Chapter 732

Chapter 733 "Population Principle"

South bank of the Thames.

At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the dock workers greeted each other, put down their work, gathered in twos and threes in the shelter behind the warehouse, and began to enjoy a 20-minute tea break.

However, it has become increasingly difficult to see tea during tea breaks these days.

Most people were eating black bread. Occasionally, some workers would serve tea with almost no sweet taste, which attracted envious looks from around them.

At this moment, a man wearing a neat black short coat came among the people and began to talk quietly with the workers.

After a while, he came over and patted Andy's father on the shoulder, glanced at the clear water in his glass, and sighed: "Scott, are you having a hard time lately?"

The latter looked sideways, recognized the man from the dock workers' guild, and nodded dejectedly.

The man in black looked in the direction of the supervisor and lowered his voice: "Damn it, sugar is already so expensive, but these black-hearted guys still want to lower our wages!"

Scott nodded again with deep understanding.

The man in black continued: "We are going to go on strike next Wednesday and go to Downing Street to protest together to demand the restoration of wages and a reduction in sugar prices. This is a big deal, and you must go with everyone."

Scott's eyes widened immediately and he stammered: "Here, I won't go... I will be fired. If I lose my job, the whole family will go hungry..."

"What are you afraid of? Everyone will participate this time, and they dare to fire everyone? Who will load and unload the goods on the docked merchant ships?"

Scott still shook his head: "No, no, if it gets too big, you will be put in jail."

A nearby worker with bald patches on his head heard this and came over: "Scott, we must fight!"

"But……"

Alopecia areata whispered in his ear: "The day before yesterday, I saw Anna on Bad Street."

Scott was stunned. He knew exactly where Bard Street was, but he still deceived himself and asked: "What is she doing there?"

"Just, well, you know, soliciting customers there."

Scott's face suddenly turned livid, he inserted his fingers into his hair hard, and let out a low whimper.

His daughter gave him some money a few days ago, saying she earned it from mending clothes. He actually believed her. He didn't expect it to be like this.

After a moment, he stood up suddenly and said to the guild members with red eyes: "Okay, I'll go!"

St. James's Palace.

In the corridor, Sir Stewart hugged little Peter forcefully and said in a very soft voice: "My dear, you are the best and will eventually overcome everything."

Little Pete stroked his back and nodded: "I feel much more at ease now. Thank you for always giving me firm support when I need help the most."

"This is what I should do."

Sir Stewart let go of him and gestured towards the depths of the corridor: "Your Majesty is in very good condition recently, go quickly."

The fact that George III was able to return to the palace from Windsor Castle where he was recovering was enough to prove that his condition was under control.

Of course, Dr. Willis didn't cure him with poisonous insects and beatings. The characteristics of porphyria are like this. It comes and goes, and after a period of onset, it will resolve on its own.

Little Pitt walked into the door opened by the attendant and saluted George III who was sitting on a chair reading a book: "Your Majesty, it makes me happy from the bottom of my heart to see you recover."

King George III raised his eyes and glanced at him: "I know you have a lot of things to do. If you have anything to do, just tell me."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Little Peter leaned forward again, "To be honest, the situation is a bit tricky."

"Um."

"The price of sugar is still soaring. We have to subsidize nearly a million pounds every month, but it still cannot alleviate the sugar shortage. The unemployment situation is also getting worse, and people are making troubles everywhere. The trade aspect is not satisfactory either. "

The king just nodded: "What are your plans?"

Little Pete took a deep breath: "We must start in advance."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." The Prime Minister puffed up his chest and said, "We will unite at least five major countries and recruit more than 300,000 troops. Together with our navy, according to the judgment of Marquis Wellesley, the war will be over in half a year. Ended within.”

"Just do it. I'll give you all my support."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Little Pete said, "Before starting the war, I need to stabilize the domestic situation first."

"Please go on."

"The first is to increase taxes. We need to prepare sufficient funds for the war. And for this, I need your help to pass the bill in parliament."

Peter's Tory party currently controls fewer seats in parliament than the opposition parties. Tax increases have always been a focus of contention in the British Parliament. The Whigs were likely to reject his plan for massive tax increases.

Although the British King does not participate in politics, he still has great influence in Parliament.

George III nodded.

"Thank you for your trust." Little Pete leaned forward and continued, "In addition, I want to temporarily suspend the Habeas Corpus Law, prohibit all gatherings and public speeches, and arrest the leaders of radical organizations. There is also a "Prevention of Workers' Illegal Laws" Combination Ordinance to eliminate the possibility of workers going on strike without permission and using violence.” [Note 1]

The Habeas Corpus Act was just passed by the British Parliament. If you want to deactivate it, you can imagine the resistance of the Parliament. The latter bill will incur strong opposition from lower-ranked members of the House of Commons.

In peacetime, these things are a no-brainer.

And George III still nodded: "Okay, I see."

He suddenly thought of something and asked little Pitt: "Oh, do you know Reverend Malthus?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, he has deep attainments in the theory of social management and human development."

George III raised the manuscript in his hand: "This is his new work, "The Principle of Population". There are some very interesting theories in it.

"He believes that human beings always over-reproduce. When there are too many people in the world, they must be divided into different levels-some people are richer, educated and moral, while others are poorer, unfortunate, ignorant and immoral.

"Therefore, plague, hunger, and war are necessary, because these will limit the excessive population and help human society return to a state of balance. As for those at the bottom, there is no need to improve their situation at all. It is most beneficial to make them disappear.

"Perhaps, you can let Reverend Malthus give some speeches in Parliament, which will help reduce the pressure you face."

"Thank you for your advice, I will definitely ask him for help. "

Before Little Pete finished speaking, he heard a huge noise outside St. James's Palace, and vaguely heard people shouting slogans such as "lower sugar prices" and "increase wages".

Little Pete hurried to the window and saw thousands of people holding scarecrows and slogans on the street in front of him, beating gongs and drums and rushing towards 10 Downing Street.

[Note 1] These two control measures actually appeared in the UK in history. It's just that the time is ten years later than the time in the book. The British were quite cruel to their country between the 18th and 19th centuries.