Global colonization began with Ming Dynasty pirates.

"Well...theoretically speaking, it shouldn't be a big problem. I've built hulls before, and as for the sails, although they look strange, they're not too complicated. I'm about 70-80% confident." Guo Kai hesitated before agreeing, but he didn't dare to be too sure.

"That's good. Mr. Guo can try making a smaller model first, and then start the formal construction after confirming that there are no problems." Lin Hao nodded and offered his suggestion according to his own ideas.

"The servants understand and will certainly handle it carefully," Guo Kai nodded in agreement.

In reality, Lin Hao didn't understand Chinese shipbuilding very well. Actually, Chinese craftsmen had been using ship models since the Song Dynasty. After continuously modifying small models and finalizing the ship's shape, they would use the model as a template to build the new ship according to the proportions. There was no need for him to remind them.

"Hao'er, this ship design looks strange. Why not use our existing Fujian ships? Our ancestors have used them for so many years, and they're very stable." Lin Chengzong asked, rubbing his head as he looked at the blueprints, his head aching.

He really didn't want to watch it; he couldn't understand it at all with his level of knowledge. But as the head of the gang, how could he explain his work if he didn't understand it?

"Father, the Fujian ship is indeed stable, but it's too slow and doesn't meet our current needs at all," Lin Hao explained to Lin Chengzong.

"Fujian ships are wide and are a good choice for carrying people or cargo, but they are too slow, have poor headwind capability, and cannot go into slightly shallow waters."

"This kind of feature is very suitable for merchant ships, but we are pirates. Sailing this kind of ship will only allow us to follow behind others and eat their food. Robbery will depend entirely on luck. We need faster ships, and I assure you, this ship will give you a big surprise in terms of speed." Lin Hao patted his chest and assured him.

In fact, Lin Hao carefully selected and repeatedly considered the design of this schooner.

First of all, as mentioned earlier, speed is the most important thing for a pirate. Whether chasing ships on the sea or escaping the pursuit of government troops, speed is indispensable.

Furthermore, the surrounding waters are characterized by numerous reefs and shoals, as well as rough seas, placing high demands on the draft and seaworthiness of ships. In addition, with Taiwan as a base in the future, frequent transits through the Taiwan Strait are inevitable.

Crossing the Taiwan Strait is not a smooth journey; it requires a boat with strong headwind capabilities, and a schooner is just right.

The Caribbean islands were the place where these single-masted schooners flourished on a large scale, and the professions and problems faced by those pirates perfectly overlapped with Lin Hao's.

It can be said to be the most suitable ship type for the Four Seas Gang at present.

Moreover, despite being a single-masted schooner, it still possessed ocean-going capabilities. Caribbean pirates even sailed these ships across the Atlantic, around the Cape of Good Hope, and into the Indian Ocean to plunder.

If Lin Hao needs a larger ship in the future, he can simply enlarge the ship's shape and add a mast; it will still work.

In the 18th century, besides being used by pirates, slave ships traveling between Africa and the Americas also favored this type of vessel. This was because it required fewer sailors and was faster, saving more than a week's journey compared to ordinary sailing ships.

Combining these two factors, costs plummeted.

Lin Hao's future immigration needs are quite similar to this.

The Westerners' large sailing ships were indeed a wonderful thing, capable of carrying huge numbers of people and goods safely to all parts of the world.

But Lin Hao simply didn't have the necessary resources. He didn't have enough sailors who knew how to use Western-style sails, so he could only use this simple and easy-to-learn schooner.

Even with readily available sailors, the poor conditions on Dongluo Island wouldn't allow for their construction, so a simple and practical schooner would be the most suitable option.

In Lin Hao's plan, his reach over the past decade has extended as far north as Sakhalin Island and as far south as Australia, which completely eliminates the need for such a cumbersome full-sail sailing ship.

By the time Lin Hao needs it, it will probably be time to compete with Europeans for the Americas, which is still a long way off.

After confirming that it was possible to build it, Lin Hao quickly determined the size of the first ship with Guo Kai.

After detailed discussion, Lin Hao decided to make the first ship smaller, initially setting the size at about 200 liters.

In later times, the size of ships was calculated based on the tonnage of total displacement, but in this era, Chinese shipbuilders used materials as the unit of measurement.

In the Ming Dynasty, "liao" was essentially a unit of net cargo volume for ships. One liao was equal to one hu (about 3 cubic feet), which could theoretically carry one shi of grain (about 120 jin). However, due to differences in ship type and cargo density, there was no absolute standard for converting liao to tonnage. According to Lin Hao's own calculations, one liao was roughly equivalent to 0.3 to 0.4 tons.

The Ming Dynasty's thousand-ton Fujian ship had a displacement of approximately 300 tons, roughly the same size as medium-sized armed merchant ships in Europe.

The three largest ships under Lin Hao's command are all around 500 tons, roughly 150 tons.

The smaller bird boats and silk-driving boats weighed only about 200 liang (approximately 100 tons).

The single-masted schooner being built this time is positioned at 200 tons, which actually corresponds to a displacement of about 60 tons.

However, according to Lin Hao's estimation, this ship's combat power surpasses that of his largest Fujian ship.

Although Lin Hao's single-masted schooner is not large and has only two decks, it is highly practical.

Although the construction technology was not very difficult, the materials used were extremely solid, the hull was very strong, and it could withstand the recoil of large cannons.

Built to the specifications of a 200-ton ship, the hull was approximately 17 meters long and slightly less than 4 meters wide. Because the middle deck was a straight deck running from bow to stern, it could accommodate a larger number of cannons than the Fujian-style ships.

It is planned that four six-pounder cannons can be mounted on each side of the hull, while two twelve-pounder cannons can be deployed on the strong points of the bow and stern. The total configuration of up to ten cannons gives this sailing ship firepower far beyond its size.

This firepower, combined with its excellent speed and headwind performance, meant that even the large, hulled ships of foreigners could be challenged if one was bold enough.

Once the new ship passes the tests, it can be scaled up immediately, or even have a mast added to build a larger ship.

For example, the ship could be enlarged to 400 liao (a unit of length), and an additional mast could be added to create a two-masted schooner. Its length would reach 22 meters, and its width 4.5 meters. The middle deck would hold 12-pound cannons, and the upper open deck could hold 6-pound cannons. The total number of cannons would reach more than 20, which would give it overwhelming firepower over all Ming Dynasty warships of that era.

"Mr. Guo, how long will it take to build this model, and then how long will it take to complete the ship construction?" Lin Hao asked Guo Kai after confirming the ship details.

"The model is easy to handle. I'll stay up all night and it'll be ready by tomorrow morning. It's the ship that's a serious problem; we're severely lacking in manpower and materials right now," Guo Kai said worriedly.