the deathbed prophecy of the pirate Wang Zhi
came true three hundred years later on the Qing
winter of 1559
the execution ground in Hangzhou
a prisoner in a cangue was forced to his knees
the supervising officer asked if he had any last words
he did not protest his innocence
and he did not beg for mercy
he only looked up at the grey sky
and said something strange
he said
killing me alone does not matter
I only fear it will doom the people of Zhejiang
then he added half a sentence more
this half has no exact source in the official histories
later generations recorded it for him but it is chillingly accurate
he seemed to be speaking to the crowd
and also to history three hundred years on if the empire ignores the tide of the seas
a century from now
China will be humiliated by foreigners
everyone there took it as the raving of a dying pirate chief
the blade flashed
and his head fell
the great bandit had been executed
everyone felt the matter was closed
and the southeast coast would be at peace
but pause for three seconds
do not rush ahead
answer one question in your head
who exactly was this man
and how did he dare curse a dynasty as he died
and why did that curse three hundred years later
word for word in a way a hundred times more brutal than he foretold
come true on a different dynasty
hello
everyone
I am Leo Wang
today's story is not simple historical gossip
it is a mirror
showing why a civilization facing a paradigm shift
always kills its own prophets with its own hands
the most chilling part is this
by the end you may realize
we could be standing at a similar fork in history today
this man was called Wang Zhi
he was not born a pirate
at least not at first
he came from Shexian in Huizhou
born around 1501
as the saying goes no market thrives without Huizhou men
if a Huizhou man did not study for the exams
he left home to trade
that tradition was carved into their bones
Wang Zhi was a classic Huizhou merchant
quick minded and bold
not content to peddle salt and tea back home
what was the biggest business back then
maritime trade
at this point
many people find the logic smooth the Ming sea ban existed because wokou raided the coast
so closing the sea was a reasonable defense
the wokou were all Japanese
burning killing and looting
Wang Zhi worked with them against his own people
so he deserved to die
the chain of logic sounds seamless
where is the flaw
it is in the second step
the premise that the wokou were all Japanese
is wrong
the truth is
the so called wokou of the mid and late Ming
were overwhelmingly Chinese
the sea ban cut off the livelihood of millions on the coast
people could not survive
so they risked everything and went smuggling
and step by step became armed groups half merchant half pirate
real Japanese ronin were only a minority
and mostly hired muscle for Chinese sea merchants
this created an absurd closed loop
the court banned the sea to stop the wokou
but most wokou were Chinese driven out by that very ban
the tighter the ban
the higher the smuggling profits
the higher the profits
the more people took the risk
the fiercer the clashes
the more the court believed the sea must stay closed
it is like having mice in the house
you do not catch the mice
instead you weld the kitchen door shut
so the mice breed inside the sealed room
more and more of them and fiercer and fiercer
and then you conclude see
I told you the kitchen is full of mice
good thing I welded the door shut
Wang Zhi clawed his way up inside this absurd game
he soon found the world at sea far deeper than he imagined
there were Chinese smugglers Japanese ronin
and the newly arrived Portuguese
all fighting over routes and harbors
in daily life and death struggles
Wang Zhi was not swallowed up
he thrived like a fish in water
he had a gift others lacked he knew how to build order
he kept his word
and shared his profits with his men
he was quick as well
while others still fought with blades
he had already brought in Portuguese cannon and matchlock guns
he based himself on Hirado island off Kyushu in Japan
building harbors and warehouses
like a local emperor of the sea
and called himself Master of the Five Peaks
one detail is worth mentioning
in 1543
a ship out of China was blown by a typhoon to Tanegashima in southern Japan
besides the Chinese sailors on board
there were three Portuguese
the island lord saw their matchlock guns
and was astounded
he bought them at great price and had his smiths copy them
the Japanese later called this weapon the teppo
Oda Nobunaga swept all before him
precisely because of the teppo
the famous three rank volley is a legend that grew out of this
the whole military revolution of Japan's warring states era
came from this seemingly accidental drift
according to the Japanese record Teppoki
on the ship that brought the Portuguese to Japan
was a Chinese man calling himself the scholar Wufeng
who negotiated supplies with the island lord in writing
many researchers believe
the scholar Wufeng was Wang Zhi himself
because his own title was exactly Five Peaks
clearly he was no ordinary merchant
he combined international trade military technology transfer
and diplomacy into one superpower player
in Japan
he was on brotherly terms with powerful daimyo
at sea
the moment his Five Peaks flag went up
from Malacca to the Japanese islands
ordinary pirates gave way
he built an order setting routes making rules providing security
if you wanted to trade in his waters
fine
pay the fee and fly the Five Peaks flag
and you sailed safely all the way
but note this
this man with a maritime empire
was not thinking about rebellion
nor about independence
what was he thinking about
he wanted his business made legal
that is what makes Wang Zhi both great and tragic
in his bones he was always a Huizhou merchant
he could do the math
he knew smuggling could not last
today the officials look the other way
tomorrow they may send troops
living in fear every day
the business could never grow
the best outcome was for the court to lift the sea ban
allow legal private trade and let the court collect taxes
merchants make money
common people make a living
pirates lose the soil they grow in
and the raids fade away on their own
a four way win the state wins merchants win the people win the frontier wins
to sell the court on that four way future
Wang Zhi did something bold he fought pirates for the Ming
he used his own power at sea
to hunt down the truly violent gangs
he tied up rogue pirate chiefs one by one and handed them to the authorities
the Zhejiang maritime deputy Li Wenjin even reached out to him
and used his forces to destroy the great bandit Chen Sipan
in those years
officials looked the other way at his private trade
his fleets moved freely around Zhoushan
that was Wang Zhi's finest hour
and the most prosperous the southeast coast had ever been
Shuangyu port became the largest trading hub in east Asia
hundreds of ships came and went every day
merchants from Japan Ryukyu Siam and Portugal gathered there
coastal families competed to send their sons into his fleets
because the pay was ten times better than farming
Wang Zhi thought his dream was getting closer
if he kept showing the court what an open sea looked like
one day they would understand
but he was far too naive
he made the fatal error that nearly every prophet makes
assuming that a plan correct enough
would surely be adopted
he underestimated one thing the inertia of the old order itself
now shift the view from the sea to the court in Beijing
in the Jiajing court
the sea ban faction was overwhelmingly dominant
in their eyes
anyone who went to sea was a traitor in waiting
Wang Zhi catches pirates for you today
tomorrow he is the biggest pirate himself
they blamed the raids on men like him linking inside and outside
destroy Wang Zhi
and the sea would be calm again
in 1548
Zhejiang governor Zhu Wan sent his general Lu Tang to raid Shuangyu port
he burned Asia's largest free port to the ground
and filled the harbor in with wood and stone
five years later in 1553
the Zhejiang military commissioner Wang Yu
sent Yu Dayou to raid Wang Zhi's new base at Ligang by night
Wang Zhi was caught off guard
his fleets were shattered
and even his wife and children were seized
he fled back to Japan with what was left
that battle destroyed his illusions completely
he could not understand it
he truly could not
he fought pirates for the court fed the people and kept order at sea
what exactly had he done wrong
rage and disappointment pushed him to the other extreme
he stopped talking about amnesty and open markets
and simply raised the banner of revolt
calling himself the King of Hui
he set up offices at his Japanese base and gave his men titles
standing as an open rival to the Ming
from 1554 on
his fleets of revenge swept over the southeast coast of the Ming
this force was unlike any wokou before it
unified command clear strategy fine weapons
and even Portuguese cannon
the Ming garrisons had been hollowed out by fake payrolls
and collapsed almost instantly before them
a few dozen raiders fought all the way to the walls of Nanjing
this is the famous great Jiajing raids
only then did the court see it had blundered
and blundered completely it crushed a Wang Zhi who wanted to be loyal
and created a King of Hui who wanted to rebel
the southeast rotted through
the court brought in a new man Hu Zongxian
Hu Zongxian was also from Huizhou
a hometown man like Wang Zhi
that was the key variable
he saw the problem at once force alone could not win
Wang Zhi's base was in Japan
scatter him and he comes right back
on and on with no end
the only way left was amnesty
Hu Zongxian began laying careful plans
he freed Wang Zhi's mother wife and children from prison
and kept them well
then sent envoys to Japan at the risk of their lives
carrying a deeply sincere handwritten letter
the letter said my countryman
the court truly did wrong before
but now I am here
if you submit
I guarantee no charges for the past
and I will petition the emperor to open maritime trade
so you can do business in the open
the letter struck the softest place in his heart
Wang Zhi had been misunderstood his whole life
all he ever wanted
was to go from pirate to merchant from traitor to loyal servant
this letter from Hu Zongxian
gave him the way out he had waited half a lifetime for
he told his men I never wanted to rebel
the governor is so sincere now
he even freed my old mother
how can I not go back
in 1557
Wang Zhi led his fleet into Cengang at Zhoushan
and sent his adopted son Mao Haifeng ahead to test the ground
Hu Zongxian received him warmly
and sent his own aides aboard Wang Zhi's ship as hostages
Wang Zhi dropped his guard completely
he left most of his fleet and men with Mao Haifeng
and went to Hangzhou with only a few close men and the envoys
he had prepared a detailed proposal
not only a trade plan
but an analysis of the Japanese daimyo
he even offered to manage the trading ports himself
and guarantee no more raiders out of Japan
he went boating on West Lake
in the best of moods
more relaxed than he had been in years
he believed the four way future he had fought for all his life
was finally about to arrive
but just at that moment
a man named Wang Bengu stepped forward
Wang Bengu
the investigating censor of Zhejiang
a total hardliner of the sea ban faction
he could not stand the amnesty deal for Wang Zhi
he called it feeding a tiger
and could not bear a pirate chief strolling around Hangzhou
so he did something that changed history he went around Hu Zongxian
and used his censor's authority directly
sending troops to arrest Wang Zhi in Hangzhou
at the moment of arrest
Wang Zhi was completely stunned
he shouted what is my crime
did I not come here to surrender
no one answered
Hu Zongxian pleaded in a memorial
saying Wang Zhi had come to surrender
killing him would break faith and enrage his men at sea
and the raids would surely return
but the sea ban faction seized the chance
accusing Hu Zongxian of collusion and Wang Zhi of wolfish ambition
the Jiajing emperor cared nothing for sea affairs anyway
and was tired of his ministers shouting
so he ruled kill him
in prison
Wang Zhi wrote his memorial of self vindication
the last letter he left to history
he was still defending himself
and still calling for opening the sea
he said his trade at sea
had put food on the tables of Zhejiang
and had caught so many real pirates for the court
his merits went unseen above
and his family was ruined instead
he could not accept it
to the very end
the one thing he could not let go of
was asking for a customs office in Zhejiang like the one in Guangdong
allowing trade and normal taxation
so the state could earn money
and Japan could send tribute on schedule
this memorial got no reply at all
winter of 1559
he was taken to the execution ground
and said those two lines killing me alone does not matter
I only fear it will doom the people of Zhejiang
if the empire ignores the tide of the seas
a century from now
China will be humiliated by foreigners
the first line came true very quickly
when the news reached the sea
Mao Haifeng killed Hu Zongxian's hostages on the spot
and raised the banner of revenge
the sea powers Wang Zhi had unified broke loose in an instant
leaderless and each fighting alone
they had no illusions left
and no limits left either
their only thought was revenge burning and killing
the raids grew ten times worse than when Wang Zhi was alive
the whole southeast coast became a living hell
Hu Zongxian was overwhelmed
Qi Jiguang Yu Dayou and other great generals fought for over a decade
countless soldiers and civilians died
before the situation barely steadied
and what about Wang Bengu who ruined everything
he was impeached
but never really punished
one stubborn foolish decision cost countless lives
and the man who made it went off to his next meal
history is that cruel sometimes
but the story is not over
the greatest irony is still ahead
eight years after Wang Zhi died
the Jiajing emperor died
and Longqing took the throne
the political winds at court changed
in 1567
the Ming government formally opened Yuegang in Fujian
letting private ships sail the eastern and western seas
this is the famous Longqing opening of the sea
the dream Wang Zhi paid for with his life
came true eight years after his death
the effect was immediate
countless ships left Yuegang for Manila and for southeast Asia
at that time the Spanish were mining silver furiously in the Americas
and that American silver through the Manila galleon trade
poured into China like a tide
modern historians estimate
from the late sixteenth to the mid seventeenth century
one third to one half of the world's silver flowed into the Ming
this vast wealth gave Zhang Juzheng's single whip reform
and the military victories of the Wanli campaigns a solid economic base
history proved Wang Zhi right in the cruelest and clearest way
openness brings prosperity
closure brings rot
only all of this
he never got to see
at this point in the story
it looks like we could put a full stop here
a prophet failed by his age is finally vindicated
and his idea bears fruit
but do not forget the other half of his prophecy
what he said was a century from now
China will be humiliated by foreigners
the Longqing opening voided the first half of that prophecy
through the whole later half of the Ming
China was not humiliated at all
it became the center of the global trading system
and grew immensely rich
but what history does best is dark humor
the Ming fell
and the Qing came
after the Qing armies entered the passes
to crush the Southern Ming and Zheng Chenggong
they made a decision a hundred times harsher than the Ming sea ban
the great clearance forced coastal people thirty to fifty li inland
houses beyond the line were burned and fields left waste
anyone crossing the line was killed on sight
a dead zone tens of li wide was carved along the southeast coast
this was no longer banning the sea
it was destroying the sea
the clearance order was later repealed
but Qing rulers stayed deeply afraid of the ocean and of the world outside
they ran the single port system
keeping only Guangzhou open
with layer upon layer of restrictions
the gates were shut tighter than in any period of the Ming
they thought this would bring peace for ten thousand generations
and the result
three hundred years later
in 1840
British warships and guns blew that shut gate open
the westerners who had only just appeared on the coast in Wang Zhi's day
the ones the Chinese loosely called barbarians
their descendants with far more advanced weapons
shattered the celestial empire
the treaties of Nanjing Beijing and Shimonoseki one humiliation after another
ceding land and paying indemnities again and again
Wang Zhi's old line a century from now
China will be humiliated by foreigners
came true three hundred years on in a way even he could not have imagined
word for word line for line
I wonder when Lin Zexu burned the opium at Humen
and when Li Hongzhang lamented the greatest upheaval in three thousand years
whether either of them ever opened the old records late at night
and read the story of that Huizhou merchant named Wang Zhi
the man who three centuries earlier pleaded again and again
and paid with his life to push open the gate and embrace the sea
if the Jiajing emperor had listened to Hu Zongxian
and let Wang Zhi open the sea
if the Ming had joined global maritime trade a century earlier
where would history have gone
we do not know
we only know that Wang Zhi died in Hangzhou
and for a very long time
his name was a byword for pirate chief
today in Hirado city in Nagasaki Japan
the site of his old residence is still preserved
and his bronze statue stands at the Matsura historical museum
the Japanese remember him
because he brought them wealth and technology
but in China
the trace he left is almost nothing
at this point
I want to raise the real question of this video
why does a civilization always choose to kill its own prophets
this is not a Ming problem
and not a Chinese problem
it is the shared fate of every old order
Socrates was poisoned by the Athenians
Bruno was burned by the church in Rome
a prophet's tragedy is never that he was wrong
it is precisely that he was right
right about things the old order was not ready to hear
the old order kills prophets not out of hatred
but out of fear
the new world they describe means the death of the old order itself
those who profit from it would rather sink the whole civilization
than let go of the rotten plank in their hands
what died with Wang Zhi was not just one man
but a whole rising maritime civilization
had the Ming embraced that civilization then
China had every chance to lead globalization first
there would be no opium war three centuries later
and no century of humiliation
but the old order chose to shut the door
it was not ignorant of the consequences
it knew exactly what they were and shut the door anyway
because for the old order
control matters more than prosperity
stability matters more than evolution
staying in power matters more than what becomes of the country
that is the real tragedy
at this point
I want to ask you to do one thing
take this logic from the Ming four centuries ago and move it to today
in a great age shifting from industrial civilization to intelligent civilization
who is the Wang Zhi of our own time
what is the sea ban of our own time
which voice is being crushed right now as the raving of a madman
yet may be proven right by history a century from now
I will not give an answer
I only leave the question here
what are your thoughts on this episode
was Wang Zhi a hero or a pirate
and in this era of ours today
is there a Wang Zhi being killed right now
tell me in the comments
I am Leo Wang
see you next time