Since the Longqing Opening of the Sea, Yuegang has become the only port under the Ming where maritime trade is permitted.
With the protection of the Maritime Defense Commissioner, the Eight Min Merchants’ Guild operates openly as a trading group, while secretly continuing its old smuggling business.
During the years the “Three Pillars” have been at the helm, their fleets have ranged across the Eastern and Western Oceans, forging ties with the Portuguese and the red-haired foreigners. Even prefectural and county officials depend on their favor. In the Fujian seas, they truly are at the height of their power.
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“But how much longer can things go on like this?”
“Even Wang Zhi, once the overlord who monopolized smuggling in the Eastern Ocean and commanded a hundred thousand men, voluntarily served the government in Dinghai, Zhejiang. Yet the authorities broke their word and ambushed him at Ligang, forcing him to flee to Japan. In the end, he couldn’t escape being beheaded and put on public display.”
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Theme: A tribute to an era rife with the philosophy of banditry.
You can pronounce some dialogues between the waiters in Hokkien, which is very sophisticated.