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卷350 列傳一百三十七 李长庚子:廷钰 胡振声 王得禄 邱良功 陈步雲 许松年 黄标 林国良 许廷桂

Volume 350 Biographies 137: Li Changgeng son: Ting Yu, Hu Zhensheng, Wang Delu, Qiu Lianggong, Chen Buyun, Xu Songnian, Huang Biao, Lin Guoliang, Xu Tinggui

Chapter 350 of 清史稿 · Draft History of Qing
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Chapter 350
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1
Biographies 137
2
祿
Li Changgeng, with his son Ting Yu, Hu Zhensheng, Wang Delu, Qiu Lianggong, and Chen Buyun
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Xu Songnian, Huang Biao, Lin Guoliang, and Xu Tinggui
4
西
Li Changgeng, whose style name was Xiyan, came from Tong'an in Fujian. He earned his military jinshi degree in the thirty-sixth year of the Qianlong reign and was appointed a Blue Braid Imperial Guardsman. He left the capital to serve as battalion commander of the Quzhou Garrison in Zhejiang, and rose in due course to deputy commander of the Yueqing Brigade. In the fifty-second year of Qianlong he served as acting regional commander of the Haitan garrison in Fujian. When pirates struck waters near his command, he was wrongly blamed for an incident within his jurisdiction and was stripped of his post. He spent his entire family fortune to raise local militia, captured a major pirate leader, was reinstated in service, filled the post of naval lieutenant-colonel at Haitan, and was later promoted to garrison colonel at Tongshan. In the closing years of Qianlong, civil war in Annam drew coastal outlaws to raid China's inner seas to raise funds, and the native Guangdong gangs known as Fengwei and Shui'ao joined them, so that piracy grew ever more rampant. In the fifty-ninth year of Qianlong, foreign pirate vessels first raided the three Penghu stations off Fujian, and Changgeng beat them back.
5
調
In the second year of Jiaqing he became deputy commander of the Penghu Brigade and was then promoted to regional commander of the Dinghai garrison in Zhejiang. In the third year he fought sea bandits again and again at Qu Port and Mount Putuo. In the fourth year the Fengwei gang guided foreign pirate junks into Wenzhou waters; he routed them and was awarded the peacock feather. That summer in the fifth year, over a hundred foreign pirate craft together with the Shui'ao and Fengwei gangs massed in Zhejiang waters and threatened Taizhou. Governor Ruan Yuan recommended that Changgeng take overall command of the naval forces of the three garrisons to strike them, and the fleets assembled at Haimen. The pirates lay at anchor below Songmen Mountain in a stalemate until a violent typhoon struck and nearly all were sunk; those who reached shore or clung to broken hulls were taken captive. Four Annamese pretender-marquises, including Lun Guili, were captured, executed by dismemberment, and their imperial seals were sent back to their country. That year he was made Fujian naval commander-in-chief and was soon transferred to Zhejiang. The Annamese force had more than a hundred black-sailed junks and twelve regional commanders organized in front, center, and rear divisions; the four commanders taken were from the rear division.
6
Before long the new Nguyen court in Annam submitted to the Qing, accepted enfeoffment, and kept the peace, leaving the pirate junks without a base. Those who remained in Fujian were absorbed by the Zhangzhou pirate Cai Qian, who commanded more than a hundred junks, while the Guangdong pirate Zhu Fen acquired several dozen vessels of his own. Cai Qian, also from Tong'an, was cunning and adept at commanding large forces; once he held the foreign junks, every Shui'ao and Fengwei faction rallied to him, and his power became unchecked. Ruan Yuan and Changgeng agreed that the foreign junks were too tall for the navy's warships to overcome, so they raised more than a hundred thousand taels in donations and entrusted them to Changgeng to build thirty large vessels in Fujian, called Thunder Ships, fitted with more than four hundred heavy cannon. He defeated Cai Qian and his allies again and again at sea, and the navy's prestige soared.
7
In the eighth year Cai Qian slipped into Dinghai to offer incense at Mount Putuo; Changgeng surprised him, and Qian escaped only with his life. Changgeng pursued him into Fujian waters until the pirate fleet was out of provisions and its sails in tatters. Qian then feigned surrender to Governor Yude, who sent Circuit Intendant Qing Lai of Xing-Quan-Yong to Sansha to negotiate. Yude abruptly ordered the Zhejiang fleet back to harbor, and Qian used the respite to refit his ships and escape. The Zhejiang fleet gave chase at Sansha and Wenzhou and destroyed six of his vessels. Fearing the Thunder Ships, Qian bribed Fujian merchants to build larger junks, taller than the Thunder Ships, which were reported stolen once they left port; he took possession of them, crossed the open sea, raided Taiwan for rice to supply Zhu Fen, and then united with him.
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調 調
In the summer of the ninth year, Lian Zong led more than eighty vessels into Fujian and killed Regional Commander Hu Zhensheng. An edict called for punishment of Fujian officers who had failed to reinforce, and Changgeng was placed in overall command of the naval forces of both provinces. That autumn Cai Qian and Zhu Fen jointly raided Zhejiang. Changgeng combined the garrison fleets and engaged them in the northern waters off Dinghai, splitting the enemy force in two. He personally took on Qian, pressed the attack, and drove him as far as Jinshan. Qian escaped in his large junk and left Zhu Fen to bear the defeat. Fen was furious, and the two allies parted ways once more. In the summer of the tenth year he was transferred to Fujian as naval commander-in-chief. When Cai Qian learned that Changgeng had arrived, he fled into Zhejiang. Changgeng pursued him, defeated him at Qinglong Harbor, and beat him again in the Doumiyang waters off Taizhou. He was transferred back to Zhejiang as naval commander-in-chief.
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鹿 祿 鹿
In the first month of the eleventh year, Cai Qian assembled more than a hundred vessels to attack Taiwan, allied with more than ten thousand local bandits to besiege the prefectural seat, proclaimed himself King Who Pacifies the Sea, and sank ships at Lu'ermen to block reinforcements. When Changgeng arrived he could not force an entrance, but intelligence showed that small boats could pass through Nanshan, Beishan, and Dagangmen. He sent Regional Commander Xu Songnian and Deputy Commander Wang Delu around by those routes to strike Zhouzaiwei and won a series of victories. In the second month Xu Songnian landed at Zhouzaiwei and burned the pirate camps. When Qian turned back to relieve them, Changgeng sent forces out from Nanshan to join Songnian in a pincer attack and routed the pirates completely. With no escape route left, Qian was trapped at Beishan. Then a sudden storm raised the tide, lifting the sunken blockships, and Qian broke through Lu'ermen and escaped. An edict stripped Changgeng of his peacock feather and rank insignia. In the fourth month Cai Qian and Zhu Fen jointly raided the outer waters off Funing. Changgeng defeated them, pursued them to Doumiyang off Taizhou, and captured their lieutenant Li An and others.
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鹿 退 ' '
Changgeng memorialized: 'The reason the rebel Cai has not yet been destroyed and captured is that our war vessels are inadequate and shore supplies to the pirates have not been cut off. The vessel I command is the largest in the fleet, yet when we close with Qian's ship we are still five or six feet lower. I once joined the three garrison commanders in advancing our stipends to fund fifteen large ships, but the governor-general refused to memorialize the plan, arguing that construction would take months and that borrowing forty or fifty thousand taels from the treasury was too costly. Moreover, pirates do not keep ships two years without repairs, nor spars and timbers a year without replacement. When mast and rudder fail, a ship is useless; when sails rot, it cannot move. Yet when the rebel slipped out of Lu'ermen he had only thirty ships left, with rotten sails and depleted stores; once he reached Fujian, re-rigged, caulked, and refitted them until they looked brand new, with full stores of grain and powder—how then can the pirates ever be destroyed?' An edict ordered Governor Yude arrested and replaced him with Alinbao. When Alinbao reached Fujian, civil and military officials who feared being blamed for poor coordination and for failing to cut off shore supplies joined in slandering Changgeng. Alinbao secretly impeached him for stalling. After three such memorials, the throne secretly asked Zhejiang Governor Qing Antai for his view. Qing Antai replied: 'Changgeng knows every island, wind pattern, and sand bar in these seas. In every battle he takes the helm himself, and men who have sailed all their lives cannot match him. For two years on campaign he has not set foot inside his own door. He has poured his family fortune into building ships and weapons for the fleet. He gives all captured goods as rewards, and his men compete to fight to the death. In the eighth month he fought at Yushan, besieging the rebel Cai. Firearms and stones rained down on his ship. He was wounded many times, a hundred and forty of his officers and men were hurt, yet he fought on without yielding. Among the pirates they say: "We do not fear millions of soldiers—we fear only Li Changgeng. He is truly the foremost commander of the navy.' He also explained in detail how difficult naval warfare is and that the two provinces must act together if the campaign is to succeed. The garrison commanders who had fought alongside him also submitted memorials stating that Changgeng had not been stalling. The Jiaqing Emperor was furious and sharply rebuked Alinbao, saying: 'Had I lightly believed your reports, would I not have lost an excellent general? Hereafter the campaign against the pirates will depend entirely on Changgeng. If Alinbao interferes, Yude's fate will be your warning!' He also ordered thirty large Tong'an-style fast cruisers built, and until they were ready, merchant vessels were to be hired for the campaign. When Changgeng heard this, he was stirred to redoubled effort. That autumn he fought the pirates at Yushan and was wounded. When the report reached court, his peacock feather and rank insignia were restored.
11
退
In the spring of the twelfth year he defeated Cai Qian at Daxing Island in Guangdong waters. In the eleventh month he defeated him again off Fuying Mountain in Fujian waters. In the twelfth month he joined Fujian Commander-in-Chief Zhang Jiansheng in pursuing Qian into the open ocean, following him all the way to the Black Water Sea. Qian had only three junks left, manned by hardened veterans who fought to the death. Changgeng himself took a fire ship, grappled it to the stern of Qian's junk, and prepared to board. Suddenly a cannonball struck his throat, and he died shortly afterward. The fleet outnumbered the pirates many times over, but Zhang Jiansheng was timid and incompetent. Seeing the commander's ship in disarray from a distance, he hastily withdrew, and Qian escaped into the waters beyond Annam. The emperor was deeply grieved and bestowed lavish posthumous honors. He had originally intended to ennoble Changgeng as a count once the pirates were destroyed, but instead posthumously enfeoffed him as a third-rank Baron of Zhuanglie, gave him the posthumous name Zhongyi, and ordered a shrine built in his home district.
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歿祿
Changgeng ran a strict command, rewarding faithfully and punishing without fail. From his deputies down to squad leaders and ordinary sailors, every man moved as one mind, and each was fit for duty. Working closely with Ruan Yuan, he reorganized and strengthened the navy and won repeated victories, which earned him the resentment of Governor Yude. When Alinbao arrived in Fujian, he entertained Changgeng with wine and said, 'Fishing on the open sea—who knows when the catch will come in? Out at sea there are no witnesses. You need only cut off one chieftain's head and report it as Qian's. I will send an urgent victory memorial, and we can deal with the remaining pirates afterward. You will receive the highest reward, and I a share of the credit as well. Is that not better than spending years at sea in storms, gambling on a slim chance of success?' Changgeng declined, saying: 「How could I do such a thing?」 I have long made the deck my home. I have sworn to die with the pirates—not to let them live!' Alinbao was displeased. When his repeated impeachments failed, he sent urgent dispatches demanding immediate action. Changgeng sent his wife the teeth he had lost in battle, a sign that he intended to give his life for the empire. After his death, an edict appointed his subordinates Wang Delu and Qiu Lianggong to succeed him, urging them to unite against the common enemy and avenge Changgeng. The two men followed his battle plans, eventually destroyed Cai Qian, and brought the campaign to a successful close.
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Changgeng had no son of his own and adopted a clansman, Ting Yu, as his heir. Ting Yu inherited the barony and was appointed a second-rank Imperial Guardsman. During the Daoguang reign he served as deputy commander at Nanchang and rose in due course to naval commander-in-chief of Zhejiang. Illness prevented him from patrolling the coast, and he was dismissed to live at home. Early in the Xianfeng reign he organized local militia in his home district, recaptured Xiamen, Jindao, and Xianyou in succession, and was appointed Fujian commander-in-chief. He was soon removed for misreporting military intelligence but continued to assist with local militia organization. He died in the eleventh year of Xianfeng, and his grandson Jingbao inherited the barony.
14
Hu Zhensheng, also from Tong'an, was the son of Commander-in-Chief Hu Gui. He rose through the ranks and was promoted in due course to regional commander of the Wenzhou garrison. Serving under Changgeng, he helped win a major victory over foreign pirate junks at Songmenyang off Taizhou, and thereafter fought alongside him in many sea engagements. In the sixth month of the ninth year of Jiaqing he led twenty-six vessels carrying ship timber to Fujian. At Fuyingyang he encountered pirates and, with Regional Commander Sun Dagang, attacked them from both sides, destroying a large enemy force. His vessel was set ablaze by cannon fire, the Fujian fleet could not reach him in time, and he was killed. He received generous posthumous honors, was given the posthumous name Wuzhuang, and his family was granted the combined hereditary ranks of Cavalry Commandant and Cloud Cavalry Captain.
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祿 祿 祿 祿 祿 鹿祿
Wang Delu, whose style name was Yufeng, came from Jiayi in Fujian. When Lin Shuangwen rebelled, the county seat fell to his forces. Delu's family was wealthy. He donated funds to raise local militia, helped government troops retake the city, and was appointed a platoon leader. The following year the rebels besieged the city again, and he served under Regional Commander Chai Daji in its defense. After the siege was lifted, he led local militia to hunt down remaining rebels at Dapingding and elsewhere, burned the rebel base at Langjiao, and helped capture the rebel leader Zhuang Datian. When Taiwan was pacified, he was awarded the peacock feather and fifth-rank insignia and was promoted to company commander. In the first year of Jiaqing, while on coastal patrol he reached Taxue, encountered pirates, was first aboard the enemy vessel, and captured Wu Xingxin and others. For years he patrolled the coast against pirates, earned a reputation for courage, and rose in due course to naval lieutenant-colonel of the Jinmen Garrison. In the seventh year he fought under Li Changgeng against Cai Qian in the Donghu Sea, capturing more than a hundred pirates including the chieftain Xu Ye, and later captured Lü Song in the Chongwu Sea, for which he received an official commendation. In the ninth year he served under Regional Commander Luo Rentai in an engagement off Hutoushan, seizing a large quantity of ships and arms. In the tenth year he defeated Cai Qian at Hujing Sea and was appointed acting deputy commander of the Penghu Brigade. In the ninth month he met Cai Qian at Shui'ao, burned his ships, and killed or captured more than a hundred of his men, including Zhu Lie. In the spring of the eleventh year, Cai Qian invaded Taiwan and besieged the prefectural seat. Li Changgeng ordered Delu and Xu Songnian to take small boats into Anping Harbor on a reconnaissance mission. Pirate sails filled the horizon. That night they set fire to the enemy fleet and then established a camp at Chaitou Harbor. The next day the pirates attacked the north gate of the city from Zhouzaiwei. Delu led troops up behind them, shouting as he charged forward, and the enemy fell back in alarm. Government troops sallied from the city in a pincer attack and routed the pirates. Pressing the advantage, Delu's force reached Zhouzaiwei, destroyed the enemy camp, and drove the pirates to flight. In the fifth month Cai Qian slipped back to Lu'ermen. Delu led the assault, capturing ten ships and sinking eleven. His achievements were entered on the rolls and he was granted the brevet rank of regional commander. He was soon promoted to regional commander of the Funing garrison.
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調 歿祿 調 祿 祿退祿 祿 祿
In the twelfth year he was transferred to the Nan'ao garrison. In the seventh month he defeated Zhu Fen at Jilong Sea and seized fourteen ships. In the eleventh month he defeated Zhu Fen's followers again at Gulei Sea, shot dead the pirate leader Zhu Jin, captured Zhang Qi, and received an official commendation. Before long Li Changgeng fell in battle, and Delu and Qiu Lianggong were ordered to take over the campaign. In the thirteenth year he was promoted to naval commander-in-chief of Zhejiang. He was soon transferred to Fujian, with Qiu Lianggong taking his place in Zhejiang. Ruan Yuan had returned as governor of Zhejiang and Zhang Shicheng served as governor of Fujian. With both provinces cooperating, Delu and Lianggong worked in concert to destroy the pirates. In the eighth month of the fourteenth year they jointly attacked Cai Qian at Yushan off Dinghai and defeated him. Qian fled southeast, and they pursued him to the Black Water Sea, where they fought together for days. Lianggong arrayed the Zhejiang fleet east of the pirate ships while Delu led the Fujian fleet to the east of the Zhejiang line. In the heat of battle Lianggong's ship was damaged and withdrew briefly. Delu pressed forward, grappled Qian's vessel, and cut off the pirate reinforcements. Qian ran out of lead shot and fired foreign silver coins instead. Delu was wounded in the forehead and both wrists. He hurled fire onto the stern tower of Qian's ship and then rammed and shattered its rudder. Seeing that escape was impossible, Qian fired his own cannon into his ship and sent it to the bottom. An edict declared that after fourteen years of rebellion the pirate leader had at last been destroyed, a signal achievement. Delu was enfeoffed as a second-rank viscount and awarded the double-eyed peacock feather. The remaining twelve hundred followers eventually surrendered, and piracy on the coast came to an end.
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祿 調 祿
Delu served ten years as Fujian naval commander-in-chief, repeatedly memorializing on coastal defense and revising naval ship regulations, all of which were adopted. In the twenty-fifth year he was transferred to naval commander-in-chief of Zhejiang. In the first year of Daoguang he requested leave on grounds of illness and retired home. In the twelfth year Zhang Bing rebelled in Taiwan. Delu led his family in capturing the rebel leader Zhang Hongtou and others, and was made Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent. In the eighteenth year the Taiwan bandit Shen He raided the coast. Delu supplied grain to support the defense and was promoted to Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent. In the twenty-first year, when Britain attacked Xiamen, he was ordered to hold Penghu. He died the following year and was posthumously granted the rank of count with the posthumous name Guoyi. His second son Chaolun inherited the viscountcy and held office as a secretary in the Ministry of Revenue.
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調 鹿 祿 祿 祿
Qiu Lianggong came from Tong'an in Fujian. He rose through the ranks, won repeated credit for capturing pirates, and was promoted in due course to deputy commander of the Min'an Brigade. In the tenth year of Jiaqing he joined Xu Songnian in a joint campaign against Cai Qian and pursued him as far as Little Ryukyu. Seeing two Taiwan naval vessels surrounded by pirates, he went to their relief, but though Songnian raised signals summoning him, he did not arrive in time. He was impeached for disobeying orders, stripped of his post, and arrested for investigation. He was cleared of wrongdoing, restored to his former rank, and appointed acting deputy commander of Taiwan. In the spring of the eleventh year he fought under Li Changgeng against Cai Qian and destroyed the pirate base at Zhouzaiwei, but Qian escaped in the confusion and Lianggong was stripped of his rank insignia. In the fifth month he defeated Qian at Lu'ermen and was awarded the peacock feather. In the twelfth year Zhu Fen raided Tamsui. Lianggong joined Wang Delu in pursuit to Jilong Sea, defeated him repeatedly, killed or captured a great many pirates, and received special commendation. In the thirteenth year he was promoted to regional commander of the Dinghai garrison in Zhejiang. In the fourteenth year he was promoted to naval commander-in-chief of Zhejiang. He joined Wang Delu in attacking Cai Qian in the outer waters off Yushan, using the favorable wind to close on the enemy, but at midnight the seas grew too rough to advance. The next day they tried again to intercept and encircle him. Qian fought as he fled, and by noon the pursuit had crossed the Black Water Sea into the deep ocean. Fearing that Qian would escape at dusk, Lianggong shouted and charged forward, driving his ship against Qian's until their sails became entangled. The pirates rammed his ship with grappling stakes, and a desperate hand-to-hand fight ensued. Lianggong was speared in the calf, smashed the enemy grappling stakes, and broke free. The Fujian fleet pressed the attack, and Qian blew up his own ship and went down with it. For his service he was enfeoffed as a third-rank baron, one rank below Wang Delu. Some thought this unfair, but Lianggong said: 「The coast is at last at peace, and that is joy enough. Why quibble over differences in rank?」 In the twenty-second year he set out for an audience at court but died on the journey. Posthumous honors were granted, and he received the posthumous name Gangyong. His son Lian'en inherited the barony and served as deputy commander of the Hejian Brigade in Zhili.
19
Chen Buyun came from Ruian in Zhejiang. He enlisted in the navy, captured pirates on many occasions, and won renown for strength and valor before being appointed a platoon leader in the Wenzhou Garrison. Serving under Lianggong in the pursuit of Cai Qian, Buyun took forty men in a small boat straight at Qian's flagship. Though his craft was no match in size, when the two commanders-in-chief arrived he hurled fire pots onto the pirate ship, hooked its rail with a long halberd, led a handful of men aboard, fought at close quarters, and killed Qian's wife and her followers. The pirate ship was already crippled, but Qian still held a blade on the rudder tower, turning as if to strike Buyun down. Lianggong shouted from the next ship that the deck was awash and ordered him away at once. He lowered a rope into the water and hauled Buyun up just as Qian's ship went under. Buyun suffered more than a dozen wounds, and both commanders-in-chief came in person to comfort him. When the report reached court, he was awarded a military silver medal and promoted to company commander. He rose in due course to deputy commander of Min'an. When Governor-General Sun Erzhun proposed cutting the naval fleet, Buyun argued that the large ships built by Commander Li were tall, sturdy, and far superior to Tong'an double-planked craft and swift cruisers. Without them, he said, the navy would lack the means to hunt pirates and could not overcome the enemy in a crisis. The proposal was abandoned. Erzhun recommended him as fit for high command. At his audience the Daoguang Emperor asked: 「Are you Chen Buyun, who fought under Commanders Qiu and Wang to destroy Cai Qian?」 The emperor questioned him closely about the battle. He was then promoted to regional commander of Dinghai and later held commands at Qiongzhou, Funing, Jinmen, and Haitan. In the nineteenth year of Daoguang his old wounds reopened and he requested retirement. He died in the thirtieth year of Daoguang.
20
祿 鹿 西 調
Xu Songnian, whose style name was Rongjun, came from Ruian in Zhejiang. A military licentiate, he served in the navy under Li Changgeng, accumulated merit in repeated campaigns, and rose to brigade colonel on the provincial commander's staff. In the tenth year of Jiaqing he served as acting regional commander of the Jinmen garrison. He fought Cai Qian at Little Ryukyu; defeated Zhu Fen and Wushi Er at Gongzai Sea, and under Li Changgeng pursued and routed them at Jiazi Sea on the Fujian-Guangdong border. He also fought Qian repeatedly at Qinglong Harbor and Doumiyang. In the eleventh year he joined Wang Delu in defeating Qian at Zhouzaiwei in Taiwan, wading through the surf to board enemy ships and burning or drowning countless pirates. That summer, while Li Changgeng attacked Qian at Lu'ermen, Songnian held the waters off Zhangkeng and Fancheng, captured one pirate ship, sank three, and at Shui'ao captured Cai Sanlai and others. Li Changgeng praised Songnian as a naval officer capable of independent command, and Governor-General Alinbao reported this to the throne. In the twelfth year he fought under Changgeng against Cai Qian at Daxing Island and Fuying Sea. Songnian leaped aboard an enemy ship and captured it, earning special commendation. In the thirteenth year Zhu Fen was hiding in the outer waters off Dongyong. Songnian was ordered to hunt him down and then moved his forces into Guangdong. Pursuing to Changshanwei, he sighted more than forty pirate ships and identified the largest as Zhu Fen's flagship. He concentrated his forces, surrounded it, and Zhu Fen was mortally wounded by cannon fire and died shortly afterward. An edict commended Songnian's valor in destroying the pirate leader, awarded him the peacock feather, and granted his family the hereditary rank of Cloud Cavalry Captain. When the Guangdong pirate Zhang Baozi fled into Fujian waters off Jinmen and Xiamen, Songnian used fishing boats as bait, surrounded him with the fleet, captured seven ships and sank six, and received special commendation. In the fifteenth year his wounds reopened and he returned home; he soon entered mourning for his mother. In the nineteenth year he was appointed regional commander of Xining in Gansu and later held commands at Yan-sui, Zhangzhou, Tianjin, and Jieshi. In the first year of Daoguang he was promoted to land-force commander-in-chief of Guangdong and then transferred to naval commander-in-chief of Fujian. In the sixth year armed factions clashed in Taiwan. Songnian was inspecting troops at the time and suppressed the fighting, but Governor-General Sun Erzhun bore him a grudge. He was soon criticized for lax governance, stripped of his post, and ordered to remain in Taiwan on duty. He requested leave on grounds of illness, returned home, and died there. His son Xilin inherited the hereditary rank.
21
殿
Huang Biao, whose style name was Dianhao, came from Chaozhou in Guangdong. Promoted from the ranks to company commander, he was later made garrison commander. In the fifty-fifth year of Qianlong, junk pirates raided the coast with impunity. Governor-General Fuk'anggan proposed rebuilding the navy and recruiting men of exceptional skill to lead it. Biao's skill and courage were extraordinary. Raised on the coast, he knew every channel and shoal, could remain underwater for long stretches, and could make out objects clearly beneath the surface. For this he was singled out for promotion. For capturing pirates at Longmen Sea and bandits at Goutoushan he was promoted to battalion commander and appointed acting naval lieutenant-colonel.
22
In the first year of Jiaqing he fought bandits in the outer waters off Nanpeng and captured more than thirty men, including Li Chaosheng. The Jiaqing Emperor had long known his reputation. An edict commended his diligence in suppressing piracy, and he was promoted to garrison colonel. In the second year he captured the sea pirate Hu Sansheng and others, killed an Annamese pirate leader in a follow-up action, and took all his followers captive, earning special commendation. In the third year he was transferred to deputy commander of Chenghai. Before long he was promoted to regional commander of the Guangdong Left Wing garrison, placed in overall command of coastal patrol forces, and charged with clearing the seas of pirates. In the fourth year he fought bandits off Dafangjishan, Shuangyumao, and the outer waters off Jiamen, killing or capturing a great many. He was awarded the peacock feather and ordered to have his portrait painted for presentation at court. He was soon impeached after pirates robbed salt-transport vessels, but an edict pardoned him. In the sixth year he fought bandits again in the outer waters off Nanpeng and captured Tian Yameng and others. In the seventh year he joined Commander-in-Chief Sun Quanmou in suppressing the Boluo secret-society rebels, broke the strategic passes at Yangshikeng and Luoxiying in succession, and destroyed their base. When the campaign ended he received special commendation and imperial gifts. He commanded the fleet in person, eating and sleeping alongside his men. Over time he captured more than six hundred bandits, and the Guangdong coast came to depend on him as its chief defense. In the eighth year he and Sun Quanmou put to sea in pursuit of the pirates, who fled into Guangzhou Bay. Biao urged a joint blockade of the passes until the pirates' supplies ran out and they could be destroyed entirely. Quanmou feared that a prolonged blockade would expose the fleet to storms, so he divided his forces, and the pirates broke out and escaped. Biao sighed and said: 「Once this chance is lost, the coast will never know peace!」 Grief and anger brought on illness. Soon the long campaign without victory led the civil officials to recommend stripping his rank while leaving him in office. He died shortly afterward.
23
歿
After the Annamese pirate fleets broke up, the remnants in Guangdong split into five bands: Lin Afa, Zongbing Bao, Guo Xuexian, Wushi Er, and Zheng Yi. Commanders-in-Chief Qian Menghu and Sun Quanmou were mediocre officers incapable of suppressing the pirates. After Biao's death there were even fewer capable commanders; only Lin Guoliang and Xu Tinggui were remembered for dying in battle.
24
Lin Guoliang came from Haicheng in Fujian. He inherited the rank of Cavalry Commandant, served as naval lieutenant-colonel of the Jieshi garrison in Guangdong, rose to deputy commander of Haicheng, and succeeded Biao as regional commander of the Left Wing garrison. In the thirteenth year he pursued Wushi Er to Yazhou Bay, sank several junks, but pirate ships kept arriving in ever greater numbers. Lin Guoliang died of his wounds. The court granted generous posthumous honors and gave him the posthumous name Guozhuang.
25
歿
Xu Tinggui came from Guishan in Guangdong. He rose from the ranks to company commander. During the Qianlong reign he fought in Taiwan and rose in due course to garrison colonel of the Haimen Garrison. When Lin Guoliang died, he served as acting regional commander of the Left Wing garrison. In the fourteenth year he destroyed the bandit leader Zongbing Bao on the open sea and besieged the remainder of his force. Zhang Baozi arrived with a large relief force. Outnumbered, Xu Tinggui was killed. The court granted posthumous honors and awarded his family the hereditary rank of Cloud Cavalry Captain.
26
Once Cai Qian was destroyed, only Guangdong bandits remained. Governor-General Bailin cut off their supplies, tightened military discipline, and within a year settled the coast through a combination of force and negotiation. At last the southeast coast was at peace.
27
祿
The commentators observe: The southeast sea pirates plagued the coast for more than ten years. Only Li Changgeng of the Zhejiang fleet could truly fight the pirates, though Fujian commanders hampered his success. His loyalty, courage, and strategic skill were known throughout the empire; he won the emperor's trust, and once court strategy aligned with his efforts, the throne relied on him alone. When Fujian and Zhejiang joined forces, pirate power gradually waned. Changgeng fell in battle, but Wang Delu, Qiu Lianggong, and other subordinates carried on his mission and eventually destroyed the rebel leader. Among Guangdong commanders only Huang Biao was truly capable, yet his abilities were never fully used. After Fujian and Zhejiang had destroyed the main pirate forces, Bailin combined military suppression with negotiated surrender, and the remaining resistance collapsed like dry timber. In short, naval warfare depends on strong ships, heavy guns, and cutting off supplies. Follow that path and you win; ignore it and you lose. Success and failure follow such a clear pattern that chance has little to do with it!
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