I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 760: Ming Dynasty is where my heart is at peace

Komuman said faintly: "Felipe II of Spain is becoming more and more ambitious now."

"Yes, I heard from Leon that in the second year of Longqing, the Catholic coalition led by Spain defeated the Protestant army in Jarnac, and the leader of the Catholics, Prince Louis I of Condé, was killed in the battle.

In the third year of the Longqing reign, the Protestant army was defeated in the Battle of Moncontour, and the Protestant leader, Admiral Gaspard de Coligny, was killed.

Philip II, who won a great victory, was very proud and called himself the savior of Catholicism.

Jose was talking about the religious wars that took place in France, where Protestant Calvinism was spreading rapidly.

Calvinism emphasizes salvation through faith, denies the authority and hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church, advocates the abolition of cumbersome religious rituals, idolatry, pilgrimage and fasting, and requires believers to elect clergy and establish a simplified, pure and cheap church.

A large number of artisans, especially printers, small businessmen, farmers and lower-level clergymen accepted the above doctrine and became Calvinist Protestants, known as Huguenots, with about one million followers.

The French kings in previous years were Francis II and Charles IX of the Valois dynasty, but the real power was in the hands of Queen Mother Catherine de Medici. She was surrounded by conservative nobles headed by the Duke of Guise and the bishops headed by Cardinal Charles of Lorraine, forming a powerful Catholic force.

Some nobles who coveted the throne, such as the Prince of Condé of the Pompeii family and the King of Navarre, together with other local nobles who were dissatisfied with the king, wanted to use the power of the Huguenots, and announced their conversion to Protestantism, openly opposing the central government and the king.

The conflicts between the old and new religions and between the central and local governments became increasingly intense, and finally the First and Second Religious Wars broke out in 1562 and 1567.

Both sides suffered heavy losses in the First Religious War, with the Catholic forces losing slightly.

The Second War of Religion began with the Catholics having the upper hand.

The power behind Protestantism, several German Protestant electors, took direct action and sent troops to support the Huguenots, and the Paris court and Catholic forces surrendered.

Komuman knew this story.

What Jose just talked about was the Third Religious War, in which Spain, the power behind Catholicism, personally took part in the war and defeated the Protestant army.

"Anything else?" Komuman continued to ask.

Jose smiled and asked, "Why do you ask?"

“I know Felipe II is an ambitious man.

More than a decade ago, he led the Spanish army to defeat the French army in the Battle of Saint-Quentin, forcing King Henry II of France to sign the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis. Spain replaced France as the master of the Italian peninsula and became the new guest of honor of the Vatican.

But these were not enough to make him arrogant enough to try to annex Portugal. "

Jose looked at the talking Comman and said softly, "The Battle of Lepanto."

"I have heard from an Ottoman merchant that at the most critical moment for the Venetian and Genoese fleets, the Spanish sailing fleet appeared like a knight, defeated the Ottoman fleet in one fell swoop, and reversed the situation."

"That's right. According to Leon and my uncle, after the Battle of Lepanto, Philip II was praised by Pope Pius V as the savior of the Christian world.

From then on, the Mediterranean Sea also became the Spanish Sea."

Komuman raised his head and drank the tea in the cup. "I see. Lisbon realized the danger, so he sent the Marquis and Leon to the East, hoping to form an alliance with the Ming Dynasty?"

"That's right, the Portuguese are in urgent need of a strong foreign aid to help them break the current deadlock."

Ke Muman shook his head slowly. "It will be easier to invite the gods than to send them away. The Ming army and navy are not kind people who chant Buddha and eat vegetarian food. They are a group of tigers and wolves who eat people without leaving any bones."

"Jian Mu, whether Spain is strong or weak, prosperous or declining, has little to do with us."

"So what do you mean by that?"

"There is a saying in the Ming Dynasty: Drink the water and remember its source. Although we are now glorious citizens of the Ming Dynasty, I will never forget the scent of lavender in my hometown."

"You want to help them?"

“Give me a hand and do your best.”

Comman picked up the kettle and poured tea into Jose's and his own cups. He picked up the cup himself, turning it back and forth between his fingers, thinking silently. After more than two minutes, he tilted his head back and drank all the tea in the cup.

"Okay, we'll do our best."

Jose breathed a sigh of relief.

"I heard that Eunuch Lu took a boat to Hebei a few days ago. Why didn't you go north with him? Last time you said he wanted to introduce you to Eunuch Yang of the Ministry of the Imperial Household."

“Yes, I originally planned to go north with him and ask him to introduce me to Eunuch Yang to see if I could realize my dream of opening a bank.

But plans cannot keep up with changes. A few days ago, the municipal government suddenly informed me that my application for naturalization was approved.

The oath-taking at the City Hall is a necessary procedure and will be carried out in batches. The time is set for today. I have discussed with Eunuch Lu that we may arrive in the capital earlier than him by taking a boat and going by sea. "

"I heard that Eunuch Lu left very abruptly. He made the decision abruptly, several days earlier than planned. The officials and gentry who had wanted to see him off and curry favor with him were caught off guard."

Komuman shrugged, "I guess it's because of the Yang Kaitai case."

"The Yang Kaitai case? Is it the Xiao Baicai case that has been making the rounds?"

"Yes, Eunuch Lu is afraid of being implicated in this case, so it is better for him to leave first."

Jose was very curious. "As soon as we arrived in Shanghai, we heard about the Yang Kaitai case. My uncle and Leon were very curious and went to the Huzhou Court to watch the trial early in the morning.

You need a certificate to observe the trial. I asked many people but they were all helpless. Finally, I happened to meet Shu Youliang, the steward of Lord Hai. He happened to have a Class A certificate and could bring two people in. "Lord Hai?" Ke Muman smiled. "I heard that he was the one who pushed this case behind the scenes, so today's public trial is possible."

Jose's eyes widened, "Is this case related to Lord Hai? No wonder Eunuch Lu suddenly returned to Beijing ahead of schedule. Jian Mu, is there something behind this case?"

"The inside story? To put it bluntly, it's a greedy villain who harmed a modest gentleman. There's a saying in the Ming Dynasty that a gentleman can be deceived. It makes so much sense."

"Can a gentleman be deceived?" Jose was stunned for a moment, "Jian Mu, you have gone further than me."

"Fengxian, you and I have known each other for twenty years."

“Yes, it has been twenty years since Aquinas Seminary.”

"You know my ideal. For this ideal, I traveled to Venice, Genoa, Spain, and finally came to the distant East.

I didn't expect that in this hot land, I suddenly found that this place is closest to my dream. I am like a drowning person who found a floating board and desperately grabbed it.
In the past few years, I have worked hard to learn everything here, just like a shriveled sponge thrown into the ocean, trying my best but absorbing less than one billionth of the water.

Jose looked at him, picked up the teacup and drank it all. "I once heard a line of poetry, 'My hometown is where my heart is at peace.' It's really well said. Ming Dynasty is the hometown where we feel at peace."

It enables us to realize our dreams.”

In Courtroom No. 6 on the second floor of the trial building of the Huzhou Magistrate's Court, the prosecutor from the Yangzhou County Procuratorate and Judicial Bureau was coming to the end of his case presentation.

"Yang Kaitai colluded with Gou Shide's concubine Gou Cai and planned to embezzle Gou Shide's money.
Yang Kaitai used his rich experience and connections in agricultural and sideline products sales to find Tianjin Cotton Mill No. 2 to purchase cotton at the over-the-counter market of the Shanghai Agricultural and Sideline Products Trading Bureau. He sold 100,000 kilograms of cotton belonging to Gou Shide on his behalf at a high price and actually received 15,670 yuan in payment.

In order to conceal his tracks, Yang Kaitai sold the soybeans normally at the Shanghai Agricultural and Sideline Products Trading Bureau and actually received 1,247 yuan in payment.

Gou Shide entrusted Yang Kaitai to sell 100,000 catties of cotton and 100,000 catties of soybeans, and the actual sales proceeds were 16,917 yuan, but Yang Kaitai reported to Gou Shide that the sales proceeds were 11,370 yuan, and the difference of 5,547 yuan was swallowed by Yang Kaitai.

The chief prosecutor standing in the prosecutor's seat said righteously: "We have verified the sales contracts between Yang Kaitai and Tianjin Cotton Mill No. 120565. Among them, there is a contract numbered Jiaxu , and the evidence number is Shanghai Law Jiaxu Yang Kaitai Case No. .

The contract content is: The goods sold are 100,000 jin of cotton produced in northern Jiangsu and of the improved variety Donghai No. 4.
There is also a transfer slip issued by the Agricultural Communications Bureau of the Shanghai Branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, with the number of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Shanghai Jiaxu 1013007902 and the evidence number of Shanghai Law Jiaxu Yang Kaitai Case A No.
The payee is Tianjin Cotton Mill No. 2, and the payee is Fuqitai Trading Company under the name of Yang Kaitai. The amount is 15,670 yuan, and the purpose is marked as cotton trading money.

The chief prosecutor said as he read out the bill evidence numbers in the file. As his evidence numbers were read out, a clerk took out the corresponding evidence and showed them one by one to the prosecutor, the defendant, the defendant's defense litigation seat, as well as reporters and the audience.

After the statement was completed, the chief prosecutor turned to the bench and said in a loud voice: "The prosecutor has finished his statement of the case. I request to summon the main witness to make a statement in court to confirm that the evidence in this case is solid."

The chief prosecutor nodded and said, "Okay, the prosecutor can begin to call the main witnesses in this case."

The chief prosecutor nodded and said, "Thank you, Mr. Chief Prosecutor. Now the prosecution will call the first witness of this case, Mai Chengqi, the purchasing director of Tianjin No. 2 Cotton Mill in Shanghai."

Mai Chengqi, who is in his thirties, a typical northern man with an authentic Tianjin accent, was led to the witness stand next to the secretary's seat.

The clerk stood and spoke to him word by word: "Mai Chengqi, you are from Tianjin, Hebei. Now you must understand that everything you say in court must be true. You must not lie."

Mai Chengqi swallowed and said, "I know."

"Mai Chengqi, providing false testimony and perjury are illegal and will require criminal liability. Do you understand?"

"clear."

"Okay, prosecutor, please begin."

"Mai Chengqi."

"exist."

"Are you the purchasing director of Tianjin Cotton Mill No. 2 in Shanghai?"

"Yes."

"Okay, tell me about your cotton transaction of 100,000 kilograms with the criminal Yang Kaitai last year, in October of the fourth year of the Wanli reign."

"At that time, whoever wanted to sell me cotton, I told him to say goodbye.
We are short of cotton in Tianjin Cotton Mill these years, especially our newly built No. 2 Cotton Mill. We don’t have a fixed cotton supplier, so we have to look for it everywhere. What a problem.
That's right, I know Yang Kaitai, he's a very good businessman and a very particular person. Last year, in mid-October of the fourth year of the Wanli reign as you said, Yang Kaitai sold me 100,000 kilograms of cotton. "

"Have you seen that cotton?"

"I have to inspect the goods. I have definitely seen them. If I dare to buy them blindly and the goods are not what I ordered when they arrive at the factory, I will be sued."

"Can you tell where that batch of cotton came from and what variety it is?"

"Of course, that's what I do for a living. As soon as I saw the cotton, I knew it was produced by the Subei Agricultural Reclamation Company. The variety is the Donghai No. 4 bred by the Southeast Agricultural Science Institute."

They all match.

There was a slight discussion in the press box, and Marcelo's expression became more serious after listening to Leon's translation.

After calling two more witnesses, the chief prosecutor announced, "Now call the fourth prosecution witness, Gou Cai."

The cabbage is coming out!
Shu Youliang immediately sat up straight, stretched his neck and looked around.

There was a loud noise like a burst of explosion in the press box and the audience seats. Most people were like Shu Youliang, staring at the side door without blinking.

As everyone was looking forward to it, the side door opened with a creak.

(End of this chapter)