Chapter 117 - Taiwan Island

As for the refugees gathered from Zhejiang, the General Staff suggested setting up a transit point in Taiwan. The refugees would first go to Taiwan, be “stockpiled” in a camp there for a period, and then be transported back to Lin’gao. Some could be left directly in Taiwan to develop the land, forming a second colony.

Of course, the situation in Taiwan was more complex. There were many forces there, including the Dutch, the Spanish, and Zheng Zhilong, who all had their own territories. The Dutch controlled Tayouan, Zheng Zhilong occupied Beigang, and the Spanish held Keelung. They were generally spread out along the coast facing the mainland, from Taipei to Tainan. The natives of Taiwan, Malay immigrants, and Japanese also had some small influence in the local area.

However, the scale of these forces was very small, and the territory they occupied was not large. The Dutch, the Spanish, and Zheng Zhilong’s influence was based on one or two fortified points, occupying a very small area around them. Besides trade, they also collected tribute from Fujian immigrants and the natives, with the latter being a very small proportion. Except for Zheng Zhilong, who had some organized immigration for agricultural development, the main purpose of the Europeans occupying these places was to serve as trading posts and to collect local products, mainly Taiwan’s deerskin.

In terms of the Transmigration Group’s naval and land forces, eliminating these forces would be as easy as turning over a hand. According to historical data, the entire Spanish garrison in Keelung consisted of only 90 Europeans, plus one or two hundred auxiliary troops recruited from the Philippines. The Dutch were still building Fort Zeelandia in 1631-1632, and their entire European garrison did not exceed 400 men. Their sphere of influence extended only 30 kilometers outside the fort. In 1630, they were almost driven away by the native tribe of Mattauw. It was not until after the Dutch East India Company massively reinforced its troops in 1635 that they began to launch large-scale punitive expeditions against the surrounding aboriginal villages and expand their territory.

Therefore, these forces posed little threat on land; it would not be an exaggeration to say they were vulnerable. Dispatching an infantry battalion with some light artillery would be enough to sweep the entire island. However, the situation at sea was more complex. The Dutch were now trading partners, and their naval power in East Asia was limited. They would not risk antagonizing the Council of Elders by taking hostile action. The Spanish could only be considered “present” in the waters near Taiwan.

The only obstacle was Zheng Zhilong. The coast of Fujian was his main area of activity. The navy’s transport fleet passing through this area, and even landing on Taiwan to build a transit base, would definitely not be hidden from him. If he were to intervene, it would be a major obstacle to the Engine Operation.

If they passed through the Taiwan Strait, given the tonnage and armament of the Harmony-class ships and the strength of the escorting warships, Zheng Zhilong would pose little threat unless he launched a large-scale naval battle. In the map exercises, the side playing Zheng Zhilong rarely managed to intercept the transport fleet passing through the Taiwan Strait. In other words, at the level of communication and navigation at that time, even if Zheng Zhilong was determined to fight, he might not be able to find an opportunity.

However, if they were to dock on the island of Taiwan, they would have to enter and exit the coastal bays of Taiwan, and Zheng Zhilong would have many opportunities for combat. This had to be taken into consideration.

Everyone agreed that it was necessary to establish a base in Taiwan—from a development perspective, Taiwan was more valuable than Hainan. However, there were different opinions on where to choose as a transit base. Several locations were listed for selection, including Keelung, Tainan, Hualien, and Kaohsiung.

The Spanish-occupied Keelung and Tamsui were rejected first. Although there were rich mineral resources near Keelung, including the famous Keelung coal mine and the Jinguashi gold and copper mine, the development was very difficult, and the geographical environment was extremely harsh. A large amount of manpower and material resources would be needed for reclamation.

Contemporary records also had no good words for this place: “Keelung and Tamsui are not good anchorages, and the nearby natives are fierce and cannot be interacted with.” “Have you not heard of the harsh climate of Keelung and Tamsui? People get sick as soon as they arrive, and they often die. All the servants who hear of being sent to Keelung or Tamsui sigh and lament as if being sent to a remote land. The navy routinely changes its garrison in spring and autumn, and it is considered lucky to return alive. If even the strong soldiers and servants are like this, how can you bear it?”

Keelung and Tamsui are both located in northern Taiwan, which is the region with the most abundant rainfall on the island, with an annual precipitation of over 3,000 millimeters. In a normal year, it rains in Taipei for half the year. An area with excessive rainfall is conducive to the growth of plants and microorganisms, but not to humans. Therefore, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the people of Fujian called Taipei a land of miasma, and the mortality rate of immigrants there was very high. If the transit base were to be set up here, the mortality rate would be imaginable.

Northern Taiwan also had a major earthquake in 1694. Its intensity was so great that it directly created the 30-square-kilometer Taipei Lake in the Taipei Basin. From any perspective, the Taipei area was not a place the Transmigration Group should venture into.

Hualien also received a lot of support. The advantage of Hualien was its extremely high security. It was located in eastern Taiwan and separated from the rest of the island by mountains. The surrounding terrain was rugged, and most areas were not suitable for ships to dock. The coast was mostly very steep, with only river mouths providing suitable terrain for anchoring. As long as a base was established at a river mouth, it would be impossible to land from other places. Historically, Hualien’s connection with the rest of Taiwan was only by boat until the highway was opened in 1932, and it was known as Taiwan’s “land-based offshore island.” Throughout the 17th century, apart from the Spanish going to Hualien to pan for gold in 1622, no one was interested in this place.

Hualien is rich in mineral resources, of which three can be immediately exploited by the transmigrators: silicate serpentine asbestos mines, marble, and limestone. Hualien was Taiwan’s most important cement production area until the 21st century. High-grade cement could be produced on-site to supply the development of Taiwan. There were also a small amount of iron ore deposits, not large in reserves, but easy to mine. In addition, many of Hualien’s serpentine mines were associated with chromite, magnetite, and aluminum-magnesium. At that time, the surface of Hualien should have had scattered distributions of all minerals except coal, which was very suitable for a small-scale group like Lin’gao to develop and mine.

In terms of freshwater resources, Hualien has three relatively large rivers and several not-so-small alluvial plains, which have some potential for farming and agricultural development.

However, in the end, Hualien’s excessive rainfall led to its rejection. The excessive rainfall made the local environment unsuitable for large-scale immigration. During the Japanese occupation of Taiwan, there was a plan to immigrate to Hualien to establish agricultural settlements, but it ultimately failed due to the climate and diseases.

Finally, the Pingtung and Kaohsiung areas were considered. This area is located on the Tainan Plain, which is relatively suitable for living and farming in Taiwan. Kaohsiung has a port, and although the port at that time had not been developed and could not accommodate large ships, it was still possible to anchor sailing ships of under a thousand tons.

South of Pingtung and Kaohsiung are mountains, and to the north is the Dutch sphere of influence. Currently, the Dutch and the Council of Elders have a commercial agreement, and the two sides maintain a “peaceful” commercial cooperative relationship. The Dutch had neither the strength nor the courage to attack the transit base in Pingtung and Kaohsiung at the risk of offending their major supplier. The Dutch could also serve as a buffer against Zheng Zhilong. Moreover, given Zheng Zhilong’s current busy state of infighting along the coast of Fujian, he might not have the time to deal with the “Kun thieves.”

“By transporting the Zhejiang immigrants to Kaohsiung and Pingtung, we can not only have a suitable place for quarantine and purification, but some of them can also carry out agricultural development on the spot. The Chianan Plain is the best agricultural production area in Taiwan, with superior sunshine, rainfall, and land. We can carry out intensive development in the form of large-scale farms, which is much better than the production environment in Hainan, where small-scale farming is predominant. It will be a leap forward for our agricultural production and can greatly improve our situation of basically relying on imports for food,” Luo Duo said at the end of his speech, strongly advocating for Kaohsiung as a base.

“What if Zheng Zhilong is hostile to us? His base is in Fujian,” someone raised an objection. Zheng Zhilong regarded Fujian as his lair, and he had an official position, so his power could not be underestimated.

“We don’t need to be afraid of his sailing fleet. By the end of 1631, after our 854-class and the first batch of 901-class are completed, our fleet will be a god-like presence in the Taiwan Strait. By deploying the steam-powered fleet to Kaohsiung, we can provide regional escort for our ships passing through the Taiwan Strait,” said Li Di, a staff officer from the navy. “Our navy has full sea control around Hainan Island and up to Hong Kong Island. By stationing the steam-powered fleet in Kaohsiung, we can deter the various forces along the coasts of Fujian and Zhejiang from acting rashly, ensuring the safety of the northern route to Jeju Island and the southern route to Hong Kong Island.”

The specific measure was to form two detachments. The Taiwan detachment, with the 854-class and 4 901-class ships as its core, would be stationed in Kaohsiung, responsible for monitoring the coasts of Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong, with a focus on ensuring “freedom of navigation” in the Taiwan Strait and escorting transport fleets. The Deng-Lai detachment, with 3 901-class ships as its core, would be stationed on Jeju Island, ready to carry out intervention missions in the coastal areas of Shandong and the Bohai Bay.

In addition to the hybrid-powered warships, the detachments would also include several modified large-tonnage sailing warships. The warships of the two detachments would adopt a zone escort method. The transport fleets would sail in convoys during their voyage, and each transport ship would be equipped with sufficient self-defense firepower.

These 7 steam-powered warships were expected to operate in this sea area until the beginning of 1633. By then, the second batch of 901-class ships built in Lin’gao would be ready for service and could replace the previous batch of warships, which would then return to Lin’gao for maintenance.

These two detachments would be based mainly in Kaohsiung. The port facilities and stockpiled materials for logistical support of the steam/sail hybrid-powered warships were much more complex than for sailing warships, so there would be no worries about empty tonnage on the ships heading north to pick up refugees. Besides the materials needed for the refugees, the materials needed to open sub-bases in both Kaohsiung and Jeju Island would be enough to fill the cargo holds.