Zhu Gaozhao, a modern military expert, became the sick and weak vassal king of the Ming Dynasty when he opened his eyes. Drought? He dug canals to divert water and changed beaches to dry salt. Foreign enemy? He cast cannons, built ships, and formed a modern navy. When the Manchu Dynasty was still debating benevolence and righteousness, his railways had been laid to the Tianshan Mountains; when the Confucians sneered at strange techniques and cunning, his warships were bombarding Japan. Before Zhu Di died, he held his hand tightly: "I will leave you a prosperous age, and you... Give me a world back."
