Global colonization began with Ming Dynasty pirates.

Dongluo Island Shipyard.

When Lin Hao first came here a few days ago, there were only three small wooden cabins. But now the situation has changed dramatically.

The entire workforce of the Four Seas Gang has been concentrated at the shipyard these past few days. Countless laborers have been dispatched here to urgently carry out various construction projects. Rows of neat and uniform houses are being built in an orderly manner.

Near the sea, three large docks have been fully constructed and are currently being worked on by hundreds of people.

Lin Hao returned to this place once again. Several days ago, he handed over the blueprints for a new sloop to the shipwright Guo Kai. His return was because the Four Seas Gang was about to officially begin building its own ship.

In fact, Guo Kai finished making the ship model that very night. However, he then discussed and revised it repeatedly with many craftsmen, and based on actual production experience, he modified and optimized the ship model again.

Now that it is largely complete, it is time to start building ships.

In the large wooden house at the very center of the shipyard, a group of people had been waiting for Lin Hao for a long time when he arrived.

The leader was Lin Shi, followed by Guo Kai and a group of craftsmen.

After Lin Hao entered, he greeted everyone briefly, and then his gaze was drawn to an exquisite model ship on the wooden table in the center.

This is a beautiful, slender warship. It is painted entirely white, with a pointed bow and a straight deck. A huge fore-and-aft sail hangs on the upward-sloping mast, while two large triangular sails are also hung between the mast and the bow, giving it a very sleek and sophisticated appearance.

Lin Hao then looked at the slipway at the stern of the ship. Unlike all other ships in the East and West, this place had a low sterncastle that was slightly higher than the ship's deck. The sterncastle had a completely flat deck, with only a strange circular rudder wheel at the front.

At this time, both the East and the West used a rudder control system, which consisted of a large rudder control stick in the wheelhouse at the stern of the ship, which could be operated left and right to control the steering wheel at the bottom.

However, this method has a major drawback. First, the controllable angle of the rudder stick is very small, which makes the ship very inflexible at sea. Second, the helmsman's view is easily blocked by the sterncastle, making it difficult to see the situation ahead and requiring adjustments based on instructions from others.

These two problems make it difficult for the helmsman to maneuver the vessel effectively in rough seas or during very sharp turns. Furthermore, for large vessels, even operating the rudder may be impossible for one person; several people must work together to control the rudder and steer.

The type of steering wheel that is known to later generations did not become common on Western ships until the 18th century.

Lin Hao naturally wouldn't overlook this point. When designing the ship, he modified the original rudder control method, added a whole set of pulleys, and moved the rudder operation position to the top of the stern deck.

This allows the helmsman to stand directly at the highest point of the vessel, easily maneuvering the ship left and right via the rudder wheel, with excellent visibility. Furthermore, since the rudder is turned by a pulley system controlled by the rudder wheel, the control angle far exceeds that controlled by the rudder stick, and a huge wheelhouse is no longer needed, effectively saving space on the ship.

All of this requires only a steering wheel operating mechanism, and the reason why the shipbuilding process has been delayed until now is to allow these shipwrights to become familiar with and understand this new mechanism.

After installing this new steering wheel mechanism, combined with the superior maneuverability of the sloop itself, Lin Hao believed that his ships would be able to significantly outpace the Ming Dynasty's vessels.

With its excellent agility, superb mobility, and ample firepower, Lin Hao believed that no one could escape the pursuit of his fleet.

In particular, the cumbersome Fujian ships in the Ming Dynasty navy were slow-moving and weak in firepower, relying entirely on boarding maneuvers. When facing Lin Hao's new navy, they couldn't even touch or hit them. They had no choice but to passively take hits.

"Young Master, please take a look. This is the final ship design we've decided on," Lin Shi said respectfully. "It's designed according to the blueprints you provided, with only a few adjustments based on practical experience. The craftsmen have been gathered here for several days, finalizing all the plans, and we can start construction today."

Lin Hao nodded to Lin Shi. Then he looked at Guo Kai and said, "Mr. Guo, the Four Seas Gang fully supports you in building this ship. How quickly can it be completed?"

Guo Kai pondered for a moment, then stepped forward and bowed respectfully, saying, "Reporting to the young master, the construction of the ships, which will be built according to your previous estimate of two hundred li, will take approximately three to four months to complete."

Lin Hao frowned: "Too long. You can use all the gang's resources. Two months, three ships, must be launched."

"Two months?" Guo Kai was taken aback and hurriedly explained, "Young Master, this ship is a new design, and we have to figure out many things by trial and error. If we start construction, who knows what might go wrong. The wood will also take time to dry. We don't have enough craftsmen either; just piling on the numbers won't be enough..."

"Go ahead and build," Lin Hao waved his hand. "I'll accept any flaws in the first batch of ships. How bad can they be compared to those old ones? As long as they don't sink on the spot, it's fine. Use them for a few years, and replace them if they really can't keep up. I'll buy the timber directly from the shore; you just need to process it. If we don't have enough craftsmen—I'll send ships to the shore to bring in more people; we'll have enough in a few days."

After a pause, Lin Hao emphasized, "The three sloops must be launched before the end of the year."

Upon hearing this, Guo Kai's face immediately turned distressed. He then turned around and whispered to the group of craftsmen.

In reality, two months is more than enough time to build a 200-ton ship. However, this ship type is very different from traditional ships—the dense rib structure alone is completely different from the old methods. Although Guo Kai had built Western-style ships before, he was still unsure about this new contraption.

After muttering to himself for a while, Guo Kai turned back and said with a forced smile, "Young Master... we'll do our best for two months. We just ask that you ensure we have enough manpower and resources. We'll work overtime and try to get ahead as much as we can."

"Alright, that's good enough." Lin Hao smiled, looking at everyone's pained faces. "I'm not an unreasonable person. Here's the deal—a two-month deadline. For each day you finish early, I'll reward you with fifty taels of silver. If you really have the ability to finish the ship in a month, I'll reward you with fifteen hundred taels!"

He looked around and raised his voice: "Anyone who has a way to improve shipbuilding efficiency will be richly rewarded. No one will be exempt."

Upon hearing this, the worries on the craftsmen's faces immediately vanished. They were then filled with boundless enthusiasm.

How much purchasing power does 1,500 taels have? In this era, the material cost of the largest Fujian-style ship, the No. 1, which was over 30 meters long and over 10 meters wide, was only a little over 300 taels, and even with labor costs, it wouldn't exceed 500 taels. That price was enough to buy three No. 1 Fujian-style ships.

This is an outrageous amount of reward money. Although everyone knows it's impossible to finish it a month ahead of schedule, and that it will be split among so many people, they still can't help but get excited!

Everyone knows that when the Four Seas Gang gives out money, they really mean it! If they say the reward is 1,500 taels of silver, then it's definitely 1,500. When have any of you ever seen such a reward?

Guo Kai had previously heard rumors that Lin Hao was a spendthrift, spending money lavishly without a second thought. Now, if he heard it again, he just wanted to slap the person across the face. This wasn't a spendthrift at all; he was a veritable god of wealth! So, he immediately patted his chest and declared, "Young Master, rest assured! The three ships will be delivered within two months. If anything goes wrong, you can hold me, Guo Kai, accountable!"

"Great!" Lin Hao laughed loudly, "Then let's get started—building our own ships for the Four Seas Gang!"