Twenty-nine goods (qingbai porcelain, raw silk, aromatics, Japanese copper, swords, and grain) move between producing and consuming ports. Dumping too much cargo in one harbor crashes the local price, and contraband risks seizure at the maritime customs office. Broker contracts carry strict deadlines, while higher customs standing lowers tariffs and opens credit.

Sail south on the winter northeast winds and return north on the summer monsoon. Before clearing port, choose between direct compass bearings, open-sea crossings, or hugging the coast. Fresh water and grain tick down day by day; run dry for twenty-eight days at sea and the crew will mutiny.

Work your way up from a small coastal junk to fast galleys and three-masted Fuchuan merchantmen. Refit hulls, gun ports, and holds at the shipyard, and assign officers across your fleet: pilots to read the weather and compass, helmsmen to hold course, interpreters for foreign ports, and physicians to keep the crew alive.

Handle the helm and sails in real time, cycle ammunition, launch fire ships downwind, hang wet felt screens against fire arrows, or cut grappling lines to break free. Boarding actions play out in multi-round deck fights, with escort ships following your battle orders. In the later chapters, voyages turn to running grain through blockades, defending Xinghua, and breaking out at Yamen.