Global colonization began with Ming Dynasty pirates.

The 46th year of the Wanli reign, the 10th day of the 10th month of the lunar calendar.

Lin Hao returned to Dongluo Island with a ship full of supplies.

After establishing a cooperative relationship with the Zhao family, he gave them the entire first batch of soaps, enabling them to open up the market in Jiangnan.

Lin Hao had enough confidence in the wealth of the gentry in Jiangnan and believed that the Lin family would soon have its first stable source of income.

After seeing off the Zhao family father and son, Lin Hao did not linger. After purchasing a whole ship full of essential supplies on Dalian Island, he hurriedly returned to Dongluo Island.

In the early stages of the gang's formation, there were too many things that required his attention, and he couldn't be away for too long.

"You said you discovered a spy?" Lin Hao hadn't even settled in his seat before summoning the people in the document room. They had been handling affairs for him for some time now, and Lin Hao needed to know the situation as soon as possible.

"Yes, as the young master instructed, this group of people wasn't working on the island the whole time, so there might be problems. We increased our manpower to check that day and sure enough, we found the problem," Lin Shier reported from the lower seat.

"Where exactly are these spies from? Are they from the government troops or those wealthy families?" Lin Hao asked after taking a sip of tea.

"We've found out. They're from Li Jiu's pirate crew, and they're even a leader. But we haven't arrested anyone yet. Those two are still on the island. Should we arrest them?" Lin Twelve made a capture gesture.

"Still not gone?" Lin Hao was stunned. This island is so small, and they haven't even explored it properly in a day? What does it mean to stay here?

"Uh, that leader should be the third-in-command of the pirates, and he's still at the Red Mansion," Lin Twelve said speechlessly.

That guy has been in the Red Mansion since yesterday, except when he goes out to eat. I don't know where he gets such stamina.

As for the other henchmen, they were even more motivated after seeing that they could actually get the money. They worked harder than anyone else on Dongluo Island and it seemed like they could stay there for a long time.

"If the enemy doesn't move, we won't move either. Since he's not leaving, we'll just keep a close watch on him and ignore him. For us, every day we can hold out is a day, and with each day we get there, our strength will increase."

We'll also send someone to Dongjiao Town to discuss with the local military households about building a beacon tower there. If Li Jiu wants to come, he can only do so from that direction. This will give us enough time to issue an early warning.

"Also, have the girls from the Red Mansion give him some information: the cargo from the last hijacked ship has been sent to Southeast Asia and will return in two months with a ship full of silver," Lin Hao casually instructed.

"Young Master is wise. In that case, these pirates will probably have to wait until the New Year to make their move. But by then, the situation will have already reversed," Lin Twelve said with a smile.

"Stop flattering me. Is there anything else?" Lin Hao asked.

"We also found out a few people who hired beggars from the street to make up the numbers, and others who took advantage of the chaos to steal things in the village. In addition, several yamen runners from Lianjiang County came to the island and said they wanted us to pay taxes," Lin Shier continued.

"Those who are just there to make up the numbers will have all their rewards confiscated, receive ten lashes, and be driven off the island. Those who steal will be punished with hard labor. As for the yamen runners..." Lin Hao sighed speechlessly, then said, "Are we being too lenient? People are starting to think we're law-abiding citizens?"

Lin Hao was both amused and exasperated. He was a pirate, after all. How dare they come to pirate territory to collect taxes? Lin Hao didn't know whether to praise their bravery or their foolishness.

However, Lin Hao guessed that these people probably didn't know what they did, they only knew that a rich and foolish person had come to the island.

After all, aside from handing out money, he hadn't done anything wrong. If he hadn't done anything wrong, wouldn't he be a good person? And good people are naturally afraid of the yamen runners.

"Well, I arrested them and interrogated them. They really didn't know we were pirates," Lin Twelve said helplessly. The truth was just as Lin Hao had guessed.

"Didn't you know that the government troops were besieging them some time ago?" Lin Hao said speechlessly.

"None of the government troops escaped. The news didn't spread on the shore, and these yamen runners didn't bother to question the villagers. They just came here without any regard for the consequences." Lin Shier interrogated them several times, and the results were always the same. To be honest, he couldn't believe there were such brazen yamen runners.

"Detain them and still punish them with hard labor," Lin Hao said after a moment's thought.

He then turned to Lin Shiyi and asked, "How many people have we recruited so far?"

Today is the deadline for the Four Seas Gang to recruit. People are still coming to apply on the island, but the number is not as high as the day before.

Seeing this, Lin Shiyi immediately handed a list to Lin Hao. He then reported, "Young Master, more than two thousand people have registered in total, mainly due to the large number of people in the last two days. We estimate that there are still about three hundred people who have not registered."

Of the more than two thousand men, about six hundred did not meet the minimum requirements. Of the remaining thirteen hundred, about five hundred met the standards for soldiers, and of the rest, about two hundred were suitable to be sailors. In addition, there were more than thirty artisans of various trades, and the remaining seven hundred or so could only serve as laborers.

"The number of people exceeded my expectations, which is very good. It proves that our reputation among the people is still acceptable." Lin Hao nodded. No matter what, manpower is the most important resource.

"Recruit anyone who meets the minimum standards. After selecting the soldiers and sailors, assign the rest to work," Lin Hao instructed Lin Shiyi.

"But young master, do we have that many workshops?" Lin Shiyi was naturally aware of Lin Hao's workshop plan. At least in the short term, there were no new workshop plans. The main reason was that there was no space available. Dongluo Island only had so much land that it was simply not big enough to operate.

"It's fine. Let them compete for the positions. This will motivate them more. Anyway, they'll be provided with food and lodging, so they won't want to leave. After a period of rest, a large portion of these people will be able to meet the requirements for combat soldiers," Lin Hao said nonchalantly.

He didn't care how much food and money it cost as long as he could keep people here. His need for manpower was endless.

"Is there any movement from the government?" Lin Hao then asked.

"Our men returned to the water fortress with Shen Wangshu's men. According to the news that they returned, Shen Wangshu had scattered a large sum of money, and the government had already inspected Zhou Daye's head. It seems that there shouldn't be any problems in the short term," Lin Shier added.

"It would be best if we could keep the government in check. If we can wait another two months and these new recruits are trained, we won't have to worry even if Fuzhou launches a full-scale attack," Lin Hao said calmly.

During his trip to Dalian Island, he passed through Dinghai Qianhu Office twice. On the way back, he even risked getting close to Dinghai City for observation. Based on what Lin Hao observed, the navy here could only deploy no more than 15 ships of various sizes, and the combat effectiveness of the officers and soldiers on the city was also highly questionable.

Lin Hao was confident that he could defeat the entire Fujian navy in just two months.

Although Shen Yourong was renowned, even the most skilled cook cannot make a meal without ingredients. Times had completely changed, and the Fujian navy was no longer what it was twenty years ago.

"Eleven, I'll give you three more days to complete the selection of all the soldiers and sailors, and then start training immediately. Send the rest of them to work at the shipyard. I need to form combat capability in the shortest possible time," Lin Hao immediately ordered.

"Yes, young master." Lin Shiyi immediately accepted the order.