I Am the Nation

Reborn at the end of the Tianqi era, when the Ming emperor is gravely ill, I become Zhu Youjian, the man destined to hang himself on Coal Hill.

My first move is to draw my sword and behead Wei Zhongxian. I bring order to the inner palace, confiscate his estate to fill the treasury, reform the Imperial Horse Directorate, and establish an imperial guard.

I move to Nanhai Lake and turn its desolate gardens into a tightly secured military and political center, placing every official under surveillance.

When the land redistribution order goes out across Zhili, nobles and gentry wail in dismay. I look on coldly, my gaze like a blade. “The empire belongs to Me. Who dares not pay taxes?”

The Donglin Party denounces me as a tyrant, so I confiscate their lands and transfer them to the imperial treasury.

When the Jurchen invaders come knocking at the passes, my imperial guard unleashes a volley of guns and cannons. This empire will be as secure as an iron fortress, standing firm forever!