Global colonization began with Ming Dynasty pirates.

"Are you this man's elder brother?" The white-clad knight looked back and forth between the two men with suspicion.

He couldn't help but be suspicious, simply because the difference in their appearances was too great. Lin Chengbi wasn't ugly, but compared to this young man under his command, he was far inferior. Could they have been born from the same mother?

"Although I am reluctant to admit it, the man under your command is indeed my fourth brother. May I ask your name?" Lin Chengbi bowed to the other party, but the musketeer beside him did not relax at all, still pointing steadily at the other party.

"My name is Zhao Zhaoming. Your accent doesn't sound like that of a local." Zhao Zhaoming glanced at the warriors behind the man and could roughly guess who he was. In a place like Guangzhou during the Ming Dynasty, anyone who carried swords, spears, and firearms was almost certainly a maritime merchant.

"Indeed, I am from Fujian Province. Would you please put my fourth brother down for now?" Lin Chengbi said helplessly. The two had been talking for so long, and Lin Chengyuan was still being dragged along like a chick.

"Yes, Brother Zhao, hurry up and put me down, you're making it hard for me to breathe," Lin Chengyuan urged immediately.

"No, I have to take him back to marry my little sister," the white-clad knight said, shaking his head.

"Marriage! What kind of logic is this, kidnapping someone to force them into marriage!" Lin Chengbi roared angrily, but then seemed to remember something and looked at Lin Chengyuan, asking, "You scoundrel! Have you ruined that young lady's reputation?"

"No, I, Lin Chengyuan, am not that kind of despicable person. At most, Miss Zhao and I held hands; we didn't even have time to do anything improper," Lin Chengyuan immediately protested.

"You've already held hands, isn't that enough? What else do you want!" The white-clad knight suddenly flew into a rage, unconsciously tightening his grip on Lin Chengyuan's hand.

"It hurts, it hurts, it's killing me! Brother Zhao, let go!" Lin Chengyuan begged for mercy.

In this era, holding hands was indeed a breach of social norms, especially for an unmarried young woman. However, in the relatively open-minded late Ming Dynasty, particularly in Guangzhou, most people didn't really care about this. Unmarried girls still went out and played, showing their faces in public as usual. So, this matter was serious in some ways and not serious in others; it all depended on how the Zhao family perceived it.

"I see. It was indeed my fourth brother who was being presumptuous. But as the saying goes, marriage is arranged by parents and matchmakers. Even if a marriage is to take place, the parents of both sides should agree on the engagement, and then a matchmaker should be invited to the door. It is not appropriate for you to force him to do this. How about this, I will take my fourth brother back and report the matter to my father, so that he can make a decision. What do you think?" Lin Chengbi said with a cupped hand and a smile.

The white-clad knight glanced at Lin Chengbi and the others, knowing that he would not be able to capture them today no matter what, and since they had given him a way out, he could only accept it.

"Alright, I'll wait for your news at home. I hope you won't disappoint me. Let's go!" Zhao Zhaoming threw Lin Chengyuan heavily to the ground, then mounted his horse and left with two guards.

After the other party left, Lin Chengyuan nimbly got up from the ground, dusted himself off, and laughed nonchalantly, "Second Brother, it's a good thing you came in time, otherwise it would have been really difficult to get away today."

"Heh, with your personality, I don't think it's so bad if you're forced into marriage," Lin Chengbi said speechlessly. The other party was the youngest brother in the family, spoiled rotten since childhood. Because of his handsome appearance, he was very popular with women, which fostered his womanizing nature. A few years ago, he caused trouble in Ningde and was subsequently kicked to Guangdong by the old man, left to fend for himself. Unexpectedly, he remained unchanged here.

Lin Chengyuan pulled out a folding fan from somewhere, opened it, and waved it a few times with a flourish: "Hao'er once said something quite right: 'One shouldn't give up the whole forest for one tree.' I'm still young, how can I hang myself on one tree?"

"Hmph, save those words for the old man. Now come home with me," Lin Chengbi said speechlessly.

"Huh? Going back? There's no rush. I still have a few women I haven't told off. It's too hasty to leave like this..." Lin Chengyuan stammered.

"That kid is no pushover. I reckon he's gone back to get reinforcements. If you want to be arrested, just wait." After saying that, Lin Chengbi ignored him and got into the carriage.

"Wait! Wait! Second Brother, wait for me! I haven't gotten on the bus yet!" Seeing that Lin Chengbi was really about to leave, Lin Chengyuan's survival instinct immediately took over, and he quickly chased after him.

…………

Early in the morning, three new single-masted schooners slowly set sail from Dongluo Island Bay.

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: 202ᴋᴋs.ᴄᴏᴍ]

Unlike previous sea trials, this time a black flag with a gold dragon was hoisted atop the masts of the three ships.

In the waters of the Ming Dynasty, smuggling is an illegal activity, and everyone wants to be unknown. Naturally, no one would fly any flags under such circumstances. Those who do fly flags are generally of two types: government troops or pirates. Both groups fly flags for the same purpose: to let all ships know their identity.

So, although Lin Hao always said that he and his men were going to sea to become pirates, they had never actually flown this black flag with a gold dragon; it was usually just hung on the stockade. But today, with this flag flying over the warship, it was a clear announcement to everyone that the Four Seas Gang was about to go hunting!

"Hao'er, this is the first time our Four Seas Gang has gone hunting. Aren't you coming with me this time?" Lin Chengfeng asked Lin Hao from the dock.

"Haha, with Uncle San around, the ship hijacking is already pretty much a sure thing. If I go up there, I'll only cause trouble and won't be of much help. I'll just stay home and wait for Uncle San's triumphant return." Lin Hao shook his head with a smile.

With the capabilities of their three ships, robbing those weak merchants was like an adult beating up a child. Unless they encountered ruthless merchants like Li Dan in Japan, there was absolutely no risk. In such situations, there was no need for them to get involved.

"Haha, very well then. Hao'er, you stay home and sit quietly while your third uncle spreads the fame of our gang throughout the entire Fu Ning sea area." The third uncle stroked his short beard and said with great pride.

The merchant ships that went out to sea for this hunting expedition consisted of only these three single-masted schooners. After several days of testing, they finally faced their real-world test today.

These ships are slightly different from the original ones. After testing, the structural strength of these ships fully meets the standards. Therefore, after comprehensive consideration, Lin Hao added another 12-pounder cannon to the stern of these ships.

Including the cannons at the bow and on both sides, there are a total of 10 Hongyi cannons.

Furthermore, the two 12-pounder cannons at the bow and stern could fire forward and backward, and, if necessary, could also fire to the sides with the aid of gun carriages. However, care had to be taken to avoid firing simultaneously to one side along with the four 6-pounder cannons, as this would pose a significant challenge to the ship's stability.

At the same time, these ships also received names within the Four Seas Gang for the first time. However, Lin Hao was too lazy to name each of these small ships individually, so he collectively named them the Flying Dragon class, and the three ships became Flying Dragon 1, Flying Dragon 2, and Flying Dragon 3.

The larger ships will then be named the Qiulong-class, Jiaolong-class, and Yinglong-class, respectively.

After that, Lin Hao would only give individual names to ships with a capacity of over a thousand li.