If we are destined to do one thing, then all the past is prologue.

- Shakespeare, The Tempest

Inside the London Stock Exchange, Lionel lowered his head and listened quietly to Arthur's plan, the Jewish young master's mood was calm, and there was not even a trace of smile on his face, nor even a hint of sadness.

He just held the silver-plated round-headed cane, stabbed it slightly on the floor of the hall, shook his head slightly at Arthur, and he whispered: "Arthur, of course we are friends, so if you want Rothschild to provide an interest-free loan, ten thousand pounds, twenty thousand pounds, this is no problem." But this is not a matter of tens of thousands of pounds, and if I really do what you say, if things do not develop in Greenwich as we expect, then Rothschild's business in Britain for ten or twenty years will be ruined today. ”

Speaking of this, Lionel also took out a check from his jacket pocket and put it in front of Arthur: "This money represents my personal trust in you." However, no matter how much it is, it is not up to me to decide personally. Arthur, you are responsible to the citizens of London, and I, too, are responsible to all the investors who trust Rothschild. ”

Arthur took off his hat and glanced at the check in front of him, brushing his hair and looking a little upset.

However, he still smiled and shook Lionel's hand: "I have to say, I'm a little disappointed. Still, Lionel, I understand your decision. ”

The trader in front of the window heard the conversation between the two big men and felt as if the sky was about to fall, and he prayed to God with all his might, but he still could not avoid becoming a Good Friday for the stock exchange.

He looked at the back of Lionel leaving, and cautiously asked Arthur, "Mr. Officer, do you still want to buy public bonds?" ”

"Of course." Arthur gathered the cheque in front of the window: "And I'm going to buy more, thirty-seven thousand two hundred pounds, plus five thousand pounds from Mr. Rothschild's personal sponsorship." ”

The trader smiled bitterly and said, "Sir, why do you bother? If you've read Don Quixote, you should know that as a knight, there's nothing good about charging at a windmill. In the case of bad luck, it must not be smart to die, because smart people usually choose to save their lives in order to wait for future opportunities. And the strongest foundation in the world is money. ”

When Arthur heard this, he just smiled and handed over the stack full of money orders in his hand: "It seems that you really like Don Quixote so much that you can casually recite the famous sayings in it." In that case, then you must also remember that it was also said, do you know, sir, Don Quixote with a head and a brain is not very useful, but the crazy Don Quixote is very interesting. ”

When the trader heard this, he pouted and sighed, and he involuntarily followed Arthur's words: "There is a saying that may sound unkind, but I really hope that Don Quixote will go crazy for the rest of his life." ”

Arthur took off his hat and leaned over slightly, smiling at him, "So, sir, please." ”

The trader took a deep breath, got up from his trading seat, and shouted hoarsely as he waved a cheque still stained with Arthur's body temperature: "Mr. Arthur Hastings, eat the face value of 43,500 pounds of British government debt for 85.5 points!" ”

Thirty-seven thousand two hundred pounds, that's a lot of money, big enough to buy dozens of high-end villas in London.

But on the London Stock Exchange, it looks like a small sum of money, so small that even with all its might, it can only pull up the panicked British government bonds by 0.1 points.

The stockbrokers and investors glanced at Lionel, who had turned away from Arthur, who was sitting in the Rothschild's seat and had neither sold his bonds nor eaten in a high-profile manner.

For those old fritters who have been battling on the London Stock Exchange for years, they all know what that means. Rothschild did not receive any news, and the crisis in Greenwich remained unresolved.

In the blink of an eye, the London Stock Exchange, which had just calmed down, plunged into a new round of madness. Many people are eager to get the first run to Arthur's trading window, and this is just to get ahead of the others and grab the purchase price of the public debt here that is 0.1 points higher than the other windows.

"I've got £2,000 of government bonds here, sell them all!"

"I have 3,700 pounds, sell it, and I'll sell it all!"

"I ...... I have...... Damn it! Miller, you old bastard! Don't squeeze me! I really didn't see that you were such an uneducated guy! ”

In the new frenzy of selling, these gentlemen of the City, who are usually known for their personable and aristocratic temperament, are like lions who have been hungry for weeks, and they even do not hesitate to fight to tear a shredded piece of meat from the small rib thrown by Arthur.

If it weren't for the fear of the thirty or so Scottish Yard officers who had just arrived here, they would have drawn their pistols stuck in their waists and shot them by now.

Arthur's thirty-seven thousand two hundred pounds were like a bottle of water poured into the sea, and although there was a splash, it did not take long for the sea to return to its normal state.

85.5 points, 85.2 points, 84.9 points......

On the bulletin board, the staff in charge of the chalk-held scribing could barely keep up with the rate of the decline in public debt, and he had just written a new line of numbers, and before he could catch his breath, the new quotation in his ears forced him to hurriedly cut off the price he had just written and fill in a lower figure instead.

Despair permeates the entire exchange, although most of the gentlemen here are in good health and well-dressed.

But they felt that it was not the Scotland Yard police and the Royal Cavalry artillerymen guarding Woolwich Arsenal who were fighting the rioting crowd in Greenwich at this time, but their group of stockbrokers.

It's not a London Stock Exchange, it's hell on earth.

Perhaps because they couldn't bear the huge psychological pressure, or maybe they couldn't stand the oppressive atmosphere, some of the elderly men in the crowd had begun to feel dizzy, and the slightly weaker ones had been helped by the servants to sit on the benches of the stock exchange to rest.

The old men shuddered and drew their handkerchiefs and carefully wiped their faces, not forgetting to stare at the bulletin board in the exchange with their small eyes that had been shrewd for decades.

83.3 points, 83.0 points, 82.8 points, 82.7 points, 82.7 points......

The numbers on the billboard were like a bolt of lightning that struck over the heads of these shrewd old foxes.

The old men leaned forward and stretched out their necks, and they looked at each other, and they finished communicating with just one eye.

Everyone read a breath of suspicion and doubt in each other's eyes.

Is the downward trend in public debt slowing?

They looked up again at the crowd of people who were frantically selling.

These people are still selling, and the frenzy of selling continues unabated......

Case......

So, who is taking on the public debt they throw out?

The old foxes subconsciously looked at the seat belonging to Rothschild not far away, and Lionel Rothschild was still sitting there as if he didn't know anything, his expression was serious, and he didn't look any different from before.

But those who have a heart find that his pockets have only become more bulging, and a looming white envelope is being revealed.

Rothschild got the news!

A bolt from the blue!

After a brief moment of shock, the old man's eyes rolled involuntarily. They didn't communicate directly, for fear of leaking the news, but raised their eyebrows slightly, as if they were looking for each other to confirm each other.

Many of these old agents were contemporaries of Lionel's father, Nathan Rothschild, so of course they remembered how Nathan, the damned Jewish nouveau riche, had made a name for himself in the City.

The Battle of Waterloo, which broke out on 18 June 1815, was not only a victory for the Duke of Wellington, but also for Nathan Rothschild.

When the anti-French forces under the command of the Duke of Wellington had defeated the restored Napoleon Bonaparte, a war courier arrived in Furkeston, England, in the early morning of 19 June, and reported the crucial outcome to Nathan Rothschild, who had been waiting there for three days.

When Nathan learned of the British victory, he did not immediately make the news public, but chose to secretly rush to the London Stock Exchange when the market was still uncertain and the society generally expected a possible defeat for Britain.

On the exchange, Nathan deliberately created the illusion that Rothschild-affiliated stockbrokers were selling British bonds, as if Britain had lost the Battle of Waterloo, which led to a panic sell-off of British bonds in the market, which caused bond prices to fall sharply. Nathan, on the other hand, picked up cheap chips in the panic of the Treasury sell-off.

After the Battle of Waterloo, the Rothschilds led by Nathan rose to become one of the largest private holders of British public bonds, along with the Bahrain family. With this status, they also naturally became one of the 21 original shareholders of the Bank of England.

And since that day, no one in the City has dared to call Nathan a Jewish nouveau riche to his face, even though the old man's penchant for dangling his trouser pockets full of gold coins at strangers is really annoying.

The old agents quickly agreed on eye contact.

It's really Nathan's son, and his methods are exactly the same as his rude father.

Do these damn Jews think we're cheating?

The old agents were silent for a while, they did not stand up and leave the table, nor did they immediately wave the check to join the ranks of the scramble, but quietly called their apprentices and whispered a few words to them.

I saw that the apprentices all had stiff faces, and they showed a puzzled expression in the face of their boss.

But their curiosity was soon suppressed by the stern eyes of the old men.

The apprentices understood the meaning of the boss's eyes: if there are any questions, go back and ask again, as for now, just shut up and secretly pick up the chips. Rothschild picked up this bargaining chip, can't we pick it up?

In such an eerie atmosphere, more than twenty apprentices quickly blended into the restless crowd.

According to the boss's instructions, they quietly ate the British public bonds that had been beaten to the center of the earth.

However, even though they would only eat three or five hundred pounds at a time, the intrigue of the old foxes was quickly revealed on the bulletin board.

81.4 points, 81.3 points, 81.2 points, 81.2 points, 81.2 points......

On the stock exchange, someone has already noticed that something is wrong.

A group of people gathered in front of the bulletin board, studying for a long time and not knowing what was going on, and suddenly, someone inadvertently glanced at the more than ten senior agents in the rest area.

I don't know who whispered: "Fuck, those old things are scrambling, and all the apprentices around them are gone." ”

This sentence instantly made the agent near the bulletin board blow up.

"Where did they get the news?"

"Wait! Are there fewer stockbrokers around Rothschild? ”

"Rothschild received the letter?"

Suddenly, someone seemed to have figured out the joints, and he slapped his thigh with remorse and said, "Damn! You fools, we've all been lied to! Lionel Rothschild, this Jewish bastard was just acting! Doesn't that police officer's presence here mean that the situation has stabilized? However, he prefers to pretend to be posturing, as if things are not yet certain, and all this is his game! ”

The other people next to them also seemed to be awakened by a word, and they suddenly remembered the classic Rothschild case that their old agent had told them before: "This ...... Fuck, he's recreating the Battle of Waterloo! ”

"Let's go, while the others haven't reacted yet, we can save some losses by killing back now."

There were people who were in a hurry to return to the battlefield, but those who were smarter than them had already snuck back while they were chatting.

The bulletin board, the screeching of chalk scribing sounded again.

Sting!

81.2 points were crossed out, and the current new price of Britannia bonds is - 81.8 points.

81.8 points, 82.3 points, 82.7 points, 83.2 points......

In just a few minutes, Britannica came out of a cliff-like downtrend, and not only that, but it even entered a frenzied rally.

The smoke that had scared the stockbrokers just now seemed to be insignificant, even if the color of the smoke seemed a little thicker than just now.

The market's confidence is being rebuilt, and it is being rebuilt as fast as it is collapsing.

At this moment, Lionel, who was sitting on the bench, finally moved, he stood up with his cane, took off his hat and shook it gently, and the trademark smile returned to his face.

"Rothschild Bank is willing to eat 200,000 pounds of British public debt at 85.5 points."

It wasn't particularly loud, but it was enough to silence the entire London Stock Exchange.

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a sudden sound of galloping horses' hooves outside the stock exchange.

A man with a cloak and a pipe in his mouth rolled over and dismounted, threw the reins and whip towards the servant's hand, and his body was stained with many drops of rain and mud, and even the top hat on his head was slightly tilted.

He stepped into the door of the exchange with riding boots and small steps, and everyone involuntarily made way for him.

However, before he could reach the trading window, the gentleman suddenly paused, took off his hat and nodded slightly at Arthur.

Arthur also took off his hat and smiled back: "Good afternoon, Mr. Balin." ”

Alexander Balin did not say much, but raised his hand with his pipe in his hand and said: "Bank of Bahrain, I am willing to eat the British public debt with a face value of 350,000 pounds at the price of 88 points." ”

In a word, the stock exchange was instantly plunged into madness, and the crowd was like a pot of boiling water.

Both the Bank of Bahrain and the Bank of Rothschild have already taken a stand, what does this mean?

That illusory crisis has passed, and the British government debt remains the most creditworthy and valuable bond in the world.

"Lloyds Bank is willing to eat 150,000 pounds of British government bonds at a price of 88.3 points."

"The Bank of Scotland is willing to eat 120,000 pounds of British government debt at a price of 88.4 points."

"Brand & Carr is willing to ...... at a price of 88.5 points"

"Holmes & Stephenson ......"

The stockbroker, who was so desperate that he wanted to jump off the building just now, has begun to regret the act of selling public bonds just now.

As for those who are more cool-headed, they know that they don't have time to be upset at this time, and the price of public bonds has returned to normal at this time, but the price of many stocks has not yet returned. If you eat at this time, you can not only make up for the previous losses, but even make a lot of profits.

Arthur walked to the door of the exchange and glanced back at the stockbrokers who had fallen into another dimension of madness. Heaven to hell is often only in a moment. Everyone thinks that the crisis is over, but he doesn't think so, and all sober people don't think so.

Because he could clearly see the road outside the exchange, the mottled stone road, the dripping raindrops, and the cold and fresh air across his side of his face, reminding him all the time that the torrential rain that swept the whole of London still did not stop.

Behind him, footsteps could be heard, and it was Lionel Rothschild.

He stood beside Arthur, lit his pipe and said nothing, but Arthur saw the white glove of his pipe, the palm of which was already soaked with sweat.

Arthur smiled and took a sip at him, and said, "Lionel, you know these stockbrokers very well, and you know how to boost their confidence. And, I have to say, you have a lot of guts. I thought you would definitely refuse me, but I didn't expect you to actually say yes to me. ”

Lionel's voice sounded a little hoarse: "I'm gambling, everyone thinks that my father made a lot of money in the Battle of Waterloo because of a strategy, but they don't know that in fact, long before the two sides started fighting, we had accumulated a lot of British public debt. My father almost put his life on the Duke of Wellington, which led to Rothschild's status in England. Arthur, what I did today is exactly the same as my father, I hope you really didn't lie to me, or else ......"

He turned his head and pointed at the crowd of people in the exchange who were frantically scrambling for funds, and said, "See? If London can't hold back, soon they will start a new round of sell-offs, and in the stock exchange, confidence comes and goes as fast as it comes, and most things have no logic at all. ”

Arthur looked down at Lionel's pocket, "This is, a letter from your father?" ”

Lionel nodded, shook his head again, and he took out the letter, opened the envelope and showed it to Arthur, there was nothing inside.

Just as Arthur wanted to talk to Lionel again, Arthur felt someone on his shoulder, it was Alexander Balin, who had just arrived here.

Mr. Barin bowed his head and whispered beside Arthur: "Officer Hastings, a new order from the Duke of Wellington, he asks all the armed forces that are currently mobile to assemble at the Tower of London. ”

Arthur was stunned: "Why is that?" ”

Bahrain took a deep breath: "Because we received information that the attack on the Greenwich Woolwich Arsenal was nothing more than a cover-up. And the attack on the Royal Armoury in the Tower of London was real. Those damned thieves have been plotting to take it there from the beginning! ”

(End of chapter)