Pirates 5: The Red Fleet

embroidered robes sang. The sing sing girlies, as many called them, sang of love and war and beckoned the men to join them in the early evening light. Some said these boats were the most beautiful in all the world. Merchant, military, and even pirate ships pulled into the harbor, drawn by women and their songs. Men who worked in the factories along the harbor often lined up to board the small boats. Diplomats and other high ranking of a shoals sought out

the larger and more expensive ones. While some called them flower boats, others refer to them simply as pleasure boats or more bluntly floating brothels. Parents who cannot afford to feed. Their families sometimes sold their daughters to the boat owners, who promised to feed and clothe them and give them a place to sleep. The girls, who could be as young as thirteen, began work around five or six in

the evening, continuing until the early morning hours. The more prominent boats catering to the affluent men, served food and drink. Their owners provided enough girls to fulfill every man's desire, from a dinner companion and discussion partner, to singing and dancing and sex. If the girls didn't contract syphilis, for which there was no cure, they hoped to attract a wealthy man who might keep her as his mistress. Otherwise, once they grew older, the brothel owners discarded them, leaving

them with little money. In a world where men dominated the workforce, Canton flower boats served only Chinese men, Western men, and of or foreigners were sent to the lower class brothels at Wampoa, often run by the poorest families. These women shared similar stories with others around the world. Without equal rights and pay, women had little opportunity if they

were born into poverty or a lower class. For the poorest women in Canton, they could work sixteen hour days and factories for pay that wouldn't be enough for food or rent, or they could find work in a brothel. During the Golden Age of pirates, research suggests that one in five women living in ports and harbor towns were sex workers. Both pirates and sailors alike frequently emptied their

pockets to spend time with them. Others were said to pay five hundred pieces of eight just to see them naked. A woman's ability to earn a living relied heavily on her youth and her looks. As they aged, any chance of a better future grew dimmer by the year. But in China, one sing sing girl set her sights on a better future, and as will soon discover, her light shone brighter than all the lance earns in the harbor.

I'm Aaron Manky and welcome two pirates. In seventy eight, Jingshi's family needed to supplement their income, which meant forcing their thirteen year old daughter to become a sex worker

on a Cantonese flower boat. Within a few years, her beauty had made her highly popular with the more elite customers, and by eighteen o one she had worked her way up to Madam Although no longer one of the regular girls, Chinghi still kept an eye out for a better opportunity, and in eighteen o one, that opportunity sailed into harbor flying a pirate flag. Jang yees fleet of ships each flew a red flag, making them stand out among other pirate ships. While black flags were the common calling card

for pirates, red flags were worse. In pirates and maritime lingo. Red flags meant that the captain and crew would not negotiate nor offer mercy or pity to targeted ships. Jang Ye's fleet was sizeable, over two hundred ships in fact, although his power extended well beyond that. He commanded upwards of forty thousand men across six hundred ships, and while he controlled the red fleets, he entrusted other pirate captains

with the white, green, yellow, blue, and black fleets. Jang Yee had not only built a formidable armada, but he also had created and ruled an entire pirate confederacy. The colored flags also announced to his captains that ships flying certain colors belonged to the confederation and should not be attacked. Instead, his fleet sought out merchant ships for their silk, gold spices and other cargo. The pirates also ran a protection racket.

Any village that didn't pay protection money found itself targeted for a raid. Pirating had been the only life jang Yi knew. His father had been a pirate, as well as the men before him. Most of his fleet consisted of large cargo ships otherwise called junk. Each eighty footship was capable of carrying approximately eight hundred pounds of cargo and housed about forty cannons. Jang Ye had become one of, if not the most powerful pirate to sail the South

China Sea. Then he was about to meet the one person who would take the pirate confederacy to an even higher level. It said that when jang Yi visited the flower boat, Ching Shi worked on her beauty and spirit captivated him, But it was her reputation as a shrewd businesswoman that might have intrigued him the most. Word of her financial prowess had traveled far and wide, as did her giles in wielding power over influential men. The pirate king was so enchanted with ching Shi that he proposed

to her. Right then she would accept, she told him, but only if he gave her fifty percent of his finances and partial control over his entire fleet. It was a bold move, and one Jang Yee might have walked away from fact in legend blur here and historians have debated over two different outcomes. One is that he ordered his men to kidnap her, and the other is that he agreed to her terms. Either way, the outcome remained

the same. Ching she got what she asked for. If Jang thought his new bride had spirit, though he wouldn't be disappointed. She worked alongside him growing his empire. She instituted codes acts of loyalty were revered above all else and highly rewarded. If her husband went to see she went with him. She learned everything he knew about steering a ship and managing a crew. When it came to women aboard the ship, Chinghi didn't subscribe to many pirate

and sailor superstitions that women were bad luck. However, she did implement a code of conduct that she expected the men to follow whenever they had attractive female hostages on board. Men were castrated or hanged for committing sexual assault. Chances are that Ching she survived horrors in her own time working on the flower boats, which would explain her insistence for punishing crew who committed violence against women on board.

Other rules were broader and assured complete compliance among crew. Any crew member who refused to follow an order faced immediate execution. Bounties had to be shared. Anyone hiding treasure for themselves risked losing an appendage. Rule breakers were flogged, kept in irons, chastised, or even quartered, depending on the severity of the transgression. But while her rules and codes were strictly enforced, she made other kinder changes as well.

Changes that one over not only Jane Yie and his crew, but many others as well. As I said before, while rule breakers suffered her wrath, ching Chi made sure to treat and reward the most loyal men exceptionally well, setting an example for all the others. Before long, she grew her husband's confederacy to over eight hundred ships and nearly sixty thousand pirates. Many of those men had come from

Vietnam hoping for a better life. Soon the pirate couple had created the largest and the most formidable pirate fleets in the world. However, not all was well. You see, the couple had failed to conceive an heir to their pirate kingdom together, though they found a solution. A twenty year old captain aboard one of the Red Fleet ships had proved himself worthy and loyal. Chung Po denounced his own family and joined jiang Yees, making him second in command.

The adoption raised questions among the crew. Chung Po was a full grown man, after all, not a child Ching. She was clever, though, and the move proved more of a strategy than anything remotely maternal. Without a male heir, jing Ye couldn't pass along his power and wealth should he die, and as a woman, that would leave her in a tenuous position. But threats to their dynasty came from outside forces as well. Governments from around the globe

set out to destabilize their fleet. Portugal, England, even armies in China saw the ever growing pirate confederacies rising power and vowed to break it. Despite government attempts, though the Can Federacy continued to remain untouched until one day in eighteen o seven. That's when Jing Ye went on a hunting trip off the coast of Vietnam and left his wife and newly adopted son in charge. It said that a terrible storm swept him off the deck and out

to sea. Suddenly, Ching Shi was a widow. Now normally, male heirs took over and the widow was expected to retire from the public eye, but ching She had planned well and she was far from retirement. Jing Ye had a living nephew, you see, and a few male cousins who all made it clear that they wanted to control the Red Fleet. Other members within their confederacy also vide for power. All challenged Chung Po's place, but Chinghi had no intentions of handing the fleet over, either to relatives

or traitorous upstarts. Her lieutenants and Chung Po supported her bid for power, securing five of the six fleets. But to solidify the Red Fleet's allegiance, she needed a different relationship with the new patriarch and former second in man, Chong Po. The best way to do that, she decided, was to marry him. Within a couple of weeks after her husband's death, the two were wed. Their union asserted the couple's combined power within the confederacy and one loyalty

from her dead husband's relatives. Ching Shi had the captains who had sought to overthrow them captured to demonstrate what happened to traders or anyone who might attempt another coup, she had the men publicly executed. To keep tight control, she created a new rule. All business transactions had to be approved through her. This tactic kept her in charge of all the finances and therefore kept the ultimate power

in her hands alone. The fleets continued to grow and thrive, and by eighteen o eight, the Red Fleet attempted to dominate the provincial salt trade. According to the legend, the Red Fleet knew of every ship that sailed in the South China Sea. Ships passing through that escaped attack could count their blessings, but no ship passed without paying attacks. Every move, every attack went through chain. She She insisted that all bounties were inspected. The fleet's bookkeeper, who reported

directly to her, entered every item into the ledger. The fleet's island fortress made launching attacks easy. The assault on passing ships continued, even on Chinese government vessels. Eventually, the government controlled just four of their original fleet of two hundred and seventy ships, and all those ships carrying salt paid the fleet taxes in order to transport their cargo, but salt wouldn't be the only resource. Text The Red Fleet charged fishing vessels anywhere from fifty to five hundred

Spanish silver dollars for every trip they made. China might have had an emperor, but ching She ruled the South China Sea, and her power continued to soar. To all who came across them, the Red Fleet seemed unstoppable. Before long, the pirates had set up tag offices in major ports cities run by agents. Ching Shi kept on friendly terms. As a brilliant strategist, she coordinated every attack, going over the smallest of details to ensure success. Aside from merchant vessels,

garrisons became her favorite target. Her men would simply overpower the military base and take what they needed whenever they wanted. In September of eighteen o nine, Chingshi's men captured an East India Company employee. Later, after his release in December, he would report that the pirate queen commanded over eighty thousand men. Chinghi and the Red Fleet made trade and safe passage for merchant ships nearly impossible. China's emperor could

no longer ignore such a threat. Mostly though, the idea that a woman with so much power was out there just infuriated him. The land, see people, and resources should belong to him. At first, he offered amnesty to the pirates, hoping to break their loyalty to Ching Shi. While that might have made a dent, the offer alone wouldn't be enough. The Emperor discovered that the pirates had severely strained relations

between China and other countries. Officials in Canton entered into international negotiations, finally accepting help from the British and the Portuguese in September of eighteen o nine. They asked the British to rescue a few ships coming from Siam carrying valuable tribute, and the British agreed. On September fifteenth, the Mercury set sail with twenty cannons and fifty volunteers. Meanwhile, the Chinese government signed a lease for Portuguese man of

warships to sail with the Cantonese navy. When it finally happened, the attack on the Red Fleet was brutal and swift. Although the pirates had beaten the Portuguese back twice before this time, they arrived with ships and weapons far superior to the Red Fleet. Unable to respond with the same force. Chingshi understood her time of reign had come to an end as she watched the Portuguese destroy one of her

ships after the other. Chingshi had no choice but to accept the Emperor's offer of amnesty, of course, under one condition that they meet to negotiate the terms. Cantonese officials agreed. Those along the banks had to be stunned by the site. Two hundred and sixty of Ching Chi's vessels, with fourteen thousand of her men aboard, sailed into the Pearl River. After docking, Chung Po and a handful of his lieutenants were sent on shore to begin the negotiations. Things didn't

start off well, though. They rejected the Governor's general request that the fleet turn in all their ships and that all the men aboard live on shore for weeks. The negotiations continued before eventually just stalling. Finally, unarmed and unaccompanied, Ching Shi visited the Governor General's office herself. While most pirates might be lucky to talk their way out of a noose, ching she negotiated well, getting most of the

things she wanted. In the end, Cheung Po kept eighty ships in his command in addition, he and a good portion of his men were granted positions in the Chinese navy. Ching Shi and her men were also given everything that they alluded, making many of them exceptionally wealthy, and it seemed that smoother waters were ahead. Over time, Chung Po was named captain of the Qing dynasty's Guangdong Navy. Then, as for Ching sh, she gave birth to a son

in eighteen thirteen, and eventually even had a daughter. Though she was no longer a powerful pirate queen, her new life seemed to be going rather well. However, in eighteen twenty two, Chung Po was lost at sea. She had lost both of her husband's the same way. Once again a widow, Chinghi opted to move on with her life. She relocated to Macau with her young family and opened

a gambling house with her immense wealth. Eventually she even opened a brothel, ending her journey where she had started well, except that she had done it all on her own terms, and although she had aged, that spirit that Jing Yi had first noticed on the flower boats many years before was clearly still there. Having done what she had set out to do and changing history to boot, Chinghi lived

out the rest of her days in luxury. Although her husband's had been famous and formidable pirates, their achievements paled in comparison to hers. In eighteen forty four, at the age of sixty nine, ching, she passed away in her sleep, wealthy, comfortable, and very much at peace. We've all heard a superstition or two in our time. Walking under a ladder or breaking a mirror are considered bad luck. Throwing salt over your shoulder wards off evil, perhaps even the devil himself.

And when it comes to bad luck on ships, there's no shortage of superstitions, from navy to merchants to pirates. A single misstep could endanger the ship and all who sailed upon it. We've probably all seen the movies where sailors encounter sirens, mythical femme fatals whose song lured men to their death by crashing the ship on jagged rocks. Killing and albatross was also bad luck for the crew

and of course for the bird. And although it wasn't universal, a voyage that started on a Friday was likely to be doomed. Red skies in the morning meant a dangerous day awaited the sailors whistling challenged the wind and conjured storms. No one dared say the word drowned or goodbye for fear of bringing bad luck, and oddly enough, bananas on a ship were also considered bad, although there's no explanation

as to why that I can find. To ward off evil sailors had patron saints like St. Nicholas and Saint Elmo, Mermaids could either be helpful or harbingers of bad luck, and black cats, while bad luck on land were often considered good luck on ships, the cats hunted rodents, and rodents ruined grain on ships and spread disease. So it's easy to understand how this superstition has some truth to it. But not one superstition seemed as pervasive or universal as

women aboard ships as symbol of bad luck. But we already know women pirates who did rather well, Ching Schi and Bonnie Mary read for starters, and while Jing Yee and Captain Jack Calico felt at ease with women aboard, pirates like Blackbeard strictly forbade them. It's not clear if he prohibited women because of superstition or because they were a distraction, or maybe just both. Women sometimes disguise themselves as men to gain passage on ships, and of course

women traveled on ships as passengers. Since travel by sea helped to establish colonies in the New Lands, it's probably safe to say that enough ships carrying women did not end in disaster. There are even reports of sailors throwing women overboard in a misguided attempt to save the ship or themselves, and this leaves us to wonder if the act was based on superstition or if they looked at women as cargo and extra weight. So where did the superstition come from? Well, it might just date back as

far as thirteen seventy nine. Thomas Walsingham, a fourteenth century priest, wrote that a baron once kidnapped sixty women from a convent. Once he and his men had the frightened women aboard their ship, they set sail from Southampton, England, to Brittany, France. According to the story, it was December and a winter

storm blew in from the west. With the ship in danger of sinking, the men began tossing cargo overboard, potentially to lighten the ship's load, and when their predicament didn't change, they tossed the women overboard as well. Sadly, the ship sank anyway, and the baron drowned as well. Wherever the myth truly came from, And regardless of who believed in it, superstition alone made women like ching She the exception rather than the rule. It's a very modern idea to imagine

piracy as purely a man's world. I hope today's exploration of ching Che's thrill life and accomplishments helped you see how wrong that assumption is. But we're not done just yet. We've got one last tale of ladies on the high Sea and our cargo hold, And if you stick around through this brief sponsor break, my crewmates Alie Steed will

tell you all about it. There are always first in history, first men on the moon, the first European ships to arrive in the Americas, and New England's first and only female pirate. Rachel Schmidt was born in seventeen sixty on a farm in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Her parents were farmers by trade and Protestants by religion. Though she spent her childhood among the barns in the fields, she loved the sea. At sixteen, she left home to make a new life

by the waterfront. Her love of the water also led her to another kind of love, a fisherman named George Wall. Rachel's family disapproved of George, but despite her parents of jack actions, she married him and the two went off to live near Boston. Like many young couples, they struggled to support themselves. George continued to work as a fisherman and Rachel found employment as a maid to a family on prosperous Beacon Hill. Fisherman didn't make a lot of

money from long, backbreaking and sometimes deadly work. Brutal storms capsized boats, and boat owners looking to save some money didn't always keep fishing vessels in the best condition, And of course, there were the pirates. The couple's life was about to change, though. One night, George returned home with five other sailors and their woman companions. They had a great idea and they couldn't wait to tell her about it. They could all be making a lot more money as pirates.

The group convinced Rachel to leave a maid's life on land behind for a life of adventure at sea. But to make their plan work, they would need a ship. Buying one was completely out of the question, so the group stole a small ship named the Essex and headed offshore to the coast of New Hampshire. The ship's size could hardly be considered a threat to other boats, so the crew had to get creative. No stranger to what bad weather could do two ships, the fisherman came up

with a plan. The crew set to work on the ship, making it a pier storm battered, though it remained totally seaworthy. The next phase required them to wait for storms. After the worst of a storm had passed, they strategically placed the ship offshore and set the trap, using Rachel as bait. While the rest of the crew waited below deck, Rachel called frantically for help, flagging down any passing ships. She

played the damsel in distress flawlessly. Upon seeing a young and very pretty woman stranded on a broken down vessel, sailors were more than likely to come to her aid. She kept the attention focused on her while the unsuspecting sailors pulled alongside the Essex. Once the ship up and the sailors boarded, George and the crew emerged, taking the

rescuer's crew by surprise. The scheme usually went according to plan, and the groups robbed dozens of ships, breaking in six thousand dollars it's about a hundred and fourteen thousand today. In the process, they killed twenty four sailors, and it didn't take long for the locals to start spreading word about a band of pirates luring in ships with a beautiful woman. All good things must come to pass, and the crew aboard the Essex became victims themselves when George

made a navigational error. They were out at sea when a storm hit and the miscalculation caused the Essex to capsize. Rachel and the others swam to safety, but George drowned without a ship. The crew disbanded, each going their separate ways. Rather than go home to her family, Rachel stayed in Boston and returned to working as a maid. While everyone knew of her escapades aboard the Essex, no one paid her much attention until she began her side hustle of

stealing from ships stocked at the harbor. She even boldly robbed people of influence like a patriot friend of John Adams. Even multiple arrests for theft and larceny didn't persuade her to give up her life of crime. In fact, she returned to a life of piracy once more, well as a highway robber, which is pretty much like a pirate. Just on Land. On March eighteenth of seventeen nine, Rachel reportedly attacked and robbed seventeen year old Margaret Bender. Rachel

was arrested and went to trial on August. She admitted to her crimes of piracy and theft, but denied assaulting Margaret Bender. The jury came back with a guilty verdict. Governor John Hancock signed her order of execution. Twenty eight year old Rachel was hanged in Boston Common on October eighth, seventeen eighty nine. Aside from being England's first and last woman pirate, her death earned her another place in history,

The last woman to be executed in Boston. Pirates was executive produced by Aaron Manky and narrated by Aaron Manky and Alexandra Steid. Writing for this season was provided by Michelle Mudo, with research by Alexandra Steid and Sam Alberty. Production assistance was provided by Josh Than, Jesse Funk, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. To learn more about this and other shows from Grimm and Mild and I Heart Radio. Visit grim and Mild dot com.