Zheng Shi: The story of the most successful pirate in history
The monopoly of pirates is unheard of in today's world. At one time, the news of the capture or hijacking of pirates in the midst of various global issues made headlines in the international media. Bargaining with the pirates after the abduction, then the release of the prisoners in exchange for a huge ransom - these were once commonplace. That time has passed.
Curly hair. One eye is covered with black cloth. Lame a leg. Rough mood. An eagle bird on the neck. When we say pirate, we think of such a person. Johnny Depp's great performance in the famous Hollywood movie 'Pirates of the Caribbean' has given us Bengalis a little idea about the life of pirates. Their thrilling lifestyle has always been of interest to thriller-loving people.
Francis Drake, Blackbird or Captain Kid - big names in the world of pirates. But surprisingly true, the most successful pirate in history is a woman! This Chinese woman named Zheng Shi established a kingdom in the South China Sea.
Little is known about Zheng Shi's childhood. She was born in 185 in the Chinese province of Guangdong (now Canton). 'Zheng Shi' is not his real name. The word 'Zheng Shi' means 'Zheng's widow'. Her first husband's name was Zheng Yi.
There are rumors that young Zheng Shi was very beautiful to look at. But due to poverty, she got involved in prostitution in a floating brothel in Guangdong province at an early age.
When Zheng Shi was a young woman, there was a bandit named Zheng Yi who was a great pirate in China. She was later married to Zheng Shir. However, there is controversy over how they got married.
Many say that the bandits' forces attacked the Zheng Shir floating brothel. They were fascinated by the beauty of Zheng Shir and brought their leader to the bandit Zheng Yi. Zheng Yi later married her.
Some said again that Zheng Yi proposed to him directly. In any case, there is no doubt that the bandit king Zheng Yi and the beautiful Zheng Shi were married in 1801. But there was a strange condition in their marriage. The condition is that the beautiful Zheng Shi will get half the rights in everything including decision making, division of looted goods.
Zheng Yi was a famous bandit of that time. Under his leadership, the infamous 'Red Fleet' spread terror in the South China Sea. He formed alliances with rival pirate groups. The result was a huge bandit-alliance, which gradually became unrivaled. With the help of this alliance, Zheng Yi laid siege to the Portuguese port of Macau. The Portuguese, with their rich naval power, were defeated and returned.
But in the meantime the tragedy happened. Zheng Yi's luck is bad. Six years after their marriage, she died in a storm in Vietnam.
After the death of the bandit king Zheng Yi, there was some confusion as to who would lead the huge band of bandits under him. But the widow, Zheng Shi, put an end to all speculation and took over the leadership of the band. He was assisted by Chang Pao, the second-in-command of the late bandit king. The next story is just Zheng Shir's success story.