| 英文摘要 |
This article analyzes the attempts of three generations of the Zheng family to conquer Luzon using mostly previously unpublished Spanish historical records. In 1662, Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong) issued a letter threatening the Philippines, which was delivered by Father Victorio Riccio, who arrived in Manila by May 10 or 12 of that year. Father Victorio Riccio translated the letter into Spanish. When faced with Koxinga’s threats, the Manila government relocated garrisons from Iligan, Calamianes, Ternate and Zamboanga to Manila and recruited more cavalry for defense, and dispatched a military vessel under Agustín Martínez’s command to Taiwan’s coastline to monitor the enemy’s actions. To remove domestic support for Koxinga’s navy, only 2,500 Chinese individuals (excluding Christians) were allowed to stay in the Philippines, while the rest were to be expelled from the archipelago. The news of expulsion triggered a rebellion by the Chinese in Manila on May 25, 1662. When Koxinga defeated the Dutch, the Manila government knew that his strength should not be underestimated, and his threats to conquer the Philippines should be taken seriously. However, the threats of Zheng Jing and Zheng Keshuang, Koxinga’s grandson, were not given much consideration by the Manila government. At times, their intentions to conquer the Philippines were mere rumors; on other occasions the actual plans of conquest were abandoned before Manila learnt of them; and other times, the threats were acknowledged but not viewed as a serious concern given the circumstances. Zheng Jing threatened to conquer the Philippines six times, but Spanish records mention only four instances in 1671, 1672, 1673, and 1680. The Manila government paid the most attention to threats in 1672 and 1680. In 1672, an envoy was sent to Tainan to negotiate with Zheng Jing, but the mission failed because the vessel was diverted to Macau by a storm. In 1680, the military and the navy were deployed in Manila for defense against enemy threats. During Zheng Keshuang’s reign, there was only one threat of conquest, which came after July 16, 1683, when the Zheng family was on the verge of decline. Nonetheless, Spanish records do not mention it as the Government of the Philippines did not acknowledge receiving it. After the Chinese rebellion in Manila concluded in early July, Father Victorio Riccio brought back the response letter to Koxinga from the Governor of Manila, Sabiniano Manrique de Lara. Koxinga had already passed away and the letter was received by his son Zheng Jing, who deliberated with his court on the issue. On April 2, 1663, two officials, Zheng Tai and Hong Xu, drafted a letter in his name, which Father Victorio Riccio delivered to Manila. His ship docked in Manila’s port on April 21, 1663. The Manila government considered Zheng Jing’s demands and, in the end, the two sides signed a peace treaty. The Manila government issued two official letters of response to be delivered by Father Victorio Riccio, one to Zheng Jing and the other to his two officials, thereby putting an end to Koxinga’s threats to Manila. |