First look at a biography of a winner in life -
Origin: Nan'an, Quanzhou, Fujian;
Nickname: Ichigun;
Catholic name: Nicolas (Nicholas);
Occupation: smuggler, pirate;
Official: Ming Dynasty Fujian guerrilla, Zongzhen, Pingguo Gongqing First Class Viscount, Tong'an Marquis;
Languages: Hokkien, Mandarin, Japanese, Portuguese, Dutch;
Wife: Tagawa clan of Japan, and six other Chinese side chambers;
Subordinates: 30,000 people with a mixed force of Han, Japanese, Korean, Malay, and Black;
Business Scope: Fujian, Taiwan, Pingdo, Nagasaki, Da Ni, Hunni, Champa City, Luzon, Lugang, Beigang, Dayuan, Mumbai, Banten, Old Port, Batavia, Malacca, Cambodia, Siam.
He was the Asian supership king of the Age of Discovery; he was a pirate king who ran rampant in black and white; he was a Catholic and overseas Chinese in Japan who knew many Chinese; he was a pioneer in China's development of Taiwan and immigrated to Taiwan; he was a hero who defeated the sea giant Netherlands in the Battle of Minghe; he became a thief first and then an official, first descended to the Ming Dynasty and then surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, and he was born in his life.
Pictured: Zheng Zhilong in a Japanese game
His name is Zheng Zhilong.
By the way, he has a son who is very famous, Zheng Chenggong, the national hero who recovered Taiwan.
1. Marry a Japanese wife, be a Dutch translator, and be a pirate ally
Zheng Zhilong was born in a small family of officials in Shijing Town, Nan'an, Quanzhou, Fujian Province, nicknamed "Yiguan", and the "Taiwan Foreign Chronicle" said that he was "easy-going in temperament, did not like to read, had strength, and was good at boxing", and especially liked things at sea.
When Zheng Yiguan was seventeen years old, he went to Macau to study business at his uncle Huang Cheng, and received Catholic baptism in Macau, with the name Nicolas, so he was also called Nicholas Iquan by Westerners.
At the age of eighteen, Zheng Yiguan crossed the sea to Hirado, Japan, and attached himself to Li Dan, the most powerful Quanzhou compatriot and sea giant at that time. Hirado is The center of Japan's foreign trade, and merchant ships from all over the world are concentrated. According to Japanese historical records, because of zheng yiguan's spirit and familiarity with maritime and diplomatic affairs, he was valued by the Lord of Hirado Domain, the Matsuura clan, who personally gave the house land to build a new house, and introduced a daughter of the Hirado clan to marry the Tagawa clan. On July 14, 1624, Zheng Yiguan's Japanese wife gave birth to her son Zheng Chenggong in Chirihama, Hirado Island.
Pictured: Sculpture of Zheng Chenggong's mother and son in Hirado, Japan
Li Dan was the ming who had done the most in maritime trade after Wang Zhi, and he felt that Zheng Yiguan was very smart and capable, and treated him like a righteous son. Soon, Li Dan sent Zheng Yiguan to Penghu to serve as a Dutch general (translator).
Nominally, it is a general affair, but Zheng Yiguan's work is not as simple as doing translation. According to the letters of the Dutchman Gerald Waiter, the Dutch sent a "general officer" (Zheng Zhilong) to lead twenty or thirty Chinese sailing ships to intercept the sea ships that were trading with Spain.
In 1624, Zheng Yiguan left the Dutch and went to Taiwan to return to another well-known maritime hero, Yan Siqi. Yan Siqi's experience is also legendary, he was the first pirate to explore Taiwan, and was named "Nail Snail" (pirate leader) by the Japanese government.
Pictured: Yan Siqi, who was later known as the "King of Kaitai"
It is also the fortune of Zheng Yiguan, Li Dan and Yan Siqi, two great maritime figures, who died early one after another, and Zheng Yiguan took over the foundation and soldiers of the two men, was promoted by everyone as the leader of the alliance, and established a base camp in The Harbor on the southwest coast of Taiwan.
After Zheng Yiguan established his own portal, he gathered eighteen Chinese pirate leaders, took himself as the boss, and became brothers to achieve a great cause, called "Eighteen Zhi" (both "Zhi" in the name), and changed his name to "Zhilong" and no longer called "Yiguan".
2. Surrender to the Ming Dynasty and settle Taiwan
Based in Taiwan, Zheng Zhilong continued to expand trade and plunder goods, becoming the largest armed group on the sea at that time.
During the Ming Dynasty (1626-1627), Zheng Zhilong led a fleet of ships to attack Fujian, plundering Quanzhou, Kinmen, Xiamen, And Guangdong Jinghai, Jiazi and other places, Fujian officers and soldiers repeatedly defeated, can only watch him across the southeast sea.
Pictured: Zheng Zhilong's pirate power
Hard no, soft. The Ming government could not suppress Zheng Zhilong, and planned to use this maritime power to compete with the Dutch, so it constantly treated Zheng Zhilong preferentially.
After the Chongzhen Emperor ascended the throne in 1628, Zheng Zhilong felt that the time had come, so he took care of Xiong Wencan, the inspector of Fujian, and officially demoted him to the post of "Five Tiger Guerrilla General". Therefore, Zheng Zhilong left Taiwan, the base area he had been operating for many years, and sat in Minhai to "cut off Yikou and suppress the thieves" for the Ming court. Zheng Zhilong set up a base camp in Anping, Jinjiang, making it a military stronghold and maritime trade base for supporting troops and defending themselves.
At this time, Zheng Zhilong reached the peak of his career: he had a mixed army of more than 30,000 People and more than 1,000 ships composed of Han Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Malays, and Blacks.
Zheng Zhilong should be the Chinese with the most Taiwanese complex at that time, during the period of drought in Fujian, he recruited tens of thousands of people from Zhangzhang and Quanquan, "people gave silver three or two, three people gave a cow", and transported it to Taiwan by sea boat to settle in the wilderness. In the history of Taiwan, Zheng Zhilong was the first person to organize large-scale immigration.
However, Zheng Zhilong's unimpeded rampage on the sea inevitably violated the interests of a maritime power in the West.
Netherlands.
3. The Battle of Minhe-Hosley beat the Dutch to obedience
In the first half of the 17th century, the Dutch were the "maritime superpowers" of the West, and their "East India Company" was like a jagged and fanged shark, intercepting Portuguese and Spanish merchant ships everywhere at sea, establishing trading houses in Hirado, Japan, and establishing a base camp in Jakarta.
Pictured: The Dutch in the seventeenth century by the Japanese
The Dutch were not satisfied, they had always had a dream: to control the Sea of China and dominate China's maritime trade.
In 1622, the Dutch occupied Penghu, and under the mediation of Li Dan, the Dutch withdrew from Penghu and moved to Taiwan. Since then, Taiwan has become an exclusive area occupied by the Dutch, which lasted until Zheng Chenggong resumed Taiwan.
The Zheng Zhilong group ran rampant at sea, posing a great threat to the Dutch. As soon as the Dutch ship appeared in the Sea of China, it was immediately intercepted by the Zheng Zhilong group, for which a war between the Dutch army stationed in Taiwan and the Zheng army occurred in 1627, and the Dutch army was defeated.
The new Dutch governor of Taiwan, Putmans, in order to force the Ming Dynasty to open the sea ban, intended to forcibly occupy the mainland coast by force, and with the help of another maritime leader, Liu Xiang (who was one of Zheng Zhilong's brothers and had turned against each other), the Dutch warships killed the Chinese coast. In 1633, thirteen Dutch warships suddenly launched an attack on Nan'ao, which was under the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty.
The Chongzhen Emperor was very annoyed by the atrocities of "Hongyi", and Zou Weilian, the governor of Fujian, did not dare to slack off after receiving the holy decree and strict investigation, and immediately flew to all places to warn Wenwu and "swore to fight to the death with one body." In October, Zou Weilian arrived in Zhangzhou and dispatched the generals and the Great Jizhou Division.
Who are the pioneers? "Five Tigers Guerrilla General" Zheng Zhilong also.
Zheng Zhilong personally commanded and led the fleet in the encounter in Penghu, burning a Dutch ship, capturing one Lotus general and drowning hundreds of Dutch soldiers. After that, Zheng Zhilong led 150 warships of the Ming Army to a decisive battle at the Bay of Kinmen Andro in the 60 warships of the Dutch and Liu Xiang alliances. Zheng Zhilong used fire attack tactics, under the cover of large ships' artillery, hundreds of fire ships swarmed up, using hooks to ignite enemy ships, defeated the Dutch, Liu Xiang's warships were lost, and Putmans fled back to Taiwan.
Pictured: Zheng Zhilong's "fire boat" pattern
Zou Weilian said in the Book of Songs: "In this move, the chief of the Yi Yi chief, the false king, the leader of the Yi Party, burned and sank thousands of people, killed 118 people, killed 20 Yi class, burned away 5 huge ships on the deck, seized 1 giant ship on the Deck, and destroyed more than 50 Yi thief boats. In the decades since Min Yue had Hongyi, this move has been a sensation. ”
This was a little-known war between Daming and the Netherlands, known in history as the "Battle of Zhiluo Bay", also known as the "Battle of Chongzhen Minghe", which ended with Daming's great victory. The Dutch understood the difference in strength with the Ming army and were honest from then on.
However, the Dutch East India Company's documents still recorded with hatred: "If the company wants to exist, it must remove the thorn of an official!" ”
In May 1635, Zheng Zhilong fought another victorious battle, Liu Xiang was forced to commit suicide, and the Taiwan Strait and the East Ocean Sea have dominated Zheng Zhilong's family ever since.
The Dutch colonists had no choice but to bow to Zheng Zhilong and reach a maritime navigation and trade agreement led by Zheng Zhilong, and from then on, the Dutch not only did not dare to covet the Chinese coastal step any further, but also the Dutch trade with Japan had to be transported to Taiwan through Zheng Zhilong, and after the transfer, it was shipped to Japan by the Dutch side for sale.
Zheng Zhilong became the king of the Eastern Ocean World in one fell swoop.
A dragon at sea.
3. Those who are not allowed to order the flag of the Zheng clan cannot come and go
With the support of the Ming government, Zheng Zhilong swept away the small number of pirates, suppressed the Dutch, and became a hot red-top merchant, who once dominated the sea. Historical sources say: "Those who are not allowed to order the flag of the Zheng clan cannot come and go." Each case earned three thousand gold, and the annual income was tens of millions, and Zhilong was rich enough to rival the country. ”
Pictured: Zheng Zhilong as the Governor of the Sea (the green-clad man in the middle) painted by Westerners
Armed fleets flying the banner of Zheng Zhilong sailed between China's coastal areas, Taiwan, Macao, Japan, the Philippines and other southeast Asian regions, carrying out maritime trade, almost monopolizing China's trade with overseas countries.
At that time, Japan was in a period of strict prohibition of Christianity and the closure of the country's doors. Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, issued a stern "Order for the Repulsion of Exotic Ships", ordering all foreign ships to fire as soon as they approached the Japanese mainland.
But Zheng Zhilong, a beneficiary of Japan's lockdown period, was the only Chinese maritime merchant who was able to freely enter and leave Japanese ports.
Most of Zheng Zhilong's overseas trade was trade with Japan. His fleet traveled between Macau and the ports of Nagasaki and Hirado in Japan, carrying large quantities of raw silk, textiles, porcelain, black and white sugar, and medicines to Japan, which was extremely popular with the Japanese. According to statistics, the number of Tang ships (most of which belonged to Zheng Zhilong) was seven to eleven times more than that of dutch ships.
Photo: "Tang ships" entering and leaving Nagasaki during the Period of Japanese Lockdown
In addition to Japan, Zheng Zhilong also made a lot of Business with Portuguese and Spanish. Some of the silk fabrics he shipped to Japan were purchased from Macau, and japanese goods were also shipped to Luzon by him for resale to Spain. In addition, Zheng Zhilong's fleet was often full of silk, porcelain, iron and other goods, sailing to Cambodia, Siam, Champa, Jiaotong, Srivijaya, the Philippines, Chewluba (now Jakarta), Malacca and other countries to trade, in exchange for sumu, pepper, ivory, rhino horn and so on.
It is worth mentioning that Zheng Zhilong has his own shipyard. The shipyard established by Zheng Zhilong, Zheng Chenggong and his son in Shijing, Nan'an, Quanzhou, specializes in building military and commercial ships, and every year it is necessary to launch three or five new ships and repair more than eighty ships.
In the precious historical material "The Record of Fire" that records the events of the Southern Ming Dynasty, it is said in a word: Bamin takes the Zheng clan as the Great Wall.
What is the Great Wall? Is it only the Great Wall that defends the nomads in the north? In modern history, the Great Wall on the Sea is a hundred times more valuable!
4. How can a dragon leave the sea? The ending of Zheng Zhilong
The end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty were a chaotic era, and just when Zheng Zhilong was rampaging on the sea, the situation on the mainland was turned upside down. Li Zicheng attacked Beijing, and the Chongzhen Emperor hanged himself on the coal mountain. In the same year, Wu Sangui led qing troops into the Central Plains, the Qing army defeated Li Zicheng and the Ming army, swept through half of the Ming Dynasty, the Southern Ming court survived in Nanjing for only one year, and the Hongguang Emperor Zhu Yousong was captured and killed by the Qing army.
As the overlord of the southeast, Zheng Zhilong is certainly not willing to be lonely.
In 1645, Zheng Zhilong, together with the Fujian governor Zhang Kentang and the Rebbe Shangshu Huang Daozhou, proclaimed the Tang emperor Zhu Yujian in Fuzhou and changed his name to Yuan Longwu. Zheng Zhilong was given the title of Duke of Pingguo and held military and political power. The small court of Longwu was completely dependent on Zheng Zhilong for its financial resources and army, and it was better to say that Zheng Zhilong was making political investment than that Zheng Zhilong was loyal to the Ming Dynasty.
Pictured: Portrait of Zhu Yujian, Emperor Longwu
However, this investment seems to be adrift.
The following year, when the Qing army advanced into Fujian, Zheng Zhilong felt the pressure of the war situation and was shaken. At the suggestion of Zheng Zhilong's Quanzhou compatriot and Hong Chengzu of the Qing Dynasty, the Qing general Dorobel Bolo wrote a letter to summon Zheng Zhilong and allow him to serve as the "Governor of Fujian and Guangdong". Zheng Zhilong decided to surrender, ignoring the bitter advice of his son Zheng Chenggong, and went north to Fuzhou to surrender. In the same year, the Qing soldiers ransacked Anping, and Zheng Chenggong's mother, Theagawa Clan, did not escape in time, lest she be humiliated and hang herself.
Why Zheng Zhilong descended is easy to understand. In the eyes of this maritime speculator, the great personal interests of the heavens and the earth are the greatest, as long as he can ensure that he dominates the southeast coast, who does the imperial court dragon chair care who sits? Unfortunately, the dragon ran aground on land, and he could not do it.
The Qing army took Zheng Zhilong hostage and took him to Beijing, and the imperial court awarded him the title of Viscount (Jingqi Nehafan), and later conferred the title of Marquis of Tong'an. But for Zheng Zhilong, there is only a title in vain, and the promised governor of Fujian and Guangdong is an empty word, not even personal freedom, can it be compared with the solipsism of the sea and the sky in those years?
Since the age of seventeen, Zheng Zhilong, a "cunning" dragon, has been stepping on Qingyun, he has successively defected to his uncle, to Li Dan, to Yan Siqi, to Daming, smooth sailing, but his last choice finally drew the end of his life.
Zheng Chenggong, who broke with his father, at this time in southern Fujian to resist the Qing, successively attacked many cities in Fujian, the Qing court ordered Zheng Zhilong to write several letters to surrender his son, but Zheng Chenggong refused. Zheng Chenggong wrote a reply: "In case my father is unfortunate, Tianye, fate, the son only has to take revenge, in order to tie the game of loyalty and filial piety." ”
The Qing court was disappointed and imprisoned Zheng Zhilong in a high wall.
In the autumn of 1661, after Zheng successfully defeated the Dutch to regain Taiwan and declared his "overseas loyalty" to Daming, Zheng Zhilong and eleven of his descendants were killed by the Qing court at Chaishikou, Beijing.
Because Zheng Zhilong was a pirate, first descended to the Ming Dynasty and then descended to the Qing, later generations had a negative evaluation of him earlier, but no one can deny it: If he had not been the first to reclaim Taiwan on a large scale and resist the Dutch, and if there was no military force he painstakingly managed as a backing, Taiwan would most likely become a barrier for the Western powers -- Zheng Chenggong later attacked Taiwan, and then expelled the Dutch on the grounds that "Taiwan was temporarily lent to the Dutch by Zheng Zhilong" as a reason.
Pictured: The Japanese painted Zheng Zhilong's family of three
From the perspective of future generations, Zheng Zhilong is a legend that spans the era: in the historical background of the Ming Dynasty's closed sea frontier and the era of great navigation in the Western world, there was a Chinese who led a large-scale maritime armed force, wielded a lot of overseas trade, and dominated the sea, becoming the first person to defeat the Western maritime powers.
From a teenage Fujian wandering teenager to a sea tyrant, Zheng Zhilong's life is full of twists and turns, saying that he is the most cattle pirate in Chinese history, is there any doubt?