There are three theories about Deng Shichang's martyrdom.
The first argument is "sinking with the ship". According to Yao Xiguang's "The Military History of the East" and Cai Yongkang's "The End of the Middle East War", they think that in the Sino-Japanese naval battle, Zhiyuan was unfortunately besieged by enemy ships, seriously injured, the hull tilted, and the shells were about to run out. Deng Shichang, not afraid of the crisis, calmly commanded and called on his men to "serve the country and the people" and "kill him". Yoshino ran away with a kind smile. Under the intensive attack of Japanese fast artillery, Zhiyuan was unfortunately hit by a torpedo again, and the hull broke, and a large amount of seawater was submerged and sank instantly. Deng Shichang and all the officers and men on board died heroically. This is the most popular theory, which is described in the movie Sino-Japanese War.
The second way of saying it is that "dogs will sink together." According to Deng's official report, Zhiyuan Ship was hit by a torpedo launched by Zhiyuan Ship, which caused the boiler to burst and the hull to sink. And 250 officers and men from Deng Shichang fell into the rolling waves of the Yellow Sea at the same time. Faced with difficulties, Deng Shichang said with emotion: "My ambition is to defeat the enemy's strength, and now I have been buried in the sea. Why live for it! " After the ship entered the water, he stood in the water and condemned the enemy. The waiter Liu Zhong threw the pestle at him, but he refused. At this time, a China torpedo boat approached, and the sailors on the boat shouted: "Deng, get on the pole!" Deng Shichang ignored this and said abruptly, "All ships are closed, but justice is not the only child. "His pet dog swam in front of him, grabbed his arm to prevent him from sinking, and was firmly pushed away by him. The dog clung to its tail and refused to leave. Deng Shichang "looks at the sea and sighs, and the dog dies." Looking at the sea of blood, he sighed, grabbed the dog's head and sank into the sea together.
The third argument is "Justice is not an only child". 1994 10.05 Li Hongzhang, then governor of Zhili, went to the place where the emperor Dadonggou navy was killed, to the place where Cao Heji was recorded in royal archives, and to Panyu County, saying that after Deng Shichang fell into the sea, Liu Zhong, an attache, was rescued by floating water, but he refused and was later rescued by soldiers on other ships. But he witnessed the tragic situation that the whole ship disappeared and all the officers and men were buried in the sea. He was not the only one who was sad, so he threw himself into the sea again and sacrificed heroically.
Like many wars in history, some details are puzzling, as is Deng Shichang's sacrifice in the Sino-Japanese War. At that time, because China and Japan were at war, entangled, mixed and filled with smoke, it was difficult to determine who participated in the war. "When the situation was fierce, the flags of two warships were destroyed, and they couldn't tell which one was their enemy ship. The only thing that can be identified is the color and model of the ship. " In addition, most officers and men of Zhiyuan Ship were killed in battle, so the situation of Deng Shichang's sacrifice can only be imagined and described by onlookers. It's not that there is no discrepancy, which has spread to this day and there are different opinions. The first and third statements were recorded by both sides, especially the first statement, which was widely circulated and scattered in various works. Although the second sentence was not recorded by the client, it is vivid and credible. This needs further study by historians. But from the background of the times, the author is willing to believe Deng Shichang's theory of "attaching importance to dogs".
During the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, General Yang Yonglin, a nurse of Zhenyuan Ship and Beiyang Navy, also shot herself. Dingyuan prefect Ding, Dingyuan prefect Liu and Zhenyuan prefect Mrs. Lin chose to swallow opium and commit suicide. The method of choosing to commit suicide has been a common practice in the military since ancient times, but the author still has some reservations about Deng Shichang's last-minute behavior: Deng Shichang should not commit suicide.
In fact, after the Yellow Sea confrontation, Beiyang Navy suffered heavy losses, losing five ships, but the fighting capacity of Dingyuan and Zhenyuan, the main ships of the fleet, was still strong. At the same time, Japan's joint fleet was hit hard and its strength was greatly weakened. For Beiyang Navy, it can also integrate the remaining effective forces, repair the injured warships, and wait for the opportunity to compete with the Japanese joint fleet. Deng Shichang was the first outstanding modern naval officer in China. It took more than 20 years from Fujian Mawei Ship Administration School to Beiyang Navy. He has rich professional knowledge of navigation and practical experience in naval warfare. He is a valuable talent of China Navy, and he can continue to work for Beiyang Navy even if he fails once. Unfortunately, China's first outstanding officers, Deng and Yang, committed suicide in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.
History has proved that Deng Shichang's defeat is not so much a shame as a pity. The real shame is the headmaster of Beiyang Navy. They were defeated in a bloody battle, and they handed over a dozen intact warships to the Japanese navy. Ding stamped the magistrate's seal on the surrender book and committed suicide by swallowing opium. Even if a commander like him commits suicide, he can't escape the judgment of future generations. It is shameful that the rulers of the Qing court should bear more historical guilt. Because the ruling group has different views on the main battle, sovereignty, mutual containment and other issues, there is no special operational command organization in advance, and there is no strategic guidance to co-ordinate the overall situation. At first, I hoped to get the "mediation" from Russia, Britain and other countries, and then declared war in a hurry when the land and sea had already started. How can we be unbeaten?
After Deng Shichang and other naval generals died heroically, the Qing court gave them generous pensions. Emperor Guangxu posthumous title, Deng Shichang "Zhuang Festival", Deng Xu visited Zhao Zhong Temple in Beijing, and posthumous title Prince Shao Bao wrote elegiac couplets. "On this day, the whole world is crying and has a strong navy." Guangxu also allocated 65,438+2 million silver dollars to build the Tang ancestral hall in Panyu, Deng Shichang's hometown, and sent an imperial envoy to write a plaque for Tang's mother. However, it is still difficult to hide the corruption and incompetence of the government and the complex mentality of the North Sea Navy.
Today, it is difficult for us to understand Deng Shichang's mentality of "sighing over the sea and the dog died unexpectedly", or are we blaming ourselves for failure? Or Yang's anger at the Japanese aggressors? Yang also afraid of court punishment? Yang still failed to live up to the kindness of the country? Is Yang still disappointed in the Qing court? So let's go home!