Chapter 1017 The Master of Anping

Fujian, Quanzhou Prefecture

Quanzhou Prefecture governed seven counties—Jinjiang, Nan'an, Tong'an, Hui'an, Anxi, Yongchun, and Dehua—with its administrative seat in Jinjiang County. Just northwest of Jinjiang lay Nan'an, the ancestral home of Zheng Zhilong: the Senate's greatest potential adversary, a thorn lodged permanently in their throat.

Since accepting the imperial amnesty and receiving his commission as mobile corps commander, Zheng Zhilong had returned home draped in glory. The Zheng family had swiftly risen to become Quanzhou's wealthiest clan.

They acquired vast tracts of land in Nan'an, cultivating cash crops destined for export markets. Beyond their maritime enterprises, they were now major landlords. The Zheng clansmen of Nan'an flourished accordingly, erecting magnificent mansions throughout the county.

Yet Zheng Zhilong found Nan'an's geography wanting. A maritime warlord valued harbors above all else. So he established his primary stronghold at Anping Town in Jinjiang—a fortified settlement commanding the sea.

Anping belonged to Quanzhou Prefecture, but its position faced not Quanzhou Bay where the Jinjiang River emptied, but rather Weizhou Bay, with Kinmen Island visible on the horizon. In ancient times the harbor was called Wan Sea; the Song dynasty renamed it "Anhai"; the Ming changed it again to "Anping." One character meaning "peace" apparently proved insufficient, so another was added—likely because pirates had long plagued these waters.

In the thirty-seventh year of Jiajing, Japanese pirates descended upon this place and ravaged it mercilessly. Only then were city walls raised. The trauma of those raids ran so deep that even eight decades later, locals still spoke of them with palpable dread.

Before receiving his amnesty, Zheng Zhilong had systematically attacked Yuegang, Fujian's traditional foreign trade port, ultimately destroying its commerce entirely. He thereby achieved his true objective: redirecting all foreign trade to Anping and Zhongyousuo—ports under his absolute control.

His choice of Anping was calculated with precision. Anping Town, together with Xiamen Island (Zhongyousuo) and the Greater and Lesser Kinmen Islands under his dominion, formed a Weizhou Bay held in an iron grip. Any enemy venturing an attack here would face enormous risks.

Zheng Zhilong ordered the Anping city walls extensively repaired—practically rebuilding the city from the ground up. Anping became both his military stronghold for self-defense and his maritime trade hub. Ships bound for Japan and Taiwan all passed through here. The Dutch called these merchant vessels "Anhai ships."

Besides fortifications and wharves, his own comforts received no less attention. Beginning in the spring of Chongzhen's third year, Zheng Zhilong undertook large-scale construction of a personal mansion in Anping. This palatial residence would require three years and two months to complete.

According to the Jiaqing Chidian Township Records: The Zheng Mansion stood north of Anping Bridge, stretching west from Xidai to Xigang, north to Xi'antou, with its southern face fronting Anping Bridge head and connecting directly to Wugang Port. The compound covered one hundred thirty-eight mu. The main structure featured hipped roofs, five bays in width with thirteen frames, three through-gates, double fire alleys, and five courtyards deep. Wing halls, pavilions, and kiosks flanked both sides, encircling the complex like screens. To the east rose "Dunren Pavilion," to the west "Taiyun Tower." The front hall housed the "Catholic Church," while the middle hall bore the name "Xiaosi Hall"—all grand in their proportions. Behind the main buildings lay "Zhiyuan Garden," enclosed by walls, graced with artificial hills and valleys, pavilions and studios, ponds and small bridges, winding paths, rare trees, and exotic flowers.

At this moment, however, the luxurious mansion remained under intensive construction. Zheng Zhilong and his family resided temporarily in a smaller residence within Anping Town.

The master himself sat in his inner study. Though the Senate thought constantly of this man, few appreciated how young he truly was. Born in 1604, Zheng Zhilong was merely twenty-eight in the year 1631. When he inherited Yan Siqi's former subordinates after the latter's death, he had been only twenty-one. In the old dimension, he would have qualified as a genuine "young talent" or "Outstanding Young Person."

The Zheng Zhilong of 1631 had already eliminated most of his maritime rivals, including Li Kuiqi, who had once nearly driven him to utter desperation. He completely controlled the Japan trade and had forced his former employers—the "sea coachmen" of the Dutch East India Company—to trade on his terms. He now commanded a massive fleet that dominated the China Sea and monopolized commerce with Japan and Taiwan. Phrases like "earning a bushel of gold daily" and "wealth rivaling nations" were no exaggerations for him. He was the genuine Great Ming "tall, rich, and handsome"—and indeed, Zheng Zhilong was a handsome man with refined features.

He held a document in his hand.

The document had arrived several days prior aboard a Zheng family merchant ship returning from Taiwan. Its author was Zheng Zhilong's agent on the island: Guo Huaiyi.

Guo Huaiyi's public identity was leader of the Han immigrants in southern Taiwan. Officially, he served merely as village head of Youchexing Village, a local immigrant settlement. In truth, Guo Huaiyi had long been one of Zheng Zhilong's subordinates—a chess piece deliberately left behind in southern Taiwan.

Zheng Zhilong's rise owed much to inheriting Yan Siqi's legacy, and Taiwan's influence was one part of that inheritance.

Yan Siqi had been a great sea lord dominating Chinese and Japanese waters in his time, engaging in both trade and maritime plunder. Under him served ten principal captains, including Yang Tiansheng, Zhang Hong, Lin Fu, Lin Yi, Li Junchen, Chen Zhongji, and Zheng Zhilong himself.

Like many renowned sea lords of that era, Yan Siqi used Japan as his primary base. But as the shogunate's authority expanded, Captain Yan Siqi—planning for contingencies—began considering a base beyond Japanese jurisdiction.

Many island locations dotted the Chinese coast, but the Ming dynasty still retained residual prestige, and its military strength had not yet declined to the utter vulnerability of later years. Coastal islands in Fujian and Zhejiang remained untouchable—Shuangyu served as a cautionary example. Even at Penghu, where the Dutch built fortifications multiple times, Ming forces expelled them on each occasion. The only option was overseas isolated islands—the "land beyond civilization." Taiwan thus entered their sights.

In 1624, Yan Siqi led his subordinates and immigrants to Beigang, establishing camps and recruiting pioneers from Zhangzhou and Quanzhou on the mainland to cultivate the land. The following September, while hunting at Zhuluo Mountain, Yan Siqi reportedly died from a sudden chill.

Yan Siqi's death carried a whiff of suspicion, but regardless of the circumstances, the twenty-one-year-old Zheng Zhilong inherited leadership and most of the legacy.

After assuming command, Zheng Zhilong invested little effort in Taiwan's pioneer settlements. The Dutch expanded rapidly across the island, and the Spanish also intervened: in 1626, they built Fort San Salvador near Keelung; two years later, Fort Santo Domingo rose at present-day Tamsui. Zheng Zhilong, constantly warring against various maritime rivals for supremacy at sea, had no desire to wade into such muddy waters. At one point he resolved to abandon the Taiwan settlements entirely and withdraw to Fujian—only to reconsider and continue operations there. In 1628, southern Fujian suffered a devastating drought that left multitudes starving. With Xiong Wencan's support, Zheng Zhilong recruited tens of thousands of refugees from Zhangzhou, Quanzhou, and surrounding areas, "giving each person three taels of silver and one ox for every three people," and transported them by sea to Beigang to cultivate and settle. This greatly expanded both the number and influence of Fujian immigrants in Taiwan.

Yet from beginning to end, Zheng Zhilong never deployed armed forces to Taiwan, nor did he explicitly declare sovereignty over the island. He merely supported leaders among the Fujian immigrants, using them to exercise remote control over local villages—though over the years he had scarcely interfered in local affairs. Even when the Dutch collected head taxes from the Chinese, he declined to intervene.

Through local plantation owners, Zheng Zhilong maintained control over Beigang—the earliest landing and development area for mainland immigrants. Guo Huaiyi, operating within Dutch-controlled territory, wrote to him nearly monthly, reporting conditions on the ground. As the local Chinese leader, the Dutch relied on him for many administrative matters. Thus Zheng Zhilong knew the Dutch's every move and the state of their trade as intimately as the lines on his own palm.

He had long known about the Dutch secretly colluding with Liu Xiang and providing covert support—but the time was not yet ripe to turn against them.

The Dutch were fence-sitters, equally half-hearted toward Liu Xiang. They would never truly exert themselves on his behalf. Their sole objective was to play both sides and maintain a maritime balance. If Zheng Zhilong moved against them immediately, it would only drive the Dutch openly into his opponents' camp.

Though Zheng Zhilong did not fear Dutch strength—he had taught them a lesson years ago—neither was he someone who relished war. He was first and foremost a merchant. If the Dutch truly opposed him and vigorously supported Liu Xiang with ships and cannons, it would create considerable trouble.

But Guo Huaiyi's letter did not concern the Dutch. His report was about the Australians.

The letter stated that he had learned from both the Dutch and local natives: Last month, on the third day of September, an Australian fleet suddenly arrived at Dagou Harbor and immediately commenced landing operations. They transported large numbers of personnel and materials ashore, and had already constructed fortresses and settlements. They apparently intended permanent pioneering.

Zheng Zhilong was not unfamiliar with the Australians—or "Shorn-Haired Criminals," as they were called. Years ago, he had first heard of Australian goods and Australians themselves. Li Siya had reported on them and presented several rare "Australian goods." Despite their mysterious origins and abundance of strange gadgets—like that enormous iron ship.

Yet contrary to the Senate's view of him, the feeling was not mutual. The Senate considered him their greatest threat, but Zheng Zhilong scarcely spared them a thought. The Australians occupied Lingao—Guangdong waters lay outside his sphere of influence, and he harbored no intentions of extending his reach there. These years he had been consumed with eliminating maritime rivals. The Australians tucked away in western Guangdong posed no threat to him—they were more a thorn in Zhucailao's side than his.

Only the previous year, when the Australians had crushed all of Guangdong Province's expeditionary forces, then entered the Pearl River mouth to shatter the government navy, advancing to Guangzhou's city walls before withdrawing—only then did Zheng Zhilong first truly take notice. At minimum, they represented a force no less formidable than his own, in both strength and will. He began directing some attention toward these overseas visitors who claimed descent from the Song dynasty.

[Author's note: Whether Guo Huaiyi was Zheng Zhilong's subordinate is historically disputed. No strong evidence exists to prove this claim. This is purely novelist's license.]

(End of Chapter)