Global colonization began with Ming Dynasty pirates.

With the whale oil, Lin Hao could finally do something he had always wanted to do.

That means thoroughly cleaning up those few ships under our command.

The last deep cleaning only addressed the interior of the ship, making the dirty and messy environment slightly more habitable.

However, there was nothing that could be done about the bottom of the ship.

These ships were sailing on the ocean, their hulls covered with a large amount of sea creatures, such as barnacles, oysters, mussels and other odds and ends.

These organisms attach to the bottom of the ship, increasing its weight. The large number of messy organisms also turn the originally smooth hull into a pitted and uneven surface, greatly increasing the ship's resistance and affecting its speed.

The large Fujian-style ship was in relatively good condition, as it was purchased by the Lin family in the last two years. However, the other three ships, especially the two that had been seized from the pirates, were in a truly appalling state.

Lin Hao had been holding back for a long time, but now he finally couldn't hold back anymore.

On Dongluo Island, which has no docks, the only way to completely remove the attached barnacles is to tow the boats directly ashore.

To haul the massive ship ashore, the only way is by using a combination of logs and lubricating oil.

Previously, the island's oil reserves were insufficient, so there was no way they could be used for this, but now it's different.

Early in the morning, Lin Hao assigned Liu Aniu to be in charge of this matter. In addition to the sailors, Lin Hao also selected half of the pirate prisoners and gave them to his command, in order to restore the four warships to their best condition in the shortest possible time.

To tow a boat ashore, the first thing to do is to remove the mast; otherwise, it is very easy for the boat to capsize due to its high center of gravity.

First, the carpenters on the island led people onto the ship to dismantle the two masts of the two-masted Fujian ship, and then everyone worked together to transport it to the land.

The carpenters will then inspect and reinforce the mast, and replace it if there are any major problems.

Fortunately, the masts of Chinese Fujian ships are easy to disassemble. Otherwise, with the complex mast and rope systems of Western ships, Lin Hao wouldn't even dare to think about it. Building a dry dock would have been the best solution.

As the mast was removed, rows of thick logs were neatly arranged on the beach. At the same time, several large pulleys formed a movable pulley system, which could greatly save effort. In addition, the logs were coated with whale oil, so theoretically, it would not be a problem to pull the boat ashore.

With a loud shout, more than forty sailors and prisoners pulled together, and the ropes on the pulley system instantly taut. Then, a creaking sound came from the ship. Just as Lin Hao was worried that the ship might be torn apart, the ship slowly and leisurely moved, gradually moving towards the land along the laid tracks.

"It's moving! The boat is moving! Everyone, keep pushing!" Liu Aniu shouted excitedly, while holding up the crowbar to brace the bow and keep it in the correct direction so that it wouldn't drift off the log slide.

Initially, everyone had doubts about Lin Hao's method, but once the boat was towed, everyone became excited, and some even started shouting slogans, which made the boat move faster again.

With everyone's efforts, the two-masted Fujian-style ship was finally pulled ashore. Then, they quickly used wooden blocks to stop the ship from sliding downhill and reinforced its supports to prevent it from capsizing.

After completing all the work, Lin Hao led his men to carefully inspect the Fujian ship, which would be his main warship for some time to come, and Lin Hao attached great importance to it.

After checking, Lin Hao found that the situation was worse than he had imagined. The barnacles on the bottom of the boat had completely covered the bottom. Lin Hao looked around for a long time but couldn't find a single empty spot. All the wooden planks on the bottom of the boat were invisible, and all he could see were disgusting barnacles.

"Sigh~, hurry up and get these junks clean." Lin Hao sighed, knowing that this was normal. Even for modern steel ships, barnacles are a big problem, let alone these slow wooden boats from ancient times.

So everyone pitched in, using all sorts of tools to carefully pry the barnacles out of the boat.

Things were more complicated than Lin Hao had imagined. These barnacles were extremely difficult to deal with, requiring iron tools to chisel them off bit by bit, which made the cleaning process extremely slow. Lin Hao originally thought that he could finish cleaning one ship in a day.

But by noon, they hadn't even finished cleaning a quarter of the barnacles off the ship. It looked like it would take at least two days to finish.

Lin Hao could only pray that the government troops would arrive slowly, so that he would have time to complete the preparations for the two ships.

Fortunately, the beacon towers I placed on the northern islands remained unresponsive, presumably because the government hadn't yet completed the cumbersome procedures.

That's good too; the longer it drags on, the greater my chances of winning.

Lin Hao watched for a while and then left, leaving the work of clearing the barnacles entirely to Liu Aniu. He then headed towards the innermost part of the village on the island, where there was a gentle slope where all the new recruits were receiving training.

Although it's called a village, it's now a large construction site. Hundreds of people are busy on the island, and houses are being built one after another. Moreover, they are no longer the kind of thatched huts used as an emergency measure, but proper houses made of brick, wood, earth, and stone, which are much better than the original houses built with a few planks and thatch.

In addition, a simple fence made of logs forms basic protection around the outermost edge of the village.

To be honest, the speed at which this village took shape exceeded Lin Hao's expectations.

The main reasons for such a rapid pace are twofold. The first is the ever-increasing number of villagers coming to work. Lin Hao recruited more than thirty young and strong men from the villagers, but the number of young and strong men has not decreased at all; on the contrary, it has increased significantly.

"Where are you from?" Lin Hao asked, stopping a man carrying materials.

"Don't block my way... cough cough, you must be the young master." The man was about to get angry when he was stopped. After all, the Lin family had adjusted the standard for paying wages, adding some kind of performance bonus to the original salary. The more you do, the more you get. He was working hard and wanted to earn more to take back to buy some good food for his wife and children. But he was stopped. Who wouldn't be anxious if his work was delayed?

But just by looking at Lin Hao's clothes and demeanor, you could tell he was no ordinary person. At his age, such an air of authority could only be found among the legendary young masters on the island.

"Replying to young master, I am from Xiaoguan Village, my humble name is Li Shuisheng. This is my first time working here. Young master, are you still hiring boatmen? I am strong and have grown up on the water. I am a very good swimmer and can also handle boats."

The man named Li Shuisheng answered respectfully, while looking at Lin Hao with anticipation.

"Xiaoguan Village? That's quite far from here. Why did you come all this way to work?" Lin Hao asked curiously. Xiaoguan Village, which the other person mentioned, was ten kilometers away from the villages to the south of here, and even further away.

"Young master, life is hard for us common people, and earning a little money is even harder. We're only afraid of not having work, not of the distance. This place is actually quite close. Young master, let me tell you..."

Lin Shuisheng approached Lin Hao mysteriously, then pointed to the workers on the construction site and said, "There are not only civilians like us here, but even military households from nearby garrisons are working here."

"Military households!" Lin Hao was immediately taken aback. What was going on? He was considered a rebel, so why were military households working here? Were they spies?