Farms in the UK are certainly not as large as those in southern Africa. Leander's farm is only about 50 acres in size, and its business conditions are not very good. It can be seen that Leander's life is not satisfactory.
British writer Parks once said: In the minds of British people, the soul of Britain is in the countryside.
Leander's home is just like this. In British terms, it has the quaint sense of the times like a traditional British country house.
Maybe the British really think so, but in Barton's view, they actually have no money to build a new house, so they can only live in the old house.
These old houses, which are often hundreds of years old, are actually not very comfortable to live in. The house Leander lives in is made of brick and stone. The appearance of the house has nothing to do with being simple and simple. However, due to the constant exposure to wind and sun, the appearance of the house is indeed
It is a bit mottled, probably because the builder who built the house was not very good at his craftsmanship, and the chimney on the roof was not neat. It looked like a ball of mud was accidentally put on the roof to serve as a chimney.
When Barton saw Leandre, Leandre's hair was messy and his beard looked like it hadn't been trimmed for a long time. He was wearing a woolen coat with two buttons missing and a hole in it, and he was sitting timidly on a table.
On the squeaky triangular stool, which was slightly wobbly, Barton was given the only spring sofa in the living room to sit on.
Patton was not polite, and based on what he observed, he chose a quick and effective method.
"You can fill in as many words as you want. This is a Rand Bank check. It can be withdrawn at all Rand Banks around the world. You know what my purpose is. If you are afraid of the retaliation of the Military Intelligence Agency, then I can make arrangements for you and your family.
Go to southern Africa and give you a farm ten times larger than the one you own now." Button came up with a combination of punches and knocked Leander unconscious.
"Sir, what do you want me to do?" Leander looked at Barton with fear in his eyes. Barton was still wearing his cadet uniform at the Royal Naval Academy.
Barton smiled. He was not worried about Leander the Lion opening his mouth too much. Smart people always know when to stop. If Leander fills in a too large number, then he will not get a penny, and he may die without a burial place.
Fourteen days passed quickly, and according to the arrangement of the London Supreme Court, the lawsuit filed by the residents of the Chagos Islands against Adan Company was scheduled for March 23.
Adan Company did not hire a team of lawyers to respond to the lawsuit, and the lawyers in the company's legal department were not freeloaders. This kind of litigation did not require Rock and Stoudemire to come forward. Adan Company only sent a business manager to appear in court on behalf of Adan Company.
, which made Lieutenant Colonel Ferdinand, the representative assigned by the Military Intelligence Bureau, very dissatisfied.
This cannot be blamed on Adan Company. Didn’t the Military Intelligence Bureau only send one lieutenant colonel to the court? Lieutenant Colonel Ferdinand is the attorney representing the residents of the Chagos Islands.
The person responsible for hearing this case was not the Lord Chancellor, but Lord Arabella, the London magistrate.
The day before the trial, Lieutenant Colonel Ferdinand made a special trip to visit Sir Arabella.
"Lieutenant Colonel, it's not appropriate for you to visit me at this time." Sir Arabella was very dissatisfied. As the court date approached, this case received more and more attention. Although the big shots of Adan Company did not show up,
But reporters from The Times and The Daily Telegraph were very active, and now there are reporters with cameras squatting across the street from Sir Arabella's house.
The British paparazzi certainly live up to their reputation.
"Don't worry, Lord, we have a sure chance of victory." Lieutenant Colonel Ferdinand was full of confidence. Many big figures have expressed their support for the Navy Department to take back the Chagos Islands and build a naval base on the Chagos Islands.
"Since you are sure of winning, you should not come here. Look at the reporters outside the door. If the result of tomorrow's trial is not favorable to Adan Company, then you should know how those reporters will make trouble." Sir Arabella had a headache, the same thing happened
Lord, there is a world of difference between his Lord and Lord Rock.
A knight is only a lifelong noble, not hereditary. Strictly speaking, he does not belong to the aristocracy.
Marquess is the ultimate achievement that ordinary people can achieve. There are only 20 dukes in the UK, followed by marquises. Since entering the new century, the only marquises granted by the king are Roque and Kitchener.
"I'm here to tell you some emergencies. The news I just received is that Adam Company sent someone to contact our witnesses ten days ago. The situation may change." Lieutenant Colonel Ferdinand was not that confident.
Otherwise, I wouldn't have taken the risk to come to Arabella.
"Didn't you send someone to control the witnesses? How could you let Adan Company have access to the witnesses at will?" Arabella was going crazy. It was already ten days ago, and it was only reported now. God knows how much happened in these ten days.
thing.
"It doesn't matter, we have additional witnesses, and most of the jury members are our people. I just want to say that if something unexpected happens in the trial, don't worry, we have a complete response plan." Lieutenant Colonel Ferdinand explained that in order to win
In this lawsuit, the Navy Department and the Military Intelligence Bureau did a lot of work.
"Well, I hope what you said will come true." Sir Arabella's face turned ugly. He had long known that this case was difficult, but he did not expect it to be so difficult.
If before today, Sir Arabella was still very confident, but now Sir Arabella's confidence has been shaken.
The next day was the day for the trial. Lieutenant Colonel Ferdinand arrived at the London Magistrates Court early and unexpectedly discovered that the trial procedures had changed.
The case was originally scheduled for a closed trial in a smaller court, but because the case attracted so much attention, it had to be moved to the largest court. The London Magistrates' Court also allowed reporters to enter, but on-site filming was not allowed.
It didn't matter if they weren't allowed to be photographed. Reporters with great skills could draw. The Times invited several sketch masters to prepare a record of the proceedings during the trial.
"It doesn't matter. As long as we perform normally, we will definitely win this lawsuit." Lieutenant Colonel Ferdinand encouraged himself.
"The members of the jury were also temporarily changed. Mr. Graham was unable to attend due to physical reasons. His replacement was Sir Raymond." Major Nicholas, Lieutenant Colonel Ferdinand's assistant, frowned. Graham was a member of the House of Commons.
When Graham was elected as a member of Parliament, George V wanted to grant Graham a knighthood as usual, but Graham did not accept it.
"It doesn't matter, Sir Raymond won't change anything." Lieutenant Colonel Ferdinand insisted through gritted teeth. He suddenly had a very bad feeling. This matter was now beyond the control of the Admiralty.
It is an obvious fact that if the London District Court rules that Adam Company must return the Chagos Islands to the residents of the Chagos Islands, then the UK's "sacred and inviolable private property" will become a joke.
There is no doubt that the group with the most "private property" in the UK is the aristocracy, so even though there are so many big shots swearing by the case before the trial, when it comes to the trial, it is estimated that the attitude of those big shots is really hard to say.
Apart from anything else, it is estimated that it is impossible to temporarily change jury members simply relying on the strength of Adan Company.
Adan Company has a certain influence in London, but its influence is not yet as great as this.
This feeling became more obvious after the trial.
After the prosecution and defense made their statements, they immediately entered the witness phase.
The first person to appear in court was Leander.
Today, Leander had a haircut and his beard had been carefully trimmed. He was wearing a three-piece suit common to the middle class, and a brand new cashmere coat. This suit was temporarily purchased by the Military Intelligence Agency for Leander.
"Mr. Leandre, you said that your farm in the Chagos Islands was forcibly acquired by Adan Company, and your life became difficult and unsustainable. So what happened to your suit? Let me see, this suit is not cheap.
——Oh, custom-made styles from the old Frank Tailor Shop on Riverbank Street, this must be very expensive——" The attorney representing Adan Company is Nicholas Beard from the legal department of Adan Company.
"I don't know, I didn't buy this. Some gentlemen took me away from my farm five days ago, and then they cut my hair, cut my beard, and bought me new clothes," Leandre said.
It was the truth, Lieutenant Colonel Ferdinand's face looked extremely ugly.
"Objection, this matter has nothing to do with the case we are trying." Lieutenant Colonel Ferdinand could not let Leander talk nonsense.
"I think it's relevant, Mr. Leander, you still have a farm, where is your farm?" Nicholas Beard continued to ask Leander without asking Arabella for instructions.
Sir Arabella waited for Nicholas Beard to finish questioning, then coughed slightly: "The objection is invalid, the witness answers the question——"
"My farm is in Ipswich, in eastern Suffolk County. Although the farm area is only 50 acres, it originally cost me 300 pounds." Leandre told the truth, and he really didn't add any extravagance.
"With 300 pounds, your life seems to be unsustainable." Nicholas Beard said with a playful expression.
"I think it's okay, at least it's much better than when I was in the Chagos Islands. I couldn't even find a wife in the Chagos Islands. Now that I have a wife and children, I feel pretty good." Leander said.
The script did not go as planned by Lieutenant Colonel Ferdinand. It did not seem to accuse Adan Company, but rather to defend Adan Company.
"Then what is your purpose here?" Nicholas Beard asked seductively.
"The gentleman who asked me to sue the Addam Islands told me that as long as I tell the truth in court, I can get one hundred pounds." Leandre really told the truth.
"So are you telling the truth?" Nicholas Beard murderous.
"I dare to swear to God that everything I said is the truth." Leandre really dared to swear.
In the solemn court, Lieutenant Colonel Ferdinand looked ashen as death.