李罕之
After Zhu Wen later defected to the Tang cause and was made the military governor ("Jiedushi") of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan) (with his name changed to the Tang-bestowed name of Quanzhong), Ding Hui became the commander of his headquarters guards. In 888, when Zhang Quanyi the mayor of Henan Municipality (河南, i.e., the region of the eastern capital Luoyang) turned against his ally Li Hanzhi the military governor of Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Jiaozuo, Henan) and expelled Li from Heyang, Li sought aid from Zhu's major rival Li Keyong the military governor of Hedong Circuit. Li Keyong sent his officer Kang Junli to aid Li Hanzhi in trying to recapture Heyang Circuit; in turn, Zhang sought aid from Zhu, who sent Ding, Ge Congzhou, and Niu Cunjie () to aid Zhang. They defeated Kang and his army, forcing him to withdraw. Zhu made Ding the acting military governor of Heyang after the victory. Later in the year, Ding also sought off another attempt by Li Hanzhi to recapture Heyang.