"Arthur, let me introduce to you, Mr. Francis Sanhill Bahrain, a member of the House of Commons and the current chairman of the Public Works Committee."

In a small café on Oxford Street, Arthur looked at the young gentleman with an amiable smile and a somewhat unfashionable hairline, took off his gloves and shook his hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Balin. Although this is the first time I've met you, I've been using your products for many years. ”

Bahrain was amused by Arthur's joke, and he said, "It's always nice to have the approval of a client, and if you hadn't asked for additional debt, I'm sure I'd be happy to have you for dinner." ”

Bahrain, for 19th-century English, is a surname that cannot be avoided from birth.

Whether you like it or not, you'll be using their family's products for the rest of your life.

As for the reason, it's very simple, because they open a bank, and they do a lot of banking business, and they also have the right to issue banknotes in England.

Of course, unlike the smaller, noughty banks, the Bank of Bahrain is strong enough to be even more popular than the banknotes issued by the Bank of England.

If there is any banker in the City of London who dares to compete with the Rothschilds, then the first thing that comes to mind is definitely the brother of the gentleman in front of him - Alexander Baring.

And it wasn't just the Britons who believed in their credibility, even the sworn enemies across the Channel, the French, and the British rebels of North America, recognized the strength of the Bank of Baring.

When the Americans bought land in Louisiana from France, the Baring Bank was the center. They provided millions of dollars worth of financing services to the Americans, and finally, after charging a 12.5% service fee, sent the 10 million dollars that the Americans had used to buy land to Napoleon.

Although their actions once attracted the investigation of the cabinet and the criticism of domestic public opinion, the Bahraini people, who were detained as traitors to the country, finally passed the financial review of the parliament without any problems.

Not only that, but they even became the largest underwriters of British government bonds during the Napoleonic Wars.

Not only did the British cabinet not affect their trust as always, but they even gained high praise from the French.

For this reason, after the failure of Napoleon's restoration, the Bank of Bahrain naturally provided a large amount of loans to France, which could not afford to pay huge war reparations.

At that time, the French negotiator, Mr. Talleyrand, even declared: "This loan from the Bank of Bahrain is a strong guarantee of peace in Europe." ”

The representatives of Great Britain, Austria, Prussia and other countries at the Vienna Conference also believed that if the Bank of Bahrain had not provided guarantees for the French government, the treaty on the negotiating table would have been almost like waste paper.

In this regard, the French could only sigh: "There are now six great powers in Europe: Great Britain, France, Russia, Austria, Prussia and the House of Bahrain." ”

In this way, Bahrain not only reaped good goodwill with this compensation loan, but also took the opportunity to make 720,000 pounds.

Of course, although the Bahraini family only opened a bank, this does not mean that they have no interests in other industries.

As the bankers who hold Britain's largest liquidity and maintain good relations with many countries, the Bahraini family has long controlled the lifeblood of the Anglo-American transatlantic trade by providing liquidity loans.

And they had the advantage that the Rothschilds had to offer—they were not Jews, but Germans who had immigrated to England from Hamburg in the early 18th century.

As with the history of the Rothschilds, Mayer Rothschild, the founder of the Rothschilds, began as a small antique dealer in Frankfurt.

Johanna Baring, the founder of the Bahrain family, was a hamburg man who sold cheap linen from the German countryside to Britain and cheap British wool to Germany.

And these two old German men have one thing in common, that is, they gave birth to several good sons.

The elder Rothschild's five sons each headed a branch of the family.

The eldest Elde, Amschel, stayed in his hometown of Frankfurt.

Salomon, the second eldest, came to Vienna to start Roche's business in the Austrian Empire.

The third Nathan made a name for himself in London and became the most powerful Rothschild family at present.

The fourth Carl came to Naples on the Apennine Peninsula and turned his hands into clouds and rain in the kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

James is one of the favorites of King Louis Philippe of France, and the Rothschild's Paris branch is his most important financial instrument for maintaining his rule.

As for the Bahrain side, it is naturally no less impressive.

The eldest son, John, aspires to enter politics, while the second, Francis, shows an amazing talent in business.

With the accumulation of his father, Francis started from many industries such as dyes, rouge, diamonds, etc., and in the process of running a real industry, Francis discovered the importance of financing and decisively began to move from real to virtual.

In 1763, he founded the John & Francis Ballin Company, the first private commercial bank in the history of the world, despite opposition within his family.

And because of his good relationship with the then Prime Minister William Pitt Jr., he secured a position as manager of the East India Company for his family. With the Prime Minister's support, the Bank of Bahrain began to significantly expand its business network.

However, like all boring family history, after having money, everyone always wants to get some power in politics.

But unlike Rothschild, who repeatedly hit a wall, Bahrain did not have the burden of Jews, so they only needed to solve the problem of money.

And the Mr. Francis Sanhill Baring in front of Arthur is the biggest crystallization of the Bahrain family in the political field. And the price for the Bahraini family to get this seat in parliament, except for some daily contacts at the level of human feelings, the rest is a paltry three thousand pounds.

In Arthur's opinion, this price, whether to say it or not, is indeed quite cheap, and it is about to catch up with Disraeli.

And he finally understood why Disraeli was so anxious that he could meet Bahrain.

As long as the Bahrain family, the largest underwriter of British public bonds, is secured, then it is equivalent to half the negotiation.

Moreover, Arthur felt that Bahrain should have no reason to hinder the issuance of this public bond, after all, as underwriters, the more they issue, the more profitable they are, right?

Of course, there is a premise for all problems, that is, it will not be sent to the point that the British government cannot afford to pay it back.

Everyone casually found a corner to sit down, and Arthur took off his hat and asked with a pretended relaxed smile.

"Benjamin, you summoned me in such a hurry, I thought you were having some formal meeting with the Central Health Commission and the Public Works Commission? Was it just a private chat with friends? ”

Disraeli corrected, "Arthur, haven't you heard that sentence?" Big things have small meetings, small things have big meetings. Real decisions are made under the table, and if you don't know until it's made public, it's too late. On the surface, it's just a procedure. ”

Balin took out his pocket watch and looked at it: "Haven't Russell and Dr. Barry arrived yet?" In their absence, we may not be able to handle the health committee's affairs. ”

When Arthur heard this, he suddenly turned his gaze to Disraeli, and soon, he saw Disraeli nodding slightly.

Arthur just smiled at his movements.

He has understood that it seems that Bahrain is no longer a problem, and the real problem has to be seen in the latest report from the Health Committee.

Sure enough, Bahrain had just put his pocket watch back in his pocket when he spoke.

"Let's be blunt, Mr. Hastings. In fact, I have always been in favour of refurbishing major cities across the country, not just Liverpool, but also Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle and London.

In recent years, due to the rapid expansion of cities and the influx of large numbers of people, the degree of urban chaos has increased almost exponentially. And those narrow, dirty streets and alleys not only become a breeding ground for disease, but also add a lot of law enforcement headaches for officers like you.

Ever since I became Chairman of the Committee, I have been looking at past reports. The report on the work of the Bureau of Surveys and Surveys of the London Region, which is under your jurisdiction, should now be renamed the London Police Intelligence Service, is very forward-looking.

According to the statistics you submitted, the rate of violent crime and assault on police in narrow streets is much higher than in normal areas. If we can solve this problem, it will undoubtedly be very helpful to reduce the loss of public property caused by crime.

However, at that time, my proposal for renovation was rejected by the House of Commons due to the high cost. At the time, parliamentarians agreed that the cost of renovating the city was far higher than recruiting a few more policemen. But now, the situation has clearly changed.

Transforming urban areas is not only about reducing crime rates, but also about preventing cholera. I'm not afraid to joke at you, but judging by the cases reported by the Central Health Commission, the government's plan to keep cholera out of the English Channel through customs quarantine under the Quarantine Act of 1825 has actually failed. ”

Although Arthur had guessed before, it was still funny to hear the news of bankruptcy from Bahrain.

After all, the parliament's tough quarantine controls have only been in place for more than a month, and even if they have to surrender to the declining trade volume, it will inevitably be too soon.

Arthur asked, "What do you mean?" Quarantine restrictions are going to be lifted? ”

"Not really. After all, there are differences between the government and parliament, so the quarantine measures should still be carried out, but the standards will definitely be significantly lowered. ”

Disraeli continued: "The dangers of cholera cannot be ignored, but most of the parliamentarians believe that at least we are not dead now, and there should be no need for amputation. And now that public opinion is indeed militant about cholera control, and if this isolation continues, the loss of fiscal revenues is combined with a huge increase in public health spending, and my God, this year's fiscal deficit is about to break through the sky. ”

Arthur stirred the coffee cup with a spoon, more concerned with how to execute it than with the rhetoric of the councillors.

"So, to what extent will the regulations be relaxed?"

"It's not clear elsewhere, but a new draft of the London regulation has already been prepared."

"Ships arriving in London will stay at Sandgate Bay at Detford on the south bank of the River Thames for 10 days, during which time a doctor will be sent on board to instruct the cleaning and sanitation regulations, and during the last three days of the quarantine period, the ships will be opened under supervision, the spaces between decks will be ventilated, and all crew's clothing and linen will be washed and dried," Bahrain began. ”

Hearing this, Arthur took a sip of his coffee: "It does sound much softer than before." The quarantine period is only 10 days, and traders will be happy. ”

Disraeli waved his hand: "In fact, the parliament is still criticizing the latest policy for being too conservative, and many people are advocating for reducing the quarantine period to five days. After all, cholera usually onset is rapid, and five days is enough to screen sailors for the disease. ”

A few people were chatting about the sky, and suddenly, the wind chimes of jingling bells rang.

Immediately afterward, they saw two middle-aged gentlemen with haggard faces pushing open the door of the café and walking towards them.

Those were the two medical commissioners of the Central Health Commission: William Russell and David Barry.

As early as last year, the two doctors were selected by the British government as medical experts to go to St. Petersburg to investigate the cholera epidemic in Russia and learn from the experience and lessons of the Russians.

But now it seems clear that they have not been very successful, or that they have been so successful that they have only declared in Russia that a workable method of prevention and control cannot be fully copied to Britain.

The newspapers were full of the famous words of Pollit Thompson in the House of Commons - that if the advice of compulsory prevention were to be given to any English gentleman, the English would obey these rules for a week at most, given the traditional habits of the English.

Just after this wave of public opinion attacks, the Central Health Committee officially announced its collapse a few days ago, and in the reorganized committee, the quarantine control faction, led by Russell and Dr. Barry, has completely lost ground.

Not only that, but most of the parliamentarians were kicked out by the committee, and a large number of doctors with practical experience in the field took their place.

The new chairman, Edward Stewart, argued that anti-cholera measures should be developed in accordance with the principles of conflict avoidance, respect for civil rights, and social stability and self-structure.

The Board of Health also declared: "The coercive measures prevailing on the European continent are the source of all evils, and it is possible to avoid associations that could endanger the lives of others, provided that they are accompanied by practical measures based on medical expertise, supplemented by practical measures, and by good judgment and emotional and moral support." In most cases, cholera rarely spreads in households unless there is a specific tendency for cholera to spread in households, as long as proper cleaning and ventilation protocols are followed and the environment is kept hygienic and well-maintained. ”

The fact that the committee has made such an almost 180-degree turn is enough to see the great differences of opinion and the fierce struggle within the committee.

And from the appearance of Dr. Russell and Dr. Barry, it can be seen that the two of them should have been rectified recently.

Balin looked at the haggard appearance of the two doctors, and suggested, "Why don't you two have a cup of tea first?" ”

Russell covered his mouth with one hand and seemed to retch, "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Balin." But now we can't swallow anything, and if you have to let me eat something, you might as well cook the guys from the Health Committee for me. ”

Barry's hair was wet, and he sat down and let out a long sigh, "You don't know, it's hell in the committee right now. I dare to pack the ticket with you, as soon as the restrictions are relaxed, cholera cases will definitely show an explosive increase. ”

When Disraeli heard this, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows: "But what to do?" Dr. Barry, do you know how tight the finances have been? ”

"Of course I know the difficulties, but it's not due to quarantine, it's due to the debts of so many years in the field of public health," Barry said helplessly. Mr. Disraeli, I'll give you an example. According to the Leeds Local Health Board, there is a compound of 34 houses with 57 rooms and 340 residents, but there are no roads or sewers. In the past month alone, we have shipped 75 truckloads of manure from 32 of these houses. Before that, the feces hadn't been cleaned up for 30 years. ”

Russell complained, "What is this? Leeds is in a good situation. The Edinburgh Board of Health reported that they had just spent £280 and hired more than 30 scavengers to sweep the streets and cul-de-sacs of the Old Town, resulting in more than 3,000 truckloads of filthy garbage from houses, basements and open spaces. In this case, if cholera doesn't break out, he's in for hell! God knows what they are usually doing, and they usually don't care about the management of public health, and when the cholera outbreak comes, they blame the quarantine measures for being too tight, is it the fault of our professional doctors? ”

(End of chapter)