明初洪武時，因為倭寇騷擾沿海，澎湖居民被明政府遷回內地，島上巡檢司亦遭到撤廢，久之，該地漸成倭寇、海盜和私販的活動處所。明人開始留意到澎湖的戰略重要性，源自於嘉靖年間倭寇之亂，並得悉該地是倭船進犯福建的重要集結處。萬曆初年時，有人便對澎湖未佈署兵力感到憂心，希望能派駐兵力來鎮懾該地不法活動，但因距離、補給和地理環境等現實問題的考量而作罷！萬曆二十三年(1595)，因中、日在朝鮮之衝突未解，福建沿海情勢持續地緊張，澎湖置兵議題又再度被提出來，此際並觸及築城屯守的構想，但因實施上有困難而未實現。萬曆三十年(1602)以後，亦繼續有人建議在澎湖構築城垣，來固守此一海外要島，但因明政府考慮經費過於龐大，而放棄此一構想。之後，因為，澎湖戰略地位重要，不斷有人建議在此築城防守，甚至於設立參將來鎮守，然而，這些的主張皆遭到明政府否決，直至天啟二年(1622)時，情況才有重大的轉變。因為，荷人在澎湖島上構築堡壘，並劫掠泉、漳二地沿海。尤其是，荷人控制澎湖後，造成海上航行不通、米價騰貴高漲、百姓驚恐不安……等嚴重的後果，此刻才讓明政府深刻地體會到，澎湖對沿岸安危和交通往來的重要性，故在驅逐荷人離開澎湖之後，亦即天啟五年(1625)時便在該島佈署大量兵力，並在穩澳山構築了堡城，內設衙署、營舍和糧倉，方便官軍屯聚守禦，以利日後佈防工作的進行。

In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming government moved the residents on the Peng-Hu Island back to Fu-Jian because the Japanese pirates robbed the coastland of China. From 1550 AD to 1563 AD, it made the Ming government realize the military importance of the Peng-Hu Island that the Japanese pirates massively robbed the coastland of China again and often took the Peng-Hu Islands as their battle base for their piracy in Fu-Jian. In 1595 AD, one Ming government official proposed building fortresses on the Peng-Hu Island and disposing the military for garrisoning the Peng-Hu Island; afterwards, some similar suggestions were proposed again and again. However, the Ming government rejected all of the proposals since the Peng-Hu Island is far from Fu-Jian and the expense of building fortresses is enormous. In 1622 AD, the Dutch occupied the Peng-Hu Island and built fortresses on the island, seriously menacing the peace of Fu-Jian. This situation provoked the Ming government not only to expel the Dutch in 1624 AD but also to build a fortress at the Wen-Ao Mountain in 1625 AD and to dispose the military for garrisoning the Peng-Hu Island.