Regions › South China Sea Region South China Sea 1 pirate in the codex documented as operating here. Zheng Yi Sao c. 1775 – 1844 Post-Golden Age Cantonese pirate confederation leader who commanded the largest pirate fleet in history — by contemporary Qing estimates, between 50,000 and 70,000 sailors across some 1,800 vessels — at her peak in 1808–1810, before negotiating a general amnesty with the Qing dynasty.