The Rise of the Blackwater Dragon

In the thirty-eighth year of the Wanli reign, ten-year-old Li Beichen suddenly gains a set of memories from a modern life.

He knows a little about casting metal, has spent several years bringing in investment, and has learned how to talk his way through a business deal. He also has a heart full of dreams of making money and making something of himself.

But the Blackwater River Valley, where he finds himself, lies north of Liaodong, a region beset by turmoil. All around him, factions vie for men and horses. If he wants a peaceful meal, he must first get the furnaces burning, send out the caravans, and find people willing to take up a blade and work alongside him.

From a single reward coin to a trade route, from protecting half a cartload of goods to leading men in defense of a city, the more Li Beichen builds his fortune, the more people covet it. The more he longs for a better life, the less he can escape war.

Then he'll train in horsemanship and archery, gather his people, earn the money that needs earning, and win the battles that need fighting.

But in these chaotic times, his friends have their own schemes, his family have their own tempers, and his enemies won't simply wait for him to grow up.

On the banks of the Blackwater River, just how great a world can a small iron foundry forge?