The Battle of Penghu () was a naval battle fought in 1683 between the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

and the

Kingdom of Tungning The Kingdom of Tungning (), also known as Tywan by the British at the time, was a dynastic maritime state that ruled part of southwestern Taiwan and the Penghu islands between 1661 and 1683. It is the first predominantly Han Chinese state in Ta ...

. The Qing admiral

Shi Lang Shi Lang (1621–1696), Marquis Jinghai, also known as Secoe or Sego, was a Chinese admiral who served under the Ming and Qing dynasties in the 17th century. He was the commander-in-chief of the Qing fleets which destroyed the power of Zheng Che ...

led a fleet to attack the Tungning forces in

Penghu The Penghu (, Hokkien POJ: ''Phîⁿ-ô͘'' or ''Phêⁿ-ô͘'' ) or Pescadores Islands are an archipelago of 90 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait, located approximately west from the main island of Taiwan, covering an area ...

. Each side possessed more than 200

warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster a ...

s. The Tungning admiral

Liu Guoxuan Liu Guoxuan (1628-1693) was the Wuping Marquis and a 17th-century military officer of the Kingdom of Tungning based in Taiwan. He fought all over the island of Taiwan and the nearby mainland. He also commanded the Penghu defense during the Bat ...

was outmaneuvered by Shi Lang, whose forces outnumbered him three to one. Liu surrendered when his flagship ran out of ammunition and fled to Taiwan. The loss of Penghu resulted in the surrender of

Zheng Keshuang Zheng Keshuang, Prince of Yanping (; 13 August 1670 – 22 September 1707), courtesy name Shihong, art name Huitang, was the third and last ruler of the Kingdom of Tungning in Taiwan in the 17th century. He was the second son of Zheng Jing and a ...

, the last king of Tungning, to the Qing dynasty.

Prelude

Kangxi Emperor The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 1654– 20 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, born Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1661 to 1 ...

of the Qing dynasty assigned

Yao Qisheng Yao Qisheng (; 1624–1683), courtesy name Xizhi (), was a Chinese regional official, diplomat, and statesman during the reign of the Kangxi Emperor in Qing Dynasty China. Yao was a pivotal figure in the Qing empire's annexation of Taiwan. Biograp ...

Viceroy of Fujian The Viceroy of Min-Zhe, fully referred to in Chinese as the Governor-General of Taiwan, Fujian and Zhejiang Provinces and Surrounding Areas Overseeing Military Affairs and Food Production, Manager of Waterways, Director of Civil Affairs, was on ...

in 1678. Yao Qisheng assisted Kangxi Emperor to execute the Sea Ban order: "Not even a plank is allowed to enter the water." () until 1683, to weaken their economy so cut off all the connection of trade with Tungning Kingdom. By 1683, Kangxi Emperor had stopped all attempts at negotiation with Tungning. Yao Qisheng also recommended Shi Lang as the commander-in-chief of the Qing navy, then Kangxi Emperor agreed and sent Admiral Shi Lang with a force of about 21,000 men and 240 warships to invade Tungning. Shi Lang attempted to attack Penghu before a major hurricane would strike but was driven back by Liu Guoxuan. After the hurricane, Shi Lang regrouped his forces and was ready to strike again.

Battle

Shi Lang divided his force into several smaller fleets. Most of them were sent to attack Liu and his Penghu defence fleet. However a small detachment was sent to go around the battle and land directly on the island where Liu's base was located. Liu was prepared for this and positioned archers and cannons on the beaches, followed by troops to stop the Qing advance. A few days before the battle, Shi Lang had bought cannons from the Dutch and so his ships were better armed. On July 12, 1683, Qing naval forces took

Hujing Island Hujing Island / Huching Island / Hujing Islet () is an islet in Hujing Village (), Magong City, Penghu County (the Pescadores), Taiwan. The island has also been known as ''Da'anshan'' () and the nearby Tongpan Island as ''Xiao'anshan'' (). The ...

and

Tongpan Island Tongpan Island () is an island in Tongpan Village (), Magong City, Penghu County (the Pescadores), Taiwan. Tongpan Island is about from the main island of Penghu. A ferry runs between Tongpan Island and Penghu Main Island twice a day and more ...

in the early stages of the battle. During the battle, the Qing forces smashed into Liu's force and broke up his formation. The defenders still fought bravely. The Qing ships were larger, better armed, and had more ammunition and within an hour, most of the Tungning ships were at the bottom of the ocean. However the remaining ships continued to fight. In the end, the Tungning ships ran out of ammunition but hand-to-hand combat still continued. When his flagship and commander Liu ran out of ammunition, the remaining ships surrendered, some of them burning for three days and nights. Many generals and soldiers refused to surrender but rather chose to drown as a show of loyalty to the former

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

, thus ending the battle.

Land battle

As the battle at sea raged on, Qing soldiers rushed ashore under the cover of cannon fire. The defenders used their cannons and arrows to stop the Qing forces but there were simply too many. Led by several skilled generals, the Qing forces broke through Liu's defenses and attacked his base. The victorious Qing forces burnt it down and raised the Qing flag on the highest flagpole.

Aftermath

After surrendering, Liu was about to commit suicide, but he was stopped by Shi Lang. They had a brief talk about the battle and Liu was released. With the destruction of Liu's fleet, Penghu surrendered and Tungning soldiers deserted in droves. It became obvious to the Tungning royal court that they were now defenceless. A few days later, Zheng Keshuang and his court formally surrendered to the Qing dynasty, ending the Kingdom of Tungning.

Notes

Bibliography