"What are the pros and cons of establishing additional ports?" Emperor Chongzhen asked Fan Jingwen, turning the question back on him.
Fan Jingwen replied without hesitation, "Maritime trade is immensely lucrative, but the Great Ming Dynasty has only a single port, and it is located far away in Fujian, making it extremely inconvenient! Driven by profit, countless coastal commoners scramble to engage in smuggling. To avoid detection, they build ships and cast cannons to defy the Imperial Court."
"As more and more people turned against the Imperial Court, bandits and pirates emerged all along the coast."
Chapter 698