Yao Qisheng, the word Xizhi, the number of worries, a native of Shaoxing, Zhejiang, a famous minister in the early Qing Dynasty, once served as the governor of Fujian, the secretary of the military department, the prince Taibao and other positions, made great contributions to the recovery of Taiwan, and was known as the "first hero of the platform". However, his life was not happy, he died of illness shortly after the recovery of Taiwan, and he was not rewarded and titled by Emperor Kangxi, and his family was also poor.
Yao Qisheng has had a heroic spirit since he was a child, with an unruly personality, not afraid of the powerful, and daring to speak out. In the second year of Kangxi (1663), he won the first place in the Baqi Township Examination and was awarded the county governor of Xiangshan, Guangdong. He did things for the people in office, paid off the debts of his predecessor magistrate out of his own pocket, opened the sea ban without authorization, and did business with the Portuguese, bringing benefits to the local people. But these actions also provoked the ** of his superiors, and he was sentenced to death, but fortunately he was amnesty and saved from death. Since then, he has been idle at home and has not been appointed for several years.
It was not until the outbreak of the rebellion of the three feudatories that Yao Qisheng re-emerged from the mountain, he recruited hundreds of strong men in his hometown, took refuge in Prince Kang Jieshu, followed the army to recruit Geng Jingzhong, repeatedly made military exploits, was rewarded and promoted by Emperor Kangxi, and successively served as the political envoy of Fujian, the governor of Fujian, the secretary of the military department and other important positions, and became a feudal official. During his tenure as Governor of Fujian, he presided over the logistics support for the recovery of Taiwan and made great contributions to the platform.
In order to enhance the combat capability of the Qing Dynasty's naval divisions, Yao Qisheng selected more than 100 warships from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and allocated new Western artillery from Huguang, greatly enhancing the strength of Fujian's naval divisions. He and Li Guangdi, a university scholar, jointly promoted Shi Lang to serve as the admiral of Fujian Navy, and made key decisions for the selection of generals on the platform. He also adopted the strategy of "suppressing and appeasing the lost territory" while attacking and recovering the lost territory, while appeasing the enemy's undetermined Allied generals, thus dividing the Zheng clan's power. He also went bankrupt and donated all his family property, totaling 428,000 taels, for military salaries, building schools, relief for disaster victims, building houses, etc., and paid hard-earned money for the platform.
In the twenty-second year of Kangxi (1683), Shi Lang led his army to conquer Taiwan, and Yao Qisheng returned to Fuzhou. In this battle, Yao Qisheng's contribution was no less than Shi Lang's, but he was not rewarded accordingly. Emperor Kangxi only gave him a fictitious title of crown prince and Taibao, but did not give him titles and gifts. Yao Qisheng was very dissatisfied with this, feeling that his hard work had not been fairly rewarded, and he was resentful and depressed. Soon after, he died of illness at the age of sixty.
After Yao Qisheng's death, the family was destitute, and the sons sold their fields for burial, and they were as poor as ever. Emperor Kangxi did not give him a funeral or a nickname, but only forgave him his debts. Yao Qisheng's life can be said to be highly meritorious, and he is nameless behind him, which is embarrassing. His sorrow also reflects the plight of the Han doctors in the early Qing Dynasty, although they contributed to the rule of the Qing Dynasty, it was difficult for them to gain the trust and respect of the Qing emperor, and their fate was difficult to control in their own hands.