The life of Zheng Chenggong

Zheng Chenggong was originally from Shijing Town, Nan'an, Fujian Province, and was born in the Hirado Domain of Kyushu, Japan. "The Genealogy of the Zheng Family in Zhangpu Yingli" clearly records that Zheng Chenggong's ancestors fled to Fujian during the Yongjia Period of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

There is a paragraph in the Zheng family genealogy included in "Selected Genealogy Materials on Fujian-Taiwan Relations", which shows that the Zheng family entered Fujian, "perhaps in Sanshan, Puzhang, or Chao, but not in one place." Among them, the branch that arrived in Zhangzhou settled in Longxi in the late Song Dynasty, which is now Longhaiyangxi Village. In the Yuan Dynasty, it moved from Yangxibo to Poshan, which is now the ancient county of Yancuo Town, Longhai, Fujian. Later, it moved from Guxian County to Nan'an. The epitaph of Jue Feng, the thirteenth generation ancestor of the Zheng family in Anping, Jinjiang, was written by Hong Chengchou, the governor of the three sides of the Ming Dynasty. Hong Chengchou explained in the epitaph of Zheng Chenggong: "Zheng Zhi also first lived in Fengting in Xianyou when he entered Fujian, and moved to his hometown of Panlin. There is Fengting Bridge, and its name still exists today. The first ancestor, Daogong, was passed down several times to Jue, who was given the posthumous title of Guozhai and the posthumous title of Houya Shengsiji." The epitaph also mentions that due to frequent invasions by Japanese pirates, they were forced to move south to the Anping area of ????Jinjiang, which is now the Anhai area.

Zheng Chenggong’s father, Zheng Zhilong, was a maritime businessman and leader of a maritime smuggling group. He had five wives in his life, and his second wife, Tagawa, was Japanese. At that time, the Japanese authorities attached great importance to Zheng Zhilong, and Matsuura, the lord of the Hirado domain, also gave him a mansion to live in. In 1623 (the third year of Tianqi), when Zheng Zhilong went to Japan for trade, he married a local woman named Tagawa. On August 27, 1624 (July 14, the fourth year of the Apocalypse), Zheng Chenggong was born in Senrihama Kawachiura on Hirado Island in Hizen Province, Japan. See: The entry of the Qing army into the customs and the Qing Dynasty’s battle to destroy the Hongguang regime of the Southern Ming Dynasty

Zheng Chenggong lived with his mother in Pingdo until he was six years old. It was not until his father Zheng Zhilong was recruited by the Ming court to serve as an official that he was taken back to Anping, Quanzhou Prefecture ( Formerly Anping Town, Jinjiang County, Fujian Province, now Anhai Town) lived and studied. The place is now the site of Anhai Chenggong Primary School.

In 1638 (the eleventh year of Chongzhen), Zheng Chenggong passed the examination and became one of the twenty "Linshan students" in Nan'an County.

In 1641 (the fourteenth year of Chongzhen), he married the niece of Dong Yangxian, the minister of the Jinshi Rites Department in Hui'an, Quanzhou, Fujian.

In 1644 (the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, the first year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty), he was sent to Jinling to study. Zheng Chenggong entered the Nanjing Imperial College for further study, and Zheng Zhilong hired a teacher for his son to teach him how to read. He studied under Qian Qianyi, a famous scholar from Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Zheng Chenggong was named Fusong when he was a child, so his teacher named him Sen, which means deep and solemn and lush. In order to encourage Zheng Chenggong, Qian Qianyi gave him the nickname "Big Wood". In the same year, Li Zicheng, king of Chuang, conquered Beijing. Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself in Meishan, and the Ming Dynasty was destroyed. Later, Wu Sangui, the commander-in-chief of Mingshan Customs, led the Qing army into the customs, defeated Li Zicheng and stationed in Beijing. The surviving ministers of the Ming Dynasty supported Zhu Yousong, the king of Fu, on the throne in Nanjing, and the next year (1645) the name was changed to "Hongguang".

On May 15, 1645 (the second year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty and the first year of Hongguang), Prince Duduo of Henan of the Qing Dynasty led his army southward, broke through Yangzhou, and captured Nanjing. The Minister of War, Shi Kefa, and others were martyred, and Emperor Hongguang was imprisoned. He was captured and killed, and the Hongguang regime was destroyed. See: Longwu Regime, King Lu Supervising the Country

After the fall of the Hongguang regime, the Qing government adopted a cruel and barbaric high-pressure policy in Jiangnan and forcibly issued hair-cutting orders, which aroused the rise of anti-Qing struggles in various places. At that time, Zheng Zhilong had a large number of troops and became the main military force that Emperor Longwu relied on. Brothers Zheng Zhilong and Zheng Hongkui supported Tang King Zhu Yujian in Fuzhou and proclaimed himself emperor. In July 1645 (the second year of Shunzhi and the first year of Hongguang in the Qing Dynasty), the name was changed to "Longwu". Soon, King Zhu Yihai of Lu was also called "Jianguo" in Shaoxing, and the year was changed to "the first year of Lujianguo". Although the two regimes of Longwu and Lujianguo were both "determined to restore", they were contradictory and conflicting with each other, and each went his own way.

After the establishment of the Longwu regime, Zheng Zhilong introduced Zheng Chenggong to Emperor Longwu. Emperor Longwu admired Zheng Chenggong's talent very much. He sighed and said: "It is a pity that there is no female to match you. You should be loyal to my family and don't forget each other." !" Giving a daughter as a wife was the highest honor in the feudal era. In order to express his love for Zheng Chenggong, Emperor Longwu gave Zheng Chenggong the most respected surname of Zhu and changed his original name from Sen to Chenggong. From then on, Zheng Sen's name became Zhu Chenggong. Since then, people inside and outside the imperial court called Zhu the surname of the country, and ordinary people respectfully called him the surname of the country.

Since 1646 (the third year of Shunzhi and the second year of Longwu in the Qing Dynasty), Zheng Chenggong began to lead the army. He was ordered to enter and exit Fujian and Jiangxi to fight against the Qing army many times, and was highly regarded by Emperor Longwu. However, Zheng Zhilong, who really held the military and political power, had no intention of resisting the Qing Dynasty with all his strength. Even when the Qing army marched south to Fujian, he ordered Shi Fu (also known as Shi Tianfu, Shi Lang's uncle), the defender of Xianxia Pass, to withdraw his troops to Fuzhou (Longwu regime location). This move resulted in the Qing army encountering almost no resistance when they invaded northern Fujian.

Hong Chengchou, a great scholar of the Qing Dynasty, was a native of Nan'an, Quanzhou, and a fellow villager of Zheng Zhilong. Induced by his promise to give him the title of king of the three provinces, Zheng Zhilong decided to take his other sons north to the Qing Dynasty, regardless of the objections of Zheng Chenggong, Zheng Hongkui and others. surrender. Zheng Chenggong failed to dissuade his father, so he had to leave Kinmen with some of his soldiers. Zheng Zhilong originally thought that after surrendering to the Qing Dynasty, he would not only protect his family business, but also get a promotion. Unexpectedly, Boluo, the commander of the Qing army's expedition to Fujian, broke the promise and not only took Zheng Zhilong and his disciples to Yanjing, but also sent troops to attack Nan'an, the hometown of the Zheng family in southern Fujian. . Zheng Chenggong's mother, the Tagawa family, had moved from Japan to settle in Nan'an at that time. Unfortunately, she encountered this disaster and hanged herself during the war. Zheng Chenggong learned that his mother had died, and he became more determined to fight against the Qing Dynasty. Successfully led his father's old troops to resist the Qing Dynasty on the southeastern coast of China and became one of the main military forces in the late Southern Ming Dynasty.

In August of 1646 (the third year of Shunzhi and the second year of Longwu in the Qing Dynasty), the Qing army captured Pucheng and Xiapu; Emperor Longwu fled to Jiangxi and was captured by the Qing army in Tingzhou. He then went on a hunger strike and died. The Southern Ming Dynasty was succeeded by Zhu Youlang, King of Gui, and was changed to "Yongli". Avoiding Kinmen After the fall of the Longwu regime, Zheng Chenggong avoided Kinmen, and then began to recruit troops from all over the coast, integrating Zheng Zhilong's old troops, and even raised thousands of troops in South Australia. In January 1647 (the fourth year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty and the first year of Yongli), Zheng Chenggong swore to fight against the Qing Dynasty in the name of "loyalty and filial piety to recruit generals and sinners and national surnames" in Xiaojinmen (today's Lieyu Township, Kinmen County).

In July of 1647 (the fourth year of Shunzhi and the first year of Yongli in the Qing Dynasty), Zheng Chenggong and Zheng Cai's troops attacked Haicheng, but failed; in August, Zheng Chenggong and Zheng Hongkui's troops surrounded Quanzhou Fucheng, and the Qing Zhangzhou deputy general Wang Jin led the reinforcements to arrive, but Zheng's army was defeated and retreated.

In 1648 (the fifth year of Shunzhi and the second year of Yongli in the Qing Dynasty), Lu Ruoteng, governor of Zhejiang in the Southern Ming Dynasty, and others returned. After Zheng Chenggong accumulated strength, he attacked again and conquered Tong'an County. In May, the Zheng army besieged Quanzhou; in July, the Qing Dynasty's Jingnan general Chen Tai, the governor of Zhejiang and Fujian Chen Jin, and the Fujian admiral Zhao Guozuo turned to attack Tong'an. The Zheng army was defeated and the defenders, soldiers and civilians suffered numerous casualties. Soon, reinforcements from the Qing Dynasty arrived in Quanzhou. Zheng Chenggong relieved the siege of Quanzhou and retreated to the sea in despair. In the same year, Jin Shenghuan and Wang Deren, the commander-in-chief of Jiangxi Province of the Qing Dynasty, launched an army against the Qing Dynasty in Jiangxi. Li Chengdong, the governor of Guangdong Province in the Qing Dynasty, also defected to the Yongli regime, which greatly increased the momentum of anti-Qing Dynasty and restoration of the Ming Dynasty. Unfortunately, the anti-Qing forces of the various parties did not have a tacit understanding with each other and acted independently. However, most of them have been reduced to local protests. Soon after, the Qing government suppressed the forces of Jin Shenghuan and Wang Deren in Jiangxi; Li Chengdong's army in Guangdong also perished the following year (1649).

In 1649 (the sixth year of Shunzhi and the third year of Yongli in the Qing Dynasty), Zheng Chenggong changed the reign name of Yongli to Zhengshuo; Emperor Yongli canonized him as "King Yanping" (prefecture king). From then on, there were also people Call success "Zheng Yanping". When the Qing army entered the Pass during the Battle of Chaozhou, southern Fujian was in chaos. In addition to the official troops of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there were local tyrants and bandits everywhere occupying the cities and villages, fighting with each other, and collecting money and food from the people nearby. Like a warlord; compared to these local forces, Zheng Chenggong had relatively complete military equipment, but because his army was too large and his territory was too small, he faced major problems in raising food and wages.

In October 1649 (the sixth year of Shunzhi and the third year of Yongli in the Qing Dynasty), Zheng Chenggong decided to send his troops south. In addition to attacking the Qing army in southern Fujian, he also planned to conquer the cities and villages along the way as a source of food. After more than a month, the Qing army captured Zhangpu, Yunxiao and other places, and also pacified Dahao, Xiamei and other villages. In November, the Zheng army failed to attack Zhao'an, so they decided to move to eastern Guangdong and diverted the water. Guan went to Chaozhou to conquer the uncooperative sporadic forces; by May of the following year, he conquered Chaoyang and many surrounding cottages for the first time.

Although Chaozhou guard Hao Shangjiu had followed Li Chengdong to rebel against the Qing Dynasty in 1648 (the fifth year of Shunzhi and the second year of Yongli in the Qing Dynasty), he had attacked Shi Lang, Zheng Hongkui and other troops. He also refused Zheng Chenggong's request for a "coalition" and attacked Zheng Jun. During the Xinxuzhai period, he sent troops to embarrass him, and he had always had a quarrel with Zheng Chenggong.

In June of 1650 (the seventh year of Shunzhi and the fourth year of Yongli in the Qing Dynasty), Zheng Chenggong's army arrived in Chaozhou. They sent troops to attack Hao Shangjiu on the grounds that Hao Shangjiu's position was "unclear"; Hao's army was defeated. , retreated to Fucheng, and Jieyang, Puning, Huilai and other counties fell into the hands of Zheng's army. Soon, the Qing army invaded Guangdong again; Hao Shangjiu was attacked from both sides and flanks, so he surrendered to the Qing Dynasty and led the Qing army into Chaozhou City to fight against the Zheng army. The Zheng army failed to siege Chaozhou City for three months, and its morale was low. It also faced the problem of food and salary relief, so it had to break the siege of Chaozhou and return to southern Fujian in August. In 1650 (the seventh year of Shunzhi and the fourth year of Yongli in the Qing Dynasty), the troops of Zheng Cai and Zheng Lian, uncles of Zheng Chenggong's clan (some say brothers), took over Xiamen. After Zheng Chenggong returned to southern Fujian, in order to expand his strength, he used Zheng Lian's excuse to expropriate Xiamen and make the people miserable; he adopted Shi Lang's advice and used tricks to capture Xiamen. During the Mid-Autumn Festival of the same year, Zheng Chenggong took advantage of Zheng Cai's departure from Xiamen to visit Zheng Lian in Xiamen. Zheng Lian was carelessly undefended and was assassinated. Soon, Zheng Cai learned of Zheng Lian's death and did not dare to go against Zheng Chenggong. He returned to Xiamen and handed over all his military power. Zheng Chenggong since then took over most of Zheng Cai and Zheng Lian's troops, and actually gained control of Xiamen and Kinmen. as a base. In the eleventh month of the lunar calendar in 1650 (the seventh year of Shunzhi and the fourth year of Yongli in the Qing Dynasty), King Shang Kexi of the Qing Dynasty and King Geng Jimao of Jingnan led tens of thousands of cavalry to invade Guangzhou. Zheng Chenggong was ordered to go south to the King of Qin, leaving his uncle Zheng Zhiwan to stay in Xiamen. In December, Zheng Chenggong arrived in Jieyang, Guangdong, and joined forces with Zheng Hongkui. After discussion, the two decided that Zheng Chenggong would continue to lead the army south to Qinwang, while Zheng Hongkui would move to Xiamen to assist in the defense. In the same year, King Zhu Yihai of Lu, accompanied by Zeng Ying and others from the cabinet, came to Xiamen to seek refuge with Zheng Chenggong and was placed in Kinmen.

In the first month of 1651 (the eighth year of Shunzhi and the fifth year of Yongli in the Qing Dynasty), Zheng Chenggong arrived in South Australia. On February 25, Zheng's fleet encountered a storm near Yanzhou Port. Zheng Chenggong's main ship almost disintegrated and capsized, and almost all the equipment on board, including the tripod and stove, were lost; according to records, even food could not be prepared on board at that time. , Zheng Chenggong himself also went hungry for two meals. It wasn't until the storm subsided in the afternoon of the next day that Zheng Chenggong's main and auxiliary ships were able to return to the shore to rendezvous with the fleet. This was the biggest danger Zheng Chenggong encountered at sea. Afterwards, Zheng Chenggong also rewarded the two pilots of the Chinese warship. In the third month of the lunar calendar, Zheng Jun arrived at Daxingsuo in Guangdong (now Huidong, Guangdong). On the other hand, Zhang Xuesheng, governor of Fujian in the Qing Dynasty, learned that Zheng Chenggong's main army had gone to Guangdong and that Xiamen's defense was loose, and there seemed to be an opportunity to take advantage of it. He ordered Ma Degong, Wang Bangjun and others to take advantage of the situation to attack Xiamen. Ma Degong took Zheng Zhibao hostage in Nan'an and ordered him to hand over the ship to ferry the Qing army to Xiamen, and successfully defeated the Zheng army on the sea. In the face of the Qing army's attack, Zheng Zhiwan, who was in charge of Xiamen's defense, was timid before fighting. He only carried his belongings to his private boat and fled. This allowed the Qing army to easily break through Xiamen and plunder the Zheng family's savings and equipment. Due to the sudden incident, Mrs. Dong and Zheng Chenggong's eldest son Zheng Jing only had time to take the ancestral tablet to the sea and escape. After the Qing army succeeded in the sneak attack by luck, they had no intention of staying in Xiamen to fight the decisive battle with the Zheng army, so they returned to the inland with loads of loot. At this time, Zheng Hongkui, who rushed to Xiamen for support, encountered the returning Ma Degong troops on the sea and surrounded them. However, Ma Degong threatened to kill his mother and brother (Zheng Zhilong), so he had no choice but to let Ma Degong go. Soon, Zheng Chenggong learned the news of the attack on Xiamen in Guangdong. Originally, he insisted on continuing to go south to serve the king, but in the end, because his soldiers wanted to return home and heard cries everywhere, he had no choice but to return to Xiamen. After regaining Xiamen, Zheng Chenggong investigated the responsibility and beheaded his uncle Zheng Zhiwan who had fled. Zheng Hongkui, who had let Ma Degong go, surrendered his military power and retired to Baisha, Dongshi Town, no longer involved in political affairs. In the fifth lunar month of the same year, Zheng Hongkui's general Shi Lang arbitrarily executed Zheng Chenggong's general Zeng De because of his betrayal. Zheng Chenggong used this as an excuse to kill Shi Lang's family. Although Shi Lang escaped with the help of friends, his father and brother were executed. From then on, Shi Lang and Zheng Chenggong formed a serious feud and decided to surrender to the Qing Dynasty again.

In the second half of 1651 (the eighth year of Shunzhi and the fifth year of Yongli in the Qing Dynasty), Zheng's army fought in Xiaoyingling, Haicheng (now Longhai City) and other places in southern Fujian, and won the battle of Cizao, Qianshan and Xiaoyingling. Victory, Pinghe, Zhangpu, Zhao'an, Nanjing and other places were restored. At the end of the year, people including Dingxi Marquis Zhang Mingzhen and others came to seek refuge, making Zheng Jun's momentum even stronger.

In the first lunar month of 1652 (the ninth year of Shunzhi and the sixth year of Yongli in the Qing Dynasty), Qinghaicheng guard general He Wenxing surrendered to Zheng Chenggong. In February, Zheng's army attacked Changtai, and the Qing Dynasty sent Chen Jin to lead an army to rescue; the two armies started a battle at Jiangdong Bridge. Relying on his familiarity with the terrain of southern Fujian, Zheng Chenggong arranged many ambushes near Jiangdong Bridge, defeated Chen Jin, annihilated most of the Qing troops, and won the Battle of Jiangdong Bridge. Soon Changtai was captured. After conquering Changtai, Zheng Chenggong gathered an army to attack Zhangzhou Fucheng and surrounded it layer by layer. In April, in order to relieve the siege of Zhangzhou, the Qing Dynasty recruited a hundred ships to invade Xiamen and attack Zheng Chenggong, who was bound to save it. Zheng Chenggong then sent Chen Hui, Zhou Rui and others to lead more than a hundred warships to attack, and defeated the Qing army in Chongwu, winning the Battle of Chongwu. Zheng's army won a great victory at sea, so the pressure on Zhangzhou City did not decrease slightly; however, the Zhangzhou defenders were also very tenacious, making the siege of the city last for more than half a year. After a few months, the water and food in Zhangzhou City were exhausted, and countless soldiers and people died of starvation. It is said that at that time, the soldiers and civilians in the city competed with each other for food. Even those who had food at home did not dare to cook it because if they were found to be lighting up the smoke, their homes would be robbed. It was also said that some tragic cases of cannibalism occurred. According to historical records, "people in the city are fighting against each other." For food, eight out of ten people died, and all the soldiers and horses were starved to death." In September of the same year, the Qing general Gushan'e Zhenjinli led an army of ten thousand people to Fujian and entered Quanzhou Prefecture. Only then did Zheng Chenggong order the lifting of the siege of Zhangzhou to wait for the enemy. Zheng Chenggong deployed his troops in Longxi Ancient County, Zhangzhou, and wanted to ambush Jin Li's army in the same way as he defeated Chen Jin. However, Jin Li Gushan saw through it, and the two armies started a melee. Zheng Jun's admiral Huangshan, Liwu Town Chen Feng, and You Liao Jing of Pioneer Town, Guo Ting of Qinding Town, and Hong Chengchong of Guard Right Town were all killed in the fierce battle. After the Zheng army failed in the battle, they had no choice but to retreat to ensure the safety of Haicheng and Xiamen. The Qing army took advantage of the victory to regain Nanjing, Zhangpu, Pinghe and Zhao'an counties.

In the fourth month of the lunar calendar in 1653 (the tenth year of Shunzhi and the seventh year of Yongli in the Qing Dynasty), Jin Li invaded Haicheng and launched a fierce battle with Zheng Chenggong. Under the fierce artillery fire of the Qing army, Zheng Chenggong's troops suffered heavy losses, and many of his generals were killed in battle. Seeing that the morale of the troops was low, Zheng Chenggong went to the front of the battle line to shout in person, but also narrowly escaped shelling. In May, Zheng Chenggong detected that the Qing army was short of gunpowder, money and food, so he lured the enemy into a decisive battle. Taking advantage of the Qing army's large-scale crossing of the river, he used fire to attack Jinli and won the battle of Haicheng. Haicheng was safe. After the Battle of Haicheng, Jin Li was recalled to the capital by the Qing court, and the two sides were once again in a stalemate. In the fifth month of the lunar calendar in 1653 (the tenth year of Shunzhi and the seventh year of Yongli in the Qing Dynasty), after the Qing army was defeated twice, Emperor Shunzhi decreed that Zheng Chenggong be named "Haicheng Gong", but Zheng Chenggong did not accept it. In August, the two sides negotiated peace with Baoen Temple in Anping, Quanzhou Prefecture, and Zheng Jun was able to suspend his troops, raise food and pay, and do some rectification. In November, Emperor Shunzhi issued another imperial edict and promised to give a government (Quanzhou Prefecture) a place to place soldiers and generals, but Zheng Chenggong still refused to accept it.

In 1654 (the eleventh year of Shunzhi and the eighth year of Yongli in the Qing Dynasty), Zhang Mingzhen, the Marquis of Dingxi, saw that the Qing army had concentrated its forces in Fujian, and the defenses of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other places were bound to be empty; so he asked Zheng Chenggong to Division, leading a hundred warships to the north, trying to capture the Jiangnan area. Zhang Mingzhen's Northern Expedition Division attacked along the Yangtze River and reached Jinshan Temple, threatening the city of Nanjing. However, due to insufficient support, they had to return. In February, the Qing government sent envoys to Zheng Chenggong again, promising to grant land to Xinghua, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, and Chaozhou. Zheng Chenggong refused again on the grounds that "there are many troops and horses, and there are not enough places in several provinces". In August, the Qing Dynasty sent envoys to discuss the matter; Zheng Chenggong's brothers Zheng Du and Zheng Yin were also among the envoys. Zheng Chenggong said that "the Qing Dynasty has no sincerity" and said, "I have not received an imperial edict, but my father is glorious in the court." He once again rejected the conditions proposed by the Qing Dynasty and insisted on resisting the Qing Dynasty.

In 1654 (the eleventh year of Shunzhi and the eighth year of Yongli in the Qing Dynasty), Li Dingguo, the king of Xining in the Southern Ming Dynasty, contacted Zheng Chenggong, hoping to attack Guangdong from the east and west together, so that the Ming Dynasty's forces could merge; if they continued along the Yangtze River In the Northern Expedition, by attacking the provinces of Jiangxi, Anhui, and Jiangsu, there is hope for the great cause of rejuvenation.

Zheng Chenggong sent Lin Cha and Zhou Rui to supervise the army to march westward, but for some reason the appointment with Li Dingguo was delayed. As a result, Li Dingguo fought alone. Although he conquered Zhaoqing, he was defeated outside Guangzhou and returned. Li Dingguo originally had great expectations for joining forces with Zheng Chenggong for the Northern Expedition, and even arranged for Li and Zheng to marry to consolidate their alliance. However, due to Zheng Chenggong's repeated mistakes in the military, Li Dingguo was disappointed. In the same year, Liu Guoxuan, the assistant guard of Zhangzhou in the Qing Dynasty, surrendered to Zheng Chenggong and led Zheng's army into the capital of Zhangzhou. Seeing that the situation was over, Zhang Shiyao and the following officials surrendered to Zheng's army. In December, Zheng's army divided its forces and attacked, capturing Tong'an, Nan'an, Hui'an, Anxi, Yongchun, and Dehua counties, and the army entered Xinghua.

In 1655 (the twelfth year of Shunzhi and the ninth year of Yongli in the Qing Dynasty), because Emperor Yongli and Zheng Chenggong were far apart in power, Zheng Chenggong was specifically allowed to set up six officials and officials such as inspection, propaganda, and trial to govern. , and at the same time, he is allowed to appoint official positions, with military attachés up to the first rank, and civilian positions up to six ministries. Every time Zheng Chenggong paid homage to an official, he would invite Prince Zhu Shugui and other members of the Ming Dynasty clan to watch the ceremony to show respect for the system. Zheng Chenggong also renamed Xiamen (then called Zhongzuo Institute) "Siming Prefecture" and built a martial arts pavilion to personally supervise the training of officers and soldiers. In September, General Dingyuan of the Qing Dynasty and Prince Zheng's son Jidu led 30,000 troops into Fujian, and together with the Qing troops stationed in Fujian, prepared to attack Xiamen. Zheng Chenggong consolidated the defenses of Kinmen and Xiamen. At the same time, they also dispatched their generals to lead the naval divisions to attack in two directions, one going north to Zhejiang and one going south to Guangdong, making it difficult for the Qing army to take care of both the head and tail. Zheng's army in the north was victorious in consecutive battles and invaded Zhoushan; although Zheng's army in the south once captured Jieyang, it was defeated by Qing reinforcements and suffered heavy casualties.

In April of 1656 (the 13th year of Shunzhi and the 10th year of Yongli in the Qing Dynasty), Jidu mobilized various naval forces to attack Xiamen. They were severely beaten by the Zheng army in the Weitou sea area, and the Qing army returned in defeat. Zheng Jun won the battle of Quanzhou. In December, Zheng Chenggong's troops won another victory in the Battle of Huguoling in northeastern Fujian. See: Zheng Chenggong's Northern Expedition and the Battle of Nanjing

In 1658 (the fifteenth year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty and the twelfth year of Yongli), Zheng Chenggong led a navy and army of 170,000 to join forces with Zhang Huangyan in eastern Zhejiang and launched a large-scale Northern Expedition. Before the army entered the Yangtze River, it encountered a hurricane in the Yangshan Sea and suffered heavy losses, so it had to temporarily retreat to Xiamen.

In 1659 (the 16th year of Shunzhi and the 13th year of Yongli in the Qing Dynasty), Zheng Chenggong once again led the northern expedition. Together with Zhang Huangyan's troops, they successfully entered the Yangtze River. They conquered Zhenjiang and Guazhou one after another, and won the Battle of Dinghaiguan one after another. , the battle of Guazhou and the battle of Zhenjiang, surrounded Nanjing, and began the battle of Baitu Mountain in Jiangning. Zhang Huangyan's tribe also recovered more than ten counties in Wuhu, causing a shock in the south of the Yangtze River. Later, because Zheng Chenggong succeeded in the Qing army's plan to slow down the troops, he was unexpectedly attacked by the Qing army. As a result, the Zheng army was defeated and lost many generals, including Gan Hui, Wan Li, Lin Sheng, Chen Kui, Zhang Ying and other generals who died in the battle. After Zheng Chenggong was defeated, he tried to capture Chongming County as a base for another attack on the Yangtze River, but was unable to capture it for a long time and had to retreat to Xiamen. The Battle of Nanjing can be said to be the most glorious and important battle in Zheng Chenggong's career, but it prospered first and then declined, ending in a major defeat, which dealt a fatal setback to Zheng Chenggong's anti-Qing cause.

In 1660 (the seventeenth year of Shunzhi and the fourteenth year of Yongli in the Qing Dynasty), more than 40,000 naval troops led by the Qing general Dasu were annihilated at Haimen Port (now Longhaidong) in Fujian, and the battle of Xiamen was won. Victory, prestige restored. Since revolting against the Qing Dynasty at Xiaojinmen in January 1647 (the fourth year of Shunzhi and the first year of Yongli in the Qing Dynasty), Zheng's army moved to the southeast coast of Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong provinces, and many times helped the Ming Dynasty clan and people cross the sea and settle in Taiwan and All over Southeast Asia. In addition, Zheng Chenggong asked Chinese businessmen to receive the Zheng Mansion token and the "Guo Surname" flag to help protect the safety of Chinese people doing business overseas. At that time, many overseas Chinese businessmen did adopt this method and were able to do business safely overseas. However, despite commanding tens of thousands of troops to resist the Qing Dynasty, Zheng Chenggong was never able to gain a larger base. Zheng Chenggong was forced to prepare food and wages through overseas trade. After the failure of the Northern Expedition to Nanjing, Zheng Chenggong's troops were severely weakened and faced the problem of insufficient military rations. In order to solve the logistical supply problem for the army, Zheng Chenggong decided to follow He Bin's advice to recover the island of Taiwan occupied by the Dutch colonialists.

In April 1661 (the 18th year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty, the third month of the lunar calendar in the 15th year of Yongli), Zheng Chenggong left his son Zheng Jing to defend Xiamen and Kinmen. Zheng Chenggong personally led 25,000 soldiers and warships. Hundreds of ships set out from Liaoluo Bay in Kinmen, passed through Penghu, crossed the Taiwan Strait, and headed for Taiwan. The Netherlands built two major defensive fortresses in the southwest of Taiwan Island. One is Fort Zeelandia, located in Danyuan (now Anping District, Tainan City), and the other is located in Chikan (now Central and Western District, Tainan City) inland from the Taijiang River. Provintia. On the 24th, the army entered the sea of ??Penghu, and a violent storm suddenly struck. In order to complete the great cause of liberation as soon as possible, under extremely harsh weather conditions, the army was successfully ordered to advance through the waves overnight. On a night of high tide, on the first day of April of the same year, Zheng Chenggong's army entered the Taijiang Inland Sea via the Lu'ermen Waterway and landed at Heliao Port (near Kaiyuan Temple in the North District of Tainan City today), intending to first seize the weakly defended Puluo. People cover the city. Zheng Jun then launched a naval battle with Dutch warships in the waters of the Taijiang River, sank the Dutch warship Hector, and gained control of the inland waters of the Taijiang River. At the same time, he defeated the Dutch Army in the northern end of the line, and surrounded Prominzha with superior force. city. Soon, on the fifth day of April, the defenders of Pulominzha City were forced to surrender. After taking the city of Prominja as a stronghold, Zheng's army immediately besieged the city of Relanja by sea and land. Considering that it was not easy to arrange food and pay for a 20,000-strong army, Zheng Chenggong did not plan for a protracted war. He put pressure on the city of Jelandja from the beginning, trying to coerce the Dutch army to surrender. After the Dutch Chief Minister Frederik Coyett rejected his surrender request, Zheng Chenggong once ordered a storming of the city of Jelandje. However, he encountered extremely stubborn resistance from the Dutch army, and Zheng's army suffered heavy losses. Due to the inability to attack by force and the shortage of food for the army, Zheng Chenggong was forced to change his strategy and sent most of his troops to farm fields in the north and south to collect money and food. In order to relieve the army's urgent need of food shortage, Zheng Chenggong changed to a long-term siege strategy for the city of Relanja.

On the fifth day of May in 1661 (the 18th year of Shunzhi and the 15th year of Yongli in the Qing Dynasty), Zheng Chenggong changed Chikan into the "Eastern Capital of Mingjing" and established Chengtianfu and Tianxing and Wannian counties. The enemy garrison was defeated and surrendered. So he successfully left his general Yang Chaodong to guard Chican Tower, and personally led his army to take advantage of the victory to attack Chican City (the "Imperial City" built by the Dutch colonists in Tainan). Zheng Chenggong wrote a letter to the Dutch colonial leader Kui Yi, the governor of Taiwan, asking him to surrender. There are a few words in the letter: "However, Taiwan has long been operated by the Chinese, and it is China's land... Now that I have come to claim it, the land should be mine." It is clearly pointed out that the Chinese people's recovery of the lost land is indelible. truth. However, Kui Yi, who was aggressive by nature, still tried to take advantage of the danger and resisted. He successfully ordered the army to tightly surround Chican City and launch artillery attacks on the city. The Gaoshan people near Chican City came to welcome and assist Zheng Chenggong. The Han people in the city also conveyed news to Zheng Chenggong. The fate of the colonists was completely in Zheng Chenggong's hands.

Chican City was besieged for more than seven months, and more than 1,600 enemy officers and soldiers were killed or injured. In the end, the enemy's water source was cut off by me, and Kui Yiqian donkey had no choice but to raise the white flag and declare surrender. Before their death, the Dutch colonists still tried to make a desperate struggle. In July 1661 (the 18th year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty and the 15th year of Yongli), reinforcements dispatched by the Netherlands from Batavia arrived. In addition to more than 600 In addition to soldiers and eleven warships, reinforcements also brought a large amount of supplies and gunpowder to the city of Relanja. At that time, Zheng Chenggong's military strength was still dispersed across Taiwan to carry out tasks. The number of troops stationed in Daguan and Puluminzhacheng towns was estimated to be less than 3,000, which rekindled the Dutch army's hope of counterattack. In mid-July, the Dutch reinforcements anchored offshore were hit by strong winds and were forced to leave the coast of Dazhuang and go to Penghu to escape the wind and rain. Among them, the Dutch warship Urck unfortunately ran aground, and all the people on board were captured by Zheng's army. This incident gave the Zheng Army a temporary opportunity to prepare. By the time the Dutch warships returned to the Taiyuan Sea in August, the Zheng Army had completed preparations for combat although it was unable to mobilize most of its troops. In mid-August, the Dutch and Zhengzhou armies engaged in a fierce naval battle in the inland waters of the Taijiang River. The Zheng army won a complete victory, sinking a Dutch warship and seizing several ships. Since then, the Dutch army has lost the ability to take the initiative.

In December, Hans Jeuriaen Rade, a German-Dutch noncommissioned officer, defected. With the help of the intelligence he provided, Zheng Chenggong bombarded and destroyed the Utrecht bunker in the city of Geranze, making the defeat of the city of Geranze a foregone conclusion. On the eighth day of December, the Dutch chief minister wrote a letter to Zheng Chenggong, expressing his agreement to "peace talks." The enemy signed the surrender treaty. After surrendering to Zheng Chenggong on December 20, Kui Yi led the remaining 500 enemies to retreat from Taiwan, our territory, in embarrassment. Taiwan, which had been occupied for more than thirty years, has since returned to the embrace of the motherland. In 1661 (the 18th year of Shunzhi and the 15th year of Yongli in the Qing Dynasty), Emperor Shunzhi collapsed and the third son of the emperor Kangxi succeeded to the throne. Huang Wu, a descendant of the Zheng family, proposed the "Five Strategies for Combating Thieves" to the leader Ao Bai, which included long-term The 20-year border relocation order cut off Zheng Chenggong's economic and trade resources from Shandong to Guangdong. Coastal ships were destroyed and no boats were allowed to enter the water. At the same time, Zheng Zhilong, the father of Chenggong, was killed at the Ninggu Pagoda (one theory is that he was killed in Beijing). Caishikou, now the west entrance of Fuxue Hutong, the place of execution since the Yuan Dynasty); dig the Zheng family's ancestral graves; move the troops to surrender and reclaim wasteland.

Zheng Chenggong heard bad news one after another. In addition, the soldiers in Taiwan were unaccustomed to the local environment and the people were panic. His son Zheng Jing had an affair with a wet nurse in Penghu. This caused Zheng Chenggong to be pressured internally and externally. He died of a sudden illness on the eighth day of May in the sixteenth year of the calendar year. Before his death, he shouted: "I have no face to see the late emperor underground." He scratched his face and died. He was only 39 years old. However, according to records in Xia Lin's "Min Hai Notes" and Jiang Risheng's "Taiwan Foreign Affairs Chronicle", Zheng Chenggong's condition was not serious at first, and he could still read, watch, and drink. Some people think that he may have been poisoned to death.

Li Guangdi's "Sequel to Rongcun Quotations" mentioned: "Ma Xin recommended a doctor who thought he had heatstroke and gave him a coolant, but he died late" (according to Jiang Risheng's "Taiwan Foreign Affairs" records, which The time of death is only 5 days before successful death). Xia Lin's "Min Hai Minutes" records that before Zheng Chenggong died, the governor Hong Bingcheng mixed the medicine and was successfully thrown to the ground. Then he successfully "stomped his feet, stroked his mind, and died with a loud shout." Lin Shi said in "He Yu Cong Tan" that after success, he "suddenly went crazy" and "bited all his fingers and died".

According to the records of "Taiwan County Chronicles": "On the early morning of the second day of May when Mr. Guo Xing was ill, the sky suddenly darkened and the ground was full of wasps. On the third day of the Lunar New Year, it was windy and rainy. Waves surged into the sky along the Taijiang River and the sea off Anping, followed by thunder. Lightning flashed like a mountain collapsing and the earth cracking... On the fifth day of the lunar month, the sky cleared and the rain cleared. On the eighth day of the lunar month, the surnamed master passed away."

After Zheng Chenggong died, his son Zheng Jing launched a military coup from Kinmen and called himself Yanping. Wang (the title of county king is not hereditary), defeated Zheng Chenggong's brother Zheng Chenggong who controlled Taiwan, and ascended the throne in Taiwan. Then he changed the eastern capital of Mingjing to Dongning; following Chen Yonghua's suggestion, he transplanted the central official system of the Ming Dynasty and still enshrined the deceased Yongli Emperor Zhengshuo, which became the last base of the Southern Ming Dynasty to resist the Qing Dynasty.

In 1680 (the 19th year of Kangxi), Zheng Jing and Chen Yonghua died successively, and the powerful minister Feng Xifan supported Zheng Jing's youngest son Zheng Keshuang to succeed him; later Shi Lang led the Qing army to conquer Penghu, and Zheng Keshuang was defeated in 1683 (the 20th year of Kangxi). In the second year), he surrendered to the Qing Dynasty. In total, the Zheng regime ruled Taiwan for only 23 years; in April 1684 (the 23rd year of Kangxi), Taiwan was officially included in the territory of the Qing Empire, under the jurisdiction of Fujian Province, with the establishment of Taiwan Prefecture, which administered Taiwan County, Fengshan County and other Luo County.