During the Northern Song Dynasty, Han Qi and Fan Zhongyan led the armies to defend against the menacing Western Xia Dynasty. Both influential dignitaries were held in very high esteem by the military. Upon arriving in Shaanxi, an official recommended the unknown Di Qing to them. He was a brave fighter and was considered to have the talent, skills, and aptitude of a general. At that time, military strategist Fan seriously needed people capable of being generals. Upon hearing this recommendation, Fan became interested, so he asked his subordinates to elaborate on Di’s deeds and abilities.
It turns out that Di Qing had initially been a regular soldier of the imperial guards. He had been good at martial arts, horseback riding, and archery since childhood. Because of his courage and skills, he was promoted as a junior officer.
After Li Yuanhao became the first emperor of the Western Xia Dynasty, Emperor Renzong of the Northern Song sent out the imperial army to defend the border. Di Qing was sent as a security guard to Shanxi Baoan (now Shanxi Zhidan). The Western Xia army quickly attacked and defeated the Baoan security troops many times. The commander in charge of the Song’s defenses, Lu Shouqin, became anxious about the situation.
A portrait of Fan Zhongyan by Sancai Tuhui (1609). (Image: via Wikimedia.com)
Because of the situation’s urgency, Di Qing voluntarily asked to be in the vanguard to fight against the Western Xia troops. Lu was impressed that he was willing to take the post to fight, so he allocated troops to him to fight against the invading Western Xia army.
Before going into battle, Di Qing first changed his outfit. He loosened his bun, disheveled his hair, and wore a copper mask, showing only two piercing eyes. He took the lead with a spear and rushed into the enemy’s lines, maneuvering from side to side. On seeing Di’s fearsome battle attire, Western Xia soldiers became terrified. Leading the Song army at the border, he engaged the Western Xia troops in heavy combat. Eventually, the Western Xia troops were overwhelmed, fell into chaos, and retreated. D Qingi’s troops rushed in, routed the enemy, and won a significant victory.
When the triumphant news reached the court, Emperor Renzong was delighted. Di Qing was promoted four ranks higher. Renzong asked an artist to paint a portrait of Di Qing and have it sent to the court.
Di Qing sported tattoos on his face and excelled in mounted archery. (Image: via Wikimedia Commons)
Although suffering eight arrow wounds, Di Qing never lost a battle
In the following years, Western Xia soldiers continued to invade and harass all across the border, making the region uneasy. In defense of the homeland, Di Qing fought in 25 battles. He suffered eight arrow wounds, but he never lost a battle. Anytime Western Xia soldiers heard Di Qing’s name, they were too scared to confront him.
Hearing his subordinates’ recommendation, Fan immediately summoned Di Qing and asked him what books he had read. Di Qing was born into the ranks of a regular soldier so he never read very much. He felt embarrassed and did not know how to answer the question.
Fan advised him: “You currently are a general. If a general cannot learn from history, it will not be enough to rely on personal bravery.” So Fan introduced some military books for Di Qing to study.
Di Qing was grateful to Fan Zhongyan for encouraging him in this way. From then on, Di Qing spent all his spare time between battles, studying and learning military history and tactics. After a number of years, he learned the art of war from famous generals in the Qin and Han dynasties. Because of his military exploits and success, he received continuous promotions, and his reputation grew. Later, Emperor Renzong transferred Di Qing back to the capital, where he served as the deputy commander of the cavalry.
Emperador Renzong of the Song Dynasty. (Image: via Wikimedia Commons)
In the Song Dynasty, soldiers were tattooed on their faces as punishment if they were caught running away from the army. And Di Qing was no exception; when he was a soldier, he was punished with a tattoo on his face for running away. More than 10 years later, he became a general, but the black ink was still on his face.
One time, Emperor Renzong summoned Di. When he returned home, Renzong asked Di Qing to apply medicine to remove the tattoos.
Di Qing said: “Your Majesty doesn’t think of me as being from a humble background. I appreciate that Your Majesty promoted me to this position based on my military merits. As for these black tattoos, I would rather keep them to motivate the soldiers!” After listening to his logic, Renzong admired Di’s insights and valued him even more.
Later, Di Qing was promoted to Privy Council and Chief Executive, and commanded the Northern Song’s armies. A man who was once a humble soldier became Chief Executive. This had never happened before in the history of the Song Dynasty. Some ministers thought that Di’s background was too low, so they advised Emperor Renzong not to raise Di Qing to such a high position, but Renzong did not listen.
When Di Qing became the Chief Executive, some people always felt that his poor background did not match his status. An official who claimed to be a descendant of Di Ren Jie, a famous prime minister in the Tang Dynasty, took a portrait of Di Renjie, gave it to Di Qing, and said: “You might boast to others that Di Renjie is your ancestor!”
Di Qing smiled modestly and said: “I was originally from a low background. How could I pretend to have such a high status as Di Ren Jie just because I happened to get a high position?” The official said nothing and left embarrassed. This minor incident shows that this general from lowly roots was truly extraordinary.
Translated by Joseph Wu and edited by Michael Segarty
