1659: Dawn Over the Southern Sea

Chen Su, a PhD in naval history, opened his eyes in 1659 at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River in Siam. All he had was an old boat with a broken oar and an elderly fireman who had spent his whole life watching the tides. Others transmigrated and conquered through bloodshed. He did it with bookkeeping. He established a household register, giving a hundred thousand people names; opened a bills-of-exchange bank, and set the price of silver across the South Seas; built a star fort and armed it with tens of thousands of flintlock rifles. The Dutch fleet burned it three times, and the last time, he was the one who drew their sea charts. Before the Spanish blades fell on Luzon, he hadn't sent a single soldier across the water, yet forced the Spanish to sign the first-ever protection pact for the Chinese. With four ledgers balanced for grain, weapons, ships, and soldiers, the Sun and Moon Banner was unfurled, and a northern expedition fleet set sail from the South Seas. “Your soldiers fight for their pay. When they die, you write them off. Mine fight for the register. When they die, their names go on monuments.”