Liu Guoxuan (1628-1693) was the Wuping Marquis and a 17th-century military officer of the
Kingdom of Tungning
The Kingdom of Tungning (), also known as Tywan by the British at the time, was a dynastic maritime state that ruled part of southwestern Taiwan and the Penghu islands between 1661 and 1683. It is the first predominantly Han Chinese state in Ta ...
based in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
. He fought all over the island of Taiwan and the nearby mainland. He also commanded the Penghu defense during the
Battle of Penghu
The Battle of Penghu () was a naval battle fought in 1683 between the Qing dynasty and the Kingdom of Tungning. The Qing admiral Shi Lang led a fleet to attack the Tungning forces in Penghu. Each side possessed more than 200 warships. The Tungn ...
.
Early life
Liu Guoxuan was born in the mountain town of Sidu on the borders of
Changting,
Fujian
Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...
and
Ruijin
Ruijin () is a county-level city of Ganzhou in the mountains bordering Fujian Province in the south-eastern part of Jiangxi Province. Formerly a county, Ruijin became a county-level city on May 18, 1994.
It was an early center of Chinese commun ...
,
Jiangxi
Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...
. When he was 18, he went to
Zhangzhou
Zhangzhou (), alternately romanized as Changchow, is a prefecture-level city in Fujian Province, China. The prefecture around the city proper comprises the southeast corner of the province, facing the Taiwan Strait and surrounding the prefec ...
, Fujian to join the army under Lin Shiyong, first as a soldier and then the commander of the city gate. He admired
Zheng Chenggong
Zheng Chenggong, Prince of Yanping (; 27 August 1624 – 23 June 1662), better known internationally as Koxinga (), was a Ming loyalist general who resisted the Qing conquest of China in the 17th century, fighting them on China's southeastern ...
's deeds very much. Liu conspired with Lin Shiyong against their commanding general to help Zheng Chenggong take the city of Zhangzhou.
Career in Tungning
In 1659, Liu Guoxuan accompanied Zheng Chenggong to fight south of the
Yangtze River
The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest list of rivers of Asia, river in Asia, the list of rivers by length, third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in th ...
. He also participated in the
siege of Fort Zeelandia
The siege of Fort Zeelandia () of 1661–1662 ended the Dutch East India Company's rule over Taiwan and began the Kingdom of Tungning's rule over the island.
Prelude
From 1623 to 1624 the Dutch had been at war with Ming China over the Pescadore ...
. After Zheng Chenggong's death, Liu was deployed around the island by
Zheng Jing
Zheng Jing, Prince of Yanping (; 25 October 1642 – 17 March 1681), courtesy names Xianzhi () and Yuanzhi (), pseudonym Shitian (), was a 17th-century Chinese warlord, Ming dynasty loyalist and ruler of the Kingdom of Tungning in Taiwan.
Bio ...
, the new ruler. In 1674, Liu took advantage of the
Revolt of the Three Feudatories
The Revolt of the Three Feudatories, () also known as the Rebellion of Wu Sangui, was a rebellion in China lasting from 1673 to 1681, during the early reign of the Kangxi Emperor (r. 1661–1722) of the Qing dynasty (1644–1912). The revolt was ...
and attacked the mainland, taking a lot of land. Finally, in 1680, the Three Feudatories were soon-to-be defeated and Zheng Jing's army was defeated in
Fujian
Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...
. Liu Guoxuan had to rescue and retreat with Zheng Jing back to the
Penghu
The Penghu (, Hokkien POJ: ''Phîⁿ-ô͘'' or ''Phêⁿ-ô͘'' ) or Pescadores Islands are an archipelago of 90 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait, located approximately west from the main island of Taiwan, covering an area ...
islands.
Liu Guoxuan became allies with
Feng Xifan
Feng Xifan ( 17th century), pseudonym Xifan (), was an official and general of the Kingdom of Tungning on the island of Taiwan in the late 17th century. He was from Longxi County, which is around present-day Qiling Village, Longwen District, Z ...
and together they successfully ousted rival official
Chen Yonghua
Chen Yonghua (; 1634–1680), courtesy name Fufu ()), was a prominent official of the Kingdom of Tungning in Taiwan in the late 17th century. He was from the region near modern-day Quanzhou.
Biography
Chen Yonghua was born in 1634 in the ...
from the political arena in 1680. After Zheng Jing's death in 1681, they slandered
Zheng Kezang
Zheng Kezang (1662–1681), birth name Qin () or Qinshe (), was the crown prince and regency of Kingdom of Tungning. Kezhang was the eldest son of Zheng Jing and Chen Zhaoniang, and his grandparents were Koxinga and Princess Dong.
Biography
...
in front of
Queen Dowager Dong. They claimed that Zheng Kezang was not a biological son of Zheng Jing and subsequently they launched a coup to kill Zheng Kezang and seize power. The result of the coup was 12-year-old
Zheng Keshuang
Zheng Keshuang, Prince of Yanping (; 13 August 1670 – 22 September 1707), courtesy name Shihong, art name Huitang, was the third and last ruler of the Kingdom of Tungning in Taiwan in the 17th century. He was the second son of Zheng Jing and a ...
taking the throne. He was made the Wuping Marquis in 1681 and was put in charge of the military of Tangning.
The Battle of Penghu
In 1683, Emperor Kangxi sent Admiral
Shi Lang
Shi Lang (1621–1696), Marquis Jinghai, also known as Secoe or Sego, was a Chinese admiral who served under the Ming and Qing dynasties in the 17th century. He was the commander-in-chief of the Qing fleets which destroyed the power of Zheng Che ...
to attack Tungning with about 21,000 men and 238 warships. Liu Guoxuan led the Penghu defense fleet to drive back Shi Lang before a major hurricane struck, which was successful.
After the hurricane ended, the forces engaged in battle once again. Liu predicted that the Qing navy would send a small detachment around the battle to land directly on his land base so he had archers and cannons on the beaches along with a detachment of soldiers. Shi Lang's navy took the
Hujing Island
Hujing Island / Huching Island / Hujing Islet () is an islet in Hujing Village (), Magong City, Penghu County (the Pescadores), Taiwan. The island has also been known as ''Da'anshan'' () and the nearby Tongpan Island as ''Xiao'anshan'' (). The s ...
and the
Tongpan Island
Tongpan Island () is an island in Tongpan Village (), Magong City, Penghu County (the Pescadores), Taiwan. Tongpan Island is about from the main island of Penghu. A ferry runs between Tongpan Island and Penghu Main Island twice a day and more o ...
on July 12th.
During the battle, the Qing navy smashed and broke Liu's formation.
Due to the better equipped Qing navy, most of the Tungning fleet was under the ocean within an hour. Liu's fleet surrendered when they had run out of ammunition to continue fighting. Their land base was also taken by many skilled Qing generals. It was said that
Mazu
Mazu or Matsu is a Chinese sea goddess also known by several other names and titles. She is the deified form of the legendary figure Lin Mo or Lin Moniang, a Fujianese shamaness whose life span is traditionally dated from 960 to 987. Re ...
, a chinese sea goddess personally aided Shi Lang in defeating Liu.
Surrender of Tungning
Liu Guoxuan was about to commit suicide when he was stopped by Shi Lang. After a brief talk about the battle, Liu was freed. After the battle, the Tungning royal court split into two factions: the "war" faction and the "surrender" faction. Ruler Zheng Keshuang heeded Liu's advice to surrender.
Later years and death
After surrendering, Liu Guoxuan was summoned to
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
by the Kangxi emperor. He was given a title of a count ()
and worked as the commander of a city gate in Beijing. In 1693, he succumbed to his illness and died in
Tianjin
Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...
. He was posthomusly given the titles of "Guanglu Dafu" and "Taizi Shaobao"– literally the "Bright Prosperity Grand Master" and the "Assistant Protector of the Crown Prince."
In popular culture
* ''
The Deer and the Cauldron
''The Deer and the Cauldron'', also known as ''The Duke of Mount Deer'', is a comic historical novel by Jin Yong (Louis Cha), the longest of his novels and the last to be published but chronologically it is the eighth novel. It was initially pub ...
'', a
wuxia
( ), which literally means "martial heroes", is a genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although is traditionally a form of historical fiction, its popularity has caused it to be adapted f ...
novel by
Jin Yong
Louis Cha Leung-yung (; 10 March 1924 – 30 October 2018), better known by his pen name Jin Yong (), pronounced "Gum Yoong" in Cantonese, was a Chinese wuxia (" martial arts and chivalry") novelist and essayist who co-founded the Hong Kong d ...
. Liu Guoxuan is a minor character and one of the "Five Tiger Generals" under
Koxinga
Zheng Chenggong, Prince of Yanping (; 27 August 1624 – 23 June 1662), better known internationally as Koxinga (), was a Ming loyalist general who resisted the Qing conquest of China in the 17th century, fighting them on China's southeastern ...
.
*''
Kangxi Dynasty
''Kangxi Dynasty'' is a 2001 Chinese television series based on the novel ''Kangxi Da Di'' (康熙大帝; ''The Great Kangxi Emperor'') by Eryue He. The series is a prequel to the 1997 television series ''Yongzheng Dynasty'', and was followed by '' ...
'', a 2001 Chinese television series based on the novel ''Kangxi Da Di'' (康熙大帝; ''The Great
Kangxi Emperor
The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 1654– 20 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, born Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1661 to 1 ...
'') by
Eryue He
Ling Jiefang (; 3 November 1945 – 15 December 2018), better known by his pen name Eryue He (), was a Chinese historical fiction writer. He is best known for writing biographical novels of three Qing dynasty emperors (Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qian ...
. Liu Guoxuan is a minor character played by actor Zhang Suguo.
References
Bibliography
* Wong, Young-tsu (2017) ''China's Conquest of Taiwan in the Seventeenth Century: Victory at Full Moon''. Springer.
*
1628 births
1693 deaths
Hokkien people
History of Taiwan
People from Zhangzhou
Kingdom of Tungning
Chinese nobility
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