In the past few months, Chinese People’s Liberation Army aircraft have frequently flown into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, and the numbers of aircraft have increased.
Within Taiwan, two diametrically opposed positions have formed over how to interpret the missions. One side views them as military provocation, while the other believes the flights do not amount to harassment.
Irrespective of which interpretation is adopted, Taiwanese should agree on one thing: It is an unchanging truth through the ages that those who wish for peace must continually prepare for war.
This involves maintaining a heightened sense of threat, or threat perception, so that preparations can be made based on a clear understanding of the enemy.
A good example of this is the Dutch, who, 359 years ago — as a result of an inaccurate threat perception — became mired in internal infighting and let their guard down. This allowed Ming Dynasty general Cheng Cheng-kung’s (鄭成功, or Koxinga) forces to score a decisive victory and drive the Dutch out of Taiwan.
In 1644, the Manchurian Qing Dynasty army embarked on a full-scale invasion of China. Resistance by Ming troops quickly crumbled, and the retreating army was pushed back to China’s borders. Cheng was in charge of a division of troops in China’s southeastern seaboard, and was tasked with defeating the invaders and restoring the Ming Dynasty.
However, despite resistance that lasted more than a decade, Cheng was unable to make a breakthrough.
The Dutch rulers of Taiwan realized early on that Cheng might invade the island. An order had been given to bolster Dutch forces garrisoned in Taiwan, and Dutch military commanders were keeping a close eye on the disposition of Cheng’s forces, sending reinforcements when necessary.
When a maritime trade conflict broke out between Cheng and the Dutch, the nerves of the Dutch were stretched even further.
However, after multiple rumors of an invasion, which repeatedly failed to materialize, the Dutch began to relax and let their guard down.
At the beginning of 1661, a fleet of 12 ships carrying troop reinforcements set sail for Taiwan. A half-year after their arrival, the commander of the reinforcements, Jan van der Laan, firmly believed that Cheng would not launch an invasion and was unwilling to stay longer. Van der Laan and Formosa governor Frederick Coyett became locked in a bitter feud over which course of action to take.
Dutch headquarters in Batavia, which is now Jakarta, became alarmed and replaced Coyett. This presented Cheng with a rare opportunity to attack while the Dutch Taiwan garrison’s military strength had been hollowed out. Cheng successfully forced the Dutch to sue for peace, and the following year the Dutch withdrew from Taiwan.
The changing threat perception of the Dutch during its defense of Taiwan exactly reflects the old adage: “The fighting spirit aroused by the first roll of drums is depleted by the second and exhausted by the third.”
As war did not break out while Dutch colonial officials and generals were squabbling among themselves, there was never a “first roll of the drums” to arouse their fighting spirit.
That situation showed that building and maintaining a fighting spirit even with the drums of war beating continually in the background is a true test of leadership.
Sung Chi-cheng is an adjunct assistant professor at Shih Hsin University’s Center for General Education.
Translated by Edward Jones.
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