The second volume is full of glory and splendor in the capital, and the spirit is full of vitality in the foggy city. Chapter 319 Major Events (I)
Subtitle of this chapter: Is it my fault?
"FBI students, my name is Clarice Starling, and I am your instructor for the counter-terrorism seminar...."
"In this class, we're going to talk about one of the earliest and perhaps most famous terrorist attacks in history—the July 23 Incident."
"This terrorist attack in 1921 is a textbook crime. No wonder terrorists are still imitating it in the 21st century. Let me briefly recount the events..."
"Trainees, we now know that Scotland Yard made two serious . The first mistake was institutional: their alarm system was too bureaucratic. The second mistake was tactical: they did not control traffic at all."
"Of course, we're not trying to mock them. After all, if the July 23 Incident had occurred in Washington, D.C., or New York, in 1921, our FBI—then known as the BOI—and the local police wouldn't necessarily have performed any better than they did."
"Fortunately, we Americans learned our lesson immediately. Under the authorization of President Harding, our Director Hoover established a strict monitoring system in a very short time. By the 1930s, this system had spread throughout the country."
"No matter what we in the 21st century think of him, he is the true founder of our FBI and the first person in our country to fight terrorism!"
"That's a bit far-fetched. The Hibiscus Corps only had half an hour to carry out the hijacking operation. They stormed the venue at 8:30 and released all the unwanted hostages by 9:00. During that time, they also secretly transferred the real target of the operation—the two crown princes—away."
"In fact, at this point, they've already succeeded. I have to say, the person who planned this operation is a genius... Student, do you have any questions?"
"Are you asking if the mastermind is Mr. Neo Yuan? Well, that's a very sweet question. I assume you've read Dan Brown's latest book, Angels and Demons?"
"That's exactly what happened. Don't laugh, everyone. 'The SCP Code' and 'Angels and Demons' are both good entertaining reads, and they do contain some historical truth. I recommend that those of you who haven't read them should check them out."
"In fact, Mr. Dan Brown's argument in the book that Neo Yuan was the mastermind behind the '723 Incident' is not new. Especially for Chinese Americans in 1921, this was basically an open secret. Because even before the '723 Incident', Chinese gang members knew that he was going to do something so-called 'big'."
"Of course, at that time no one could have imagined that the 'big thing' he was going to do would be so huge..."
"Okay, let's get back to the point. Scotland Yard made a third mistake after this, which was not cutting off the embassy's communications with the outside world!"
"The third mistake led to a very serious consequence: it allowed the propaganda media to become massively involved in the '723 Incident.' This not only embarrassed the British government, but also earned the terrorists worldwide sympathy."
"From this perspective, the commander on the scene at the time was undoubtedly incompetent."
"And that commander's name was Sir William Thomas Francis Horwoo. He was the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, Scotland Yard."
"But this commander is not a professional police officer. In fact, most of the Metropolitan Police Commissioners before him were not police officers but military personnel!"
"He was born in September 1868 into a British lower aristocratic family. Although he graduated from the prestigious Highgate School, he did not go to university. Instead, he began his military career in 1887."
"In 1900 he was promoted to captain and transferred to the reserve , becoming an officer in the Recruiting Bureau. From 1904 to 1910 he was an assistant in the British War Office."
"In 1910, he became the head of the North Eastern Railway Police. Sir Holwood did a very good job in this position. He was the one who changed the police uniform to the modern style, and he was also the first to provide pensions to railway policemen."
"During the First World War, he returned to the War Office as Chief Assistant to the Chief of Staff for Personnel Administration. He was then posted to France as Commander of the Military Police on the Western Front."
"In 1918, his old boss at the War Office, Sir Nevil Macready (1862-1946), became Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and he became Assistant Commissioner."
"During this period, Lord Holwood was also highly regarded by his contemporaries. He once again became an innovative reformer, introducing women police officers, car patrols and airship units for the first time in the world."
"In 1920, the security situation in Ireland deteriorated, and Sir Neville MacCready was transferred to become the commander of the Irish Army. On April 20, Prime Minister David Lloyd officially appointed Sir Halewood as the head of Scotland Yard."
"However, this would not be a good thing for him or the British Empire..."
—From a classroom teaching session for FBI junior students
"That evening, Violet and I were in the living room reading a letter from our daughter. Her family was on holiday in France and had a very happy time. At 15 minutes to 9, the phone rang. Violet had complained to me that even though I was working in London, I couldn't have a normal schedule and she also wanted to go on holiday to France."
Translator's note: Sir Hale-Wood married Violet Fyfford in 1897 and had an only daughter in 1900.
"Then I received some very bad news. A group of gangsters openly killed people in front of the Japanese Legation on Piccadilly. My heart tightened at that time because I remembered that there was a diplomatic reception being held there that evening. And the Prince of Wales would be in attendance in person."
"I immediately called them and asked them to send more police and block off the entire Piccadilly Avenue, not letting anyone out."
"Because I only received an alert about a murder, and no further information, I can only issue this order. I can't let the criminal get away so easily."
"Another point. Some people are now accusing me of not immediately cutting off the embassy's external communications. But why would I do that? Was it just because someone was killing people outside the embassy?"
"Then, without even having time to change into my uniform, I called the driver and told him to get to Piccadilly as quickly as possible."
"When I arrived at the scene, Big Ben had just struck nine times, and I saw that this historic street was full of people..."
—Excerpt from Sir Holwood's "Not Excuses but Facts: My Account of the July 23 Incident"》
