prosperous age

It was already afternoon when we left the Xu residence.

As it was approaching lunchtime, the Xu family prepared a sumptuous banquet to entertain the guests, and also opened a jar of imperial wine sent by Wei Guangde.

Xu Jie, supported by his son, saw the man out of the mansion. After Wei Guangde got into the sedan chair, the entourage headed towards the Shanghai County Wharf.

At the berths that can accommodate 30 large ships, more than ten ocean-going vessels are currently moored. The other berths are also occupied, with inland river cargo ships unloading their cargo.

In the distance, more than ten boats were waiting to dock, and the dock was bustling with people coming and going.

There were no containers or cranes; they relied on manual laborers to move goods up and down.

They were all shirtless, moving back and forth between boats and carriages.

Not far to the west of the wharf is the Songjiang Prefecture Customs Office, which is responsible for collecting taxes on goods entering and leaving the port.

Although the Ming Dynasty did not establish an independent customs office to levy taxes on import and export goods, it established customs offices at the four open ports to collect taxes, relying on the structure of the Ministry of Revenue's customs office.

Accompanied by Hu Junde, Wei Guangde also went to the customs office to take a look. The same tax was levied, and the amount was retained locally and remitted to the capital according to the proportion. It was simple for merchants, but the tax was indeed not light.

Goods transported from inland rivers, in particular, are subject to customs duties twice in this area.

The tax is levied once upon entry into the country, and again if the goods are loaded onto ships engaged in international trade.

However, even if these goods enter Songjiang Prefecture by land, they are still subject to taxation if they are transported to the dock warehouse. Only if they are sold in Songjiang Prefecture will they be exempt from this customs duty and will only incur the brokerage firm's "exchange fee".

Just as Wei Guangde was about to go to the dock warehouse, which was said to be the largest warehouse in the entire Ming Dynasty built in Songjiang Prefecture, a copy of a memorial was delivered to Wei Guangde by a fast horse from the capital.

After inspecting the sealed package, Wei Guangde opened it and began to look through it, a smile appearing on his face.

"Teacher, is there any good news from the capital?"

Hu Junde asked cunningly.

"Hehe, no, it's that the imperial delegation sent to Europe has returned. They arrived in Bago, Burma a month ago, and the ship should be in Palembang by now."

More than a year ago, the Ministry of Rites led a delegation to Europe. The delegation was filled with a large number of secret agents from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, which made Xu Xuemo, the Minister of Rites, very dissatisfied.

The case eventually reached the cabinet, which also tried to smooth things over, advising Xu Xuemo to calm down while also instructing Liu Shouyou to reduce the number of people involved.

Whether the number of missions was ultimately reduced or not is unknown, but the mission still set off anyway.

Last time, the tribute ship went west with the George; this time, it is returning alone along the same route.

The success of this mission also means that the Ming Dynasty has mastered the sea routes for trade with Europe, and Ming merchants can also sail their merchant ships to Europe if they are willing to endure hardship and danger.

The dispatch of the mission was reported in the official gazette, so Hu Junde was aware of it.

"Teacher, they have certainly brought glory to our Great Ming Dynasty overseas. They deserve great rewards upon their return."

Saying that the mission went abroad to show off its power was actually just flattering Wei Guangde, implying that the cabinet was doing a good job in wielding power in the court, otherwise there would have been no precedent for this.

"When foreign merchant ships arrive here, are there any missionaries accompanying them, hoping to enter our Great Ming?"

Wei Guangde smiled and asked again.

"missionary?"

Hu Junde was taken aback and said with some suspicion.

"They are priests from the foreign church who want to spread their religion in our Great Ming Dynasty. Christianity, no, it's Catholicism."

Wei Guangde asked.

"It seems there was such a thing before, but Songjiang Prefecture only had trade and no obligation to receive foreign missions, so they were not allowed to stay in Songjiang Prefecture and could only live in the port area."

Upon hearing that people were spreading religion, Hu Junde immediately remembered that several groups of missionaries had indeed wanted to enter the city before.

Okay, this is the port area, a regulated zone, and non-Ming people are not allowed to leave here.

Moreover, a special commercial street was established in the port area to handle the sale of imported and exported goods. Since no taxes were paid, the goods were naturally not allowed to be transported out of the port and sold inside the city of Daming.

“Teacher, if I want to find a priest, I can have my men check; that’s easy.”

I remember someone reporting to me before that there were priests stationed in the port area for a long time, and they were preaching to our officials and laborers.

However, since it wasn't something to cause trouble, I told them to ignore it.

Is there some taboo involved?

Hu Junde hesitated at this point and cautiously inquired about the reason.

"Hehe, they weren't allowed to enter the country, so this time the delegation learned from their mistakes. In addition to visiting Portugal, Spain, and Anglo-Chinese countries, they also made a side trip to other European kingdoms, went to the Vatican, and met Gregory XIII."

Wei Guangde looked at the memorial and said with a smile.

"Who is Gregor XIII?"

Hu Junde was annoyed by the long names of Europeans and didn't fully remember what Wei Guangde said, so he mumbled it out.

"They are the leaders of those priests, whom they call the Pope."

When our Ming Dynasty delegation met this pope, he requested permission from us for their missionaries to preach.”

At this point, Wei Guangde could no longer suppress the upward curve of his lips.

Wei Guangde knew exactly what kind of people those missionaries were.

Although there are good people among them, many of them are "scientists".

Well, although in China, scholars looked down on strange and ingenious skills, it was often the scholars who actually made achievements in these areas, published books, and left their mark.

In the West, most scientists actually come from seminaries, because that's where they can access the most advanced knowledge.

Of course, in the end, it was they who overthrew the rule of "gods" and laid the foundation for science.

However, the vast majority of missionaries were tied to the colonists, using their power to spread their religion and expand their religious influence.

However, at this time, the West did not dare to underestimate the Ming Dynasty, so it chose to engage in reciprocal diplomacy.

This is considered the most normal diplomatic situation in the West, where both sides are equals and reach agreements through consultation.

However, from the memorial sent back by the mission, Wei Guangde could sense that he had been humiliated.

Well, perhaps in the eyes of the Ming envoys, they were from a superior country, so they should be treated with the respect due to a tributary state, meaning their king or queen should pay homage to them and acknowledge the supreme authority of the Ming emperor.

Of course, they did not act out in Europe because Wei Guangde had anticipated this and instructed them to simply observe their diplomatic habits carefully and not to strain relations.

Even if there's anything, write it down in a little notebook and deal with it when you get back home.

They were thousands of miles away, and even if others killed them, the Ming Dynasty would be powerless to stop them.

The mission clearly took Wei Guangde's advice to heart, so they sent the notebook back to China first.

"Teacher, should we release these priests or not?"

Hu Junde asked in a low voice.

“Maintain the status quo and wait for the court’s order.” Wei Guangde immediately replied, “After I return to the capital and convene the cabinet and the nine ministers to discuss this matter, His Majesty will make the decision.”

Wei Guangde was unsure whether or not to let the missionaries in; he had never considered this issue before.

However, as Wei Guangde looked at the memorial in his hand, his brows furrowed involuntarily, clearly having seen something that seemed to be bad news for the Ming Dynasty.

Upon seeing this, Hu Junde immediately shut up and said no more.

"Such a small country, yet it has so many problems."

Wei Guangde finally finished reading the memorial, a smile appearing on his lips. There was no cabinet draft following it, indicating that no final opinion had been reached.

Seeing this, Hu Junde cautiously asked, "Teacher, is there something else they need from my Great Ming?"

Wei Guangde glanced at Hu Junde without saying a word, his gaze fixed intently on the dock area, where there were three foreign ships, one from the Philippines and the other two from Goa.

However, the three boats were arranged to dock together by the Songjiang Prefecture and all was well.

"Were there any conflicts between the Spanish and Portuguese who came to Songjiang Prefecture?"

Wei Guangde suddenly asked.

"I don't think so. I heard they have an agreement to separate the benefits."

Hu Junde was taken aback. As the prefect of Songjiang Prefecture, he naturally devoted some of his energy to overseas affairs and paid attention to the movements of these foreigners.

"If a conflict breaks out between the Spanish and Portuguese who come to our Great Ming, the government troops must immediately intervene to suppress it."

Anyone who ignores the warnings will be executed on the spot as a warning to others.

The government office immediately drafted official documents and dispatched them to Yuegang, Guangzhou, and Tianjin. The official imperial order would follow later.

Wei Guangde immediately said.

"Teacher, these two countries have gone to war?"

Upon hearing this, Hu Junde immediately understood and guessed what was going on.

"It's not about starting a war. The King of Spain wants to also become the King of Portugal. Right now, there's a huge commotion there. England, France, and other countries are all on Portugal's side, and their popes support the King of Spain's claim."

Hu Junde could hardly believe his ears when Wei Guangde said that the throne could be held concurrently.

"How is this possible? Is this even allowed?"

Hu Junde couldn't help but ask in surprise.

“Our customs are different from theirs; it seems like it’s okay to do this there.”

Wei Guangde had no doubt about the contents of the memorial, but the reason it was written separately at the end was naturally because the mission considered the news extremely important.

Yes, it involves the change of kings in a kingdom.

The current Queen of England, Anelia, inherited the thrones of Scotland and Ireland, which is why the "British Isles" exist.

In modern times, most of Ireland gained independence, leaving only Northern Ireland, which has become a major problem for Britain.

To explain this problem, Wei Guangde felt it was simply wishful thinking, because the ideological gap between the East and the West was too great.

The ideology of Easterners is actually based on traditional Chinese ideology, while the ideology of the West is based on contracts and agreements.

The prevailing Chinese historical concept of "unity after a long period of division, and division after a long period of unity" led to the mistaken belief that geographical proximity inevitably resulted in annexation.

In the European context, the tradition of "feudal contracts" and the path of nation-state building since the Middle Ages cannot be ignored.

As is well known, European history has seen behemoths like the Eastern and Western Roman Empires, as well as the French Empire under Napoleon's control, but even so, no one has been able to completely unify Europe.

Historically, human civilization has seen several wars driven by the principle of "might makes right." Influenced by this mindset, many people simplify international relations to the law of the jungle, viewing it as an environment where the strong prey on the weak.

In fact, this is caused by different understandings of the concept of "nation".

The dynastic changes in ancient Chinese history were essentially territorial conquests between regimes.

The Ming dynasty conquered the territory of the Yuan dynasty, which in turn conquered the territory of the Song dynasty.
In the West, it seems that, influenced by the lord-vassal contract, the state was primarily dependent on the lord.

Even though Spain and Portugal are both located on the Iberian Peninsula, they cannot accept unification because they have developed their own independent ideologies.

Even someone as powerful as Napoleon couldn't do it.

We must thank Qin Shi Huang; without him, there would be no China as we know it today.

At this moment, Wei Guangde looked at Hu Junde and said, "Because the recently deceased King of Portugal left no heirs, while the King of Spain was his grandson."

"Ah, this"

China also has a tradition of judging the closeness or distance of a relationship based on blood ties. When the King of Portugal died without an heir, he would certainly choose the closest blood relative to inherit everything he had.

It seems acceptable that the grandson inherits the estate without leaving any male heirs.

This was Hu Junde's thought at the time, but it was about ordinary family property, not a country.

Hu Junde quickly realized that when the king died, a close prince from the former royal family could be chosen to succeed him; there was no reason for a grandson to inherit the throne.

Just like the Zhengde Emperor, if the Hongzhi Emperor had no other descendants, then the throne was inherited by the son of the Hongzhi Emperor's own brother, namely the Jiajing Emperor, instead of the Hongzhi Emperor's grandson.

Hu Junde did not believe that the Portuguese royal family would have a single heir for several or even a dozen generations, so at this point, the Spanish king's intentions were obvious.

A kingdom is not comparable to an ordinary family fortune; it would certainly be inherited by other relatives, and absolutely not by someone like a grandson, especially since he is the King of Spain.

Will war break out?

Hu Junde suddenly asked.

Wei Guangde shook his head. The letter did not mention that the King of Spain had sent troops to forcibly place the crown on the King of Portugal.

However, the mission believed that such a situation was unlikely to last, as most of the Portuguese nobility did not recognize the Spanish king's right of succession and had already gained the support of neighboring countries.

So far, the mission has not made a statement, even if the King of Spain signs the agreement between the Ming Dynasty and Portugal, and at the same time demands that the Ming people be granted freedom in Portugal, that is, to fully support and cooperate with the Ming mission's activities in Europe and to rescue the Ming people enslaved in Portugal.

Wei Guangde's brows were now deeply furrowed; he sensed something was amiss.

Given the Pope's support for Spain, Spain naturally has to do things to please the Pope.

Most European countries now oppose Spain, which is essentially opposing the Pope's orders.

Once the conflict escalates to the point of being irreconcilable, war becomes inevitable.

Once war breaks out, will Spain still have the silver to trade with the Ming Dynasty?

The interruption of Spanish silver inflows would undoubtedly be a heavy blow to the developing economy of the Ming Dynasty, and could potentially trigger an economic crisis.

Well, Wei Guangde wasn't sure which year or which country the world's first economic crisis occurred in.

However, if Europe goes to war, future history books may record that the world's first economic crisis originated in the Ming Dynasty, a crisis caused by overcapacity.

The workshop went bankrupt, and the workers lost their jobs. (End of Chapter)