Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

The name "Danshui" refers to the mouth of the Danshui River and Danshui Port, and also broadly refers to the entire northern part of Taiwan. In the 16th century, Western colonists vied for control of Asia. The Spanish were the first to occupy northern Taiwan, building the fortress of Santo Domingo in the autumn of 1629. They then sailed up the river from Danshui into the Taipei Plain, subjugating various tribes and expanding their influence to the Hsinchu and Yilan areas. In 1641, the Dutch expelled the Spanish and rebuilt the fortress (Fort San Domingo), pacifying the local Pingpu tribes and attracting Han Chinese to settle there. In 1661, Zheng Chenggong drove out the Dutch, and Danshui came under the control of the Ming-Zheng regime. During this period, Han Chinese were concentrated in the Dongning area of ​​Tainan, while the people of Danshui were mainly local indigenous people, with a relatively small number of Han Chinese.

Zheng Chenggong established a guerrilla force of 1,500 soldiers to garrison the area, overseeing Tamsui City and Tamsui Port, as well as the territories of the four indigenous communities of Nankan. Although the force was small, the commander, Chen Hai, was exceptionally capable, being the younger brother of the renowned Taiwanese general Chen Ze. Chen Ze had joined Zheng Chenggong's forces in southern Fujian when the latter was recruiting soldiers, following him in battles against the Qing army and the "Red-haired Barbarians," participating in all major campaigns. During his time in Taiwan, he effectively pacified the indigenous peoples and reclaimed wasteland. He also responded to Zheng's call, relocating his wife, Guo, and his brothers Chen Chou, Chen Hai, and Chen Gong to Taiwan, organizing the migration of Fujianese to the island. His army was trained in military affairs during the off-season, and when there was an emergency, they fought; when there was no emergency, they farmed, ensuring that "there were no idle soldiers in the fields and the army had surplus provisions." However, Chen Ze was now seriously ill and no longer led troops. Zheng ordered his third brother, Chen Hai, to command his former troops and garrison Tamsui. Later, in order to attack Fujian, Zheng Jing took away the elite troops stationed there. Of the 1,500 men, only 600 were veterans, and the rest were new recruits. However, Chen Hai, who came from a military family, was quite good at training troops and trained this small force to be quite elite.

The vanguard of the Wei army, led by Yang Laijia, had just entered the Danshui waters when it was detected by Zheng's patrol boats. Upon receiving the report, Chen Hai immediately led thirty warships and 1,200 soldiers to intercept them. Although Yang Laijia's troops were flying Zheng's flags, Chen Hai could immediately tell from the style of the enemy's warships that they were not from Dongning.

"The main force of the Taiwan Navy has already gone to war with Prince Yanping. Where did such a large fleet come from? These must be enemy ships!" Chen Hai summoned his eldest son, Chen An, and said, "Quickly sail a fast boat to Dongning and report the news of the enemy's attack to Commander-in-Chief Chen!"

"Yes!" Chen An glanced at his father with concern, then accepted the order and left.

Chen Hai ignored his son and decisively roared, "Fire!"

"Boom~Boom~Boom~"

Heavy cannon fire rained down on Yang Laijia's fleet. The Wei army had previously succeeded in using deception, and this time they intended to repeat their old tricks. However, the Zheng army launched a preemptive strike, and several ships were caught off guard and immediately hit by cannon fire and caught on fire.

"Damn it! Fire! Give me a good beating!" Yang Laijia roared and ordered his men to return fire.

With more men and ships, the Wei army's artillery fire was far more concentrated than Zheng's. Two hours later, Chen Hai's entire force was annihilated at sea. Chen An's fast ship also perished; two hundred li west of Danshui Port, it encountered the navy of Pei Sansheng, the Korean Han general, and the ship sank, with all crew members perishing.

In this battle, the Wei army lost fifteen warships and over seven hundred soldiers. Furious, Yang Laijia led his troops to land at Danshui, annihilating the remaining three hundred defenders within the city. He then gathered food and fresh water to supply the expeditionary force. To obtain even more supplies, he sent envoys to pacify the four communities of Nankan near Danshui.

The Four Communities of Nankan refer to four Pingpu tribes active in the Tamsui area of ​​Taipei: Nankan, Xiaoli, Guilun, and Kengzi. The term "Pingpu people" was a general term used during the Ming and Qing dynasties to refer to some of Taiwan's indigenous peoples, also known as "Pingpu Fan." They were mainly distributed in the coastal plains and low-mountain areas of western and northern Taiwan, primarily engaged in agriculture with fishing and hunting as secondary activities. They were named for the relatively flat terrain of their settlements. The Pingpu people comprise several subgroups: the Ketagalan people are distributed in Keelung and Tamsui (Taipei); the Kavalan people are distributed in Hazainan (Yilan); the Daokas people are distributed along the coast of Hsinchu and Xigangzai (Miaoli); the Bazehai people are distributed in Fengyuan and Dongshi areas of Taichung; the Babula people are distributed between the Dajia and Dadu Rivers in Taichung; the Babusa people are distributed south of the Dadu River to north of the Zhuoshui River in Changhua; the Hongya people are distributed in Chiayi and Nantou; the Siraya and Makadao people are distributed in Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung; and the Thao people live near Sun Moon Lake. Of the four communities, Nankan and Xiaoli belong to the Ketagalan tribe, while Guilun and Kengzi belong to the Daokas tribe.

Although they were called the Four Communities, each community had only a few hundred residents. Yang Laijia thought that these indigenous people would surrender without a fight and obediently submit to the court as soon as they saw their messenger. Unexpectedly, the elder of the Nankan Community, the leader of the Four Communities, was Heida, who had long since submitted to the Ming Zheng regime and was a sworn brother of Chen Hai, the garrison commander of Danshui. After hearing the news of his sworn brother's death in battle, he not only refused to submit but also killed the guard and claimed that he would avenge Chen Hai.

"Damn it! These savages have truly rebelled against Heaven!" Yang Laijia roared in fury, ordering Jiang Maoxun, the Chuzhou military commander under his command, to lead two thousand cavalry and infantry to quell the rebellion. The Pingpu people's territory was mostly on plains and low mountains, offering no natural defenses. How could four small villages possibly withstand such an elite force? Soon, the Nankan community, including its elder Naiheida, was slaughtered. The Xiaoli, Guilun, and Kengzi communities, terrified, offered fresh water and food to the army, begging for the royal army's forgiveness. Prince Qin, Zhuosiji, eager to cross the sea to Dongning, did not want to waste too much time on land. After replenishing supplies, he ordered the army to continue its march. Yang Laijia then bypassed the three communities and continued leading his fleet along the Taiwan Strait.
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"Your Highness, this is Hazi Nanshe ahead. It is inhabited by several Kavalan tribes, led by a chief named Yijie Xingxiong," Guo Yi, the admiral of the Huguang Navy, introduced the situation of Hazi Nanshe to Han Wang Luobuzang Heshuoqi.

"We've finally arrived! Your Highness, this humble general is willing to lead an army to wipe out Hazi Nanshe and control the port there," General Wang Guotai of Liaonan excitedly volunteered.

“No, I, David, am a righteous army, and I believe in diplomacy before force. We will first send envoys to appease them, and if they do not surrender, then we will attack them,” Lobsang Heshuoqi said with a smile.

When the envoys from the Wei army arrived at Hazainan Village, a dispute arose among the Kavalan chieftains. One chieftain, Zeng Zhenshan (Chinese name), had a clearer understanding of the situation and advocated surrendering to the Wei. However, Yijie Xingxiong disagreed, smiling as he addressed the other chieftains: “Our prosperity is entirely due to Dongning providing us with a port and teaching us salt production and sugarcane cultivation. How can we betray our promise and surrender to the Wei? Besides, we've heard that the Wei only fights on land; their navy is far inferior to Dongning's. If Dongning finds out we've surrendered, our good days will be over! Furthermore, I have a long-standing oath of mutual support with the chieftain of the Saikaolek people, Yurao Ganchen. With his assistance, what do we have to fear from the Wei army?” The Saikaolek were a branch of the Atayal people, distributed in the mountainous regions of central and northern Taiwan. The Atayal, also known as the Tattooed Barbarians or the King-character Barbarians, favored clothing adorned with pearls and were extremely brave in battle. Hearing of Yurao Ganchen's assistance, the chieftains' courage swelled.

Because of its proximity to a port and its territory being located on a coastal plain, Yijie Xingxiong was highly Sinicized and knew the principle that "when two countries are at war, envoys should not be killed." After politely refusing the envoy of the King of Han, they prepared their troops for war.

Fifteen thousand Atayal guards clashed with a four-thousand-strong allied force of Kavalan and Saikaoleke at Hazinan. Lobsang and Shuoqi were surprised to find that these tribesmen not only wore leather armor but were also equipped with muskets purchased from the Hongmao Yi people. However, they were still no match for the well-trained and well-equipped Atayal guards. During the battle, the Saikaolekes charged down from the Taipei mountains, but faced with the dense barrage of muskets and arrows from the Atayal guards, these Atayal warriors fell in droves. The battle ended in less than half a day. The Atayal guards killed the Saikaoleke leader, Yurao Ganchen, and the Kavalan leader, Yijie Xingxiong, annihilating over three thousand Atayal soldiers. The remaining Atayal soldiers surrendered under the leadership of Zeng Zhenchuan, the Kavalan chieftain. In order to win over more tribes to surrender, Luo Buzang and Shuoqi appointed Zeng Zhenchuan as the leader of the Kavalan people and gave him the official position of a seventh-rank county magistrate, ordering him to pacify the Kavalan and Amis tribes in the Hazainan and Doroman areas. (End of this chapter)