Deng Shichang (1849-1894), a famous naval general in modern times, was originally from Panyu, Guangdong. He served as the commander of the cruiser Zhiyuan during the Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese War of 1894. He died in the naval battle on September 17, 1894 to serve his country.

After Deng Shichang and his soldiers died heroically for the country, the whole country was filled with grief and indignation. The people of Weihai voluntarily went to sea to salvage the bodies of the heroes. There was a song in the local area that "Li Hongzhang betrayed the country through trade, and Deng Shichang died in battle."

The naval battle was defeated and the court was shocked.

Emperor Guangxu wept and wrote a couplet: "On this day, the whole world sheds tears, and there is a man who can strengthen the power of the navy." He also gave Deng Shichang the posthumous title of "Zhuangjie Gong" and the posthumous title of "Prince Shaobao". He personally wrote one sacrificial text and one inscription on the inscription.

Li Hongzhang also expressed his merits in the "Request for Compassion for the Death of Members of the Dadonggou Navy", saying: "...and the contributions of Deng Shichang, Liu Buchan and others are also indispensable."

The Qing government also gave Deng’s mother a large plaque with the words “Proper way to teach children” made of 1.5 kilograms of gold, and allocated 100,000 taels of silver to the Deng family as a token of compensation.

The Deng family used this money to build a tomb for Deng Shichang in Panyu, Guangdong, where he was originally from, and built the Deng family ancestral hall.

Deng Shichang had three sons and two daughters. The eldest son, Deng Haohong, died in 1947; the second son, Deng Haoyang, died young; the third son, Deng Haoqian, was a posthumous son who served in the Navy of the Republic of China and died in Wuxi in 1969.

Speaking of the Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese War of 1891-1891, among our country’s national heroes, Deng Shichang, the famous naval general of the generation, is the first to be mentioned.

Because he sacrificed his life for the country, he was called "Deng Zhuang Jie Gong".

His name and heroic deeds are almost unknown to everyone, and he is admired by the people of our country.

However, later generations have different opinions on the scene when Deng Shichang was martyred. The currently collected historical materials and folklore are described as follows:

One said: During the Sino-Japanese naval battle, Zhiyuan Unfortunately, the ship's hull was damaged and its ammunition was cut off.

The commander (captain) Deng Shichang was calm and composed, commanding his "express train" to rush towards the Japanese vanguard command ship Yoshino, determined to die together.

Yoshino Dahe evaded and attacked Zhiyuan with rapid fire artillery and torpedoes. At 15:00, it submerged into the Yellow Sea, leaving only 7 people.

On the second day: Unfortunately, the Zhiyuan ship was hit by a torpedo, the boiler burst, the ship sank, and all 250 soldiers fell into the sea.

The follower Liu Zhong threw a lifebuoy to him, but he did not accept it, saying that "the whole ship is destroyed, and justice is not alone."

Deng’s pet dog swam to him and held his arm in its mouth, but he also pushed it away.

The beloved dog couldn't bear to leave, and held his braided hair in its mouth.

In the end, Deng Shichang "looked at the sea and sighed, but the strangled dog died" and sank to the bottom of the sea.

Three days: Although Deng Shichang was rescued, he saw that all the officers and soldiers on the ship were buried in the sea.

There is a legend among the residents of Longxu Island: After Deng Shichang fell into the water, his pet dog held his clothes in its mouth to prevent the owner from sinking into the sea.

Seeing the heroic sacrifice of all the officers and soldiers on the ship, Deng Shichang vowed not to survive alone, so he pushed the dog into the water.

He also sank into the sea.

When the dog saw his master drowning, he couldn't bear to let his master drift at sea, so he dragged his master and swam hard to the shore.

It finally dragged the owner ashore.

After Deng Shichang regained consciousness, he found himself lying on the beach, with his pet dog still by his side. Recalling what had happened, he realized that he was "righteous and not alone" and threw himself into the sea again. When his dog saw his owner, he threw himself into the sea again. , also follows.

Although there are various accounts of the death of "Deng Zhuang Jiegong", his bravery and loyalty are praised by the world and will be remembered forever.