The Biography of Concubine Wen Xi in Qing Palace

Chapter 490 Taiwan
(PS: This chapter mainly introduces the cause and effect of Kangxi's recovery of Taiwan, which has some connection with the subsequent plot.)
In June, the emperor finally decided to order Shi Lang, the governor of the navy, to march into Taiwan to regain the lost ground.

In fact, such a move should not have been made so much earlier. As early as the first year of Emperor Kangxi's ascension to the throne, Zheng Chenggong regained Taiwan and expelled the Dutch invaders.

The Qing Dynasty took the opportunity to send envoys to try to persuade Zheng Chenggong's son Zheng Jing to surrender to the Qing Dynasty.

At that time, in order to reduce the pressure, Zheng Jing negotiated with the Qing Dynasty and handed over the seal bestowed by Emperor Nanming.

However, when the Qing Dynasty asked the Taiwanese to move to the mainland on the island, shave their hair and change clothes, Zheng Jing refused, and the negotiation failed.

For more than ten years since then, the Qing Dynasty and Taiwan have entered a state of anxiety. Just as the San Francisco has not been eliminated, the economy is unstable, and the inability to use troops at sea makes Zheng Jing even more arrogant.

However, the Zheng family living on the isolated island of Taiwan urgently needed food and supplies from the Qing Dynasty due to reasons such as the initial development of the land, the sparse population, the shortage of money and silver, and backward production.

The emperor remotely sensed that Taiwan was also an inseparable part of the Qing Dynasty. He couldn't bear the suffering of Liming in Taiwan, so he advocated peace talks and made major concessions, allowing Zheng Jing to be a vassal and stationed in Taiwan for generations.

But Zheng Jing pointed out: "If you can follow the example of North Korea, you don't have to say it, you can pay tribute, and respect the generality of the matter, then you can do it."

The emperor replied to him: "If Zheng Jing is attached to Taiwan and doesn't want to abandon it, he can do whatever he wants. As for the saying that North Korea does not shave its hair and is willing to pay tribute and surrender, it is inconvenient to obey. North Korea has never owned a foreign country, and Zheng Jing is Chinese."

The emperor expressed his intention that he did not want Taiwan to become a country independent of China, so the negotiations broke down.

The rebellion in San Francisco intensified, and the Central Plains was full of war.

Zheng Jing took the opportunity to collude with Wu Sangui and Geng Jingzhong, sent troops to attack Fujian and Guangdong, fought against the Qing army, and occupied Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Quanzhou, Chaozhou, and Huizhou.

After several years of fighting, Wu Sangui was defeated, and Zheng Jing was unable to support his army alone, so he returned to Taiwan.

This defeat dealt a big blow to Zheng Jing, but the emperor did not furiously wave his army to take advantage of the victory to pursue him. Instead, he ordered Fujian Governor Yao Qisheng to send his deputy Huang Chaoyong to Taiwan to negotiate peace with him.

Unexpectedly, Zheng Jing proposed again: "Please follow the example of Ryukyu and Koryo foreign countries, proclaim yourself a minister, pay tribute, entrust Zhengshuo to the imperial court, and be knighted by the imperial court."

And how could the emperor allow him to compare himself with Taiwan to Koryo and Ryukyu?
So I just replied hastily: "Taiwanese are all Fujianese, and they cannot be compared with Ryukyu and Korea."

So far, the negotiations were fruitless, and the emperor was furious. After learning of Zheng Jing's death, it was heard that his son Zheng Kezang was lewd and immoral, causing harm to the people, causing the people of Taiwan to be in dire straits.

Finally, on June [-], the second year of Kangxi, he couldn't bear it anymore, and ordered Shi Langdu to lead the water army to set off from Tongshan.

Regarding the choice of offensive route, Shi Lang decided based on the wind direction and information on the enemy's defense situation that the Qing army fleet set sail from Tongshan, crossed the Taiwan Strait eastward by the southwest monsoon in June, and first seized the island south of the main island of Penghu. , Zheng Jun's weakly defended Bachio Island.In this way, the anchorage and the starting point of the attack can be obtained, and the vantage point of upper wind and upper reaches can be used to attack Penghu.

Taking Penghu, choking the enemy's throat, and then directing troops to Taiwan, can successfully implement the strategic policy of "suppressing due to suppression and appeasement".

On June [-], the Qing fleet launched its first attack on Zheng Jun in Penghu, but failed in the first battle.

Shi Lang quickly learned his lesson, and carefully planned and deployed the next combat operation.

Shi Lang divided the Qing army into four parts: Shi Lang personally led the main attack force composed of 56 large warships to attack the Zheng army's main position, Niangma Palace; The east side of Penghu port broke into Jilong Island, and as a surprise soldier, they cooperated with the main attacking force to attack Niangma Palace; the general soldier Dong Yi and others led another western attacking force composed of fifty warships, entered Niuxin Bay from the west side of the port, and carried out a feint attack. Landed on the move to contain the Zheng army in the west; the remaining [-] warships were used as a reserve team to follow up with the main attacking force.

On the [-]th, Shi Lang first sent warships to attack Hujing and Tongpan two islands outside Penghu Harbor, clearing the periphery.

So far, the battle has been completely won, and I saw Mrs. Zheng fleeing with her head in her arms, struggling to the death.

　Remarks of the previous chapter③
　　Note ③: Zheng Jing (October 1642, 10-March 25, 1681), was born in Shijing Town, Nan'an, Fujian.The eldest son of Yanping Wang Zheng Chenggong, the ruler of Taiwan during the Ming and Zheng Dynasties, inherited the title of his father Yanping King.Zheng Jing participated in Zheng Chenggong's wars many times.When Zheng Chenggong died of illness in Chengtian Mansion, Zheng Jingren was in Xiamen. He heard that his uncle Zheng Xi was going to take the throne. With the help of Zhou Quanbin, he came to Taiwan to appease Zheng Xi, claiming to be "recruiting the son of the general".However, due to the internal strife of the Zheng family, the Qing Dynasty and the Netherlands jointly attacked Kinmen and Xiamen in the third year of Kangxi (3). Counterattack Fujian.Under the assisted administration of Chen Yonghua, Zheng Jing helped the local people, communicated with traders, developed schools, recruited talents, established systems, and ruled the territory.When the San Francisco Rebellion broke out, he colluded with Geng Jingzhong to attack Xiamen and Quanzhou in the west, but nothing was achieved because the Qing army pacified San Francisco.After returning to Taiwan in the 17th year of Kangxi (1663), he indulged in wine and sex, ignored military affairs, and entrusted Taiwan affairs to his eldest son Zheng Kezang and his minister Chen Yonghua.On March 19, the 1680th year of Kangxi (20), Zheng Jing died in Chengtian Mansion, Taiwan, at the age of 1681, with the posthumous title of King Wen.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)