Qing Conquest of Taiwan, 1683

After the fall of the Ming, the Zheng family established a maritime regime centred on Taiwan and continued resistance to the Qing. Internal conflict weakened the regime after the death of Zheng Jing.

In 1683 the Qing admiral Shi Lang defeated Zheng forces near the Penghu Islands. The young ruler Zheng Keshuang surrendered, and the Kangxi government incorporated Taiwan into Fujian province.

The Deer and the Cauldron adapts these events by making Trinket a patron of Shi Lang and an intermediary in the final surrender. The episode connects secret-society Ming loyalism with the practical consolidation of Qing rule.