The Fractured Legacy of the Zheng Maritime Empire

In the turbulent mid-17th century, as the Ming dynasty crumbled before Qing conquest, one maritime power family stood at a crossroads. The Zheng clan, led by the formidable pirate-merchant Zheng Zhilong, had dominated East Asian waters for decades. By 1650, with Zheng Zhilong detained by the Qing in Beijing, his ambitious son Zheng Chenggong (later known as Koxinga) emerged as a key figure in the resistance movement.

The young commander faced a complex situation. Though he commanded growing military forces, his territorial base remained precarious. His failed campaign in Chaozhou, Guangdong that summer highlighted these limitations. Unlike his father who had unified the Zheng network through both force and diplomacy, Chenggong found himself competing with relatives like Zheng Cai and Zheng Lian for control of strategic islands. The family’s maritime empire had fractured after Zheng Zhilong’s surrender to the Qing, with various factions pursuing independent agendas.

The Xiamen Gambit: A Ruthless Consolidation of Power

August 1650 marked a turning point in Zheng Chenggong’s rise. Recognizing the strategic value of Xiamen (then called Zhongzuosuo), he devised an audacious plan to seize it from his relatives. The island was lightly defended with Zheng Lian in command while his brother Zheng Cai was away with their main forces.

Chenggong employed classic stratagems from Chinese military tradition. First, he sent 1,000 shi of rice – solving Zheng Lian’s immediate supply problems while masking his true intentions. When his forces landed on August 15 under the pretext of familial cooperation, they swiftly disarmed Zheng Lian’s garrison. The subsequent execution of Zheng Lian and absorption of his forces demonstrated Chenggong’s ruthless pragmatism. Within months, most of Zheng Cai’s commanders defected to Chenggong’s banner, completing his domination of the Zheng network.

This coup transformed the balance of power. Chenggong now controlled:
– A formidable fleet of over 400 ships
– The strategic Xiamen archipelago
– Thousands of veteran sailors and soldiers
– The lucrative maritime trade routes his father had established

The Perils of Expansion: The Guangdong Campaign

With his power base secured, Chenggong faced the perennial challenge of feeding his growing forces. The decision to campaign in Guangdong’s Chaozhou region in late 1650 reflected both opportunity and necessity. His uncle Zheng Hongkui was struggling to extract supplies from the rebellious local population while facing Qing pressure.

The expedition revealed tensions within Chenggong’s command. His talented general Shi Lang (later the Qing conqueror of Taiwan) opposed the venture through an ingenious indirect warning – claiming an inauspicious dream foretold disaster. Chenggong dismissed these concerns, stripping Shi Lang of command in a decision that would have lasting consequences.

Initial successes at Daxingsuo in March 1651 masked the campaign’s strategic vulnerability. While Chenggong’s forces excelled in naval combat, their limited capacity for sustained land operations became apparent. More critically, the absence of his main force created a dangerous opportunity for the Qing.

The Xiamen Disaster: Family Betrayal and Qing Opportunism

The Qing strike on Xiamen in late February 1651 exposed the fragile nature of Zheng family loyalties. Fujian officials Zhang Xuesheng, Huang Shu, and Ma Degong exploited intelligence about Chenggong’s absence to launch a devastating raid.

The attack’s success relied heavily on collusion from within the Zheng clan:
– Chenggong’s uncle Zheng Zhibao provided eight ships for the invasion
– Defensive commander Zheng Zhiruan abandoned his post
– The garrison collapsed with minimal resistance

The looting that followed became legendary. Contemporary accounts describe the loss of:
– Over 900,000 taels of gold
– Hundreds of yi (ancient measurement) of jewels
– Tens of thousands of hu of grain
– Countless personal possessions of soldiers and civilians

When Zheng Hongkui’s returning forces trapped Ma Degong’s Qing troops on the island, a remarkable family intervention occurred. At the pleading of Zheng Zhilong’s mother (Chenggong’s grandmother), Hongkui allowed the Qing forces to escape – prioritizing family ties over military advantage.

Reckoning and Reform: Chenggong’s Response

Chenggong’s furious return in April 1651 marked a watershed in his leadership. His dramatic response included:
– Cutting his hair in a symbolic vow of vengeance
– Publicly shunning the relatives who facilitated the disaster
– Executing Zheng Zhiruan despite family pleas for mercy
– Implementing strict new disciplinary measures

This episode hardened Chenggong’s approach to governance and military command. The loss of Xiamen’s wealth forced him to develop more systematic approaches to logistics and defense. Perhaps most significantly, it accelerated his break from the compromising policies of his father’s generation, setting him on the path toward his eventual conquest of Taiwan as a Ming loyalist redoubt.

The Enduring Legacy of the 1650-1651 Crisis

These eighteen months proved foundational for Zheng Chenggong’s historical significance. The consolidation of the Zheng forces under his command created the military machine that would:
– Dominate East Asian waters for decades
– Expel the Dutch from Taiwan in 1662
– Establish the last major Ming loyalist regime

The Xiamen disaster also revealed the complex interplay between family loyalty and political ambition that characterized the Ming-Qing transition. Chenggong’s ability to recover from this setback demonstrated the resilience that would make him a legendary figure in Chinese history – revered in China and Taiwan alike as a symbol of resistance and determination.

Modern scholars continue to debate whether Chenggong’s Guangdong campaign was truly aimed at supporting the embattled Yongli Emperor or simply a supply-gathering expedition. What remains undeniable is that these events forged the leader who would become one of East Asia’s most iconic historical figures – his legacy still shaping regional identities and cross-strait relations today.