Chapter 16: Operation Overlord

The adoption of the Hall rifle would inevitably impact tactics. The Army had invested great effort in establishing its current system; organization, logistics, and training were all centered around the Minie rifle. A large-scale switch to the Hall rifle would be a significant risk.

In contrast, the smaller-scale Marine Corps, which frequently engaged in small-unit actions and skirmishes, was a more suitable testbed. Moreover, the Hall rifle’s higher rate of fire complemented the Marines’ tactical focus on skirmish lines and precision shooting.

The two men’s ideas aligned perfectly. Shi Zhiqi’s proposal for a new organization and new equipment was approved for small-scale, experimental use. Using the personnel from the original Hong Kong detachment, a three-company 1st Expeditionary Unit was formed as the test force.

In the command room at the Zuoying base, a large-scale sand table model of Weitou Bay had been constructed, including Anping, Xiamen Island, Gulangyu, and the Greater and Lesser Kinmen Islands.

There had been some debate on how to prosecute the war against the Zheng clan, but ultimately, the strategy of “striking at the dragon’s head” was chosen. A powerful, concentrated blow would be delivered to Zheng Zhilong’s main base at Anping, wiping out his presence in the area. If possible, they would seize the opportunity to capture or kill the Zheng family’s key leaders, eradicating their power once and for all.

Years ago, the Qing army’s surprise attack on Xiamen, though failing to destroy Zheng Chenggong’s military strength in one fell swoop, had plundered the years of accumulated grain and silver, dealing a severe blow to his economic power and leaving him greatly weakened.

The Zheng family was now in its nascent stage, far from the wealth of Zheng Chenggong’s era. A powerful combined land and sea assault that plundered their savings and destroyed their fleet would be enough to ensure Zheng Zhilong could not recover, even if they failed to capture or kill the family’s leaders.

This plan was approved before the summer, and military forces were mobilized accordingly. After synthesizing intelligence, the General Staff and the Navy proposed launching the offensive in late September. By then, the typhoon season would be largely over, and the strait would be calm, facilitating the transport of troops. Furthermore, the Zheng family’s ships bound for Japan typically set sail in June and returned around September. This timing would maximize their chances of catching the main Japanese trade fleet, dealing a heavy blow to their maritime power.

However, the intelligence department also reminded the General Staff and the Navy that Zheng Zhilong’s naval power recovered very quickly. It took less than a year to build a large trading junk on the Fujian coast; a new vessel could be launched in as little as seven or eight months. Though the quality might be poor, they were sufficient for voyages to Japan or Southeast Asia. In the old timeline, Zheng Zhilong had suffered many defeats and lost many ships, but he had always been able to rebuild his fleet quickly—a testament to the support of Xiong Wencan and his own strong foundation in the Zhangzhou and Quanzhou regions.

Now, Xiong Wencan had been transferred to Guangdong. The new governor, Zou Weilian, while relying on Zheng Zhilong for coastal defense, was far less trusting. Zheng Zhilong’s power had grown, and he often acted independently, not always heeding the governor’s orders. Their relationship was far less “harmonious” than it had been in Xiong Wencan’s time.

The Intelligence Bureau’s analysis concluded that to shake the Zheng family’s prestige in the Zhangzhou-Quanzhou area and make Governor Zou Weilian doubt Zheng’s capabilities—many Fujian officials had only grudgingly accepted Zheng’s surrender, believing him “useful but not trustworthy”—they had to deliver a devastating blow. This would prevent a quick recovery of his strength. The plan had to be a thorough destruction of Anping, Xiamen, Gulangyu, and the Kinmen Islands. Killing the main Zheng leaders would be a bonus.

The final operational plan formulated by the General Staff was to launch a joint army-navy landing operation on September 20th. The main force of the First Fleet would storm Weitou Bay and destroy all ships anchored there. Simultaneously, the Marines and the Army would land on and occupy Anping, Xiamen Island, Gulangyu, and the Kinmen Islands.

After occupying these areas, they would conduct a comprehensive sweep of all forts and towns, destroying them one by one. The population, grain, and wealth would be plundered, and the cities burned. This would turn Weitou Bay into a “scorched earth,” crippling its ability to conduct foreign trade. The Great Library and the Intelligence Bureau believed that completely annihilating the Zheng family in a single campaign would be difficult. They had to destroy its economic and material foundation to the greatest extent possible, then follow up with a trade blockade and further military strikes to finally eliminate them.

In this plan, the army and navy would only conduct destructive operations in the Anping, Xiamen, Gulangyu, and Kinmen areas, without occupying them. The General Staff considered that a direct occupation would necessitate a large-scale dispersal of forces for defense. Furthermore, for the Fujian officialdom, the occupation of Xiamen and Kinmen would be a direct threat to the Zhangzhou-Quanzhou region, which would likely provoke a strong backlash. The Fujian officials would throw their full support behind a Zheng Zhilong counterattack.

Conversely, if they merely dealt a harsh blow to the Zheng family, the bureaucrats and gentry who already disliked them would likely join in the attack.

From a trade perspective, the Fujian coast was not indispensable. The ships of the Colonial and Trade Department could sail from Shanghai, Guangzhou, or Kaohsiung to any trading destination. Fujian’s goods were not irreplaceable.

Dongmen Chuiyu, with his dark sense of humor, named this plan “Operation Overlord”—for once the campaign was successful, the Senate would truly be the overlord of the entire East Asian seas.

The projected forces for the operation included the entire First Fleet, several squadrons of Coast Guard patrol boats from Lingao, several naval fire support squadrons, the 1st Marine Expeditionary Unit, the entire 1st Infantry Battalion of the Army, two artillery companies, and one heavy artillery company. There were also two special forces detachments.

In the command room at the Zuoying base, Dongmen Chuiyu stood before the sand table, using a pointer to explain the operational plan.

“The first objective of this operation is Kinmen Island,” Dongmen Chuiyu said, pointing at the model. “Kinmen Island is the throat of Xiamen, situated at the junction of Xiamen Bay and Weitou Bay. It is not only the key to Xiamen but also the barrier to the mouth of the Jiulong River, vital for the maritime security of Zhangzhou. For Zheng Zhilong, if Kinmen falls, Anping cannot be held. Therefore, it is a stronghold he must defend.”

Kinmen’s land was barren, and it lacked surface rivers, making it a water-scarce and harsh environment. It could not support a large population. However, the Kinmen archipelago had numerous bays and harbors, with over thirty anchorages suitable for ships, including seventeen on Greater Kinmen and six on Lesser Kinmen. It was an excellent place to moor ships, and thus had always been one of the main anchorages for the Zheng family’s fleet. Zheng Chenggong had also launched his invasion of Taiwan from here.

The second objective was Xiamen Island. Xiamen was eighteen nautical miles from Kinmen, with Anping to its east. If Anping was the Zheng family’s lair, then Xiamen was their grand commercial emporium. Countless goods and vast wealth were stored and traded there. Later, the Zheng brothers built luxurious mansions on the island and moved there. When the Qing general Ma Degong successfully raided Xiamen, he reportedly plundered 900,000 taels of silver and 100,000 shi of grain. Considering Ma Degong fled before he could establish a foothold and conduct a thorough search, and that he surely pocketed a portion for himself, the true extent of the Zheng family’s wealth on Xiamen Island was likely unknown even to Zheng Zhilong himself.

“Now, for the campaign timeline.”

September 20th would be D-Day. On D-3, the fleet would set sail and assemble at Penghu, establishing a forward base on Magong Island to stockpile food and water. On D-2, the first wave of special forces would land on Anping, Greater Kinmen, and Xiamen to establish guide points on the designated beaches. In the early morning of D-1, the fleet would depart for Kinmen Island.

Kinmen Island is approximately 80 nautical miles from Penghu. A steamship at 8 knots would take about ten hours. To accommodate the slower sailing ships, the fleet’s average speed would be maintained at 3-4 knots, requiring a transit time of over 25 hours. Therefore, departure was set for 0400 hours. This would allow the fleet to arrive on the morning of D-day and enter Liaoluo Bay with the rising tide.

“According to reports from special forces and reconnaissance ships, part of Zheng Zhilong’s fleet is anchored in Liaoluo Bay, part in Gulangyu, and some in Anping,” Dongmen Chuiyu said, pointing to the ship models on the sand table.

The ships anchored in Liaoluo Bay constituted the Zheng “fleet.” They were larger vessels, including several European-style ships, most of which were armed with Hongyi cannons transferred from Guangdong by Xiong Wencan. Although Liaoluo Bay faced the open sea and was exposed to wind and waves, its steep, sandy bottom made it an ideal anchorage for deep-draft vessels. It was also well-positioned to intercept any enemy fleet attempting to attack Xiamen Bay or Weitou Bay.

The ships at Anping and Gulangyu were mostly ordinary trading vessels, though a significant portion were armed. Near Gulangyu, Zheng Zhilong also had a number of fire ships—clearly, the enemy understood that fire ships were most effective in narrow waters.

According to the plan, the fleet would first attack all ships anchored in Liaoluo Bay. Then, the ships would concentrate their fire on Kinmen, destroying its defenses. The Marines would then land to attack, occupy, and destroy the island.

The Zheng family had several forts on Kinmen, defended by thousands of men and multiple gun batteries. However, compared to the Humen-Pearl River defenses that the Navy had previously breached, Kinmen’s defenses were far inferior. The Zheng family’s defense of the island relied primarily on their fleet at sea, not on land-based batteries.

After occupying the Kinmen Islands, a command post and transfer station would be established there. From there, they would launch attacks on Xiamen Island and Anping. The plan was to bring a large number of large, medium, and small landing craft to ferry troops across the bay, overcoming the disadvantage of the First Fleet’s large, deep-draft ships, which were ill-suited for landing operations.