Qi Jiguang
In 1553, Qi Jiguang was promoted to Assistant Regional Military Commissioner () of Shandong's defense force against wokou pirates, which included Japanese, Portuguese, and Southeast Asians, but were mostly Chinese. When Qi Jiguang took over the commandership of Shandong's coastal defense, he had less than 10,000 troops at hand, though the recorded strength was 30,000. Furthermore, many of his soldiers who were young and strong men deserted to make a living elsewhere, leaving behind the old and the weak. The troops also lacked training and discipline, while the defense works were dilapidated due to years of negligence.