Global colonization began with Ming Dynasty pirates.

The time when Lin Cheng-bi led his fleet back to the mainland was not, in fact, the traditional time for maritime merchants to return. Most merchants would wait until after the New Year when the winds changed before leaving Manila, and even October, when Lin Cheng-bi and his group arrived, was not a typical departure time for maritime merchants.

In late October, the monsoon begins to shift to the northeast, but it is still in the monsoon transition period, and the wind direction is unstable, often resulting in interruptions or frequent changes in wind direction. They would wait until November or even later, in January of the following year, when the monsoon begins to strengthen and the wind direction has completely shifted to the northeast. After completing the transaction, the merchants would wait in Manila until April or May of the following year, at which time they would ride the southwest monsoon back to Fujian, basically following the pattern of leaving in winter and returning in summer, taking about half a year.

But the Four Seas Gang can't wait that long. If they wait half a year to come back, their families will be starving.

Therefore, when he set off, Lin Hao had already planned to return at this time.

Although the wind direction wasn't ideal, it wasn't entirely impossible to travel there. The route from Manila to Macau is northwest, with a northeasterly wind, not a complete headwind, leaving ample room to utilize the available wind direction.

Lin Hao made special modifications to the four ships for this voyage. Specifically, he removed the original bulky square bamboo sails and replaced them with fan-shaped sails that had gradually matured during the Qing Dynasty.

The fan-shaped sail is a new type of sail invented by the Chinese by combining the characteristics of traditional rigid sails and Western triangular sails. The fan-shaped sail is mainly made of cloth sail, while the structural strength is increased by a large number of herringbone-shaped frames. The sail surface unfolds in an arc shape, increasing the wind-receiving area by 30%.

This type of sail retains the ease of operation of traditional rigid sails while significantly increasing its ability to sail against the wind, which is the source of the fleet's confidence to set sail at this time.

However, if Lin Hao hadn't insisted on going to Macau to find someone, the group could have actually taken a faster route back.

That means sailing along Luzon Island to its northernmost point, and then riding the northward-flowing Kuroshio Current back from the east of Taiwan. Although the winds aren't exactly favorable along this route, the current is completely downstream, and the distance is shorter, so the return journey will be much faster.

The 46th year of the Wanli reign, the 14th day of the 11th month of the lunar calendar.

After an arduous 11-day voyage, the fleet led by Lin Chengbi finally arrived in Macau.

In the thirty-third year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1554), after helping the Ming government suppress pirates harassing the coast, the Portuguese bribed local officials to obtain the condition of temporarily residing in Macau.

By the late Wanli period, the number of Portuguese, Europeans, and black slaves residing in Macau had reached tens of thousands.

However, Macau at this time was not yet a colony like it would become later. Although the Ming Dynasty followed the traditional Chinese system of vassal states, allowing the Portuguese to exercise autonomy over Portuguese residents, the Ming government still firmly held sovereignty over Macau. All disputes and crimes involving Chinese people were under the jurisdiction of the Chinese government.

Meanwhile, the Portuguese in Macau had virtually no choice but to obey the orders of Ming officials. Four years earlier, to defend against a Dutch attack, Macau had recruited hundreds of Japanese ronin as fighters. However, the Ming government subsequently demanded that the Portuguese in Macau expel the Japanese ronin from the sea within a specified period, and the Portuguese in Macau had no choice but to obey, ruthlessly expelling all the Japanese ronin. Afterwards, Ming officials even erected a stele in the Macau Senate, explicitly prohibiting Japanese ronin from entering Macau, prohibiting the buying and selling of Chinese people, and prohibiting unmarried Portuguese from landing, among other things.

Even so, the Ming Dynasty remained wary of the Portuguese in Macau. Heavy troops were stationed at the border between Xiangshan County and Macau, rigorously checking all Portuguese comings and goings. However, this was actually a good thing for Macau, as it effectively protected its rear, preventing other European countries from attacking Macau by land.

In this era, Macau was the most prosperous port in the East, its status even surpassing that of Guangzhou, Nagasaki, Manila, Batavia, and other places.

The Ming Dynasty imposed a strict maritime ban on Japan, which resulted in the Portuguese effectively monopolizing trade with Japan along the coasts of Guangdong and Fujian. Many Ming merchants dared not risk traveling to Japan, instead shipping their goods to Macau. The Portuguese in Macau then resold these goods to Japan, reaping enormous profits.

Because the profits were so enormous, the position of Chief Executive of Macau even required a high-priced auction among Portuguese nobles.

According to later statistics, in the less than 30 years from the 44th year of the Wanli reign to the 14th year of the Chongzhen reign, Macau's annual net profit from Japan in silver alone exceeded 4.7 million taels. Note that it was 4.7 million taels per year.

Our poor Emperor Chongzhen exhausted all his efforts to ruthlessly exploit the people, yet the Liaodong military pay he received was only so much, which had already driven an empire to the brink of collapse.

The foreign trade benefits that should have belonged to the Ming government all ended up in the hands of the Portuguese.

For Lin Chengbi and his associates, it was naturally impossible for them to go to Guangzhou to trade, because they simply did not have any credentials.

Macau, on the other hand, doesn't require these things. As long as you bring goods, Macau is willing to do business with you, regardless of your identity.

At the same time, this place also has the artisans who make iron cannons, which are exactly what the Four Seas Gang needs most.

Unlike bronze cannons, iron cannons require extremely high craftsmanship. The slightest mistake could result in a burst barrel, or the cannon would simply be a large, heavy lump of iron. Lin Hao simply didn't have the confidence to experiment bit by bit, so he had no choice but to poach people.

Meanwhile, Macau was a hub for ambitious adventurers from all over Europe who came to the East. Whatever kind of person you were looking for—shipwrights, soldiers, officers, fallen nobles, navigators, and all sorts of others—you could find them here.

With guidance from the shore, Lin Chengbi moored the boat at the dock and immediately breathed a sigh of relief. The voyage of the past ten days or so had been even more arduous than before.

Previously, when I went to Manila, I would head south with the wind at my back. All I had to do was calculate my location and be careful of pirates.

However, this time, sailing from Manila to Macau in winter, due to the wind direction, all the sailors had to maneuver the ship against the wind at all times, which was a huge drain on their energy and physical strength.

Fortunately, we've finally arrived.

"Lin Yi, you take men to guard the ships and cargo. Lin Er, you take men to resupply. Wang Long, you come with me to the Macau city area; we'll find people to buy our supplies. Lin Liu, you go and find out who we need." Lin Chengbi issued orders methodically. Once in Macau, many things would be easier; at least the language barrier wasn't a major problem, and besides, this was the Ming Dynasty, so it was like coming home.

Lin Chengbi then looked at the exhausted sailors and guards on the ship, thought for a moment, and finally gave his last order: "Datou, take a few men to the shore and find some pleasure boats. Remember, those women are not allowed to be brought on board."

As soon as the order was given, enthusiastic cheers erupted from all the ships.

Lin Chengbi shook his head with a wry smile. After more than ten days of life-or-death racing, these people's nerves had been constantly on edge, and they really needed to relax, otherwise they would go crazy from being so stifled.

"Let's go, let's finish this quickly and then head home." A hint of worry flashed in Lin Chengbi's eyes. He had brought the family's strongest fighting force and best ships with him, and it had been so long since they had been back. He was genuinely worried about something going wrong, and he was eager to get home. At this moment, he also regretted agreeing to come to Macau to recruit people. If he had gone directly back to Taiwan, he would already be home.

On the same day that Lin Chengbi and his entourage arrived in Macau.

On Dongluo Island, crowds thronged, banners fluttered, and drums resounded.

Amidst a burst of enthusiastic firecrackers and the banging of gongs and drums, the gates of the three docks were pried open, and seawater rushed in from the outside, filling the entire dock to the brim.