[Late Ming warfare + cold weapons + firearms + farming and development] A modern smuggler unexpectedly becomes Zhu Cilang, the last Crown Prince of the Great Ming. Determined not to die by someone else's blade, he decides to strike first.
The Donglin Party has brought the country to ruin?
Zhu Cilang: No problem. I'll work my way down the list in the Biographies of Treacherous Ministers and kill them all.
The gentry in the southeast are causing trouble?
Zhu Cilang: No problem. I'll take a page from Emperor Wu of Han and levy a property tax. That's not too much to ask, is it?
The Eight Great Jin Merchants are smuggling goods?
Zhu Cilang: Even better. We're in the same line of work. After I rob them blind, I'll throw in a little “wipe out your entire clan” game for free.
The imperial clans and landlords are swallowing up all the land?
Zhu Cilang: Fine. There's land aplenty overseas. You like farming, do you? Then farm to your heart's content.
This is a story of an emperor's growth, and of a man from a later age striving to restore the Great Ming.
