Strengthening of Fujian Coastal Defenses

Timeline

1. 1415Fuzhou Prefecture (seat of the Fujian Provincial Administration Commission) · Fujian ProvinceBecause wokou repeatedly raided the Fujian coast and the treasure fleet needed safe anchorage, the Yongle Emperor ordered the Fujian Regional Military Commission and the three provincial offices to plan coastal defenses. The court increased provisions, required prefectures and counties to check coastal households and train militia, and coordinated coastal defense with grain transport and salt administration.
2. 1415Taiping Port at Changle and Quanzhou Bay · Fujian ProvinceMing forces added naval vessels at Taiping Port, the base of Zheng He's fleet, and at the strategic Quanzhou Bay, strengthening harbor patrols. Quanzhou had been the foremost port since the Song and Yuan, and Zhangzhou's Yuegang was also rising; the court prioritized defenses there to guard grain ships and merchant vessels from wokou attacks.
3. 1415Beacon tower line along the Zhangzhou and Funing coasts · Fujian ProvinceCoastal guards in Fujian built or repaired beacon towers and stockades, while inspection offices led bow-armed patrols along the shore. Beacon signals combined with vessel patrols to form an initial coastal defense network. The Yongle 13 reinforcement laid groundwork for Qi Jiguang's later anti-wokou campaigns and defense construction under the Ming maritime ban.