Chapter 1025: Establishing a Maritime Court

The Huang Chao-style missionary method refers to the missionaries of the Great Bright Sect in France, who, unlike other missionaries during their evangelization, did not respect the lords but instead led people to storm the lords' castles, kill the castle owners after capturing them, divide all the land equally, and then proceed to the next target.

Even, during their missionary work, the Great Bright Sect did not care about dioceses, did not care about evangelization, did not care about churches, did not care about believers, but simply launched attacks, attacks, and more attacks.

"Why did Marion issue such an order? What exactly has the Great Bright Sect gone through to do these things?" Zhu Yijun frowned tightly, asking Gao Qiyu for the reason.

The Great Bright Sect's approach, aside from turning them into public enemies of France, had almost no effect whatsoever.

Such uncompromising slaughter was completely different from the previous practices of the Great Bright Sect.

Gao Qiyu said solemnly: "The answer given by the Great Bright Sect is: to sow the seeds of light's fire upon the human world, so that people may know that even without feudal lords lording it over them, life can still be lived, and lived well."

"To prove with actual actions that feudal lords, without the support of their subjects, are nothing but useless waste."

"Feudal lords bring only sin, yet the world must feel gratitude and devotion toward these sins, and the fire of truth must be burned across all of France."

Zhu Yijun sighed somewhat and said: "Even if they are smashed to pieces, are they not afraid?"

Gao Qiyu hesitated repeatedly before speaking: "Marion is fulfilling her promise, to become a torch, lighting the way for those who come after."

"Minister Gao, you are hesitating." Zhu Yijun looked at Gao Qiyu with slightly narrowed eyes and asked in a low voice: "Since you became Minister of Rites, you have always been frank and outspoken, never hiding your thoughts, always speaking bluntly—what are you hesitating about?"

"The situation of the Great Bright Sect is not good." Gao Qiyu explained: "Sadly, the Great Bright Sect has not even gained the support of free citizens."

"The missionaries and free knight bands of the Great Bright Sect stormed castle after castle, killed the feudal lords who had oppressed them for generations, granted freedom to all the people of the lands, yet these free citizens, instead, feared the missionaries and free knight bands and refused to support the Great Bright Sect."

"The War of the Three Henrys has already ended, Henry IV has substantially obtained the throne, converted from Protestantism to Catholicism, and gained the support of the majority."

"Henry IV used the fear of nobles, lords, knights, and the myriad people toward the Great Bright Sect to unite them, and began to launch an attack on the Great Bright City."

"Before the envoys of the Great Bright Sect set out, Henry IV and the noble alliance had already surrounded the Great Bright City on all sides; it is likely already fallen."

Gao Qiyu's reason for hesitation is precisely this: emotionally, based on the wisdom born of the Great Ming, the Great Ming should support the Great Bright Sect in some way, even if only moral support; but from an interest perspective, it is too distant, support would be meaningless, and the cost and return would be disproportionate.

"Your Majesty, when Henry IV launched a total assault on the Great Bright City, the scattered missionaries and free knight bands across the regions did not, as agreed, hide by changing names and identities, but instead marched toward the Great Bright City."

"Countless people cried out, 'Destruction is rebirth,' and then courageously went to their deaths." Gao Qiyu spoke of something even more surprising to him: countless people, when destruction was imminent, did not choose to flee but chose to die as martyrs.

Gao Qiyu could understand their actions, but did not know what consequences they would bring.

Zhu Yijun revealed a somewhat relieved smile; in later generations, during the tumultuous era of bourgeois revolution, France was also like this—thoroughly ending the monarchy, overthrowing the nobility, and becoming one of the few major world powers that did not adopt constitutional monarchy.

"Perhaps, for them, this is the best ending." Zhu Yijun gazed out the window, pondered for a long time, and finally said calmly: "The curtain has already risen, the grand play has already begun—this is merely the end of Marion and these missionaries and saints, but the beginning of a new era for France."

Indeed, now free citizens, for various reasons, almost indiscriminately do not support the Great Bright Sect's behavior of hanging feudal lords, because they have lived this way generation after generation, and it seems that without these feudal lords, they cannot survive at all.

But after these free citizens gained freedom, would they still be willing to accept the feudal lords' bone-sucking marrow-extraction exploitation? Having seen the light, these free citizens would not accept the feudal lords' inhuman rule, so embracing and supporting the Great Bright Sect would become inevitable.

Not many are needed—these free citizens, even if only one percent, firmly support the Great Bright Sect and take action, then the Great Bright Sect's widespread popularity in France would be unavoidable.

Actually, from the moment Antonio first arrived in the Great Ming, this Portuguese royal candidate supported by the common people appeared in the court's view, a question has been repeatedly raised: where exactly are the common people who support Antonio?

When Antonio was driven out of Portugal, where were the common people?

After the Sword Saint Marcus was assassinated, when Spain came with great force, where were the common people?

In fact, the common people have always been there.

If it were not for the support of the common people, Antonio could not have ascended the throne, even with the support of the Great Ming, and even less likely to win a second victory against Felipe's attack.

The suicide-style attack of the Free Fleet on Spanish soil forced Felipe's Invincible Armada to retreat to the Mediterranean;

Felipe dispatched a Spanish square formation of thirty thousand to attack Antonio, Antonio personally led the campaign, with a resolve to die, and repelled the invading enemy.

Antonio could achieve this precisely because these unnoticed common people silently supported him—military troops, grain supplies, intelligence, conscripted laborers, and so on, all depended on the support of these common people.

Thus, the Ministry of Rites arrived at a rather absurd conclusion: determining whether a regime is completely destroyed does not depend on the majority, but on a mere fraction—less than one percent—of willing, active supporters.

When the regime needs it, they are willing to give everything, even life, without hesitation.

With just one percent of firm supporters, there will be five percent of opportunists willing to defect, while the remaining ninety percent simply go with the flow.

A solid, firm core base becomes the most important key to a regime's survival.

This is a very absurd conclusion, but the facts are indeed so.

For example, the Great Ming Emperor's most solid base is actually the ten thousand elite troops of the Capital Garrison, plus the newly emerged class of resident artisan craftsmen—these people even amount to less than one percent of the total population, yet they are fully sufficient for the Emperor to do as he pleases.

Even the sixteen thousand naval troops and the emerging bourgeoisie along the coast are not considered the Emperor's solid base.

For example, what Felipe relies on is his square formation army and Invincible Armada; he can issue three rounds of gold bonds, go bankrupt three times to toy with everyone, and he can dissolve the State Council;

As great as Great Ming and Spain, as small as the Mexican Governor-General's office, the Peto Governor, and even piracy amounting to no more than six thousand people in total, these are his solid base—Peto firmly controlled Mexico and even dared to challenge Felipe.

The Great Bright Sect's biggest problem before was that it lacked such a solid base.

How many of those former believers truly believed in wisdom? I fear Marion herself has doubted in her heart whether wisdom could guide them to live well.

Now, these doubts have all been eliminated.

The Great Bright Sect has gained its own solid base; the new King of France, Henry IV, can destroy the Great Bright City, can destroy Marion as a person, but can no longer destroy Marion's spirit.

Free citizens, civilians yearning for freedom, will regard Marion as a spiritual totem, even as faith.

History seems always to be so cruel, always repeating, always stumbling and faltering.

After great effort, taking three steps forward, only to retreat two steps, finding it unbearable, then taking one more step forward—this repetitive process is built upon countless bones and blood.

This cruelty is always performed again and again.

"In the short term, England cannot possibly abandon privateering licenses, because they want to use privateer ships to attack the Spanish navy, and it is regrettable for England that these privateer ships' pirates not only attack the Spanish navy but also launch attacks on England." Gao Qiyu said something that made him very difficult to continue.

Abandoning privateering licenses would allow Spain to attack England more smoothly.

Not abandoning them, these privateer ships would also plunder the English navy.

"If Felipe were not so angry and irrational, if he acted with some reason, after a while he would dispatch a few ships, conduct an armed patrol, make a show of attack rather than actual attack, then England would be ruined by sea robbers." Zhu Yijun raised his eyebrows, smiling as he spoke.

"Your Majesty is wise." Gao Qiyu also felt some emotion, saying the Majesty spoke the best strategy.

Fighting is certainly necessary; the battle has come to this point, it is indeed impossible to stop, but one can put on a show, at most conduct an armed patrol, threaten a little, not truly attack, so that the English and the pirates turn on each other.

Unfortunately, Felipe, already completely blinded by anger, will not do this; the court secretaries also dare not propose such a thing, and as for the Spanish State Council, it has also been dissolved by Felipe.

Gao Qiyu memorialized that this year's fleet has added an envoy from West Africa, the envoy sent by King Alvaro II of the Kongo Kingdom.

For the Great Ming court, this is an unfamiliar kingdom.

The Kongo Kingdom's territory is quite vast, covering the entire Congo River basin.

The Congo River is currently the second-largest river in terms of flow known to the Great Ming, the first being the Amazon River located in Brazil, but the Congo River is unsuitable for navigation due to a series of waterfalls stretching nearly a thousand li, making river transport impossible.

"This king has already been completely reduced to a puppet; the Governor of Portuguese Angola, Duarte López, can even execute him and replace him with another king." Gao Qiyu reported the situation of this country.

The Great Ming has established a Ming Hall in Angola, garrisoned with seventeen personnel, serving the Great Ming global fleet, responsible for trading various special products such as cocoa, copper, gold and silver, and of course also responsible for gathering various intelligence.

The previous King of Congo, unable to suppress the rebellion, requested help from the Portuguese king, who dispatched six hundred men to assist the king in quelling the rebellion; they still used bronze tools, while the indigenous people possessed only a small amount of iron equipment, making them no match for matchlock guns; likewise, the King of Congo quickly became a puppet.

The previous king opposed the slave trade, but he soon died of illness and was replaced by the current Álvaro II.

Zhu Yijun studied all the intelligence on this kingdom, concluded it had no diplomatic value, and said to Gao Qiyu: "A kingdom reduced to nothing but a shell, a mere puppet—its envoys need not be received."

"If the Governorate of Angola wishes to do business with the Great Ming, let them send people directly; no need for these tricks."

This envoy was actually sent by the Governorate of Angola to avoid a tributary relationship, deliberately borrowing the name of the Kingdom of Congo as a pretext.

The Governorate of Angola is nominally subordinate to Portugal, but the nobility generally does not support King António of Portugal, nor does it recognize Portugal as a vassal state of the Great Ming; moreover, the Governorate of Angola does not wish to come to the Great Ming in a tributary capacity for trade, so it borrowed a shell.

The reason for borrowing this shell is to facilitate going back on one's word—barbarians always like to act this cleverly.

All agreements were made by the Kingdom of Congo, having nothing to do with the Governorate of Angola; once trade becomes disadvantageous, they can simply renege, for the Great Ming is powerless to reach them and cannot punish the King of Congo or the Governorate of Angola.

The Great Ming court has no time to play their pretend games; Great Ming goods are right here—if you want them, show some sincerity; if you don't buy, there are plenty who will.

The trade scale of the Dongtai Alliance is still expanding, especially after the establishment of its council, some contradictions and trade disputes can be properly resolved, and under this stable maritime trade environment, the trade volume grows faster and faster.

The Great Ming's primary trading partner is Nanyang, the second is the Dongtai Alliance; as for the markets of the Western Oceans and the various governorates and kingdoms of the Atlantic, the Great Ming currently has little demand, even cotton cloth is sold through Akbar as an agent.

The reason is very simple: that direction lacks sufficient silver.

The original purpose of the Great Ming opening the seas was to resolve the money shortage; silver is the main goal of the Great Ming's maritime expansion—without silver, without gold, and even without the special products that greatly concern the Great Ming, it is indeed difficult to attract the Great Ming's attention.

Gao Qiyu subsequently reported the arrival of envoys from several Western Ocean (today's Indian Ocean) kingdoms and governorates, and briefly introduced their local customs and conditions; most of them have neither diplomatic nor trade value, at best merely adding to the spectacle of the myriad nations coming to pay tribute.

Zhu Yijun and Gao Qiyu communicated carefully for nearly half an hour, gave clear opinions, and ordered the Ministry of Rites to act according to the imperial will.

The Dutch envoy Cornelis de Houtman and the Portuguese envoy Paulino fought at the Four Barbarians Hall in Songjiang Prefecture.

Upon meeting, Paulino punched Houtman twice; Houtman refused to yield and immediately kicked back twice; his attendants quickly joined the fight, and sixteen people tangled together in combat.

Had it not been for the Tiji cavalry appearing and subduing everyone, someone might have been killed.

Gao Qiyu had just returned from the traveling palace to the Four Barbarians Hall when he heard of this brawl; he immediately had everyone detained and began interrogating them individually to find out why they fought.

A brawl, weapon fight, and mass melee in the Four Barbarians Hall—what sort of conduct is this!

Soon, Gao Qiyu understood the cause: all the disputes concerned a ship named the Santa Catarina.

The Santa Catarina is a merchant vessel belonging to the Governorate of Goa, a Clarke ship fully loaded with 1.4 million catties of cargo, carrying large quantities of spices, cotton cloth, tea, silk, and other Great Ming goods.

This ship, while returning to Lisbon last April, was seized by Houtman's men—ship and cargo, all taken.

Upon seeing Houtman, the Portuguese envoy Paulino, of course, had no pleasant expression; he said a few words, found no agreement, and they started fighting.

"Honorable Shao Zongbo, please grant us justice." Paulino said with great agitation: "This cargo of 1.4 million catties is worth nearly five hundred thousand taels of silver; the Dutch have plundered our ship and goods, and even openly sold them in Amsterdam!"

"Are the Dutch, like the English, going to allow privateering!"

Gao Qiyu actually did not want to meddle in this trivial matter; the piracy did not occur in the Great Ming's maritime borders but near the Strait of Gibraltar, which is Taixi, Spanish waters.

Paulino lodged a complaint with the Great Ming; the Great Ming would intervene, but is powerless to reach that far.

"Shao Zongbo, it's not as he says!" the Dutch envoy Houtman flared up, stood, waved his arms, and said: "Two years ago, our six Dutch ships reached Goa port, purchased sufficient cargo, and on the return voyage were attacked by those damned Portuguese."

"Only two of the six ships escaped; the rest were seized; we merely took back what was rightfully ours!"

Gao Qiyu's eyes shifted, he sat upright, became serious—this matter had room for exploitation; as Minister of Rites, he was actually most skilled at establishing rules.

This is an excellent opportunity to increase the Great Ming's influence over maritime trade.

Upon hearing this, Paulino immediately shouted: "Houtman, you liar with nothing but lies! Your ships did not pay taxes, slipped out under cover of night, and that's why the Governorate of Goa pursued you!"

"Shao Zongbo, the Dutch killed all our ship's crew and threw them into the sea!"

"Even if there were disputes over the cargo, we never killed Dutch crew members—this is customary; but they violated custom and killed our crew!"

Houtman angrily said: "Not so! Our six ships all paid sufficient taxes—fully thirty percent—it was the greedy governor who demanded an extra levy, causing all this!"

"All the problems stem from this greedy governor!"

"Stop!" Gao Qiyu slammed the table and shouted sternly: "Silence! This is the Great Ming—you argue like this, even come to blows—do you even regard the Great Ming!"

"Whoosh!"

The neat sound of drawing swords rang out as the Tiji cavalry drew their blades half a foot, awaiting Gao Qiyu's command.

Gao Qiyu waited until the two calmed down, then said: "I have roughly understood your statements; let it be this: you write down the events in a memorial, I will review it carefully, then grant you one year to gather and organize evidence, and submit it to the court."

"If you are willing to abide by the court's judgment, then this matter will be settled; if not, then do not cause disputes or disturbances within the Great Ming's territory."

Paulino, as the Portuguese envoy, naturally wished for the Great Ming to intervene and decide.

"I am willing to accept the Great Ming's judgment." Houtman thought for a moment, also preparing to write a memorial; to the Taixi people, the Great Ming's actions are renowned for justice and fairness.

If, because of this ship, Portugal were to fully join the Spanish camp, Felipe would find it even easier to deal with the Dutch.

Paulino's attitude is no surprise to Gao Qiyu—after all, Portugal is nominally a vassal of the Great Ming—but that Houtman is also willing is something Gao Qiyu did not expect.

Houtman perceived Gao Qiyu's doubt and said seriously: "Before coming to the Great Ming, I had heard many legends—that the Great Ming is like a divine kingdom on earth."

"I did not believe these legends until I saw everything with my own eyes, and then I confirmed they were all true."

"The Great Ming possesses the best political system in the world today—at least for now, no one can devise a better one."

"Everything is decided by the office one level above; all officials must undergo multiple strict screenings before appointment, and even after being appointed, they must continue to be screened."

"Shao Zongbo, in Taixi, all officials are hereditary; these hereditary officials are greedy, incompetent, and brutal—if not for them, the Dutch would not have rebelled."

"In the Great Ming, the common people here have their lives, reputations, and property protected by law; even if a noble kills a commoner, he must pay a heavy price."

"I believe that here, I can obtain a just verdict."

Gao Qiyu's eyes flickered; after the Great Ming opened the seas, in the ever-expanding maritime trade, he expanded his own influence, just as Hanlin scholars argued why the Great Ming is the Celestial Empire; to the distant Great Ming, the Taixi people have developed countless fantasies.

And when these fantasies are seen in person, they often exceed expectations, turning them into shrewd, spirited admirers of the Great Ming.

The Great Ming's long-distance livestock industry, despite lacking local breeding conditions, remains highly developed; of course, the spread of the Daguangming Sect has accelerated this process.

"Then have the memorial written and come to see me; within one year, submit the evidence completely, and the Great Ming court will naturally render a just verdict." Gao Qiyu said solemnly: "No one can toy with the Great Ming—I guarantee that anyone who wishes to do so will pay with blood!"

If Hoteman is unwilling, the procedure cannot be properly initiated, everything is negotiable, it's just barbarian infighting.

But since Hoteman has agreed, the procedure has been initiated, Great Ming has expended manpower, material resources, and financial resources, and after making a just ruling, if it is not obeyed, then do not blame Great Ming for being impolite.

The English have already suffered many losses here in Great Ming due to the issue of the privateering license.

On June 20th, Gao Qiyu again requested an audience with the Emperor, informing His Majesty in full detail about all disputes concerning the Santa Catarina, and also wrote his plans into a memorial, submitting it to the imperial presence.

"What Minister Shao Zongbo means is, under the Shang Alliance Eastern Sea Council, to establish a maritime court to adjudicate trade disputes between nations?" Zhu Yijun, having finished reading Gao Qiyu's memorial, understood Gao Qiyu's plan.

Establish rules, expand Great Ming's influence, satisfy Great Ming's current need for long-arm jurisdiction.

Great Ming has established many governor-generalships overseas, has an oceanic merchant fleet engaged in global trade, and has set up Ming Pavilions in major ports worldwide to gather intelligence from all nations.

Great Ming needs greater influence, stronger long-arm jurisdiction capability.

"Your Majesty, people cannot be relied upon, one must rely on institutions." Gao Qiyu said with a very solemn expression: "When the Yongle Emperor opened the seas and Zheng He made seven voyages to the Western Oceans, after Zheng He's death, Great Ming never again sent voyages to the Western Oceans, and even rarely went to the Southern Oceans."

"It is necessary to establish a complete system, rather than rely on an individual's power to achieve opening the seas; I believe this is very important."

Gao Qiyu is no longer young; he is fifty-seven this year, long past the age of no confusion, he has seen too much of human wickedness and fickleness, he does not believe people can remain reliably so, not even Zhang Juzheng.

Zhang Juzheng, due to health reasons, has been completely relieved of duty, but before his relief, Zhang Juzheng displayed obvious obstinacy, he increasingly distrusted anyone, his measures grew heavier, and has already become one of the dangerous sources of violent turmoil for the dynasty, from being the dynasty's ballast stone.

Having completed the purge of the Zhang faction, choosing to retire from the torrent, for him personally, for Your Majesty, and for the entire Great Ming, this may be the best outcome.

"What you say is reasonable, I approve." Zhu Yijun approved of what Gao Qiyu said, Great Ming indeed has this need.

"It is necessary to revise a Maritime Trade Law; this Maritime Trade Law shall be the general outline for Great Ming to handle all trade disputes, based on law for adjudication." Gao Qiyu produced another memorial, the Memorial on the Settlement of Maritime Trade Affairs.

This memorial is his overall plan for the Maritime Trade Law.

Because of ancestral established law, it is very difficult for Great Ming to revise a law, so this Maritime Trade Law will still be appended to the Great Ming Collected Statutes, to avoid touching ancestral established law.

After all, according to ancestral established law, Great Ming should enforce the sea ban and tributary trade; the Eastern Sea Alliance Council, the maritime court, and the Maritime Trade Law are more applicable to the scope of reforming the old and establishing the new.

Gao Qiyu held his right hand, left hand behind his back, and spoke solemnly: "First point, and also the most important point, to safeguard the maritime trade environment, all parties joining the Eastern Sea Alliance and willing to accept the maritime court's adjudication, whether states or governor-generalships, even puppets, must in law thoroughly deny the legitimacy of pirates."

"That is, any force recognizing the legitimacy of pirates should be excluded from normal trade."

"No means should be used to confuse the definition of pirates, cannot use so-called privateering to blur the definition of pirates and thereby grant them legitimacy; a pirate is a pirate."

"Any armed merchant vessel must be regarded as a warship, all parties shall conduct registration and management, and all parties' ports shall manage the entry and exit of armed merchant vessels as they would warships."

"All parties shall not provide any kind of supplies, repairs, cargo consolidation, or fencing of stolen goods to pirate ships, otherwise they shall be punished as accomplices."

Gao Qiyu's first point is to seize the moral high ground; standing on the moral high ground, one can then openly point fingers at others.

Great Ming is the Celestial Dynasty, the civilized moral high ground.

Pirates are pirates, their definition must not be blurred, armed merchant vessels shall be treated as warships, no food, water, alcohol, or grain shall be given to pirates, pirates' ships shall not be repaired, no facilitation shall be given for pirates to fence stolen goods—these are all important components of this clause.

Gao Qiyu finds it hard to understand that the Westerners have actually formed a certain scale of pirate culture and pirate worship, not ashamed but rather proud of it.

One can only say, the barbarians are indeed barbarians, utterly devoid of a sense of shame.