The Dragon Rises in the Late Ming

During the Tianqi reign, the Great Ming dynasty, which had ruled for more than two centuries, was in decline. In the northeast, Later Jin was growing ever stronger; in the southwest, the She and An Rebellions were escalating. The southeastern coast was no more peaceful. After the Dutch established themselves in Taiwan, they sought a monopoly on China’s overseas trade, secretly backed pirates, and attacked merchant ships on a massive scale, dealing a heavy blow to the thriving foreign trade that had flourished since maritime trade was opened during the Longqing reign. The old order had been shattered, and a new one had yet to emerge. The times were turbulent, and heroes rose in droves.

In the fifth or sixth month of the Tianqi reign, in a pirate lair on Dachen Island off Zhejiang, a youth named Huang Chen “awakens.” What changes will follow when a small stone is tossed into the waves of a great era?