Chapter 601: One Hundred Thousand Chests! Are You For Real?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Luo Feng found himself engrossed in analysis.
If the treasure he had discovered was indeed the wealth stolen by the infamous Zheng Yisao years ago, then everything would fall into place.
He had never imagined that he would stumble upon a pirate’s treasure.
Luo Feng was familiar with parts of Zheng Yisao’s story, a tale brimming with audacity and might. Her life could only be termed legendary.
Her birth name was Shi Xianggu, but life’s hardships had led her down a path that culminated in her becoming a courtesan. Eventually, she was taken by pirates in the Guangdi region and kidnapped by the Red Flag Gang.
The Red Flag Gang was commanded by Zheng Yi, who became known as Zheng Yisao after her husband’s demise.
During the transitional period between the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the coastlines of Guangdi and Guangxi were teeming with pirate gangs. Among them, six major factions stood out, each identified by a color: Red, Black, Yellow, Blue, White, and Green. The Red Flag Gang was the most formidable, boasting the most ships and members, and ranking first among the six.
Zheng Yi was no ordinary pirate; he was a man consumed by ambition.
He dreamed of unifying all the pirates into one grand alliance. With Zheng Yisao’s assistance, he labored for six years to make this dream a reality.
In the twelfth year of Emperor Jiaqing’s reign, the six major pirate gangs came together, forming a federation that controlled over 1800 ships. Zheng Yi was named leader, but fate had other plans. Soon after his ascension, he was claimed by a ferocious typhoon, and the alliance was shattered.
That year heralded a dramatic shift in Zheng Yisao’s destiny.
With the Red Flag Gang left without a leader, she seized the opportunity to step forward.
Assuming her rightful place as the new leader, Zheng Yisao quickly asserted her authority. She tightened the organization’s discipline and issued severe laws. These dictated immediate execution for insubordination, death for theft, mutilation for minor offenses, and even drowning for secret romantic liaisons.
An English merchant named Glaspoole, once a captive of the Red Flag Gang, later penned a unique memoir after being ransomed for 7654 Spanish silver dollars. In it, he shared his firsthand account of Zheng Yisao’s extraordinary
life.
Under her iron-fisted rule, the Red Flag Gang thrived. At its zenith, it commanded over forty thousand members, hundreds of pirate ships, and cutting-edge Spanish weaponry. Its military prowess was unparalleled, dwarfing even the Qing dynasty’s naval forces and many Western fleets.
During this time, the Red Flag Gang’s might was unchallenged.
An Indian company’s large merchant vessel was brazenly hijacked, and even joint efforts by the Qing dynasty, Portugal, and Great Britain were thwarted.
Zheng Yisao’s presence also caused frequent shifts in the governorship of Guangdong and Guangxi.
Despite her status as a pirate, she was revered by the common people. She never preyed on ordinary citizens but focused her attention on merchant vessels and Qing government officials.
In the end, the Qing dynasty managed to pacify her through diplomatic means, bestowing upon her the title of a noble lady.
Upon her surrender, she handed over a fleet of 270 ships, 1300 cannons, a vast arsenal of weapons, and over sixteen thousand followers.
Yet, she kept every single penny.
That hidden fortune was the source of Zheng Yisao’s treasure.
Legend had it that her wealth, comprising 109,400 chests of gold and silver treasures, was all submerged in the sea, a secret that subsequent generations failed to uncover.
This time, what had sunk were more than 100 fishing boats, each laden with thousands of chests.
From this expedition alone, Luo Feng’s gain was in the billions.
If the legend of one hundred thousand chests were true, it would be beyond terrifying.
After all, here, a mere thousand chests were worth billions. One hundred thousand chests could easily value a trillion!
The staggering sum equated to the wealth of two of China’s wealthiest individuals.
She had refused to hand over the money because she needed it after being pacified. If the Qing dynasty reneged on their agreement, she could escape with her people, using the hidden fortune as capital to rebuild.
Now, Luo Feng finally understood why those fishing boats were precisely sunk in that location.
It wasn’t a whim of the waves; it was a deliberate act.
The chests were even nailed shut to ensure that the contents would remain undisturbed for centuries, if not millennia.
In her later years, Zheng Yisao did assist the Qing dynasty, lending her strategic acumen to Lin Zexu during the destruction of opium at Humen.
In the eyes of the people, Zheng Yisao remained an everlasting symbol—a pirate, yes, but a heroic figure all the same!
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