The Prime Minister Benjamin in Xiao Letian's mouth was currently riding a pure black Arabian horse on the grassland in the western suburbs of London. Gray smoke and dust floated over from the West End of London, and there was a faint pungent smell in his nostrils.
The attendants were following the Prime Minister more than thirty meters behind. No one dared to get close because it was the time when the Head of State was meeting distinguished guests.
Riding alongside Benjamin was the Queen's eldest son, the future Crown Prince of England, Edward. The Crown Prince, who was nearly thirty years old, was at his most energetic. The horse under his crotch felt the impulse of his master and kept having fun on the grass.
Maybe it’s because the exhaust fumes from the factories in London’s West End are really choking my nose. The expensive horses are always sneezing, and the running rhythm is never perfect.
"No more fun, no more fun! It's so boring. How did you think of riding a horse here? My purebred Arabian horse cost a high price of fifty thousand pounds, and it will be smoked when I turn around..." After finishing speaking The crown prince jumped off the horse, holding the reins with his right hand, and patted the horse's neck with his left hand to comfort him.
"I'll take you to my manor in Scotland for horseback riding later. The pastoral scenery there is absolutely first-rate, and there's also very authentic dark beer and beautiful barmaids..."
"It is really the best enjoyment in the world to lead a beautiful girl to gallop on horseback and have a wild battle under the cover of shade trees... Look here, the girls in the entire West District smell of smoke and rust, and their skin is all stained. It’s rough!”
Benjamin sighed and jumped off the horse. The crown prince in front of him was good in every way, but he had a little problem, he was lustful and playful.
There has been a rumor in London's aristocratic circles that the king contracted typhoid and died of the disease. In fact, he got the disease because he knew that the crown prince was dating a starlet during his college years, so he traveled hundreds of miles to persuade him and ended up catching a cold.
Therefore, the queen has not forgiven her son until now, and has never allowed him to get involved in important state affairs. She only lets her son come forward in some diplomatic activities that require a lot of time and effort.
But Edward had not changed at all. People in Britain alone recognized that he had three mistresses, and as for his secret mistresses, there were countless more.
Benjamin has a good personal relationship with the crown prince. On such occasions, he can still persuade him, "My prince, don't continue to be romantic. The empire needs you to handle more government affairs, and it also needs your strength!"
"Hi... Dear Prime Minister, with your efforts, nothing will happen to the British Empire. If you don't know how to enjoy such a glorious and prosperous age, wouldn't it be a waste of youth?"
"To put it bluntly, I will never see the decline of the British Empire in my lifetime, not even my grandson or great-grandson's generation will see it! Come on, let the rabbits go..."
The indifferent Crown Prince roared, and the attendants behind him had many iron cages tied to their horses, which contained hares captured from other places. After hearing the Crown Prince's order, he immediately unlocked one of the cages, and two hares rushed towards him with a whooshing sound. Toward the wilderness.
There was a crisp sound, and the Crown Prince's shot was like lightning. The Prime Minister's eyes were dazzled. Prince Edward had already taken off the shotgun on his horse, and he knocked down a hare without taking aim and raising his hand.
"Good marksmanship..." Benjamin cheered loudly.
"Don't be stunned...My lord, please shoot quickly. I have left one for you..."
"Ah..." Benjamin then remembered this and quickly pulled out his shotgun and prepared to shoot. However, by the time he took aim, the rabbit in the field had already disappeared.
"Hey... you are really making things difficult for me. What I am good at is writing, not hunting!" Benjamin said regretfully.
The crown prince waved his hand indifferently, "Forget it, forget it, you are serious. You obviously don't like riding horses and hunting, why did you ask me to come? It's not bad to find a place to have a drink... This damn West End is everywhere. It was the smoke and dust that even the rabbits and foxes were smoked away. If it were hunting in the countryside, wouldn’t I have harvested the whole car?”
"It's a pity that we have to prepare hares in advance here. It's really disappointing..."
Benjamin definitely had a purpose in bringing the Crown Prince here. How could he not know the Crown Prince's hobbies? Listening to the Crown Prince's complaints, the Prime Minister smiled lightly.
"Edward...do you think it's bad here?"
"Of course, the pollution is so serious, the grass and trees are gray, the rivers are smelly, and there are no small animals in the wild. What's so good about this..." He pointed at the distant layer with his riding crop. The stacks of chimneys kept shaking their heads.
Britain in this era is not what it looks like in the 21st century. The most polluting industries such as steel, coal, and chemicals are still high-tech industries that are the lifeblood of a country.
London, England, in the 19th and 22nd centuries, was almost the most polluted period in history. The photos, images and various prints left from that period record the spectacular scenes of factories at that time.
If you look around, the entire industrial area is full of chimneys. Coal is the basic driving force for all industrial activities. The thick smoke from burning coal billows into the sky, mixes with the clouds, and turns into a gray fog that envelopes the city.
The main color in the entire UK is gray and black. A Frenchman once joked that the Nordic swans would become black ugly ducklings as soon as they arrived in London.
Benjamin sighed, "Yes, such a scenery is indeed not beautiful, but this is just the thought of ordinary mediocre people. As an empire controller like you, you must not have such thoughts!"
"In your eyes, there is just gray and black pollution, but in my eyes, all of this is power! This is the beauty of power full of steam. This is the confidence for us to control the world!"
"We in the UK are just a small island country outside the European continent, with poor resources and a sparse population! What did we rely on to get to where we are today? It's not the power of industry!"
"Industry, industry, industry! What is industry? Industry is productivity! And productivity is the source of all competition between countries!"
"Whether it's a cold war or a hot war, aren't all kinds of materials and industrial products consumed in the end? In the final analysis, it's still about who can produce the largest, most economical, and most efficient products!"
"You said that the British Empire is now at its peak? Of course I admit it, but I have to remind the Crown Prince that Britain's strength depends on everything in front of you, not the pastoral scenery you like..."
Benjamin is much older than the crown prince, and the British royal family does not have as strict a hierarchical relationship as the Qing Dynasty, so it is not treasonous for the prime minister to educate the crown prince.
Even if Edward doesn't like to listen, he still has to listen carefully, because this is the Prime Minister imparting political tips.
"Well, my dear teacher, you must have something to teach me, otherwise you wouldn't deliberately find such a place to hunt..."
"Yes, my crown prince! You can't continue to have fun like this. Our empire has encountered a very powerful opponent. If we don't prepare in advance... I'm afraid you will never see such a spectacular pollution scene again in the future. !”
"Do you really hope that the status of the world's most powerful country will change hands?"
