In 925 AD, Wang Shenzhi, ruler of Min, dies, ushering in the most chaotic chapter of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.
Chen Du, the illegitimate son of a Quanzhou maritime merchant, is swept into the world of seafarers after a kidnapping goes wrong. He has no golden finger, no System, only the mind of a modern man.
Starting out as an advisor to pirates, he uses cost accounting to manage provisions, psychology to negotiate, and an intelligence network to survey the world. Amid the bloody infighting as Min passes through seven rulers, he places his bets again and again, and escapes danger time and again. From merchant to adviser, from adviser to regional governor, he becomes the true king behind the scenes.
