Zhong Wei, formerly known as Zhong Buyun or Zhong Detai, a native of Hunan, joined the League at the age of 18, and joined the Red Army at the age of 19. He successively held important positions in the Red Third Army Corps, the 15th Army Corps, the Political Department of the Division and the Northeast Field Army. He was persecuted during the Cultural Revolution and enjoyed his old age after his rehabilitation.
Many experiences of Ding Wei and prototype Zhong Wei overlap. For example, he served as the political commissar and head of several units, such as the column commander and chief of staff of the Beijing Military Region, and was awarded the rank of Major General, which is most similar to the experience during the Cultural Revolution.
In the original novel, he publicly supported Peng during the Cultural Revolution and was persecuted by the villains. He was fired and sent to the farm for reeducation through labor. As a result, he disappeared soon after he arrived at the farm. Neither Kong Jie nor Li Yunlong could find the whereabouts of Ding Wei, so Ding Wei officially went offline.
Presumably, Ding Wei was assassinated or died after being sent to the farm. Ding Wei's rude remarks aroused many people's dissatisfaction. Ding Wei used to be targeted by bad guys because of his style. This time, Ding Wei lost his asylum, and the bad guys won't let it go. Moreover, Ding Wei was a key reform-through-labour target at that time, and it was a normal result to die because of difficult conditions.