The case of tax resistance against the squire Hampton was held in the Court of Finance Appeal in front of Charles I's Palace. It is said that twelve judges of the court graduated from colleges of Oxford University, Cambridge University and other universities, and are lawyers who specialize in law.

Hampton, the defendant in this tax resistance case, also graduated from Modlin College at Oxford University and also specialized in law in the Inner Hall, one of the four major bar associations. He was not afraid of King Charlie's prosecution.

In addition to the 12 judges' seats, there are also plaintiffs, defendants, juries, and auditors.

Li Jinde and others appeared in the court before the trial, and a total of four directors came.

The other jury members and attendants who had already arrived looked at the people curiously, and they did not understand why the merchants from the East appeared in court in Britain.

"I heard that lawyers and judges are respectable professions here. Their annual income is higher than that of ordinary citizens, and the income of senior lawyers is even more expensive. Maybe they were originally from nobles and squires." Li Jinde and others found their seats and waited for the trial to begin.

They appeared at the scene of the Western Method Court for the first time and listened to their case as bystanders. This was undoubtedly a very novel experience for Li Jinde and others.

"It turned out to be them!" Munch and Cromwell and other gentry, nobles and officers who were concerned about this case came. Among them, Munch recognized Li Jinde and was surprised that Li Jinde would actually be here.

What does the squire in Britain have to do tax resistance and the Chinese businessmen who come to London to do business?

Monk, Cromwell and a group of people who came to the trial sat in front of Li Jinde and the others, and Monk also looked at Li Jinde.

Li Jinde noticed Munch's eyes and saluted him with some embarrassment. In a sense, they are considered rivals in love.

Lieutenant Colonel of the British Infantry Regiment, during the war, the king summoned the army from all over the country, and he could temporarily command a unit, and be regarded as a middle- and upper-class officer. With Monk's resume of more than ten years in the army, his salary is not low now, and he can have higher power and opportunities during war.

It is not a good thing to have a little personal grudge with such a person. But Li Jinde has no choice.

"How could their Eastern people come to listen to this case? Could it be that the case is full of controversy and has alarmed the merchants in the East?" Monk muttered.

"The king has not convened a parliament for almost ten years, and has imposed many taxes without the approval of the parliament... If Hampton can win the case, then other gentry and tenants in each county can resist the payment of ship tax based on this case. If the king still wants to impose a ship tax, he must obtain the approval of Congress. On the contrary, if Hampton loses the case, everyone should obediently pay the ship tax to the royal family." Cromwell saw it very clearly.

"Can the defense lawyer hired by Hampton win this lawsuit? After all, the 12 judges are closer to the king..." Monk said.

"The chance of winning is very small, and the 12 judges don't know how many of them can stand on the Hampton side," Cromwell replied.

"But His Majesty the King claimed that the purpose of collecting ship tax was to invest in building a powerful naval fleet to surpass the fleets of Spain and the Netherlands, and to escort our merchant ships. If we could have a strong army, I think it would be okay to even tighten our belts and hand over some of the income to the royal family as ship tax. My experience in the battlefield in the Netherlands told me that although the navy cannot decide the final outcome of the war, it can block the coast and ports, threaten the enemy's long coastline, and force the enemy to surrender." Monk said.

He did not object to Charles I'd use the ship tax to build a powerful navy, if that was true... The Thirty Years' War in Europe, the Spanish, the Netherlands, and Britain's navy have fought repeatedly in the English Channel. The protagonists of the war were Spain and the Netherlands. Britain could only watch the battle from the side or assist the Netherlands in fighting against the Spanish.

As a soldier, Monk also hopes that his country has a powerful army that can dominate Europe.

"If there is a powerful navy, it must be under the control of the parliament. Otherwise, the navy established by His Majesty the King will only obey His Majesty the King and become a tool of autocracy. What do you think?" Cromwell asked as he stared at Monk's eyes.

"I... don't know." Monk didn't think so much, and he felt it was difficult to answer Cromwell's question.

Almost all the middle and upper-class nobles who came to the trial were of great interest in the outcome of the trial.

Some of them may resist Charles I's increasing taxes like Hampton, and some of them would rather use this to restore their King Charles to parliament and re-limit the king's inflated power. The latter is a former member of Congress represented by Cromwell. Congress was forcibly dissolved by Charles I a few years ago, but Congress has been regarded as a tradition by them. The original members of Congress always wanted to restore the power of the parliament, making national policies beneficial to the groups they represent.

"The twelve judges are here!" said someone in the jury.

Everyone looked at the entrance of the court and found that 12 judges came in one after another, some were middle-aged and some were old men, all of whom were well-known lawyers in London.

These twelve judges were serious and brought the atmosphere of the appeal court to freezing point, even a little depressing.

"The defendant Mr. Hampton is here!" A warm cheer broke out in the hearing table!

A middle-aged man in the 40s dressed in the squire and noble costume walked in with his head held high and his chest. Behind him were two well-known lawyers, St. John and Hallborn.

No wonder the hearing seat cheered like a hero, openly confronted the noble king as a squire, and even went to court to sue the king. This was simply a legendary deed worthy of writing!

The country squire Hampton was the defendant's seat, and two famous barristers from London sat on both sides. Hampton hardened his neck and faced the 12 serious judges in front of him, still arrogant and without any tension.

He owns a large estate in the wealthy Buckinghamshire, and his annual income is calculated at hundreds or thousands of pounds. Of course, it is impossible to afford a ship tax of just 20 shillings.

It was not others who caused the tax resistance incident to court, but him. His personality was also stubborn. Even if he lost the case, he was not willing to pay more taxes that he shouldn't have paid! Not only did he not pay it himself, but he also encouraged people around him to fight against taxes with him.
Chapter completed!