
How One Pirate Captain Fought The Whole Chinese Empire
16.1.2026 | 19 Min.
She commanded 1,800 ships, led tens of thousands of pirates, and forced an empire to negotiate. This is the story of Zheng Yi Sao, the most powerful pirate in history. From her rise to power to the floating pirate confederation that ruled the South China Sea, we're exploring how one woman reshaped trade, war, and authority in the early 19th century. Nightshift is a new channel by @kurzgesagt . It's a passion project focused on longer, darker, and more emotional stories from history, crafted by a small team of humans. Let us know what you think, we'd love to hear from you. Welcome to the nightshift. 🌚 Sources & further reading: https://sites.google.com/view/sources-pirateprincess/ HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT US? ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ We can only make our videos thanks to your support. ✨ Become a channel member on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@nightshift_kurzgesagtGet Products designed with ❤️ https://shop.kgs.link Join the Patreon Bird Army 🐧 https://kgs.link/patreon



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