Falmouth Fishing Port in Cornwall, British Island. At this time, Falmouth Port was still a very small fishing village. Relying on its superior geographical location, people here were mainly engaged in fishing.
Tom is a very ordinary fisherman in Falmao Fishing Port. He drives his own boat out to sea to fish every day and earns a little income to support his family.
"Damn the wind, there's no way to go fishing today."
In the harbor, Tom looked at the strong wind outside and then at the waves on the sea, and he couldn't help but curse.
His boat is small and cannot go out to sea in strong winds and waves, and it is still winter. If the wind and waves are too strong, the cold sea water will fall on your body and you will easily get sick.
Tom did not dare to take this risk, thinking that his wife had just given birth to a beautiful daughter for him, and he was also responsible for supporting the family. If it was a bachelor in the past, he would not care about this.
He likes the feeling of fighting waves on the sea, and even dreams of becoming a pirate and dominating the sea.
But now, he is a husband and a father, and he can no longer be the same as before.
"Hey, Tom~"
"Aren't you going to sea today?"
Tom's friend Jack happened to see Tom and asked with a smile.
"Don't go out, it's too dangerous."
Tom shook his head helplessly and said.
"Let's go to sea together. This way we can take care of you. You have just become a father and your family is in need of money. I can give you some more fish."
Jack thought for a while and said, they are good friends, but Jack is still a bachelor and not married yet. Every day he just wants to go fishing on the sea, and then exchange some money to go to the pub to be cool.
"Thank you Jack~"
When Tom heard this, he hesitated for a while, then nodded and agreed after thinking about it. He really needed money now. His wife and daughter at home were waiting for him to make money to buy bread.
Just when the two of them packed up their things and were about to go to sea, several huge warships appeared on the sea. These ships were extremely large, like huge stern ships, chopping the waves on the sea and heading towards the fishing port of Falmaus.
Compared with these huge ships, these fishing boats parked in the fishing port are like toys.
"What kind of ships are these?"
Tom and Jack's eyes widened.
"I don't know~"
Jack shook his head slightly and said.
"Dang~dang~"
The news that a large ship had arrived at Falmouth Fishing Port quickly spread throughout this small fishing port. People in the entire fishing port came out and hurried to the pier to look at the huge ship that was slowly mooring.
"This is not our English ship~"
"It seems like these people are not Europeans~"
Tom looked at the large ship that was slowly mooring in the port. There was a flag hanging on it that he had never seen before. At the same time, the people on the ship had black hair, black eyes, gorgeous clothes, and were very clean.
At first glance, they are not Europeans. European sailors are definitely not so clean, and these ships are also quite different from European ships. Especially the auspicious cloud pattern carved on the ship is a pattern that has never been seen before.
"Who are they?"
"I don't know~"
"It seems there are us English people on the ship~"
In the port, everyone was talking about it.
On one of the large ships, Tian Erniu was carefully observing the small fishing port in front of him.
The fishing port is very small, just the size of a small town, with about a thousand people. The houses are very old and dilapidated, and the roads are very muddy. Everything looks very bad.
In the fishing port, many people gathered together were all dressed in tatters, with long hair and big beards. They looked very dirty, as if they had not taken a shower for a long time. The whole port exuded a smell.
A disgusting smell.
"I don't understand why Master Liu named this place Hong Kong?"
Tian Erniu said to Jiang Liang beside him.
It was Liu Jin's request that England cede Cornwall. Liu Jin's letter also stated that if England ceded Cornwall, it would rename it Hong Kong.
But Tian Erniu covered his nose and couldn't help complaining. The word "xiang" here didn't seem to be related at all, and calling it "stinky Hong Kong" seemed to be more appropriate.
"How do I know? Maybe it's because people here don't like to take baths and it stinks, so it's more appropriate to call it Hong Kong."
Jiang Liang shrugged slightly and said.
Of course, the two of them didn't know that Liu Jin was a time traveler from later generations, and naturally they didn't know what kind of joke this was in Hong Kong.
The ship slowly moored at the pier of Falmaus Fishing Port. Compared with the huge Ming warships, the many fishing boats around it suddenly seemed very small, like toys.
Everyone in Falmaus Harbor looked at everything on the big ship, looking very curious and at the same time very scared, because everyone saw the dark cannons on the warship, and also looked at it.
When they arrived on the warship, there were soldiers lined up neatly, carrying muskets and holding swords.
Piracy is very popular in Europe. From the beginning of the Viking pirates in the Middle Ages to the present, piracy has never stopped. Even though the English are famous for their pirates, they themselves will inevitably be plundered by pirates.
The same is true for the Falmouth fishing port. It has been visited by pirates in the past. For this reason, people in the fishing port have taken up arms to guard against whether pirates are visiting here.
But it was obvious that these ships in front of them did not look like pirates in any way. These people wearing gorgeous, clean and neat clothes looked more like nobles and gentlemen than those dirty pirates.
"They are from the Ming Dynasty~"
Someone seemed to recognize him and couldn't help shouting.
"People from the Ming Dynasty?"
"The legendary Ming people from the far and rich east?"
When the people around heard this, they couldn't help but scream.
"Yes, they are from the Ming Dynasty~"
"Coming from the far east, it is said that the Ming Dynasty is very wealthy. There is gold everywhere, and everyone wears silk that only the nobles can afford, and uses porcelain that only the nobles can afford."
"I heard that the Chinese eat sweets every day. Those sugars are as white as snow. Only our European royal families and nobles are eligible to enjoy this kind of sugar."
Tom and Jack listened to the people around them talking and looked at the Ming people who were getting off the boat with curious eyes.
Tian Erniu, Jiang Liang and others got off the boat and looked at the people in front of them, and could feel their curiosity about them.
"Everyone!"
"I am William, the aide-de-camp to Prince Henry, Duke of Cornwall. Today I officially announce to everyone that from today on, Cornwall has been ceded to the Ming Empire. From now on, you will be under the jurisdiction of the Ming Empire and no longer belong to the Kingdom of England.
Jurisdiction.”
Tian Erniu nodded to the few Englishmen around him, and William, the leader, stood up helplessly, holding a tin trumpet and began to announce to everyone present that Cornwall would belong to the Ming Dynasty from now on.
"What?"
"Cornwall was ceded to the Ming Empire?"
"We will all be under the jurisdiction of Ming Dynasty in the future?"
"this…"
When everyone present heard William's words, they immediately went crazy, and everyone couldn't help but started talking.
Who would have thought that at this point, they would no longer be English, but would be ceded to the Ming Empire, and would be under the jurisdiction of the Ming Empire from then on.
"Why?"
“Why abandon us Cornwall?”
"We have always paid taxes, why should we be ceded to the Ming Empire?"
Some people couldn't accept this and asked excitedly.
"Because we in England have been defeated by the coalition forces of Spain and the Ming Empire. As losers, we have to sign a peace agreement. According to the agreement, Cornwall will belong to the Ming Empire in the future."
William said helplessly.
"No, no, even if we die, we are still English and will never submit to the jurisdiction of the Ming Empire."
Someone said very firmly.
But such people are in the minority after all. Even the King of England was defeated and had to cede Cornwall to the Ming Empire. What could ordinary people like them do?
Moreover, for them, the rule of the King of England and the rule of the Ming Empire were just a change of rulers, and there was not much change or difference in themselves.
Although these Ming people in front of them seemed to be incompatible with them, with dark eyes and black hair, and they looked very arrogant, but now that this had become a fact, most people still lowered their heads helplessly and acquiesced to this.
"I don't know how much taxes the Ming Empire will levy. If the taxes are too heavy, I won't obey them."
Jack said to Tom beside him.
"Me too~"
Tom also nodded solemnly and said.
At this time, the taxes in England, and even in Europe as a whole, were very heavy. Even though the king of England did not tax ordinary people very much, due to the feudal system in Western Europe, the king himself was just one of the large and small lords in the country.
What he can fully control is the territory directly under his jurisdiction.
After the king entrusts the territory to a lord, when the king issues a summons for war, the lord must be fully armed and recruit an army corresponding to his title to help. In exchange, the lord will receive military, administrative, legislative and tax support in the territory.
The rights belong to the lord.
Legally speaking, the output and taxes of the territory belong to the lord, and other lords have no right to interfere. However, the people who are not directly controlled by the king also have to pay taxes. The taxes they have to pay are divided into two categories.
One was given to the lord of the territory, and the other was given to the Catholic Church.
The taxes paid to the lord include: real money rent, labor rent, real rent, poll tax, grass fee, firewood fee, court revenue and arbitrary tax, etc. There are many types of taxes.
The same is true for what is given to the church. There are many types, the most famous of which is the tithe. This was established by the church starting from the 6th century based on the so-called tenth of agricultural and sideline products in the Bible that belongs to God.
Taxes have now become popular in Western European countries.
The total of various taxes is very heavy and can account for almost more than half of people's income. This is why there is a popular saying in the West that taxes and death are inevitable in a person's life.
The situation in England is similar. Although the king and country of England do not have much tax revenue, the taxes on the people below are still very heavy.
