Back to Ming Dynasty with Industrial Revolution System

Chapter 1213 Execution and Expulsion

At the customs office in Batavia, several Ottoman merchants who took the lead in smuggling spices were pushed to the execution platform.Many merchants who trade in Batavia are on the sidelines.

"What did they do?"

"It is said that they were carrying out spice smuggling activities in the Maluku Islands. On the way back, the ship was blown to the nearby sea by strong winds, and then intercepted by patrolling gunboats."

"Businessmen from the Ottoman Empire, they have been attacking Europe for 100 years, and they still subjugated Tunisia in the Mediterranean, and kidnapped an unknown number of Europeans. Unexpectedly, their businessmen were caught and sentenced by the Orientals."

"It seems that their smuggling amount has reached [-] catties, which has reached the threshold for the execution of the death penalty in the Eastern Nanyang Province. It is estimated that they will be doomed."

"There are indeed many smuggling locations in the Maluku Islands. Some black merchants and pirates conducted secret transactions with the local aborigines to avoid the high spice tax, but they were really unlucky and were caught and sentenced."

The onlookers included Chinese merchants, Western merchants, and Nanyang merchants, but they were more of a spectator, and no one stood up to avenge the Ottoman merchants.

Regarding smuggling in the Maluku Islands, many businessmen know that there are smuggling spots. Excessive spice taxes will definitely make people take risks for their livelihood and higher profits.It's one thing to be a smuggler, it's another to get caught.

Now that he was doing business in the territory of the Huaxia people, he could only accept his fate if he was caught.

A small group of customs soldiers with muskets on their backs came to the place of execution and took the muskets behind them into their hands.

They will end the smuggler's life with dignity.

The legs of the Ottoman merchants standing on the execution platform were trembling, their faces were pale, and they were yelling something.

"Go and ask them what their last words are." The Civil Affairs Officer of the Nanyang Province personally supervised the execution. Seeing one of the Ottoman businessmen yelling, he sent someone over to question him.

The Ottoman businessman who took the lead seemed to have grasped at straws, and said a lot of words to the sailor next to him without hesitation, and then the sailor relayed them.

"He said that their family is a big family of the Ottoman Empire, and they are related to some Barbary pirates, hoping to redeem their own lives with a lot of money. That's roughly what it means." The official who performed the translation said to the civil affairs officer.

"At this time, the government is cracking down on smuggling. I have summoned so many merchants. If we let her go like this, wouldn't it damage the majesty of our government? If there is no discussion, they will be executed immediately and all the spices on their ships will be confiscated." Civil Affairs said the official.

Bang! !

The sound of musket guns sounded, and several smugglers from the Ottoman Empire fell on the execution platform, and the customs soldiers who executed them then dragged them down.

The onlookers and dock workers exclaimed. The government's severe deterrence against smuggling has forced them to restrain their actions.

After executing the smugglers, customs soldiers rushed onto the Ottoman merchant's merchant ship and removed all the pepper, cloves, nutmeg, and Indian homespun inside.

Not only did they not succeed in smuggling, but they lost their lives and all their goods, which shocked everyone.

"The local aboriginal kingdom who provided them with smuggling also needs to be punished. After all, a slap can't be slapped." After executing several smugglers, the Nanyang Civil Affairs Officer still had more to say.

"This can be used as a reason to lower the purchase price of their spices." An official said.

"That's good." The civil affairs officer nodded.

In addition to collecting high spice taxes, there is another fundamental means of profit is to lower the price of spices purchased, and then raise the selling price to Western merchants and Indian merchants to earn the difference.

"What about those Ottoman sailors?"

"Return the empty boat to them and deport them. If the merchants of the Ottoman Empire engage in large-scale smuggling in the future, they will be prohibited from trading in this sea area," the civil affairs officer said.

The Nanyang Province's severe punishment for smuggling spices quickly spread throughout Batavia.

"Although the government is trying its best to monopolize the spice trade to keep the price of spices high, the higher the price of spices, the more serious the smuggling by merchants from various countries is. Not only Ottoman merchants, but also Chinese merchants are secretly smuggling." Otomo Nobutada, a businessman from Japan, muttered after hearing the news.

He took Miyamoto Musashi and more than a dozen hired samurai to set off for the rubber plantation.

"Are Westerners eager for spices?" Miyamoto Musashi and other warriors asked, not knowing the trade system of the Spice Islands.

"They regard this thing as more important than gold and silver. But that was decades ago. Later, as more and more spices were shipped out of the Spice Islands, their fanaticism has declined. It is still a profiteering products. But ah, the government is trying its best to monopolize and squeeze the indigenous kingdoms that grow spices, and it will definitely cause turmoil." Otomo Nobutada said.

"As for the disobedient native kingdom, it's enough to send troops to suppress it." A dozen or so ronin warriors from Japan said disapprovingly.

"If something can be done by force, you are very wrong. Without the native kingdom, who will provide cheap labor to help us work?" Otomo Nobutada hung his luggage on the mule, "Let's go to the rubber plantation , compared with spices, plantations are the future of the Spice Islands."

If Miyamoto Musashi lost something, he followed Otomo Nobutada to his rubber plantation with his companions carrying the Japanese long sword.

After several Ottoman merchants were executed, the remaining Ottoman sailors were herded aboard and ordered to leave Batavia immediately.

By this time the Ottoman sailors had almost nothing but an empty ship.All the goods in the cabin were confiscated by the customs, only food and fresh water remained.

"Damn Orientals, they shot our master. How should we explain to the family where the master belongs when we go back to Ottoman? We will definitely be executed with the most severe torture!"

"I don't think we should go back to Ottomans. It's better to wander in East Africa and be a pirate. If we go back, we will die. Maybe we can be free while wandering outside as pirates."

"But our wives and children are in Constantinople. If we don't go back, they will be executed instead of us!"

"Otherwise we will self-mutilate before returning to China, trying our best to explain the cruelty of the Orientals to us, and let the master's family resent them, so as to forgive our actions."

A group of Ottoman sailors were thinking hard on the ship how to explain to the big family of the Ottoman Empire.

They don't know that their actions may affect the conflict between the two great empires at any time.

(End of this chapter)