A few days before the battle, Shi Lang had bought cannons from the Dutch so his ships were better armed. On July 12, 1683, Qing naval forces took Hujing Island and Tongpan Island 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.
