Global colonization began with Ming Dynasty pirates.

"I see that everyone's physical condition is much better than when we first arrived, and some people have even gained weight." After leaving the dormitory, Lin Hao and the others walked and talked in the corridor between the dormitories.

"That's right. Now, the gang has a ship going out to sea to hunt whales every day. They can catch a whale every two or three days. There's enough meat on the island to feed thousands of people. Soldiers are the main focus of the supply, so it's no wonder they're so fat. All of this is thanks to Young Master's kindness," Lin San replied with a smile.

"Hmm," Lin Hao nodded indifferently, without any pretense of modesty. In the entire Ming Dynasty, only the Four Seas Gang, under his command, could enjoy such food as their warriors.

Elsewhere, even small landowners couldn't afford to eat meat every day. Of course, the wealthy merchants of Jiangnan were an exception; the price of one meal for them could probably feed the Four Seas Gang for a month.

"What I mean is, these people have gotten quite fat now, and their physical condition is much better than before. They eat whale meat every day, and their night blindness is basically gone."

Lin Hao gazed at the dark sky in the distance, then said to Lin Jiu, "So, could we increase the training intensity for this group?"

"Young Master is right. I've always felt that these people have it too easy. Although they train for two hours in the morning, there are too many breaks in between, and it's just standing in line and running around. It's hardly training. I've wanted to increase the intensity for a long time," Lin Jiu said eagerly.

Although Lin San was in charge of all the soldiers' training, Lin Jiu was actually the one responsible for the actual execution. Lin Jiu looked different from ordinary people; he was from Shandong, tall and strong, and didn't like beating around the bush.

He always felt that these people were eating and drinking well, but their training intensity was not as high as it had been for them. The group of teenagers were already very dissatisfied and had repeatedly asked Lin San to increase their training intensity, but Lin San had always refused.

Upon hearing Lin Hao's instructions, Lin Jiu was immediately filled with excitement.

"Young Master, I've made up my mind. We'll add a weighted run in the morning, around the entire island. The roads on the island are almost finished anyway, so we'll double the training volume. Two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon, with just a few minutes of rest each time. And in the evening, we'll add an extra hour of emergency night training."

"Young Master, isn't this a bit too harsh? I'm worried that many people won't be able to handle it," Lin San said, frowning.

Lin Hao casually handed the lantern to Lin San. "Don't worry. If they had started training like this, they definitely wouldn't have been able to keep up. But now that so much time has passed, they've adapted to the basic intensity. Adding a little more won't hurt. My Four Seas Gang isn't a charity. If they want money from us, how can they expect to get it without putting in some effort?"

However, evening training shouldn't be the norm; instead, it should be done randomly. Also, give them a day off every five days to go whale hunting at sea and help them get used to the water.

"Young Master is wise. Please rest assured, I will definitely train these people to be obedient and teach that pirate Li Jiu from Nangantang Island a lesson by the end of the year," Lin Jiu patted his chest and promised.

After inspecting all the dormitories, Lin Hao, led by the others, checked several hidden sentry posts on the island. Only after confirming that everything was normal did he return to his room to rest.

Lin Hao's room remained the same small room he had started in, located at the easternmost part of the village, unchanged. Although Uncle Fu had built him a small courtyard and invited him to stay there, Lin Hao declined.

First, Lin Hao was too lazy to bother. Second, he preferred to be alone. The area around there was full of Lin family women, children, and relatives, making it difficult for him to leave. It was much better to stay alone in the small room on the far right of the island.

This location is at the top of a hillside, with the village wall on the side. Looking west, you can see the entire village, and looking south, you can see the still bustling shipyard.

Since the shipyard workers were offered a high reward, construction has never stopped, day or night.

Since the Four Seas Gang began making whaling a regular activity, the island has had no shortage of whale meat, and secondly, whale oil. Only with ample whale oil reserves could the massive shipyard operate around the clock.

By this time, the entire Dongluo Island was plunged into darkness, but the shipyard remained brightly lit, as if it were daytime. There, dozens of huge oil lamps were continuously lit, illuminating every inch of the land as clearly as if it were daytime.

"Dongluo Island is ultimately too small," Lin Hao said with a shake of his head after looking around for a while.

From the small hillside where he stood, he could see the entire village at a glance. The 2000 people who had squeezed in were already the limit.

The shipyards in the south have already used up all the land with just three small docks. The Four Seas Gang urgently needs a larger territory.

Lin Hao closed the window and lit the oil lamp. Then he spread out a huge map on the table.

This map is more detailed and larger than the one Lin Hao had shown his grandfather, father, and uncles before.

The original map only marked the Ming Dynasty, Taiwan, Nanyang, and some islands in Southeast Asia.

But this map is actually a world map. Places unknown to most people in the Ming Dynasty, and even to most Europeans, such as Australia, Europe, and the Americas, are prominently featured. Lin Hao has continuously refined this map over the past four years based on his memory. Simultaneously, he has constantly marked spheres of influence on it based on information gathered during these years.

Now, this map is quite complete.

Lin Hao reached out and traced the map, starting from Australia in the south, going straight up through Luzon, Taiwan, and Ryukyu, all the way to Liaodong.

"Too slow," Lin Hao frowned and muttered to himself.

Next April, Nurhaci, the Wild Boar, will achieve victory in the Battle of Sarhu, defeating the 20-strong army assembled by the Ming Dynasty, acquiring countless warhorses and weapons, and then taking advantage of the momentum to capture Kaiyuan and Tieling, conquering the Yehe tribe. He will become the true hegemon of Liaodong.

In the following years, they captured Liaoyang, Shenyang, Guangning and other places, completely confining the Ming Dynasty's power to western Liaoning.

While Ye Zhupi was a master of warfare, he was utterly incapable of governance. After taking control of Liaodong, he implemented a series of policies including forced relocation, forced communal living and eating, enslavement of civilians, and even the killing of Han Chinese without grain. These policies would force millions of Han people to become displaced.

Lin Hao's power was naturally insufficient to stop it. However, he needed to prepare for it; when that day came, he would need a base large enough to accommodate these refugees. The small island of Dongluo was clearly unsuitable.

Taiwan is also not suitable at the moment. Northerners are already prone to acclimatization problems when they come to the south, and if they are suddenly thrown into the even more wild and untamed Taiwan, it would not be resettlement, but murder.

Therefore, Lin Hao needs a transit island, and this island must be large enough to accommodate tens of thousands of people living on it.

Lin Hao scanned the islands on the map, then his focus settled on Nanri Island.

This place perfectly meets all of Lin Hao's requirements. However, the only problem is that, according to Lin Hao's investigation, a group of pirates is also based here, and their power is even stronger than that of Li Jiu and his group on Gantang Island.

And right now, he can't even handle Li Jiu. Who knows when he'll be able to take over Nanri Island?

"Time is of the essence," Lin Hao sighed as he closed the map again.