The Shadow of Great Britain

I always enjoy the company of those who drink because they are the least clear-headed. I can enjoy their company without engaging in their indulgence.

——George Orwell

Alcohol, it is a marvelous invention.

Just by swallowing two or three glasses of this thick little concoction, two strangers can immediately put their arms around each other and sing, as if they have been old friends for decades.

And such a scene is being played out in the theater box right now.

Although it's uncertain how future generations will view a Bonaparte Emperor, an Italian liberator, and a republican literary giant singing together, at least at the moment, the three are getting along quite harmoniously.

Their families of birth, experiences growing up, and ethnic identities differ, but that doesn't stop them from all knowing how to sing the "La Marseillaise".

Moreover, the three of them are singing quite well, almost catching up with the female actress on stage showcasing her loud singing voice.

Watching them with red faces and thick necks shouting the "La Marseillaise" from their throats is indeed a sight, and if you pull the picture back a few steps, you can also see a Briton sitting on the sofa behind them, tapping his fingers on the coffee table to keep rhythm for them.

Arthur, while keeping time, internally rejoiced that fortunately, tonight's performance was an opera, so the instruments and singing could drown out the singing voices of the three big men. If today's performance were a pantomime, the Paris political security police might have already barged in here even before the first act ended.

Arthur kept the rhythm while timing it with a stopwatch.

Before the final curtain of this act, he pulled the two republicans and a republican emperor back onto the sofa to continue drinking.

"After singing for so long, it's time to wet your whistles with a drink."

Arthur, while speaking, carefully pushed the drinks in proper order to his friends before him.

Why emphasize distributing the drinks in order?

It's not because Arthur cannot afford to treat his friends to drinks.

On the contrary, he was quite considerate of his friends.

To help Louis, Great Dumas, and Garibaldi drink to their hearts' content, Arthur specially prepared a variety of fine drinks of different kinds tonight.

Including whiskey, rum, and gin, the favorites of the Britons,

as well as wine and absinthe, fitting to the natural tastes of the French, with a fine red and green combination,

and even, he went to great lengths to acquire some mezcal tequila, only produced in America.

Arthur went to great trouble in distributing drinks to let his friends taste unique products from different regions.

Of course, most importantly, mixing drinks helped them get drunk a bit faster.

There are two types of people in the world: the former drink too much and simply want to lie down and snore, no matter how much you call them, they won't wake up. The latter, on the other hand, become vibrant, chatting away, acting as if the whole world cannot contain them.

And fortunately for Arthur, today, the three friends present belonged to the latter type.

After getting drunk, Great Dumas quickly began boasting about his experience in the July Revolution. In his account, Louis Philippe, who was crowned king in the July Revolution, became a minor character among minor characters, and he, Alexander Dumas, was the brightest star on July 31, 1830.

"That morning, Barroux hoisted the tricolor flag at the Soissons church, and the National Guard was busy celebrating victory. Only my mind was clear; I knew it wasn't time to celebrate victory yet; our rebels in the city were in desperate need of ammunition. So, I single-handedly charged towards the ammunition depot.

The gate of the armory was closed, but that didn't pose a challenge for me. I took a few steps back, then ran forward, and agilely vaulted over the wall. With one hand I held a handgun while treading with boots harder than steel towards the guards in front of the armory. From their eyes, I saw fear and uncertainty.

I knew they didn't truly support the Bourbon, but they did this job and had to fulfill their responsibilities. If they laid down their guns, they feared we'd attack them, or the commander would execute them. Yet if they didn't lay down their guns, they didn't want to clash with the rebels, nor did they want to lose their lives.

Understanding their concerns, I told them if they declared neutrality, I would protect their lives before General Lafayette. The guards trusted me, and even took me to the office of Viscount Linière, the garrison commander at the Soissons armory. I slammed my gun on his desk, demanding he hand over the ammunition.

Viscount Linière was reluctant at first, but once he found he couldn't command his soldiers anymore, he reluctantly ordered the adjutant to open the armory gates and hand over the ammunition.

After returning to Paris with the ammunition, General Lafayette personally received me, and he also told me that the counter-revolutionary resurgence in Vendee in the west was rampant. Hearing this news, I was worried, so once again I volunteered to go to Vendee for field investigation, attempting to organize a–National Guard there, to suppress the restoration forces…"

Hearing this, Arthur raised his eyebrows and asked: "Alexander, you've never mentioned this before."

Great Dumas hiccuped: "I didn't say it because this action was confidential, just like the work you do at the Police Intelligence Department. That year, on August 10, with Lafayette's general's commission, I set off as a special envoy on the journey to Vendee. However, the closer I got to Vendee, the stronger the Royalist forces became. I found no place bearing a tricolor flag, and everywhere resounded with the slogans 'Long live Charles X, Long live the Bourbons'.