Chapter Summaries

Wang Xuan returned to Fuzhou Prefecture with the wealth seized from the Seven Great Families and ordered the remaining officials tied to them eliminated. He and Governor Li arranged a cover story for the crackdown and agreed on how much of the confiscated property to report to the court.

• Wang Xuan recovered more than thirteen million taels and 550,000 mu of land from the families and garrison, then returned to Fuzhou Prefecture with the confiscated wealth.
• Wang Xuan ordered Qinghong Zaobai and the assassin hall to kill the direct-line and collateral-line officials linked to the Seven Great Families, while Ye Huo was sent to Funing Prefecture to deal with border garrisons.
• Wang Xuan reviewed the officials' records with Fang Jingtian and decided that supported officials could be won over rather than eliminated.
• Wang Xuan met Governor Li and asked him to help conceal the events surrounding the Seven Great Families and their officials elsewhere.
• Wang Xuan and Governor Li agreed to report one and a half million taels seized, plus ten thousand mu of land sold for five hundred thousand taels and selected antiques, calligraphy, and paintings sent to the capital.

Wang Xuan secured military appointments and control in three prefectures, then sent Tian Boguang to pressure the Liu family and other maritime merchants into buying ships. In Fuzhou, Wang Xuan discussed Qi Hongliang’s upcoming post in Guangdong and urged him to reshape its military leadership.

• Wang Xuan arranged for replacements for military commanders in three prefectures to be approved, strengthening his control over their armies.
• Wang Xuan sent Tian Boguang to the Liu residence in Hangzhou to confront the maritime merchants.
• Tian Boguang ordered the Liu family to pay toward the purchase of fifteen ships for one million taels within half a month, and warned them against further dealings with Japanese Pirates.
• Tian Boguang demonstrated his advantage by cutting the Liu family head’s clothes without injuring him, frightening him into gathering the other four families to pool the money.
• Wang Xuan congratulated Qi Hongliang on his promotion to Guangdong and advised him to study local intelligence and replace military officials with their own people when possible.

Wang Xuan reassured Qi Hongliang that he did not intend to rebel and described his plans to develop lands beyond the Ming Dynasty, leaving Qi Hongliang responsible for future operations in Guangdong. He then used the seized wealth to expand his forces, tying soldiers and their families to his personal authority through generous land grants.

• Wang Xuan told Qi Hongliang he did not want the emperor’s position and claimed he intended to repair and strengthen the Ming Dynasty.
• Wang Xuan described developing Lesser Liuqiu, Luzon, and Annam with new ships and settlers, and assured Qi Hongliang that his family would be safe.
• Wang Xuan ordered Funing, Xinghua, and Zhangzhou Prefectures to expand their armies to a combined 16,800 soldiers.
• Wang Xuan offered each qualified recruit twenty mu of land and made clear that the land came from him and could be reclaimed if he disappeared.
• Wang Xuan used political instructors to remind the soldiers that their families’ livelihoods depended on his support and that they must obey his orders.

Wang Xuan strengthened his military base by establishing villages for soldiers and recruiting more aides, while preparing to contain the newly appointed Fuzhou Prefect, Xu Yangqiu. Xu arrived in Fuzhou intending to assess and possibly win over Wang Xuan, but his dismissive attitude toward the prefecture’s new city angered the yamen runner escorting him.

• Wang Xuan spent more than five hundred thousand mu of land establishing military-family villages, prompting debate among Fujian’s families about the cost and strategic value of his policy.
• Wang Xuan recruited scholars and clerks to help administer his expanding military and village projects.
• Ye Huo reported that the new Fuzhou Prefect, Xu Yangqiu, had arrived with five known aides, and Wang Xuan ordered his people to monitor them and control communications from the prefectural office.
• After handing over his post, Qi Hongliang left for Guangzhou with twenty experts assigned to protect and watch him.
• Xu Yangqiu met privately with his secretary, then traveled to Wang Xuan’s residence and mocked the idea that Wang Xuan’s new city could rival Jiangnan, angering the yamen runner driving his carriage.

New prefect Xu Yangqiu was humiliated by a bailiff who showed him the New City’s prosperous homes and mocked his assumptions about Fujian. Wang Xuan ignored the report and headed to the shipyard, while Xu Yangqiu arrived at Wang’s heavily fortified residence and was stopped by armed guards.

• The bailiff detoured past the New City’s brick-and-stone homes, leaving Xu Yangqiu and his adviser shocked that ordinary workers lived there.
• The bailiff mocked Xu Yangqiu by calling the residential district a mere village, and the prefect realized the yamen’s staff did not respect him.
• A watcher reported the prefect’s words and actions to Wang Xuan, who ordered a carriage to the shipyard to inspect the two-thousand-ton ship.
• Yue Buqun reported that Taoist elementary and intermediate textbooks had been compiled and printed, with scholars and apprentices recruited for the new temple.
• Xu Yangqiu reached Wang Xuan’s fortified residence, waited without being welcomed, and watched as guards drew their blades to stop his adviser at the steps.

New Fuzhou Prefect Xu Yangqiu was humiliated at Wang Xuan’s residence, and his adviser warned him that Wang’s power made confrontation dangerous. After learning that Wang controlled nearly thirty thousand officially registered coastal troops, Xu Yangqiu agreed to meet him at the shipyard.

• Wang Xuan’s guards stopped Xu Yangqiu and his adviser at the residence gate, and the steward told them Wang was inspecting the shipyard.
• Xu Yangqiu grew furious over the rebuff, but his adviser urged him to avoid making a scene and explained that Wang could obstruct his work and threaten his appointment.
• The adviser revealed that Wang had distributed five hundred thousand mu of land to recruit nearly thirty thousand troops through Fujian’s five coastal guard stations.
• The adviser explained that the troops were officially part of the guard stations, making Wang’s public show of strength difficult for the imperial court to challenge.
• Xu Yangqiu asked what they should do, and his adviser told him to endure the situation and head to the shipyard to meet Wang.

Xu Yangqiu visited Wang Xuan’s shipyard and was repeatedly humiliated for looking down on Fujian, then toured its harbor, factories, and barracks. As 5,600 soldiers stood silently before him, the pressure on the new prefect grew overwhelming.

• The bailiff secretly celebrated after delivering a message that he believed had angered Wang Xuan, while Xu Yangqiu rode silently to the shipyard.
• Xu Yangqiu and his aide marveled at the immense ship under construction before meeting Wang Xuan, who mocked the prefect’s Jiangnan wealth and ships.
• Xu Yangqiu nearly pretended to faint to escape the humiliation, but Wang Xuan called his bluff and made him admit he had been arrogant.
• Wang Xuan brought Xu Yangqiu to a vast harbor, where the prefect again apologized after Wang mocked his dismissive remarks about the city and port.
• Wang Xuan led Xu Yangqiu through the Steel factory and Textile factory before taking him to the barracks, where 5,600 silent soldiers stood in formation for an hour.

Wang Xuan humiliated and injured Fuzhou Prefect Xu Yangqiu, who swore to secretly oppose him, before turning his attention to the Daoist temple and the arrival of the Liu Family. The chapter ended with the Liu Family bringing Wang Xuan one million taels of silver after Tian Boguang's visit.

• Wang Xuan's elite Fuzhou troops gathered on the drill field, where Xu Yangqiu became overwhelmed by their murderous aura and wet himself.
• Wang Xuan kicked the fainted Xu Yangqiu away, ordered the drill field cleaned, and went with Yue Buqun to inspect the new Daoist temple.
• Xu Yangqiu woke in pain, learned he had internal bruising, and vowed to secretly incite opposition to Wang Xuan.
• Tian Boguang's visit to the Liu Family ended with them bringing Wang Xuan one million taels of silver.

The Liu family head arrived in Fuzhou to meet Wang Xuan and explore how his influence might help the family expand its maritime trade. While touring the new city, he was struck by its modern harbor, orderly streets, and unusual establishments, and he learned that Wang Xuan’s power protected them.

• The Liu family head sailed to Fuzhou hoping to win Wang Xuan’s support for maritime trade with Japan.
• He entered Fuzhou’s enormous harbor and marveled at its bustling piers and the thriving new city.
• The Liu family head toured the orderly streets, noting the brick buildings, well-dressed residents, and armed garrison patrols.
• He and his two guards ate at the Star Brilliance Nightclub, where female servers welcomed them.
• The Liu family head asked a server about housing, the garrison, and the nightclub, then learned that Wang Xuan’s influence kept troublemakers away.

Liu Wenju visited Wang Xuan to buy sail-oar dual-purpose ships and discuss maritime trade, but Wang Xuan redirected him toward domestic commerce and supplies. Liu Wenju left with new business opportunities and orders to gather intelligence on Japan.

• Liu Wenju bought a city residence and visited Star Brilliance Nightclub before going to Wang Xuan's estate.
• Liu Wenju offered one million taels of silver for ships, and Wang Xuan warned him that his attack on merchant ships would not be forgiven again.
• Liu Wenju asked whether Wang Xuan planned to trade with Japan and Korea, and Wang Xuan urged him to focus on domestic trade and sell coal stoves and cloth in the north.
• Wang Xuan told Liu Wenju to supply wool, cotton, livestock, and shipbuilding timber, and to consider ordering ships from his shipyards.
• Wang Xuan asked Liu Wenju to gather detailed maps and intelligence about Japan and its Daimyo, then dismissed him.

Liu Wenju visited Wang Xuan’s steel mill, ordered coal stoves for sale in the north, and returned to Ningbo with a large cargo of goods. After testing the shipyard’s first 2,000-ton vessel, Wang Xuan summoned Fujian’s leading families to Fuzhou, alarming the Wei Family, which had ties to the Seven Great Families.

• Liu Wenju toured the steel mill, learned how coal stoves could save fuel and provide northern households with heat, and ordered ten thousand stoves and thirty thousand flue sections.
• Liu Wenju spent seven days in Xincheng, bought goods worth one hundred thousand taels, and sailed back toward Ningbo with sixteen ships of cargo.
• Wang Xuan launched the shipyard’s first 2,000-ton transport vessel and joined its crew for a hundred days of sea trials.
• Wang Xuan invited the leading families of Fujian’s nine prefectures to meet him in Fuzhou.
• The Wei Family Head told his gathered relatives about Wang Xuan’s summons, and the family feared it might be connected to their past ties with the Seven Great Families.

Wang Xuan gathered Fujian’s family heads at Lin Feng Academy and explained how a new 2,000-ton ship could make large-scale settlement and trade on Little Liuqiu possible. The family heads became excited by the prospect of claiming and cultivating vast areas of fertile land.

• The Wei Family learned that Wang Xuan had invited the four largest families in Zhangzhou Prefecture City, easing their fears that his summons targeted them alone.
• More than forty invited family heads traveled to Lin Feng Academy, where Wang Xuan received them and urged Fujian’s leading families to cooperate.
• Wang Xuan announced that the shipyard had launched a 2,000-ton vessel and described its cargo capacity and speed, astonishing the family heads.
• Wang Xuan said Little Liuqiu had millions of mu of undeveloped farmland and could produce three harvests each year.
• Wang Xuan explained that large ships could carry settlers to Little Liuqiu and transport its grain to northern markets, prompting the family heads to eagerly imagine expanding their estates.

Wang Xuan gathered Fujian’s patriarchs and sea merchants to arrange an inspection of Little Liuqiu, while discussion of his newly made clocks sparked a rush of orders. At Autumn Harvest Residence, the patriarchs admired the women and learned that taking one into their household required a formal marriage, not merely money.

• Wang Xuan told the patriarchs to prepare for a trip to Little Liuqiu in two days and ordered them to gather at the docks at eight o’clock.
• After Wang Xuan left, Patriarch Chang explained clocks and their precise timekeeping, prompting the patriarchs to send subordinates to place orders.
• The patriarchs went to Autumn Harvest Residence, where they watched the skilled cooks and beautiful, martial-arts-trained performers.
• A patriarch asked whether the women could be redeemed from service, and another explained that a buyer had to marry one as at least a secondary wife.

Wang Xuan led Fujian clan heads on a month-long voyage to Little Liuqiu to inspect its farmland and resources. They returned to Fuzhou excited by the island’s development potential and the vast land they could claim.

• Wang Xuan hosted the clan heads at Autumn Harvest Residence and Star Brilliance Nightclub before their departure.
• Wang Xuan led nearly three hundred people aboard a fleet of ships, including clan heads, escorts, craftsmen, and surveyors.
• The fleet reached the Zhuoshui River estuary, where workers unloaded supplies and quickly built more than thirty stilt houses.
• The clan heads traveled upstream and surveyed the Taichung Basin, then visited the Jianan Plain and Pingtung Plain.
• The fleet returned to Fuzhou after a month, and the clan heads were eager to develop the fertile land they had seen.

After returning from Little Liuqiu, Wang Xuan arranged construction at six sites and summoned the family patriarchs to discuss development. He demanded that Fujian’s great families pay all taxes owed, leaving them alarmed but unwilling to risk losing access to Little Liuqiu’s land.

• Wang Xuan let the exhausted patriarchs rest for three days, then arranged materials and workers for construction at three ports and three inland sites on Little Liuqiu.
• At Lin Feng Academy, Wang Xuan asked whether anyone opposed joining the development plan, and the patriarchs all indicated they wanted to participate.
• Wang Xuan announced that the families must pay all commercial, agricultural, and mining taxes they owed, prompting an uproar over their expected losses.
• Patriarch Chang questioned why Wang Xuan was involving himself in taxation, but Wang Xuan silenced him and said he did not covet the families’ wealth.
• Wang Xuan cited the assets he had seized from the Seven Great Families and the value of his own industries, leaving the patriarchs wondering why he had raised the tax issue.

Wang Xuan announced that Fujian’s taxes would fund roads and irrigation, then outlined new rules for agricultural and commercial taxes. The merchants protested the higher commercial rates, but Wang Xuan intimidated them into accepting that profitable trade would continue.

• Wang Xuan said tax revenue would be spent on Cement Roads across Fujian and on repairing irrigation facilities.
• Wang Xuan abolished miscellaneous agricultural levies, set the land tax at one-tenth per mu payable in silver, and warned landowners not to mistreat tenant farmers.
• Wang Xuan raised commercial taxes to rates ranging from one-fifteenth to one-fifth, with overseas goods taxed at one-tenth, prompting merchants to protest.
• Wang Xuan smashed a table and threatened to cut off his goods and cancel their orders, silencing the merchants.
• Wang Xuan argued that trade remained highly profitable even after the taxes, and the merchants stayed rather than abandon their commercial channels.

Wang Xuan persuaded Fujian’s great families to accept commercial taxes by arguing that taxes would fund military protection and overseas expansion. He then urged them to establish a Fujian school of thought to support that expansion and counter Jiangnan’s influence, explaining how Confucianism could be reshaped to serve their needs.

• Wang Xuan defended commercial taxes by pointing to Fujian’s roads, military protection, and the dangers of maritime trade and overseas settlement.
• He described plans to expand into Little Liuqiu, Annam, and other southern lands, persuading the family heads that overseas development could bring them great wealth.
• The heads of the Chang, Xing, Jiang, Shi, Dong, and Wei families publicly supported Wang Xuan and his plans.
• Wang Xuan called for the families to build a Fujian school of thought and strengthen their influence at court against Jiangnan and the Donglin Party.
• He explained that Confucianism had changed over time to meet political needs and urged the families to reshape its teachings to justify overseas expansion.

Wang Xuan secured Fujian’s leading families behind a new governing doctrine, then introduced standardized gold and silver coins and uniform weights and measures. The chapter ended with the families accepting his reforms as he began implementing them across Fujian.

• Wang Xuan and Fujian’s powerful families agreed to establish viewpoints that scholars would later frame as a new form of Confucianism.
• Wang Xuan argued that Fujian had to be strengthened before it could support expansion toward Little Liuqiu.
• Wang Xuan presented the assembled family heads with stamped gold and silver coins bearing his portrait and explained their denominations and exchange rate.
• Wang Xuan announced new precise measuring tools and ordered Fujian to adopt standardized weights and measures.
• The family heads accepted Wang Xuan’s order to replace the region’s inconsistent measures.

Wang Xuan secured agreement from Fujian’s clans on new taxes, currency, roads, and mining rights, then laid out plans for ports, cities, and land development on Little Liuqiu. After he left, the family heads began discussing where to recruit settlers and how to manage them.

• Wang Xuan announced unified currency and weights, new taxes, and road construction funded by Five Continents Money House, while warning the clans not to use forced labor.
• Wang Xuan claimed the coal and iron mines around Tingzhou, Shanghang’s Purple Gold Mountain, Zhangzhou, and Longyan, and promised the clans payment for the assets.
• Wang Xuan outlined plans for three port towns, three cities, and roads on Little Liuqiu, setting a ten-thousand-mu development threshold and requiring recruited settlers to be registered and treated as free people.
• The clans drew lots to determine which city they would develop, then gathered at Autumn Harvest Residence after Wang Xuan left to discuss recruiting settlers from Jiangnan and the north.
• A family head warned that bringing settlers from the same region could make them difficult to manage.

Wang Xuan moved to secure military authority in Fujian’s remaining four prefectures while expanding recruitment and development across the province. The commanders were forced to resign, and Wang Xuan’s growing projects left Fujian short of labor and drove wages up.

• Fujian’s great families discussed exchanging recruits from different regions and covering the costs of settling refugees, as tensions over taxation spread.
• Wang Xuan sent Liu Zhengfeng and Imperial Guards to confront Tingzhou commander Jiang Ziping over fabricated troop numbers, embezzlement, land seizures, and deaths.
• Liu Zhengfeng told Jiang Ziping he could resign and pay ten thousand taels of silver instead of facing execution, and Jiang accepted.
• Imperial Guards pressured commanders in all four prefectures to resign, while Wang Xuan prepared to recruit troops before arranging the handovers.
• Wang Xuan announced recruitment across the four prefectures, offering each soldier twenty mu of farmland and planning to recruit another 22,400 people.
• Wang Xuan oversaw military recruitment, infrastructure, mines, factories, and Little Liuqiu’s development, causing labor shortages and rising wages in Fujian.