aug 4, 1641 - The Raid of Cheng Chi-Lung
Description:
Cheng Chi-Lung led the first large-scale Chinese pirate empire. He was hesitant to trade due to his distrust of Westerners and Europeans. He was the provincial administrator and an admiral in the imperial navy. He was more of a merchant than a pirate as piracy and politics were very tightly woven. He was taken no an internship to Japan where he worked with Dutch traders, and took a Japanese wife. He inherited the merchant fleet of his master.
He took part in the Yantze River Raid and within a year he had gone as far as Vietnam and Yellow River. He found that there was more money in protection money than there was in piracy, and in 1641 the Ming emperor asked for his assistance. His main task was the suppression of piracy, and he earned a salary for 3 years. He remains in control for 20 years until 1661 where he has to answer for his crimes.
Added to timeline:
pirate final
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