位於南投草屯之龍德廟，有一清代臺灣道丁曰健所獻「刑期無刑」匾額，其背後並流傳一則傳說，內容描述丁曰健冒領殺戴潮春之功勞，皇帝令其戴領軍剿辦北勢湳之洪欉，在龍德廟保生大帝顯靈相助下，順利完成使命，將功補罪。本文由這則傳說切入，配合官方及文人所載之歷史文獻，分析戴潮春事件的兩段史實，指出傳說雖不能取代歷史，但可藉以發現歷史記載的偏見、謬誤與不足，有助於事實真相的探討與釐清。再者，這類與地方風物有關的傳說，常會使居民產生親切感與歸屬感，形成一種對地方文化的認知與身分的認同，這種共同的集體意識，不僅可以凝聚各個地方的社區意識，也在臺灣人主體意識形成過程中發揮作用。

In Longde Temple of Caotun Township, Nantou County, there is a tablet that says “Xing Ji Wu Xing” donated by Taiwan Dao Ting Yueh-chien during the Ching Dynasty. Legend has it that Ting Yueh-chien wrested the merit from others and killed Tai Chao-chun. The emperor ordered Ting Yueh-chien to put down Beishinan's Hong Cong. Under the guidance and assistance of Bao-sheng-da-di, Ting was finally able to defeat Hong and to make amends for his guilt. This paper analyzes two historical facts of the Tai Chao-chun incident based on this legend as well as historical records of government officials and scholars. Although legends cannot replace history, they compensate for prejudices, errors and insufficiencies in historical records, and help to explore and clarify the truth. Moreover, legends that have to do with local scenery and historical relics often give residents a sense of belonging, causing them to identify with the local culture. This collective consciousness not only coheres local community consciousness, but also has an effect on the formation of Taiwanese consciousness.