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Chapter 1144 The King's New Tax

"Are you really going to leave the Devonshire manor?" Sir Greenville stayed at Mrs. Grace's manor for a few days, and Mrs. Grace asked the servants to pack their bags and prepare to go to London.

Grace's decision surprised Sir Greenville.

"I've been in the country for a long time. I'm tired of this kind of life. I want to live in London, can't I?" Mrs. Grace said coldly.

"Of course..." Sir Greenville didn't want to argue with Mrs. Grace, "In that case, I will also live in London for a while."

Mrs. Grace did not continue to quarrel with Sir Greenville, but acquiesced to Sir Greenville and her to live in London.After she knew that Selina was safe and sound in the east, she had the idea of ​​going to the east to meet Selina and her granddaughter, even though sailing was still quite dangerous at this time.

"What will happen to your estate when you leave Devonshire?"

Li Jinde enjoyed the scenery of the manor in the British countryside for a few days. He probably knew that his father-in-law and mother-in-law owned more than a dozen manors in Devonshire and Cornwall. They were local big landlords and did not need his support at all.

"It's fine for the servants to take care of these manors. It's impossible for us to have the energy to take care of all the manors." Mrs. Grace said indifferently.

"Our Britain is not that big. It doesn't take much time to travel from London to Devon. Even if you live in London temporarily, you can take a carriage back to Devon. Get in the car and find a way to buy it in London. A house," Sir Greenville explained.

Li Jinde did not expect that his arrival would change the fate of these two British country gentlemen.

A group of them left Devon in a four-wheeled carriage and drove directly to the city of London.As the director of Western Trading Company, Li Jinde also needs to work in the city of London and supervise the establishment and operation of the factory.The Chinese goods of more than [-] large ships were also sold to British nobles, British merchants, and citizens.This time the fleet also brought a special commodity - smallpox vaccine.

This particular item hasn't gone on sale yet, and even pricing is an issue.And the threat of smallpox to Europe is even greater than that of the East.

In Charles I's palace, the footsteps of ministers could be heard.

"Come in!" Charles I heard footsteps outside the door.

"Your Majesty, the Woolwich Shipyard has agreed to increase the number of guns in the new warship under construction to 104 guns, and guarantee that the performance of the new warship will not be affected much. This will be the greatest warship in the world!" the minister said from Woolwich Dockyard returns to report to Charles I.

"Well...a battleship with more than 100 cannons is unprecedented in history. I am afraid that even the East will not be able to build it... This warship will be named 'Sovereign of the Sea' and lead the Royal Navy to cheer up." Charles I thought to himself Said.

He didn't know that there was a three-deck battleship with more than 100 guns in the east, such as the Victory, which was 100 years ahead of the "Sea Monarch" battleship under construction.

"Once the Monarch of the Seas is launched and put into use, it will be invincible and make Britain a first-class power in the world. Your Majesty has raised more than 80 pounds for the construction of the navy over the years. The elite division built under the huge sum of money will surely make those who oppose you Shut up." The minister flattered.

"The goal of 80 pounds has not been achieved. People in many places are unwilling to pay the ship tax. They are selfish and disregard the interests of the country. We must find a way to make them pay the tax obediently. We also need to establish a standing army , The initial number of this army is 2000, and the officers are directly appointed by the king, what do you think?" Charles I asked him.

"It is a matter of course for the army to be loyal to His Majesty the King... Just to revive the Royal Navy requires a lot of money. If we want to establish a standing army at the same time, I am afraid that new taxes will be levied, which will be opposed and protested by the gentry." Minister The tone is full of worry.

The free citizens represented by gentry nobles, big merchants, and handicraftsmen have extensive power in Britain. The militia and taxes are provided by these people. It can be said that they control the economy and the military at the same time.

"They cannot comprehend the power of a centralized empire. When our goods cannot be sold due to competition from other countries, and when the enemy's army forces us to submit, they know that they are protected by a standing army of strong will. How important it is!" Charles I said angrily, "I got a lot of money from the Huaxia people, which can be used to cultivate a core army, but it is impossible to build a large standing army with the royal family alone. This is the army to protect our Kingdom of Britain, so it should naturally be supported by all the subjects of our Kingdom of Britain. I think that the 'protection tax' should be levied to raise funds from the subjects of the whole country to build a standing army with a target of 2 people. There are 3000 royal masters."

"Patriotic tax..." The nobles who supported Charles I also hesitated.

They are royalists, but if King Charles wants to impose new taxes, then they can't escape paying taxes.and……

"The limelight of the ship tax has not passed. His Majesty the king should first deal with the riots caused by the introduction of the ship tax to the whole country, and then levy the national protection tax. Otherwise, I am afraid that it will arouse the anger of the gentry and the citizens." The minister persuaded.

"Let the magistrates of all places arrest those who are unwilling to pay the ship's tax and hand it over to the financial court. Those who resist the tax will be fined twice!" Charles I frowned when he thought that many gentry and nobles took the lead in refusing to pay the ship's tax. .

"I'm afraid this kind of disposition is inappropriate... It's better to arrest one or two prestigious country gentry and nobles and send them to the financial court, give all the rest of the tax-resisting people a blow, and observe the reactions of others." The minister suggested.

Hearing the minister's proposal, Charles I nodded and said, "According to what you said, first find the most stubborn person who resists taxes first, and see if others dare to openly resist taxes."

"Also, dear Your Majesty, the establishment of a standing army and a powerful navy requires a lot of investment every year. If the parliament can be reconvened, with the approval of the parliament, and confirmation of taxes such as ship tax and national defense tax, I think the subjects will not So contradicting the new tax." The minister suggested again.

"My resolution does not need to be approved by the parliament. There is always a group of annoying guys in the parliament. Every time they convene in the past, they will target my proposal and ignore the king at all. They only need to obey my orders That's fine." Charles I's tone was full of disgust for the parliament.

Even Chu Yun, who was far away in the east, reminded Charles I in letters to prevent parliament from seizing power.

　I have something to do today, I will update it tomorrow morning or at noon

　　
　
(End of this chapter)