Chapter 82:
13. Golden War 6
Therewouldbenotax increase, buthedid not intendtogive up thewar. Everyone seemedtobeunable to understand.
So what the hell was he going to do? What didhewant? Only themembers of theTory party remained calm and lookedatPrimeMinisterRobert Jenkinson. They hadhad aclosemeeting theotherday and hadexchanged longdiscourse.
Therewere reasons for notactivelysuppressthe political offensiveofCharles Grey, theleader of the Whig party, andnot giving measures as if they werebeingchased by the situation.
Thereissti long way to go beforethe generalelections and theend of the prime ministers term. Makingme excuseswouldbefalling into CharlesGreys trap. Rather than having a dirty mud fight with him, itwouldbemore reasonable to admit the mistake neatly andmake an erasable case in the minds of voters.
PrimeMinisterRobert Jenkinson andotherTory members werewell aware that the peoples memorywas not so good.
Anissueabouta certain event was quickly forgotten in themindsofthe public when other topics emerged. This was their real target, and to reach it theyhad to put down their sincerity andpersuadethe public.
After defendingagainst Vikinginvasions and preserving the Anglo-Saxon identity, this is what Alfred theGreat[1]said: The ignorant rejects reality, the ordinary faces reality. Buta wise man prepares forthe future. The Cab is always tryingtoprepare forthe future. Please watch overusasalways.
A smallboo broke out from the audience at Jenkinson, as he wentdown after speaking, but he was confident.
They would be criticizedfor amoment, butifthey managed to do whatthey hadprepared, the publicwouldhave no choicebut to supportthem andthe Cabagain.
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A simr thing was happeninginthe heart of the City of London, asa tumultuous meetingwas underway in Westminster.
Are youreally sellingall thisstuff, boss? No matter howhard I think about it, I dont understand. Are youtrying to sell the filialbondsthat provide regrreturns at once?
SharesinSouthAfrican gold mines are especially valuable becausetheyre notcurrently avable on themarket. Nowthat thewar is still going on, there is nothing moreguaranteed than thisfor the future.
The bosss decision in thefinancial sector wasabsolute. Whenhegave orders, employees hadtoobey unconditionally. But nowhere, inside L.V.C. Financial, there was an actcontrarytothat.
Despitesensing thesurprise, embarrassmentand anxietyintheirfaces, Colin nodded heavily.
Those who have worked with me willknow what I amtrying to say Anyway, timeisrunning out, so I wontsay it again. We sell all bonds andsecurities exceptforndand in-kindheld by L.V.C Financial. No objections.
Sigh! I see, boss.
I hopethe bossisrightagainthis time.
Suchdecisionwas contrary tomon sense andlogic. The boss of afinancial firm, one of thebest in theCity of London, did somethingfollowing his intuition, and hisemployees trustedand followed him?
However, alot of people were epting this phenomenonatleasthere in L.V.C. Financial.
Wheneverhewas orderedtodosomething fromhis homecountry, Colinsaid that he madehis decision withhis own sensesinstead of givinglogical exnations.
At first, everyhought he wasa madman, but hisdecisionturned out to be a hugesess, and it happened severaltimes.
Logic andprocess were not important. Financewas the sole result. This waswhy the employeeswere puzzled but didnot argue or reject Colins decision.
There willbebig changesinLondonsstockmarket in the future. Please understand thatI cant exin it to you properly because itsbasedonmyintuition. However, if that times, we willbeable to retrieve everything we lost.
AtColins words, the employees felt disappointed buteventually puttheirsecurities on themarket. TheCity of Londonfinancial traderscouldnot afford to miss out on this opportunity.
Securities andbondswith theL.V.C. markonthe London Stock Exchange began to sell immediately, at a terrifyingpace.
Hahaha! Whatate Christmas present!
Buythem unconditionally! Buy everything you see!
Oh, shit! Someone stole it first!
There was nothing but joyontheirfacesasthey were buying recklessly. It probably felt likegold rolledinto a vine.
Colin lookedatitwith an understanding look. How were the British economistsgoingtodescribethe nextmonth? Colin was reallylooking forward to it.
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The PceofWhitehall, in central London, had beenthe residence of many kings who ruled Britain.
William Shakespeare[2], a great British writer, was honoredtohost hisy The Tempest at the PceofWhitehall, andwhen he sawthe it, he describeditasa garden of the Gods, where thesky meets the earth.
In thepast, the Pce of Whitehallwas so beautiful andsplendidthat such praise wasnot excessive. Ithad over1,500 rooms, 19 multipurpose rooms, 5 banquet halls
It hadbeen thrgest andmost luxuriouspce in Europe beforethe construction of thePce of Versailles, which had leisure facilitiessuch as bowling alley, tenniscourts, stables, outdoor huntinggrounds, and cockfighting square.
A quick-witted personcouldguessthe reason fortalking about thepast. A series of fires in 1622 and 1698 burned down mostofthis beautifnd dignified cultural heritage.
The great pce, which usedtobethe pride of Britain, disappeared, leaving onlyone BanquetingHouse, and only traces of itsexistence remained nearby. Many British intellectualswere very sorry about that.
It wastime formany workers living near London to returntotheirhomesandy down.
A carriage, decorated witha reddish-brown cross-shaped gpole, secretlyand quietlyentered theBanqueting House insidethe Pce of Whitehall.
A man in a gloomy outfitgot off thecarriage, opened hiscoat andremoved hisfedora (a felthat). The mans figure wasrevealed.
He wasRobert Jenkinson, CountofLiverpool, whohad beenhumiliated atst weeks meeting at the Parliament.
Goodevening, Mr. Prime Minister. HisHighnessiswaiting foryou.
At the endofthe attendants words, Prime Minister Jenkinsongesturedtogoinquickly. Itwas the PceofWhitehall, which wasburned down, but it wasalso a ce where people could have asecret conversation.
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Inthe multi-purposeroom of theBanqueting House, Prince Regent GeorgeIV ofEnnd wasadmiringa painting. PrimeMinisterJenkinson brieflygreeted himand quietlyapproached him.
Its The Marriage Settlement by WilliamHogarth (an18th-century Englishpainter).[3]
Oh, does the Prime Minister know about thispainting?
Thats right. Imckinginknowledgepared to you, but could you give me achance to exinthe work?
AtGeorge IVspermission, Jenkinson began exiningthe painting.
Fancy clothes, but no familycrest. The fatherofthe bride is amerchantwith lowstatus but a lot of money. The groomsfather, on theotherhand, isa shabby-looking, penniless nobleman, buthas afamily crest. As youcan see, the bride and groom arelooking in differentdirections, showing that theyare indifferent to eachothereven thoughthey aregetting married. In fact, theunionofthesetwo families can be seen as acontractbetween adultswho onlycare about theprofits they willget fromthe sessionofthe families. Its ascathingsatire about the society thathas lostits humanity and is only lookingfor its owninterests.
Oh, I never imagined it would be a workwith such ameaning. I cansee the picture differently after listening to thePrimeMinisters words Coincidentally, itlookssimr to thesituation in which the kingdom is right now.
Prime Minister RobertJenkinson smiled bitterly as if he agreed. After sharinga fewmore stories, thetwo soongot to the point.
Theres areason why I called theastute Prime Minister at night. Because I felt that the order of thecountry I was supposed to rule in ce of my father wasseriously threatened.
Thepublic opinionisunusual, and the Prime Minister, the Royal Family andthe Cabneed to continue to seriouslyreflect on thecurrent situation.
George IV was criticizing Prime Minister Jenkinsons ambiguousattitudeand remarksduringstweeks meeting.
Jenkinsondid not hide his true intentionsthis time. He brought up before himthe truthful storiesthat he didnot tellinthe Pce of Westminster.
Thebiggest reasonwhy the kingdomseconomy is falteringisthat thefinancial leakhas finalle to a limit. So far, the Cab and ourpartymembers have focusedonthe war expenses, whichare the main financial expenditure of thekingdom. The kingdomspentabout144 millionst yearalone, muchofwhichwas spent on maintenance of naval power and operations.
Considering thegeopolitical characteristics andstrategic objectivesofthe kingdom, isnt thata natural result?
Doyou happen to know the exact trend andproportion?
GeorgeIV shookhis headand Prime Minister Robert Jenkinsoncalmly readthe figures. Britaincurrently owned 114 battleships and780 vessels. 10.6 million was spent annually on maintaining a naval force of 135,000 men.
Inaddition, 1.9 millionwas for theconstruction and repaircoststorecover from the damagecaused by storms, reefs, naval battles, aging and ship idents. The costofinstalling, maintainingand repairing numerous docks, ports, and coastal fortifications across Europe, the NewWorld, Africa, and Asiawas 4.6 million, and thecost of operatingthe fleet to block the coastsofFrance and other enemy countries(which required foodsupplies, toll, gunpowder, etc.) was about 7.6 million.
In other words, Britain waspouring out25 million ayear just to keepits currentnavalstrengthand for themaritimeoperation blocking all thecoasts of France, its allies andsatellite countries. Atthe unbelievable cost, GeorgeIV was speechless.
He wasthe representative of KingGeorge III, who was seriouslyill, butitwas rtivelyrecent thathetook over as regent andbegantotake over the kingsduties in earnest.
Therefore, he had notgrasped everything in state affairsand had notreceivedseparated reports, particrly in thefinancial sector. Hejust thought things were doing well.
It wasunimaginable thatsomuch of thekingdoms funds werebeingused only for theoperation of the Navy.
EvenifI didnot ask foranexnation, wasnt it natural to report on such amajorpayment? How can younot say a wordabouthow athirdofthe kingdoms revenue is being used!
I have nothing to say. Im sorry, Your Highness! Butasyou know, I also becamePrimeMinisterhastily Pleaseexcuse the stupidityofnot being abletodouble-check whathad beendone in thefirsthalf ofst year.
Jenkinson had bePrimeMinisterafterthe assassinationofSpencer Perceval.[4]
It was notuntilthe end ofst yearthat Jenkinsonnoticed thx investmentinmilitarypower, as the Navy did notfeel theneed to re-reportwhat hadalready been paidbythe former prime minister.
In the end, Prime Minister Jenkinson andPrince Regent GeorgeIV were being reprimanded fortheirpredecessors doings. Feelingsympathyfor eachother, the twosighed quietly.
TL notes
[1]Alfredthe Great
[2]William Shakespeare
[3]HeresThe Marriage Settlement painted byWilliam Hogarth:
[4]SpencerPerceval