Maritime Frontiers, Territorial Expansion and Haifang 75
1661, he also applied the same tactics by setting the Dutch vessels on
βire. In contrast to the unknown quantity of the Dutch, some Chinese
pirate chiefs, among them Liu Xiang, were not initially seen as serious
security risks. However, when the situation deteriorated in the wake of
more frequent attacks by pirates along a long stretch of the Guangdong
and Fujian coast, the Ming authorities decided to set a thief to catch a
thief and called upon Zheng Zhilong, a pirate chief who had surrendered,
to suppress them.^64
At the outset, the Qing Dynasty faced almost 40 years of intransigent
resistance on the southeast coast led by Zheng Chenggong and his
descendants. This obdurate problem forced it to realize the importance
of building a strong naval force in order to launch an attack across
the Taiwan Strait. Its naval capability was greatly strengthened by the
surrender of Admiral Shi Lang who deserted from the Zheng camp, a
betrayal that eventually led to the defeat of the Zheng regime in 1683.
After the paciβication of Taiwan, the Qing made an effort to consolidate
control of the newly-gained island. The regional command of Taiwan
under a brigade-general was garrisoned by the largest force in the
country,^65 numbering three thousand troops. Over two thousand soldiers,
stationed in the northern and southern parts of the island respectively,
were under the command of two lieutenant-generals. A naval force of
three thousand men was deployed at Anping, and another two thousand
were stationed in the Penghu Islands.^66 By the early nineteenth century,
more than two thousand troops had been added.^67
Earlier, the Qing authorities had consolidated their control of the
southeast coast by building up land forces to guard the coastline. In
Guangdong, a tartar general was appointed to the provincial capital.
Brigade-generals were assigned to Chaozhou, Jieshi and Gaozhou, while
deputy-brigade-generals were put in charge of the military affairs in
Huizhou and Leizhou. A lieutenant-colonel was assigned to Lianzhou.
Mobile corps (youbing) under ofβicers holding the rank of colonel were
in the process of replacing the former weiso deployments. The coastal
defense posts were temporarily abandoned as the Chinese population
was ordered to move inland during the war against the Zheng resistance
force, but beacon-mounds and garrison posts were established at a
- Dong Yingju, CXJXL, in TWWXCK, no. 237, pp. 12, 98.
- Yao Ying 姚瑩 (1785–1853), Dongming zhougao 東溟奏稿, in TWWXCK, no. 49,
p. 1. - Yu Yonghe 郁永河, Pihai jiyou 裨海紀遊, in TWWXCK, no. 44, pp. 30–1. Yue
visited Taiwan in 1697. - Yao Ying, Dongming zhougao, in TWWXCK, no. 49, p. 36.