Back to Ming Dynasty with Industrial Revolution System

Chapter 1173 The city of London, the dark tide is surging
The city of London is once again shrouded in heavy snow, and with the actions of King Charles I, some things are changing underneath.

At this time, a small event happened in the city of London, but this small event gradually turned into a great event, and began to change the direction of history.

In a tavern in the city of London, Monk, a fat young man, was sitting in front of the bar, with a large glass of ale in front of him.

If Li Jinde were here, he would definitely recognize Sir Greenville's relative, the infantry lieutenant colonel he had met at the Charles I banquet, George Monk.

It's just that Munch, who was once high-spirited, was a little bit out of his mind. His stubble hadn't been trimmed for more than a month, and he looked a little unkempt.

"Have you heard? Because Mr. Hampton, the squire of Buckinghamshire, refused to pay the ship tax, he also took the lead in submitting a joint tax protest, calling on the subjects of Buckinghamshire to refuse to pay the ship tax. As a result, he was summoned by His Majesty the King. The royal court of finance and tax accepts the trial. This time, His Majesty the King personally prosecuted Mr. Hampton. The trial will be held by 12 senior judges. If the majority of judges find Mr. Hampton guilty, then Mr. Hampton will face fines and imprisonment .”

"The ship tax is nothing to Mr. Hampton, is it? According to regulations, he only needs to pay a tax of 20 shillings. With his income, he can't afford it."

"It's hard to say. Originally, the ship tax was to prevent pirates, and the coastal residents had to pay the government a temporary tax on ships. But this system has long been abolished. Now His Majesty the King collects ship taxes in the coastal areas, and this year it has been expanded to Every county in the country has become a regular tax, no matter how rich you are, who is willing to pay more taxes?"

"Mr. Hampton has hired two well-known lawyers from St. John's and Holborn to defend himself. It is not known what the final judgment of the prosecutor will be."

The citizens of London in the tavern talked a lot, and mentioned the Hampton tax resistance case that was going to be tried in London recently.

A middle-aged man sat next to Munch and also ordered a glass of malt wine.

"Sir, why do you look so gloomy? I came to London from Huntingdonshire, and I came to this pub three times, and every time I saw you drinking alone." The middle-aged man asked Monk curiously road.

"Huntingdon County? What are you doing here?" Monk said haggardly.

"It's a long story... I live in Ely, Huntingdon, which is an island in a lake, and the whole lake and swamp are public lands, and people live off the lake. But His Majesty the King granted Baird Earl Fowler's adventure company fills the lake to reclaim land, and plans to drain the entire lake and turn it into His Majesty's royal land and the private land of the Earl of Belderford. I was entrusted by the townspeople to come to London to hire a lawyer to negotiate with the royal family , hope they drop the plan to drain the lake."

"For the residents of Erie Town, this is a matter of life and death. Their living resources will drop sharply, and their lives will be in a desperate situation. Unless the royal family can provide sufficient compensation to the townspeople, they cannot take away the public land so easily. Originally This matter has nothing to do with my interests, but the local townspeople have found me, so I can't stand by." The middle-aged man said while drinking.

"The town of Ely in Huntingdon County? I just returned to London shortly after returning from the battlefield in the Netherlands. Sorry, I don't know what happened in Britain in recent years." Monk said.

"Could it be that you were one of the soldiers who went to help the Dutch fight the Spaniards?" the middle-aged man asked.

"Yes, we helped the Netherlands defeat the repeated attacks of the Spanish Empire. But the war has been going on from the time of Queen Elizabeth to the present, and we don't know what we have gained in Britain. The Spaniards have recently started to go downhill, but the Netherlands and the French began to rise," Monk said.

"The recent situation in the country is not optimistic. His Majesty the King has gone too far in recent years. First, he restored the long-forgotten 'Knight Status Seizure' law, offering all those who have an annual income of 40 pounds but have not applied for knight status. Imposing fines and restoring the long-abandoned Forest Law are all for the purpose of obtaining more tax revenue. Not long ago, His Majesty the King even concluded a treaty with the Eastern Empire without convening a parliament, and sold the profitable East India Company to the other party. We sold our interests in East India in exchange for money. Recently, the idea of ​​His Majesty the King planning to establish a standing army has also been heard in the court. If His Majesty the King really has a standing army loyal to the royal family, he may never There is no need to listen to the opinions of the people," said the middle-aged man.

"Oriental people? They took away the woman I admire... Why did His Majesty make an alliance with them? His Majesty the King will regret his decision. We have only dealt with the East for a short time, how can we easily cooperate for money In case they become more dangerous than the Spanish Empire in the future, we will become the vassals of the other side." Monk heard what the middle-aged man said, and thought of Sarina who was abducted by Li Jinde. Come.

Originally, he held a neutral attitude towards Dongfang, but Li Jinde abducted Sarina, who was supposed to be his fiancée, which made him lose his mind recently, and he didn't have much affection for people from Dongfang.

"In particular, their merchants have already set up factories on the outskirts of London to hire our workers. The products produced in the future will definitely affect the interests of our own merchants. I think a storm will come soon and sweep across our entire Britain. "The middle-aged man said, "In order to fight against the king's tyranny and the dangerous Orientals, our disbanded parliament, local gentry, and citizens should unite to restrain His Majesty's dangerous behavior. The king should be under the parliament. .”

Monk showed a surprised expression when he heard the middle-aged man's words: "Sir, I don't know your name?"

The middle-aged man said slowly: "I am Oliver Cromwell from Huntingdon County. I was a member of Parliament before it was dissolved. It has been almost ten years now."

"I am George Monk from Devonshire. I was forced to join the army at the age of 17. I used to serve under Sir Greenville. Now I am a lieutenant colonel of the infantry under the influence of the Earl of Leicester." Monk said.

Cromwell was very surprised that this man who looked out of his mind and was not yet thirty turned out to be the celebrity in front of the Earl of Leicester, and the Earl of Leicester was the celebrity of Charles I.If Monk is on the side of the Earl of Leicester, then he is a royalist.

"The Hampton tax resistance case will be held in the Supreme Court in a few days. Are you interested in hearing it with me?"

(End of this chapter)