In the mainland, private individuals were not allowed to possess military power, but in Taiwan the big tenants maintained private militias using the "threat of savages" as an excuse. Some even maintained from 4000 to 5000 soldiers.
在大陸時，私人擁有武力是不允許的，但是台灣的大租戶「藉口番民為害」養兵源，有的甚至養到了四、五千名兵勇。