User:Swbamboo/Chen Tianbao

Chen Tianbao
Chen Tianbao (Chinese: 陳添保; Wade–Giles: Ch'en T'ien-pao; Vietnamese: Trần Thiên Bảo ) was a powerful Chinese pirate operating from Guangdong and throughout the South China Sea in the late 1700s. Later he became a general of Tay Son dynasty of Vietnam.

Chen was born to a fisherman's family in Lianzhou, Guangdong (modern Hepu County, Guangxi). In October 1780, his fishing vessel was shipwrecked near northern Vietnam, and he had to stay there.

The Tay Son brothers conquered northern Vietnam, and he joined the Tay Son army in 1783. Chen was allowed access to Vietnamese seaports, and in return, was recruited to work for King Nguyen Hue. He was good at sailing and was later appointed as general. He was the commander of the Tay Son navy, and helped them defend against the threats from the sea. From 1788 to 1799, he ordered his four subordinates, Mo Guanfu, Zheng Qi, Liang Wengeng (梁文庚) and Fan Wencai (樊文才), all Chinese pirates, to launch frequent attacks on the southern coast of Qing China.[citation needed]

Chen also played an important role during the civil war between Tay Son and Nguyen lord. After the Tay Son army was beaten by Nguyen lord in 1801, he fled to Guangdong and surrendered to Qing China, knowing of the Qing dynasty's pacification program. Jiaqing Emperor pardoned him along with his shipmates, and let him live in Nanxiong with his family, far away from the coast.