Global colonization began with Ming Dynasty pirates.

"Chengbi, you must be careful on this trip to Southeast Asia. Safety is the most important thing," the old man patiently instructed.

"Father, don't worry. I'm an old seaman, this is nothing. According to Hao'er, going to Manila from here is actually easier than going to Taiwan. With four ships sailing together, ordinary pirates wouldn't dare to come up," Lin Chengbi replied with a hearty laugh.

He is in a very good mood now.

After finalizing the personnel arrangements yesterday, the personnel rewards were immediately determined. As the leader in this matter, Lin Chengbi naturally received the largest share, a thousand taels of silver.

This means that as long as the goods return safely, even if he doesn't get any money afterward, he will still receive a thousand taels of silver.

This finally made him understand how those guards felt; it felt so good to be showered with money.

In reality, as the person in charge of the entire fleet, when it came time to reward those who had contributed to the sale of such a large amount of supplies, he would certainly be among those who received the reward.

He now understood why those guards looked at Lin Hao with such fervor. In this era, those who were willing to give you money were truly powerful figures, and you'd almost want to worship them.

"Don't be careless! Don't you understand the saying 'pride comes before a fall'? The pirates in the south are ruthless. Better safe than sorry," the old man scolded, glaring at him.

"Yes, Chief!" Lin Chengbi shouted, which made everyone laugh and the atmosphere immediately became relaxed.

"Second Uncle, the route to Manila is very well-established. You just need to be careful to avoid bad weather. With Lin Yi and the others there, they definitely won't let you deviate from the course," Lin Hao said, exchanging a fist bump with Lin Chengbi.

In fact, although Fujian is farther from Manila, it is more convenient to go to Manila than to Taiwan. Just follow the monsoon and the coastal currents south to Luzon, and return on the northward Kuroshio Current. It is very convenient.

Reaching Taiwan requires crossing the Taiwan Strait, which is wide at both ends and narrow in the middle. Due to its topography, the monsoon winds here are faster than in the East China Sea and the South China Sea. In addition, the Penghu Channel between Taiwan and Penghu, as well as the complex seabed topography, combined with other factors, made this area a frequent site of shipwrecks in ancient times, earning it the name "Black Water Trench."

Of the ten who went, six died, three stayed, and one turned back. This proverb describes the perilous and arduous journey of early settlers crossing the strait.

Therefore, although Taiwan was discovered during the Han Dynasty and there are records of Han people developing Penghu during the Song and Yuan Dynasties, it was not until the Ming Dynasty, when shipbuilding technology was further improved, that Han people began to set foot on the main island of Taiwan on a large scale.

However, if Taiwan can be used as a base, then going to Manila will be even simpler, almost like going to one's own backyard.

Although the distance from Taiwan to Manila is slightly greater than the width of the Taiwan Strait, the former has much better hydrological conditions and direct ocean currents that can be used. No wonder that after Zheng Chenggong took over Taiwan, the Spanish were so frightened that they massacred all the Han Chinese on the island for the third time.

"Hao'er, I have complete confidence in the people you've trained. I've wanted to use them for a long time, and today you've finally decided to give them to me. Don't worry, I'll handle everything you've asked me to do. I'll pay close attention to the situation over there," Lin Chengbi assured him, patting his chest.

"There's no need to be too deliberate. Just let things take their course. It's only been fifteen years since the massacre of Han people there, and they might still harbor a lot of malice towards us. Second Uncle, your top priority should be to protect yourself," Lin Hao said in a deep voice.

While Manila is important, it's not urgent. With the start of the Thirty Years' War in Europe this year, Spain will face increasing pressure, and its ability to invest in the East will naturally weaken.

Even if Lin Hao wanted to take Manila, he wouldn't be in a hurry. He would wait until the other side was mired in the quagmire of war.

"Hmph, these red-haired devils dare to slaughter our villagers on our Ming territory! It's outrageous! Second Uncle is just waiting for Hao'er to give the order one day to wipe out these red-haired devils. When our Lin family takes over, our trade will surely flourish a hundredfold!" Lin Chengbi said angrily. In the past few days, he had also been studying a lot of information about Manila and was furious about the massacre that the Han people suffered back then.

He wholeheartedly agreed with Lin Hao's earlier statement, believing that without weapons, no matter how much money one earns, it's useless; it will all belong to others in the end.

"Haha, Second Uncle is right. Then I'll appoint you as the Governor of Manila. Don't refuse then," Lin Hao said with a smile.

"Haha, it's a deal! Hao'er, you can't go back on your word." Lin Chengbi's eyes lit up immediately; no man doesn't yearn for such achievements and power.

"It's a deal." Lin Hao and his second uncle high-fived again.

......

"Is everything ready?"

"Reporting to young master, everything is ready."

Beside an open space on the back mountain of Dongluo Island, Lin Hao and a group of people stood ready.

After seeing his second uncle off to Manila, Lin Hao arrived here without stopping.

"Don't call me Young Master anymore, call me Young Master." Lin Hao didn't come alone; his father, Lin Chengzong, accompanied him.

After all, today is a big day for the workshop; the cannons that were forged earlier will be tested today.

A dozen days ago, Lin Hao assigned the task of building cannons to the newly recruited blacksmith Li Neng, and today is the day to test them.

Lin Hao and Lin Chengzong sat down in a shaded spot, then nodded to Lin Qiang to indicate that they could begin.

A moment later, several people stepped forward and tore off more than a dozen pieces of red cloth in the open space in front of them.

Suddenly, more than a dozen large, dark pipes appeared in front of everyone.

"Hao'er, can you put this cannon on our ship? Won't it blow the ship to pieces?" Lin Chengzong had witnessed the power of those cannons before, and asked with some concern.

"Father, don't worry. We were able to let go of those government troops back then, let alone the ships that we repaired and reinforced," Lin Hao said, turning to comfort him.

"Besides, these cannons are only about four pounds each, they're hardly cannons at all," Lin Hao continued, clearly still dissatisfied with the size of these cannons.

Lin Hao wanted a thicker, bigger, and longer tube, the kind that could send the foreigners back to their homeland in a single salvo.

These small tubes are actually just army artillery, and they would be quite suitable for the army to carry around.

"Take your time. I think this four-pounder cannon is pretty good. It's much more imposing than the previous breech-loading cannon," Lin Chengzong said with a smile.

While the two were talking, someone had already stepped forward to begin loading the cannon.

Moments later, the cannon was loaded, a long fuse was lit, and the gunner took off running.

We have no choice but to run; who knows if this newly manufactured cannon is even up to standard?

But his worries were clearly unnecessary.

"Bang!"

With a loud bang, a burst of flame shot into the sky, followed by a black iron ball that hurtled towards the forest, smashing a small tree before disappearing from sight.

"Huh, why does this cannon sound not as loud as it did when the government troops used it?" Lin Chengzong asked curiously.

He was behind the wall at the time, but he was still shocked even from that distance.

But now, he was closer to the cannon and there were no obstacles, yet it didn't feel as good as last time. After Lin Chengzong finished speaking, he looked at Lin Hao, knowing that the other party would definitely answer.

Sure enough, Lin Hao smiled slightly and said, "That's natural, because the amount of ammunition loaded now is only half of what it was last time."