Ding Ruchang, a general of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Before surrendering to the Qing court, it was the subordinate of Cheng Xueqi, a subordinate of King Chen Yucheng, stationed in Anqing, Anhui.
In 1860, Zeng Guofan and Zeng Guofan led the Xiang army to besiege Anqing, and Cheng Xueqi was ordered to defend the Xiang army at the stone fortress outside the north gate of Anqing. During this period, the Xiang army was repeatedly frustrated before Cheng Xue started the battle, and was not allowed to advance half a step. Seeing that the casualties of the Xiang army were getting bigger and bigger, but the Taiping Army's position could not be breached, the Zeng brothers felt that they could not attack strongly, so they decided to surrender Cheng Xueqi.
At this time, his aide Sun Yunjin offered a plan to the Zeng brothers: "Cheng Xueqi's adoptive mother was very filial, and Cheng Weidong's mother and son were detained into the Xiang Army camp, threatening Cheng's mother: "Learning to start does not surrender, be a parent of Jie'er", and use Cheng Xueqi's adoptive mother to force her to surrender.
Zeng Guofan followed Sun Yunjin's strategy and arrested his adoptive mother, forced her to persuade Cheng Xueqi to surrender, and told her that if Cheng Xueqi did not surrender, the time when the city was destroyed would be the time when he died. Cheng Mu was very frightened by such a threat from the Xiang Army, and could only go to Cheng Xueqi's camp in disguise as a beggar according to what they said.
After Cheng Xueqi saw his adoptive mother, he was originally a filial piety, and when he saw his mother crying bitterly and begging for her surrender, his heart was very unbearable, plus Anqing had been besieged by the Xiang army at this time, there was no grain and grass inside, no reinforcements outside, and the destruction of the city was inevitable. After several days of deliberation, Cheng Xueqi decided to surrender to the Xiang army with his cronies.
At this time, as a close confidant of Cheng Xueqi, Ding Ruchang also followed the Qing.
On the night of February 19, Cheng Xueqi took Ding Ruchang and eighty-two other people to take advantage of the cover of night to go straight to the camp of Zeng Guobao, the brother of Zeng Guofan, three miles outside the north gate of Anqing.
After Ding Ruchang's surrender, his career did not stop abruptly because of his status as a general, and the official became bigger and bigger, and the official was the admiral of the water division, and the title of Shang Shu was added, and he was ranked in a pin.
As a general of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, why did Ding Ruchang gain the trust of the Qing court, and the official resided in the Beiyang Admiralty, in charge of the Beiyang Admiralty, the most powerful navy in the Qing Dynasty? What is so great about him?
Ding Ruchang could be reused by the Qing court, which was inseparable from his own ability to do things, and also inseparable from the promotion of Liu Mingchuan and Li Hongzhang.
When Ding Ruchang surrendered to the Zeng brothers, he was not trusted by them.
At that time, Zeng Guoquan had doubts about these troops, fearing that they were fake surrenders, they would suddenly rebel in front of the battle and turn their heads against the Xiang army. Therefore, every time they fought against the Taiping Army, Zeng Guoquan would let them stand at the forefront of the team. However, the distrust of the Xiang army did not make Ding Ruchang regenerate his rebellious heart, in order to prove that he did not have any different intentions, he would be brave in every battle, and every battle with the Taiping Army was a pioneer and bravely moved forward.
Ding Ruchang's efforts were not in vain, his bravery made the Xiang Army completely assured, and there was no longer any defense against him, and then his career path became more and more smooth.
On August 1, 1861, the Xiang Army attacked Anqing, and Ding Ruchang was promoted to the position of Qianzong for his merits, serving as a sentinel of the Kaizi battalion and becoming a minor officer.
It was in this year that Ding Ruchang met Li Hongzhang, the biggest nobleman in his life.
At this time, based on various considerations, Zeng Guofan decided to let Li Hongzhang independently leave the Huai Army and establish the Huai Army, so he allocated the Kaizi battalion to which Ding Ruchang belonged to the Huai Army.
Under Li Hongzhang's command, Ding Ruchang made many military achievements, and gradually opened up the reputation of "talent and martial courage" and became a famous general in the Huai Army. In August 1862, the Huai Army united with Liu Mingchuan's mingzi battalion and the Taiping army to fight at the mouth of the Four Rivers, and ding ruchang yongwu was favored by Liu Mingchuan, and after the war, he asked Li Hongzhang to transfer Ding Ruchang to the mingzi battalion, command his own soldiers, and soon changed to commanding the horse team, promoted to battalion officer, and awarded the general staff.
In 1864, the imperial court quelled the rebellion of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and the Qing court was enfeoffed as a meritorious official, Ding Ruchang was promoted to vice general for meritorious service, and the 3rd battalion of the vanguard horse team was unified, and soon followed Liu Ming to the north to go north to the rebellion of the Pingtuo Army. Four years later, the Eastern Twister Army was suppressed by the Qing court, and Ding Ruchang was awarded the title of Commander-in-Chief for meritorious service, plus the title of Governor of the Imperial Household, and was given the title of Xieyong Batulu Yong.
Relying on his own excellent strength, and excellent military achievements, coupled with the promotion of Li Hongzhang and Liu Mingchuan, Ding Ruchang only took 8 years as a demotion general to be promoted from a minor official to a product, and such a promotion speed is really against the sky for a demotionary general.
Strength + luck finally allowed Ding Ruchang to complete this seemingly impossible reversal.
After this, although Ding Ruchang refused Liu Mingchuan to dismiss the 3rd Battalion of the horse team he led, he was hated by Liu Ming's biography, so he was forced to stay away from the official field and live idly for several years. However, with the help of Li Hongzhang, Ding Ruchang eventually rose strongly and became the master of the Northern Ocean Marine Division of the Great Qing Dynasty.
Li Hongzhang admired his "talent and courage" and felt that he could be of great use, so after he surrendered to himself, he was vigorously cultivated, and recommended him to the imperial court several times, and finally made him the helmsman of the Beiyang Marine Division that he had created.
It is not so much that the Qing court is reusing Ding Ruchang, but rather that Li Hongzhang has a crush on him.
It is precisely because of Li Hongzhang's favor that Ding Ruchang has a smooth career.
Of course, Li Hongzhang has a crush on him, because Ding Ruchang has the ability, and if Ding Ruchang does not have the ability, I am afraid that Li Hongzhang will not spare no effort to promote him.