Chapter 33: Country Life 27: Road to Success (Two-in-One)
Yes, Henry Brown was indeed in the dense forest behind the mountain at this moment. This was his second time to come to the mountain.
The first time, not long after he came up, he saw Davis lying on the ground, his life or death unknown.
The second time, another flash of lightning split the sky, and the scene in the woods became clear for a brief second. Three bodies were lying on the slope not far away.
Major Brown closed his eyes, leaned against the tree for a few seconds, and took a deep breath.
He has always been lucky. Since he joined the army at the age of 20, he has never been sent to the front line or to areas where coastal invasions are frequent. He has always been stationed in inland counties with good economies.
Therefore, it is safe to say that he had basically never experienced a real firefight before today.
Aside from a murder of passion and a duel that resulted in casualties, the largest-scale combat he experienced was suppressing the local famine during the "Bread Riot." He only fired a few shots into the air during that operation, resulting in no casualties. This experience helped him achieve the rank of major two months later.
This time was different from any other time before, he recalled what happened today.
Today is Henry Brown's day off.
The weather was exceptionally bad, and the landlady had caught a cold, so he couldn't leave Julie at home alone, and so he hadn't originally planned to come to Longbourn.
In fact, ever since the last hunting day, he had been struggling with whether or not to continue vying for Mrs. Lawrence's favor.
Losing to that dandy lawyer from London wasn't a big deal. He'd always known there were better shooters than him. He'd once seen a young nobleman who'd never hunted a real game before. He'd come to visit the barracks and compete with the officers, his marksmanship crushing everyone present.
But more important than winning or losing was that he could clearly feel that from beginning to end Mrs. Lawrence had been sincerely hoping that her lawyer would win.
Whether in the paddock or in the ballroom, he kept a close eye on her, but she evidently paid no attention; she would not cheer when he scored, but would rejoice at the lawyer's victory.
And that night, when they were chatting and laughing by the railing on the second floor of Netherfield, they looked like people from the same world. Even though they were not very close, the harmonious atmosphere could not be penetrated by anything around them.
Major Brown decided to spend a day at home with Julie and sort out his current thoughts.
However, he was unsuccessful because around noon, his boss knocked on the door of his house.
Everything was quiet and peaceful in Meryton. Major Brown didn't understand why his superior, Lieutenant Colonel Lincoln, came to his house on his day off.
After entering the house, Lieutenant Colonel Lincoln cautiously asked Julie to stay in the living room, then he took Major Brown into the study and closed the curtains.
"Henry, there's a great opportunity right here, and I immediately thought of you. Several officials from the Treasury's Anti-Smuggling Bureau arrived from London this morning. They told me there's a secret smuggling route in the hills behind Longbourn Village. Based on intelligence from their spies, they've confirmed that a smuggling team will be transporting goods through there tonight."
"Henry, they're in need of a militia officer to assist in their operation, and I immediately thought of you. Someone told me that one day he saw you carrying Davis back from the back hill. I guess you're the one here who knows Longbourn's back hill best."
Major Brown couldn't tell whether Lieutenant Colonel Lincoln was simply thinking of Davis or using it as a handle to deliberately warn him. He had no choice but to agree.
However, he was not completely opposed to this task.
Nowadays, smuggling is rampant. No matter which county, there are always one or two passing thieves. They usually purchase goods from smuggling merchant ships and then transport them to big cities for resale. Even if they are caught by the anti-smuggling officers who come down occasionally for formalities, the punishment will not be too severe, so no one will fight for a little money.
Furthermore, the Anti-Smuggling Agency has a reputation for turning a blind eye, and the most important job of the vast majority of its staff is writing the year-end summary report.
There is no high risk in assisting them, and if lucky, he may even get some reward, so Major Brown is in a relatively relaxed mood.
Since they were going to Longbourn, Major Brown planned to take his daughter with him. Julie had been thinking about Mrs. Lawrence since the last hunting trip, so it was a good opportunity to take her there so that they could have more contact.
Lieutenant Colonel Lincoln did not stop him, but just reminded him to bring the guys he usually patrolled with and let him follow him.
What Major Brown didn't expect was that the people from the Anti-Smuggling Bureau were already waiting for him downstairs.
What was even more surprising was that the two men did not fit his impression of officials who were just sitting in office and doing nothing. They scanned him from head to toe with sharp eyes before nodding and letting him get in the car.
Major Brown felt something was wrong, but it was too late for him to regret. He could only bite the bullet and entrust his daughter to the Bennett family, then carry his gun and go to the woods behind the mountain to meet up with those people.
There were many more people in the back mountain than he had imagined. In addition to the Anti-Smuggling Bureau officers in black windbreakers, there were also some regular soldiers who had obviously undergone rigorous training. Some of them were holding flintlock rifles with low charge, while others were holding more advanced long rifles of unrecognizable models. In addition, there were also several majestic military dogs.
Major Brown was assigned to the outermost position. They began their ambush at dusk and waited until about nine o'clock in the evening. A green flare appeared in the woods, and a group of people entered the ambush circle without knowing anything. The battle officially began.
Twenty minutes later, it was all over. Three men had been killed in the gunfight, while the others, wounded by flintlock muskets but not fatally, were neatly tied up and taken back for questioning. Both the black trench coats and the regulars were very efficient; Major Brown hadn't even had a chance to fire a single shot during the encounter.
Major Brown saw the men in black windbreakers climbing onto the trucks to inspect the two large trucks of cargo. Perhaps because the operation had gone very smoothly, they seemed to be much more relaxed as they talked and laughed. Bursts of exclamations and laughter echoed in the woods.
"That's a big fish," said a man in a black windbreaker. "Tsk, tsk, the higher-ups just issued an order to crack down on gold smuggling, and now it's been delivered to our door. Besides anything else, this year's year-end bonus is guaranteed."
His companion pushed him and said with a smile, "Delivered to my door? You think gold is cabbage. If you hadn't given us the clue, the national treasury would have been emptied by waiting for you to arrest the informant and interrogate him!"
Someone else chuckled, "The lord is truly amazing. I don't know how he got all that information. Compared to that old, dim-sighted guy, the lord is truly well-informed about everything."
The man in the black windbreaker who spoke first looked back and stopped the idle chat. They continued to disperse and began to clean up the scene neatly.
Major Brown instinctively felt that this was not something he should hear, so he quietly straightened up, turned around, and planned to retreat as far away as possible without being noticed.
However, just as he took a step, someone pressed his shoulders from behind. He was startled and turned to look at the person who came. It was one of the men in black windbreakers who had gone to Meryton to pick him up that morning.
"Major Henry Brown, right?" The man, holding an unlit cigarette in his mouth, looked him up and down again.
"I heard from your superiors that you've been a major for five years now. You're quite experienced and promising young people, and you shouldn't be wasting your time in a militia battalion. You cooperated very well in today's operation and helped us a lot. So, I happen to know the commander of the 6th Dragoon Guards stationed in Birmingham. I'll write to him and ask you to take up your post there. What do you think?"
Major Brown could hear his heart pounding. He doubted the purpose of the official in front of him. After all, as for helping, he had not been able to do anything else today except to make up the numbers.
But at the same time, he couldn't help but be moved. That was the regular army, his childhood dream. Birmingham was an inland industrial city, with no danger of invasion. At most, they would have to suppress a workers' riot or protect a military factory. This was simply pie in the sky.
He stammered, "It's just that I didn't do anything today... and my rank..."
The man laughed in an ambiguous manner and said, "You don't have to worry about whether you will contribute or not. Just tell me whether you will go before tomorrow morning. As for your rank, if you go, you will retain the title of major. Subsequent promotions will be up to you. You must know that a major in the regular army and a major in your militia are not the same thing."
Major Brown immediately agreed. He didn't dare hesitate until the next day, fearing the opportunity would slip away. "Thank you for your high regard for me. How could I hesitate any longer when given such a great opportunity? I've made up my mind. I'm willing to go to Birmingham."
The man was not surprised and told him to just wait in Meryton tomorrow and he would have someone take him directly to Birmingham.
"You may go home now, Major Brown, tell your family about your promising future, and pack your bags to go."
It was already eleven o'clock in the evening, and the heavy rain had gradually stopped. Major Brown rode a horse pointed out by the man and set out on the road back to Meryton with high morale.
But as the night wind blew, his passion and impulse dissipated a lot. He then remembered his daughter who had just arrived in Meryton and the woman he still wanted to marry.
If he left now, Mrs. Lawrence would definitely not agree to marry him and go to Birmingham with him? He had no time to change her mind before he had to go so far away. Thinking of this, his vision of a bright future was greatly dispelled.
The man in the black windbreaker looked at Major Brown's back for a while, then turned around and walked back.
His companion came up and put his arm around his shoulder. "Hey, George, did that man accept your proposal? Is this the person the adults assigned to you?"
George glanced at him and said lazily, "Of course I agreed. I agreed without a second's hesitation. Well, actually, I still don't understand. Is that man your lordship's enemy or benefactor? Pushing someone who could have a stable retirement into a successful career is not sure whether it's a good thing or a bad thing. The Horse Guards have many opportunities for advancement, and there are many talented and well-connected people. I'm curious to see how far he can go."
After they finished talking, the gunfight scene was almost cleaned up. After a heavy rain, all traces of the scene had been completely cleared.
The next morning, the rain stopped and the wind died down, and everything returned to the gray silence, with only the unignorable winter creeping in.
The Bennetts were the first to get up. Just at seven o'clock, Mr. Bennett was already reading the newspaper with a cup of hot tea.
Mrs. Bennett put on a thick woolen coat and came down from upstairs. The first thing she did was to tell Mrs. Morley to add a beef stew to her breakfast. The beef was braised in advance and only needed to be heated for a while before it could be served. It was just right for a morning like today when the temperature had dropped and she had just been surprised.
Before all the young ladies had gone downstairs, there was a noise of carriage wheels at the door. Hazel yawned and looked out the window. It was the Lucas family carriage.
Mrs. Bennett noticed it too. She looked at Mrs. Lucas and her second daughter, Maria Lucas, who got off the carriage not far away and muttered, "It's not even eight o'clock yet, why are they here? Tsk tsk, Mrs. Lucas looks so pale and weak, it looks like she's been up all night."
Elizabeth was coming down the stairs when she heard this and said, "Mom, they must have stayed up all night. In fact, I struggled for a long time before falling asleep after returning to my room last night. Now I'm so sleepy that I could fall into a bowl of soup."
Mrs. Bennett didn't care. She straightened her hair and went to greet the guests in high spirits: "Mrs. Lucas, oh, you must take care of your health at your age. You look like you have aged ten years today."
Mrs. Lucas made no argument with her, but said feebly, "I didn't sleep a wink all night, and I came here this morning, thinking you'd be up. Mrs. Bennett, did you hear any noise in the woods behind the hill last night? Sir Lucas, for some reason, insisted it was a gunshot."
Mrs. Bennet could no longer be proud when she heard this. She could not completely let go of the matter until it was resolved.
"Yes, that's what my sister Hazel said. One of our tenant farmers even saw some ferocious-looking strangers heading towards the back hill. We didn't dare sleep at first, but then Hazel suddenly said that someone might have heard about the wild boars there and was shooting to kill them. Plus, there was really no movement in the second half of the night, so we went back to our rooms to sleep."
Heather had no idea how her sister could have translated Lucy's original words "wearing a long black trench coat" into "looking vicious." In fact, she felt that those people were not bad people ninety percent of the time.
She was indeed frightened for a moment when she heard the gunshot last night. After all, the back mountain was only twenty minutes away from the Bennett family. If someone really broke in with a gun, she would be helpless.
But soon after the gunfire stopped, she remembered Lancaster's words from that day. If she was right, the noise was probably caused by the official anti-smuggling forces carrying out their mission in the back mountains. Perhaps they had run into the smuggling group, and that was why they opened fire.
The gunfire was concentrated within that twenty-minute period, suggesting the situation stabilized quickly. She believed the military was likely controlling the situation and catching all the smugglers. Even if the smugglers had the upper hand, they wouldn't bother looting Longbourn again and would definitely leave this dangerous place as soon as possible. So, by all accounts, Longbourn was safe.
After thinking it through, Heather persuaded everyone to go back to sleep.
Everyone knew that she and Miss Bentley had encountered wild boars in the mountains, so it was reasonable to speculate that the gunshots were caused by hunting wild boars.
It's hard to say whether the smarter members of the Bennett family believed it or not, but by 12 o'clock they were all exhausted and finally followed Heather's advice.
Mrs. Lucas obviously didn't believe the wild boar story. She said worriedly, "Who would go into the mountains in the afternoon when the weather is so bad and wait for the rainstorm to start hunting at night? And Sir Lucas said they fired at least five or six shots. Could they have encountered a herd of wild boars or some other large beast?"
If they continued discussing this, everyone would fall into panic again. Heather quickly said, "Don't worry. Meryton isn't far from the back mountain. Perhaps a sheriff will come this morning to answer everyone's questions. Let's go have breakfast first."
This proposal was unanimously agreed to, probably partly because Mrs. Morley's cooking skills were so good that the aroma of the stewed beef had already filled the entire house.
Sure enough, just after breakfast was over and everyone was still drinking tea at the table, someone came to the door on time.
Lydia's seat was closest to the door. She ran over to take a look, then dashed back to the restaurant. She screamed in panic, "It's a long black trench coat! I saw it! The two people waiting at the door were both wearing long black trench coats!"
There was a clang-clang sound as teaspoons fell on the table.
Heather frowned, stood up and prepared to go out and take a look.
Mr. Bennett spoke to stop him, and told the butler to get his shotgun and then go out with him to greet the visitor.
Mrs. Bennett grabbed Hazel's hand in horror and wailed, "Oh my God, Mr. Bennett must be going to duel with that group of people. He can't beat those professional hunters!"
Heather and Mrs. Lucas had to comfort her on both sides.
Fortunately, not long after, about five minutes later, Mr. Bennett returned intact. He said with great energy, "Ladies, don't be discouraged. Let me introduce you to two officers from the Anti-Smuggling Agency who came from London. They have come to explain what happened yesterday."
He revealed the people behind him. The one in the lead introduced himself as George Bryan.
Although he was indeed wearing a long black trench coat, he was by no means as ferocious as Mrs. Bennet had imagined. In fact, he looked quite friendly, and the way he smiled and spoke was very approachable, which quickly put everyone present at ease.
"Ladies and ladies, first of all, on behalf of the Anti-Smuggling Agency, I want to express my sincere apologies. In order to avoid alerting the suspects, we did not notify you in advance last night, which caused inconvenience and fright to the villagers."
The ladies quickly chirped and forgave this kind and handsome young man.
"Secondly, I want to explain to everyone that we recently received a tip-off that there's a hidden smuggling route in the hills behind Longbourn. This route is rarely used, and is only utilized to transport special smuggled goods. Yesterday, we captured the entire smuggling team involved in this shipment. They will be brought back to London for interrogation, and I believe we'll soon be able to track down all their accomplices."
The county where Longbourn is located is inland, and transportation and commercial exchanges are not particularly frequent. Even Mr. Bennett, who has lived here for fifty years, is very unfamiliar with the word smuggler.
However, in the eyes of ordinary people, smuggling is always associated with danger and desperadoes, which is obviously more frightening than encountering a wild boar.
Heather took a step forward and asked worriedly, "Sir, I'd like to ask, surely not all of them delivered the goods yesterday? What if another smuggling team passes by later? Would we be in danger? Also, I wonder if their companions would retaliate against Longborn?"
George turned to look at her and asked, "Good question, Mr..."
"Hello, Heather Lawrence."
George: "Good day, Mrs. Lawrence. Your concerns are exactly what we're focusing on. To prevent any more fearless individuals from taking this risk, we'll be adding five regular soldiers to guard the back mountain for the next month. Once we've destroyed the smuggling teams' lairs, we'll have two officers from the Meryton Militia on daily patrols. They'll be equipped with flares to ensure everyone's safety."
"Besides, I don't think you need to worry about retaliation. Last night, the Enforcement Agency launched a coordinated operation in five different locations, not just Longbourn. Those smugglers will just think that the Enforcement Agency is taking advantage of the last month to complete their annual sales, and they won't target Longbourn."
He explained it clearly, and even introduced the captain of the regular army who was on duty at the back hill that month. He then handed Mr. Bennett a bag of signal smoke bombs and told him to distribute them to every household in the village. If anything seemed amiss, the soldiers at the back hill would come to the rescue.
The comprehensive and thoughtful plan made everyone feel relieved and satisfied, and Mrs. Bennett invited them to stay for lunch.
However, George refused, and Mrs. Bennet did not dare to force the London officials to stay, so she could only agree to see them out enthusiastically.
When everyone was standing at the door, George politely accepted the cakes that Mrs. Bennet insisted that Lucy give him, then got on his horse and prepared to leave.
At this time, Lucy stood in front of the tall horse, but did not turn back.
She ignored Mrs. Bennett's surprised cries behind her and said in a trembling voice as loud as she could, "Sir, I'm sorry to have wasted your time. But my friend is missing. He hasn't been home since yesterday afternoon. I suspect he's gone to the back hills. Have you seen him anywhere? He's tall and thin, with black curly hair. I'm worried he's been kidnapped by smugglers."
As soon as she finished speaking, Lena rushed forward quickly, pulling her back with a vigilant look on her face, as if she would anger this big shot and be caught under the ruthless horse's hooves if she was late for another second.
George raised his eyebrows in surprise and was about to speak when someone rushed out from behind. It was a boy with messy hair and wearing linen clothes.
The boy grabbed Lucy's shoulders and shouted to her, "Don't worry, Lucy, I'm fine."
Then he turned around and blocked her with his body, and shouted to George on his horse: "Sir, please forgive me, this is my fiancée, she is just worried about me.
George nodded, said "Leave Meryton at 12 noon", pulled the reins, and turned away.
Lucy pushed the boy back abruptly, tears of fear still streaming down her face. She said angrily, "Jerry Cooper, you scared me to death! I thought something had happened to you!"
After she finished speaking, she rushed forward and threw herself into his arms.
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