Life of Being a Crown Prince in France - Chapter 1247 - 1152: The Political Situation in London

Chapter 1247: Chapter 1152: The Political Situation in London

Of course, for Jervis, preserving the steam battleship construction plan he initiated single-handedly also means retaining his position as Sea War Minister.

A knock on the door came, and Jervis’s assistant spoke outside the office: “General, Lieutenant Colonel Mackpherson requests to see you.”

Jervis gestured for the reporting official to leave first, then said to the assistant, “Let him in.”

Immediately, Mackpherson entered the room and saluted, placing a stack of documents in front of Jervis: “General, the investigation results are out.”

Jervis weighed the report, somewhat impatiently said, “Just give me the conclusion.”

“Yes, General,” Mackpherson slightly bowed, “Among all the malfunctioning battleships, at least six suffered from broken ship axles.”

Well, since most of the problematic battleships didn’t make it back, the solid evidence exists for only these few ships.

“Furthermore, we have inspected other steam battleships and found cracks in the main axles of seven of them.”

Jervis immediately said with a stern face, “What about that Kane fellow?”

“He has been arrested, General. The gendarme is conducting an interrogation.”

Robert Cain was precisely the unfortunate fellow responsible for procuring healing wood in Jamaica.

Mackpherson continued, “Additionally, I discovered that Chat Han Shipyard had numerous corruption cases during the steam engine construction process.”

He pointed to the report, “Starting from page 11, Shipbody Construction Supervisor Nick Thompson falsified hours to profit 4,300 British Pounds…

“Iron and Paint Quality Supervisor Vince Matti chose castings from a relative’s factory, profiting 6,000 British Pounds…

“main Accountant Advisor Dennis Stanton…”

Jervis raised his hand to interrupt him, “Just tell me the total amount.”

“33,000 British Pounds, General.”

The Sea War Minister’s expression remained unchanged, as compared to the total investment of nearly 700,000 British Pounds, this figure did not surprise him.

Actually, he and Chief Comptroller Middleton were taking the lion’s share.

But Mackpherson didn’t stop: “Also, Shipyard Director Sir Hope may have conducted many secret transactions with the Bolton-Watt Company and others, involving government investment funds exceeding 500,000 British Pounds.

“We found in last April’s accounts…”

Jervis’s face grew more solemn as he listened.

According to the situation described by the chief investigator of the committee, almost everyone from Hope at Chat Han Shipyard to the supervisor in charge of materials would face imprisonment.

The Steam Engine Company there was likely involved as well.

And they were currently the Empire’s only mature steam battleship construction system.

He instinctively pressed the report in front of him forcefully, then suddenly said in a very stern tone:

“First, suspend the investigation into the shipyard, oh, and that Steam Engine Company. These documents must not be seen by anyone.

“The main focus of the investigation committee should be placed on the ship axle issue. Alright, you may leave now.”

“Yes, yes, General.”

With the sound of the door closing, Jervis, troubled, stood up muttering with a frown: “I must go to Ten Downing Street…”

The situation had become extremely serious. If the British Navy had won, it would be alright, but now, after losing so many battleships, the problems are likely to be uncovered.

But he didn’t know that the trouble faced by the occupant of Ten Downing Street was even greater than his.

Lord Grenville half leaned by the window, speaking with a light-hearted tone as if talking about an opera he saw yesterday: “Mr. Fox choosing to leave the Cabinet at this time? I am not surprised at all.

“Hmm. This time the vote of no confidence in the lower house is probably pushed by him.”

Yes, after experiencing the disastrous defeat in Portugal, severe riots across England, and a massive fiscal deficit, the Grenville Cabinet’s reputation had already fallen to rock bottom.

As for financial market collapses, failures in Italy, attempts to win over Russia only to face cold shoulders, and other “minor” issues, these were too extensive for the opposition to bother mentioning.

And this time the British Mediterranean Fleet suffered unprecedented heavy losses, becoming the last straw that broke the camel’s back.

The vote of no confidence will start next week, but from the current direction in Congress, Grenville Cabinet’s downfall is almost certain.

William Pitt Junior sighed, also coming to the window to look out to the street: “This Mediterranean Fleet matter is truly a disaster. This isn’t your fault.”

Grenville chuckled: “Merely dismissing General Pix isn’t sufficient to quell the anger of the MPs.

“Actually, I’m not fixated on the Prime Minister position, but who can deal with this mess if anyone comes?”

William Pitt Junior sighed again: “Actually, you could completely use some means to get through this difficult time.

“Just as the French people are soon withdrawing from Egypt, this can be propagated as ’they are intimidated by the powerful threat of the Mediterranean Fleet and had to abandon the occupation plan.’ This would appease many displeased MPs.

“And Portugal. Facing a superior enemy, despite the Portuguese not cooperating, we still secured Porto Anchorage, and the Portuguese Royal Family…”

Grenville waved his hand: “Even if the vote of no confidence passes, my prestige in Congress will suffer a heavy blow, and future governance will face numerous obstacles.”

William Pitt Junior raised his voice: “You also know that you must continue to lead the Empire until victory is achieved!

“Look at the Whig Party gentlemen, Mr. Fox? Or Sir Sheridan? They would only ruin everything!”

“And what about you?” Grenville said, “In the current situation of the Empire, you are the most suitable person.”

William Pitt Junior froze for a moment, shook his head: “No, no, I’ve already…”

Grenville immediately said: “With His Majesty the King’s support, you could completely reorganize the cabinet.

“Fox and Burke have major divisions over the attitude towards France, you just need to leverage slightly, and you can undermine them.”

Fox and Edmund Burke are the two giants of the Whig Party, but Fox advocates easing towards France to gain space for addressing domestic issues in England.

While Burke is extremely hardline, often giving speeches in Congress, urging for France’s dismemberment to maintain the balance among European Continent’s major powers.

Also, they are secretly fiercely contesting who should become Prime Minister.

Grenville continued: “Many MPs know that the previous formulation of the Associations Act and the push to suspend the Personal Protection Law were all thanks to you. This has garnered strong support from the nobles who achieved security stability.”

Yes, last year soaring grain prices in England led to the outbreak of riot threats across the regions. William Pitt Junior immediately proposed to Congress to lift the Personal Protection Law. The British militia thus arrested a large number of ’rioters’ without trial, quickly quelling the chaos.

“You must step up and turn around this dreadful situation.”