"This is what I admire you the most, looking at the Great Qing Kingdom, there is really no second person who can come up with such an idea except for you Lin Kunyu. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info" Ding Richang sighed, "I also thought hard about how to break the situation of this 'Yixia Change', and I always didn't understand the essentials until I read Kunyu's text. Kunyu's talent, I can't do it! ”

Lin Yizhe noticed the depressed look in Ding Richang's eyes, and knew that he was angry that Qingliu scolded him for being a "Ding ghost slave". Thinking of what happened to Ding Richang, he couldn't help but sigh secretly, and his hatred for those Qingliu diehards became more and more bitter.

Ding Richang can be said to have done it step by step, but at the peak of his career, because of his enthusiasm for foreign affairs, he was criticized by the Qingliu like Lin Yizhe, and as a result, he passed by the position of governor.

Ding Richang was born on the first day of June in the third year of Daoguang in the Qing Dynasty (1823), and he was less talented, and at the age of 8, he learned to be full of economy, and wrote and wrote, and excelled. On September 9th, the Double Ninth Festival, Chen Xiucai took the students to the late Ming Dynasty Jinshi Luo Wanjie's hermitage "Yi Lao Nunnery" for an outing, and after coming back, he asked the students to compose, Ding Richang wrote "Seven Laws": "A hundred trees and plum blossoms are fragrant, and the lake is a meditation field." Fight to eliminate the remnants of the good sentence, relying on the high wind to pick up Haiyang. The old country is deep in the dream, and the empty mountains are full of frost in autumn. So far, the Tao Society has been sub-titled, and it has provoked a long conversation. Chen Xiucai was greatly appreciative and asked if he could make another song, Ding Richang replied: "When I entered Luo, I was famous early, and the rugged national step drama was terrifying. Jiangdong wanted to return to Luo Yin, and the Xuan Room still heard about Jia Sheng. It is difficult to play with the remnants of chess, and a spring dream is overwhelming. In this issue, I wash my ears and nest with Xu, and I heard the sound of the soil. Chen Xiucai said: "What a prodigy! The name of the prodigy spread far and wide, and was praised by the local literati. In the winter of the tenth year of Daoguang, Ding Richang dropped out of school due to his father's serious illness. Soon after his father died. After that, Ding Richang had to be funded by his eldest brother who made a living abroad, went back to Taiping Temple to study for another two years, and then returned home to study medicine, collect herbs, and open a pharmacy. Because he was diligent and studious, worked hard to study medical books, actively excavated folk medicine secrets, and often consulted old Chinese medicine doctors, he soon became a well-known man and cured many patients. While practicing medicine, Ding Richang still found time to study poetry and books, and his knowledge was progressing day by day. In the twenty-second year of Daoguang, Ding Richang went to the county seat to take the examination and won the middle show; Subsequently, he went to Guangzhou three times for the township test, but none of them were Chinese. But his ambition has not disappeared, and all the historical, geographical, poetry, economic, warfare, and military books have been involved in intensive research, as if he has become a well-educated Confucian. In the twenty-seventh year of Daoguang, he felt that the Puhe Confucian Temple was dilapidated and the students had nothing to learn, so he advocated the construction of Tangkeng Lantian Academy, which was successful in a few years, and made a lot of contributions to the development of learning and education. He once wrote a poem "A small bow to read the rock, the vines and grass are sparse and the grass is self-pouring." Dare to boast of the long history of knowledge, it is difficult to taste the bitter and salty taste of the world. At this time, it is useless to say that the dream will end, and who knows the extraordinary result in the future. Only the old nest of two swallows, still whispering to me", expressing the situation and state of mind at that time.

Qing Xianfeng four years (1854), Haiyang triad head Wu Zhongshu led the crowd to besiege the Chaozhou capital city, when Fengshun was subordinate to Chaozhou, Ding Richang was pushed by the gentry, led the township Yong thousands of people to help, and Wu Zhongshu's army fought fiercely under the Chaozhou city, captured more than 100 Wu troops, the rest of the people were defeated and retreated, and the siege of the city was relieved. Ding Richang became famous because of this, laying the foundation for his future career.

In the spring of the eighth year of Xianfeng, Ding Richang was recommended by Li Zhangyu of Huichao Jiabing to serve as a Confucian instructor in Qiongzhou Prefecture, Guangdong, and was promoted to Wan'an County in Jiangxi in October of the following year, and embarked on a career as a eunuch. After Ding Richang arrived in Wan'an, he saw that "the displaced people are more numerous than the people, and the officials and school officials are respectful", the economy is in recession, and the society is chaotic, that is, he is determined to rejuvenate the revolution. First of all, he reformed the yamen service system, and all errands were given to Panchuan by the officials, and they were not allowed to extort pennies from the people. Then, he banned the checkpoints set up by the local squire bullies, and those who did not comply with them were strictly investigated and punished. Third, he quickly cleared up the backlog of cases and settled the unjust prison. "In the early days, there were only 40 or 50 papers in the third and fourth periods, and after the turn of the month, there were only 20 or 30 papers." At the time, Ding Richang "Whenever the candle is lit at night, the case is high and hidden, and he does not personally audit it." Every time I read it, the people were unyielding, or they were abused, they were too restful, they wept sadly, or they saw the diligent government and love the people, they called on the staff to appreciate it. Ding Yat-chang also donated money to build Yunxing Academy, which is committed to cultivating local talents. After the academy was completed, Ding Richang inscribed Yinglianyun: "How can you listen to the sound of the beach, don't be in a hurry, who is healthy at the bottom of the pen; Ande looked at the building, felt that Yu was angry, and the peach and plum in front of him were almost shady. In less than half a year, the lawsuits in Wan'an County have decreased greatly, the people's morale has become Su, and the trend of reading has grown. Ding Richang was also deeply valued by the people of Wan'an, and when he was transferred out of Wan'an, "10,000 people supported incense." ”

In March of the 11th year of Xianfeng, Ding Richang transferred to Luling, Ji'an Prefecture, and less than 10 days after his arrival, Li Xiucheng, the loyal king of the Taiping Army, led his troops to Ji'an. Ding Richang and the prefect of Ji'an Prefecture abandoned the city and fled. On March 11, the Taiping army occupied Ji'an and Luling without blood. On 14 March, the main force of the Taiping army attacked Xiajiang, and the troops of Ji'an and Luling were empty. Soon, the Qing court dismissed Ding Richang from the Luling County Order and reduced his post to the people.

After Ding Richang's resignation, in order to get rid of the predicament of life, he wandered Jiujiang, Shanghai, Yangzhou, and even traced the canal north to Anhui and Shandong, looking for a career everywhere, but all of them ran into a wall, and finally decided to return to Tangkeng's hometown and live a life in Langzhong. When I returned to Jiujiang, I saw a gathering of talents from the north and south of the river. It turned out that Zeng Guofan, the governor of Liangjiang, was here to recruit talents from all walks of life, trying to compete with the Taiping army. Ding Richang was overjoyed, that is, he found a hotel to stay, and according to his investigation and understanding of the Taiping Army in the past few months of wandering life, he deliberately formulated a strategy for marching into Anqing, and then submitted it to the governor's yamen. When Zeng Guofan was thinking about forging ahead in Anqing, seeing that Ding Richang's submission was well planned, he had other opinions, and he couldn't help but be happy, so he summoned Ding Richang to see him. Ding Richang talked eloquently and made a detailed analysis of the military strength of the Taiping Army and the deployment of defenses along the Yangtze River. Zeng Guofan saw that Ding Richang was attentive and thoughtful, and he didn't know what his literary talent was, so he invited him to take a walk in the garden of the mansion. After inquiring about the customs and customs of Huijiachao, the two came to a splendid plum tree. Zeng Guofan pointed to the plum blossom and said: "Can the Ding County Order use this as the title and compose a poem?" Ding Richang said: "Do your best." After thinking about it for a while, he wrote: "A plum tree in the south of the Yangtze River is a plum blossom, and a plum blossom is a stone rock; The flowers and stones are flowing and the water is murmuring. The murmuring clouds and smoke rise, and the clouds and smoke rise in the middle of the mountain; The smoke rises in the middle of the mountain and the spring flood arrives in the middle of the mountain, and the spring flood in the middle of the mountain reaches the south of the Yangtze River. Zeng Guofan praised after reading it: "The poem is wonderful, and the calligraphy is also excellent." On the same day, Zeng Guofan immediately appointed Ding Richang as a checkpoint officer at Jiujiang checkpoint, and asked the imperial court to restore Ding Richang's original official position in November of the first year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1862). Soon after, Ding Richang went to the Guangdong Association to do affairs, and Zeng Guofan praised him as "honest and clear-minded" and "talented and far-reaching". In March of the second year of Tongzhi, Mao Hongbin, the governor of Liangguang, appointed Ding Richang to supervise firearms in Gaozhou County, Guangdong. Ding Richang asked fellow villager Huang Daquan to translate "A Brief Introduction to Firearms" and draw production patterns, and set up an artillery making bureau in Yantang, a suburb of Guangzhou, where 36 artillery pieces and more than 2,000 shells were soon produced. These arms were transported to Anhui for use by the Huai army, which helped Li Hongzhang, the general of the Huai army.

In May of the third year of Tongzhi, Li Hongzhang, the governor of Jiangsu, sent Ding Richang to Shanghai to prepare for foreign affairs. After the "Changsheng Army" was dismissed on schedule, Li Hongzhang praised Ding Richang's ability and went to the imperial court, appointing Ding Richang as Su, Song, and Taidao, and asked him to establish the Jiangnan Machinery Manufacturing Bureau. Ding Richang bought the American Qiji Iron Works, merged the two artillery bureaus in Shanghai and Suzhou, and successfully established the Jiangnan Machinery Manufacturing Bureau, the largest gun factory in China at that time, once again showing his outstanding ability.

At the turn of the summer and autumn of the sixth year of Tongzhi, the wind and rain in Jiangsu were fierce, and the flood of the Qingshui River was surging, breaking the embankment and submerging a large number of granges. When Ding Richang was serving as the envoy of the two Huai salt transports, he was appointed by Li Hongzhang, the governor of Jiangsu, to govern. Along the way, I saw the lives of people in misery, and the sorrow was everywhere. Ding Richang was so anxious that he led officials at all levels to supervise the repair of the embankment as soon as he loaded and unloaded, and personally took the stone to fill the embankment. However, in the turbulent torrent, the stones and sediment thrown are mostly washed away with little effect. Ding Richang frowned, thought hard, thought hard, and thought of a method, asked someone to cut a large number of green bamboos, weave them into baskets with large stomachs and small mouths, and then put sand and stones into them, and then throw them. This move really worked, and in a few days, the breach was blocked. After that, Ding Richang led the people to fight day and night to build a strong embankment. Later, the local people called this embankment "Ding Gong Embankment" to commemorate Ding Richang's exploits.

In December of the sixth year of Tongzhi, Ding Richang was promoted to governor of Jiangsu. At that time, the officialdom was mostly filled with greedy and mediocre people, and the rule of officials was dark. In order to exhort himself and admonish officials at all levels, Ding Richang made a couplet and pasted it on the vermilion pillar of Fuya. Lianyun: "The official must come out, if he looks at it everywhere, he will be exempted from the criminal seal and eventually make a tiller; Let the people be even, and see that they will be displaced, and endure the anointing of blood into their own pockets. "Ding Richang has been in charge of Jiangsu for more than two years, and he has made great efforts to clean up more than 270,000 cases. The imperial court issued an edict to the provinces, taking Ding Richang as an example of diligence.

In fact, the intersection of Lin Yizhe and Ding Richang began very early, although the two did not meet.

The first time the two met was during the Tianjin teaching plan. After the Tianjin case, the Qing court instructed Zeng Guofan, the governor of Zhili, to handle it. But the French side opened its mouth so loudly that the case was delayed. The Qing court ordered Ding Richangxing to go to Tianjin as soon as possible to help him handle it. After arriving in Tianjin on 25 July, Ding Richang conducted an in-depth investigation, and in his negotiations with the French side, Ding Richang repeatedly pointed out that the shooting of the French consul in Tianjin, Feng Daye, had caused public outrage, and demanded that the French side arrest Feng Daye and punish him. As for the burning of churches and other buildings and the accidental injury of innocent people, there is also a reason for the incident, except for those who are strictly punished, the prime minister's yamen will negotiate compensation with other countries for the damage to the building, and the Qing Dynasty will assist in handling the matter after the accidental injury. The French minister and others were helpless in front of conclusive human and material evidence, and the French Emperor Napoleon III ordered the arrest of Feng Daye after learning about it. The Tianjin lesson case was later successfully resolved under the secret mediation of Lin Yizhe, and during the negotiation of the lesson case, Zeng Guofan was exhausted, and Ding Richang came forward to negotiate, and Ding Richang actually contributed a lot to the solution of the lesson plan.

After the Tianjin teaching plan was successfully concluded, Ding Richang deeply felt that China, which was weak, must regard the cultivation of talented people as the first priority if it wants to become strong and prosperous. During his stay in Tianjin, he repeatedly made suggestions to Zeng Guofan, encouraging Zeng Guofan to send students to study abroad at public expense by the imperial court, which was approved by Zeng Guofan. Coupled with the help of Lin Yizhe and Li Hongzhang, Zeng Guofan's performance was approved by the Qing court, and the study abroad of expatriate officials and students was finally realized. It is the second intersection of the two.

In the ninth year of Tongzhi, after careful consideration, Ding Richang put forward the "Regulations on Coastal Defense" and put forward the "Regulations of the Marine Naval Division", proposing the establishment of Beiyang, Dongyang, and Nanyang naval divisions, vigorously advocating foreign affairs, and winning the praise of the imperial court, and most of the suggestions put forward were adopted and implemented. But in this way, Ding Richang was jealous of the conservative diehards, although he was outstanding, honest and honest, diligent and loving the people, but was scolded as a "ghost slave" by the Qingliu Party, whenever the imperial court wanted to promote his official, there would always be people who jumped out to obstruct him, like this time he was originally going to be transferred from the governor of Jiangsu to the governor of Fujian and the prime minister of shipping, but because the Qingliu party impeached him for "forming a party for personal gain", he only served as the prime minister and the minister of shipping with the title of governor.

"The more they mention this Yixia defense, the more I will break the foundation of their body and clear the way for the prosperity of foreign affairs."

Lin Yizhe knew that Ding Richang was in a hurry, and now he was sick again, so he couldn't get angry, so he timely shifted the conversation to shipbuilding, which both of them were interested in.

"Those traitors who are small and have their own people to clean them up, Brother Yusheng doesn't have to pay attention to them. We can do things with sincerity and do a career that has gone through the heavens and the earth, and we can be worthy of the conscience of heaven and earth. Lin Yizhe said, "Brother Xiang Yusheng presided over the shipyard, and the construction period of the newly built 'Yuankai' and 'Dengyingzhou' was advanced and entered the navy early, which is clearly present, and the imperial court will never turn a blind eye." ”

"The speed of the construction of these two ships is not the work of my supervision, but the craftsmanship of the shipmaster, and it is your credit." Ding Richang smiled and said.

When it came to shipbuilding, Ding Richang's interest was obviously high, and the depression just now was also swept away.

"I have seen the drawings of the 'Kaiji' ship designed by Kunyu, which are exquisite, and the legal person is also amazed. If I can see this ship in our navy when I am in office, my life's wish will be enough! Ding Richang said excitedly.

"Brother Yusheng has a good reputation, and with Brother Yusheng's talent, this ship will definitely succeed." Lin Yizhe said with a smile.

Of course, Lin Yizhe could not tell him that he had relied on the memories of later generations to copy the design of the French "Dujutuin" class cruiser, so he took the book on Ding Richang's desk and explained it to Ding Richang.

Under Lin Yizhe's wild talk, Ding Richang admired the five bodies, and the two then talked about the navy from shipbuilding, Lin Yizhe was very appreciative of Ding Richang's proposal to set up a "Sanyo Naval Division", and the two talked about speculation, and stayed until the sun was three poles, and the excitement was still unfinished.

"Now I have begun to prepare for the construction of the 'Kaiji', but I have calculated, if the 'Kaiji' is successful, the cost should be no less than 700,000 taels of silver, you left me a good foundation, the current money is still sufficient, and the silver of the customs assistance has also been returned, but I am afraid that after the start of the 'Kaiji', if the household appropriation and the Japanese compensation are not in place, I am afraid that it will be difficult to continue." Ding Richang thought of the ups and downs that Shen Baozhen and Lin Yizhe experienced when they were in office and the financial difficulties he might face in the future, and said self-deprecatingly, "I heard that Kunyu thinks that every time the shipyard is the most difficult, the family thinks that it is always, and I don't have the ability to respect my wife in business, so I will have to take those silverfish from the customs again." ”

Hearing Ding Richang's words, Lin Yizhe remembered that when Ding Richang founded the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau, he had to squeeze 40,000 taels of silver from the customs officials as start-up funds, and Lin Yizhe couldn't help but be secretly amused.

It was in the autumn of the third year of Tongzhi, when the Qing court entrusted the General Department of Taxation to raise funds for the establishment of the General Administration of Machinery Manufacturing, but nothing was found. When will Shi Yi be subdued, I want to ask Pujiang more tears! He was hesitating in his heart, and suddenly the sound of silk and bamboo floated in his ears. When I looked up, a garden villa appeared in front of me, and I didn't feel that my heart moved, and my frowning brows relaxed. It turned out that this villa was owned by Tang Guohua, the customs officer. Tang Guohua, a native of Xiangshan County, Guangdong, worked in the customs for several years, colluded with Zhang Can, a card clerk, to solicit and accept bribes, extort and extort bribes, and made a lot of money. Ding Richang has long heard about this. The next day, Ding Richang came to the customs with his subordinates, called Tang Guohua and Zhang Can, and asked them to hand over the account books. Ding Richang said: "I have heard for a long time that the two old brothers have the skill to collect money, and this Taoist is now preparing to build the General Administration of Machinery Manufacturing and is helpless, please teach me." Tang Zhang and the others trembled with fright, for fear that the corruption and perversion of the law would leak out, so they hurriedly said: "Don't dare, don't dare, please Daotai for the sake of your fellow villagers, let go of your hands, and we should do our best to repay the funds for the establishment of the General Bureau of Machinery Manufacturing." Immediately, Tang Guohua and Zhang Can each donated 20,000 taels of silver. Ding Richang accepted the silver and reprimanded the two for the crime of greedy ink, but because they donated the silver, they continued to hold on to the past, and ordered the two to rein in and change their ways, otherwise they would be severely punished, and the two would only retreat. And with these 40,000 taels of silver, Ding Richang successfully set up the Jiangnan Machinery Manufacturing Bureau.

"Brother Yusheng This is also a way, hehe, but even so, I am afraid that the silver obtained is only a little, which is not enough for shipbuilding, and it is not a long-term solution." Lin Yizhe said, "The shipmaster gun has made a lot of profits, and I can help some of it, so I will help Brother Yusheng think of a way when the time comes." ”

"Then there is Lao Kunyu!" Listening to Lin Yizhe's words, Ding Richang couldn't help but be overjoyed.