The story of a Chinese courtesan who became the most dangerous pirate in history. The most famous pirates Zheng shi Chinese sea robber

In history. She commanded a fleet of 2,000 ships and had over 70,000 sailors under her command.

"Madam Jing", as she was also called, was before she met Zheng Yi, the most famous Chinese pirate of his time. They married in 1801 and traveled to Vietnam, where the civil war was in full swing. After marriage, the girl received a new name Zheng Yi Xiao("Zheng's wife"). Madame Zheng did not have her own children, so the pirates kidnapped and adopted fifteen-year-old Zhang Baozai from fishermen, who later became Zheng Yi's lover, and after his death, Madame Zheng. According to other sources, the boy was adopted by a pirate before his marriage to Zheng Yi Xiao.

After her husband died in a storm in 1807, Zheng Shi ("Zheng's widow") inherited a pirate fleet of 400 ships. She soon married her stepson Zhang Bao. Under their joint command, the pirates not only attacked merchant ships off the coast of China, but also sailed far into the mouths of the rivers, devastating coastal settlements. The Qing emperor Jiaqing (-) was so stung by the rise of piracy that in January 1808 he sent his fleet against Zheng Shi, but a number of armed clashes with the authorities could not undermine the forces of the pirate coalition.

It is believed that the key to Zheng Shi's success was the iron discipline that reigned on her ships. She introduced strict regulations that put an end to the traditional pirate freemen. Plunder allied pirates fishing villages and rape of captive women were punished death penalty. For unauthorized absence from the ship, the pirate was cut off his left ear, which was then presented to the entire crew for intimidation.

Not everyone was happy with this turn of events. One of the pirate captains rebelled against Madam Zheng and surrendered to the mercy of the authorities. Only when her fleet was weakened and her authority shaken did Madame Zheng agree to a truce with the emperor. Under the 1810 agreement, she went over to the side of the authorities, and her husband received a sinecure in the Chinese government. Retiring from piracy, Madame Zheng settled in Guangzhou, where she ran a brothel and gambling den until her death at the age of 60.

The story of Madame Zheng has attracted the attention of writers more than once. She is the heroine of the short story "The Widow of Ching, Pirate" by Jorge Luis Borges (1935). Based on Borges' story, a film was made that loses all connection with the real events of The Legend of Vengeance (2003). According to the preliminary script for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Zhang Bao, Madame Zheng's stepson-husband, became the prototype for one of the characters in this film. Zhang Bao's name is also associated with several romantic places in Hong Kong, where they even show a cave where he allegedly hid his treasures. One of the local attractions, the Tunzhong Fort on Lantau Island, is said to have been used by a pirate as a staging post for the opium trade.

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Literature

Murray, Diane H. Pirates of the South China Coast. , 1790-1810. - Stanford University Press, 1987. ISBN 0-8047-1376-6

An excerpt characterizing Zheng Shi

In the retinue of the sovereign, all the faces, instantly exchanging glances with each other, expressed murmuring and reproach. "No matter how old he is, he shouldn't, he shouldn't speak like that," these faces expressed.
The sovereign looked intently and attentively into Kutuzov's eyes, waiting for him to say something else. But Kutuzov, for his part, bowing his head respectfully, also seemed to be waiting. The silence lasted for about a minute.
“However, if you order, your Majesty,” said Kutuzov, raising his head and again changing his tone to the former tone of a stupid, unreasoning, but obedient general.
He touched the horse and, having called the head of the column Miloradovich to him, gave him the order to advance.
The army stirred again, and two battalions of the Novgorod regiment and a battalion of the Apsheron regiment moved forward past the sovereign.
While this Apsheron battalion, ruddy-faced Miloradovich, without an overcoat, in a uniform and orders and with a hat with a huge sultan, put on sideways and from the field, was passing, the march galloped forward and, valiantly saluting, reined in the horse in front of the sovereign.
“God bless you, general,” the emperor told him.
- Ma foi, sire, nous ferons ce que qui sera dans notre possibilite, sire, [Really, your majesty, we will do what it will be possible for us to do, your majesty,] - he answered cheerfully, nevertheless causing a mocking smile from the gentlemen retinue of the sovereign with his bad French accent.
Miloradovich abruptly turned his horse and stood somewhat behind the sovereign. The Absheronians, excited by the presence of the sovereign, valiantly, briskly beating off their feet, passed by the emperors and their retinues.
- Guys! - Miloradovich shouted in a loud, self-confident and cheerful voice, apparently excited to such an extent by the sounds of shooting, the expectation of battle and the sight of the fine fellows of the Apsheron, still their Suvorov comrades, briskly passing by the emperors, that he forgot about the presence of the sovereign. - Guys, you do not take the first village! he shouted.
- Glad to try! the soldiers shouted.
The sovereign's horse shied away from an unexpected cry. This horse, which had carried the sovereign at reviews in Russia, here, on the Field of Austerlitz, carried its rider, withstanding his scattered blows with his left foot, alerted his ears to the sounds of shots, just as she did it on the Field of Mars, not understanding the meaning of any these heard shots, nor the neighborhood of the black stallion of Emperor Franz, nor everything that the one who rode it said, thought, felt that day.
The sovereign turned to one of his entourage with a smile, pointing to the fellow Absherons, and said something to him.

Kutuzov, accompanied by his adjutants, rode at a pace behind the carabinieri.
Having traveled half a verst at the tail of the column, he stopped at a lonely abandoned house (probably a former tavern) near the fork of two roads. Both roads descended downhill, and troops marched along both.
The fog began to disperse, and indefinitely, at a distance of two versts, enemy troops could already be seen on opposite hills. To the left below the shooting became more audible. Kutuzov stopped talking to the Austrian general. Prince Andrei, standing somewhat behind, peered at them and, wanting to ask the adjutant for a telescope, turned to him.
“Look, look,” this adjutant said, looking not at the distant army, but down the mountain in front of him. - They're French!

She was a contemporary of Napoleon and Admiral Nelson, but Europe did not know about her. But on Far East her name was known to everyone. She went down in history under the name of "Lady Jing" - the uncrowned queen of Chinese pirates at the turn of the 18th - early XIX centuries.

Zheng Shi, a Chinese woman, has gained fame as one of the most successful pirates in history. She commanded a fleet of 2,000 ships and had over 70,000 sailors under her command. For comparison, famous pirate Edward Teach nicknamed Blackbeard commanded 4 ships and 300 pirates.

"Lady Jing," as she was also called, worked as a prostitute before meeting Zheng Yi, China's most famous pirate of the 19th century. They married in 1801 and traveled to Vietnam, where the Civil War. After marriage, the girl received the new name Zheng Yi Xiao ("Zheng's wife"). Zheng did not have children of his own, so the pirates kidnapped and adopted fifteen-year-old Zhang Baozai from fishermen, who later became Zheng Yi's lover, and after his death, Zheng Shi.

Climbing to the top of power passed quickly enough for Mrs. Jing. It is believed that the opposition still existed, and its leaders had already begun to fight for supremacy among themselves, when Ching entered the scene.

With the decisiveness that has always distinguished her, she told the rebels that, in memory of her beloved husband, she was taking command of the fleet. Anyone who disagrees with this can go anywhere. At the same time, everyone who decides to leave the fleet will receive a junk and four sailors from Madame Jing. Their own ships will remain part of the squadrons, because it will not allow anyone to weaken the power of the fleet.

It is not known whether the new master of the pirates had to defend her position by force, but the fact remains: her supremacy was recognized by all.

It is believed that the iron discipline that reigned on her ships was the key to success. The Jing introduced strict regulations that put an end to the traditional pirate freemen. Robbery of fishing villages allied to pirates and rape of prisoners were punishable by death. For unauthorized absence from the ship, the pirate's left ear was cut off, which was then presented to the entire crew for intimidation.

The innovation was met with hostility, but Mrs. Jing did not think of retreating from the reforms: on her orders, the disobedient people were simply pierced in their ears for the first time, and they were executed for repeated violations. Such an effective measure gave quick results.

There were six squadrons, the core of the fleet was the "family squadron" of Jing, whichcarried red pennants on her masts. The rest of the squadrons had black, white, blue, yellow and green identification colors, which helped to direct the operation during the fighting.

View of the Chinese city of Canton in 1800, where Zheng Shi lived.

The Jing then decided that any concealment of booty should be punishable by death.And finally, the robbery of the local population, which set the inhabitants hostile to pirates, was most strictly forbidden. Now, for everything that was confiscated from the population, the pirates paid from their own pockets.

Of course, in this case, too, there was discontent and even disobedience, but the consistency in the actions of the Ching reformer, and most importantly, the inevitability of punishment for failure to comply with the order forced even the most malicious violators and marauders to submit.

The importance of the reforms carried out was confirmed in the very first battle with government troops, or rather, with the government fleet, which took place in the summer of 1808.

The Qing emperor Jia-qing was so deeply hurt by the rise of piracy that in January 1808 he sent his fleet against Lady Jing. And the lady showed herself not only as a talented organizer, but also as an excellent naval commander. Pushing forward a small part of her ships, she and the rest hid in ambush behind the nearest cape. The government squadron, having decided to surround the pirate detachment, upset its ranks, which was what Mrs. Jing wanted. She struck from an ambush, confusing all the plans of the admirals of the government. However, they put up a decent resistance to the pirates. The battle lasted all day and ended in a complete victory for the pirates.

Of course, Beijing could not accept defeat, and Admiral Ling-Fa was instructed to gather all the naval forces of the empire to oppose Lady Jing. Ling-Fa began to carry out the order, but at the decisive moment, when both fleets had already converged for battle, the admiral lost all courage and turned back without a fight.

Lady Jing gave the command to pursue the enemy, but when the pirates caught up with his ships, the wind died down on the sea. The sails hung helplessly on the masts, and the warring parties, being in sight of each other, could only quarrel and show their fists to the enemy, but Mrs. Jing found a way out. And the way out, I must say, is brilliant - she put her people in sampan boats and sent them to board. The commanders of government ships did not expect an attack, and the Peking squadron was defeated.

The Beijing rulers took revenge for this massacre only a year later, when the third fleet was built. Cong Menxing was appointed its new admiral. Once he also pirated, but then switched to public service and proved to be a zealous persecutor of his former comrades.

The very first clash with Cong Mengxing ended sadly for Lady Jing. Her fleet suffered a severe defeat, and only the devotion of the pirates of the "Red Squadron", literally shielding their leader with their breasts, saved her from shameful captivity.

In an effort to capture the enemy at all costs, Cong Mengxing days and nightspursued her, but the help rendered to her by the population (that's when the results of the far-sighted policy of Mrs. Jing had an effect!), destroyed all his plans.

Knowing perfectly well all the shoals and safe passages on the sea, all its secluded, deserted islands and islets, coastal fishermen sheltered Lady Jing on them until the authorities stopped searching for her.

She did not forget the lesson she had learned and soon more than avenged her winners. Gathering the remnants of her fleet, Lady Jing teamed up with two unsubordinated pirate fleets and attacked Cong Mengxing's fleet as it was heading towards the mouth of the Yellow River to the parking lot. Cong Mengxing and his closest assistants were going to leave from there to Beijing to receive rewards for defeating the pirates.

Tsung Menxing did not succeed in decorating his chest with them. Not thinking about anyone's attack, the commander of the fleet lost all caution and paid dearly for it. Lady Jing's squadrons suddenly attacked Cong Mengxing's ships and sank most of them. And all this was the third government fleet, defeated by pirates.

Beijing did not have new forces to immediately oppose Lady Jing, and then the emperor's administration resorted to a trick. She sent the leader of the pirates an official invitation to arrive in the capital of the Celestial Empire, promising her the title of imperial equerry.

The city officials hoped that Lady Jing would not be able to overcome the temptation to become close to the emperor and would come to Beijing. And there they will find a way to get rid of the hated woman forever, but Lady Qing did not believeofficials. The invitation from Beijing amused her. And, of course, flattered pride.

Convinced that they were deceived in their expectations, the authorities launched an attack on the adventurer from the other side. They sent their envoys to the headquarters of the pirates. There was no hope for negotiations, but the emperor's envoys brought with them precious gifts to present to their closest associates of Lady Jing.

The bureaucracy, experienced in such matters, knew that such gifts would not leave anyone indifferent, would make harsh pirates softer and more accessible, and if, in addition, invite them to public service, promise amnesty and ranks, then a split in the pirate environment would be introduced without any doubt.

Beijing was not mistaken in its calculations. Before the truce envoys had time to depart home, the squadron of the “black flag” commanded by Ono-Tae separated from the fleet of Mrs. Qing. He had at his disposal one hundred and sixty large and small ships and eight thousand sailors.

Their departure greatly weakened the pirate fleet, and most importantly, sowed discord among Lady Qing's superiors. Many of them declared that they were ready to follow the example of Ono-Tae, who became an important person in the Qing court (in China then the Qing dynasty ruled). Lady Qing realized that this was the end of her reign. People left her, and punitive measures were taken against those who persisted.Those who did not want to part with criminal activities were caught during raids and sent to Beijing. Demonstrative executions were organized there in order to discourage the population from any desire to rebel and rob.

And Lady Jing went to a truce with the emperor. Under the 1810 agreement, she went over to the side of the authorities, and her husband received a sinecure in the Chinese government. As a result of the agreement, each pirate who decided to quit his craft received the ownership of one pig, a barrel of wine and enough money to start a new life.

After retiring from piracy, Lady Jing, who again became known as Zheng Shi, settled in Guangzhou, where she maintained a brothel and a brothel for gambling until his death at the age of 60.

Thus, the most powerful pirate movement in Chinese history was broken. From the fleet, which numbered hundreds of ships and tens of thousands of sailors, only pitiful remnants remained, which, huddled in the most remote corners, traded in the robbery of coastal villages and petty smuggling. Gold opened doors where power could not pass.

鄭氏 , cant. Chin Xi, -) is a Chinese sea robber who gained fame as one of the most successful pirates in history. She commanded a fleet of 2,000 ships and had over 70,000 sailors under her command.

"Madam Jing", as she was also called, was before she met Zheng Yi, the most famous Chinese pirate of her time. They married in 1801 and traveled to Vietnam, where the civil war was in full swing. After marriage, the girl received a new name Zheng Yi Xiao("Zheng's wife"). Madame Zheng did not have her own children, so the pirates kidnapped and adopted fifteen-year-old Zhang Baozai from fishermen, who later became Zheng Yi's lover, and after his death, Madame Zheng. According to other sources, the boy was adopted by a pirate before his marriage to Zheng Yi Xiao.

After her husband died in a storm in 1807, Zheng Shi ("Zheng's widow") inherited a pirate fleet of 400 ships. She soon married her stepson Zhang Bao. Under their joint command, the pirates not only attacked merchant ships off the coast of China, but also sailed far into the mouths of the rivers, devastating coastal settlements. The Qing emperor Jia-qing (-) was so stung by the rise of piracy that in January 1808 he sent his fleet against Zheng Shi, but a number of armed clashes with the authorities could not undermine the forces of the pirate coalition.

It is believed that the key to Zheng Shi's success was the iron discipline that reigned on her ships. She introduced strict regulations that put an end to the traditional pirate freemen. Plundering fishing villages allied to pirates and raping captured women were punishable by death. For unauthorized absence from the ship, the pirate was cut off his left ear, which was then presented to the entire crew for intimidation.

The story of Madame Zheng has attracted the attention of writers more than once. She is the heroine of the short story "The Widow of Ching, Pirate" by Jorge Luis Borges (1935). Based on Borges' story, a film was made that loses all connection with the real events of The Legend of Vengeance (2003). According to the preliminary script for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Zhang Bao, Madame Zheng's stepson-husband, became the prototype for one of the characters in this film. Zhang Bao's name is also associated with several romantic places in Hong Kong, where they even show a cave where he allegedly hid his treasures. They say that one of the local attractions, the fort

A smart, beautiful and brave girl, Zheng Shi started her career in a brothel, but soon became the most severe pirate in Chinese history.

Zheng was born in 1775 in Guangzhou. It is not known who her parents were, she was orphaned very quickly. Her real name remains unknown. It is clear that the life of the girl was not easy. To survive, she had to get a job in a brothel. But prostitution did not break her. If most of the "colleagues" soon died for various reasons, Zheng managed to become only stronger. And in the end, she was lucky. Once she met the most famous Chinese pirate of those times - Zheng Yi. The robber was so impressed by the smart, beautiful and brave girl that he decided to marry her.

The wedding took place in 1801, the woman received the name Zheng Yi Xiao - Zheng's wife. After they got married, they headed to Vietnam, where the civil war was raging. There, the newlyweds engaged in robbery attacks on fishermen and residents of coastal villages. Since the couple did not have their own children, they decided to kidnap the child. Their choice fell on fifteen-year-old Zhang Baozai. The three of them kept in check a huge pirate flotilla, which terrified the entire coastal population.

In 1807, Zheng Yi died in a storm. After such an event, the woman had to take a new name - Zheng Shi, which means "Zheng's widow." She inherited from her late husband a fleet of four hundred ships and several thousand pirates. At first everything was the same as before. Pirates continued to rob merchant ships and residents of coastal villages.

But soon dissatisfied with the commander in a skirt began to appear. True, they could not unite against Zheng Shi, greed and thirst for power prevented. And the woman did not get into their battles, giving her enemies the opportunity to destroy each other on their own.

When there was almost no opposition left, Zheng Shi announced that she was taking command of the flotilla in memory of her beloved husband. And those captains who do not agree with this could leave the pirates without risk to their lives. With only one condition: the dissatisfied left his ship to Lady Zheng in order to prevent the weakening of the flotilla. In return, he received four sailors and a junk.

Some, of course, opposed and did not want to make a deal with Zheng Shi. Their fate was unenviable - all the rebels died under "accidental circumstances." And soon the power of the woman was recognized by the surviving captains.

Lady Zheng's success was made possible by the strictest discipline she enforced on her ships. Pirates received special orders that severely restricted their freedom. Now they were forbidden to plunder villages that had made peace with the robbers. If someone still dared to break the law, death awaited him. Zheng introduced the penalty for rape as well. In general, any action on the part of the robber, which could lead to enmity with the local population, was severely suppressed by the lady. Pirates who left their ship without permission had their left ears cut off. And then they showed it to the whole team as a deterrent. If this punishment did not help, the bandit was executed.

Of course, the robbers at first perceived the strict laws with hostility and tried in every possible way to sabotage them. But Ms. Zheng clearly followed her line. Therefore, one could not even dream of pity or condescension. After several attempts at rebellion, the robbers resigned themselves to the new charter. But it is not known how many of them lost their lives or their ears.

mistress of the seas

In total, Zheng Shi commanded six squadrons. At the head of the flotilla was the "family squadron" of the lady with red pennants. The rest wore black, green, yellow, blue and white colors. These identification marks Zheng helped well during naval battles.

The benefits of discipline and new laws were not long in coming. In the summer of 1808, a pirate flotilla collided with a government fleet. Their meeting was not accidental - Emperor Jiaqing from the Qing Dynasty sent ships to search for and destroy pirates. He considered them the main problem in the country, so he dreamed of cracking down on the robbers.

But the meeting, contrary to the hopes of the emperor, ended in the complete defeat of his flotilla. In that battle, Zheng Shi showed her brilliant skills as a strategist and tactician for the first time. Several pirates appeared in front of the emperor's ships. Since no one knew what power the lady had at her disposal, the imperial naval commander considered that he had managed to detect the entire enemy fleet. Therefore, without looking back, he rushed to the attack. The bulk of Zheng Shi's ships at that time was behind the nearest cape. When the imperial fleet dispersed and thereby disrupted formation, she attacked from an ambush. And although the emperor's sailors fought bravely, the lady managed to win a very important victory.

Jiaqing was furious. The defeat not only deprived him of an entire flotilla. It caused great damage to his reputation and shattered his authority. It became clear to everyone, from a simple peasant to a nobleman, that pirates are stronger on the water and the emperor cannot do anything with them. Such a disgrace the vanity of the sovereign could not endure.

Therefore, the emperor soon decided to take revenge. The flotilla was headed by the experienced admiral Ling-Fa, who had already managed to score several important victories in naval battles. By and large, Jiaqing then went for broke, entrusting the naval commander, in fact, all the remaining warships of the state. But when Ling-Fa saw how many ships Lady Zheng had gathered under her command, he was frightened. And as soon as the fleets converged in the "open field", the admiral ordered to turn his ship around and left the battle. This behavior of the commander broke the government captains. Instead of fighting, one by one they began to turn their ships around to escape. Ms. Zheng gave the order to catch up with the cowards.

The chase began. And when it seemed that the ships of the emperor could not escape, a calm suddenly began. The ships, with lifeless sails, froze. Government sailors began to tease the pirates. They were sure that they would not be able to reach them. As it turned out, in vain. Zheng Shi ordered to launch sampan boats and board them on the ships of the emperor. This was not expected from the other side. Therefore, the pirates soon completely defeated the second Jiangqing flotilla.

Attempt number three took place only a year later. All this time, the emperor restored the lost fleet and cherished the dream of massacre. The place of the coward Ling-Fa was taken by Admiral Cong Menxing. In the past, he himself was a pirate, but then he surrendered to the authorities and went over to their side. Menxing was considered the main enemy of all Chinese sea robbers.

And already in the first battle, Cong Mengxing defeated Lady Zheng's flotilla. She lost most of the ships and almost ended up in captivity - the pirates of her "family squadron" rescued her. But the matter did not end there. Tsu Menxing swore an oath to the emperor and to himself that he would pursue the pirates until he caught them all. And, I must say, he kept his word with rare stubbornness. The pursuit of the remnants of the Zheng Shi flotilla lasted around the clock. The ships of the emperor were literally on the heels. And then the population of coastal villages came to the rescue of the lady. The laws and regulations, which were perceived by the pirates as a noose, have borne fruit. People helped the robbers, showing them secret and deserted islands with inconspicuous bays in which they could hide.

Cong Mengxing searched for Zheng for a long time, but was still forced to give up and retreat. He comforted himself with the thought that he had greatly frightened the pirates, who fled in panic.

Zheng, meanwhile, decided to take revenge on her offender. She managed to somehow win over to her side two pirate fleets that had been independent until that moment, becoming their main one. Now she began the hunt for the unsuspecting Manxin, who was returning to the emperor.

The lady's ships attacked the government fleet at the most unexpected moment, when they were moving to the mouth of the Yellow River for parking. There, Cong Mengxing wanted to dismount in order to get to Beijing by land. But he was not allowed to do so. The pirates completely defeated the enemy fleet, destroying almost all the ships. According to one version, the admiral did not survive either. There is another. It says that he still managed to get to the emperor. But he executed him for the loss of the flotilla.

Entry from the other side

Jiaqing was at a loss. He again lost the entire fleet ... And then the advisers suggested a trick to him. Like, if the enemy cannot be defeated, you need to buy it. The Emperor agreed. On his behalf, Zheng Shi was sent an official letter in which she was invited to negotiations in the capital of the Middle Kingdom.

No one wanted to talk to her, of course. The plan was as follows: when the lady first appeared in Beijing, a detachment of soldiers would immediately attack her and kill her. But the pirate did not fall for this trick.

Then the emperor decided to act on the other side. He sent his people laden with expensive gifts to negotiate with the main assistants of Zheng Shi.

Zheng's chief aides met with the parliamentarians without the lady's knowledge. Having received gifts, as well as an offer of amnesty and a position under the emperor, the pirates decided to betray Zheng. Literally the next day, the "black squadron" under the leadership of Ono-Tae separated from the flotilla. She was considered the strongest in the entire Zheng fleet. The loss of Ono-Tae greatly weakened the mistress. The situation was aggravated by the fact that, following the “blacks”, other armadas began to glance at the enemy’s side. Zheng's fleet continued to melt. The pirates began to hunt their own recent brothers in arms. Pirates tried to catch alive, then publicly executed in Beijing. The lady realized that her time had passed. Since there was no choice as such, Zheng Shi decided to make a deal with the emperor. He did not become stubborn and recall old grievances. Peace with the mistress was much more important. And in 1810, the uncrowned pirate queen officially defected to Jiaqing.

Zheng Shi settled in her native Guangzhou. There she opened a brothel, as well as a gambling establishment. The authorities did not touch her business, because they knew who was its owner. Zheng Shi lived to the age of sixty-nine and died as a strong and influential woman.

After Ms.'s "retirement", piracy in China began to decline. There was no other person equally strong and powerful, capable of uniting scattered bands of robbers into a powerful force. And most of the pirates began to engage in smuggling and robbery on land.

In art, Zheng Shi also left a mark. For example, in the story by Jorge Luis Borges "Ching's Widow, Pirate". Yes, and one of the nine pirate lords in the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End", is a clone of the legendary Lady Zheng.

"Madam Jing", as she was also called, worked as a prostitute before meeting Zheng Yi, the most famous Chinese pirate of her time. They married in 1801 and traveled to Vietnam, where the civil war was in full swing. After marriage, the girl received the new name Zheng Yi Xiao ("Zheng's wife"). Madame Zheng did not have her own children, so the pirates kidnapped and adopted fifteen-year-old Zhang Baozai from fishermen, who later became Zheng Yi's lover, and after his death, Madame Zheng. According to another source, the boy was adopted by a pirate before his marriage to Zheng Yi Xiao.

After her husband died in a storm in 1807, Zheng Shi ("Zheng's widow") inherited a pirate fleet of 400 ships. She soon married her stepson Zhang Bao. Under their joint command, the pirates not only attacked merchant ships off the coast of China, but also sailed far into the mouths of the rivers, devastating coastal settlements. The Qing emperor Jia-qing (1760-1820) was so stung by the rise of piracy that in January 1808 he sent his fleet against Zheng Shi, but a number of armed clashes with the authorities could not undermine the forces of the pirate coalition.

It is believed that the key to Zheng Shi's success was the iron discipline that reigned on her ships. She introduced strict regulations that put an end to the traditional pirate freemen. Plundering fishing villages allied to pirates and raping captured women were punishable by death. For unauthorized absence from the ship, the pirate's left ear was cut off, which was then presented to the entire crew for intimidation.

The story of Madame Zheng has attracted the attention of writers more than once. She is the heroine of Jorge Luis Borges' short story "The Widow of Ching, Pirate" (1935). Based on Borges' story, a film was made that loses all connection with the real events of The Legend of Vengeance (2003). According to the preliminary script for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Zhang Bao, Madame Zheng's stepson-husband, became the prototype for one of the characters in this film. Zhang Bao's name is also associated with several romantic places in Hong Kong, where they even show a cave where he allegedly hid his treasures. It is said that one of the local attractions, Tunzhong Fort on Lantau Island, was used by a pirate as a transshipment base for the opium trade.