The film and television world begins with the battle for the throne in Kowloon

Chapter 1117 Hongling Messenger (Part )

"Da da. Da da da."

A young soldier with a red feather helmet, a frontier soldier's uniform, and a bundle with three red flags on his back, riding a dark red horse, ran across the city protection bridge outside the Tonghua Gate of the East City at high speed.

The captain who was maintaining order at the gate saw a figure in the distance and immediately shouted, "Quick, clear the way! It's the Hongling messenger. Get out of the way."

The twenty or so soldiers who were originally holding spears quickly divided into two teams. One team rushed forward and moved away the scattered deer horn barricades placed in front of the city gate to slow down the speed; the other team held the spears horizontally with both hands and drove the people inside and outside the city gate to both sides without saying a word.

Although the people passing by didn't know what was happening, they saw the city guards so nervous and panicked, and they hurriedly moved to the sides.

The messenger left the middle passage clear and rushed into the city without stopping, waving his whip.

Soon, four or five soldiers guarding the city untied several horses from the hitching posts next to the city gate, nimbly climbed on the horses, and lowered themselves up. They would protect the messenger from taking the wrong path, being blocked, and preventing any accidents from happening. They would escort the messenger to the palace gate.

It was morning now, and Chengtian Street was full of carriages and pedestrians. There were many small businesses setting up stalls on both sides of Anxing and Yongxing Streets selling all kinds of goods. Originally, stalls were not allowed on Chengtian Street, but peace had prevailed for a long time.

Some merchants gradually put their shelves at the door, and with stalls, people lingered. Slowly, some ordinary people also started to set up stalls to sell goods, and the flow of people increased, gradually squeezing the streets narrower and narrower.

In order to prevent horses from hitting pedestrians, the court stipulated that horses were not allowed to gallop on main roads.

Whether it was a carriage or a horse, they all needed to slow down and move slowly. In addition, teams of guards in helmets and armor would patrol back and forth from time to time, so although there were many people and vehicles on the street, it was still in order.

But suddenly, something unexpected happened.

A team of fast horses came running from the east without any scruples, with the force of thunder, their heavy hooves stomping on the bluestone street. The hurried sound and strong power were like a catfish rushing into a school of sardines, instantly causing chaos in the entire street.

Some people dodged, some cursed, and some howled. The running crowd overturned the stalls, and woven products, fruits, ornaments and other items were scattered all over the ground.

Moreover, I could faintly hear the cavalry shouting at the top of their lungs: "Get out of the way, everyone get out of the way!"

Two patrolling teams of the Imperial Guard happened to pass by. Upon seeing this, the leading lieutenant's face changed, and he was ready to rush forward with his men to capture this lawless madman who dared to gallop on his horse at the foot of the Imperial City. It had been many years since they had encountered such a thing.

The guards, holding their spears, quickly formed a row and blocked the way forward.

Then, the lieutenant saw a soldier on a horse in the front, with three small red flags swaying in the wind on his shoulders. His face suddenly changed and he shouted wildly, "It's the Hongling messenger, or the three messengers. Quick, clear the way, clear the way!"

The faces of the two groups of soldiers changed, and they quickly turned their guns and ran back, each responsible for one side, and drove the people in the middle of the road to the sides. When they encountered those who were scared and fell, they dragged them to the sides without saying a word, and when they encountered those who were driving carriages and didn't know the situation, they raised their guns and shot them.

In short, the road was cleared as quickly as possible.

The messenger, escorted by a group of guards, passed quickly in the direction of the imperial palace and disappeared in the crowd.

The crowd that was originally noisy and cursing immediately shut up after seeing this scene, and the whole street instantly became quiet. Some of the older people trembled all over, with extremely ugly faces.

A young man who was selling corn at a stall, not realizing what was going on, complained indignantly: "How dare these soldiers ride their horses on Chengtian Street? They are so lawless."

Before he could finish, the white-bearded old man who was selling calligraphy and paintings nearby immediately reached out and covered the young man's mouth: "Xiao Linzi, don't talk nonsense, that's the Hongling messenger, not an ordinary soldier."

"Uncle Yang, what is the Hongling Messenger? I see the shabby military uniform that man wears is not even as decent as our Chang'an soldiers." Xiao Linzi was a villager from a town or village near Chang'an. He took advantage of the autumn harvest to sell some food and use the money to buy some daily necessities.

He had never read a book, nor had he seen the world, but he was quite smart.

I found an old gentleman who was selling calligraphy and paintings, and often asked him about things happening on the streets of Chang'an City, which would broaden my horizons and facilitate my business. On the other hand, it also satisfied the old gentleman's need to show off his knowledge.

After a few days, the two got along well, and Xiao Linzi already called the old man Uncle Yang.

In the past, when Xiao Lin asked about things, Old Yang always acted pretentiously and complacently, but this time, his expression was very serious: "This is a kind of cavalry that delivers urgent military information to the local area. Because they wear tall helmets with red feathers, they are called Hongling Messengers."

"Did you see the little red flag on the back of the messenger's shoulder?"

Xiao Linzi thought about it and realized that it was indeed the case. He had just found it a little strange that the soldiers had flags on their heads. They were not actors, so they looked just like the martial artists on the stage. "General military forces would not put up flags. Only the frontier troops used to defend against the Turks would use them."

In the past, when Old Yang was spreading these insights, he would always say "I used to be so good" on the left and "What do you know, you country bumpkin" on the right. Little Linzi had long been accustomed to it.

But today, Old Yang was no longer in the relaxed mood as before. He said solemnly, "The red flag on the messenger's shoulder is the beacon of the border. It means that an unknown force is approaching. We need to be on guard."

"Two means the other side is an enemy, not a friend. They are quite powerful and are already attacking our city or personnel. We need to organize forces to fight back."

At this point, Lao Yang's eyes trembled, his lips trembled, and he said, "Three powerful forces with no upper limit are attacking. We are in great danger, and we must organize all our forces to defend and resist."

"The red feather messengers with three small flags are almost equivalent to the imperial envoys with the imperial edict on their heads. All the cities and passes in the territory of the Tang Dynasty must not block them at all and let them pass immediately. Anyone who dares to block them can be killed regardless of their official position and status.

"All Tang soldiers and civilians, no matter who they are, must do their best to cooperate and provide all conveniences when they meet the Hongling messenger on the road. Anyone who helps the messenger will be rewarded generously, and anyone who harms the messenger will be charged with treason."

Xiao Linzi was secretly astonished when he heard this, and silently sighed at the majesty of the Hongling messenger. No wonder those guards who usually looked down on others rushed forward frantically as if they had seen their father. Then he thought about it and his eyes suddenly widened.

He said tremblingly: "Uncle Yang, you mean, there are enemy troops attacking our Tang Dynasty."

"To be precise, it is most likely that the Turkic army is heading south."

Before Old Yang could say anything, a well-dressed young man next to him said, "Now the Tang Dynasty is at peace. The southeastern and eastern sides are connected to the sea, and the western countries have also been conquered. Only the northern grasslands are close to the Turkic Khanate, which is as powerful as the Tang Dynasty."

Xiao Yang turned his head when he heard the voice and was startled.

'drink'

I don't know when a bunch of people gathered around me.

They were people from the nearby stalls and those strolling around the street. The shop owners and elderly people from the shops on both sides also came out and gathered together.

The street, which had been quiet just now, was bustling again.

In fact, the people on the whole street are now gathered in groups of three or five, having heated discussions.

Another middle-aged man in silk official uniform stroked his beard and said, "Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, I have only seen three red feather messengers with three flags three times. The first time was in July of the seventh year of Wude, when Tuyuhun and Dangxiang invaded Songzhou, and Turkic Tulishe and Yuan Junzhang attacked Bingzhou together."

"The Turkic army was unstoppable, forcing Emperor Gaozu to almost burn down Chang'an and move the capital to Xiangzhou."

"The second time was in August of the ninth year of Wude, when the emperor had just ascended the throne. The Turkic Khan Jie Li led 300,000 to 400,000 cavalrymen to the south. He crossed the defense lines of Yunzhong and Dingxiang, destroyed cities and seized strongholds along the way, and reached the north bank of the Wei River. Chang'an City was almost captured."

"The third time was in September of the tenth year of Zhenguan, when the Right Wise King of the Turkic people gathered a million troops and stationed them at the foot of Yinshan Mountain, outside Fengzhou City. That was truly the most critical moment in the history of the Tang Dynasty. Once a million barbarians crossed the Yellow River, the Tang Dynasty would be in danger!"

Xiao Linzi's face turned pale and he became nervous. He was only fifteen years old this year. Nine years ago, he was still a child playing in the mud. He never expected that the peaceful Tang Dynasty would face such a terrible disaster.

Even though nearly ten years have passed, just thinking about it now makes one's back chilled, not to mention how terrified the people were at the time.

Xiao Lin swallowed his saliva and asked tremblingly: "Uncle, what happened next?"

The middle-aged man looked at the terrified young man and did not laugh. The people around him did not laugh either. Those who did not know the inside story had the same expression as Xiao Linzi. Those who knew the inside story could not laugh either. When the news came, many people rolled up their bedding and prepared to flee.

Old Yang went on to say, "At that time, the Emperor Retired, as the Heavenly Khan, personally went north and confronted the Right Wise King in Fengzhou City. I don't know what the two monarchs talked about at the time, but in the end the Turkic army retreated. Since then, the Turks have not moved south on a large scale for nearly ten years."

"At that time, the Turkic army was lined up on the north bank of the Yellow River, stretching as far as the eye could see, all the way to the foot of the Yin Mountains in the distance. It is said that the Turkic army could be seen outside Yongfeng City dozens of miles away. It was truly a million-strong army!"

"The murderous aura soared into the sky. Even the insects on the nearby grasslands did not dare to chirp, and the birds did not dare to fly overhead. They were completely suppressed by this boundless power."

(End of this chapter)