How to rapidly expand my area

Me and my group recently did a wipe, and on the new area. I settled almost on the other side of the map, thinking what the hell, there’s tons of resources and nobody’s trying to get them. So I’m here alone

There’s a certain person who is honestly been an asshole to me the entire time about it, and my opposing economic views.

They are thinking of expanding the influence to the whole earth to ‘help’ me. But I don’t want to join because of this one person, who is in a position of power. And honestly, most of them are similar to his thought process of “I’m never wrong”

How can I expand my homestead the most before they ‘claim’ everything with their influence. I will die on this hill honestly. Is there a way to? Will I be forced to become a citizen once they do this? Can I hold out? Im tired of being talked down to and basically told what to do, or else im ‘selfish’ and ‘ruining the point of the game’