The Shadow of Great Britain-Chapter 594 - 300: Washington from the United States

The rumble of artillery fire stripped Liverpool of its slumber, and drowsy citizens furrowed their brows as they crawled out of bed.

Although everyone inevitably cursed a few times, the sound of gunfire coming from the sea almost every day had eventually become routine to them.

And it wasn’t just the citizens of Liverpool who remained awake among the booms of artillery fire; some people, harboring various thoughts, had not slept all night.

The old Liverpool docks, a street full of inns lies opposite the Golden Lion Hotel.

As a port city, it was not uncommon for the docks to have numerous inns catering to tourists and sailors alike.

But due to recent quarantine policies at the harbor, business had been generally poor.

The once crowded inns now had empty rooms everywhere; just breaking even was considered good business.

However, thanks to the commissioners sent from London who stayed at the Golden Lion Hotel, inns in the vicinity that allowed close observation of the commissioners’ rooms occasionally received a few orders.

Those staying there were mainly from various departments and companies in Liverpool, tasked with surveillance; their primary mission was to report on Arthur and his party’s daily activities to their respective employers.

Of course, not everyone held the same purpose.

At least the guest in room 304 of the Oak Inn harbored a different sentiment.

The curtains in room 304 were drawn low. Between the narrow cracks of the blue curtains, if one didn’t look closely, it was impossible to detect the presence of an extended monocular telescope.

Through the lens of the monocular, one could see that Arthur, who had just gotten out of bed in the Golden Lion Hotel’s second-floor room, also held a telescope observing the distant azure seascape.

Arthur, watching the smoke rise from the sea, muttered to himself, "It looks like today’s Royal Navy report will have to add another new battle honor."

The Great Dumas, yawning and sipping his rich black coffee, took a bite of his bagel, "In just a few days, they’ve detained over a dozen vessels; although they are all small ’quick crabs,’ the efficiency is still admirable. If Liverpool had maintained this efficiency in combating smuggling, London wouldn’t have had to send you here. In the end, it’s all a nest of snakes and rats, full of collusion."

Arthur put away his telescope and returned to the table to lift his teacup, "Alexander, you’re being unfair with your words. Perhaps, the higher-ups in the Royal Navy could be in cahoots with the smugglers, but the ordinary sailors and officers on the ships certainly want to fight smuggling from the bottom of their hearts."

"Why?" Great Dumas raised an eyebrow, "Because they get a share of the spoils of war?"

"You’re oversimplifying things; it’s not just about money."

Arthur began, "According to the ’Articles of War’ issued by the Navy Department: failure to carry out orders, not attacking the enemy ships when required, and not leading subordinates bravely in combat should lead to the Fleet Commander, Captain, Commander being sentenced to death or punished by a court-martial. Everyone in the fleet who does not fight bravely, behaves deceitfully, or cowardly surrenders should be sentenced to death by a court-martial."

"Although it’s now just about containing cholera, not fighting a war, it is still a command from the Navy Department to strictly curb smuggling. If the Royal Navy doesn’t encounter a smuggling ship, well and good, but if they do and fail to engage, the captain is definitely to blame. Although it may not lead to a death sentence, dismissal from captaincy is an inevitable punishment."

Great Dumas chewed his bagel thoughtfully, "So can’t a captain just pay off his subordinates? If he can buy lower ranks, he can dictate whatever orders he wants on the ship, right?"

Arthur asked, "You must know about something called the ship’s log, right?"

"Of course, I know. Are the Royal Navy’s ship logs any different from those of the French navy?"

Arthur explained, "To prevent the kind of situation you’re talking about, the Navy Department explicitly stipulates that the Royal Navy’s ship logs are of three kinds: one for the Captain, one for the Navigating Officer, and the others are the Officers’ logs. And the Officers’ logs aren’t just one copy, but one for each Lieutenant on the ship."

"After each voyage, these logs are sealed and sent to the Navy Department building in London to be examined. If any inconsistency appears in the descriptions, all who wrote those ship logs will undergo a separate investigation. If fraud is discovered, the lightest punishment they can expect is expulsion from the military service."

"Perhaps Navigating Officers, who have reached their career peak, might risk it all for money, but most Lieutenants wouldn’t agree to end their naval careers so abruptly. And let’s not forget, accurately recording the captain’s misdeeds actually benefits their own promotion. The position of a Royal Navy Captain has always been in high demand; if no one steps down, how can others step up?"

Upon hearing this, Great Dumas couldn’t help but marvel, "It seems the Royal Navy isn’t just well-trained, these rules designed to set them at each other’s throats are truly cunning. Now I understand what ’England expects that every man will do his duty’ really means. It’s not so much a call to duty, as a mandate to fight!"

"Sailors want a share of the spoils, officers are constantly eyeing your position as captain, needing battle honors to establish their achievements. Spending months at sea may not yield a single enemy ship, but when one finally appears, if you even think of fleeing, you’ll most likely end up hoisted on the sail as a kite by your own crew."