The story of Zheng Chenggong’s recovery of Taiwan
In March of 1661 (the 18th year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty and the 15th year of Yongli in the Southern Ming Dynasty), Zheng Chenggong personally led 25,000 soldiers and set off from Kinmen in hundreds of warships. They braved the wind and waves, crossed the Taiwan Strait, rested in Penghu for a few days, and prepared to go straight to Taiwan. When the Dutch invaders heard that Zheng Chenggong was planning to attack Taiwan, they were very frightened.
They concentrated their troops in two castles in Taiwan (today's Dongping area of Taiwan) and Chichi (today's Tainan), and sank ships in the port to prevent Zheng Chenggong's fleet from landing. Zheng Jun took advantage of the rising tide to sail his fleet into the Luermen inland sea. The main force landed at Heliao Port, attacked Chikan City from the side, and cut off the connection with Taiwan City.
During the battle, the invading army attacked with the battleship "Hector". Zheng Chenggong gave the order and surrounded the enemy tightly. More than 60 warships fired their cannons at the same time, destroying the "Hector". The number was sunk. At the same time, the reinforcements from Taiwan City were defeated. The naked Dutch army surrendered to Zheng's army when their water sources were cut off and there was no hope for foreign aid.
The invading army entrenched in Taiwan City attempted to resist stubbornly. Zheng Chenggong built an earthen platform around the city and besieged the enemy for eight months before ordering a strong attack on Taiwan City.
At this point, Zheng Chenggong recovered Taiwan, the Chinese territory that had been occupied for 38 years, from the Dutch invaders. This war ended the Dutch East India Company's operations in Taiwan, China, and opened the Ming and Zheng regime's rule over Taiwan.
Extended information:
Historical background
Zheng Jun discussed the war
1659 (the thirteenth year of Yongli, the sixteenth year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty) Year) Zheng Chenggong led an army of 100,000 to attack Nanjing and returned with a disastrous defeat. Zheng's army was severely weakened. Zheng Chenggong felt that the rule of the Qing Dynasty was gradually becoming more and more stable. Zheng's army was trapped on the isolated island of Siming (Xiamen) and lacked food and grass. It was difficult to provide supplies for tens of thousands of troops, so he began to think about acquiring other bases as a supplement.
In March 1660 (the spring of the 14th year of Yongli, the 17th year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty), the former Dutch minister He Bin (a Hakka) fled to Siming due to a debt dispute with the Dutch and asked him to Zheng Chenggong advocated the capture of Taiwan. He said: "Taiwan has thousands of miles of fertile land, and it is truly the territory of a king. If we get this land, we can conquer the country and let people cultivate it, and we can have enough food. As far as Keelung and Tamsui, there is plenty of saltpeter and sulfur.
Crossing the sea, opening up all kinds of foreign countries, building ships and selling them, and moving the masts, rudders, copper and iron to the towns and villages among the soldiers and their families. After ten years of gathering, and ten years of education, the country can be rich, the army can be strong, and the attack can be carried out. Retreating is enough to compete with China."
At the same time, a map of Taiwan was presented to explain the situation of the indigenous people and the changes in waterways. He Bin emphasized that Taiwan had sufficient food and military supplies, an ideal trade location, and natural dangers across the strait. Each of these items was an urgent need for Zheng Jun, which made Zheng Chenggong very excited. But at that time, the Zheng army was preparing to resist the attack of Qing general Da Su, so the plan to attack Taiwan was temporarily shelved.
In June (May) of the same year, Dasu led tens of thousands of troops to attack Xiamen. Zheng Chenggong lured the opponent to a decisive battle at sea and repulsed it, thus regaining his military power.
In February 1661 (the first month of the fifteenth year of Yongli, the eighteenth year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty), Zheng Chenggong sent an order to overhaul the ships, followed the order to go on an expedition, and summoned the generals to discuss the attack on Taiwan. However, the generals did not agree with this plan. Although they did not dare to oppose it outright, they were troubled by many aspects. Only Wu Hao, a general who had been to Taiwan, said: "Feng shui is not good, the water and soil are diseased", and "the harbor is shallow and it is difficult for large ships to enter".
Previous supervisor Huang Ting also agreed with Wu Hao's views, but their opinions were refuted by Zheng Chenggong. General Maxin tried to smooth things over, proposing to send an army to visit first. If it was advisable, the army would follow immediately. If the Dutch defense was strong, we would discuss it later.
Chan Yonghua also agrees with Ma Xin’s opinion. At this time, Yang Chaodong, the assistant director of the Chinese Army Rongzheng (military administrator), tried to figure out Zheng Chenggong's thoughts and expressed his support for attacking Taiwan. Zheng Chenggong was overjoyed and decided to send troops.
This is a list of the generals who were recruited by the Han Chinese Zheng Chenggong to conquer Taiwan in March 1661. The chapters of the "Taiwan General Chronicle" are quoted in order from the chapters on civil governance, martial arts, colonization, and the Yanping Wang Family. This list will include those guarding Tongshan, Meizhou, Kinmen, and Xiamen.