The Great Ming National Fate System: Lin Xiaoyi Opens the Seas

As the executioner's blade pressed against his neck, Lin Xiaoyi saw what no one else could: In his previous life, he was Lin Chao, a modern-day shipbuilding engineer. In this life, he was a condemned convict at the Longjiang Shipyard during the Yongle era.

A line of text appeared before his eyes an instant before the blade fell: [National Destiny System: Fortune Eye Awakened, Maritime Power Fortune 9%].

Before the treasure ships had even left port, someone came to saw through the cables in the hold at night. A gray-robed figure had a gray cord hanging from his sleeve, its core interwoven with red strands, and the little finger on his left hand was missing half a joint. He was Wu Yunzhong, an old craftsman at the Longjiang Shipyard and the branch leader of the Huntian Cult. He wanted Lin dead before the fleet set sail.

Lin grabbed the blade with his bare hands. A man who should have been executed became the greatest wild card in Zheng He's fleet.

The entire court was full of advocates for banning maritime trade, bent on cutting off the Ming Dynasty's sea routes. Lin started in the ship's hold: redesigning watertight compartments, establishing trade markets in Champa, and drawing standardized ship plans. At last, he laid out a ledger and wagered the nation's fortunes against the assembled officials.

"You want to ban the sea? Then just watch as I make the Ming Dynasty's maritime power fortune soar."