中國晚清海防建設的必然與偶然：法國軍事工程思維下的二鯤鯓礮臺

The Inevitability and Contingency of Late Qing Empire's Coastal Defence and Fortification: Erhkunshen Fort under French Military Engineering Ideas

19世紀前期，中國、日本、越南等亞洲國家相繼遭逢外敵威脅或是內部動盪，見識到歐洲新式軍事科技的優勢。各國面對戰爭模式的全然轉變，以富國強兵和維護主權為目的，展開各面向的現代化改革，相繼以歐洲國家為學習對象，引入新式軍事思維並改革舊有體制。此外，為因應新戰爭模式來自海上的威脅，海岸防禦（coastal defence）成為焦點，大量新式城塞、要塞與砲臺1出現。各國一方面抵禦海上敵人，另一方面亦透過海洋途徑，帶來軍事工程技術的交流。1874年因應牡丹社事件而建於臺南沿海的二鯤鯓礮臺（億載金城），便是晚清洋務運動（1861－1895）軍事改革下必然的產物。 文藝復興以後的歐洲，以稜堡（bastion）為主要特徵的堡壘設計思維發展了數百年，尤其法國軍事工程師沃邦（Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban，1633－1707）的堡壘理論極具權威性和影響力。這種情況到了19世紀，由於軍事科技的急速發展，因應新型防禦需求，運用水泥裝甲、半地下及防彈構造的新式堡壘必然地漸為主流。然而在亞洲的堡壘建設中，卻因主事人物偶然地選擇，經由法國軍事工程人員影響而採用已過時的稜堡設計。二鯤鯓礮臺由主事官員沈葆楨（1820—1879）聘請自福州船政局的法國技師決定採用稜堡設計，便是在一系列的因緣際會下偶然的產物。 二鯤鯓礮臺並非亞洲近代歷史脈絡下的唯一案例，同時期的越南及日本也可發現相似的情況，同樣因特定人物的選擇，受法國軍事工程思維影響而採用稜堡設計，相關研究亦經常將這批法國影響下的稜堡式堡壘聯想到沃邦的堡壘理論。臺灣、越南及日本三處的堡壘案例兼具必然性與偶然性的特徵。然而目前尚未被放在同一脈絡下進行討論。 本文以二鯤鯓礮臺為主要研究對象，首先由「興建背景」、「建築設計」、「空間配置」、「防禦體系」及「對照案例與後續影響」等幾個面向，理解其反映的法國軍事工程思維、堡壘理論引入的背景、技術輸出者和接納者的關係、堡壘建設的目的及需求，地方及社會條件的影響。接著進一步與越南、日本的案例進行初步對照分析，探討其中的共通性及差異性，了解東亞堡壘現代化過程中的必然性與偶然性，並提出後續研究的方向。

 

In the early 19th century, Asian countries such as China, Japan, and Vietnam faced external threats and internal conflicts, experiencing the superiority of new military technologies from Europe. The shift in warfare prompted modernization reforms aimed at strengthening national defence and sovereignty. Inspired by European countries, these Asian countries introduced new military ideas and reformed existing systems. To counter maritime threats in the new warfare paradigm, coastal defence became a focal point, leading to the construction of numerous modern forts, strongholds, and artillery batteries. Erhkunshen Fort (二鯤鯓礮臺), built in response to the Mudan Incident (牡丹社事件) in 1874 along the coast of Tainan, Taiwan, was a result of the Self-Strengthening Movement (1861-1895) in the late Qing period. In post-Renaissance Europe, fortification design ideas, primarily characterized by bastions, had evolved for centuries, notably influenced by the strategic theories of the French military engineer Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban (1633-1707). By the 19th century, due to the rapid development of military technology and the new demands for defence, fortifications that used cement material, semi-subterranean designs, and bulletproof structures inevitably became the mainstream. However, in the context of fort construction in Asia, outdated bastion designs were accidental adopted due to the coincidental choices of specific individuals influenced by French military engineers. For example, the decision to use bastion design for Erhkunshen For was the accidental result shaped by the choice of the main official, Shen Pao-chen (沈葆楨), who hired a French military engineer from Foochow Arsenal (福州船政局). Erhkunshen Fort was not the only case in the modernization history of Asia. Similar situations can be found in Vietnam and Japan, where, due to specific individuals’ choices, bastion designs influenced by French military engineering ideas were adopted. Current research often associates these bastion forts with Vauban’s treatise of fortification. Fort cases from Taiwan, Vietnam, and Japan exhibit characteristics of both inevitability and contingency in their modernization. However, these cases have not been discussed in the same context to date. This study focuses on the Erhkunshen Fort, examining its construction background, design, layout, defence system, comparative cases and subsequent influence. Through these aspects, the research aims to understand the reflection of French military engineering ideas, the background of its introduction, the relationship between the transmitter and adopter of the technology, the purpose and requirements of fort construction, and the impact of local and social conditions. Additionally, a preliminary comparative analysis with fort cases in Vietnam and Japan is conducted to explore commonalities and differences, understanding the inevitability and contingency of fort modernization in East Asia, with potential directions for further research.