If you want to ask foreigners about the Chinese historical figures they are most familiar with, in addition to the familiar names of Confucius, Mencius, Hua Mulan, etc., you can also hear a name - Zheng Yiyi, in the minds of foreigners, Zheng Yiyi's fame is not only no less than these people, but also her influence has affected some Western countries. Mrs. Qing, the old woman in "Pirates of the Caribbean", her prototype is Zheng Yiyi, in addition, in the 11 Chinese historical greats set in the game "Civilization 6", there is also the figure of Zheng Yiyi, so why is a woman who is not famous in China valued by foreigners? Today, we will talk about the story of the pirate king Zheng Yiyi.
Zheng Yi's sister-in-law's birth was very tragic, when she was a child, she was bought by her family to a brothel, and later she was favored by the pirate leader Zheng Yi, and was abducted to the ship to become a lady of the press. After Zheng Yi's death, Zheng Yi became the leader of the Red Flag Gang, the pirate force at this time was not strong, after Zheng Yi took the throne, she strengthened her prestige by strengthening organizational discipline, and she stipulated that those who violated the orders of their superiors, stole the people's property, and raped and kidnapped women were all treated as capital crimes.
Under the leadership of Zheng Yiyi, the Hongqi Gang pirates are becoming more and more powerful, with 500 large and small ships and more than 40,000 troops, who are based on Lantau Island in Hong Kong and have their own shipbuilding base.
Relying on her strong strength, Zheng Yiyi defeated the Qing Dynasty navy many times and wantonly robbed European and American merchant ships. Once Zheng Yiyi kidnapped a wealthy British merchant named Graspool, who stayed on Zheng Yiyi's ship for a while, and after being redeemed, the rich merchant also wrote a memoir about his various observations among pirates, and the description in it made Westerners admire Zheng Yiyi.
Zheng Yiyi's strength caused dissatisfaction among all countries, and in 1809, the Qing government united with Britain and Portugal to prepare to eliminate Zheng Yiyi as a pirate in one fell swoop. After 8 days, the three-nation coalition army did not capture Lantau Island, and finally had to leave with regret.
The hard Qing government adopted a policy of Huairou and successfully recruited Zheng Yiyi and the Hongqi Gang, and the emperor gave marriage, and Zheng Yiyi and his adopted son Zhang Baozai were married. After accepting the recruitment, Zheng Yiyi was awarded the Lady of the Second Pin Commandment, and the Red Flag Gang also changed from pirates to rebels. After the outbreak of the Opium War, Zheng Yiyi assisted Lin Zexu in resisting the British army and made great achievements.
In 1844, Zheng Yi's sister-in-law died of illness and has since disappeared in the long river of history.