In the makeshift conference room of the Golden Lion Hotel, two unexpected visitors sat down around a round table with Arthur and others.

As soon as he sat down, Napier looked at Louis and Alexandre Dumas, who were sitting beside Arthur.

The victorious Royal Admiral asked, "Mr. Hastings, are these two of your men reliable?" Before we get into the specifics, it's a good idea to make sure that the two of them aren't spies sent by the French. ”

Arthur took a sip of tea from his cup: "General Napier, you don't have to worry about this, the two of them will not be French spies, because this fat gentleman next to me holds French nationality as if it were fake." Under normal circumstances, he is open-minded and does not need to go undercover at all. By the way, he was also a French artilleryman. ”

Dumas nodded quite approvingly: "That's right, I have been trained in artillery. ”

Napier laughed with joy when he heard this: "You are indeed a young man who knows a lot of humor. However, if this fat gentleman is a French artilleryman, what is the origin of this skinny officer next to you? ”

Arthur raised an eyebrow: "You ask Louie?" He's even worse. This guy is a relative of the Imperial Family, and if I remember correctly, he is second in the current line of succession of the Bonaparte family. ”

Louis also took off his hat and saluted, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Napier." ”

When Napier saw this battle, he couldn't help but joke: "Really? Mr. Hastings, could it be that you have rehearsed this scene before? The lines are all so neatly correct, no wonder those prisoners who were imprisoned in Scotland Yard could be stunned for a moment. ”

Arthur didn't want to explain anymore when he didn't believe it, but the secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who had arrived with him, couldn't help but open his mouth to clarify to Napier.

"General, Mr. Hastings is telling the truth."

"Honestly?"

Napier was stunned for a long time, and then winked at Arthur: "Young man, are you playing really?" Treason is a charge that has to be sent to the Senate for a public trial. ”

Arthur was equally humorous when he heard this: "If it is treason to have a good relationship with the French, then you should probably worry about the Duke of Wellington, who has maintained a friendship with the French ambassador, Monsieur Talleyrand, for more than ten years." ”

Napier laughed and said, "Let the House of Lords try the Duke of Wellington? You kid can figure it out. When the Duke of Wellington was young, when he didn't have so many honors, he didn't have to soften his waist to court-martial. If the House of Lords really dares to arrest him for trial, I guess the Duke of Wellington will directly pick up his eight marshal rods and slap them on the buttocks of the Speaker of the House of Lords. ”

When Arthur heard this, he only coughed lightly: "General Napier, although I have no intention of accusing me, it is always inconsistent with social etiquette to sarcastically mock the teacher in front of the students. ”

When Napier heard this, he suddenly remembered that the Speaker of the House of Lords was none other than Lord Breham, the Lord Chancellor.

He scratched his side face and hurriedly went back to make up for it: "Just kidding, don't take it to heart." I was finally revived by the Admiralty this time, but I can't just ...... You should know, Royal Navy, it's normal to joke about boredom on board. ”

Arthur smiled, "Like you said, Royal Navy, I understand. They had already shown me when I was on the hunt on the Beagle. ”

When Dumas heard this, his brow furrowed, which reminded him of something not very pleasant.

Napier glanced back and forth at the two Frenchmen, and suddenly asked the foreign secretary beside him, "Are these two really okay here?" ”

The secretary also smiled and replied: "Whether there is a problem with these two gentlemen depends mainly on who is in power in France now. In the case of France, it is likely that the two of them are more secure than many Britons, and even higher than the average for the British Foreign Office. ”

The speaker has no intention, but the listener has the intention.

Alexandre Dumas and Louis were originally a little absent-minded, but when they heard this, they immediately smelled a hint of the imminent victory of the revolution.

Alexandre Dumas asked, "You finally can't stand the rule of the tyrant Louis Philippe across the Channel?" ”

Louis also had some difficulty suppressing the excitement in his heart, and his voice sounded a little trembling: "I knew that Talleyrand must not have any good intentions when he came to London, and the reward he received for betraying the July Dynasty this time should not be low, right?" ”

Napier was stunned for a moment by the reaction of the two Frenchmen, and then he suddenly came to his senses.

"Oh...... After a long time, it turned out that one was a political prisoner in France, and the other was always thinking about restoring the glory of Napoleon in Paris! ”

Arthur took a sip of tea and said without being salty: "General Napier, how can you tell the truth?" If the French government were to issue an article attacking Scotland Yard as a stronghold of dissidents in Paris, you would be half the culus. ”

Napier patted his thigh happily and smiled: "It's only half the responsibility, young man, it seems that you are much more righteous than the Admiralty, and you are actually willing to carry the other half yourself." ”

"No, General Napier, you misunderstood."

Arthur poured some milk into the black teacup: "The other half of the responsibility belongs to Director Rowan, who is the head of Scotland Yard." ”

"Tut-tut......"

Hearing this, Napier couldn't help but glance at Arthur: "Young man, remember what I said, just based on what you just said, if you go to the Admiralty in the future, how can you become the permanent secretary of the Admiralty." ”

"Who knows what the future holds?"

Arthur shrugged: "Maybe the Admiralty is floating in some part of the sea near South America right now." ”

Alexandre Dumas added: "If you measure the Admiralty from this dimension, Mr. Carter has indeed met the mark. After all, these days, there are not many monkeys who can speak English and water. ”

Arthur glanced at Alexandre Dumas: "That's right, on this small island, the monkeys who can speak French have been hanged on the beach as spies. ”

Alexandre Dumas frowned twice: "I have to say, Arthur, you have a really good memory, do you still remember that case?" ”

Arthur just shook his head: "No way, most of the things I have encountered about France are quite bizarre and paradoxical, so I am too impressed to forget." ”

Napier couldn't understand what the two were saying, so he simply turned the subject back.

"Since there is nothing wrong with the people here, then I will follow the order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I need a merchant ship to Portugal now, and the sooner I depart, the better. ”

"You need a boat too?"

Arthur touched his forehead and felt that this was ridiculous: "It seems that London's port quarantine policy is really too forceful. To tell you the truth, you're not the first person to come to Liverpool to buy a ferry ticket from me. The American legation was not heavy enough, so it was impossible to arrange a ship to the United States in London. But how dare the port management company disobey even the orders of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs? Is it that hard to get you a boat from London? ”

The secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs waved his hand and said, "Mr. Hastings, don't get me wrong. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was certainly in a position to arrange for ships to leave port from London, but the situation at hand was rather peculiar, and the Ministry did not want too many people to know about General Napier's departure to Portugal. Moreover, for the sake of secrecy, the Admiralty did not formally reinstate Mr. Napier on active duty, but only temporarily returned his military uniform and epaulettes to him. ”

"This ......"

Arthur originally thought that Napier was sent to command Liverpool's anti-smuggling fleet, but when he heard this series of news, he immediately realized that things did not seem to be so simple.

And the quicker ones than Arthur were the two French key politicians.

They have keenly captured the key words 'informal' and 'Portuguese', and in connection with Napier's previous concerns about their French identity and the changes in the situation in Europe in recent years, it is almost clear what Napier is going to do.

Louis asked softly: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants to intervene in the Portuguese Civil War?" ”

The secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs coughed lightly when he heard this.

"Officer Bonaparte, please pay attention to your wording, it has nothing to do with the Foreign Office, which has never officially announced its involvement in the Miguel War, and as I mentioned before, Mr. Napier does not have the official title of the Royal Navy, he is now a man of free status.

He is free to go wherever he wants, what kind of profession he wants, and what kind of money he makes. Britain is a free country, and we have no right to intervene in our personal affairs. Of course, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also advocates and encourages citizens of the whole country to realize the value of their lives to the best of their ability and skills, and is willing to help them. ”

The secretary had already said this, and Arthur naturally understood what he meant.

As the Foreign Secretary, Viscount Palmerston, had previously said in the House of Commons on the Polish question: "The fact that we have signed the Treaty of Vienna does not mean that we have to guarantee that the Russians will abide by it. ”

If this criterion is applied, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not officially announce its involvement, it does not mean that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will not really intervene.

As in the Greek War of Independence, Britain was reluctant to formally declare war on the Ottoman Empire, but this did not prevent them from sending a Royal Naval officer corps headed by General Thomas Cochran, the "bomb ship maniac", to help Greece train its navy.

As a result, the Greek navy used an almost all-British set of standards, and the Greek navy became the stronghold of pro-British forces.

The commander-in-chief of the Greek Navy, General Andreas Vocos Miaolis, was the deputy of General Corcoran and was elected as a pro-British leader after the assassination of the president.

It is precisely because of the successful experience in Greece that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is likely to have the idea of repeating the old tricks in Portugal.

England, a friendly country with Portugal that has been allied with Portugal for more than 400 years, has maintained very good relations since the 14th century.

However, because things have always been so bad in Spain in recent years, Britain no longer sees this former maritime hegemon as its main competitor. Correspondingly, Portugal, an ally of the Iberian Peninsula that had been regarded by the British government as an unsinkable fortress on the Iberian Peninsula, was neglected.

Of course, this cannot be entirely blamed on the ruthlessness of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Rather, it is due to the fact that Portugal is a country other than Western Europe, and it does not look like a Western European country in terms of population, economy or natural conditions.

They did not have the fertile land of France, nor the harbors of England, let alone the coal and iron resources necessary for the Industrial Revolution.

Of course, Portugal is not without nothing, and they are quite rich in resources in terms of poor mountains, bad waters, and poor people.

The Iberian Peninsula gave Spain its best sunshine and, at the same time, Portugal the worst natural conditions.

Having said that, the harsh terrain of Portugal, such as mountains, plateaus, etc., does not always play a negative role, at least it is very popular with military enthusiasts.

These mountains not only fended Portugal off the Spaniards, who had been thinking about annexing it, but also helped the Duke of Wellington, who led the LinkedIn army to land in Portugal during the Peninsular War.

Wellington, who had always been good at defensive warfare, took full advantage of these favorable terrain and recaptured most of the Iberian Peninsula that had already fallen to Napoleon.

Moreover, the harsh natural conditions also forced the Portuguese to become the 'first crab to go to the sea to make a living', and it was from this barren land that the Age of Discovery began.

However, the glory of the Great Voyage is now a thing of the past, and Portugal is not only less noticed by the rest of Europe, but even by their own royal families.

In 1817, the Portuguese colony of Brazil broke out in an independent revolution and proclaimed the establishment of the Brazilian Republic.

Although the republic lasted only a short period of 76 days, it still dealt a heavy blow to Portugal, which had been encouraged to maintain it, and also made the opposition in Portugal see another possibility.

In 1820, the Portuguese, influenced by the liberal winds brought about by the French Revolution, launched a revolution that forced King João VI of Portugal into exile in Brazil.

Finally, after a year of bickering, João VI and the Constituent Assembly finally agreed to end his exile and return to the country on the premise of abolishing the autocratic rule and establishing a constitutional monarchy, while João VI's successor, Prince Pedro, was left in Brazil to run the country.

When the members of the Constituent Assembly found out about this situation, they immediately marched to the king, saying strange things like 'the prince is the body of a real dragon, and it is not suitable to live in the land of Fanyi for a long time', and asked the king to recall the prince to the country.

Not only that, these legislators, who despise Brazil from the bottom of their hearts, also passed a bill to re-downgrade Brazil, which had been upgraded to a kingdom, into an overseas province of Portugal, that is, a colony.

Naturally, such an act aroused strong resentment among Brazilians, and the call for independence once again resounded in the streets of Brazil.

At this time, Prince Pedro, who was left by the king to manage Brazil, resolutely chose to stay in Brazil, and took the initiative to shoulder the responsibility of the leader of the Brazilian independence faction.

The prince, who had been in exile with his father since the Napoleonic Wars, had a strong affection for the land, and in order to avoid Brazil's return to colonial status, Prince Pedro even made remarks that seemed very dark to his father.

As soon as Prince Pedro heard the news, he shouted angrily: "Even if it is to be merged, it should be a fourth-rate country and a poor country Portugal merged into Brazil, a first-class country, not the other way around!" ”

Later, Prince Pedro also made an official statement: "For the benefit of all and for the well-being of the whole nation, I have decided to tell everyone that I will continue to stay in Brazil." ”

Subsequently, he officially declared his refusal to comply with the demands of the Portuguese Constituent Assembly.

When the Constituent Assembly learned of this, it also directly declared the Brazilian government illegal and issued a threat of war against Brazil.

Prince Pedro, who had just finished training with the cavalry unit and was resting on his horse on the banks of the Ipiranka River, heard the news and stepped into the mud with his riding boots.

He rolled over his horse and announced to the soldiers, "It's time!" It's better to die than to be independent! We broke with Portugal! ”

Upon hearing the news, the Constituent Assembly immediately sent a counterinsurgency force to Brazil.

On 12 October, just before the Portuguese arrived in Brazil, Pedro I ascended the throne in Rio de Janeiro and was crowned 'Emperor and Permanent Protector of Brazil'.

And after a few years of fighting between Portugal and Brazil, the Portuguese could not take the Brazilian Navy trained by Admiral Corcoran, the 'bomb ship maniac' who was expelled from the Royal Navy.

And King João VI of Portugal saw that his son was so promising, and while he was sad that he had become a constitutional king, he was also very pleased that his son was mixed with the emperor of Brazil.

So, in the end, João VI got Portugal to recognize Brazil's independence.

Prince Pedro dares to fight his old father, and his younger brother is also a heroic hero.

In line with the principle of beating Lao Tzu to death by half the eldest son, while the eldest son Prince Pedro led Brazil to carry out the 'Teach Dad a Lesson' activity, the second son Prince Miguel also became the leader of the Portuguese absolutists, and decisively started his 'Dad Killing Operation' when his father was in a hurry and couldn't make a move.

In 1823, the absolutists, led by Prince Miguel, suddenly attacked the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, demanding the dissolution of parliament and the abolition of the constitution.

João VI, who had two dutiful sons, could not deal with his two sons at the same time, so he had to make concessions to the rebels and give the title of commander-in-chief of the entire Portuguese army to Prince Miguel.

The old king thought that his son should stop now, but he didn't expect Prince Miguel to attack again the next year, but this time, Joao VI, who had been on guard for a long time, gave him a good idea of what 'your father is your father after all'.

The rebels suffered an unprecedented defeat, and Prince Miguel was arrested. Subsequently, João VI declared Prince Miguel persona non grata and ordered his expulsion, leaving Miguel in desperation to run to Austria to hug Metternich's thigh.

And in 1826, João VI choked himself to death while eating.

Although this death sounded as unreliable as the Tsar's stroke, the pragmatic Portuguese quickly accepted it.

The unexpected death of the king also brought about a new problem, that is, the king did not clearly designate an heir before his death.

As a result, there was a renewed 'heated debate' in Portugal over the right to the throne, with liberals supporting João VI's eldest son, Emperor Pedro I of Brazil, to succeed to the Portuguese throne, and absolutists supporting his second son, Prince Miguel.

In the struggle for the throne, the liberals who held the government struck first, preemptively proclaiming Pedro the rightful heir to the Kingdom of Portugal.

Absolutists, on the other hand, declared liberals unconstitutional, arguing that Prince Pedro could not inherit the Portuguese throne at the same time as Emperor of Brazil.

Seeing that the two factions were about to compete on the outskirts of Lisbon, Pedro, anxious to solve the problem, hurriedly promulgated a Magna Carta in 1826 to replace the constitution of 1822.

In an attempt to bridge the tension, Pedro also declared that he would not inherit the Portuguese throne, but would give the title to his seven-year-old daughter Maria, and that his younger brother, Prince Miguel, the leader of the absolutist faction, would marry the seven-year-old niece.

On Pedro's initiative, until Queen Maria came of age, Prince Miguel was regent.

When Maria came of age, Portugal was ruled by a husband and wife.

I call you brother, you call me dad, everyone is originally a family, now kiss and kiss, let's live together, what can I do?

However, although Pedro I had a very good idea, Prince Miguel obviously had a different concept from his brother.

Prince Miguel, who did not love Lori, did not love his niece, and had no plans to be demoted, and was a very Catholic believer, ostensibly accepted his brother's advice, but as soon as he returned to China in 1828, things began to move towards the fast lane of civil war.

After Prince Miguel took power, he immediately turned against his own brother.

He rejected Magna Carta, declared the restoration of absolute monarchy, and proclaimed himself king of Portugal by convening a council of the Estates-General with the participation of clergy, nobles, and commoners.

Not only that, but he also pulled the recognition of the United States, Russia, Spain, and the Holy See early on, and was ready to have a good time with his eldest brother.

The Portuguese Civil War began in 1829 and officially began.

Originally, the British government had been indifferent to the Portuguese Civil War, because Britain had never been interested in such uninteresting household matters.

However, the July Revolution in France in 1830, followed by the Belgian independence and the Polish uprising, finally alarmed the Foreign Office.

Although the British Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not a neighborhood committee aunt, let alone a religious inquisition, if this messy housework continues to be left alone......

If the liberals in Portugal win, they are likely to fall to France, while the absolutists are likely to fall to Austria or Tsarist Russia if they win.

As soon as Arthur thought of this, he finally had a clear idea of General Napier's sudden visit.

It seems that it will not work if you don't do it for him.

Arthur sighed: "Okay, I know, I'll arrange the boat as soon as possible." But...... The Foreign Office still has the spare energy to care about Iberia, and it seems that people say that Viscount Palmerston has a lot of energy, and this is true. ”

The secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was also relieved to hear that the problem had been resolved.

He put his hand on the table and said, "Who says it's not?" Everyone tossed him enough, and His Excellency the Viscount was simply using us as donkeys. But, Mr. Hastings, it's not been easy for you to see you for so long! Remember me? We've met at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. ”

When Arthur heard this, he looked at the other party again, and then patted his head and said, "Ah! Are you the Minister of Affairs from the Duchy of Hesse, Germany? ”

(End of chapter)