Global colonization began with Ming Dynasty pirates.

Now that they knew who the enemy was, things became much easier. Lin Hao immediately convened a meeting to discuss the matter.

"What does Li Jiu mean by this?" He frowned, looking frustrated. "We've never messed with him."

Zhang Chengzong stroked the teacup in his hand, pondering, "Could it be that the Zhang family ordered them to take action?"

Lin Hao shook his head: "The Zhang family must have given such instructions. But if that's the case, why didn't they act last time? They sent people to investigate, waited so long before taking action, and what's the point of arresting Uncle De and the others?"

These words surprised both of them.

Uncle San scratched his head, then simply waved his hand: "Who cares what they mean! I think we should wipe them out first. You know what, those new cannons we built are really powerful! I think even if we have fewer ships, we might still have a chance of winning."

No sooner had he finished speaking than he was struck on the back of the head with a pipe.

"Nonsense!" The old man strolled over unnoticed, tapped his pipe on the table, and scolded softly, "Are so many lives something to gamble with?"

"Dad, why do you always beat me?" Uncle San scratched the back of his head, looking aggrieved.

"So what if I beat you up? I'm your father, I can beat you up whenever I want!" The old man raised an eyebrow and said irritably, "Besides, this is a meeting of the Four Seas Gang, call me Gang Leader!"

Uncle San rolled his eyes, but didn't dare to talk back, muttering, "Yes—Chief! So, what do you say we do now?"

"What should we do?" The old man took a deep drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled. "Of course, we should ask Hao'er. Do you expect me, at my age, to use my own brain?"

All three of them turned their gazes to Lin Hao.

Lin Chengzong put down his teacup and said seriously, "Hao'er, what are your thoughts? Tell me first."

Upon hearing this, Lin Hao put down the map in his hand and then said to the three of them, "I don't have any ideas for the time being, but Li Jiu is not an ordinary pirate like Zhou Daye from Twin Peaks Island. He has thousands of men under his command, so we can't use force. We have to outsmart him."

"Oh? Could it be that Hao'er, you already have a solution?" Lin Chengfeng's eyes lit up.

"No." Lin Hao shook his head decisively and explained, "In such a short time, we know very little about the enemy, and any plan we devise is just castles in the air."

Uncle San immediately deflated: "So we're just going to wait here like this?"

"That's not it." Lin Hao pointed to Nangantang Island on the map. "Although we still don't have a clue how to defeat Li Jiu, there are two things we can do right now."

First, the most urgent task is to send someone to Nangantang Island to stabilize Li Jiu and ensure Uncle De's safety, while also using this opportunity to find out the true situation on the island.

Secondly, while negotiating with Li Jiu, we must quickly equip the recruited soldiers with combat readiness. Once we have a clear understanding of the enemy's stronghold, we must move out immediately! Third Uncle, this is up to you.”

"No problem, just watch. Those guys are already well-trained by you. They only need a little time to adapt on the ship to handle the situation, not to mention the many cannons you've provided," Li Chengfeng said confidently.

"Hao'er, who do you plan to send to negotiate with Li Jiu?" Lin Chengzong suddenly asked at this moment.

Lin Hao answered without hesitation, "I plan to have Twelve take two people with him. Twelve is in charge of contacting our spies on Gantang Island. It's most convenient for him to go. Besides, he's young, so the other side won't take him seriously. This is our opportunity."

......

"The most important thing about this trip to Gantang Island is to thoroughly investigate the defenses of their stronghold and the scouting activity on the island. Also, if possible, it would be best to ransom Uncle De with money; that would be ideal."

At the Dongluo Island pier, Lin Hao and Lin Shier walked and talked, with Lin Hao constantly reminding Lin Shier of important points.

"Young Master, what if they make exorbitant demands?" Lin Twelve suddenly asked.

Upon hearing this, Lin Hao smiled calmly. "If they're asking for an exorbitant price, that's even better. Don't refuse outright. Just negotiate with them slowly. The longer you can stall, the better."

"Then, young master, how much money would be appropriate to redeem Master Lin De?" Lin Twelve asked in a low voice.

"Well," Lin Hao thought for a moment and said, "two thousand taels! Use that price to redeem Uncle De and all the remaining crew members. If they agree, we'll test their sincerity with two thousand taels. If they're willing, we'll use the money to redeem Uncle De and then wait for the fleet to return. If it's more than that, we'll negotiate with them slowly and then prepare to take them down ahead of time."

In reality, Lin Hao didn't believe the other party would release the person. Based on his investigation of Li Jiu, Li Jiu wasn't exactly a trustworthy person. However, Lin Hao was still willing to try his luck with two thousand taels of silver. What if the other party took the money and actually released the person? As long as the person could return, Lin Hao didn't mind postponing the formal battle. After all, it was Lin Hao himself who needed time the most.

After seeing Lin Twelve off on the fishing boat, Lin Hao's brows furrowed. The journey to Li Jiu's bandit stronghold would test both wisdom and courage. Pirates had no sense of honor and could kill anyone they encountered at any moment. Completing the mission under such life-or-death circumstances would be a significant challenge for the young Lin Twelve. Lin Hao wondered if he could withstand the pressure.

But Lin Hao had no other choice. Lin Twelve was the most suitable person, and besides him, Lin Hao himself had to go. That was naturally impossible. He had been showing his face on Dongluo Island all the time, and many people in Li Jiu's den must know him. If he were to offer himself up, they would be overjoyed.

After waiting by the sea for a while, Lin Hao was about to leave when his eyes widened in surprise. A small boat suddenly appeared on the western sea, heading straight for the Dongluo Island pier.

Lin Hao kept a close eye on the docks almost every day and knew almost everything about all the boats that frequently came to Dongluo Island. This bird-shaped boat didn't belong to any of the Lin family's boats, nor was it a boat that merchants on shore usually used.

The large number of people gathered on Dongle Island, along with the generous wages paid by the Sihai Gang, led to a large influx of merchants. These merchants arrived on Dongle Island in various boats, selling all sorts of goods to the island's workers and members of the Sihai Gang.

Although unfamiliar ships carrying merchants sometimes arrive, it's usually in the morning because Lin Hao doesn't allow these people to stay on Dongluo Island; they must leave before nightfall. Now that it's almost evening, the arrival of this ship is quite strange.

However, since the ships in the open sea didn't send out warning signals, it means that this ship is most likely not a pirate ship. And even if it were pirates, a lone ship coming to Dongluo Island would only be courting death.

So Lin Hao simply stood there and waited, watching the ship get closer and closer to the dock. Lin Hao then waved to call over a few guards nearby.

As the ship drew closer, Lin Hao gradually made out that it was full of people. They were all young and strong men, but instead of the menacing look that pirates usually have when they looked at the island, they were all waving and shouting excitedly in this direction.

This scene left Lin Hao completely bewildered. Were they coming to Dongluo Island to work again after hearing some news? No, that didn't make sense; people had come from almost every village within a dozen kilometers. Could these people have come from even further away?

Once the ship docked under the pier, Lin Hao and his guards approached. They saw that the people who had been on the deck couldn't wait for the gangway and jumped off the ship. If the ship hadn't been so low, at least two of them would have been crippled.

"We've finally arrived! This must be Dongluo Island!" A strange, completely different accent from the Fujian dialect burst from the mouths of those people. Lin Hao was immediately stunned, because he understood the accent.

The reason Li Hao could understand it was simple: his father sometimes said things like that.