Ding Ruchang was the admiral of the Beiyang Navy in the late Qing Dynasty and participated in the Sino-Japanese War. However, Ding Ruchang initially joined the Taiping Army, and only 10 years later surrendered to the Qing army.
So why is Ding Ruchang like this? Did he surrender to the Qing army because the Taiping Army was defeated? Of course not, the reason why Ding Ruchang did this is mainly for two reasons.
1. Forced to join the Taiping Army
Ding Ruchang was forced to join the Taiping Army, so he had no feelings for the Taiping Army, and he could not talk about loyalty. Why was Ding Ruchang forced to join the Taiping Army?
Because Ding Ruchang is a native of Lujiang County, Anhui Province, because Ding Ruchang's family was poor when he was a child, he dropped out of school after three years of private school, and then helped people herd cattle and raise livestock to maintain family life.
When he was a teenager, he went to his uncle's house to learn how to make tofu, and soon after a disaster occurred in Lujiang, Ding Ruchang's parents died of illness. Three years later, the Taiping Army occupied Lujiang, and Ding Ruchang, who was in a difficult situation, had to enlist in the Taiping Army.
Therefore, we see that Ding Ruchang did not follow Hong Xiuquan's uprising, but joined halfway, and Ding Ruchang was also a small person in the Taiping Army, not an important general, and the Taiping Army would not pay attention to him.
Therefore, Ding Ruchang has nothing to remember about the Taiping Army, as long as the time is ripe, he will leave the Taiping Army.
2. Designed by the Tsang brothers
After Ding Ruchang joined the Taiping Army, he followed Cheng Xueqi. Cheng Xueqi later surrendered to the Qing army, and Ding Ruchang also surrendered with him.
So why did Cheng Xueqi descend to Qingqing? Because of the design of the Zeng brothers, Cheng Xueqi was forced to surrender. When Zeng Guofan and Zeng Guofan led the Xiang army to besiege Anqing, Cheng Xueqi led the Taiping Army to defend Anqing, and the result was that the Xiang army's attacks were repeatedly thwarted.
The Zeng brothers felt that it was not okay to attack strongly, and it was better to recruit Cheng Xueqi, at this time Sun Yunjin offered a plan, he suggested to scare Cheng Xueqi's adoptive mother, because Cheng Xueqi was a filial piety, and asked his adoptive mother to persuade him to surrender.
So Zeng Guoquan told Cheng Xueqi's adoptive mother that he wanted Cheng Xueqi to surrender, otherwise he would kill Cheng Xueqi. Cheng Xueqi's adoptive mother was very frightened, so she disguised herself as a beggar according to Zeng Guoquan's wishes, and went to Cheng Xueqi's military camp to ask Cheng Xueqi to surrender.
And Cheng Xueqi felt that his adoptive mother was kind to him and could not bear to be sad with his adoptive mother, plus, there were also people within the Taiping Army who doubted him, and if Anqing fought a protracted war, the Taiping Army would not be superior, so Cheng Xueqi decided to surrender.
Cheng Xueqi, with Ding Ruchang and others, surrendered the Xiang army late one night, and the Zeng brothers' plan was successful, and they also obtained a strong general, Ding Ruchang.
We see that whether Ding Ruchang joined the Taiping Army or the Qing Army, it was not his subjective wish, but a decision made according to the situation at that time.
This also shows that the career development of a person's life is related to the situation at that time, and cannot be completely selected according to their own wishes.
bibliography:
Draft History of the Qing Dynasty: Two Hundred and Forty-Nine Chronicles
About the Author:
Chopin: I like Chinese history and have unique views on historical figures and events. I hope to restore the truth of history through words and uncover the little-known secrets of history. Learn about history, grasp the present, and have the wisdom of life.
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