Global colonization began with Ming Dynasty pirates.

Pulled by the wind, the Fujian-style ship slowly sailed out of the bay south of Dongluo Island, and then made a beautiful left turn and headed towards the East China Sea.

The sea breeze, carrying salty and damp air, lashed against the ship. Lin Hao, holding a monocular telescope, stood atop the stern of the Fujian-style ship, carefully searching the sea.

"Young master, what exactly are you looking for? I've seen you searching for ages since you set sail. We're way off the traditional shipping routes now; we can barely see any ships around here."

In this era, the Ming Dynasty's navigation technology was far from sufficient to support long-distance ocean voyages, so merchant ships sailed along the coastline to avoid getting lost.

However, the position Lin Hao chose was completely off the mainstream flight path.

"Merchant ships, I said I wouldn't hijack them, and I came here specifically to avoid these guys, I don't want them bothering us."

Lin Hao put down his monocular telescope. Although he hadn't found the target, he had seen it on his last voyage and knew that it wouldn't be difficult to find in this area.

"If you're not going to rob merchant ships, then why did you bring us out, young master? Are you going to continue training the ships?" Liu Aniu really couldn't understand why they were coming out if they weren't going to rob ships. Wasn't that a waste of manpower? But he didn't dare to question them directly.

"It's training, but not sailing; it's whaling!" Lin Hao replied with a smile.

"Whaling? Young master, you mean whales!" Lin Aniu was shocked. He was no stranger to whales. In the waters of the Ming Dynasty in this era, whales were in large groups. They often encountered them when they went out to sea. Their huge size gave these fishermen a great sense of oppression. They had always revered whales as gods and had never heard of anyone actively hunting whales.

"Young Master, the whale is too big. Can we handle it? If we kill it and anger it, it will capsize our ship, and that will be a huge problem." Liu Aniu was not speaking without reason. He had once seen a small merchant ship accidentally wander into a group of whales and capsize completely after a few moments. That scene left a very deep impression on Liu Aniu.

"Haha, Brother Niu, are you scared?" Lin Hao asked with a smile.

"It's not that I'm afraid, it's just that I wonder if we can succeed? And is it even necessary?" Liu Aniu asked doubtfully.

"Of course it can succeed. No matter how big a fish is, it's still just a fish. What ability can it have to resist us humans? As long as we are well prepared, whaling is not difficult. As for whether it is necessary, it is absolutely necessary."

Every part of a whale is valuable; its meat, oil, fins, and even bones are precious. The value of a single whale is comparable to that of an ordinary merchant ship, but with significantly less risk.

Just as Lin Hao was speaking, a towering column of water appeared in the distance, attracting everyone's attention.

"Haha, speak of the devil and he appears!" Lin Hao's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he immediately shouted the order, "Everyone to your positions! Pass on my command: change course and sail northwest! Our target is those whales!"

The crew immediately sprang into action, and as they worked, the massive Fujian-style ship began to slowly turn around, gradually heading northwest.

Lin Hao then arrived at the port side of the ship, where several sampans were moored on the outside of the hull, while inside the hull were a large number of ropes, javelins, barrels, and other similar items.

These are the whaling spears and other auxiliary equipment that Lin Hao had arranged for Uncle Fu to help build.

The so-called whaling spear is actually just a spear with barbs and a blood groove, except that a rope is tied to the back end and the other end of the rope is connected to an empty round wooden barrel.

Although the equipment is rudimentary, it has been tested over hundreds of years and is the most suitable preliminary equipment for whaling.

As the ship drew closer to the whales, the crew finally got a clear view of the entire whale pod.

This whale pod contains five whales, varying in size. The smaller ones are only a few meters long, while the larger ones, according to Lin Hao's estimation, are at least over 15 meters long.

As for the specific species, Lin Hao really couldn't recognize them. The only one he knew was the sperm whale, which was the most famous and easiest to identify, since sperm whales have a huge head.

These are clearly not sperm whales, because they do not have the huge head that takes up a third of their body. According to Lin Hao's speculation, these should be some kind of baleen whale, and judging from their size, they are most likely baleen whales.

It was a pity it wasn't a sperm whale. Lin Hao was a little disappointed. Of all whales, the sperm whale was the most valuable.

In addition to the precious ambergris, sperm whales also produce a large amount of whale brain oil from their huge brains.

Although whale brain oil is not edible, it is the finest lubricant for precision instruments and the best fuel. Whale brain oil was the top-grade lubricant for European and American industries in the 18th and 19th centuries, and it was a top-grade strategic material during World War II.

Its combustion characteristics are also excellent; its high brightness and smokeless combustion make it the perfect fuel for ship lamps and the best material for high-grade candles.

Whether Lin Hao later wants to industrialize or build a large fleet, whale brain oil will be an extremely important resource.

"Fern whale it is. I don't need sperm whales right now. What I need most right now is the whale oil and meat from fin whales, and the difficulty level is just right."

Lin Hao quickly realized that there was no need to force it. As long as he continued his whaling business, the sperm whales would eventually be caught.

"They're the ones, Ah Niu. Lower the boat, let's get ready to hunt!"

As Lin Hao gave the order, two sampans were placed on the sea, and then harpoons and rope buoys were placed on the sampans one by one.

"Brother Niu, would you dare to whaling with me?" Lin Hao asked loudly. Among this group, only Niu was the best swimmer. Although Lin Hao had seen whaling on TV many times, this was his first time actually doing it, so he needed to find a reliable teammate.

"Young Master, of course I dare, but I can go alone. Young Master, you should stay on the boat. If something happens to you, then there's no point in us living." Liu Aniu was immediately in a panic when he saw that Lin Hao wanted to go in person. If the master found out, he was afraid he would be scolded to death.

"Ah Niu, stop hesitating and just get to it. I'm not going to watch you whaling alone, that's no fun. The Lin family's first whale must be caught by me personally! Besides, the Fujian ship is right next door, what's there to be afraid of?"

As Lin Hao spoke, without waiting for Liu Aniu's reaction, he directly stepped onto one of the sampans.

Seeing this, Liu Aniu had no choice but to bite the bullet and get onto another sampan, praying in his heart that nothing bad would happen.

Then several people boarded each of the two sampans to row.

Under the command of Lin Hao and Liu Aniu, the two sampans quickly approached the whale pod.

The closer you get, the more you can feel the oppressive presence of the whale.

To a small sampan, any whale is a true behemoth; a single turn or even a glancing blow could capsize the sampan.

A moment later, the two sampans approached the very tail of the whale pod. These whales did not react to the arrival of Lin Hao and his group, probably because they had never been caught by humans before and therefore had no sense of caution.

Lin Hao carefully selected the largest whale in the pod. Although it was the largest, it moved noticeably slower than the others, suggesting it was an older whale.

Although smaller whales are more suitable for fishing, Lin Hao decided to deal with the old whales first for the sake of sustainable development, since these old whales wouldn't live much longer even if he didn't intervene.

After gesturing to Liu Aniu to confirm the target, Lin Hao stood up, raised his right hand high, his muscles bulged instantly, and then he suddenly exerted force from his waist, sending the harpoon flying out like a sharp arrow!