You can keep your Bluebeards and your Blackbeards. The most successful
pirate of all time controlled a fleet of more than 1,500 ships and
upwards of 80,000 sailors -- and she did it all without the help of
facial hair.


Tall ships like the La Boudeuse used to face threats from pirates as
they sailed around the world.

When a Chinese pirate captain named Cheng married a beautiful
prostitute in 1801, he wasn't just getting the girl of his dreams; he
was making the best financial investment of his career. His new bride,
known to history as Cheng I Sao, or "Wife of Cheng," agreed to the
marriage on one condition -- that she would share equally in his power
and would be given the opportunity to help him secure more wealth.

Sounded like a deal to Cheng, and for the next six years, the husband
and wife teamed up to grow their piracy business along the coast of the
South China Sea, as far south as Malaysia. But then, in 1807, Cheng
passed away. Instead of stepping aside like a "proper" widow, Cheng I
Sao promptly took the reins.

Thinking outside the treasure box

Although clearly ahead of her time, Cheng I Sao was shrewd enough to
realize that the pirate masses weren't likely as enlightened. So, her
first act as leader was to make her husband's second-in-command, Chang
Pao, official captain of the fleet.

While Chang Pao led the men into battle, Cheng I Sao focused her
attention on business, military strategy, and the enormous task of
governing a growing body of ruffians. In the years following her
husband's death, she steadily brought more and more outlaws under the
banner of her Red Flag Fleet.

In fact, Cheng I Sao was eventually responsible for nearly all the
piracy in the region and her fleet exceeded the size of many countries'
navies. She also expanded the scope of the business, branching out from
simple attack-and-pillage jobs to protection schemes, blackmail, and
extortion. Cheng I Sao's reach also extended to the mainland, where she
set up an extensive spy network and developed economic ties with farmers
who would supply her men with food.

If Cheng I Sao's business practices were exemplary, then her system of
pirate law was nothing short of revolutionary. The code of conduct she
wrote for her men prescribed much harsher punishments than previous
pirate laws had. A disobeyed order was cause for beheading (as was
stealing from the common plunder), and deserters stood to lose their ears.



The not-so-bitter end

Murder, thievery, and intricate crime syndicates will eventually garner
the full attention of the law, and Cheng I Sao certainly had the
authorities on her tail. But, here again, she proved more successful
than her male counterparts.

Cheng I Sao repelled attack after attack by both the Chinese navy and
the many Portuguese and British bounty hunters brought in to help
capture her. Then, in 1810, the Chinese government tried a different
tactic -- they offered her universal pirate amnesty in exchange for peace.

Cheng I Sao jumped at the opportunity and headed for the negotiating
table. There, the pirate queen arranged what was, all told, a killer
deal. Fewer than 400 of her men received any punishment, and a mere 126
were executed. The remaining pirates got to keep their booty and were
offered military jobs.

As for Cheng I Sao, she retired with her loot and her new husband
(former righthand man, Chang Pao) and opened a gambling house. She died
peacefully in 1844, a 69-year-old grandmother

from CNN