However, even so, as the general who brought Di Qing to power, Zhang Kang is worthy of being the second god of war in the Song Dynasty besides Fan Zhongyan. Even if Di Qing's military achievements were better than his in the later period, he did not dare to compete for credit in front of his old boss.
Wang Shouzhong was already standing below at this time. A eunuch next to him was holding a tray. On the tray was a medal inlaid with gold and silver, with a dragon pattern in the middle.
This is the highest medal of honor in the Song Dynasty today - the Dragon Flag Medal of the Chinese Song Empire. It represents the national flag and national emblem and can be said to be the highest honor.
After Zhao Zhen’s announcement, Wang Shouzhong put the Dragon Flag Medal on Zhang Kang.
After all, Zhang Kang needed to lead the soldiers in formation, and it was impossible for him to run to Xuande Gate temporarily, so the task of wearing the medals had to be left to Wang Shouzhong.
After Zhang Kang and the others put on their medals, they shouted, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Pah pah pah pah."
The audience burst into thunderous applause again.
After Zhang Kang finished his salute, he returned to his horse.
Zhao Zhen continued, "Many of the soldiers selected here are meritorious soldiers who have killed enemies and made great contributions on the battlefield. I will award you First Class Merit, First Class Medal for Defeat the Enemy, and First Class Medal for Defending the Country."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The soldiers below shouted in unison.
"Pah pah pah pah."
The audience burst into applause again.
The Song Dynasty has currently designed multiple sets of military honors.
In addition to the first, second and third class merits, there are four other awards: the first, second and third class Medals for Defeat the Enemy, the first, second and third class Medals for Defending the Country, the Combat Hero Medal, and the Special Merit Medal.
Among them, the Medal of Defence of the Country has the lowest value, and basically all soldiers who have participated in the war have it.
The Enemy Defeat Medal requires killing one or more enemies.
The Medal of Special Merit and the Medal of Combat Hero are different. At least they have to change the situation of a small-scale battle, such as a special situation where one person kills dozens of people.
Only a handful of brave generals in the entire army received these two medals. They were all awarded because they fought to the death with the Western Xia army with cold weapons in an era when there were no muskets or cannons, and killed many enemies.
For example, Wang Xin once led 2,000 people to the Baoan Army's Luoluo Village. Facing the siege of tens of thousands of Xixia people, he fought to the death. After fighting all night, he retreated to the mountain south of the village to rest. Then, in the early morning, he led the soldiers to launch another surprise attack and repelled the invading Xixia people.
Also, when Zhang Kang led 8,000 people to launch a surprise attack from the rear, Li Yuanhao led the main force to besiege Yanzhou. Wang Zhongbao's troops were defeated in the battle, and the deputy general Zhu Guan was besieged. He single-handedly broke into the formation, killed dozens of people, and rescued Zhu Guan.
In addition, Guo Zun also shined in this battle. He wielded the iron pestle in his hand like an unstoppable killing god. He went in and out of the enemy camp three times, killing hundreds of enemies. He shocked Yanzhou and allowed the front battlefield to stubbornly resist Li Yuanhao's attack.
Of course, most Song army generals did not have such exaggerated personal combat capabilities, and it was difficult for them to influence the situation in a small-scale battle. Therefore, whether it was the Combat Hero Medal or the Special Merit Medal, the gold content was very high, and it was already the highest level of honor in the current military.
As for the Order of the Dragon Banner, it is not a military honor, but an imperial honor.
Not only generals who made outstanding contributions, but also scientists who made major discoveries, politicians with political merits, etc. People like Zhao Jun and Fan Zhongyan were actually awarded the Dragon Flag Medal.
After awarding the merits to Zhang Kang and the infantry phalanx, Zhao Zhen stepped aside. The host returned to the stage and said, "Next up is the cavalry phalanx led by Deputy Privy Councilor Di Qing. They fought bravely, having followed Prime Minister Zhang and Prime Minister Di through bloody battles, defeating Yuan Hao at Taoluo City and Zong Zhen at Baosai City. Their awe-inspiring prowess and invincibility have inflicted fear on the enemies of the Song Dynasty and brought peace to its people!"
Di Qing led the cavalry slowly to the front of Xuande Gate, then dismounted and walked to the microphone to salute.
Zhao Zhen said, "Lord Di came from humble beginnings, yet he was devoted to serving his country. In times of national crisis, he repeatedly led his troops into battle, slaying bandits and defeating enemies. He first joined Lords Fan and Zhang in defeating the Western Xia, then decisively defeated Li Yue during their repeated border raids. Furthermore, during the recovery of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, he intercepted a large Liao reinforcement force with a minimal force. His bravery was unparalleled, and he lived up to the aspirations of a great general. I bestow upon you the rank of General and the Order of the Dragon Banner of the Chinese Song Empire!"
In the early days, Di Qing was actually no different from other low-level military officers such as Zhe Jimin, Zhou Mei, Guo Zun, Zhang Ke, Wang Xin, Fan Ke, and Yang Wenguang. He relied purely on his personal military strength and military exploits to gradually climb to the position of middle and high-level military officer.
It was not until the war to destroy Vietnam that he first appeared in the spotlight. Because he quickly destroyed Li Yue, he stood out for the first time with his military exploits and entered the category of senior military officers, on par with veterans such as Ge Huaimin, Ren Fu, and Gao Jixuan.
As a result, he later led three naval fleets as the chief of the navy, broke into Shanhaiguan, intercepted more than 100,000 Liao troops coming to the west to aid Yelu Zongzhen, and won a great victory on the western battlefield.
Therefore, the destruction of the Vietnamese Ly Dynasty can be said to be a turning point for Di Qing, allowing him to stand on his own. It was also a natural progression for him to destroy the Western Xia, recover the Western Regions, and destroy Gaochang and the Black Khanate.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Di Qing kept his right hand in a saluting posture, standing straight and motionless.
Wang Shouzhong awarded him a medal.
Zhao Zhen then awarded the cavalrymen the first-class merit, the first-class medal for defeating the enemy, and the first-class medal for defending the country.
The next one is the musket army, led by Wang Deyong.
Lao Wang only fought in the early Song-Xia War and Song-Liao War, serving as Fan Zhongyan's deputy to stabilize the morale of the army.
His greatest achievement was that he held Baosai City in the face of Yelu Zongzhen's siege and waited for reinforcements from Fan Zhongyan.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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