The Shadow of Great Britain-Chapter 541 - 281 Revisiting the Story of Sir Isaac Newton_2

In conclusion, your trip to Liverpool must be swift and decisive. After all, it’s not our jurisdiction, and just like Liverpool, London needs you," Arthur said.

Although Rowan had thought through various outcomes and how to handle them, it was clear that Arthur couldn’t possibly be confused enough to vacation in a heavy disaster area like Liverpool.

Moreover, in his understanding, it was impossible for cholera to be caused by miasma alone; there must be foul play involved.

Arthur said, "If it were any other time, it wouldn’t be so easy to deal with these smugglers. I heard from a friend who serves in the Royal Navy that when smuggling tea, these smugglers typically set up their distribution points in Ostend in Belgium or Nantes in France. Before heading to the British Isles, they would first transfer their cargo on big ships at Jersey and Guernsey and then break it into several batches. Under the cover of night, they’d use small smuggling boats called ’cutters’ to bring it to their hideouts in the coastal caves."

Hearing this, Rowan couldn’t help but laugh, "I didn’t expect someone as young as you to know about these things. You’ve caught a good time indeed. Although smuggling still exists, it’s certainly not as rampant as before. When I was young, almost every household drank smuggled tea. I thought that was the limit, but my father said that things were even more exaggerated when he was young."

"When he was a lad, tea on the market could sell for 5 shillings per pound, of which 4 shillings and 9 pennies were import tariffs. But the same tea, if you bought it from a smuggler, cost only 2 shillings. And in the Netherlands, it was just 6 pennies. Tsk tsk... However expensive tea may be, we Britons have to drink it, don’t we? No matter if you’re poor or rich, you can’t skip your two daily servings of tea."

"I bet you, the whole of Europe imports so much tea each year not because they like it but to smuggle it here. You can see this from when William Pitt the Younger lowered the tea tariffs, and instead of decreasing, our annual tea tax revenue actually increased. Can you imagine? The tax rate went from 119% down to 12.5%, and yet tax revenue went up. This means at least 90% of the people were drinking smuggled goods before."

Arthur asked, "Although the profits from smuggling tea are not as high as before, there are still people doing it. And judging by the situation at the West India Docks, the profits from smuggling wool, raw silk, tobacco, and spirits also seem considerable."

Rowan patted Arthur’s chest with the back of his hand, "Arthur, I know you’re a university graduate and you handle things civilly. But on this trip to Liverpool, don’t show any mercy when it’s time to act. The brutality and greed of smugglers cannot be compared with ordinary murderers; every single thing they do is enough to hang them. When we were at war with the French and both sides had embargoes, they smuggled clothes and firearms to France and brought back brandy and tea. They always do this sort of thing, so if you discover something amiss, don’t hesitate to act."

Arthur then asked, "Sir, from what you’ve said, has there been hesitation before?"

Rowan took a puff of his cigar, "I wouldn’t say hesitation, but do you know about the Hawkhurst gang?"

Arthur shook his head, "I haven’t heard of them. They must not be a group in London, or else their scale isn’t large enough for Scotland Yard to bother sending undercover agents."

Rowan waved his hand dismissively, "They aren’t a smuggling gang from London, and their active period was some years ago. Let’s just say, they were active during my father’s youth, and the old man was fortunate enough to have crossed paths with those bastards."

"At the time, the Royal Navy detained one of their smuggling ships in international waters. The next day, over 200 mounted thugs came to the port. Each had a carbine in each hand and a short saber at their waist. They brazenly rode into town in broad daylight, intent on recapturing their multi-masted smuggling ship loaded with tea and spirits."

"And that’s not all. They swore and threatened to kill the tariff collectors, boasting they would blow their heads off and burn down the Tariff Department. Thankfully, the Royal Navy reinforcements arrived in time to thwart the miscreants. Just when everyone thought the matter was over, guess what happened?"

"A few days later, an official from the Tariff Department suddenly went missing and was eventually found buried alive outside Castle Roland in an inn. Another informant, a cobbler who reported to the Royal Navy, had his nose cut off and was stoned to death before being tossed into a well. That’s the style of the Hawkhurst gang - those sons of bitches do nothing but provoke the government, continuously telling the local people that opposing them would not end well."

Upon hearing this, Arthur chuckled lightly, "Sir, if these fellows are indeed as you say, then I wouldn’t mind learning from the actions Sir Isaac Newton took in the Mint."

"Sir Isaac..."

Upon hearing Arthur mention Newton, Rowan understood what he was referring to.

Certainly, Newton spent his life doing many earth-shattering things, but as the highest-ranking official of Scotland Yard, Rowan remembered most clearly Newton’s battle against the counterfeiters.