1
列傳一百三十七
Biographies 137
2
李長庚子廷鈺胡振聲王得祿邱良功陳步雲
Li Changgeng, with his son Ting Yu, Hu Zhensheng, Wang Delu, Qiu Lianggong, and Chen Buyun
3
許松年黃標林國良許廷桂
Xu Songnian, Huang Biao, Lin Guoliang, and Xu Tinggui
4
李長庚,字西岩,福建同安人。 乾隆三十六年武進士,授藍翎侍衛。 出為浙江衢州營都司,累遷樂清協副將。 五十二年,署福建海壇鎮總兵。 鄰海有盜,誤指所轄界,坐褫職。 罄家財募鄉勇,捕獲巨盜,起用,補海壇游擊,遷銅山參將。 自乾隆季年,安南內亂,招瀕海亡命劫內洋,以濟餉為患,粵東土盜鳳尾、水澳兩幫附之,遂益肆擾。 五十九年,夷艇始犯福建三澎,長庚擊走之。
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
嘉慶二年,遷澎湖協副將,擢浙江定海鎮總兵。 三年,迭擊洋匪於衢港及普陀。 四年,鳳尾幫引夷艇入溫州洋,敗之,賜花翎。 五年夏,夷艇合水澳、鳳尾百餘艘萃於浙洋,逼台州。 巡撫阮元奏以長庚總統三鎮水師擊之,會師海門。 賊泊松門山下相持,颶風大作,覆溺幾盡,其泊岸及附敗舟者皆就俘,獲安南偽侯倫貴利等四總兵,磔之,以敕印擲還其國。 是年,擢福建水師提督,尋調浙江。 安南烏艚船百餘號,總兵十二人,分前中後三隊,所獲四總兵,其後隊也。
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
未幾,安南新阮內附,受封守約束,艇匪無所巢穴。 其在閩者,皆為漳盜蔡牽所並,有艇百餘,粵盜硃濆亦得數十艘。 牽,同安人,奸猾善用眾,既得夷艇,凡水澳、鳳尾諸黨悉歸之,遂猖獗。 阮元與長庚議夷艇高大,水師戰艦不能制,乃集捐十餘萬金付長庚,赴閩造大艦三十,名曰霆船,鑄大砲四百餘配之。 連敗牽等於海上,軍威大振。
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
八年,牽竄定海,進香普陀山,長庚掩至,牽僅以身免,窮追至閩洋,賊船糧盡帆壞,偽乞降於總督玉德,遣興泉永道慶徠赴三沙招撫,玉德遽檄浙師收港,牽得以其間修船揚帆去。 浙師追擊於三沙及溫州,毀其船六。 牽畏霆船,賄閩商造大艇,高於霆船,出洋以被劫報,牽得之,渡橫洋,劫台灣米以餉硃濆,遂與之合。
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.
8
九年夏,連宗八十餘入閩,戕總兵胡振聲,詔治閩將不援罪,長庚總統兩省水師。 秋,牽、濆共犯浙,長庚合諸鎮兵擊之於定海北洋,衝賊為二,自當牽,急擊,逐至盡山。 牽以大艇得遁,委敗硃濆,濆怒,於是復分。 十年夏,調福建提督。 牽聞長庚至,遂竄浙,追敗之青龍港,又敗之於台州斗米洋。 復調浙江提督。
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.
9
十一年正月,牽合百餘艘犯台灣,結土匪萬餘攻府城,自號鎮海王,沉舟鹿耳門阻援兵。 長庚至,不得入,諜知南汕、北汕、大港門可通小舟,遣總兵許松年、副將王得祿繞道入,攻洲仔尾,連敗之。 二月,松年登洲仔尾,焚其藔,牽反救,長庚遣兵出南汕,與松年夾擊,大敗之。 牽無去路,困守北汕。 會風潮驟漲,沉舟漂起,乃奪鹿耳門逸去,詔奪花翎、頂戴。 四月,蔡牽、硃濆同犯福寧外洋,擊敗之,追至台州斗米洋,擒其黨李按等。
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.
10
長庚疏言:「蔡逆未能殲擒者,實由兵船不得力,接濟未斷絕所致。 臣所乘之船,較各鎮為最大,及逼近牽船,尚低五六尺。 曾與三鎮總兵原預支養廉,捐造大船十五號,而督臣以造船需數月之久,借帑四五萬之多,不肯具奏。 且海賊無兩年不修之船,亦無一年不壞之槓料。 桅柁折則船為虛器,風篷爛則寸步難行。 乃逆賊在鹿耳門竄出,僅餘船三十,篷朽硝缺; 一回閩地,裝篷燂洗,煥然一新,糧藥充足,賊何日可滅?」 詔逮治玉德,以阿林保代。 既至福建,諸文武吏以未協剿、未斷岸姦接濟、懼得罪,交譖長庚。 阿林保密劾其逗留,章三上,詔密詢浙江巡撫清安泰。 清安泰疏言:「長庚熟海島形勢、風雲沙線,每戰自持柁,老於操舟者不及。 兩年在軍,過門不入。 以捐造船械,傾其家貲。 所俘獲盡以賞功,士爭效死。 八月中戰漁山,圍攻蔡逆,火器瓦石雨下,身受多創,將士傷百四十人,鏖戰不退。 賊中語:'不畏千萬兵,只畏李長庚。 '實水師諸將之冠。」 且備陳海戰之難,非兩省合力不能成功狀。 時同戰諸鎮,亦交章言長庚實非逗留。 仁宗震怒,切責阿林保,謂:「朕若輕信其言,豈不自失良將? 嗣後勦賊專倚長庚,儻阿林保從中掣肘,玉德即前車之鑑!」 並飭造大同安梭船三十,未成以前,先僱商船備剿。 長庚聞之,益感奮。 是年秋,擊賊於漁山,受傷,事聞,復還翎頂。
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
十二年春,擊敗牽於粵洋大星嶼。 十一月,又擊敗於閩洋浮鷹山。 十二月,遂偕福建提督張見升追牽入澳,窮其所向,至黑水洋。 牽僅存三艇,皆百戰之寇,以死拒。 長庚自以火攻船掛其艇尾,欲躍登,忽砲中喉,移時而殞。 時戰艦數十倍於賊,見升庸懦,遙見總統船亂,遽退,牽乃遁入安南外洋。 上震悼,褒血卩,初擬俟寇平錫以伯爵,乃追封三等壯烈伯,諡忠毅,於原籍建專祠。
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.
12
長庚治軍嚴,信賞必罰,自偏裨下至隊長水手,耳目心志如一,人人皆可用。 與阮元同心整厲水師,數建功,為玉德所忌。 及阿林保之至閩也,置酒款長庚,謂曰:「大海捕魚,何時入網? 海外事無左證,公但斬一酋,以牽首報,我飛章告捷,以餘賊歸善後辦理。 公受上賞,我亦邀次功,孰與窮年冒風濤僥倖萬一哉?」 長庚謝曰:「吾何能為此? 久視海船如廬舍,誓與賊同死,不與同生!」 阿林保不懌。 既屢劾不得逞,則飛檄趣戰。 長庚緘所落齒寄其妻,志以身殉國。 既歿,詔部將王得祿、邱良功嗣任,勉以同心敵愾,為長庚雪仇。 二人遵其部勒,卒滅蔡牽,竟全功焉。
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.
13
長庚無子,養同姓子廷鈺為嗣,襲伯爵,授二等侍衛。 道光中,出為南昌副將,累擢浙江提督。 因病不能巡洋,奪職家居。 咸豐初,治本籍團練,迭克廈門、金島、仙遊,授福建提督。 尋以誤報軍情解任,仍會辦團練。 十一年,卒,孫經寶襲爵。
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
胡振聲,亦同安人,提督貴子。 起行伍,累擢至溫州鎮總兵。 從長庚大破夷艇於台州松門洋,自是屢從長庚擊賊海上。 嘉慶九年六月,率二十六艘運舟材赴福建,至浮鷹洋,遇賊,與總兵孫大剛夾攻,殲賊甚眾,而舟為砲焚,閩師不能救,遂被害。 優恤,諡武壯,予騎都尉兼雲騎尉世職。
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.
15
王得祿,字玉峰,福建嘉義人。 林爽文倡亂,陷縣城。 得祿家素豐,捐貲募鄉勇,助官軍復之,授把總。 明年,賊复圍城,從總兵柴大紀固守。 及圍解,率鄉勇搜捕大坪頂等處餘匪,焚瑯嶠賊巢,賊渠莊大田就擒。 台灣平,賜花翎、五品頂戴,遷千總。 嘉慶元年,巡洋至獺窟,遇賊,得祿先登,擒吳興信等。 歷年出洋捕海盜,號勇敢,累擢金門營游擊。 七年,從李長庚擊蔡牽於東滬洋,擒賊目徐業等百餘人,又擒呂送於崇武洋,被獎敘。 九年,從總兵羅仁太擊賊於虎頭山洋面,獲船械甚多。 十年,擊蔡牽於虎井洋,敗之,署澎湖協副將。 九月,遇牽於水澳,焚其舟,擒殲硃列等百餘人。 十一年春,牽入台灣,圍府城。 李長庚令得祿與許松年駕小舟自安平港入偵之,帆檣彌望,夜縱火焚賊舟,遂入屯柴頭港。 明日,賊自洲仔尾攻府城北門,得祿率兵躡其後,大呼以前,賊驚卻。 城內軍出夾攻,大敗之,乘勝至洲仔尾,破其營,賊乃遁。 五月,牽复竄鹿耳門,得祿首先沖擊,獲船十,沈船十一。 敘功,加總兵銜。 尋擢福寧鎮總兵。
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.
16
十二年,調南澳鎮。 七月,敗硃濆於雞籠洋,獲船十四。 十一月,又敗其黨於古雷洋,射殪賊目硃金,擒張祈,被獎敘。 未幾,李長庚戰歿,命得祿與邱良功繼任軍事。 十三年,擢浙江提督。 既而調福建,邱良功代之。 時阮元再任浙江巡撫,張師誠為福建巡撫,兩省合力,得祿與良功同心滅賊。 十四年八月,同擊蔡牽於定海漁山,敗之。 牽東南走,追至黑水洋,合擊累日,良功以浙舟駢列賊舟東,得祿率閩舟列浙舟東,戰酣,良功舟傷暫退,得祿舟進,附牽舟,諸賊黨隔不得援。 牽鉛丸盡,以番銀代,得祿額腕皆傷,擲火焚牽舟尾樓,复衝斷其柁。 牽知不免,舉砲自裂其舟沉於海。 詔以牽肆逆十有四年,渠魁就殲,厥功甚偉,錫封得祿二等子爵,賜雙眼花翎。 餘黨千二百人,後皆降,海盜遂息。
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.
17
得祿為福建提督歷十載,屢疏陳緝捕事宜,改定水師船制,皆如議行。 二十五年,調浙江提督。 道光元年,乞病歸。 十二年,台灣張丙作亂,得祿率家屬擒賊目張紅頭等,加太子少保。 十八年,台匪沈和肆掠,輸糧助守,晉太子太保。 二十一年,英吉利犯廈門,命駐守澎湖。 次年,卒,贈伯爵,諡果毅。 次子朝綸襲子爵,官戶部員外郎。
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.
18
邱良功,福建同安人。 起行伍,屢以獲盜功,洊擢閩安協副將。 嘉慶十年,偕許松年會剿蔡牽,追至小琉球,見台灣師船二為賊圍,赴援,松年舉旗招之,未至。 以違調遣被劾,褫職逮訊。 得白,復原官,署台灣副將。 十一年春,從李長庚擊蔡牽,破洲仔尾賊巢,牽乘間逸,奪頂戴。 五月,破牽於鹿耳門,賜花翎。 十二年,硃濆犯淡水,偕王得祿追至雞籠洋,連敗之,擒殲甚眾,被優敘。 十三年,擢浙江定海鎮總兵。 十四年,擢浙江提督。 偕王得祿合擊蔡牽於漁山外洋,乘上風逼之,夜半浪急,不得進。 明日,复要截環攻,牽且戰且走,傍午逾黑水洋,見綠水。 良功恐日暮賊遁,大呼突進,以己舟逼牽舟,兩篷相結。 賊以椗衝船,陷入死鬥。 良功腓被矛傷,毀賊椗,得脫出。 閩師繼之,牽遂裂舟自沉。 論功,錫封三等男爵,次於王得祿。 或為之不平,良功曰:「海疆肅清,已為快事,名位軒輊何足計?」 二十二年,入覲,卒於途,賜卹,諡剛勇。 子聯恩襲男爵,官直隸河間協副將。
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
陳步雲,浙江瑞安人。 入伍隸水師,數獲盜,以勇力稱,授溫州營把總。 從良功追蔡牽,步雲以四十人駕舟徑逼牽艦鏖鬥,舟小不相當,見兩提督至,亟投火罐焚賊艦,以長戟鉤舷,率數卒躍登,短兵相搏,殲牽妻及其黨。 賊艦已壞,牽猶持利刃踞柁樓,顧欲取之。 良功隔船疾呼,船與水平,速去,放長繩水中援之起,而牽船沒矣。 步雲身被十數創,兩提督皆臨慰視。 事聞,賜獎武銀牌,擢千總。 累遷閩安副將。 總督孫爾準欲裁減師船,步雲言李提督所造船高大堅緻,其利遠勝同安夾板、快駒諸船、裁之緝匪無具,有事不能制敵,議乃寢。 爾準薦其才可勝專閫,入覲,宣宗曰:「汝即隨邱、王兩提督攻沉蔡牽之陳步雲耶?」 詢戰功甚悉。 遂擢定海鎮總兵,歷瓊州、福寧、金門、海壇諸鎮。 道光十九年,以傷發,乞解職。 三十年,卒。
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
許松年,字蓉俊,浙江瑞安人。 以武舉效力水師,從李長庚積功至提標參將。 嘉慶十年,護理金門鎮總兵。 擊蔡牽於小琉球; 又擊硃濆、烏石二於宮仔洋,從李長庚追敗之於閩、粵交界甲子洋。 又迭擊牽於青龍港、斗米洋。 十一年,偕王得祿敗牽於台灣洲仔尾,跐海水而登,焚溺無算。 是年夏,李長庚攻牽於鹿耳門,松年扼張坑、返埕洋面,獲賊船一,沉船三,又於水澳擒蔡三來等。 李長庚論水師將材,舉松年可獨當一面,總督阿林保以疏聞。 十二年,從長庚擊蔡牽於大星嶼、浮鷹洋,松年躍入賊船獲之,被優敘。 十三年,硃濆潛匿東涌外洋,命松年躡剿,遂移師入粵。 追至長山尾,了見賊船四十餘,知其最巨者為濆所乘,並力圍攻,濆受砲傷,未幾斃。 詔嘉松年奮勇,克殲渠魁,賜花翎,予雲騎尉世職。 粵匪張保仔竄閩洋金門、廈門,松年遣漁船誘之,以舟師圍擊,獲船七,沉船六,被優敘。 十五年,傷發回籍,尋丁母憂。 十九年,授甘肅西寧鎮總兵,歷延綏、漳州、天津、碣石諸鎮。 道光元年,擢廣東陸路提督,調福建水師提督。 六年,台灣械鬥,松年方閱兵,彈壓解散,總督孫爾準與之不協,尋以治理輕縱,被議褫職,留台效力。 乞病歸,卒於家。 子錫麟,襲世職。
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
黃標,字殿豪,廣東潮州人。 由行伍拔補千總,擢守備。 乾隆五十五年,艇匪肆掠,總督福康安議練水師,募奇才異能者領之。 標技勇過人,生長海壖,習知水道險易,能久伏水底,視物歷歷可數,特被識拔。 以捕獲龍門洋盜及狗頭山匪功,擢都司,署游擊。
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
嘉慶元年,剿匪於南澎外洋,獲李超勝等三十餘名。 仁宗素知其名,詔嘉緝捕勤能,擢參將。 二年,俘洋盜胡三勝等,复擊斃安南匪首,盡獲其眾,被優敘。 三年,遷澄海副將。 未幾,擢廣東左翼鎮總兵,命總統巡洋水師,責以肅清海盜。 四年,剿匪大放雞山及雙魚桅、夾門外洋,殲獲甚眾,賜花翎,命繪像以進。 尋以盜劫鹽艘被劾,詔原之。 六年,复擊賊於南澎外洋,獲田亞猛等。 七年,偕提督孫全謀剿博羅會匪,連破羊矢坑、羅溪營要隘,搗其巢。 事平優敘,並被珍賚。 自將水師,飲食寢處與士卒共,先後獲匪六百餘名,粵海倚為保障。 八年,偕孫全謀出海捕賊,賊遁廣州灣。 標議合兵守隘,俟賊糧盡可盡殲。 全謀慮持久有風濤患,乃分兵,賊得突圍逸出。 標歎曰:「此機一失,海警未已!」 憤懣成疾。 尋坐師久無功,吏議奪職留任。 未幾,卒。
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
自安南夷艇散後,餘黨留粵者分五幫:曰林阿發、曰總兵保、曰郭學顯、曰烏石二、曰鄭乙。 提督錢夢虎、孫全謀皆庸材,不能辦賊。 標歿後,益無良將,惟林國良、許廷桂以死事聞。
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
國良,福建海澄人。 世襲騎都尉,授廣東碣石鎮標游擊,累遷海澄副將,繼標為左翼鎮總兵。 十三年,追剿烏石二於丫洲洋,擊沉數艘,賊艦續至益多。 國良以傷殞,優恤,諡果壯。
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
廷桂,廣東歸善人。 由行伍擢千總。 乾隆中,從征台灣,累遷海門營參將。 國良歿,護理左翼鎮總兵。 十四年,擊殲匪首總兵保於外洋,圍其餘黨。 張保仔率大隊來援。 眾寡不敵,廷桂死之。 賜卹,予雲騎尉世職。
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
洎蔡牽既滅,惟粵匪存,於是百齡為兩廣總督,乃斷接濟,整軍紀,越一年,剿撫以次定。 東南海氛始靖。
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
論曰:東南海寇之擾,始末十有餘年。 惟浙師李長庚一人能辦賊,以閩帥牽掣而阻成功,然長庚忠誠勇略聞於海內,上結主知,廟算既孚,乃專倚畀。 洎閩、浙合力,賊勢浸衰,不幸長庚中殞,而王得祿、邱良功等以部將承其遺志,卒殲渠魁。 粵將惟黃標可用,而未盡其才。 百齡乘閩、浙殄賊之後,剿撫兼施,遂如摧枯拉朽。 要之海戰惟恃船堅砲利,與斷接濟而已,循之則勝,違之則敗。 得失之林,故無幸哉!
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!