A closer look

Nothing fuels organized crime quite like a total government ban on trade. When the Ming dynasty outlawed sea commerce, an enterprising scholar-turned-warlord named Wang Zhi stepped in to monopolize the black market. Operating from an island in Japan, he commanded a literal fleet of illegal smugglers that controlled the flow of silver and silk. He became so powerful that the imperial government was forced to negotiate with him before inevitably betraying and executing him.