Chapter 78:


    13. Golden War  2


    Inthe end, this wasonly a trick of politicians to me the sluggishnessofthe war andthe failureofthe battle only on the Commander.


    Then theyshould givehim enough authoritytoapany his responsibilities, or give him enoughsupport andassistance to continue thewar!


    Even if Britain is amaritime empire, shouldnt it actively support the Army if itsparticipating in a war on thecontinent?


    British officers in theAllied forces were expressingwidespread discontent overtheircountrys behavior thatwas onlyemphasizingthe responsibility for defeatwithout thinking about what had been neglected.


    When we defeated Marmonts Corps at Smanca, all themediainthe kingdompraised theCommander as if he werea legendaryhero. Weall remember thatWestminsterministers andwmakerswere scrambling to lurehim intotheirparty. But now? Thissituation in which hespushed and criticized as if he werethe source of allthesefailuresand defeatsisridiculous. Now no one remembershow dangerous theIberian Peninswas before he came, andhow muchthe troops here weredesperate againstthe French.


    Major General RondHill expressedthe abovementation at adrinkingpartywith some coalition officers. Sincethe death of MarshalJohn Moore, tricolorgshad beencoveringthe IberianPenins.


    The SpanishProvisionalGovernment hadbeen barelyhanging on, crouching on nd of thesize of a palm, Portugal was desperately tryingprotecting itsterritory, andthe BritishRoyalCouncil hadbeen seriouslyconsideringabandoning theIberian Penins.


    ArthurWellesleysname wasindispensable when talkingaboutwhat hadbrought thewar on the peninstothe currentsituation whenithad beenalmostpletelydefeated.


    The postwarreports that the staff officers anduswrotecarefully clearlyreveal our calling for thebattle of Burgos. Ifthey have abraintothink, theywill know thatthe judgments we made in the battleatthat time werethe bestdecision. If it werentfor the Commander, all ourtroops would havebeen trapped in Nabotscamp, sitting on a coldfloorwaiting fortheirrelease. I have never seenanythingmore pathetic than themusingthe Commander andour troops as consumables fortheirpolitical interests andprovocativenews.


    ArthurWellesley had been anew hopefor Iberia, whichhad onlybeen considering thetiming to raise awhiteg, and had even broughtthe opportunity to turnthe situation around.


    Rond Hillwas the first to feel sympathy for hissteely superior, whose creditwas far from being recognized.


    Asfar as I know, MajorGeneral Hill was notoriginally very close to the Marquis. Butafterhearing your words today, I think youve changed yourmind?


    Rond Hillsuddenlynced at thebrigadier generalwho asked arandom question and burst intoughter.


    I was wondering whosaid this. TheBrigadier General, who hasbeen in Lisbonfor two years, may wellthinkso. Youre right. When theCommander was entrustedwith generalmandofthe entire penins, he received manints fora year.


    Arthur Wellesleywas personallya very difficult mantoget close to. He wasknowntobevery aristocratic, authoritativeand to havea cold-heartedpersonality.


    Notonly Rond Hillbut alsootherofficersunderhismandhad beenufortable aroundhim. Butthat mood hadpletely changedina year.


    They sawhispetenceinthe field, determination, leadership across many units, andhis abilitytowin the most important victory.


    When he began to advance north againsta Frencharmy, that hadneverbeen defeated by Marshal JohnMoore, his personality wasnolonger aproblem.


    ButI do believe thatnoone willcarelessly bring my words to theCommandersears.


    Ha Haha, ofcourse, Major General.


    RondHill pouredthe strong ruminto histhroat.


    Im ignorant of thepolitical situation andpublic opinioninBritain, but as you said, its apity if theCommander is in suchtrouble. Inthat sense, our countrys situationisa littlebetter. At least we dont have to be waryofanyone.


    He was Lieutenant GeneralJooMeldihortz, ChiefofStaffofBrigadier GeneralFrancisco Pinto, Count of Amarante[1]. Atfirstnce, hiswordsmay sound likePortugalwas better than Ennd, but those whogatheredhere knew thatitwas not.


    The Portuguese royal family, including Queen Maria I and Regent Joo VI[2], quickly packedtheirbags andfled to their colony, Brazil, assoon as Napoleon Bonaparteinvaded theIberian Peninsand advanced toward Portugal.


    The same was true for theofficials of the main cabofthe government. A physicaldistanceofthousands of miles was created betweenthe administration and themilitary.


    Thats why ourPortuguese armysstrategies or operations werenot interrupted. Theres no one to criticizeormeusfor winningorlosing.


    It was notuntilthe royal family andmembers of thegovernment disappeared that the Portuguese military could choose a strategy solely forvictory.


    Coincidentally, only thendid the Portuguese begin to see results. Lieutenant GeneralMeldihortzined about this.


    Uh The hound thathas lostits owner is better at fighting Theres areason why Nabot is flyingaround likethat. InFrance, hes at the top, so he doesnthave anything to worry about.


    Rond Hilllooked at the stars outside the barracks with remorsefuleyes. Nomatter how manyintsthey had, theyhad to obeyorders becausethey were soldiers.


    The oppressioing fromthe countrys leaders and their resultingangerwere soothed by alcohol. Thatway, they could go backtothe battlefield withtheiruniformsand officers caps. Theofficers night was getting intense.


    ===


    The stock marketinLondon is currently like the weather in Cambridge. Its so gloomyand we dont knowwhen therain cloudswill disappear. Unless youredenying thesituation and have enough gold to fillthe Thames, investing now would be waytoo risky.


    An old mansaid in an interviewwith Londons Economic Journal, Isle of Dogs. If he had been justanordinaryold man whoenjoyed hisgrandchildrens pranks, noone would havepaid attentionand would have to cover thematter in an economic journal. But theold mans namewas PatrickStuart, a man known as a financier legendinLondon.


    Stuart began to gainfame when he bought arge amount of bonds from corporations that wereonthe southern coast thatwere circling at a bargainpriceinthe marketsinthe midst of awar betweenBritain andFrance.


    Everyhought he wascrazy. A stupid retirementofficialmocked him forspillinghis old agefundsinthe Strait of Dover. But exactlyfive monthter, the warendedwith thesigning of theTreaty of Amiens[3]between Britainand France.


    As aresult of the treaty, Britainupiedpartsofthe ind of SriLankathat were previouslycontrolled by theDutchEast India Company.


    The price of the bonds of corporationsthat were on the southern coast soaredmadlyand PatrickStuart became oneofthe richestpeople in Londons financial district.


    A man called thelegend of investmentwas now advising peoplearound the world through an economic magazine by saying this is notthe timetoinvest. The weight of hiswordswas definitelynot light.


    Then, Stuart, Sir, when do you think therighttime to investwille? As youhad expected the TreatyofAmiens to be signed, I think we canlook forward to yourprediction this timeaswell.


    Im not a prophet, unfortunately. EvenWestminster, who wasleading thewar and negotiations, didnt expectthe gap between the twocountries to narrow so quickly, so howcouldI know that? However atthat time, I thoughtthat bonds of southern corporationshad alowermarket valuepared to others. What greater opportunity thantobuy a3-pound thing for8 ounces(0.5 pounds)? Thatswhy I was abletospendmoneywithout hesitation.


    Witha gentlesmile, PatrickStuart continued.


    There is only one thing I wanttosay throughthis. This is certainlynot the right time for investment. However, we sometimesmeet winners who break through the odds and achieve tremendoussess. Im ashamedtosay thatIm one of them. What I did at the time wasnt so grand. I just bought andwaited for thingsthat were undervaluedpared to the marketvalue. After all, the mostimportant thing in investing is to develop the right eyefor value, andnot justlook at theflow of themarket. If yourememberand put into practice whatI am saying, you will be abletoachieve your desiredresults.


    Thankyou for your goodwordstoday. Thiswas an interview with PatrickStuart, whoruns StuartBank of London.


    ===


    Britain, withEuropesmost advanced financial, securitiesand bondsystems, had about 10 financial autonomous districts in London.


    Theamount of money theymanaged andoperatedwas at least hundreds of thousands of poundseach. Itwas ahuge economy initself, exceedingthe annual revenue of mostsmand medium-sized countriesinEurope.


    Londonsfinancial district, where allofEuropesgold wasgathered, deserved to be called thehub among hubs.


    There wasa reasonwhy thissmallspecial borough, which wasonly about a square mile, wascalled the heart of Europe, or evenofthe world, beyondEnnd.


    Financial andsecurities firms hadnochoice but to establishcorporations within financiutonomous districtsthat hadcorporate and ietaxesreduction.


    Therefore, manypanies andbusinesses that received financial investment fromthem also established their headquarters near them, and, naturally, organizations of high-levelexperts, including patent offices,wfirms, and ountants, also settled nearby.


    The City of London was theoldest financial autonomous municipality in theUnited Kingdom, withthe London Stock Exchange andthe BankofEnnd flyingUnionJacksinits center.


    The City of London, the cityofgold andfinance, was fullofyoungpeople searching forsess.


    A secure ie, a stablejob, or an individualsdream, adesire to seed Most of them experiencepainful failures andtalent limitations and fell and disappeared.


    Those who survived, however, couldbereborn as hands controlling the entireBritish economy.


    Asthe ce where the most goldentrade tookceinEurope, it wasalso a ce where all kinds of humanscouldbeseen andheard.


    Its like the grasnds of Africa or thejungles of theAmazon River. Its acewhereyou pickupthings thatfell aroundand eat them, because if you dont grow as big as youcan youll be eaten.


    HowardBuck wasexining theCity of Londons rules to anew recruit. Gordon Banks wasone of the tergest financialcorporations in the City of London. And Howard Buck was theleader of Gordon Banks team.


    Whatsthe mostimportant thing whendecidingoninvestment in stocksand bonds?


    Yousaid information.


    Yes, information. Thereare certainly peopleinthis erawho achievelegendary returnsbasedoninformationthat othersdontknow, and who have collected enormous gold. Financialfirmsare all aware of thepoweroffast andurateinformation.


    In that sense, ourteams roleistoget information about whatGordon Banks can investin. Of course, this includes allthe sordid anddirtyinformationhidden fromthe restofthe world, as well as the media taboos.


    Buck unted histeam by lifting his wild beard. Thesecurities firm in London allran their own intelligenceteams, as did BucksGordon Banks.


    Inaddition, numerous spies werented in thekingdoms parliament, cab, and military, and theywere collecting rumors andnews that could makemoney.


    Sowe


    Buck, whowas helpingthe new recruit overa ss of beer, hadtostop talking, staring elsewhere at some point.


    Naturally, theneers face turned to thesame side. They bothlooked at agroupofmen.


    They paced outside for a moment beforing intothe pub. The three men with ck top hats werewearing very luxurious clothes and attire, and attractedthe attention of allthe people in thepub.


    W-what about them?


    These arethe humans I justtold youabout. Theyused information that others didntknow andquickly becamerich.


    Or they wereluckyenough to be loved by God. The envyand jealousy in Bucks expression seemed to never be able to go away.


    Thenew recruitexaminedtheirappearance closely. Soon after, he found uniqueinitialswritten on thefrontoftheirtop hats.


    L.V.C.


    Sinceitset-likeappearance at theend of Septemberst year, it was an emerging financiapany that had grown explosively, seeding in every field andbreakingrecords.


    After feelingthe envyand jealousy of all thefinanciers in theCity of London, the three mentook a quick lookinside the pub, drank assofmead andleft. The shortugh theyleft beforeleaving thepub seemed tough at thewholecrowdinside.


    Damnit, I feel like crap.


    Buck gulpeddown hisbeer. The new recruit alsolooked around andcontinued to drink his beer.


    TL notes


    [1]Francisco Pinto, Count of Amarante


    [2]MariaI of Portugal,Joo VI


    [3]TheTreaty of Amienswas one of thetreatiesthat ended theWar of the SecondCoalition, in which a coalition made of the UnitedKingdom, Russia, Austria, theHoly Roman Empire, Turkey, Sweden, Portugal andthe OttomanEmpire fought andlost against France, its sister republicsand Spain.