"These are two different things!" Yang Feng shook his head and said solemnly: "This is an issue of national sovereignty, and it is also an issue that cannot be raised for discussion, I think your country should also hold the same view, right?" ”

"Oh......"

Steve looked at Yang Feng carefully again, and asked with some doubts: "Your Excellency Marquis, have you also read the "Six Treatises on the State"? ”

Yang Feng nodded: "I happened to have the honor to read it!" ”

"Hiss......"

Now Steve was really shocked, the concept of national sovereignty was first put forward by Jean Bodin, a French political thinker, jurist, and founder of the modern bourgeois sovereignty doctrine.

In 1576 Bodin published his book Six Treatises on the State, which quickly caused a sensation, and he was the first person in the history of Western political and legal thought to systematically expound the doctrine of state sovereignty.

According to Jean Bodin, sovereignty is one of the most important symbols of the state, the supreme power over citizens and subjects that is not limited by law. It is the supreme power of a country to independently handle its own internal and external affairs and manage its own country.

Sovereignty refers to the supreme power internally and independent and equal power externally. The form and emergence of supreme power is, in essence, the mark that distinguishes the State from all social organizations, including the family, and other groups. Thus, Bodin defined the acquisition of citizenship as obedience to the sovereign and clearly defined the concept of the state as sovereign and subject. Sovereignty is the supreme power to rule over citizens and subjects without being limited by law.

Although the book immediately caused a sensation in the Western world when it came out, it has not yet reached the far East. Steve has been in Daming for several years, after he has been in contact with the officials of Daming, Steve has noticed that the entire Ming Dynasty has no sense of sovereignty at all, they attach great importance to the interior, but do not cherish the surrounding territorial waters and some more remote territories, which is also one of the reasons why Portugal, Spain and the Dutch have been able to repeatedly attack and disturb the coast around Daming in recent years, but now the young marquis actually told him that this involves sovereignty issues, how not to shock him.

Yang Feng didn't notice Steve's shock, for people who grew up in the 21st century, the concept of sovereignty and the sanctity of national territory has long been deeply seared in the bone marrow of every Chinese person, so it is natural to say this word casually, but he didn't realize Steve's shock on the other side.

"Your Excellency the Marquis!" Steve said in surprise: "I have been fighting the Ming Dynasty for several years, and I have been in contact with many Ming officials, but you are the first person to propose the concept of national sovereignty, which is too surprising to me." ”

"It's all trifles." Yang Feng didn't think anything about Steve's surprise, is it something to be proud of when he says a concept that even elementary school students know? He waved his hand lightly and said to Steve: "Your Excellency the Governor, there is an old saying in the Ming Dynasty, which is called not to tell lies in front of real people. Whether it is the Dutch or the Spaniards, or you Portuguese, we have continuously strengthened the forces and fleets around our Ming Dynasty over the years, in order to spy on the territory and wealth of our Ming Dynasty, and this is something we cannot tolerate. ”

Steve's face changed and changed, blue and red, he didn't expect the other party to be so direct and so denied him face as the Portuguese Governor in Macau, and finally he stood up and said a little annoyed: "Your Excellency Marquis, is this how you treat a visiting Governor, and don't you think your words are an insult to the Kingdom of Portugal?" ”

"To be honest, I don't think so!" Yang Feng also stood up and said loudly: "If your country wants to continue to lease Macao, it is not impossible, but according to the law of reciprocity, if this is the case, China also has the right to lease a piece of land of the same size in your country, and we can also agree to your country to continue to lease Macao." ”

"It's impossible!" Steve refused without hesitation, "The territory of Portugal cannot be leased to someone else!" ”

"Not necessarily." Yang Feng suddenly smiled slyly: "As far as I know, some of the territories of Portugal are still occupied by Spain, if there is an additional army of my Ming Dynasty on the territory of Portugal, it may be beneficial for you to resist the Spanish invaders." ”

"Your Excellency Marquis, you really know us well!" A flash of alarm flashed in Steve's eyes, he could never have imagined that someone in Daming would know so much about Portugal, which was far away from Vali.

After Portugal became an independent kingdom from Spain in 1143, it began to become strong in the 15th ~ 16th centuries, establishing a large number of colonies in Asia, Africa and the Americas. In 1494, he even signed the Treaty of Tordesillas with Spain, intending to divide the world in two.

However, the good times did not last long, and from the 17th century onwards, Portugal's national power began to decline, and in 1580 it began to occupy a large part of the territory by Spain, and it is still trying to get rid of Spanish aggression. It's just that these things may not be news in Obarro, but how does Da Ming, who is thousands of miles away, know about it? Steve began to mumble.

Looking at the fleeting look of vigilance in Steve's eyes, Yang Feng smiled slightly: "Your Excellency the Governor, you don't need to look at me with this kind of look, in fact, I agree that Da Ming and Portugal do not have too many conflicts of interest." For example, we don't have any prying eyes on your territory, on the contrary, there are many things that can complement each other, don't you think? ”

"Well, there may be some truth to your words!" Steve also calmed down, and after thinking about it for a while, he had to admit that Yang Feng's words were very reasonable. Daming is so far away from Portugal, according to Daming's current strength, it is impossible to pose any threat to Portugal.

Thinking of this, Steve's face softened, and he said slowly, "For example? ”

"For example, your country can send some naval officers to help our country train sailors, and for example, we can jointly set up a company to do business together, and if necessary, we can also help your country to jointly deal with your enemy, Spain, but only if our country must take back Macao."

Yang Feng's words were like drops of poisonous honey that kept tempting Steve, he thought for a while with a difficult face, and shook his head regretfully: "I'm really sorry, my country has great interests in Macau, plus we still have thousands of expatriates and fleets in Macao, I am responsible for them!" ”

"So you mean to start a war with our Da Ming?" Yang Feng's smile suddenly retracted, and the atmosphere in the room suddenly became solemn.