Persisting in resistance, Ding Ruchang committed suicide and martyrdom.
In 1836, Ding Ruchang was born in an ordinary peasant family in Anhui. The young man joined the Taiping Army, and later defected to the Hunan Army, and after hardships, he was finally appreciated by Li Hongzhang and served as the commander of the Beiyang Naval Division. After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War in 1894, the Beiyang Fleet was defeated, and the Japanese invaders marched all the way. In February 1895, the siege of Liugong Island had been formed, and there was little left of the Beiyang Naval Division, and all the ammunition was exhausted. Ding Ruchang was entrusted with great trust, bravely resisted, and was finally defeated by the fierce artillery fire of the Japanese army. He ran around, boosted morale, and comforted the soldiers' wives. On 11 February, the promised reinforcements were delayed, and the morale of the army was weakened. Ding Ruchang boarded the flagship, looked at the silent soldiers, could only shed tears, and continued to give orders. In the early morning of February 12, Ding Ruchang sent someone to give Li Hongzhang a suicide note, and then resolutely committed suicide with a toast and died in the country. A few days later, his wife and the rest of his subordinates also chose to follow General Ding to be martyred. Ding Ruchang and the Beiyang Naval Division, with flesh and blood, defended the dignity of the country, and the last dawn was due to the country and the nation.
Reflections on the surrender of the Japanese Navy.
In late January 1895, the Japanese army raided Rongcheng and defeated the Qing army. At this time, the commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet, Ito Yuheng, sent a letter to Ding Ruchang, hoping that he would surrender. The letter begins with a polite and soothing praise of Ding Ruchang as a famous general in the Far East, and then turns to the main topic, analyzing the corruption and malaise of the Qing Dynasty that has been difficult to return, attributing it to the people in power behind closed doors, and comparing it with the achievements of the Meiji Restoration in Japan. At the end of the letter, he bluntly said that the defeat of the Beiyang Navy Division was "the trend of the times" and advised him not to make useless struggles. Although this letter can be regarded as "gentle", it is a malicious interpretation of China's historical destiny and an insult to Ding Ruchang and other soldiers. Therefore, it was categorically rejected by Ding Ruchang. However, when people read this letter carefully, in addition to their disdain for Ito Youheng, they can't help but think deeply about the decadence of the late Qing Dynasty. As stated in the letter, Japan is determined to catch up with the world trend, while those in power in our country are resting on their laurels;Japan has made concerted efforts to be reborn and become a new force in the East, while China is faltering due to domestic and foreign troubles. The contrasts are suffocating and painful. Today, the grand goal of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has been clearly proposed, but we still need to be vigilant to prevent history from repeating itself.
Epilogue. The repetition of this letter of persuasion from a hundred years ago is sad. We cannot take revenge on the shame, we can only learn the lessons of history, continue to strengthen the country and enrich the people, repay the martyrs with practical actions, and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation!
This incident quickly aroused heated discussions among netizens on the Internet, and some netizens thought: This letter fully demonstrates Japan's aggression and arrogance!What makes people even more angry is that they have distorted the facts and blamed China's vulnerability on "rotten and incompetent". This is a naked insult!Some netizens also believed: Indeed, the discussion in the letter about the accumulation of disadvantages at the end of the Qing Dynasty is difficult to refute. Cixi's extravagance and neglect of government provoked popular uprisings and external troubles. Today, we still have many deep-seated contradictions that need to be resolved urgently. Some netizens believe that just one or two sentences of speculation and conclude that there is no vitality at the end of the Qing Dynasty is in itself a practice that does not respect history. We must not lose self-confidence because of the preaching of the "winners". After all, it is the Chinese nation that will eventually move towards glorious rejuvenation!