Taiwan has been China's territory since ancient times, but due to the importance of its geographical location, Japan has been coveting the treasure island of Taiwan since modern times. In the 13th year of Tongzhi, that is, in 1874 AD, under the pretext of recruiting the Taiwanese "Fanmin" who killed the Ryukyu boat people, Japan brazenly sent troops to land in southern Taiwan, and attempted to hold Taiwan for a long time.
At that time, the hard power of the Qing government was above that of Japan, so after some negotiations, Japan feared the strength of the Qing government and withdrew from Taiwan. However, the "Terms of Exchange between Japan and the Qing Dynasty" signed by the two sides provided the excuse that the Qing Dynasty recognized Ryukyu as a Japanese vassal state, and in 1879, Japan used this excuse to formally annex Ryukyu and change it to Okinawa Prefecture, and Ryukyu ceased to be a Chinese vassal, which also laid the foundation for Japan's further invasion of Taiwan.
Since then, Japan has continuously sent people disguised as painters, doctors, and missionaries to travel to Taiwan to investigate Taiwan's topography, landforms, and local social background. Japan also sent professional surveying and mapping personnel to Taiwan to conduct surveying and mapping in preparation for Japan's all-round invasion of Taiwan.
In 1894, the Qing government was defeated in the Sino-Japanese War, and the corrupt and incompetent Qing government decided to cede Taiwan to Japan. After the news spread, the whole country was in an uproar. While enlisting the assistance of various countries, the gentry of the taiwan island continued to appeal to the Qing court to save Taiwan. The military and people of Taiwan also organized many local armed forces to prepare to resist the rule of the Japanese invaders, and the Qing troops stationed in Taiwan refused to withdraw from Taiwan and shouted: "I would rather everyone die in battle and lose Taiwan than surrender to Taiwan." ”
On March 15, 1895, the Combined Fleet of the Japanese Navy including Seven capital ships, including Matsushima, Hashidate, Itsukushima, Yoshino, Nanasu, Takachiho, and Akitsushu, one Mine MotherShip of the Fourth Mine Fleet, 1 Omi Maru and 6 Mine Boats, 10 transport ships, Kagoshima Maru, Kaneshu Maru, Kokura Maru, Nishi fatamaru, and Saikyo Maru, as well as an army mixed detachment led by Yoshiaki Hijima, totaling about 6,000 troops, under the leadership of the commander of the fleet, Lieutenant General Ito Yuki, and Chief of Staff, Shigeto Iwashi, departed from Sasebo and passed through southern Taiwan On the 20th, it arrived at Tseung Kwan O at the southern tip of Penghu Lake.
At that time, there were more than 6,000 Qing troops stationed in Penghu, equipped with rifles, field guns, machine guns, rapid-fire guns and other weapons. Although Penghu was eventually lost, the Qing army killed more than 1,000 Japanese troops in this battle, and the Japanese army killed and wounded thousands of people due to plague in the next ten days, causing a heavy blow to the Japanese army.
After the fall of Penghu, the shipping lanes of Taiwan and Fujian, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and other provinces were cut off, and the situation in Taiwan was even worse. In Beijing, Taiwanese officials also jointly petitioned the Inspectorate to vigorously advocate resisting Japan and defending Taiwan, but they did not have the support of the Qing government, which still signed the "Treaty of Maguan", which lost power and humiliated the country.
On May 10, 1895, the Japanese government appointed Admiral Shigeki Kashiyama as the first Governor of Taiwan and Commander of the Army and Navy, and as Minister Plenipotentiary for receiving Taiwan, commanding the Guards Division, the Standing Fleet, and the Mixed Detachment of Hishishima to prepare to take over Taiwan.
These units are the elite units of the Japanese army, the Japanese Guards Division is an elite division formed after the Meiji Restoration, the Guards Division under the jurisdiction of the Guards Infantry 1st Brigade and the Second Guards Infantry Brigade, as well as cavalry brigades, artillery companies, engineer brigades, etc., with 15,000 officers and men, more than 3,500 mules and horses, equipped with the most advanced Murata Type 22 rifles, the commander of the Guards Division is Emperor Meiji's uncle Prince Kita-Shirakawa Nohisa.
Since the establishment of Taiwan in 1885, there have been 36 battalions of Qing troops stationed in Taiwan, and after the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, the Qing army has increased its troops to Taiwan, including Liu Yongfu's 8 battalions of Black Flag Army. By the time of the Sino-Japanese War in 1894, together with the rebels everywhere, the Qing army in Taiwan had a total of 33,000 people, and there were 12 forts on the whole island of Taiwan, more than 300 large and small artillery, as well as tens of thousands of rifles and Mauser guns, and thousands of Winchester rifles.
On May 28, 1895, Japanese warships arrived off the coast of Taiwan and sent Taiwanese defenders to negotiate with the Island. However, they were shot by The Qing forces in Taiwan, and the Taiwanese military and civilians refused to negotiate, demanding that the Japanese troops withdraw from the coastal waters of Taiwan. On the 29th, the Japanese army began to forcibly land in Keelung, and the Qing army guarding Keelung bravely resisted by virtue of its terrain advantage, causing great casualties to the Japanese army. After the fall of Keelung and Taipei one after another, the Taiwanese military and people did not lose confidence, and the rebels who rebelled against the Japanese army in various places rose up one after another and continued to heroically resist the aggression of the Japanese army, of which the Black Flag Army commanded by Liu Yongfu was heroic.
The Black Flag Army led by Liu Yongfu was a legendary force that participated in the Taiping Rebellion and then entered Vietnam, defeating the French colonists many times and effectively pinning down the French army that wanted to invade China through the Red River. After the end of the Sino-French War, Liu Yongfu accepted the leadership of the Qing government and led the Black Flag Army to garrison Guangdong, and Li Yongfu served as the commander-in-chief of Nan'ao Town in Guangdong.
After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War in 1894, Liu Yongfu was ordered to go to Taiwan to serve as Taiwan's military deputy. During his stay in Taiwan, Liu Yongfu actively prepared for war and stepped up military training. After the Treaty of Maguan, the Qing government ordered all the garrisons and officials in Taiwan to withdraw, but Liu Yongfu was touched by the anti-Japanese enthusiasm of the Taiwanese people, refused to cross north, and decided to lead the Black Flag Army and the Japanese to fight to the end. During this period, many young people in Taiwan and rebels from all over the world also joined Liu Yongfu's Black Flag Army.
Li Yongfu's Black Flag Army inflicted heavy casualties on the invading Japanese invasion of Taiwan, and in order to achieve the goal of occupying the whole of Taiwan as soon as possible, the Japanese government transferred more than 20,000 people from the Liaodong Peninsula and the reserve troops of the Fourth Division regiment in China, fortress troops, and gendarmerie units to reinforce the Guards Division. The decadent and helpless Qing government, fearing that it would arouse hostility from Japan, ordered the blockade of coastal ports, strictly forbade the coastal provinces to help the Taiwan people resist Japan, and even the people sent by Liu Yongfu to the mainland to collect donations were detained by the Qing government, and finally the Black Flag Army lost soldiers and broke down after several months of painstaking support, and almost the entire army was destroyed.
However, in the first five months of the Japanese invasion of Taiwan, the anti-Japanese soldiers and civilians in Taiwan also caused great casualties to the Japanese army, more than 50,000 Japanese troops who invaded Taiwan suffered casualties on the battlefield, and as many as 30,000 people were sent back to China due to illness. In the half century since, more than 600,000 Taiwanese people have been brutally killed for resisting the aggression of Japanese imperialism.
On August 15, 1945, Japan announced its unconditional surrender. On September 3, 1945, the 75th Division of the 70th Army of the National Revolutionary Army was in Keelung, Taiwan. On October 25, Chen Yi, chief executive of the Chinese Nationalist Government in Taiwan, announced at the surrender ceremony of the Japanese forces in Taiwan held at the Taipei City Public Hall that from now on, Taiwan and the Penghu Archipelago will be officially re-incorporated into China's territory, and all land, people, and political affairs will be placed under China's sovereignty.