Block the Duke, take the gold!

If you were to vote for what was the buzzword in England in 1832, the above passage would be the favourite.

When the Duke of Wellington announced that he would be ordered to form a cabinet, almost overnight, the streets of London were plastered with such slogans.

The small City of London is packed with people from all corners of the city, with different careers, different educational backgrounds and upbringings.

The only thing these men have in common is that each of them is waving their life savings in their hands, pound after pound sterling or other promissory notes.

When it comes to Britain's monetary system, the first thing that comes to mind is that Sir Isaac Newton, when he was the director of the Mint, submitted his famous report to Parliament, "The Statement of His Excellency the Treasury Committee of the House of Lords", which established the prototype of the gold standard system for Britain.

It's just that during the tenure of the director of the cattle factory, the gold standard has not been implemented at the legal level, and has been implemented in the form of temporary regulations. The real establishment of the gold standard at the legal level had to wait until the "Gold Standard Act" passed by Parliament in 1816.

At that time, in order to boost the domestic economy that had been in ruins after the Napoleonic Wars and save the monetary credit of the British pound, the British government passed the "Gold Standard Act", promulgated the "Gold Standard Currency Act", and ordered to stop minting the 150-year-old Gini gold coins and remint the domestic metal currency. The newly minted gold coin was named tsavorin, which was struck in standard gold of 91.67% purity, and 1 tsavorin was worth £1.

By 1819, at the urging of Sir Peel, the Peel Ordinance, a supplementary regulation to the Gold Standard Act, was passed by both houses of Parliament, and the new ordinance further established a value of £3 per ounce of gold, 17 shillings and 10 pence, or £1 note to 7.32238 gold.

With gold as the basis for the issuance of coins, the credit of the pound has naturally become stronger, and British government bonds have become a high-quality investment project that is widely praised by the world.

But having enjoyed the benefits of the gold standard, you have to bear its constraints at the same time.

Anyone with a discerning eye knows that even if the world's gold mining is supplied to Britain, it may not be able to keep up with Britain's current train-driven economic development.

In order to meet the surging demand for money in Britain during the economic development period, it is impossible for the British banks to honestly comply with the Treasury's requirements to print as many pounds as they have gold reserves.

But the over-issuance of currency does not mean that the British gold standard system will collapse, as long as everyone closes their eyes, deceives themselves, and does not go to the bank to ask for gold exchange, then Britain can still live happily.

But if most people are going to be understanding, then it's going to be difficult. In other words, the outbreak of the British banking crisis in 1827 and the recession in Britain caused by the banking crisis were caused by too many honest people.

Since the outbreak of the banking crisis, the Britons have finally understood that when it comes to money, it is better not to do things that everyone is drunk with. Gold can be exchanged, but don't be exchanged together. If everyone redeems it together, then the final result is that everyone does not have to redeem it.

And among the wise men of Britain, there were even more gifted people who realized the reverse unfolding of the gold standard from the mouths of some ill-intentioned reactionaries.

If I don't have it, then I'll have to make the nobles, the bankers, and the big merchants also have to pay it. My life savings are only a few dozen pounds, and although I may not even be able to afford to eat in the next few months without this money, those who have hundreds of thousands of pounds in their pockets cannot afford to eat either, so what am I afraid of?

Seeing that the threshold of their own banks was about to be broken by the runs, even the leaders of the British banking industry, such as Rothschild and Bahrain, had to announce the temporary suspension of foreign exchange business five days later.

As for the small and medium-sized banks, most of them surrendered on the third day.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the bankers shut down the company and declared that they were firmly opposed to the Duke of Wellington forming a government, and that they would suspend business until the reform bill was passed because the bank's employees went on strike to participate in protests.

At this critical existential juncture, these bankers, whether they genuinely support parliamentary reform or not, would block the door of parliament early in the morning, holding signs and shouting slogans of 'stop the duke, take gold', trying to fish in troubled waters and run their counterparts who were slow to react.

Arthur was naturally well aware of all the strange phenomena that happened in London during this time, because the most important task of Scotland Yard during this period was to send people to stand guard at the gates of the major banks.

Although he had previously raised the issue of gold to Price, the capital's political ally, the current bank run in London has attracted more than just protesters who want to put pressure on the government through the run.

Many 'high-end technical talents' who have long been registered in the Scotland Yard Criminal Record Center have also stepped on this new outlet, intending to break away from the stock market and open up a new track towards this blue ocean.

According to the lovely Miss Fiona's report, many famous criminal groups in London are also sensitive to the future development direction of the industry, and after passing the collective vote of the 'board of directors' meeting, they have set new strategic goals for the development of the group, adjusted the layout direction of this year, and determined that 'parliamentary reform' and 'bank run' are the main tasks and priorities of this year's work.

Therefore, the group decided to send a large number of experienced, skilled, and courageous veterans of the industry to the financial city and the protest rally site, where there is a serious shortage of 'labor'.

It only took a few days for the top talents in the industry to experience a dimensionality reduction blow from the top areas of London's crime industry while the major London banks were ravaged by a run.

Many of the protesters who came to run on the banks also suffered heavy losses, not only did they not get their gold, but they even lost the paper tickets in their pockets.

It's not the same time, but it's the same place. In just five days, the seats at Scotland Yard were filled with heroes from all over the world.

The police officers of Scotland Yard worked intensively for a week, and the director of the hall, Rowan, and the deputy director, Mayne, took Arthur for several days, and they could not guarantee even five hours of sleep a day.

In such a difficult time, only Vidocq's letterhead from Paris could bring some comfort to Arthur's heart.

In the tide of the times, London and Scotland Yard took the second-to-last exam, which is certainly disgraceful.

But Paris and the Grand Paris Police Department took the first place from the bottom, which means that Britain and the country across the sea are helping to cushion, doesn't it?

According to Vidocq, the situation in Paris has been falling from the bottom to the abyss of hell in recent times.

Due to the French government's unfavorable epidemic prevention and frequent violent incidents.

On May 22, 39 Republicans in the French parliament, as well as some lawmakers disillusioned with the July dynasty, met with former Prime Minister Jacques Lafayette and issued an indictment to the French prime minister, Casimir-Pierre Perrier, to voters.

What worries Vidocq even more is that although the report does not directly condemn the monarchy, it does mention that the current social environment in France is the same as that on the eve of the French Revolution in 1789, and severely accuses the government of violating civil liberties and democratic rights and provoking social unrest.

As a pure Frenchman, Vidocq was keenly aware that although this report did not mention a word, it was actually implicitly inciting the people to overthrow the royal rule and move towards a republic.

Under pressure from domestic public opinion, the July government was forced to release some of the republican and Bonapartist elements who were imprisoned in Saint-Peraget prison in order to show its sincerity to the opposition.

Unfortunately, Mr. Evarister Galois, an influential young mathematician among the republicans, died in a duel shortly after he was released from prison.

Republicans were so excited that they blamed the government for Galois's death as a long-simmering conspiracy.

Although Galois chose to duel because of love, his love affair developed in prison, where he fell in love with the daughter of a doctor, and the person he duel with after his release was none other than the most famous sharpshooter in Paris.

Republicans did not believe that Galois would engage in such a duel that bordered on suicide and had no chance of victory, so his death was not a romantic affair, but an outright political murder.

In response to the accusations of the republicans, the director of the Grand Paris Police Agency, Zhisokai, learned the lesson of the 'poisoning rumor' this time and did not choose to come forward to refute the rumor. But in the eyes of republicans, such behavior is almost tantamount to acquiescence.

And the next day, another bad news came.

A leader of great prestige among both the Bonapartist and the Republicans, a famous general of the French Republic and the First Empire, known as the protector of the people because of his pro-people and patriotic attitude, General Jean-Maximlean Lamarck, who served as chief of staff of Napoleon's brother Joseph Bonaparte and Napoleon's sister-in-law Murat, unfortunately contracted cholera while visiting patients in the hospital and died that night.

According to people familiar with the matter, at the last moment of his death, Lamarck hugged a sword given to him by the officers during the Hundred Days Empire to his chest. When Napoleon was dying, he was talking about the "army", but Lamarck was talking about "the fatherland" on his deathbed.

The news of this kind of news directly raised the current tension in Paris to a new level. If the current Paris is a powder keg, then Lamarck's death is tantamount to the spark that ignites this powder keg.

Even not only Paris, but even Alexandre Dumas, who was far away in London, slapped the table in anger when he got the news, and prepared to return to Paris to prepare for the uprising.

Of course, it was impossible for this arrogant French writer to realize his idea. If he wanted to return to Paris, he would have to deal with the British reactionaries who stood in his way.

Unfortunately, this reactionary moved far faster than Mr. Dumas had imagined.

Before Alexandre Dumas was about to board the ship leaving London, his carriage was urgently stopped at the Thames River Pier, and he was accompanied by a member of the Bonaparte family who tried to leave London under the pretext of public office.

Dumas, who was tied up with five flowers, sat in the rickety carriage and glanced at Louie, who was also tied up like a rice dumpling beside him, and only felt angry and funny.

"Louie, I have to say, I have to apologize to you. I used to doubt your revolutionary fervor, because your republican emperor's arguments were so puzzling that I thought you were a thief who, like your uncle, tried to manipulate the revolution and steal the fruits of the republic. But today I have to say, I'm sorry, you, like me, are a great, true, pure revolutionary. ”

Louis lay on the floor of the carriage, his face dead, but his tone slightly unconvinced.

"Damn! Alexander, I didn't expect you to think of me that way. You shouldn't be wary of me, I've always treated you as a friend. The person you should really be on guard against is sitting across from you. ”

Cha!

A flash of fire swept through the carriage, followed by a long breath and a misty smoke slowly rising.

Arthur put one foot on Louie's back, trying to help him stabilize himself and not roll around in the carriage: "What? The great unity of the French revolution began to unite with the outside world? Louis, Alexander, I told you not to try to return to Paris, for it would be dangerous. You are all smart men, so you should have thought a long time ago that the danger I spoke of did not begin with your arrival in Paris. ”

When Dumas heard this, his face turned red with anger, and his unkempt head exploded: "Arthur, you damned Englishman, I really misjudged you!" I thought you were the one who could win over, but you've let me down, look what you're doing now. Just help Wellington suppress the demonstrators, and now you're still involved with the July Dynasty! You haven't even met Louis Philippe in person, what good did he give you to make you work so hard for him? ”

"Benefits?"

Arthur looked out of the window with a pestle in one hand: "Alexander, believe it or not, I have not taken any benefit from the French. I just don't want to watch you two go back to Paris and die in vain. Besides, if you want to be part of the revolution, why go all the way back to France, doesn't the current situation in London give you a sense of participation in the revolution?

Yes, I'll admit that these things in Britain are all learned from France, second-hand, fanwork, so they are not as authentic as those in Paris. However, I don't think everything in the world has to be tasted originally, and you've already tasted the most authentic revolution in Paris, so I suggest you consider the exotic once in a while.

Of course, the most important thing is that you are making a revolution in London, I can tell you what you can do and what you can't do, you can not only express your feelings, but also be fully safe. Why do you have to go to Paris for excitement, you say, isn't that the truth? ”

(End of chapter)