Global colonization began with Ming Dynasty pirates.

After everyone had assembled, Lin Hao announced the results of the assessment for everyone shortly afterward.

Except for 100 people who were demoted to trainee soldiers, the rest became regular soldiers.

Although their destinations are different, their current monthly salaries are exactly the same.

Once all the results were announced, those who were selected were overjoyed; had it not been for military orders, they probably would have jumped up and cheered long ago. Those who were demoted to trainee soldiers, on the other hand, were dejected and full of regret.

However, there was no time to regret it for long, and soon it was time for the part they were most looking forward to—giving out money!

For most of them, this was the first time in their lives they had actually received their pay. Meanwhile, the selected soldiers received not only their pay but also a resettlement allowance.

"Now, each squad, come forward in order to receive your pay." Following Lin Hao's instructions, everyone began to step forward to stand before him.

Then the first member of the first squad came to Lin Hao's side.

"Chen Agui, it's you. Keep up the good work, your future is limitless." Lin Hao placed one tael of silver in the other's hand and patted him on the shoulder to encourage him.

In this raid on Li Jiu, Chen Agui's squad fought exceptionally bravely, charging at the forefront. Chen Agui himself personally killed two pirates. He earned considerable merit and it's almost certain he will be officially appointed to a military officer position in the future, fulfilling his wish.

In the current basic training, there are no positions such as captain, squad leader, or centurion. Since the training is uniform, all that's needed is instructors. Junior officers are not required to assume command responsibilities in military formations.

However, the selection of these junior officers will be gradually determined during the subsequent training. Chen Agui has enough literacy, has made military contributions, and is also considered a veteran, so he can basically be guaranteed a captain's position.

Upon hearing Lin Hao's words, Chen Agui, holding the reward money in his hand, excitedly shouted, "Thank you, Young Master, for the reward! I swear to serve you to the death!"

This was his genuine thought. Back in Xicao Village, he was bullied by pirates like Zhou Daye, and the lives of his entire family were hanging by a thread.

After arriving on Dongluo Island, his family was finally able to eat their fill thanks to the resettlement allowance they received. The thought of receiving a monthly stipend gave them hope for the future.

Upon hearing this, Lin Hao nodded in satisfaction. He then patted the other person on the shoulder again.

After Chen Agui left, the others followed suit, shouting as they received their pay: "Thank you, Young Master, for the pay! We swear to serve you to the death!"

It would be one thing if one or two people said it, but when so many people said it together, Lin Hao immediately felt elated.

He finally understood why those people loved formalism so much. Even though he knew it was all fake, the feeling of being at the top was truly exhilarating!

Even though Lin Hao had tried his best to speed things up, and towards the end he was just mechanically handing out money, his arms were still sore from exhaustion after distributing wages to more than 800 people.

The thought that if the number of people doubled in the future, he would probably have to pay salaries from morning till night. Suddenly, he felt that this matter was not so wonderful after all.

……

As the sun sets, on an official road outside Guangzhou, a magnificent horse pulls a carriage at breakneck speed.

"Hurry up, faster! If you can shake them off, I'll give you double, no, triple the fare." A handsome young man sitting in the carriage was urging the coachman anxiously.

The young man was extremely handsome, with fair skin and delicate features. If it weren't for the clearly visible Adam's apple, people might have mistaken him for a young lady from a prominent family disguised as a man.

Upon hearing this, the coachman's eyes lit up. He stood up and said to the man, "Sir, you're very generous! Just you wait and see! I, Old Li, have been doing this for decades. I guarantee you'll escape alive. But speaking of which, what exactly did you do to warrant such a chase?"

"Oh, don't ask about that, it's a long story. It's all because I'm too handsome," the young man said with a melancholy look on his face.

Upon hearing this, the coachman was speechless. "I know you're handsome, but isn't it a bit shameless to say it like that?"

However, despite his complaints, the coachman's skills were truly remarkable. Under his command, the carriage skillfully navigated around various potholes and stones on the road, gradually widening the distance between itself and the pursuers.

"Great, we finally escaped this time." The young man leaned against the carriage, panting heavily.

However, before he could rejoice for long, a crisp and rapid sound of hooves came from behind.

The young man turned his head and saw three knights rushing towards him from behind.

Judging from the knight's skillful riding, it's only a matter of time before he catches up with my carriage.

"What's going on? There are cavalry? What did I do to deserve this?" The young man was immediately plunged into despair.

A moment later, the three knights came within fifty paces of the carriage. The first knight in white stood up, then drew his bow and nocked an arrow.

"Whoosh!"

The arrow shot out like lightning and then struck the carriage with a "thud".

"Stop the car immediately, or don't blame me for being ruthless!"

The arrow terrified the young man, sending chills down his spine. In truth, he didn't need to shout. The moment he saw the arrow, the coachman panicked. In his haste, he trembled violently, and the horse, pulled erratically, swerved, causing the wheels to run over a large rock. The entire carriage overturned and tumbled to the side of the road.

"Kid! You think you can just run away after causing trouble? Do you really think the Zhao family is pushovers?"

Just as the young man was dazed and confused from the fall, a pair of large hands roughly yanked him off the ground. The words were filled with murderous intent. But for some reason, after pulling him up, the hands carefully checked him for injuries.

"Ahem, it's Brother Zhao! Oh? How did I end up outside the city? Drinking has led me astray. I don't know how I got taken outside the city, but thankfully Brother Zhao came to my rescue." The young man bowed with his hands clasped, speaking with an elegant air.

The one who pulled him up from the ground was the white-clad knight among the three knights. Hearing the other party's shameless words, he immediately turned red with anger.

What do you mean by being drunk and inexplicably taken out of town? That's blatant lying.

"Heh," the white-clad knight chuckled coldly, then said fiercely, "If I didn't want to hurt my little sister's feelings, I would have cut off your tongue and rubbed your face on the ground. That way I wouldn't find you disgusting to look at or hear about you."

"Haha, Brother Zhao is joking. But I didn't know you could ride a horse."

"If you didn't know how, wouldn't you have gotten away today?"

"Run? Why would I run? I'm just tired of staying in the city and came out for a walk. Look at the beautiful mountains and rivers outside the city. Brother Zhao, why don't we stay here and enjoy the scenery? We can go back later, what do you think?"

"I'll play with your grandma! Get back here right now and marry my little sister!" the white-clad knight said impatiently. Then he dragged the other man away with one hand towards his horse.

"Hey, don't be in such a hurry! Help! Help! They're robbing a man!" the young man shouted.

"Go ahead and scream, no one will come to save you even if you scream your lungs out," the white-clad knight said dismissively.

"Help! Help me! Second brother, if you keep watching this show, I'm going to be kidnapped and become a live-in son-in-law!" the young man shouted loudly to those around him.

"Hmph! What nonsense about a second brother? You've been in Guangzhou for so long, and I haven't seen a single family member with you."

The man in white thought the other party was trying to cheat again, but just then, a loud voice came from in front.

"Young master, it seems rather inappropriate for a bald man to forcibly rob a civilian in broad daylight. It would be more appropriate to release my fourth brother. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless with my weapons."

Suddenly, a middle-aged man stepped out of a carriage that had been parked by the roadside watching the commotion. At the same time, more than a dozen agile men emerged from behind him, wielding swords, shields, and spears. What made the white-clad knight's eyes narrow was that several of them were pointing muskets at him.

"Who are you? How dare you show yourselves outside Guangzhou in broad daylight with muskets? You're incredibly audacious!" The man in white, though unafraid of their swords and spears, dared not risk a musket. He froze instantly.

"Please excuse my rudeness, young master. I am Lin Chengbi, and the man in your hands is my fourth brother. Please be merciful and let him go. I would be extremely grateful."