Global colonization began with Ming Dynasty pirates.

The old man's hometown was Yiwu. Those people with the same accent as him were naturally also from Yiwu.

Lin Hao remembered that a while ago the old man asked if he could arrange for people from his hometown to come. At that time, Lin Hao patted his chest and guaranteed that the more people the better.

Now, when Lin Hao looked at the pier, he saw that it was packed with people, and in a short while the pier was filled with them.

At that moment, Lin Hao saw that some people were even climbing out from under the bird boat. Just how many people were crammed into this bird boat, which was only about a hundred feet long?

The Lin family's bird boat was more than twice the size of this one, but the space underneath had never held so many people. It's a mystery how these people managed to endure it.

However, Lin Hao noticed something interesting: after disembarking from the boat, these people didn't create chaos like the villagers. Instead, they tacitly found corners to stand in, making room for those behind them, and those nearby helped those on board continue transferring down. The entire process was completely orderly.

It's clear that these people have been working together as a team for a long time and are used to cooperating.

Once everyone had basically disembarked, Lin Hao roughly estimated that there were at least over a hundred people.

Lin Hao, accompanied by several guards, stood in front of them without saying a word. They, in turn, looked at Lin Hao.

After a moment, a few people finally stepped forward from the crowd. They cupped their hands in greeting to Lin Hao and said, "May I ask, young master, is this Dongluo Island?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Hao immediately smiled, "That's right, this is Dongluo Island. Welcome, fellow countrymen! My Lin family warmly welcomes you!"

......

A total of 135 people came from Yiwu, all of them young and strong men. Their arrival greatly strengthened the forces on Dongluo Island. After all, these people were miners, the kind who would fight anyone if given a weapon, and they had excellent teamwork skills.

Lin Hao then arranged a lavish dinner for him, allowing him to eat and drink to his heart's content and fully experience the Lin family's hospitality.

The person who was happiest about these people's arrival was naturally the old man. The arrival of so many younger relatives from his hometown made this old man, who had spent his whole life wandering, so excited that he danced with joy.

He then personally discussed seniority with everyone present and introduced each person's elders to his family. He was then completely captivated by their calls of "Grandpa" and "Great-Grandpa."

However, Lin Hao's gaze was mainly focused on the three leaders. Lin Hao had noticed them at the dock; these three were basically directing the crowd, and the crowd trusted them. In the end, it was these three who came forward to talk to Lin Hao.

Lin Hao had heard that there were leaders among the miners, and these few people often served as commanders among the miners.

"Greetings, Great-Grandpa. I am Lin Kaishan, and my great-grandfather was Lin Shitou." One of the three leaders bowed to the old man.

"Oh? That's my cousin. I never imagined his great-grandson would be so grown up," the old man said with a touch of emotion.

"My grandfather used to tell us about my great-grandfather's deeds, and he always said that his biggest regret was not joining Qi Jiguang's army like my great-grandfather. Otherwise, he wouldn't have died in poverty in his hometown." Lin Kaishan said excitedly.

"Are things difficult for your family right now?" the old man asked with concern.

Upon hearing this, Lin Kaishan burst into tears, saying, "Of course it's difficult, Great-Grandfather. You don't know, the imperial court has sent many mining supervisors to Yiwu. Those eunuchs are finding all sorts of ways to make money. And no matter what method they use, it's always us miners who bear the consequences. The mining tasks are getting heavier every day. Countless people have died in those dark and gloomy mines. My eldest brother and third brother both died that way. That's why we came without hesitation when we heard your call, Great-Grandfather. Please, Great-Grandfather, don't look down on us."

"This..." The old man immediately looked troubled. He didn't really care much about the gang's affairs and wasn't sure how many more people the gang could accept.

Seeing the old man's expression, everyone panicked. One of the three immediately slid forward to his knees, hugged the old man's legs, and cried out, "Grandpa, it's me, Wang Fang! My grandma is your youngest sister! You can't abandon us!"

This action immediately froze the other man. Then, with a determined heart and gritted teeth, he rushed forward and hugged the old man's other leg, crying out, "Grandpa, we've suffered so much! We risk our lives working in the mines from dawn till dusk. The money we earn is exploited at every turn, and in the end, we can't even support ourselves, let alone our wives, children, and elderly parents. Waaah, we really can't survive in our hometown anymore! If you don't take us in, we'll have no choice but to jump into the sea."

Three burly men surrounded the old man, clinging to his legs and weeping uncontrollably, making the old man's scalp tingle. Seeing this, the other men also dropped their food and knelt down, begging the old man to have mercy and take them in.

Lin Hao coughed heavily a few times, then said, "Please get up, everyone. The Lin family will not let you down."

"Yes, yes, since you're here, I, as your elder, will naturally not ignore you," the old man quickly replied.

"So, Great-Grandpa, do you mean you're going to accept us all?" Lin Kaishan asked nervously. The reason for this was that the old man's letter had mentioned needing around 30 people, but now there were over 130 of them. He wasn't really sure what to expect.

The old man pointed at Lin Hao and said to the crowd, "You'll have to ask my grandson for the exact number; he handles all the affairs of the gang. But don't worry, even if you're not selected as soldiers, I'll make sure you survive. I won't let anyone starve to death."

Upon hearing the old man's words, everyone immediately looked at Lin Hao.

Lin Hao didn't say much, but clapped his hands. Then, in the corner of the hall, Lin Shiyi and several people sat down at a table, and then laid out writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones. At the same time, a box of silver was placed next to the table and opened.

The light emanating from the silver instantly illuminated everyone's eyes.

Only then did Lin Hao address the crowd: "You are all my grandfather's fellow villagers, as well as my brothers and friends. Since you have all gone through so much trouble to come here, how could I, Lin Hao, refuse to accept you? Once you are here, you are all my family."

Then Lin Hao pointed to where Lin Shiyi was and said, "I want everyone here today. As long as you register there and voluntarily become a member of my Lin family's warriors, you will receive 3.5 taels of silver on the spot. After passing the warrior selection, you will receive the remaining 2.5 taels as a settlement allowance."

The crowd erupted in cheers. Why had they risked so much to come here? To earn money to support their families. Now, all they had to do was register and they could receive money. What was there to hesitate about?

Lin Hao was also very happy, after all, these Yiwu soldiers were carefully selected by Commander Qi and could be said to be one of the best sources of soldiers in the Ming Dynasty.

While the locals in Yiwu were scrambling to sign up, Lin Shier also arrived at Nangantang Island in his fishing boat.

As instructed by Lin Hao, Lin Twelve did not take the shortest route directly to Nangantang Island. Instead, he continued eastward from Beigantang Island, heading south along its eastern side, circling around to the eastern side of Nangantang Island. He then continued south and turned north at the southernmost point of Nangantang Island, arriving at the pirate Li Jiu's water stronghold.

Along the way, Lin Shier carefully observed the high points on the island with his telescope, and occasionally got close to the island to measure the hydrological conditions. It wasn't until they were several miles away from the water village that Lin Shier's boat was discovered by the island's water pirates. The pirates' boat rushed up and came a short distance from the side of the fishing boat.

"Who are you? Why are you here!" a man who looked like a pirate leader shouted from the ship.

Lin Shier calmly slipped the telescope into a hidden compartment in the ship's cabin, then announced loudly, "Brother, I am a member of the Four Seas Gang of Dongluo Island. Entrusted by the gang leader, I have come to pay my respects to your esteemed leader, Lin Jiu."

"What Four Seas Gang of Dongluo Island? Never heard of it. You're quite bold for your age. Your delicate skin suits my taste perfectly." These words immediately drew a burst of laughter from the people on the ship.

Lin Shier was too lazy to argue with such a boorish person. He casually picked up the bow and arrow beside him, quickly nocked an arrow, and shot.

"Whoosh!" The arrow swiftly sliced ​​through the gap between the two ships, flew over the man's head, and tore off his headscarf before landing with a whoosh on the mast.

"Ah!" the man cried out, his body covered in cold sweat. He then nervously fumbled around on his head with trembling hands.

After the initial panic subsided, I realized that only my headscarf had been shot off, but my head was still intact!

"Damn it! How dare you..." The man was about to say more when he saw Lin Shier nock another arrow. He immediately shut his mouth, not daring to say another word. The two boats were extremely close, and the other side was moving incredibly fast; he was truly afraid now.

"Take me to your leader immediately. If this delays important matters, don't blame me for not warning you." After saying this, Lin Twelve casually tossed a silver ingot onto the other ship.

Upon seeing the silver ingot, the man's expression of shame and anger vanished instantly, replaced by a fawning tone, "Oh, so you are distinguished guests! Oh, what a waste of your good fortune! Please wait a moment, I will take you to the water fortress immediately."