Chapter 258: Time for the Mad Genius

Chapter 258: Time for the Mad Genius

Returning from Sir Peter's place, Addington immediately sought out the Minister of the Navy for a comprehensive, well-thought-out plan to blockade the Irish coastline, which he could use as a reference.

He then wrote a letter to the Duke of Norfolk to understand his stance. The Duke naturally supported the blockade of Ireland, but he suggested that the ideal time should be one or two months before the harvest season. Nonetheless, preparations should begin immediately.

Two days later, during a gathering at the Royal Society, a secret was whispered by Addington's secretary to Matthew Bolton, who was present: "The Navy has developed a new weapon for blockading the Irish coast..."

To many, Matthew Bolton's membership in the Royal Society was largely attributed to Watt's influence. While he was indeed a capable engineer, the level of his actual ability fell somewhat short of the Royal Society's standards.

But if you were to talk about trading skills, Bolton was genuinely deserving of saying, "I'm not targeting any of you in this circle." After all, in this business, "nobody understood trade better than me."

Bolton's face changed as soon as he heard the news. After confirming it once more, he found an excuse to leave the gathering with Watt.

In their carriage ride back, Bolton informed Watt of this news. Watt immediately exclaimed, "How can this be? We've just... and our..."

"James, keep your voice down," Bolton advised. "Don't get agitated. I believe Mr. Addington's intention is that the government has not yet made a final decision. Think about it; this is such a huge matter, not only involving us but also affecting many others, such as those in the textile industry. Once we truly resume hostilities with France, you can imagine the losses they'd incur. It's quite possible that we'd see numerous factories shuttering immediately. In such a case, London Bridge might be filled with people trying to jump into the Thames, and it might even collapse under the sheer weight. You know, it reminds me of a nursery rhyme my mother used to sing to me when I was a child: 'London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down...'"

Saying that, Bolton actually started singing.

While Watt wasn't pleased that Bolton would indulge in such humor at this critical moment, Bolton's nonchalant attitude did help relieve some of Watt's tension.

"Matthew, don't act like a child," Watt urged. "The current issue is how we should handle this."

"Of course, the first step is to spread the word, so everyone knows," Bolton replied.

...

Almost simultaneously, in other places, some businessmen with close ties to the Admiralty also received similar information. Some even had detailed news, including technical specifications.

"So, you're saying that the madman's claims have some basis?" Chief John questioned.

"Chief, I have to remind you that you've crossed a line by asking questions you shouldn't," said Charles, an official from the Admiralty.

"Ah," Chief John was taken aback but quickly composed himself. "Well, it seems there's only one possibility then."

"What possibility?"

"Someone knows a secret, and for some purpose, they want to leak it. However, they know it's dangerous, so they've found this madman and used some method to influence him, insinuating that he received a divine revelation, and then orchestrated this drama. Well, Mr. Charles, I believe that's the most likely scenario."

"So, can you catch the person who influenced him?"

"That's likely to be very difficult," Chief John decided to be frank. "Firstly, this guy is genuinely a madman, and anything he says could be delusion or nonsense. It's hard to obtain any valuable information from him, and even if we do, we can't use his confession as evidence in court. In fact, if you insist on continuing the investigation, I'd suggest you directly consult the London Lunatic Asylum. They might have more experience in dealing with such individuals."

Originally, this matter should have ended with some tabloid headlines. Moreover, because the madman's newspaper had limited circulation, it didn't seem like it would cause much of a stir.

However, right after that, the French newspaper "Le Soleil" prominently reported the story in its humor section. Yet, in the report, there was an interesting statement: "But what's interesting is that the madman was not initially found by the lunatic asylum but was arrested first by the police on suspicion of 'leaking national secrets.' Of course, we have not yet discovered what 'secrets' were involved, as the publication of his newspaper was extremely limited. If any of our readers have indeed seen it, please write to us and enlighten us."

"Le Soleil's" report was just the beginning. Next, the "English Free Press Alliance" followed suit, and they reported the news in their regular news section. Their focus was on the people's freedom of speech.

"A madman writing some fantastical nonsense should have been met with a chuckle and left at that. But our police department went all out to arrest him, even using violence to force a confession... Today, they can throw him in jail for some lunatic writing gibberish. Tomorrow, they could tie up journalists who exposed scandals like 'The Lancet' incident and burn them at the stake using the newspapers that revealed the truth as fuel. 'Le Soleil' is a French newspaper; they can return to France. But we, out of concern and fear, are losing sleep over this nearly every night."

Simultaneously, members of the Textile Industry Association started to become active. They continuously visited various members of Parliament, inquiring about the situation, and, while leaving a bit of money behind, asked them to genuinely protect their interests.

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