Cheung Po Tsai (; born Cheung Po; 1783–1822) was a navy colonel of the Qing dynasty and former pirate. "Cheung Po Tsai" literally means "Cheung Po the Kid". He was known to the Portuguese Navy as Quan Apon Chay during the Battle of the Tiger's Mouth. History Early life Cheung Po () was born in 1783. He was a son of a Tanka fisherman who lived in Xinhui of Jiangmen. Piratical career Around 1798, he was abducted at age 15 by the pirate Cheng I (), who pressed him into piracy. His natural talent helped him adapt to his unplanned new career and he rose through the ranks swiftly. Cheung Po Tsai was later adopted by Cheng I and Ching I Sao (); "wife of Cheng I"; married 1801) as their step-son, making him Cheng's legal heir. Cheung Po Tsai's piracy mate and lieutenant was Cai Qian () and the two worked together. Cai Qian had strong connections to the Western weapon dealers as his wife Lu Shi (; "Mrs. Lu"), best known by her nickname Cai Qian Ma (; "wife of Cai Qian"), was fluent in English and was an expert in Western weaponry. Rise to command After Cheng I died suddenly in Vietnam on 16 November 1807, his widow Ching Shih acted quickly to solidify the partnership with her step-son Cheung Po Tsai. Their first success came when they were able to secure the loyalty of Cheng's relatives, who were leaders in the fleet. They became lovers within weeks. As Ching Shih's second-in-command, Cheung Po Tsai was active along the Guangdong coastal area during the Qing dynasty. Their followers were said to have reached 50,000+ and his fleet said to have possessed 600 ships. The tide began to turn in 1809. The authorities managed to discover that Cai Qian was docked in the coastal town of Wuzhen, Zhejiang province. The new naval leaders, Wang Delu and Qiu Lianggong, blockaded him into the port and attacked, sinking Cai Qian's ship and killing him. Battle of the Tiger's Mouth In September and November 1809, Cheung Po Tsai's pirate fleet suffered a series of defeats inflicted by the Portuguese Navy at the Battle of the Tiger's Mouth. Battle of Chek Lap Kok On 20 April 1810 at Furongsha in Guangdong, Cheung Po Tsai formally delivered his fleet and weapons, which now numbered about 280 ships, 2,000 guns and over 25,000 men.