After the establishment of Beiyang Navy, Li Hongzhang spent a lot of time looking for a suitable commander in chief. Supposedly, Deng Shichang, Liu, Lin Taizeng and others were all trained. After more than ten years of systematic study and professional practice, they were already world-class captains at that time. Li Hongzhang can choose one of them as the naval prefect. But Li Hongzhang let them go, but he used a Ding who changed his profession halfway.
Ding is younger than Li Hongzhang 13 years old, from Lujiang, Anhui. In his early years, under the command of Liu Mingchuan, the general of Huai Army, he suppressed the Taiping Army and served as the general of the Yangtze River Navy. Later, he went north to suppress twists and turns, fought bravely, made meritorious military service repeatedly, and was promoted to a registered magistrate.
Judging from Ding's resume, he did fight many battles, but infantry fighting has nothing to do with the navy after all, and it is impossible to beat a well-trained returnee like Liu. Li Hongzhang, who has always known soldiers, can't help but understand this truth, but why does he still go his own way?
The real answer lies in Li Hongzhang's memorial on 188 1, in which four key words are mentioned? Loyal and simple. Actually, these four words can be understood as? Brave? Besides? Be obedient? . Courage is of course very important, at least you won't surrender in the future, you won't get yourself into trouble, and you will bring shame on your face. In contrast, obedience is more important.
Ding is not only the hometown of Li Hongzhang, but also an old subordinate for many years. Now that he has the grace to meet him, and he is honest, he will naturally be grateful and loyal to him. Let him be the prefect of Beiyang Navy, which can ensure that beiyang fleet is firmly in his own hands.
In contrast, Liu's returnees are mainly from Fujian, and they are not directly affiliated with the Huai Army. Although their professional knowledge is excellent, their politics is not necessarily excellent. Being politically competent in officialdom is much more important than being professionally competent. Let these people listen to their own opinions and be dead set. Li Hongzhang is uncertain and doesn't want to take the risk. After all, Beiyang Navy is the most important chip in his hand, and it must be foolproof.
Virtue is the only way, and loyalty is Li Hongzhang's principle of employing people. Although Li Hongzhang's ideas were not put on the table, they were the real reason why he chose Ding. However, Li Hongzhang has to take great risks in doing so, because once Ding takes office, he will struggle to live up to expectations, and Li Hongzhang will also play drums in his heart.
Facts have proved that Li Hongzhang's vision is diabolical. Later, Ding's performance in the desperate situation was completely worthy? Loyal and simple? Four words evaluation. Ding is not the best candidate for Beiyang Navy's prefect, but he can't be said to be incompetent. Judging from the future performance, it should be able to reach the passing level.
Li Hongzhang knows that Ding's successful transformation is not easy. In order to command the Beiyang navy smoothly, he thought of many ways to promote Ding's growth and make him as close as possible to the level of a fleet commander. 188 1 year, Ding was ordered by Li Hongzhang to lead a delegation to Britain to take back two impact cruisers, Chaoyong and Yangwei.
The ship receiving group is huge, with more than 200 officers and men. A navy that has never had the experience of driving a cruiser crossed the ocean for the first time, crossing the North Atlantic, the Mediterranean, the Suez Canal, the Indian Ocean and the Wan Li in the western Pacific. The task is huge and arduous. Ding knew that Li's intention was far-reaching, so he decided to seize this opportunity to behave well and live up to the high expectations of the main hall in return for his kindness.
This time, Li Hongzhang announced that he had sent Ding to save money. In fact, there is a more important purpose behind this, which is to increase the experience of Beiyang soldiers, especially Ding, and improve their prestige.
After more than two months' long voyage, Chao Yong and Yang Wei returned home smoothly, and countries along the way fired shots to congratulate them. Since then, China has its own navy. Li Hongzhang was very satisfied with Ding's performance, and soon formally went to court and asked Ding to be appointed in charge of Beiyang Navy. Two years later, he was awarded the company commander of Tianjin Town and the prefect of Beiyang Navy, and became a senior general of Huai Army Department.