Chapter 1238 - Operation Overlord
Equipping the Marines with Hall rifles would inevitably reshape their tactical doctrine. The Army had invested considerable effort in establishing its current system—organization, logistics, and training were all built around the Minié rifle. A large-scale transition to the Hall would carry significant risk.
The Marines, by contrast, were ideal candidates for the experiment. Small in scale, frequently executing small-unit combat missions, and emphasizing skirmisher tactics, they were naturally suited to serve as a testing ground. Moreover, the Hall's faster rate of fire complemented their tactical mode of skirmishing and precision shooting.
The two proposals aligned perfectly. Shi Zhiqi's plan for new organization and new equipment was approved, with a small-scale experimental unit put forward to test the weapons. Drawing personnel from the original Hong Kong Detachment, a 1st Expeditionary Force of three companies was reorganized as the test unit.
In the command room of Zuooying Mission, a sprawling sand table model of Weitou Bay had been constructed—Anping, Xiamen Island, Gulangyu, and Greater and Lesser Kinmen all rendered in miniature.
How best to wage war against the Zhengs had sparked considerable debate, but ultimately the General Staff adopted the strategy of "striking directly at the heart." The main force would deliver a devastating blow to Zheng Zhilong's lair at Anping Town, sweeping away the Zheng family's power across the region in a single stroke. If opportunity permitted, they would capture or kill the Zheng leadership and eradicate their threat once and for all.
Years earlier, the Qing army's surprise raid on Xiamen had failed to destroy Zheng Chenggong's military power outright, yet it had plundered the grain and silver the Zheng family had amassed over many years. The blow to Zheng Chenggong's economic foundation was severe, and his strength was greatly sapped.
Now, during the Zheng family's founding phase, their wealth was far less than in Zheng Chenggong's era. A powerful joint amphibious strike that plundered their savings and destroyed their fleet—even without capturing the principal leaders—would be enough to cripple Zheng Zhilong.
The plan had been approved before summer, and troop deployments proceeded accordingly. Based on integrated intelligence, the General Staff and Navy designated late September as the optimal window. By then, typhoon season would largely be over, and the strait's calm waters would be ideal for troop transport. Additionally, Zheng family ships sailing to Japan typically departed in June and returned around September; striking at this time maximized the chance of catching their main Japan trade vessels, dealing a crippling blow to their maritime power.
The Intelligence Bureau, however, reminded both the General Staff and the Navy that Zheng Zhilong's maritime power recovered with extraordinary speed. Large trading ships could be built remarkably quickly along the Fujian coast; a large sea vessel might launch in as few as seven or eight months. Though the quality was poor, these ships could still sail to Japan or the Nanyang without trouble. Throughout history, Zheng Zhilong had suffered multiple defeats and heavy ship losses, yet each time he rebuilt his fleet with astonishing speed—a testament to Xiong Wencan's support and Zheng's deep roots in the Zhangzhou and Quanzhou regions.
But Xiong Wencan had since been transferred to Guangdong. The new governor, Zou Weilian, relied somewhat on Zheng Zhilong for coastal defense but trusted him far less than his predecessor had. Zheng's power was growing; he acted independently in many matters and no longer fully obeyed the governor's dispatch. The relationship between them was far less "harmonious" than in the Xiong Wencan era.
The Intelligence Bureau's analysis was clear: to shake the Zheng family's prestige in the Zhang-Quan region while simultaneously sowing doubt in Governor Zou Weilian's mind about Zheng's capabilities—many Fujian officials already viewed their reliance on Zheng Zhilong with resignation, believing him "useful but untrustworthy"—they needed to implement a devastating strike. Anping, Xiamen, Gulangyu, and Greater and Lesser Kinmen must be systematically destroyed. Killing the main leaders would be better still.
The General Staff's final operational plan called for a joint Army-Navy landing operation on September 20th. The First Fleet's main force would break into Weitou Bay and destroy all ships anchored there in a single stroke, while Marines and Army units landed to occupy Anping, Xiamen Island, Gulangyu, and the Kinmen islands.
After occupation, they would conduct a comprehensive mop-up of all forts, stockades, and walled settlements on the islands, destroying them one by one. Population, grain, and wealth would be entirely plundered; walled cities would be burned. Weitou Bay would become scorched earth, stripped of any capacity for foreign trade. Both the Grand Library and the Intelligence Bureau believed it impossible to completely eliminate the Zheng family in a single campaign; they must first destroy its economic and material foundation to the greatest extent possible, then coordinate subsequent trade blockades and military strikes to finally bring them down.
Crucially, the Army and Navy would only conduct destruction operations against Anping, Xiamen Island, Gulangyu, and the Kinmen region—not occupy them. The General Staff reasoned that direct occupation would inevitably require large-scale troop dispersal for garrison duty. For Fujian officialdom, moreover, occupation of Xiamen and Kinmen would represent a direct threat to the Zhang-Quan region, provoking a major backlash. Fujian's bureaucrats would desperately support Zheng Zhilong's counterattack.
Conversely, if they merely struck the Zheng family hard, those same bureaucrats and gentry—who already harbored distaste for the Zheng clan—might instead rise against him.
From a trade perspective, the Fujian coast was not indispensable. Colonial and Trade Department ships could depart from Shanghai, Guangzhou, or Kaohsiung to reach any trading destination. And when it came to acquiring Ming trade goods, Fujian's commodities were not irreplaceable either.
The plan was named "Overlord" by Dongmen Chuiyu, in characteristically poor taste—once the campaign succeeded, the Senate would truly become overlord of the entire East Asian seas.
The anticipated troop strength comprised the entire First Fleet of the Navy, several squadrons of Coast Guard patrol boats transferred from Lingao, multiple naval fire support squadrons, the Marine Corps' 1st Expeditionary Force, the Army's 1st Infantry Battalion in full, two artillery batteries, one heavy artillery battery, and two Special Reconnaissance detachments.
In the command room of Zuooying Mission, Dongmen Chuiyu stood pointing at the sand table with a baton, explaining the operation.
"The first objective of this offensive is Kinmen Island." He tapped the model. "Kinmen is the throat of Xiamen, positioned at the junction of Xiamen Bay and Weitou Bay. It guards not only Xiamen but also screens the Jiulong River estuary, playing a vital role in Zhangzhou's maritime security. For Zheng Zhilong specifically, Kinmen is an essential maritime shield for Anping. If Kinmen falls, Anping becomes indefensible. This is a strategic position he must hold."
Kinmen's land was barren, lacking surface runoff—a water-scarce region with a harsh natural environment. It could not support a large population. Yet the Kinmen islands boasted numerous harbor ports, with over thirty piers capable of berthing ships: seventeen on Greater Kinmen, six on Lesser Kinmen. It was an excellent place to anchor a fleet, and Kinmen had long served as one of the Zheng family's principal anchorages. Zheng Chenggong's invasion of Taiwan itself would later launch from these shores.
The second objective was Xiamen Island, situated eighteen nautical miles from Kinmen. If Anping was the Zheng family's lair, then Xiamen was the grand trading post for their commercial operations. Countless goods and wealth were stockpiled here, in constant turnover. The Zheng brothers would later build lavish mansions on the island and relocate there entirely. When Qing general Ma Degong successfully raided Xiamen, it was said he plundered nine hundred thousand taels of silver and one hundred thousand shi of grain in a single stroke. Considering that Ma Degong fled before establishing a solid foothold, conducted no thorough search, and inevitably pocketed a share for himself—even Zheng Zhilong likely did not know exactly how much his family had stockpiled on Xiamen Island.
"Now I will announce the campaign schedule."
September 20th would be D-Day.
D-3: The fleet would set sail and assemble at Penghu, establishing a forward base on Magong Island where they would stockpile food and water.
D-2: Special Reconnaissance teams would land first on Anping, Greater Kinmen, and Xiamen Island to establish guidance points at predetermined beaches.
D-1, early morning: The fleet would depart for Kinmen Island.
Kinmen lay roughly eighty nautical miles from Penghu. Steam ships at eight knots would require approximately ten hours. To accommodate the majority of sailing vessels, however, the fleet's average speed could only be maintained at three to four knots, stretching the crossing to over twenty-five hours. Departure was thus set for 0400 hours. This way, the fleet would arrive on the morning of D-Day, breaking into Liaoluo Bay on the rising tide.
"According to reports from Special Recon teams and reconnaissance ships, part of Zheng Zhilong's fleet is anchored in Liaoluo Bay, part at Gulangyu. Some are also anchored at Anping." Dongmen Chuiyu pointed to the ship models arrayed on the sand table.
Anchored in Liaoluo Bay was the Zheng "fleet": the larger vessels, including several European-type ships, most equipped with Red Barbarian Cannons allocated by Xiong Wencan from Guangdong. Though Liaoluo Bay faced the open sea with larger waves, its steep beaches and deep waters with sandy bottoms made it an ideal anchorage for large, deep-draft vessels. It also offered a convenient position for intercepting enemy fleets attempting to attack Xiamen Bay or Weitou Bay.
At Anping and Gulangyu, ordinary trading ships predominated, though a significant portion were also armed. Near Gulangyu in particular, Zheng Zhilong maintained a number of fire ships—clearly, the enemy understood that fire ships achieved maximum effectiveness in narrow waters.
According to the plan, the fleet would first attack all ships anchored in Liaoluo Bay, then concentrate fire to bombard Kinmen and destroy its defenses. The Marines would subsequently land to execute attack-occupy-destroy operations.
The Zheng family maintained several forts and stockades on Kinmen, garrisoned by several thousand men. Multiple artillery batteries were also in place. Yet compared to the Humen-Pearl River defenses the Navy had breached years earlier, Kinmen's fortifications were far inferior. The Zheng family's defense of Kinmen still relied fundamentally on their maritime fleet rather than shore batteries.
After occupying Greater and Lesser Kinmen, command posts and transfer stations would be established on the island. Attacks would then be launched against Xiamen Island and Anping respectively. The plan called for large numbers of Daihatsu, Chuhatsu, and Shohatsu landing craft to ferry assault troops within the bay, overcoming the disadvantage that the First Fleet's many large, deep-draft vessels were ill-suited for amphibious landings.
(End of Chapter)