living in 16th century england

Chapter 74 Anna of the Hawkins Family

Paying attention to credibility has always been the principle of Matthew.

Therefore, when the accountants counted and valued the cargo, they gave him a figure that would hurt even Henry VIII.He was still about to bleed profusely.After all, he earns more.

However, there is one person who does not agree, and that is his sister, Anna Hawkins.

"Matthew, these are all stolen goods and cannot be calculated at the normal market price. At most 50%. Otherwise, why should we pay nearly 8000 pounds of real money? Isn't it good to buy it yourself?"

She patted the leather paper on the table.

"For example, this... second-hand old-fashioned Kirk boats, at most they can count for 40 pounds. I have seen the 80 tons of wheat, the quality is not good, and there are many sundries. It is not bad to count them for 124 pounds. Bordeaux wine is relatively easy to sell, 20 tons It can be counted as 40 gold coins. The anchor can be counted as one pound. There is no tableware left in the captain’s cabin. What explanation can there be other than being taken along?...Other sundries such as drinking water cannot be counted as money at all, so For a long time, God only knows how long. If someone wants it, let them move it back."

"12 shipments, 4000 pounds can't be more. You can divide it in half, 2000 pounds is enough for Mike and the others."

Anna: "I'm not talking about you. As a lord, you should still collect some taxes from them."

Matthew suddenly felt that his head was a little big, good guy, you still need me to collect taxes if you cut it down the middle?

"Is it...too harsh?"

What Matthew cares about is noble images such as benevolence and faith.He has always believed that violence can only be used as the foundation at the bottom, and at this stage, convincing the citizens is the lowest management cost method.

Yes, the point is cost.

There is no doubt that people who are a bit pursuing want this kind of label, even if it is a hypocritical label.Shouting slogans and not doing personnel work is the norm.

What is the nature of everyone wanting to make a fortune?That is public opinion!The will of the people cannot be violated.It is undoubtedly inappropriate to stop him, it will only make him the object of resentment by the people.

Therefore, what Matthew can do is to slightly punish the captain and first mate.Punishment is not the purpose, let alone punish them for robbing. It is the most important thing to show your position and attitude~ It is wrong to rob without authorization.

The point here is ~ without authorization!
But compared to the peak era of pirates in the future.His captains still have some bottom line~ they didn't kill innocent people indiscriminately, let alone turn people into slaves and sell them.

Many modern people's impressions of the Age of Discovery are estimated to be only the Great Geographical Discovery and trade between the East and the West.

In fact, since Spain was the first to issue a privateer license, other countries have followed suit.

~The entire Atlantic Ocean will be a battleground for eating chicken.Every ship can be a pirate or a victim.Some pirates even robbed their own people.Everyone is like a "bad wolf".At that time, there may be as many pirates as there are armed merchant ships in Europe.

Don't expect Matthew to force this barbarian world naively with the morality of the future.

Regardless of the era, most kings and lords, or just any leader, are actually pushed forward.

The so-called "the trend of the world is mighty, those who follow it will prosper, and those who go against it will perish." Is there any moral consideration in this?
What was the trend in the 16th century?Are there moral considerations?
People often don't understand that the highest form of struggle is to guide and create "world trends" at the ideological level.In Europe in the 16th century, it was manifested as the religious reform and the growth of bourgeois ideology.

If you think that the highest form is war, it means that understanding is not enough.

There will be various factors that drive various leaders to "have to."Otherwise, they will just eat, sleep, and have children~eating and dying.Even the castle will not be repaired.

Of course, there are always some outstanding people who will take the initiative to create a new situation and era, change everything, and benefit the majority.Those who achieve great success are called great men.

Matthew's original intention was just to live a long and comfortable life, and of course it is the former at present.

"For tax collection, you should first decide how to collect the tax, and then make it public... Ah... Seeing that everyone is getting rich, you suddenly say that you want to collect taxes? This is really ugly..."

Matthew said with a bitter face: "... I can't afford to lose this person."

Anna said: "There is no permanent population on your islands. The houses have been repaired a lot. Why don't you let them settle on the islands, and why is the castle still not started?"

Matthew: "Let's wait until next year. We don't have enough manpower now, and there will definitely be a shortage of people by June."

Anna laughed and said, "Not only are you short of men, but you are also short of women. Those sailors and homeless men almost broke the door of the bathroom recently..."

Strange to say, in the campaign to eradicate "witches", successful businesswomen, women who can read and write, etc. are easily labeled as "witches".Prostitutes are the safest group of people.So many women "voluntarily" become prostitutes in order to survive.

Matthew raised his forehead immediately. This sister seemed to be "improving" too fast, so she immediately changed the subject.

"Have you ever wondered why they went to rob?"

Anna had a weird expression: "My dear brother, everyone said it was because you were too tolerant."

Matthew smiled.

"That's not the case... You have to know that robbery is one of the characteristics of this era. Few ship owners will deliberately ask his crew not to rob. Because they are also profitable."

"If you don't let the crew exercise their robbery skills, they will be robbed one day."

"So the reason I asked Mike and the others to write the review was not piracy"

Anna immediately understood: "Is it... AWOL?"

Matthew smiled: "My dear sister...you react quickly."

"There is no easier way to weaken France than to cut off their sea routes."

"So I'm going to normalize this kind of looting so that every Plymouth person has the opportunity to rip the French off."

Anna: "...what about the plan to purchase French grain?"

Matthew: "It's enough to change the flag, such as the Netherlands or Denmark or Sweden, or the Hanseatic League."

"Really?" Anna rolled her eyes, "Matthew, have you ever thought about blocking the English Channel and collecting taxes from merchant ships?"

"!"

Matthew immediately sat up straight, froze for a few seconds, and leaned back again.

"It's too early, and I shouldn't be collecting it... let alone Spain..."

"...Let's talk about it later."

"By the way, Irene is with you, how are you doing?"

Anna: "She is illiterate, it's a bit difficult... She is more interested in making clothes than numbers."

Matthew: "Really?"

The upper class in Europe and the church themselves were extravagant and dissipated, while the lower classes were strictly guarded against it. Pregnancy without marriage was not allowed, which belonged to the "trend".So since the engagement, Matthew seldom saw Irene.

In this regard, Protestantism is actually more conservative than Catholicism.

Protestantism is definitely not progress. It is essentially a division of Catholicism and is still "fundamentalism."

Matthew: "Do you want to live in Plymouth?"

Anna wondered, "Well, why move to the city?"

Matthew smiled and said: "It's not that you have to live in the city, but you just need to change your status into a citizen. In this way, you can justifiably come out to work in the future, and it's even easier to recruit men."

Anna: "...Do you really think so? Father, will he agree?"

Matthew smiled and said: "The magistrate is not young. I guess he needs a reliable successor. I think Daniel is very suitable, provided that he becomes a citizen. Andrew will definitely agree. In this way, our family will completely break away from the identity of farmers , become a squire. Of course you are together."

Anna: "Hahaha... You are still smart, but you are all citizens? Are you going to separate?"

Matthew nodded: "Separating Daniel is to help each other better."

"It's just a few payments. But he doesn't have any property in his name. I plan to give Danny the farm and the sheep. It won't be a problem for him to enter the parliament in two years."

Anna: "..."

An she was a little lost, and asked: "...When can women be members of parliament?"

Matthew glanced at her: "You are still in charge of the current work. Daniel obviously doesn't care about it, so you still manage the land on a daily basis."

"Those names are useless to you. You are still in charge of assets worth tens of thousands of pounds. Even a member of parliament can only submit to you when they see you."

(End of this chapter)