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. Likewise, the clouds and fog were lingering, and the visibility was less than thirty meters. Respiratory diseases are common in London during the winter. 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 is coming to an end, and the division of interests after the war has 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 the UK has not yet gone bankrupt, it is almost there. Especially among the people. How can it be possible to touch the property of big capitalists during a war? Don't even think about it. During the war, all of Britain's gold reserves went to the United States. Do ordinary people have the ability to transfer their assets to the United States? It really does exist, but there must be a prerequisite first, that is, they must have assets. Britain was very rich during this period, but it would be a bit unconscionable if the British were very rich.
The gap between rich and poor was particularly evident in Britain during this period. Therefore, during war, the most serious casualties are civilians. They have purchased the largest amount of national debt, and their families are too poor to take the blame. If they do not redeem the national debt, they will be unable to bear it! The war is won, and 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 expenditure, the British government turned to land. The British government instituted high land taxes and inheritance taxes. Many British officers who fought on the front line found that their homes were gone when they returned home! Their ancestral land was auctioned by the government, and they still owed the British government a sum of money. The 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. Is the British government really short of that 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 by a coalition of 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 started the so-called 'reformed capitalism' reform. To put it bluntly, they were fighting for the interests of big capitalists.
In society at that time, who was the biggest enemy of 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. Are the aristocrats still that strong?
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 passed peacefully. The advantage of this is that the country has a stable transition. But the disadvantage is that the social structure has not fundamentally changed.
This made the British aristocracy very powerful. Is the Labor Party really setting up such deceptive laws to exploit those hard-working people's money? Of course there are considerations in this regard. After all, exploitation is an innate skill of all capitalist countries. But the real target is the nobles.
Who is the largest landowner in Britain?
The answer is nobility!
All the nobles own large tracts of land. How did the phenomenon of "sheep eating people" happen in England back then? It's not because the nobles thought 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 high land tax and inheritance tax, countless noble families have gone bankrupt. Without an economic foundation, how can the nobility suppress those capitalists?
It is a pity that such a policy has caused countless bleeding soldiers to shed tears after they have finished 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 nobility. Although he is just a housekeeper, he is indeed a noble, and he is from 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 aristocracy was indeed a bit miserable. They lost their lives, property, and even their original social status. The collective self-confidence of the British aristocracy was greatly damaged in this war. Their sacrifices and contributions did not restore their declining status in the UK. Instead, because of the newly promulgated "Act of Parliament", they were originally supposed to be a political force of the aristocracy. The House of Lords became a mere decoration.
"But...it's not fair!!!" Alfred's family property is not much better. He is a member of Kai, and even if those high-ranking officials were brave enough, they would not dare to do anything to him. Someone even took the initiative to pay his 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, so he happily bought shares. At that time, stocks were trading at bargain prices, and Lao Fu thought he was managing money for his master. But as things progressed, he finally understood that these people were paying him to keep his mouth shut!
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 take care of these messy things. Soon the companies in which Lao Fu had invested directly changed their ownership, and all became Kai's industry, or Lao Fu's industry. Kai had nothing to do with these industries on the surface.
This is also Kai's attitude to the outside world. You can do whatever you want, but don't bother me!
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at Kai's detached attitude. They were really afraid that Kai would get involved in political games, which would be a disaster for them.
So in order to stabilize Kai, a large amount of benefits began to flow to Kai automatically. 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 British internal affairs? Kai is not a politician. He knows nothing about so-called politics. If he really had to make the decision, he would just cut through the mess quickly and suppress any dissatisfaction. But in that case, who would he become? dictator?
Kai didn't have that intention.
Besides, this is a historical necessity. Even if Kai intervenes, the status of the nobles will not be preserved. After this war, there were more than 200 extinct noble families in Britain! The next generation has already been cut off, so you still want to ensure your status? Give me a break.
So, Kai really can't do anything. If he intervenes forcefully, it will only cause turmoil in Britain. Even if the nobles are satisfied by then, the unlucky ones will only be the common people.
Kai is not a noble supporter, so he cannot plunge more people into turmoil for the benefit of a small group of people. The nobles were miserable, but compared to the common people, they still lived well overall.
"Lao Fu, this is the internal affairs of the United Kingdom. It is impossible for me to 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 nobles, Afu also knew very well that if Kai followed their advice and stood up, it would definitely do more harm than good to Britain.
"Yes... Your Majesty the Duke, I'll go down first." Although he was unwilling to do so, since Kai had made up his mind, as a butler, Lao Fu never thought of ordering his master. He could only go back and tell those partners the results.
"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 nature, why does he care so much? If there is really trouble, I believe no one would dare to trouble Lao Fu. This is the only thing Kai can do for this old man. It is worthy of his service during this period.
…
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 doesn't want to interfere in Britain's internal affairs."
After hearing this, Ah Fu just nodded silently. He had actually guessed Kai's answer. The Duke's behavior has always been like this. He is not willing to get involved with some messy things, especially this kind of struggle for power, and he doesn't like it very much.
"Then we...we."
"Let's go, we still need to discuss these matters with them."
…
"Your Majesty the Duke, they have left." Catherine said softly.
"Yeah." Kai was reading a book at the moment.
"You really don't care?" Catherine asked tentatively.
Kai paused, then put down the book. He raised his head and said to Catherine: "Isn't this what you want to ask?"
Catherine was a little embarrassed, this was what the Holy Church wanted to ask. Kay's existence is indeed an anomaly for Britain. They wanted to use him and guard against him.
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 even took out opium. But it turned out that the idiot who wanted to secretly control Kai with opium died at home the next day without any trace. The test showed that he died of myocardial infarction. This is a bit nonsense. This man had a full body examination two days ago. He was so strong. Just like 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 had escalated to an extremely exaggerated level. I'm afraid that this ancient hero will overthrow the government and re-establish the country or something.
"Tell them I'm not interested in that shit. Leave me alone."
Kai was fed up with these people's temptations and ill-intentions. He originally thought that if he killed a few overly aggressive people, they would calm down, but it didn't work. This group of people seemed to be suffering from persecution paranoia for a day, with all kinds of temptations.
Catherine was embarrassed, and she didn’t want to, but her superiors kept asking, what could she do? Kai can jump out of the Three Realms and out of the Five Elements, but she can'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 (the code name given to her by the Templar Church) freed 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 Row is not an unknown small street in London. On the contrary, it has been the most famous tailoring street in London since 1846. It is most famous for its traditional men's customized clothing. The word "customized" originated from Savile Row. , meaning tailor-made for individual customers. This short street is known as a "tailor-made prime location".
Savile Row is parallel to Regent Street, running from Kendy Street in the south to Wiggly Street in the north, connecting Burlington Square, Burlington Clifford Street and the Gardens. Every inch of land here is valuable, and those who can open a tailor shop here have to a certain extent broken away from the definition of tailoring as a profession 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 aristocrats. These include the Duke of Oxford, the Marquess of Bristol, the Duke of Aysen, the Earl of Canterbury, the Marquess of Woodbridge, etc.
The tailor shop is more like a membership system, and only special groups of people are eligible to customize suits here. So from the outside, this tailor shop looks a bit like a busy shop, but people who really know it know how awesome this tailor shop is.
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, where several gentlemen in suits and ties were already waiting. They were sitting or standing, but most of them had sadness and anger on their faces.
Seeing the arrival of the two men, the gentlemen all stood up. They are 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 his pipe violently. As a gentleman, he should not have lost his temper like this. But in this situation, he really couldn't help it. The era of the nobility will fall in their hands... They can no longer face those comrades. They lost everything for the country, but now they can't even get justice back 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 yelled: "The Duke has no obligation to help us! He is not something we can comment on at will!"
In fact, why doesn’t the person complaining know this? He was just...disappointed.
That person also knew that his complaints were unreasonable, and to be fair, others didn't even know who they were. What's more, Kai was not originally from the aristocratic interest group. Strictly speaking, Kai belongs to neither group. Others are too detached, so detached that they have no obligation 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 the reign of Queen Victoria, the British economy grew rapidly and continued to be prosperous and powerful. During the Victorian era, although Britain was a constitutional monarchy, Queen Victoria still had great influence on ministers. Her son, Edward VII, was different. During his reign, he vigorously restored the glory of the British monarchy that had been dimmed by the Queen's long-term widowhood.
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 would be dim. Originally, George V was supposed to support the nobility.
Unfortunately, he believed those politicians and surrendered his rights as king. Now we can only watch as the support of the royal power is completely cut off. From then on, royal power in Britain could only decline.
"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!"
Lao Fu is a patriot, and he is also a firm believer in aristocratic supremacy. He insisted that Britain could not 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 argument of self-destruction. "We must maintain the dignity of the nobility and the greatness of the British Empire in our own way!"
"What are we going to 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, "Old Alfred, what exactly do you want to do?"
Alfred Sr. didn't say much and threw out a plan.
'The King's Man'
"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 were all for the British Empire! The empire and the nobility can no longer withstand another war!"
The others picked up the plan and looked at each other. Aren't they here to discuss the future of the nobles? How did you transfer to the secret service organization? However, most people are still quite interested in this plan. In this plan, they saw the rise of the nobility.
After a while of silent reading.
"Your plan is a good one, Lord Alfred. But there is an important problem. How are we going to train the agents? The agents in your plan are not many in number, but they have more responsibilities than MI. This is completely beyond the scope of ordinary people, and it is simply impossible!”
"No! It's possible! As long as the Duke can give us the Holy Grail, we will definitely succeed!"
