Author: Our team Zhang Yi
1: A proud victory
0 The thirty-nine years of history of the Southern Ming Dynasty is basically a tragic wind and rain. On the battlefield, it is even more common scenes of defeat. But in the fifteenth year of Yongli, that is, the early morning of January 25, 1662, it was an exception that was very proud: Zheng Chenggong, the prince of Yanping County, launched the final general attack on the Dutch invading army that occupied Taiwan's Relan Chacheng.
Twenty-eight giant cannons fired first, and the 24-pound cannons rushed over. Hundreds of artillery guns of three cannons fired angrily, and five thousand shells poured into Relanzha City in two hours. Then tens of thousands of soldiers from the Southern Ming Dynasty rushed over like a tide and simply took the fortress portal Utlichi Fort. General Zheng Chenggong's domineering voice sounded like thunder on the heads of the frightened Dutch defenders: If you are obsessed with it, you will be surrounded by mountains and seas tomorrow, and you will be able to attack together. The ship is destroyed and the city is broken, and it is beyond the reach of regret.
This is a decisive general attack in the great battle of Zheng Chenggong to regain Taiwan across the sea: " No. 1 Fortress in East Asia" Relan Cha is about to collapse, and the arrogant Dutch invaders have become the intact under the blade of the Ming army. Taiwan, a Chinese territory that has been occupied for 38 years, will also return to the embrace of the motherland smoothly. The exciting battle scenes are often written in many historical materials in later generations. But it is often mentioned, but there is another important fact: what a tragic and difficult decision was for Zheng Chenggong at that time and the army of the Southern Ming Dynasty.
Even the defeated Dutch , such as the Dutch Governor to Taiwan Kuiyi , kept mumbling in her memoirs in her later years: I really didn't expect that Zheng Chenggong really dared to go to war with us.
2: A difficult and tragic decision
1661, when Zheng Chenggong, the prince of Yanping County of the Southern Ming Dynasty, resolutely launched the battle to revive Taiwan with a scale of 25,000 people. The scene at that time was not as exciting as those described by many film and television dramas later, but rather a sound of disgrace. Many of the generals who followed him to fight against the Qing Dynasty for many years had a realistic reason for opposition: the enemy was too strong and our side was too weak.
At that time, Zheng Chenggong was the most bleak time he had managed to support the anti-Qing banner in the southeast of the Southern Ming Dynasty in the past fifteen years. had previously attacked Nanjing with an army of 170,000, but failed in Nanjing and was caught in a siege. The elite water and land elites who had worked hard for many years were all injured and killed, and even the "three-masted running ship" that could compete with Dutch warships was basically sunk. The places such as , Xiamen, and , which were struggling to hold on, are facing the crazy attacks of the Qing army day after day. It is simply a remnant army to challenge the Dutch colonists with strong naval strength. What about the Dutch invaders who occupy Taiwan? This is the time to be extremely powerful. The troops stationed in Taiwan only have two thousand people, but they are all elites with well-equipped firearms. The two horn fortresses "Relanzha City" ( Anping Castle ) and "Prominzha City" are built with advanced European Soi Castle theory. The fortress made of glutinous rice and lime are equipped with surging firepower. It is precisely because of this powerful military force that the Dutch who took advantage of the turmoil in the late Ming Dynasty were able to bloody suppress the rebellious uprisings of the people of Taiwan and crazily exploit the wealth of Taiwan. Turn this treasure island of China into "the best cow for the Dutch."
, and the more dangerous consequence is that once Zheng Chenggong's army starts, the Qing Dynasty , which had long been sharpening its sword, will definitely take advantage of the situation. , and the Dutch Navy, which entrenches , Batavia , will also crazily reinforce Taiwan Island. What's more, under the Qing Dynasty's cruel policy of moving the boundary and banning the sea, China's southeastern coast became an unmanned area, and the supply of materials and supplies of Zheng Chenggong's army would be extremely difficult. The seemingly vigorous war to recover the country and territory is very likely to fall into a desperate situation of attacking front and back.
However, in this situation that was almost like a sea of fire, Zheng Chenggong resolutely made a decision to start this battle resolutely. What supported his confidence was not only the important strategic position of Taiwan Island, but also the needs of the anti-Qing base areas. There is also the belief that this hero of Southern Ming who has supported the great cause of the southeast's anti-Qing war for many years has never forgotten.Just like his later bold statement to the Dutch invaders: Taiwan is the land of China!
This Nanming army, who is at the end of the road, embarked on the battlefield of cutting through the waves with this belief!
3: Victory of wisdom and will
Zheng Chenggong, who is determined to be firm, did not act recklessly. Since the fleet approached Taiwan Island, there was a constant spark of wisdom. First, we pinched the tides of the Taiwan Strait and successfully landed from the narrow Luermen. The "Big Qingtou" warship, which only carries two cannons under his command, destroyed the Dutch giant ship. The brave Southern Ming infantry even stole the Dutch infantry in the land war, killing hundreds of Dutch soldiers. The "Prominen Covering the City" whose water source was quickly cut off by Zheng Chenggong, and the white flag was hung in a mess within three days.
So, after being hit by Zheng Chenggong, the Dutch invaders who were beaten to death collapsed one after another, leaving only the "Relanzha City" that was stubbornly resisting, and was surrounded by hundreds of large armies of the Southern Ming Dynasty. But the real test only begins.
As mentioned earlier, this city of Jelan Cha, which was later renamed "Anping Castle", is not only a hub for the Dutch to control Taiwan, but also a top fortress for European high-tech urban defense: , a city with a length of 200 feet, a wall made of lime glutinous rice, and an underground fortification that penetrates ten feet deep into the ground. The intensive artillery deployment is enough to block all channels outside the city. This fortress, which was named the number one fortress in East Asia at that time, was really a tough trick.
According to the records of "General History of Taiwan" and other materials, when Zheng Chenggong, who was tired of teachers and soldiers, fell into a dilemma of not being able to provide food and grass. Even some of Zheng Chenggong's confidant advised Zheng Chenggong to withdraw his troops in time, even if he temporarily retreated to , Penghu and other places to rest. But Zheng Chenggong, in the dilemma, made a decision that no one could imagine: take root!
So, the Dutch invaders who were struggling to defend and wait for assistance saw a strange scene: Zheng Chenggong's army, who was on the verge of being out of food, began to open up wastelands and farm in various parts of Taiwan. People of all ethnic groups in Taiwan, who had already had enough colonial rule, responded in groups and warmly welcomed the army of the Southern Ming Dynasty. A large number of fertile fields were built up on the land of Taiwan like snowballs. After autumn comes, there are even more harvests! Lost food? Don’t forget that Taiwan is Chinese territory, this is the home court of Zheng Chenggong’s army!
The reinforcements that the Dutch were eagerly awaited, even under the Dutch's eyes, staged a sad scene: the first reinforcements landed in May, and were captured by Zheng Chenggong when they got ashore. The second reinforcements launched a fierce rush in July and even crashed into Zheng Chenggong's ambush. The three warships became Zheng Chenggong's spoils. Since then, the Dutch fleet, known as the "sea coachman", has completely timid: rescue? Even if you beat him to death!
is like this. , a difficult battle that theoretically requires teachers and veterans, was not only not defeated during the nine-month siege battle, but instead took the opportunity to resurrect with full health. By January 1661, the footprints of the Southern Ming army had spread across Taiwan, with extremely abundant food and supplies. Even the new siege artillery equipment is equipped with quality and quantity. Recovering Taiwan is just the last blow!
So, on January 25, 1662, a horror scene was seen in the eyes of the exhausted defenders of the Dutch Jelanzha City: the increasingly strong army of the Southern Ming army launched a fierce attack with fierce firepower no less than that of the European army. The city wall of Relanzha, known as indestructible, was opened in two hours with nearly 300 large holes, and many of them were almost collapsed. The whistling attack of heavy punches caused the Dutch to completely lose the courage to resist. Dutch Governor Kui Yi came to seek peace in panic: he would like to stop his troops and surrender, and beg for his return to China twelve days later, on February 6, 1662, it became an extremely important moment in Chinese history: after more than 1,600 soldiers were killed and killed, hundreds of Dutch soldiers handed over all the castles in shame and left in a mess. , Taiwan, which has fallen for 38 years, is back! This is the last battle in the military career of the national hero Zheng Chenggong, and it is also the most glorious battle.
4: The great things that benefited the century-old modern times
, and what is even mentioned in later historical materials is that the Dutch who lost to Taiwan was actually not willing to do so.After Zheng Chenggong's death, the Dutch launched a counterattack against Taiwan many times. However, Zheng family's eldest son, who inherited the title of "Yanping County Prince" of Zheng Chenggong, continued to fight bloody battles, and even more rebuilt the powerful Nanming Navy's rebuilt the Dutch fleet. Until the Qing Dynasty landed in Taiwan in 1683, this Southern Ming iron army, who was alone in guarding the treasure island, firmly blocked Western colonists from the Chinese Sea!
or even, if you look at the history of modern Western colonization, you can better understand this battle. The significance of this battle for modern China's maritime security: If Zheng Chenggong had not launched this battle, the Dutch colonists entrenched in Taiwan would be very likely to completely separate this Chinese territory from China's territory. In this way, China's southeastern coastal areas will directly face the threat of invasion from the Western fleet. The shame of losing power and humiliating China in modern times will be even more painful and miserable.
In this sense, Zheng Chenggong, the army of the Southern Ming Dynasty, fought a victory that benefited modern China for a hundred years!
Reference: "General History of Taiwan" "The Reluctant Formosa"
