She initially inherited the pirate captaincy from her dead husband before almost doubling his fleet, and Our Flag Means Death’s many references to her conquering China are technically true as well: her fleet was large enough to defeat the navy of many a country, and she terrorized China and defeated several of their naval fleets, before choosing to end things on her own terms. There’s a big dollop of artistic licence in including her in Our Flag Means Death considering she lived 100 years after the likes of Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet, but she also makes these infamous pirates look like small-time rogues: Blackbeard at his peak commanded around four ships and 300 men, but Zheng Yi Sao commanded 1,800 ships and up to 70,000 pirates! And while Ruibo Qian ( Black Mirror) became an instant fan favourite for her lovable comedic perfection as this character, the story of the real Zheng Yi Sao is even more remarkable.
