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Ming Suppression of Wokou on the Southeast Coast (1570s)

Type Event Region East Asia Time 1570–1578

In the 1570s wokou raids intensified on the Ming southeast coast; under the coordination of Hu Zongxian and Tan Lun, Qi Jiguang organized the Qi fami…

Timeline

  1. 1570–1571Coast of Zhejiang and Fujian · Southeast coastDuring the Longqing era, wokou colluded with smuggling merchants, raiding Taizhou, Wenzhou, Zhangzhou and other places; the Ming court adjusted coastal defense deployments, with Tan Lun serving as governor-general of Fujian military affairs, preparing for large-scale suppression campaigns.
  2. 1571–1573Fujian · FujianQi Jiguang was transferred to Fujian, recruited and trained new troops, organized the mandarin-duck formation and coordinated firearms tactics, and cooperated with the navy to clear out wokou-held islands and harbors.
  3. 1573–1575Hengyu (present-day Ningde, Fujian) · FujianQi Jiguang led a night raid on the wokou nest at Hengyu, then won successive victories at Niuxu and other places, annihilating large numbers of wokou and destroying their coastal strongholds; wokou troubles in Fujian were greatly alleviated.
  4. 1575–1578Along the entire southeast coast · Southeast coastMing forces advanced on both land and sea, strengthening beacons, beacon towers, and sea patrol systems; by the end of the 1570s large-scale wokou activity had basically ceased, and the coastal defense system entered a relatively stable period.

Sources