Global colonization began with Ming Dynasty pirates.

The 46th year of the Wanli reign, which is 1618 AD.

In that year, Nurhaci of Liaodong officially launched a rebellion against the Ming Dynasty, becoming the most difficult thorn to remove from the Ming's body. His Later Jin dynasty took advantage of the weakness of the Central Plains and entered the pass in one fell swoop, dragging China into three hundred years of darkness.

In that year, Dutch colonists officially conquered Java and established the new governor's residence, Batavia, in the Jakarta area, beginning three centuries of Western colonial rule over Southeast Asia.

On the ninth day of the ninth lunar month of that year, the Double Ninth Festival, at the East Gate of Ningde County, Fuzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province, during the Ming Dynasty.

Lin Hao led a group of men, quietly hiding in a dark corner not far from the city gate. His fingers rubbed the hard bow in his left hand, feeling its cold and firm texture, and slowly calculating the time.

Behind them was the burning Ningde County. This season was dry and windy, and the oil that Lin Hao had arranged only accelerated the spread of the fire.

Feeling the intense heat behind me and the various burnt smells in the air, as well as the endless screams and cries that echoed throughout the county town.

Lin Hao sighed heavily. Although the main fires were set off from the county government offices, schools, wealthy households, and the residences of officials, in order to distract and delay the county government's advance, no one could control the spread of the fire under such a massive blaze.

More importantly, he also released other criminals from the prison. Those people were no pushovers; they were the ones who caused most of the commotion.

"Having lived two lives, my heart has hardened considerably," Lin Hao thought to himself.

But the pity he felt for those people lasted only a moment before Lin Hao forcibly suppressed it.

In chaotic times, one should not be sentimental. Besides, I am not even out of danger myself, so what right do I have to pity others? Moreover, I am the one who started the fire. Since I have done it, I should not regret it.

Lin Hao was only sixteen years old, but he was already a head taller than his peers, standing at a full 1.8 meters. Broad shoulders and a muscular build, his muscles bulged beneath his black shorts, clearly defined. In stark contrast to his robust physique was his face—delicate features, bright eyes, and a slightly tanned complexion that, though tanned by the sun, couldn't conceal the cleanliness and spirit unique to youth. The combination of his broad frame and clear face created a rare and heroic aura.

Before the age of twelve, Lin Hao was a famous child prodigy in Ningde County. He could compose poems at the age of three and had a photographic memory. His family thought he had produced a top scholar. At the age of twelve, he passed the county examination with the highest score. However, for some reason, when he took the prefectural examination, Lin Hao suddenly fainted in the examination room.

That was fine, since he was still young and had countless opportunities. But what no one expected was that after regaining his senses, Lin Hao burned the Four Books and Five Classics and vowed never to participate in the imperial examinations again. He then abandoned literature for martial arts.

Countless people lamented his fate, but Lin Hao remained obstinate.

Everyone assumed that Lin Hao had been traumatized during the exam, but only he knew that on that day, his memories of his past life began to awaken. After that, Lin Hao was no longer the naive boy he once was.

In his previous life, Lin Hao, relying on his education and the physique of a "scroll king," successfully became a middle manager in the company and even obtained enviable stock options. He was just waiting to make a fortune after the company went public. However, he died suddenly at the company due to overwork, falling in the darkness before dawn.

More than thirty years of memories have brought not only experience, but more importantly, historical knowledge in my mind.

If it were the original Lin Hao, he would naturally have participated in the imperial examinations step by step and become a high-ranking scholar-official in this era.

But once his memories returned, Lin Hao decisively abandoned that path. The imperial examinations? Not even a dog would participate!

By the time you are qualified to wield power, it will be too late. Even if you pass the imperial examination with top honors, what good will it do you? Become a high-ranking servant of the Qing Dynasty?

Or should they cooperate with those parasites in the Southern Ming Dynasty who would rather perish than let their country fall into internal strife? Either of these choices is disgusting to even think about.

As for Li Zicheng, he was even worse. He was a useless bum. If he had even a tenth of the abilities of Emperor Hongwu, I would have considered serving him. Unfortunately, he was ultimately hopeless.

"You have to rely on yourself to rebel; you can't depend on anyone else." Lin Hao tightened his grip on the bow. With the support of his family, he had no worries about food or clothing. After years of martial arts training, his physical strength had reached the forefront of this era.

"Young Master, does this mean we've rebelled?" the guard beside him asked in a low voice.

"How can it not count? We burned down the county government office. Except for not killing the county magistrate, we basically took care of everything else."

Seeing the tense expressions on everyone's faces, Lin Hao smiled nonchalantly. "Don't worry, we'll just go out and take over an island, live the life of carefree pirates, and never have to put up with the government's nonsense again. In this era, being a pirate is much more promising than farming. Follow me, and I'll guarantee you a lifetime of wealth and honor."

"We will all listen to the young master." This is what it means to be honest and obedient.

"Young master, why let that corrupt official go? Why not kill him and use him as a sacrifice to the flag?"

You don't even need to look to know who Lin Hao is. He's Lin Er, the only guy in the group who's even more rebellious than you. His parents died from the oppression of government officials, leaving him all alone. After being taken in by Lin Hao and taught a little about class oppression, his mind became full of rebellion.

These people were a group of orphans that he had gathered and carefully trained. They ate and slept together, and he taught them both to read and to fight. No matter what he did, they followed him silently.

Lin Hao originally planned to slowly accumulate strength, but man proposes, God disposes. He was just sending people out to sea to do some trade and make a little income.

I don't know which damned person went to the county magistrate to report me for colluding with pirates. As a result, my whole family was celebrating my birthday when the officials arrested us all.

Who would have thought that someone would be happily celebrating their birthday at home, eating hot pot and singing songs, when suddenly the officials come to raid their house?

If it weren't for the effective warning measures I had taken beforehand, and the desperate cover provided by my elders, I would have died before even getting started.

However, the result was that although he escaped into the mountains with the women and children, most of his grandfather, father, uncles and aunts who had been delaying were captured, and the family's fixed assets were completely confiscated.

They had been very careful, not using any advanced technology, and simply trading the same goods as everyone else. At most, they improved their navigation techniques and drew slightly more detailed nautical charts, ultimately allowing their fleet to make one more voyage than others.

Even with this small advantage, people still covet it; being a law-abiding citizen isn't easy.

Lin Hao didn't need to investigate to know that the only people who could report their own family and still get the officials to come so quickly were from other families. They all had one thing in common: they made their fortunes through maritime trade.

But Lin Hao was not the kind of person who would let others bully him without fighting back.

There's a saying that goes, "When others suspect you're a pirate, you'd better actually be one."

Speed ​​is of the essence in war; the best strategy is to give the enemy no time to prepare.

After the officials had settled the women and children and made sure they had a safe escape route, Lin Hao led his elite youths into the county town in the evening.

When the night was deep and quiet, and the planned time arrived, the murder, prison break, and arson were carried out in one fell swoop.

Now only one obstacle remains in front of us.

There were still more than a dozen strongmen and local militiamen on the city gate, and they were positioned on high ground. If the situation could not be resolved quickly, the consequences of being trapped would be unimaginable.

"Young master, the master has woken up."

Lin Hao turned around and saw that the person being carried on the backs of his guards was moving.

"Hao'er, why did you come here? Put us down, so it will be easier for you to get out." A pale-faced man with hardly any good flesh on his body said weakly. He was Lin Hao's father in this life. Originally a man of iron, he had been tortured beyond recognition in just one day. If he was delayed for another day, he dared not think about the consequences.

"Old man, save your energy, don't die prematurely. There's no need for further words. When have you ever seen me listen to you?"

Lin Hao ignored the other party's words, drew several arrows from his back, and his eyes gradually sharpened.

To safely lead so many tormented and dying patients out of the encirclement, the entire process must be flawless.