Chapter 246: Kingsman asking for a monthly pass) 5500 characters
November 1, 1918, London.
London is not a good place for tourism and leisure at this time. London is humid, cold, and smoggy in winter. Especially in this era, people in London still rely on coal for heating, so London is like being in a "wonderland" in winter.
Similarly, the clouds are shrouded and the visibility is less than 30 meters. In the winter in London, respiratory diseases become a common disease. So basically the rich people in London will go to the countryside to spend the winter during this season.
But this winter is different. Many wealthy people have given up the fresh air in the countryside and flocked to this smog city.
There is no way, the war and its coming to an end, and the division of interests after the war have affected the nerves of countless people. Especially those big capitalists. They paid a lot to support the government during the war, so they must get something in return, right?
Of course there are many more people because of the national debt.
Although Britain has not gone bankrupt until now, it is actually almost bankrupt. Especially the private sector. How can the property of big capitalists be touched during the war? Don't even think about it. During the war, all the British gold reserves went to the United States.
Went. Do ordinary people have the ability to transfer their assets to the United States? It is true, but there must be a prerequisite first, that is, they must have assets. The United Kingdom was very rich during this period, but it would be a bit difficult if the British were very rich.
I lost my conscience.
The gap between rich and poor was particularly obvious in Britain during this period. Therefore, during the war, the people who suffered the most serious losses were the ordinary people. They purchased the largest amount of national debt, and their families were too poor to take the blame. If they did not exchange the national debt, they would be unable to bear it!
If the war is won, the national debt will appreciate no matter what.
During this period, major capitalists had already caught wind of the situation and were fed up with the national debt.
The remaining people are here to cause trouble, or to seek justice.
During the war, in order to cope with the increasing military expenditures, the British government focused on land. The British government enacted high land taxes and inheritance tax. Many British officers who fought on the front line found out when they returned home that...
Their family was gone! Their ancestral land was auctioned by the government, and they owed the British government a sum of money. Their family members were also displaced and missing.
Now many soldiers and officers have gathered in London, demanding an explanation from the government.
Don't think that any country in this era is really good. Each of these countries is more evil than the other. Does the British government really lack that little money? Of course not. It's just the nature of the government that forces them to do this.
The cabinet during the war was formed jointly by the Labor Party and the Liberal Party. The Labor Party, despite its name, seemed to be a party representing workers and working people, but in fact they were controlled by capitalists and were a typical capitalist party. So after they came to power, they immediately began
The so-called 'reformed capitalist' reform, to put it bluntly, is to fight for the interests of big capitalists.
In society at that time, who was the biggest enemy of the capitalists, or who was the main competitor?
The answer may surprise many people, it is the nobility!
Yes, many people think that Britain has been a democratic country a long time ago. Do the aristocrats still have such strong power?
It is wrong to think so. If you look at British history, you will find a problem. Britain has never experienced any bloody revolution. Their reforms were peaceful. The advantage of this is that the country is stable and transitional. But the disadvantage is the social structure.
No fundamental changes have occurred.
This makes the British aristocracy very powerful. Is the Labor Party really setting up such deceptive laws to exploit those hard-working people? Of course there are considerations in this regard. After all, exploitation is the innate skill of all capitalist countries. But the real goal is
It's a nobleman.
Who is the largest landowner in Britain?
The answer is nobility!
All the nobles owned large tracts of land. How did "sheep eat people" happen in England? It was not because the nobles believed that wool was more profitable, so they used the land to raise sheep. As a result, countless farmers lost their land and became unemployed.
Now, with the introduction of high land taxes and inheritance taxes, countless aristocratic families have gone bankrupt. Without an economic foundation, how can the aristocracy suppress those capitalists?
It is a pity that such a policy has caused countless soldiers to shed tears after bleeding.
So although the war was won, the situation in London was not good. Countless landless nobles gathered in London, and they must seek justice.
"Your Highness the Duke... we have been betrayed!" Lao Fu looked at the crowd gathered outside the window and said to his master in frustration and anger. Lao Fu is a member of the aristocracy. Even though he is just a housekeeper, he is indeed
It is a noble family, and it is a famous family with a long history.
Kai took the black tea brought by Catherine, took a sip gently, and then said helplessly: "Alfred... this is Britain's internal affairs, I can't comment."
The British aristocrats were indeed a bit miserable. They lost their lives and property, and even lost their original social status. The collective self-confidence of the British aristocrats was greatly damaged in this war, and their sacrifices and contributions did not make them
To restore its declining status in the UK, the House of Lords, which was supposed to be the representative of the aristocratic political forces, became a decoration because of the newly promulgated law.
"But...it's not fair!!!" Alfred's family property is not much better. He is a member of Kai. Even if those high-ranking officials were brave enough, they would not dare to do anything to him. Even his
Someone took the initiative to help pay the land tax. Not only that, after returning to London, several capitalists also found him, hoping that he could invest in some large companies.
Lao Fu didn't know that things would turn out like this before, so he happily bought shares. At that time, stocks were at bargain prices, and Lao Fu thought he was managing money for his master. But as things progressed, he finally understood.
Yes, these people are using money to silence him!
These capitalists even hope to influence Kai through him, hoping that Kai will stand up for them and seize greater rights.
Of course, their little tricks were impossible to succeed. After Kai came back, he directly asked Catherine and the Holy Church to deal with these messes. Soon the companies in which Lao Fu had invested directly changed their ownership, and they all became Kai's property, or in other words
It is Laofu's property, and Kai has nothing to do with these properties.
This is also Kai's attitude to the outside world. You can do whatever you want, but don't bother me!
Everyone was relieved by Kai's detached attitude. They were really afraid that Kai would get involved in political games, which would undoubtedly be a disaster for them.
So in order to stabilize Kai, a large amount of interests began to flow in automatically to Kai. Without doing anything, he became the actual owner of thirteen companies.
Faced with Lao Fu's reluctance, Kai really didn't want to interfere. Is he going to interfere in the internal affairs of the British? Kai is not a politician. He doesn't understand anything about so-called politics. If he really wants to make the decision, he can only
He would quickly cut through the mess and suppress all dissent, but in that case, who would he become? A dictator?
Kai didn't have that intention.
Besides, this is a historical necessity. Even if Kay intervenes, the status of the nobles cannot be preserved. After this war, more than 200 noble families in the UK have lost their heirs! The next generation has been cut off, so you still want to guarantee your status?
Give me a break.
Therefore, Kay is really powerless. If he intervenes forcefully, it will only cause turmoil in Britain. Even if the nobles are satisfied, the unlucky people will only be the common people.
Kai is not a supporter of the nobility, and it is impossible to plunge more people into turmoil for the benefit of a small group of people. The nobility is miserable, but compared to the common people, they are still living well overall.
"Old Fu, this is Britain's internal affairs, and I cannot interfere. You also understand what the consequences will be if I really interfere."
Seeing Kai's attitude, Lao Fu knew that his group's ideas had failed. He didn't blame Kai. In fact, as a member of the aristocracy, Ah Fu also knew very well that if Kai followed their advice and stood up, it would be very harmful to the British.
It definitely does more harm than good.
"Yes... Your Majesty the Duke, I'm going down first." Although he was unwilling to do so, since Kai had made up his mind, as the butler, Lao Fu never thought of ordering his master. He could only go back and tell his friends the result.
"Go...go." Kai knew that Lao Fu had been doing some things with a group of nobles recently, but Kai didn't care. As long as it's not harmful to the world, why does he care so much. If there is really trouble, I believe no one will
Dare to go find trouble with Lao Fu, this is the only thing Kai can do for this old man. It is also worthy of his service during this period of time.
…
On the first floor of St. James's Palace, Afu was waiting there. He was also dissatisfied with the British government's policies. He hoped that his grandfather could bring some good news.
Seeing Lao Fu, Ah Fu immediately stood up and walked to Lao Fu's side.
But before he could speak, Lao Fu shook his head: "Let's go, the Duke does not want to interfere in Britain's internal affairs."
After hearing this, Ah Fu just nodded silently. He had already guessed Kai's answer. The Duke's behavior has always been like that, and he was reluctant to get involved with some messy things, especially to this person.
It's a kind of struggle for power and profit, and I don't really like it.
"Then we...we."
"Let's go, we still need to discuss these matters with them."
…
"Your Majesty, they have left," Catherine said softly.
Kai paused for a moment, then put down the book. He raised his head and said to Catherine: "This is not what you want to ask, is it?"
Catherine is a little embarrassed. This is what the Holy Church wants to ask. The existence of Kai is indeed an anomaly for the UK. They want to use him and guard against him at the same time.
In fact, many people are already looking for ways to control Kai. No matter what method, as long as there is a possibility, they want to try it.
Some people even took out opium. But it turned out that the idiot who wanted to use opium to secretly control Kai died at home the next day without any trace. The test showed that he died of myocardial infarction. This is a bit nonsense. This person died two days ago.
I also had a full body examination and found that he was as strong as a cow.
Other methods such as witchcraft, curses, etc. have been tried.
Unfortunately, Kai is still fine.
Without any means of control, their defense against Kai has escalated to an extremely exaggerated level. They are afraid that this ancient hero will overthrow the government and re-establish the country.
"Tell them I'm not interested in that shit. Don't bother me."
Kai was fed up with these people's temptations and ill-intentions. He originally thought that if he killed a few overly aggressive guys, these guys would calm down, but it didn't work. This group of people seemed to be suffering from persecution paranoia for a day.
A kind of temptation.
Catherine was embarrassed, and she didn't want to, but her superiors kept asking her, what could she do? Kai could jump out of the three realms and not be in the five elements, but she couldn't.
"Master, it's lunch time. Do you want to eat here or go to the restaurant?" Fortunately, at this time, Raven came in.
The arrival of Mystique frees Catherine from her embarrassment.
…
After leaving St. James's Palace, Ah Fu and Lao Fu went to a high-end tailor shop called Kingsman on Savile Street in Mayfair District, London. Savile Street is not an unknown small street in London. On the contrary, it started in 1846.
, this is the most famous tailoring street in London, among which traditional men's custom-made clothing is the most famous. The word "custom-made" originated from Savile Row, which means tailoring for individual customers. This short street is known as
"Tailor-made prime location".
Savile Street is parallel to Regent Street, starting from Kendy Street in the south and Wiggly Street in the north, connecting Burlington Square, Burlington Clifford Street and the Garden. The land here is very valuable, and you can open a tailor shop here.
To a certain extent, the profession of tailor has broken away from the definition of tailoring in the minds of ordinary people.
The Kingsman Tailor Shop is one of the best. Although this tailor shop is not famous in London today, in fact, custom-made a suit here is also a status symbol in the upper class, because this tailor shop
The shareholders are all real nobles. These include the Duke of Oxford, the Marquess of Bristol, the Duke of Aisen, the Earl of Canterbury, the Marquess of Woodbridge, etc.
The tailor shop is more like a membership system, and only special people are eligible to customize suits here. So from the outside, this tailor shop seems a bit like a busy shop, but people who really know it know that this tailor shop
How awesome is the shop?
After entering the small store, Ah Fu and Lao Fu were introduced to the second floor of the tailor shop, where there was a bar-like place. There were already several gentlemen in suits and ties waiting there. They were either sitting or
They stood there, but sadness and anger remained on most of their faces.
Seeing the arrival of the two men, the gentlemen all stood up. They were also eagerly waiting for Lao Fu's reply.
Lao Fu didn't say much, just shook his head.
Several gentlemen sat down slumped.
"Our country...our honor was destroyed by a group of politicians?"
A gentleman threw the pipe in his hand violently. As a gentleman, he should not have been so rude. But in this situation, he really couldn't help it. The era of the nobility will decline in their hands.
... They can no longer face those comrades. They lost everything for the country, but now they can't even recover justice for them.
An old gentleman put down his pipe with a sad face and picked up his wine glass.
"Those politicians... betrayed us. Now even..." He just wanted to complain that Lian Kai didn't care about them.
"Shut up!!!" Lao Fu suddenly scolded: "The Duke has no obligation to help us! He is not something we can comment on at will!"
In fact, who doesn't know that the person complaining? He is just...disappointed.
That person also knew that his complaints were unreasonable. To be fair, Kai didn't even know who they were. What's more, Kai was not originally from an aristocratic interest group. Strictly speaking, Kai was not part of any group. Others were too
He is detached, so detached that he has no obligations to anyone.
"What does the king say? Our contract with the royal family is still there, and George V must stand up for us!"
"King... George V is just a waste. He does not have the talents of His Majesty Edward VII and Her Majesty Queen Victoria. He has long lost his majesty as a king. He is worthless!"
The Victorian era is known as the last era of British royal power. Although Queen Victoria rarely interfered in government affairs, the era during her reign was the most stable era of royal power. During Queen Victoria's reign, the British economy grew rapidly and continued to be prosperous and powerful.
During the Victorian era, although the United Kingdom was a constitutional monarchy, Queen Victoria still had a great influence on ministers. Her son, Edward VII, was different. During his reign, he vigorously restored the United Kingdom that had been dimmed by the Queen's long-term widowhood.
The glory of monarchy.
He is very actively involved in political affairs and has great political skills, even those political veterans can't hide in front of him.
But George V lacked the corresponding political means.
The king and the nobles complement each other. Without the support of the king, the interests of the nobles will not be protected. Without the support of the nobles, the king's crown will be dim. Originally, George V should support the nobles.
It's a pity that he believed those politicians and handed over the king's rights. Now he can only watch the support of the royal power be completely cut off. From then on, the royal power can only decline in Britain.
"Then what should we do?"
Everyone asked themselves what they would do differently.
"Everyone! We must not let this sink! We have our responsibilities! Responsibility to the British Empire! Don't forget, we are the cornerstone of the British Empire!"
Laofu is a patriot, and he is also a firm believer in the supremacy of the aristocracy. He insists that Britain cannot do without the support of the aristocracy.
"But what else can we do? The country has abandoned us! It has betrayed us!" a noble roared in self-defeat.
"No! It's the politicians who have abandoned us! The country has not!" Lao Fu disagreed with the self-destruction argument. "We must maintain the dignity of the nobility and the greatness of the British Empire in our own way!"
"What do we do? We don't even have an heir anymore!"
"Is the spirit of the nobility inherited through blood? No! No! Our spirit will be immortal! As long as we can continue to pass it on! The spirit cannot be destroyed!"
An aristocratic gentleman who had lost his heir raised his head and looked at Old Fu and said, "Alfred, what exactly do you want to do?"
Old Alfred didn't say much and threw out a plan.
‘Kingsman’s Secret Service’
"This is my plan, a secret service organization that is completely independent of the government and aims to protect the world! We don't need to ignore those disgusting politicians. We can't let a war like World War I that endangers the world happen again! For us
The family members who sacrificed their lives for the sake of the British Empire! The empire and the nobility can no longer withstand another war!"
Others picked up the plan and looked at each other. Aren't they here to discuss the future of the nobles? How come they were transferred to the spy organization? However, most people are still quite interested in this plan. In this plan, they
Saw the rise of the nobility.
After reading in silence for a while.
"Your plan is good, Lord Alfred. But there is an important problem in it. How can we train agents? The agents in your plan are not many in number, but they have to shoulder more responsibilities than the Military Intelligence Agency.
This is completely beyond the scope of ordinary people, and it is simply impossible to achieve!"
"No! It's possible! As long as the Duke can give us the Holy Grail, we will definitely succeed!"
