Page 81 - An Overview of Penghu

The First Sino-Japanese War and Penghu

The Donghak Rebellion in May 1894 triggered the First Sino-Japanese War. On July 23rd of the same year, the
Qing army fired at the Japanese army from Seoul, while their Japanese counterparts sank a Qing warship near
Pungdo as revenge. In August, the two nations declared war on each other.

News of the conflict had already been passed on to Taiwan in haste in May; Taiwanese people were severely
rattled. The governor at that time was Shao You-lian, who put his focus entirely on Penghu. He assigned four militia
battalions to General Zhou Zhen-bang and an artillery battalion to General Liu Xi-hou to defend the Island. In
September of the same year, Shao left Taiwan because he was assigned as the governor of Hubei and Hunan. After
hearing unfavorable news from the north, his successor Tang Jing-song set up five extra battalions for the defense in
Penghu and Tamsui. Commander Liu Yong-fu also recruited 5,000 soldiers to set up a district watch force. The
group was responsible for organizing militias and collecting donations; its director, Taipei Governor Guan Yuan-
shan, had to report directly to Tang Jing-song. Knowing that taking down Penghu was the shortcut to occupy
Taiwan, the imperial army moved into the second phase of its plan. On March 23, 1895, Commander Itō led the First
Fleet and bombarded the Penghu Fort, to cover for the disembarkation of the Japanese army. Meanwhile, a mixed
brigade led by Colonel Hishijima reached the southern bay of Bazhao Island by two royal ships, Kagoshimamaru
and Shibatamaru, and then disembarked from Lizhengjiao of Lintouao Village in southeast Penghu. On the same
day, the troops advanced into the center of Penghu Island and attacked the Gongbei Fort, defeating the Qing troops
and occupied the Magong Castle. Since this operation happened three months before Japan's takeover of Taiwan,
we can call those soldiers pioneers in terms of their occupation of Taiwan.

After sending the surrendered Qing soldiers back to their country, the Japanese empire assigned Major
General Tanaka Tsuna as the governor of Penghu Archipelago, imposing martial laws here to pacify its residents.
On May 10th, the empire assigned Admiral Kabayama as the first Governor-General of Taiwan. Before he embarked
for the island nation on May 21st, Kabayama drafted the Temporary Provisions of the Governor-General of Taiwan
in Hiroshima, starting Japan's stratocratic rule over Taiwan through a civil affairs office, an army office, and a naval
office. In June of the next year, he issued the Temporary Provisions of Local Governments and set up Taipei
Prefecture, Taiwan Prefecture, Tainan Prefecture, and Penghu Island Prefecture.

It is common to find stratocratic governments in newly-conquered lands. Even if there is one that appears to
be a civil government, it is still a stratocratic administration down to its core. A true civil government did not appear
in Taiwan until April 1, 1896 when an edict concerning local government organization was announced.

The Memorial for the Disembarkation of the Mixed Brigade

The memorial stands at Lizhengjiao of the Liangwen Port in Huxi
Village, which is about 3,382 m from the east side of Magong. It is also where
Hishijima's mixed brigade disembarked with the help of the Japanese
Combined Fleet (whose commander is Itō Sukeyuki) on March 23, 1895.

On March 23, 1924, General Tanikuchi, the commander of the Guard
District of the Navy in Magong, proposed to build a memorial. The governor
of Penghu and local residents then donated about ¥ 1,000 to erect a stele at the
point of disembarkation. The third person from the right in the photo was
General Anpo, a special inspector of the Navy in 1932.

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