Page 77 - An Overview of Penghu

After the first wave, the two sides held their positions and waited for chances to strike again. Seeing his
enemies being complacent with their victory, Shi Lang decided that the time had come. He rode a boat to Bazhao
Island at night, punishing failing generals and asking them to fight harder so they would be forgiven. He then went
north and occupied Hujing Isle. After inspecting his enemy in secrecy on a small boat, Shi finalized his strategic
formation. He divided his army into a left division, a right division, and two brigades in the middle. Wu Ying, Chen
Long, and Chen Chang commanded the right division, heading to Niuxin Bay, Neiqian and Waiqian with 50 ships;
Zhu Tian-gui, Chen Xian, Yang Jia-rui, and Luo Shi-zhen led the left division to Shili and Keelung Isle with 50
ships. Shi Lang himself led the middle brigades that were divided into eight groups, each with seven ships lined in
three rows. Another 80 ships were left for backup. The Qing army set off, with their flags covering the sky and the
sea, and their ships closely lined up with each other.

Once he caught sight of the Qing army, Liu Guo-xuan ordered his men to catapult fire cannons at Qing's ships,
but Shi continued to advance in flames and fumes. The intense battle between the two lasted for eight to ten hours.
While the Qing army only lost General Zhu Tian-gui from the left division, the Zheng army lost many generals,
including Lin Sheng, Qiu Hui, Jiang Sheng, Chen Qi, Ming Wu-zan, and Wan Sheng, alongside with more than 200
ships. Seeing that the battle had tilted toward the Qing army, Liu Guo-xuan boarded a big ship and escaped from
Houmen; Penghu thus fell into the hands of the Qing government. Since Penghu was a critical portal to Taiwan and
served as the Island's first line of defense, we can say that Shi Lang had also secured Taiwan when he took over
Penghu. After staying in Magong for two months, Shi conquered Taiwan in August of the same year, winning
himself the title “Jinghaihou (a kind of knighthood)” from the Qing government.

Penghu in the Qing dynasty

After dispelling the Dutch and ruling Taiwan for 38 years, the Zheng family was finally toppled by the Qing
government. Although the governor-general and governor of Minzhe (Fujian and Zhejiang) and other enthusiasts
all opposed the takeover of Taiwan, claiming that “Taiwan is an isolated island that can be easily occupied by
pirates, so it is better to abandon it and focus on the defense of Penghu instead”, victorious Admiral Shi Lang stood
firmly against the idea, claiming that “the prosperity of the southeast lies not in the stability on land but at sea.
While we are familiar with warfare on land, pirates' attack from the sea remains unpredictable. Although Taiwan is
merely a small island, it helps to defend the provinces along the southeast coastline. If we forgo the Island, it will
fall into the hands of its indigenous people, pirates, or foreigners. Also, Penghu is a barren island smaller than one-
tenth of Taiwan. We will be unable to defend it without Taiwan, either.” That is a quote from the famous
Shangshujielu (literally A Proposal for the Emperor) written by Shi. The Qing government sided with Shi,
affiliating Taiwan to Fujian Province and ordered the governor-general of Minzhe to administer the place. Under the
governor-general of Minzhe, there is the Fujian Office, under which there is the Taiwan Prefecture that consists of
Anping County, Fengshan County, and Zhuluo County. One military officer and another five were deployed to
Penghu and Taiwan.

As the Zhu Yi-gui Incident raged across Taiwan in 1722, all the officials escaped to Penghu out of safety
concerns. Later, General Shi Shi-piao invaded Taiwan from Penghu with the help of General Lan Ting-zhen and put
a stop to the insurgency within ten days. Meanwhile, a debate on how to defend Taiwan was sparked again, with one
side arguing to abandon Taiwan and another proposing to station the army in Penghu instead. Having such
arguments is understandable, as malaria was rampant on the Island; even the governors of Fengshan and Zhuluo
were afraid to go to their offices. The governor of Taiwan and Xiamen was reassigned every half year, and troops
were replaced annually. As described by an old proverb, there is a major insurgency every five years and a minor
one every three years; insurgencies were rife across Taiwan, since the people there were descendants of Southern
Chinese bandits and had rebellious spirits. To make matters worse, there were also fighting between factions from
Quanzhou and Zhangzhou, as well as headhunting by the indigenous. Taiwanese people were badly shaken by all
these factors. However, Governor Lan Ding-yuan of Taiwan fiercely opposed the proposal to move Taiwan's army
to Penghu. He argued that “Taiwan was a fertile land characterized by unique terrains. Its land area is only smaller

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