Global colonization began with Ming Dynasty pirates.

In this era, the difference between having family support and not having it is enormous if you want to establish yourself and achieve success.

If Nurhaci hadn't had his brothers and sons help him control the Eight Banners, he probably would have died of exhaustion halfway through his journey, and wouldn't have been able to hold on until now.

In this era, family and relatives are the best support for starting a business in its early stages. Lin Hao would not want to give up unless absolutely necessary.

Therefore, he must persuade his elders to be of one mind with him, which requires a future that can accommodate the interests of everyone.

Taiwan and Luzon represent the future Lin Hao promised, an opportunity to build an everlasting empire. Although in Lin Hao's plan, this is only the starting point of that empire, it's not appropriate to talk about what comes after, as it would frighten them.

"What my second uncle said is right, but not entirely right. The so-called miasma is actually malaria. Because there are many wetlands in undeveloped areas, which are suitable for mosquitoes to breed, it is the most suitable place for the spread of malaria. But as long as we improve the environment, dig deep ditches to drain water, transform swamps and low-lying waterlogged areas to prevent water from breeding mosquitoes, and pay attention to mosquito control, we will not get infected. Even if I accidentally contract malaria, I have already found a solution. So the so-called miasma does not pose a threat at all."

Lin Hao's solution was artemisinin. Although we don't have the modern production capabilities right now, simple production can still guarantee some effectiveness. If we can get cinchona trees from South America later, then we won't have to worry at all, as that stuff is much easier to extract than artemisinin.

"Taming the Miasma Land? How is that possible? Hao'er, don't talk nonsense. You'll endanger everyone's lives." Lin Hao's father, Lin Chengzong, the current head of the Lin family, said in a low voice. His son's thinking had always been different from others.

"Why not? A thousand years ago, Jiangnan was also a land of miasma, but now it has become a land of fish and rice. Did Fujian not have miasma before? Guangdong and Guangxi were called Lingnan before, and those places were not much better than Taiwan, but now they are thriving."

Furthermore, Father could ask Second Uncle; he frequently travels by sea, and since he's heard of Taiwan, he must also know about Luzon. That place used to be a malarial, disease-ridden area like Taiwan, but now quite a few people live there.”

"Chengbi, is that so?" The old man looked at his second son, who was the one who handled most of the maritime affairs and knew the most about them.

"There are indeed quite a few people on Luzon Island, and it's been developed quite well. Although only a small part has been developed, there are still tens of thousands of acres of fertile land. However, there are castles built by the Franks there, and those red-haired people are not easy to deal with."

"Since others can develop tens of thousands of acres of fertile land on Luzon Island, then my Lin family can certainly do it in Taiwan too!" The old man said decisively, tapping the edge of the bed with his pipe. Let alone tens of thousands of acres of fertile land, even developing just a few thousand acres would be enough to make the Lin family wealthy for generations.

"Hao'er, tell me your plan." The old man was completely swayed. He wouldn't have been so easily persuaded if it were anyone else, but since Lin Hao had said so, it must be true and worth the risk.

"My plan is simple: now that I've gone to sea, I'll raise my flag and become the biggest pirate in the Fujian waters, robbing people, ships, and money."

Once we have gathered dozens of ships and thousands of people, we will begin to gradually migrate people to Taiwan. If we can migrate tens of thousands of people, the matter will be mostly settled. At that time, even if the government tries to suppress us, it will be unable to do anything to us. Then we will slowly accumulate strength, and when the conditions are right, we will go south to Luzon and bring Luzon under our jurisdiction.

Both Taiwan and Luzon are fertile lands with abundant sunshine and rainfall, allowing for two or even three harvests a year, enough to feed millions of people. Controlling these two areas would mean an unlimited future for the Lin family.

The crowd's breathing became noticeably rapid. Before today, the biggest dream they had ever had was that once Lin Hao passed the imperial examination, they could use his influence to bully and oppress the villagers.

But now, a completely new path lies before them. Even if only a small part of what Lin Hao envisioned is realized, the power they can gain is beyond imagination—more prestigious than that of a county magistrate.

"Damn it, that's it. Ouch~" Uncle Lin Chengfeng slapped the bed and shouted loudly, but then the pain from his wound made him wince.

"There might still be hope in this matter. Thinking about it this way, I suddenly felt full of energy." My second uncle kept cracking his nails, making a cracking sound, which showed his inner turmoil.

In fact, he and his other brothers were the ones who most wanted to cause trouble at this time, and they were also the most supportive of Lin Hao, even more so than their father. This was not because they doted on Lin Hao more, but based on the simplest principle of self-interest.

If they don't cause any trouble, given the Lin family's current situation, as the second son, they would at most get a few acres of land, and then that would be it. Their lives would only be slightly better than ordinary people, but they would still be incredibly miserable.

But after following Lin Hao's lead for several years, he had saved enough money to buy dozens more acres of fertile land.

You have to take risks; otherwise, you're just another face in the road. Only by taking risks can you show your value.

Now that he has this hope of transcending social class, how could he give up? He has already made up his mind that even if the old man disagrees, he will go out on his own and work with Lin Hao.

Seeing his three sons looking at him, the old man said irritably, "What are you looking at! You are all my sons, do you really think I'm less ambitious than you?"

"Does Father mean he agrees? Don't you think the risk is too great?" Uncle San asked tentatively.

"Hmph, when I was wielding my sword to kill the Japanese pirates back then, I didn't think about any risks. We ordinary people aren't afraid of great risks, we're afraid of having no hope. Hao'er has made it so clear, what would we become if we hesitated any longer?"

The old man had stopped smoking sometime ago. He held the empty pipe and rubbed it repeatedly. "Come on, Hao'er, tell me more details. Let's think about the details again..."

He pondered this for several hours, even forbidding the servants who brought food and the family members who came to visit from entering. From afternoon until late at night, the old man and the three wounded soldiers, not one of them complained, remained energetic.

But Lin Hao dared not continue the conversation. If they continued, the matter would not be resolved before these people's health would collapse. He could only make an excuse to leave.

"Hao'er, go for it. The future of the Lin family rests on your shoulders."

"Please rest assured, Grandpa, I will certainly live up to your and Father's expectations and build a lasting legacy for the Lin family."

After saying goodbye to the room, Lin Hao went outside, took another deep breath, and then slowly exhaled.

Tonight's objective has been achieved, and the family has reached a preliminary consensus. Now we can slowly implement the plan.

Lin Hao looked up to the north. At this time, Yezhupi had completed the initial integration of the Jurchens and had tens of thousands of battle-hardened elite troops at his disposal. Although they still had to face a long war with the Ming army, their momentum was unstoppable. When they defeated the Ming army at Sarhu and destroyed the Haixi Yehe next year, the entire Liaodong region would face a real catastrophe.

At this time, there were still 26 years until the fall of the Ming Dynasty. He currently possessed only a few dilapidated ships, and even with the old and weak, he numbered no more than 2—a stark disparity. His only advantage was that he was only 16 years old, giving him ample time to wear down his opponent.

However, Lin Hao didn't pay attention for long. He shifted his gaze from the north to the distant blue ocean. The path he had chosen meant that the Later Jin were enemies, the Westerners were enemies, other pirates were enemies, and even the Ming Dynasty itself would eventually become an enemy. But the greatest enemy was precisely the ocean itself.

With the navigation technology of this era, he could be buried at sea at any time, and the power he had painstakingly cultivated could be wiped out in a typhoon. He appeared confident in front of his grandfather and father, but deep down he had no confidence at all.

"Sigh, let's do our best and leave the rest to fate. God sent me here especially so that I can give it my all."