Global colonization began with Ming Dynasty pirates.

In the government office in Ningde County.

The magistrate of Ningde County leaned wearily against his armchair. He had been busy all day, putting out fires, providing disaster relief, and calming the people in the city.

What's even more troublesome is how to cover this up.

He was originally from Yihuang, Jiangxi, and had only just taken office in Ningde last month. Who knew that such a thing would happen before he even had a chance to settle in?

At this time, in addition to the county magistrate, there were also the county assistant, the registrar, the clerk, and the county magistrate's staff in the hall.

But seeing the magistrate's gloomy face, everyone was apprehensive and dared not say a word.

"Jiang, tell me, it's been a whole day, have you figured out where these thieves came from?"

At this moment, Jiang, the clerk, was completely devoid of his usual composure. The clerk's responsibilities included managing arrests, investigations, prisons, and maintaining order. Now that the county jail had been breached and prisoners were setting fires indiscriminately within the city, it was all strictly within his duties. If he didn't handle it well, he could become the scapegoat.

Jiang, the clerk, wiped the sweat from his brow and carefully replied, "Reporting to Your Excellency, I have investigated thoroughly. The rioters were the remnants of the Lin family who were detained during the day. They stormed into the prison, killed the jailers, and rescued the Lin family members who had been arrested earlier that day. They then released all the prisoners and set fires throughout the city. They then took advantage of the chaos to leave the city and are now at sea, their whereabouts unknown."

"Damn it, these people are incredibly audacious! Do they think they can get away with it by escaping to the sea? I will report to the Prefect and have the navy dispatched to wipe them out in one fell swoop!" The magistrate slammed his fist on the table, furious. He had long heard that the people of Fujian were known for their fierce and unruly nature, but he never imagined they were this fierce. They would burn down the county government office at the drop of a hat. If he didn't teach them a lesson, how could he continue to live in the future?

"Ahem, sir, don't be anxious. I think there's more to the story." A scholar in blue robes next to the magistrate subtly tugged at the magistrate's sleeve.

"Oh? What insightful opinion does Mr. Zhang have?" Mr. Zhang was an advisor recruited by the county magistrate from his hometown to help him control the county. He was considered one of their own, so they understood that he must have something to say.

"Dongweng, it's definitely necessary to report this. Something this big has happened, and it can't be hidden anymore. But I feel there are still some doubts about the matter, and we need to confirm it again."

After finishing his sentence, Mr. Zhang turned to Jiang, the clerk, and asked, "Lord Jiang, are you so sure it's a remnant of the Lin family? As far as I know, all members of the Lin family have been arrested and brought to justice. How could they possibly still have the energy to cause trouble?"

"Mr. Zhang, you may not know this, but there is still a young man named Lin Hao in the Lin family who has not been arrested. According to the confessions of the captured prisoners, the ringleader is a boy of about sixteen years old. It is highly likely that he is Lin Hao."

"So it's just a guess? And no one recognized his identity?" Mr. Zhang then asked.

"That's true, but since the other party rescued everyone from the Lin family, who else could it be but him?" Jiang Dianshi didn't understand what the other party meant. Why ask such an obvious question?

"Hmph, don't you all find this laughable? The Lin family members were arrested during the day, yet they managed to break into prison that very night, and led by a mere teenager. If the other party had such ability, how could they have been captured?"

"What does Mr. Zhang mean?" The magistrate was also a little puzzled, but he knew that the other party was not the kind of person who liked to pry into things, so there must be a deeper meaning.

"My lord, in my opinion, this must have been pre-arranged between the pirates and the Lin family, who attempted to plunder Ningde County. Fortunately, you, my lord, were astute and decisive, arresting the Lin family beforehand. This deprived the pirates of their inside man, leaving them with no choice but to set fires to vent their anger. You have averted a catastrophe. You should report this to the Prefect for commendation."

As soon as Mr. Zhang finished speaking, everyone was stunned. Even the registrar, who had been watching the commotion, looked over curiously. It was still the same old story, but Mr. Zhang's words had turned a bad situation into a good one. The key was that his explanation was completely logically sound.

The scene was quiet for a while before the magistrate slowly said, "Mr. Zhang is truly a man of great talent. In that case, let's clarify this process thoroughly today and write a detailed report to submit to the Prefect."

Early the next morning, a group of fast horses galloped out of Ningde County and headed towards the Fu Ning Prefecture government office.

This is the county government's express courier, responsible for delivering various letters. On the courier's person is a report about yesterday's time, which was prepared by the county magistrate and a group of officials who stayed up all night to rush it out.

The main content is that, under the wise leadership of the county magistrate, the officials of Ningde County saw through the Lin family's conspiracy to collude with pirates to plunder the county town, and directly and decisively arrested the Lin family members, cutting off one of their arms.

That night, the pirates did indeed attack, but were repelled by the well-prepared officials. Unable to loot, the pirates could only rely on a few infiltrators to set fires and cause chaos, and were eventually completely suppressed.

Unfortunately, the Lin family members who were originally detained escaped in the chaos and went to sea with the pirates. Therefore, we earnestly request the Prefect to mobilize the navy of the Fenghuomen Water Fortress to encircle and annihilate this group of thieves.

......

At the same time that Shen Xiang was sent out in Ningde County, on Dongluo Island, two neatly arranged queues were running along the outer perimeter of the island.

The person at the very front of the group was Lin Hao. At this moment, Lin Hao was wearing a brown short-sleeved shirt, leg wraps, and carrying a special weight-increasing cloth bag full of iron blocks on his back. However, he appeared relaxed and at ease, running alone at the very front of the group.

For many years, weather permitting, he has personally led the boys in morning exercises, and this is no exception now that they have moved to Dongluo Island.

"Everyone, give it your all! Once we cross this bend, we'll be halfway there. Lin Yi, let's sing a song to liven things up."

Upon hearing Lin Hao's instruction, the boy on the left side of the first row immediately shouted, "Unity is strength, get ready to sing!"

"Unity is strength, this strength is iron. This strength is steel..." A unified chorus suddenly rang out from the crowd.

Although the song's tone and lyrics are strange, everyone has been singing it for so many years that they're used to it and there's no awkwardness like the first time.

As for Lin Hao, who plagiarized this song, he won't feel embarrassed at all, since no one can criticize him anyway.

This kind of simple, easy-to-understand, and catchy song is very important for building team unity. Lin Hao is not afraid of powerful enemies, but he is afraid of infighting among his own people. Therefore, whether at home or managing his subordinates, the first thing he emphasizes is unity. Lin Hao would rather have a group of average but united subordinates than a genius who thinks he is the only one who matters.

This is also why Lin Hao was unwilling to work within the Ming Dynasty system. In short, those people were experts at internal strife but incompetent at external conflicts.

After running for half an hour with their loads, the group finally returned to the settlement in the southern part of Dongluo Island. A simple canteen had been set up there, and breakfast was ready.

Most people in this era eat two meals a day, but in the Lin family, at Lin Hao's request, everyone switched to eating three meals a day.

The canteen consisted of a few pillars erected around the area chosen to serve as the kitchen, followed by a simple rainproof roof. Several long tables were placed underneath.

When everyone arrived, baskets of steaming hot buns were being carried out and placed on the large table.

The aroma of the steamed buns made the boys, who had been running around all morning and were already starving, start drooling.

"What are you looking at! Stand at attention!"

At Lin Hao's command, the crowd immediately fell silent, everyone standing tall and looking straight ahead.

After staring at the neatly lined-up boys for a moment, Lin Hao slowly nodded in satisfaction. Military training really has to start from a young age. He almost drove himself crazy when he trained the guards at home before. They couldn't even tell left from right, and they were hopelessly stupid. He lost most of his hair training them, and finally, for the sake of his own life, he decided to stop.

These teenagers have been exposed to this from Lin Hao since they were young, so the training is much simpler and the results are more obvious.

"Do you know what's on that over there?" Lin Hao asked knowingly.

"Reporting to the young master, those are steamed buns over there, filled with pork." Someone in the queue answered loudly.

"Lin Wu, you have a pretty good nose, you can even smell the filling." Lin Hao smiled at the other man, who was Lin Wu. He was a descendant of refugees from Shandong who was taken in by the Lin family's fleet and sent to Lin Hao's place. When he came, he looked like a skinny monkey, but now he was tall and strong, and of course, he ate the most.

"Reporting to the young master, the first meat I ever ate in my life was this pork bun. It was the most delicious food I've ever tasted in the world, and I'll never forget it."

"Oh, what if we can't eat it anymore? Or what if someone stops us from eating it?"

"Then I'll kill him," Lin Wu said without hesitation.

"What if it's the imperial court that's stopping us?" Lin Hao then asked.

"Then...then I'll chop a few more times," Lin Wu said with a simple smile.

"That's the imperial court. They could easily confiscate your property and exterminate your entire family. Aren't you afraid?"

"I'm not afraid. I'll do whatever you say, young master. Whoever you want to kill, I'll kill. I don't care about the dynasty or anything like that." Lin Wu remained undeterred.

"What about you? Do you have any different opinions?" Lin Hao looked at the others.

"Report! We are all people whose families have been destroyed and who have lost everything. We are not afraid of having our homes ransacked and our clans wiped out. We swear to follow you to the death, young master!" Lin Yi shouted, and then everyone shouted in unison.

"We swear to follow the young master to the death! We swear to follow the young master to the death!"

The voices of dozens of people were deafening, attracting the attention of others in the base. Fortunately, everyone had gotten used to the commotion Lin Hao made over the years and was no longer surprised.

"Alright, stop now. I know what you all think." Lin Hao gestured to stop the commotion.

Lin Hao believed they were sincere, but the procedures had to be followed to solidify their understanding.

They were all orphans taken in by the Lin family from various places. According to Lin Hao's instructions, the more tragic their background, the better, but they had to be over 12 years old so that they could remember their past suffering. And it would be too difficult to make these people loyal to the imperial court.

"Gentlemen, most of you participated in yesterday's operation. We used to do business honestly, without stealing or robbing, to earn money to support our families. But now the government has its eyes on our property and is trying to wipe us out under the clumsy pretext of colluding with pirates."

But now, thanks to your joint efforts, we have thwarted the government's evil plans. But this is not the end, but the beginning. Even if we escape to the sea, those corrupt officials will still relentlessly pursue us. They will try to drain our wealth, they will try to make us penniless, and they will even try to take all our heads to exchange for credit.

"Do you think we can agree to this?" Lin Hao loudly questioned the boys.

"No way!"

"We won't agree!"

"Kill them! Kill the corrupt officials! Kill the imperial court!"

Once everyone had calmed down, Lin Hao continued, "You're right, we absolutely cannot agree, and we absolutely cannot yield. We must unite closely, sever all the tentacles the court is reaching out to us, and become stronger so that ultimately no one will dare to covet us."

Achieving this requires the collective effort of everyone. The longest you've been with me is four years, the shortest is over a year. Previously, your only tasks were studying and training. Starting today, I will gradually place you in various locations for further development. I hope you won't waste this opportunity, because from today onwards, your treatment will be linked to your performance. Those who perform well will continue to enjoy the good life, while those who perform poorly will, unfortunately, only be left with meager rations.

"Now tell me, do you want to eat meat to your heart's content, or do you want to eat coarse food and wild vegetables?" Lin Hao asked loudly again.

"We're going to eat meat to our hearts' content!"

"Eat meat!"

"Eat meat!"

......

"Very good, very energetic! After breakfast, you will come with me to the ship to familiarize yourselves with its handling. Now, dismissed, lunch is served!"

As soon as Lin Hao gave the order to dismiss the group, everyone rushed to the dining table with shouts of excitement. Although a large quantity of steamed buns had been prepared, the boys had even bigger appetites, especially a few big eaters. Those who were slow to start didn't get a single bite.

Of course, Lin Hao didn't need to compete with them. He leisurely walked to the seat at the front, where the family servants immediately set out his breakfast.

Lin Hao had just eaten a few steamed buns when a man appeared in front of him; it was none other than the family's steward, Uncle Fu.

"Uncle Fu, what brings you here so early?" Lin Hao asked, blowing on the hot soy milk as he held it up.

"Young Master, I finished checking all the supplies last night. We came in too much of a hurry, and I'm afraid we don't have enough supplies." Uncle Fu handed Lin Hao an account book.

Lin Hao quickly glanced through the list and found that the situation regarding all the supplies was not optimistic. They couldn't even gather enough supplies for the next trade. If this situation continued, let alone eating meat, they might not even have enough to eat.

"Young Master, the supplies stored here were already limited. We were raided by the government, and a large amount of resources, especially silver, were confiscated. The supplies we've brought from the base in the back mountains are completely insufficient to meet the needs of so many people. Especially..."

"Especially meat, right?" Lin Hao carefully took a sip of soy milk, the warm, sweet liquid of the soy milk flowing down his throat, dispelling his previous fatigue.

"Yes, other supplies are manageable, but according to the dietary standards set by the young master, we need to consume a lot of meat. We used to be able to buy it from farmers, but now we can't get ashore in a short time, and other supply channels haven't been established yet. Perhaps...?"

"No! All standards will remain unchanged, with no compromises allowed. How long will our current meat supply last?" Lin Hao asked casually.

"Three days, at most three days, all the fresh meat will be used up. Even with the stored cured meat, it will only last one more day at most." Uncle Fu didn't understand why Lin Hao was so concerned about the food treatment. You know, even the food in the homes of ordinary small landlords is not as good as what these teenagers eat. This treatment is a bit too good.

"That means there are still four days left, more than I expected." Lin Hao knew what Uncle Fu was thinking, but he didn't explain. He just nodded to show that he understood.

"Uncle Fu, thank you for your hard work. I will handle this problem. Just take care of these people's livelihood. The supplies will be provided in due time."