Inside the main hall, the emperor and his ministers were overjoyed. They had won a battle and received a raise; such moments didn't Tiandu.
After the court session, Lin Yi left behind important officials such as Xun Yu.
Now that the Yamata Nation has been completely conquered, the next step is to manage the ocean and deal with the Zhennan Dynasty, which needs to be addressed.
Thanks to the expansion efforts of Gan Ning, Zhou Yu, and Sun Jian, the number of islands in Great Liang now exceeds ten thousand, a staggering figure.
The resources contained here are terrifying, so systematic management is essential; otherwise, enormous losses will occur.
"Your Majesty, I believe that a ' Maritime Law ' should be enacted. This would facilitate the management of these island resources and regulate behavior at sea."
Xun Yu directly offered a suggestion: legislation.
With such a vast ocean territory, the interests involved are immense, inevitably leading some to take risks. Therefore, this law must be in place.
If someone dares to violate the rules, at least there should be a standard explanation, rather than direct punishment. This is a reflection of a country's civilization.
" Maritime Law?"
Lin Yi thought about it for a moment and then agreed to the proposal. After Great Liang would be developing the ocean in full force in the future, so it was necessary to make arrangements as soon as possible.
Otherwise, if they were to enter the ocean like dumplings being dropped into boiling water, it would likely cause a lot of problems, so it's best to patch things up early.
You can go to the ocean to find things, but you need my permission as the emperor of Great Liang, and you also need to pay a certain share of taxes. You can't do anything reckless, otherwise you will be breaking the law.
Previous regulations restricted fishing, but those are no longer sufficient; there are vast resources at stake, which are far more important.
"I'll leave this matter to Wenruo. You guys discuss it, but there are a few points that are matters of principle that we cannot compromise on!"
"The first issue is the sovereignty of these islands and seas, which all belong to my Great Liang."
Anyone from any country entering our territorial waters must register. Those who enter without authorization are subject to detention and, in some cases, sinking by our military.
"The second is the law governing resources within territorial waters. In theory, all resources belong to Great Liang, and private individuals are not allowed to mine them without authorization. However, I am not one to monopolize resources. Once qualified, activities such as marine fishing are permitted. But regarding the management of minerals, private mining is strictly prohibited."
"Thirdly, the entire population of the islands within our territorial waters must submit to Great Liang. Otherwise, they will be considered enemies of Great Liang, and anyone who threatens Great Liang's rule will die under the laws of Great Liang."
"As for other loopholes, you can fill them in, but they must be reasonable and well-founded. Our Great Liang is also a civilized country, and we must Win People Over with Virtue, lest other countries say that we are bullying others."
Forehead!
Hearing the points mentioned earlier, everyone couldn't help but nod slightly. Although they were somewhat forceful, they were able to protect the interests of Great Liang, which was definitely comprehensive.
The first point is the external arrangements, which established Great Liang's sovereignty and management over its territorial waters. Although this may seem useless, since any enemy that comes in will be attacked anyway.
But with this, at least there's a basis for the claim that murder can be justified.
The second point is the planning of internal resources to prevent the endless misappropriation of national resources and to avoid those who are courting disaster.
The third point is clearly aimed at the countries on those islands. To put it bluntly, it means that our Great Liang has drawn a circle, and everything inside the circle belongs to our Great Liang; everyone else is acting illegally.
But the emperor's last words left them speechless.
These three points you've made are already enough to bully someone, and you still expect people not to say it's bullying? This book is a bit of a bully!
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Lin Yi looked at them and frowned.
No! No! No!
"His Majesty's three points are reasonable and well-founded; I doubt those people will disagree!"
Everyone shook their heads. Since the Emperor had made the decision, they naturally had no problem with it, and even if there were problems, they would help solve them.
"Okay, let's do it this way then!" Lin Yi nodded, setting the tone for this Maritime Law approach.
These three points are actually a bit forceful, and even feel somewhat bullying in many ways, but Lin Yi knows they are necessary.
If a powerful nation doesn't assert itself and instead cedes its benefits to others, then the existence of the military is meaningless; it would be better to simply lie down and do nothing.
In reality, laws are often just tools for those in power to control their subordinates, and they are inherently unfair.
To put it bluntly, it's all about serving the powerful, providing a plausible justification for killing, and legitimizing the killing.
That's so humane!
As the absolute superpower in the East, the Great Liang must have the spirit of a master, so the law must be properly enforced.
The laws of the sea are what we set.
With this maritime management law in place, the situation on the high seas was basically settled. The next issue was the Zhennan Dynasty and the Frostwest Empire.
During this period, the Frostwest Empire was relatively calm and did not make any major moves.
But the Zhennan Dynasty was never idle; it continued its frenzied expansion, to the point of being utterly ruthless.
Now that Lü Bu and his men have been plotting for so long, it's time to punish them.
With a thought, he looked at Zhang Fei beside him and said in a deep voice, " Yide, those people from those small countries in the southwest who came to ask for help, are they still alive?"
Zhang Fei instantly understood: this meant they were about to take action against the Zhennan Dynasty.
He nodded and said excitedly, "They're all here. Now, apart from my Great Liang, there's no one else who can help them, so they've been trying to find a way to see the Emperor!"
In order to get our help, they are willing to submit to the embrace of our Great Liang and become our vassal state.
Tsk tsk!
Lin Yi was speechless. Even at a time like this, he was still thinking about such a wonderful thing.
If the Great Liang doesn't lend a hand, these small countries won't be able to stop the Zhennan Dynasty at all. In this situation, why bother with vassal states and still expect to survive? That's rather foolish.
However, I just needed an excuse; whether they actually existed or not was irrelevant.
He sneered, "Let them present their official credentials. As the ruler of the East, how could my Great Liang allow others to bully our vassal state!"
We sent a warning to the Zhennan Dynasty: if they do not immediately withdraw from our territory and compensate for the losses, the Great Liang will sanction them.
My Great Liang has zero tolerance for such acts that disrupt peace, and I, Lin Yi, will not tolerate such an evil nation!
Forehead!
Everyone's lips twitched. What the hell is this zero-tolerance policy for disrupting peace? It seems like the one who loves disrupting peace the most is our Great Liang.
However, Your Majesty is right. This time, the Zhennan Dynasty has bullied our little brother. We must take action to deal with them and show our strength as the big brother.
Your Majesty is truly a man of unparalleled righteousness!