Global colonization began with Ming Dynasty pirates.

After two battles and a trial, the pirates, who originally numbered over a hundred, had dwindled to less than 70. But Lin Hao still felt that was too many; his current strength was insufficient to support so many people.

However, he couldn't just kill indiscriminately; that would make him no different from these pirates.

After an incense stick had burned, in a borrowed house, Lin Hao sat in the main seat, with two teenagers beside him sitting at a square table with writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone on it.

A moment later, Lin Yi walked in with a pirate.

"Kneel down!" Lin Yi kicked the pirate to the ground.

"Young Master, the person has been brought here," Lin Yi said respectfully.

Looking at the trembling pirates below, Lin Hao said to them, "I have a question for you. Answer it well and you'll live; otherwise, I'm sorry."

Upon hearing this, the pirate immediately nodded vigorously and said, "I will tell you everything I know, please spare my life."

"Confess your name, your origin, and then confess all the bad things you've done and the evil deeds committed by the remaining pirates."

Well, you can lie, but I will also ask other people. If your statements are inconsistent with those of the others, then you will have to die.

In addition, I will only execute 13 people this time. First, I will kill those who lied, then those who committed serious crimes. After the 13 people, the others will live.

Oh, by the way, if you have any valuable information, feel free to share it. Useful information will earn you extra points.

Lin Hao designed a prisoner's dilemma for these people. To survive in this situation, they either had to desperately betray others or lie to each other and not betray others. But the latter was obviously impossible for these pirates.

The pirate trembled upon hearing this. Although he didn't know what a desperate situation meant, he understood that the more he confessed, the greater his chances of survival, since the others would surely betray him completely.

......

By the time all the interrogations were completed, it was already evening.

Lin Hao sat at the table, organizing the interrogation information while eating his dinner.

The afternoon interrogation went exceptionally well; not only did they discover the location of Zhou Daye's hidden silver, but they also obtained an unexpected piece of information.

It turned out that the pirates who had been chasing him during the day were not there for a regular robbery, but rather they had been paid to ambush and kill him.

Fortunately, they encountered the enemy nearby. Otherwise, if the enemy had successfully reached Dongluo Island, the outcome would have been uncertain given the island's limited resources.

"The Shen family! I'll remember this debt."

During the interrogation, it was learned that the other party clearly told Zhou Daye that they and their companions were on Dongluo Island, which meant that some of the sailors who had left had already betrayed the Lin family.

Now that the Shen family knows about the island where the Lin family lives, they naturally won't just tell these pirates. Presumably, the imperial navy will arrive soon.

Given the court's usual efficiency, even if it's slow, the navy should be on the move by the end of the month. If the Shen family also makes some arrangements, the time could be accelerated.

I must first have the strength to protect myself and inflict heavy losses on the government troops so that they will hesitate to act against me.

When Lin Hao finished dinner, Lin Yi knocked on the door and came in.

"Come in, you must be tired. Sit down and have something to eat. How was your trip?"

Lin Hao looked at the boy who had been with him the longest. The boy was among the first batch of boys he recruited. Nominally, he was a master and servant, but in reality, over the years, they were no different from brothers.

Lin Yi was the most composed of all the teenagers and was deeply trusted by Lin Hao. After obtaining the address of the silver's hiding place through interrogation, Lin Hao immediately sent Lin Yi with men to retrieve it. Judging from the relaxed expression on Lin Yi's face, things seemed to have gone smoothly.

"Young Master, a total of 7 taels of silver was hidden in three different places, and it has all been transported back." Lin Yi didn't stand on ceremony, sat down opposite Lin Hao, and picked up his bowl to eat.

"Hiding silver in the mountains, I really don't know what Zhou Daye was thinking." Lin Hao shook his head speechlessly, unable to understand the pirates' wild ideas.

"Maybe they don't trust money shops. After all, a thin piece of paper can't compare to real silver, and the village isn't a good place to deposit money," Lin Yi explained after taking a big bite of rice.

"Hmm, maybe. Let's have breakfast and get some rest. We'll head back to Dongluo Island first thing tomorrow morning."

"Young master, what should we do with those pirates?"

"Take them all back. The rest are either honest pirates or new recruits; they won't cause any trouble." Lin Hao carefully reviewed the pirates' files. Although many of them still had lives on their hands, they were mostly killed while robbing ships. Those who had killed civilians had basically been executed by him.

"With so many people, do we have enough food?" Lin Yi was in charge when clearing the captured supplies, so he knew that the supplies seized from these pirates were pitifully small, especially the food, which was only a dozen or so shi (a unit of dry measure). It wouldn't last long for so many people, and they would have to rely on Dongluo Island for supplies afterward, which was a huge burden.

"Don't worry, I have my own way. And once we are stronger, it won't be difficult to send a ship to Dalian Island to purchase food."

Dalian Island, also known as Dalian Island, is an uninhabited island off the coast of Fuzhou. Due to its proximity, it was chosen by both merchants and pirates as a place for trading goods. There, only money mattered, and status was irrelevant.

Previously, the Lin family was short-handed and dared not send anyone out to purchase supplies, but now that the teenagers' fighting strength is gradually becoming apparent, Lin Hao has more confidence.

......

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, everyone was already up.

They then began to drive the prisoners to load supplies and silver onto the ships. All the supplies were concentrated on the Fu ship where Lin Hao was. As for the other two captured ships, they were empty, but they also had to be sailed back. With ships, they could recruit people, and after some training, the Lin family's strength would take a leap forward.

After a full hour of work, the group finally finished loading and unloading the cargo, and then tied up the prisoners again and drove them into the hold of the two empty ships.

Just as everything was ready and everyone was about to set sail, several figures suddenly ran out of the village.

"Young Master, please wait." There were four people in total, all young men. They rushed to the vicinity of the dock, but were stopped by the boys and could only call out to Lin Hao from afar.

"Lin Wu, let them come over." Lin Hao waved to Lin Wu, whose team was at the back of the group and had already subdued the approaching men.

Upon hearing Lin Hao's order, Lin Wu and his men searched them and released them after confirming there were no weapons.

"What brings you here?" Lin Hao asked curiously.

"Young Master, we want to work for you! Please take us in." The leader knelt down and kowtowed to Lin Hao, and the three behind him followed suit.