Ding Sheng is from Yudu, Jiangxi Province. He joined the Red Army at the age of 17. Although he was very brave in fighting, there were too many people in the Central Red Army who were good at fighting, so until the beginning of the Long March, Ding Sheng was only a company instructor. In February 1935, after the Central Red Army crossed Chishui for the second time, a fierce battle broke out with Wang Jialie's Guizhou Army at Loushanguan. As the enemy was outnumbered, the battle was fierce. During the fierce battle, Ding Sheng was injured and could not leave the firing line, and took the lead in charging towards the enemy, making an important contribution to the victory of the battle.
In order to commend his military exploits, after the war, Ding Sheng was promoted from company instructor to regiment political commissar. After the Anti-Japanese War broke out in an all-round way, the Kuomintang and the Communist Party began to cooperate in the fight against Japan. The main force of the Northern Shaanxi Red Army was reorganized into the Eighth Route Army. In order to limit the development of the Eighth Route Army, Chiang Kai-shek only gave the establishment of three divisions. As a result, many cadres had to be demoted. Ding Sheng was demoted from the regiment political commissar to the political assistant of the 358th Brigade of the 120th Division. In February 1939, in order to open up a new situation in the Pingxi Anti-Japanese War, the Hebei Recha Army was established, with Xiao Ke as its commander.
In order to support Xiao Ke, Mr. He transferred many cadres from the 120th Division to follow Xiao Ke into Pingxi , and Ding Sheng was one of them. After arriving in Pingxi, Ding Sheng served as the political commissar of the 1st Regiment of the Second Brigade and followed Xiao Ke in many battles with the Japanese and puppet troops in Pingxi. Due to various reasons, the advancing army failed to open up a situation in Pingxi, and its designation was revoked in 1942. Later, Ding Sheng entered the army of Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region and served as the commander of the 27th Brigade of the Reliao Column when the Anti-Japanese War was about to win.
During the War of Liberation, Ding Sheng followed Lin Biao to fight the enemy in the Northeast, and served as division commander under Huang Yongsheng. After the Battle of Pingjin , Ding Sheng followed his troops south. He became famous in the Battle of Hengbao and won himself the reputation of "Ding Bold". After the founding of New China, Ding Sheng first participated in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. In the Battle of Jincheng, he led his troops to severely damage the South Korean Capital Division and made many military exploits. After returning from North Korea, he led his troops to participate in the self-defense counterattack against India and performed outstandingly in the Battle of Walong, wiping out thousands of enemy troops.
With his outstanding performance in the Battle of Walong, Ding Sheng was transferred to deputy commander of the Guangzhou Military Region. At that time, the commander of the Guangzhou Military Region was his old superior in the Fourth Field, Huang Yongsheng. In 1969, Huang Yongsheng came to Beijing to take up a post, and the position of commander became vacant. At that time, there were four deputy commanders in the Guangzhou Military Region. The most senior one was Zhan Caifang, who had served as deputy commander for 14 years. No matter how you measure it, he is the best candidate to succeed Huang Yongsheng. But in the end it was Ding Sheng who won.
In 1971, Chairman Mao was on his southern tour. When he passed through Guangzhou, he met Ding Sheng and said to him: "You and Huang Yongsheng have such a close relationship. If he falls, how can you survive!" Ding Sheng was very frightened after hearing this. After the September 13th Incident, Huang Yongsheng was isolated and examined. Chairman Mao spared Ding Sheng out of consideration for his talent. In December 1973, Ding Sheng and Xu Shiyou were transferred and served as commander of the Nanjing Military Region. Although Zhang Chunqiao was already a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, Vice Premier of the State Council, and Director of the General Political Department at that time, he was still the political commissar of the Nanjing Military Region.
With the help of Zhang Chunqiao and others, Ding Sheng sided with the "Gang of Four". On August 10, 1976, Ding Sheng came to Shanghai from Nanjing and stayed at the Yan'an Hotel. Ma Tianshui, Wang Xiuzhen and Xu Jingxian, the best friends of the "Gang of Four" in Shanghai, learned about it and hurriedly came to visit. According to what Wang Xiuzhen, Xu Jingxian and others later confessed, Ding Sheng told them at that time: "I was transferred from Guangzhou to Nanjing and only took up my post. I was very isolated in Nanjing. The 60th Army did not listen to me. Several divisions of this army were placed in Wuxi , The arrival of from Suzhou to Shanghai is a big threat to Shanghai. You must be prepared!"
Ma Tianshui and others quickly reported Ding Sheng's words to Zhang Chunqiao, Wang Hongwen and others. Now Wang Hongwen couldn't sit still in Diaoyutai , and hurried back to Shanghai, convened a meeting of his buddies, and decided to issue weapons to the militiamen. After the "Gang of Four" was crushed, Ding Sheng was put under quarantine and review, and was soon withdrawn from active service and later expelled from the party. In his later years, Ding Sheng was placed in the Guangzhou Military Region Cadre Rest Home. In 1999, Ding Sheng died of illness at the age of 86.
