it here understandly, sooner or later he will regret it for conniving at the behavior of the Russians.

Look at Greece, it is because Britain blindly connived at the Russians in the Russo-Turkish War and the Greek War of Independence, and allowed Codrington to completely crush the Ottoman navy, and now the Russians in Greece are not only unable to catch up with France, but even Britain cannot touch the Russians' ass.

Let's not forget that the Greek president, Capodistrias, was the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Russian negotiator at the Vienna Conference. ”

When Arthur heard this, he only replied lightly: "Regarding the affairs of Mr. Capodistrias, there will be someone in charge." ”

When Talleyrand heard this, his expression suddenly changed, and he raised his eyebrows: "Boy, what does Scotland Yard care about?" I used to think you were only in London. ”

"No matter." Arthur swung his club and shot the golf ball into the sky: "But I occasionally sit in the Royal Navy's Geographic Information Topography Department and the Army Topographic Survey, and sometimes I hear something new from their mouths." ”

"Oh......"

When the knowledgeable Talleyrand heard these two names, he immediately understood what Arthur meant, and he couldn't help but glance at the young man in front of him again: "What do you communicate with them when you go there?" ”

Arthur bit his white glove and took it off: "It's nothing, it's just an exchange of information about some reptile specimens." ”

"Reptile specimens?" Lionel was confused: "Shouldn't this thing be found in Linnaeus?" When I look for specimens for the Duke of Sussex, I usually go there. ”

Arthur glanced up at him: "Lionel, the specimens of the Linnaeian Society are all civilian, and what I said is police and military. ”

Talleyrand patted Arthur on the shoulder solemnly: "Then do you know who will handle the specimen this time?" ”

When Arthur heard this, he just said helplessly: "Your Excellency, you should know this point better than me, the craftsmanship of the indigenous people in the specimen origin is the best. ”

Hearing this, Talielang couldn't help but laugh and said, "It seems that your kid knows a lot. ”

When Lionel heard this, he also felt that something was wrong, and he always felt that this old and young man was using some kind of black language to communicate.

He thought about it for a while, but finally decided not to ask.

If Rothschild wanted to know what was going on in Greece, he would only need to send a few messengers to Athens and receive a detailed written report in a few days.

He patted Arthur on the back and said with a smile, "After so much useless, we almost forgot about our business." We're here to play today, not to discuss some reptile specimens. Let's go, Arthur, where did you just hit the ball? ”

When Arthur heard this, he only shook his head slightly, he glanced at Agareth, who was squatting on the tree and slapping his legs and laughing wildly, and said, "It depends on where the crow flies." ”

Talleyrand frowned, "Crows? ”

The caddie on the side duly spoke: "Yes, sir, Mr. Hastings's ball was snatched by a crow flying over the course. ”

"Took it?" Lionel slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Oh my God! Does the St Andrews Rules explain how to punish a ball that has been taken away by a crow? ”

"Uh......" the caddie said: "The rules say that if the ball is blocked by anyone, horse, dog or other object, you should continue to hit the ball where it is. But being snatched by a crow is probably the first time in hundreds of years, and perhaps the next time the St Andrews Rules are amended, I should suggest to the club that this clause be added. ”

Lionel wondered, "Can you suggest a rule change to the Royal Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews?" ”

When the caddie heard this, he said dissatisfiedly, "Sir, I am the head caddie of St Andrews Course. On top of that, I'm the best golfer in Scotland and the whole of Britain. I was supposed to be here today to play an exchange match in Blackheath, and if I hadn't heard that there were three distinguished guests visiting today, and two of them were beginners, I wouldn't have been temporarily assigned here to teach and guide a few gentlemen. ”

Talleyrand also quipped: "Young man, are you the best golfer in Scotland?" I see that you are only sixteen or seventeen years old, and you don't want to flash your tongue when you say big things. ”

The caddie doesn't care who Talleyrand is, on the golf course, he's the king.

The caddy said, "If you don't believe me, you might as well have a fight with me." If I lose, I'll cover your club dues for this year. But if I win, I won't bully you, a beginner, just call me Napoleon on the golf course. ”

"It's Napoleon again, hahahaha, it's kind of interesting." Talleyrand laughed: "I wonder if I am lucky enough to know the name of the best player in Scotland?" ”

The caddy took a club from his bag and weighed it twice: "Alan Robertson, sir, don't blame me for not reminding you that no one has beaten me on the course so far. ”

"Well, then, Mr. Robertson, where do we start?"

"Your Excellency, let's play eighteen holes according to the rules, I'll let you shoot three, as for the initial tee point, I'll pick whatever you want."

Talleyrand had a strong opponent and couldn't help but be interested in competing with him.

He raised his hand to say goodbye to Arthur and Lionel and said, "Two, this kid is really too arrogant, if he shouldn't fight, he will inevitably be too unmanly." By the way, Arthur, don't forget to leave me a ticket. ”

"Leave a ticket?" Arthur frowned and asked, "What ticket?" ”

Talleyrand turned his head and waved at Arthur as he walked, "What else can you get, the ticket for the duel between you and Foil Napoleon." Arthur, don't say that my friend doesn't support you, although Foil Napoleon is a Frenchman, I will definitely bet on you in this battle. You don't think I'm going to lose a lot of money on an old man with a meager income, right? ”

Arthur watched Talleyrand walk farther and farther, and suddenly lit the cigar in his hand: "Mr. Talleyrand is really neat, and he doesn't want to stay at all after he has said what needs to be said." ”

Lionel also nodded slightly: "It seems that those conversations between him and Viscount Palmerston were deliberately revealed to us." He still doesn't give up on Poland's problems, and he knows that Rothschild is now on the Whigs, and you can stab the Home Secretary, the Chancellor, and the Tories on the side. There are some things that we can say, which is much better than relaying them to these people himself, after all, his position is still too French official. ”

Speaking of this, Lionel turned his head again and asked, "Arthur, what do you think the final outcome of this matter will be?" ”

Arthur took a sip of his cigar: "There will be no results in the short term, after all, the parliament still has too many problems to be busy with, and Poland is not ranked at all compared to parliamentary reform." But for Mr. Talleyrand, perhaps he didn't think anything would come of it, and was just trying to add some trouble to Viscount Palmerston. Six people who change their masters, Napoleon offended him, and he will be finished, if he doesn't give Palmerston a little color, how can he be worthy of his eyes? ”

Lionel thought for a moment: "It's just that, it's good to have a favor from Mr. Talleyrand, after all, our business in Paris is also quite large." But, Arthur, what are you going to do with it? ”

"Me? It depends. Arthur loosened his wrist: "Besides, don't I still have a key game to play now?" What is the origin of that foil Napoleon? ”

"You're interested?"

Lionel smiled and winked: "Foil Napoleon, Paris Juggernaut, François Bertrand." Arthur, you know, this guy isn't one of the London Fencing Clubs. He doesn't have a lot of flashy but impractical sword moves, but his speed and agility in footwork are some of the best I've ever seen in my life. He just arrived in London last month and swept through all the city's fencing venues, knocking out 36 of London's best fencing masters in a row. ”

Arthur spat out a smoke ring: "Oh? Sounds familiar, didn't he split a plaque that said 'The Sick Man of France' or something? ”

Lionel recalled a news report: "Plaques? Not really. ”

Arthur asked, "By the way, what path did he take?" Germany's Richardner, Meyer's, or, like me, the Apennines' Fiore? ”

"Neither."

Lionel smiled, "Arthur, you're playing with long sword moves. And Mr. Bertrand, as he called him, was a master of foil. His sword moves are naturally French foil, beautiful, smooth, calm, and thorn-based French foil.

However, if you're a fan of Fiore-flow swordplay, you'll probably be able to get started with Italian-style foil quickly. After all, Fiore is also from the Italian region, and the style is also the same as the initiative, ferocity and fierceness.

Especially in terms of footwork, with the foundation of Fiore flow, even if you don't take the initiative to practice, you can get close to the technique of forcing your opponent with small leaps without a teacher. Italian foil is this good, it is highly ornamental, even if you lose, from the perspective of the scene, you will press the opponent throughout the whole process. And as long as the opponent is not careful, he will be finished by you with a bounce step. ”

Hearing this, Arthur thought for a moment and said, "Sounds pretty good, it seems that I have to take the time to practice, I'm still quite short of money recently." ”

Lionel blinked: "Don't worry, Arthur, when you're ready, keep me informed." I'm going to organize this tournament, and I'm sure we'll make a lot of money with the tickets alone. ”

(End of chapter)