1809. Imperial forces have trapped China's largest pirate fleet in a bay. The government has 95 ships, 1200 cannons, 18,000 men and 4 Western vessels. But the Pirates have something
no number of ships will overcome. Cheng I Sao. Leader of the Pirate Confederation. By the time this is over, she will dictate terms to them. *intro* Let's go back a couple years. Cheng I, the first the leader of the Pirate Confederation is dead. Swept overboard in a typhoon. The commanders of the six fleets gather to choose their new leader. And those are some big shoes to fill. Cheng had been a good commander. He'd been with the Pirates in Vietnam where they'd served as privateers in a war that had transformed them from amateur bandits to a crack mercenary navy. And when the Vietnamese dynasty fell
and the Pirates were driven back to China, It was Cheng who founded their Confederation
and made them the masters of the coast. From the Pearl River
to the Gulf of Tonkin. What man could follow that? But when the fleet commanders
opened the floor, the first to speak is a woman. Six years prior she had been just another prostitute
in the floating brothels of Canton, but now they know her
as Cheng I Sao. Which translates to Cheng's wife. And she has a proposal. She will lead
this confederation. After all, though Cheng
had led the fleets, she managed
the business operation. It was because of her that every salt merchant in Canton visited a pirate office to buy a safe passage before setting sail. Because of her they were rich and every one of them knew that Jiang had made strategy with her at his elbow. The commanders exchanged looks. The idea isn't absurd. In Confucian China
women were barred from public life. But these men are all from poor
floating villages along the coast. Things are different out there. If a fisherman dies, his widow takes over his boat. Why should this be any different? But Cheng
already had an heir. His adopted son
Cheung Po Tsai. And though
he was still young, the lad was a popular
and daring captain. Fearless in attack and blessed by the gods. His flagship was a floating pagoda filled with idols, priests and oracles. Madame Cheng had news though. Cheung Po had agreed
to serve her as commander of her confederation's red flag fleet. This tipped the scale. The fleet commanders named
Cheng I Sao their leader. And to solidify her power,
she entered another strategic alliance. Within weeks, she and her adopted son were lovers. Madame Cheng got to work. Her first act was to strengthen her authority with a new legal code. The massive confederation, now numbering 70,000 pirates and over 1200 vessels had become disorderly. The pirates needed to remember
that they were one organization, under one leadership. From now on, anybody who disobeyed orders would be beheaded. And all stolen property would be brought to a common trust until it could be distributed fairly. If a crew made a score, they would hand it over to an accountant. The captors would receive a 20% cut with the rest going to a confederation fund for provisions and repairs. The new code also prescribed death for raping a captive, stealing from common funds or going ashore without leave. Next, Cheng I Sao turned her attention
to her favorite subject; making the money. The confederation already had
a stranglehold on the salt trade, but it was time to expand. She extended their protection racket
to all maritime traffic, including fishing junks and foreign opium ships. She also dispatched the fleet
to systematically threaten villages. They had a choice; pay up, or burn down. And her treasure warehouses began to fill. The government tried to stop her, but the Qing emperors had neglected maritime policy for decades, to the point that China didn't have a modern professional navy. The government fleet was just garrison troops loaded onto fishing and merchant junks, the same vessels the pirates used. Madame Cheng's fleet, on the other hand, was a crack ambush force. Trained to hide until their prey drew close. Then, the fleet would sweep out of hiding. War junks opening up with cannons as small sampan loaded with spearmen
rushed into boarding range. These tactics sent fleet after fleet
of government junks to the bottom. But in January of 1808, the pirates killed
a provincial commander and Pe King couldn't ignore
the problem anymore. The Emperor dispatched a new official, Bai Ling, with orders to quell this coastal threat. And he arrived just in time. For months, Madame Cheng
had been planning an audacious operation. A full-scale invasion
of the Pearl River Delta, with its rich trading ports of Canton
and Portuguese Macau. In July 1808 Cheng Po baited Kenton's
defensive fleet into battle, and annihilated it. Now the path to Canton lay open. For a full year, Madame Cheng sacked the Delta. Pirates extorted villages
and slaughtered whoever resisted, dragging off women
and children as captives. Each depredation was bloodier
than the last. The Black Flag fleet killed 10,000 people in a single expedition. Soon, citizens of Canton could hear
pirate cannons on a daily basis. But the campaign was taking
a toll on Madame Cheng's fleet. Raids were getting more costly. Their opponent, Bai Ling,
had sent soldiers to train the village militias. He'd also clamped down on their supply lines on shore, forcing them to live on caterpillars boiled with rice. And the military was getting tougher, too. Then, a British ship appeared, alongside 60 brand-new Chinese war junks. Bai Ling had stooped
to recruiting foreign aid. Usually Madame Cheng had no problem outmaneuvering Western ships, but in river fighting, there was no room to operate. Within a week, she'd been driven away from Canton. With her personal squadron heavily damaged, she left Cheang Po in charge and went back to her base
at Lantau to make repairs. And that is where
Bai Ling caught her. In November 1809, Madame Cheng looked out
to see sails on the horizon. Four Portuguese ships. Her squadron had only a few vessels, largely boarding and scouting craft. Worse, most of her junks had beached for repair. She sent an order to every ship in the fleet. "Send help." Three days later, Cheang Po arrived
with the Red Flag fleet. He brought bad news though. The Black Flag fleet wasn't coming, and the enemy fleet had grown. 60 war junks, 35 fishing boats and four western ships. The pirates only had seven junks which they moored bow to stern, blocking the mouth of the bay. This was a trap. The government had wanted Cheang Po here. By threatening Madame Cheng, they had forced the pirates to withdraw from Canton entirely and gather all in one place. The Imperial Fleet began its first attack, circling in to fire, then retreating to reload. The barrage lasted two hours, until finally a pirate sampan got close enough to hurl torches onto a war junk, detonating its magazine and forcing
the enemy to withdraw. For days, Cheang Po burned incense
and prayed for a southerly wind. Twice the pirates marshalled for a counter-attack, and twice, the breeze turned against them. And then the fire ships came. 43 of them, two-by-two. Each vessel loaded with straw and explosives. The pirates, all moored together, were an easy target. It was a night of fire and gunpowder. Crackling ships drifted into the fleet, throwing sparks as barrels of powder exploded. But Madame Cheng and her captains kept calm, methodically staving off each vessel and towing it safely ashore. And then, a miracle. The smoke changed direction; a southerly wind sprang up, driving the last two fire ships back into the Imperial fleet. Madame Cheng ordered the beached junks towed out and made ready for sail. The next morning, they slipped the blockade with the wind behind them, using older vessels to shield the fleet from gunfire. In nine days of siege, Madame Cheng had lost only 40 men and completed her repairs
without losing a single junk. It was a stunning victory. But it exposed a fault line
in the confederation. The Black Fleet had taken
a pardon and defected. Over the next few months, the Red Fleet would find itself simultaneously fighting imperial forces, old allies and western ships. Madame Cheng realized that the confederation had reached its zenith. From here her power could only weaken. So she decided to take a pardon while she still had a strong negotiating position. She sent the government her terms: Her pirates would get full amnesty
and keep their spoils. Her men would also have the option to join the army and receive funds to establish themselves. Finally, she and Cheang Po, now married, would retain a squadron of junks for use in the salt trade. The government balked. No punishment... for anyone?! They refused to allow that, and talks began to break down. So Madame Cheng ordered one last sweeping pillaging expedition to teach them the wisdom of compromise. Then, she landed at Canton and demanded to negotiate with Bai Ling in person. Her terms had not changed. Bai Ling caved on every point, but he refused to let the couple keep
a personal squadron. How could he allow infamous pirates
to maintain a fleet of ships? For days, he negotiated,
begged and wheedled. But Madame Cheng just threatens to go back to sea. So he gave in. Two weeks later, the red flag fleet surrendered at Macau. It consisted of 17,318 pirates, 226 junks and 1315 cannons. But, the rot remained. Madame Cheng went straight, or at least, as straight as an ex pirate can go, running a gambling house in Canton. But the Emperor failed to see the warning sign her career represented. He continued to neglect maritime policy, and showed no interest in creating a more capable navy. But what the Emperor ignored, others saw with perfect clarity. As Cheng's life waned, the British stepped up
to the fault line she had exposed. 29 years after her surrender, a mere handful of British ships brought China to its knees, and the opium wars began. *outro* Subtitles brought to you by yours truly; Lee TF.
Take care everyone!
Extra History rocks!
Cheng I Sao, the Pirate Queen of the Sa Jiao