In 1661, Zheng Chenggong led his 50,000 or 60,000 soldiers and horses from Fujian to cross the Taiwan Strait and begin the war of reconquest of Taiwan. At that time, Taiwan was occupied by the Dutch colonists, who established a stronghold here and brutally exploited the local people. Zheng Chenggong's army, with its high morale and sophisticated tactics, quickly defeated the Dutch and successfully recovered Taiwan.
After the reconquest of Taiwan, Zheng Chenggong was not satisfied with the status quo. He knew that if he wanted to gain a foothold in troubled times, he must continue to develop and strengthen his strength. As a result, he began to vigorously promote the tuntian system, encouraging soldiers to reclaim wasteland and develop agriculture. At the same time, he also paid attention to the development of handicrafts and commerce, which made Taiwan's economy gradually prosperous. Zheng Chenggong also attaches great importance to cultural education, and he vigorously promotes Han culture, which has been widely spread in Taiwan.
Just as Zheng Chenggong was planning his future ambitiously, the sad news came: his father, Zheng Zhilong, had been executed by the Qing Dynasty in Beijing. This sudden blow plunged Zheng Chenggong into deep grief. He vowed to avenge his father, and began a 21-year confrontation with the Qing Dynasty.
In the confrontation with the Qing Dynasty, Zheng Chenggong always adhered to the position of resisting the Qing Dynasty. He knows that if he wants to survive in troubled times, he must have his own beliefs and goals. Therefore, he always adhered to the concept of resisting the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty, which made him receive great support in both the military and the people.
Zheng Chenggong is also very good at taking advantage of various favorable conditions. He knew that in order to gain an advantage in the confrontation with the Qing Dynasty, he had to make full use of his geographical advantages. Therefore, he took Taiwan as his base and took advantage of Taiwan's topography and climatic conditions to successfully resist the Qing Dynasty's attacks again and again.
The sky is unpredictable. In the confrontation with the Qing Dynasty, Zheng Chenggong encountered many difficulties. His son Zheng Jing because of his private life problems, which led to the discouragement of the army and the boiling of public resentment. This gave the Qing Dynasty an opportunity to launch an attack on Taiwan. In this battle, although Zheng Chenggong tried his best, he finally died of illness in 1662 at the age of 39 due to injury and exhaustion.
After Zheng Chenggong's death, his descendants continued to adhere to the anti-Qing stance like him, and launched a 21-year round war with the Qing Dynasty. In these 21 years, with their firm conviction and outstanding leadership, they successfully defended Taiwan, making Taiwan an important base for opposing the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty. It was not until 1683 that the Qing Dynasty succeeded in conquering Taiwan, ending the rule of the Zheng family in Taiwan.
After Zheng Chenggong recovered Taiwan, he was able to negotiate with the Manchus for 21 years, mainly due to his firm faith, outstanding leadership skills, and good use of various favorable conditions. These factors allowed him to gain a foothold in the troubled times and left a valuable spiritual wealth for future generations.