Turbulence in the Far East at the Dawn of the Qing: The Rise of China

In the twentieth year of the Kangxi reign, 1681, Shi Lang, the Qing admiral of the Fujian navy, led his forces in an attack on Penghu, annihilating the main naval force of the Zheng regime. With his army now aimed at Taiwan itself, the news reached the Duke's residence. By then, Zheng Jing, the second ruler of the Zheng family and a capable ruler, had died of illness. His son, Zheng Keshuang, had seized the throne through infighting, but the Zheng regime had already been thoroughly corrupted by the succession struggle, and its military was weak. With the main Zheng army destroyed and the crisis at hand, some urged surrender to save their lives. Others, loyal and righteous, refused to yield and insisted on fighting the Qing to the death. Zheng Keju, just thirteen years old, was at the forefront of those who would not surrender. But Zheng Keshuang and Feng Xifan, along with the other ministers who followed them, were greedy for life and desperate to surrender. Zheng Keju's pleas came to nothing, and he lost heart. Fearing that Zheng Keshuang and Feng Xifan would have him killed, he fled Taiwan that night and disappeared without a trace. In the twenty-second year of the Kangxi reign, 1683, Zheng Keshuang represented the Zheng family of Taiwan in submitting a petition of surrender. Taiwan was thus brought back under Qing rule, and the Qing court completed the unification of the Han territories. The empire then slowly began shutting itself off from the world, and the darkest hour in the history of the Chinese people was about to arrive. Meanwhile, in the martial world, the Miao, Hu, and Tian families became embroiled in a storm over the treasure of the Chuang King, secretly incited by the Qing dynasty. The turmoil grew even worse when the Heaven and Earth Society's call to overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming brought disaster upon the Southern Shaolin Temple! And our story begins with Zheng Keju's flight from Taiwan.