An important town in Hexi, Yumen Pass, Guancheng.
There are many shops and shops in Guancheng, with constant hawking sounds and bustling pedestrians. You come and I come and go, and it is full of life.
Since the Song army advanced into Hexi and immigrated to the border, Yumen Pass has been repaired, not only restoring the bustle of Yumen Pass in the past, but even the border customs market, which had been closed for several years, was reopened by the Song people.
At the Yumen Pass, Gaochang merchants such as Anal and Yugulongchi, who were leading dozens of camels and horses, were being interrogated by the Song Army soldiers.
"Do you guys have a reason? What are you doing at Yumen Pass?"
"All six of them have reasons. They came to Yumen Pass to sell horses. They are all Dawan horses, 30 horses in total!"
Yu Gulongchi replied in not very fluent Chinese.
"How many days will you be staying at Yumen Pass? Are there any acquaintances who will welcome you?"
"About three or four days, I have no acquaintances, it's my first time coming to Yumen Pass."
Yugu Longchi said and handed over a money bag.
These guys are so long-winded, don't they just want bribes?
"Take your things back! If you do it again, you will be kicked out of Yumen Pass!"
The soldier glanced at Yugu Longchi coldly, quickly filled out the paper, and handed it to Yugu Longchi.
"This is a temporary residence permit. You can only stay for four days. After four days, you have to continue to live and apply again. The cost is six cents for six people! After the horse is sold, there will be a tax of 5%!"
Yu Gulong blushed and took back his money bag, paid six cents, and everyone entered Guancheng together. Anal shook her head secretly. The officers and soldiers of the Song Army did not accept bribes, which shows the strict military discipline.
After entering Guancheng, everyone was even more surprised.
The clean and orderly market is different from the previous smoky atmosphere of horse excrement and camel excrement. There are patrol shops on the street, and there are government officials on duty, responsible for the appearance and public security of the street. Those "trash cans", "public toilets", and related people wearing masks to clean the streets are really novel.
Looking at their horses, they are all required to wear bags to prevent their feces from filling the streets and degrading the appearance of the city.
This is completely different from the depressed, dilapidated and dirty Yumen Pass a few years ago.
Wasteland was reclaimed, official roads were built, water conservancy projects were renovated, and Hexi was exempted from taxes for three years. No wonder many people from Gaochang never go back after coming to Hexi. Who doesn’t want to live a better life?
Everyone walked along the wall, and Anal carefully observed the Song Dynasty officers and soldiers stationed on the wall. The sun was scorching, and their faces were covered with sweat. They were still covered in iron armor, and they were as stone-like and motionless. If it weren't for the blinking eyes, I would have thought it was a sculpture.
Ana'er was secretly frightened. Such iron-blooded elites, let alone the knights of Gaochang Kingdom, even the elites of Mongolia would probably have a headache.
Yugulongchi and Anal, the son and daughter of Gaochang Uighur Protector (chief) Baershu, one is 18 years old and the other is 16 years old. This time they went to Yumen Pass under the control of the Song Army. They were merchants from the Western Regions selling livestock. In the name of conducting military intelligence espionage.
A middle-aged man passed by Yu Gulongchi and others, and met a smiling young man opposite him on the street. The two exchanged warm greetings, while the older man was sweating profusely and his face was full of anxiety.
"Chai Da, wait for me first, I'll be back as soon as I go!"
"Second uncle, what are you going to do?"
Chai Da seemed to understand something and grabbed his second uncle.
"Second uncle is in a hurry, find a secluded place to relax!"
"Second uncle, if you are caught defecating anywhere, including spitting, you will be fined, or even sent to jail! Let's go to the public toilet!"
"How could this happen? But my second uncle can't stand it anymore!"
"It's okay! Let's go into the restaurant and take care of things first, and I'll pick you up by the way!"
"Is this okay?"
"Use the restroom in a restaurant! There's nothing wrong with it!"
Chai Da laughed, and the uncle and nephew quickly entered the "Western Region Restaurant" next to them.
"Use the restroom in the restaurant!"
Anael shook her head slightly.
They have to carry horse dung and donkey dung, not to mention human excrement. If you defecate in public, you will definitely be fined and imprisoned.
Everyone was a little tired from walking, so Anal and her entourage sat at a tea stall nearby and ordered biscuits and broth.
"Seller, your Yumenguan soldiers are so majestic!"
Looking at the Song Army soldiers standing on the wall of Yumen Pass with guns in hand, Ana'er asked in less than standard Chinese.
The soldiers are so tough, the generals commanding the troops must have some skills.
"Of course! The officers and soldiers in Hexi are all elites of the Song Dynasty. Isn't it majestic to be able to beat the crap out of the Tatar cavalry?"
The store owner is an old man from Sichuan, who is over forty years old. Although the girl who asked the question was covered with a veil, she was fair-skinned, beautiful, tall, and lived in an exotic place. He was secretly itchy, and he responded with all his heart.
"Who is the general at Yumen Pass? He must be very majestic with so many soldiers and horses, right?"
Anal then asked.
She wanted to know more about the Song Army and its generals. Although she also knew that the soldiers of the Song Army at Yumen Pass
"It looks like you are from Gaochang. You don't know what's going on here."
The store owner was amazed by the Gaochang girl's grace and hurriedly responded.
"The guard of Yumen Pass is General Liu Hong. He is tall, mighty and imposing. There are two thousand soldiers at Yumen Pass, all of them are warriors. However, there are seven or eight thousand elite soldiers from the Song Dynasty in Dunhuang County, Yumen Pass and Yangguan. Under the jurisdiction of General Zhang Zhongxia, there are thousands of troops, no one dares to provoke him."
The store owner vomited out everything he should know and shouldn't know.
"Why, is General Zhang Zhongxia very powerful?"
Zhang Zhongxia, the commander of the Song army in Dunhuang, Yumenguan and Yangguan, seems to be somewhat famous.
"General Zhang Zhongxia was originally a scoundrel on the streets of Lin'an. Later, he was enlightened by the Emperor of the Song Dynasty and went to the Jinling Lecture Hall to become a disciple of the Emperor. Later, Zhang Zhongxia went to the northwest frontier and then to Lingzhou in Xixia to defend the city. As a young man He became famous, made many military exploits, and led an army to Hexi. He was honored as a general, but he was very majestic!"
When Zhang Zhongxia was mentioned, the shop owner's eyes were filled with envy.
"As bad as a general! Is this okay?"
Ana'er and Yugu Longchi both opened their eyes wide.
In Gaochang State, civilians basically had no chance to stand up, let alone become a general.
"Of course! Not only General Zhang, General Lu Wende, the governor of Lizhou East Road, is a woodcutter in front of the martial arts hall. There are also brothers Cao Youwen, who are also ordinary people. After attending the Jinling martial arts hall, all of them are disciples of the Emperor. A big official in the border area."
The store owner pointed at the "Selected Poems of Zhao Hong" in Anal's hand and said excitedly:
"My guest, this book in your hand was written by the Emperor of the Song Dynasty! The Emperor of the Song Dynasty has the best articles in the world, even those of others are far behind!"
"Zhao Hong is the Emperor of the Song Dynasty?"
Anael was surprised for a while. She admires Chinese culture. She just liked the book "Selected Poems" at a bookstall and bought it. Unexpectedly, this was actually done by the Emperor of the Song Dynasty.
The Song Dynasty was full of talented people, regardless of their origin, but they were much stronger than Gaochang.
"This Emperor of the Song Dynasty must be wise and powerful. He is really a wise elder!"
Ana'er subconsciously became interested in the Emperor of the Song Dynasty.
Being able to repel the Mongolian army, advance to Hexi, and train such a strong army shows the wisdom and resourcefulness of the Emperor of the Song Dynasty.
"Senior citizens?"
The store owner laughed.
"The Emperor of the Song Dynasty is only in his twenties, how can he be an elder? The emperor can smelt iron and make gunpowder and firearms. He also founded the Jinling Martial Arts Lecture Hall and the Jinling University Hall, killed corrupt officials, and allowed all children in the world to attend school for free. . He is the wisest and most benevolent Holy Lord in the world, he is simply like a god from heaven descending to earth!"
Twenty years old!
Anael was stunned again.
It is really incredible that the emperor of the Song Dynasty, who was in his twenties, had made so many achievements and was still a master of poetry.
"Children all over the world go to school for free! Isn't that nonsense?"
Yugu Longchi couldn't help but said something in even less standard Song dialect.
There were 70 million people in the Song Dynasty, and there were at least more than 10 million school-age children in the world. They went to school for free. I wonder how much money it would cost? Can the Song Dynasty court hold on?
If he knew that women in the Song Dynasty could also go to school, he would not know how surprised he would be.
"How could it be nonsense? In our Song Dynasty, in addition to men, women can also go to school. Can you, Gao Changguo, do this?"
Although Yugu Longchi was a guest, his words offended the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, and the store owner couldn't help but retaliate.
"you……"
Yugu Longchi was furious and slammed the bowl in his hand on the table. The broth splashed out and spread all over the table.
"Seller, we all know that Emperor Song was a wise emperor. We don't know when we can see this wise emperor?"
Ana'er quickly changed the subject, not forgetting to warn her brother with her eyes.
"You still don't know that I, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, will be inspecting Yumen Pass today. Now the army has gone to greet him. Maybe you will see me, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, after a while!"
The store owner noticed what he was saying and his smile quickly returned to his face.
If you offend the emperor, you will always be angry. This is not possible!
"Why did the Emperor of the Song Dynasty come to Yumen Pass? Was he going to use troops against Gaochang State?"
Concern leads to chaos, Anal subconsciously asked.
"Use troops against Gaochang? No, no, no!"
The shopkeeper shook his head repeatedly with a proud look on his face.
"What you don't know is that the Emperor of Xixia has surrendered to the Song Dynasty. I, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, are here to take over the land of Xingling!"
The store owner was in high spirits, Ana'er and Yu Gulong looked at each other in shock, both surprised.
Xixia surrendered to the Song Dynasty, which was really surprising.
The entire territory of Xixia belonged to the Song Dynasty, and it was even more difficult for Gaochang State to send troops to Hexi.
The store owner left and the food was served. Yugu Longchi and his entourage devoured it, while Anal drank tea slowly and thoughtfully.
What did the mysterious Emperor of the Song Dynasty look like?
Suddenly, there was a commotion among the people on the street. Soon, several groups of sergeants came along the street, cleared the street, and stood in two lines on the side of the street. Shops evacuated one after another to make way for the street, and Anal and others had to stand up, lead the camels, and return to the street.
Soon, the sergeants formed two long queues on the street and reached the wall. The sergeants wore armor and helmets, held guns and knives, and stared at them as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
The officers and soldiers were ready, Ana'er and others were surprised, and Ana'er secretly muttered in her heart. Looking at this posture, could it be that Emperor Song has arrived?
Soon, two columns of iron cavalry came like dragons, separating the crowds on both sides of the street. They were surrounded by countless elite cavalry, surrounded by civil servants and military generals. Zhao Hong was dressed in a round-collared green shirt, wearing a black futou on his head, and a royal sword hanging from his waist. , wearing a red cloak, sitting on a tall horse. Under the glow of the rays, Zhao Hong urged his horse forward, smiled kindly, and kept waving to the soldiers and civilians on both sides of the street.
"Long live Long live Long live!"
The soldiers of the Song Dynasty shouted in unison, resounding through the sky like thunder. They were red-faced, waving their swords and guns, and many of them shouted hoarse.
"Long live Long live Long live!"
Zhao Hong drove his horse forward, and the sun shone from behind him, covering the whole body of his horse, like a god descending. The people on the street knelt on the ground and kowtowed. Everyone looked respectful. Many people did not dare to show their anger or raise their heads.
The streets were empty, and many people followed Zhao Hong's cavalry formation. Some of them fell down, and some had their shoes trampled off. Many people waved their hands and crowded forward and back, just to get one more look at the Emperor of the Song Dynasty.
Zhao Hong and his entourage got off their horses and climbed onto the wall. Zhao Hong stood on the wall, facing the rising sun, waving to the crowd of people.
The shouts of "Long live" kept coming. Zhao Hong held his hands on the wall and waved one hand constantly while shouting loudly:
"Long live the soldiers of the Song Dynasty! Long live the people of the Song Dynasty!"
"Long live the soldiers of the Song Dynasty! Long live the people of the Song Dynasty!"
The onlookers responded like a tide, the Song army officers and soldiers were crowded, and the mountains roared and the tsunami roared. Witnessing the crazy scene where the soldiers and civilians were shouting hoarse, Yu Gulongchi in the crowd was stunned and blurted out unconsciously.
"If a real man can be like Emperor Song, his life will be worthwhile!"
Ana'er looked at Zhao Hong with fluttering clothes and a friendly smile on the wall. He was dazzled and his heart was shaking.
Only in the splendid rivers and mountains of the Central Plains can there be such a figure from the Celestial Dynasty. The Song Dynasty had such a wise and mighty emperor and such a fierce and brave warrior. What could Gao Changguo do to compete? What can Great Mongolia use to compete?
Seeing Zhao Hong turn and leave, Ana'er secretly felt a little melancholy.
Why didn't he even look at himself? Are you really unsightly? Why do you need to cover yourself with a veil?
On the wall of Yumenguan, a large flag with the word "Song" fluttering in the wind, and a man from the Han family stood solemnly holding a sword, guarding the new border of the Song Dynasty.
During the prosperous Tang Dynasty, the Hexi Corridor was economically and culturally prosperous. The four major cities in the Hexi Corridor have a population ranging from 4 to 50,000 to 2 to 3 million. At that time, Dunhuang County had a population of one million. The population of Wuwei County reaches 6.7 million.
During the Song Dynasty, nearly one million people immigrated from Sichuan, and the entire Hexi area numbered only 11.2 million. Hexi is prosperous and will always return to or even exceed its former prosperity.
Song officials such as Xue Ji, Xuan Zhen and others climbed up the city wall and looked at the vast expanse of Gobi in the Western Regions. Many people burst into tears and broke down in sobs.
"Yumen...Guan, my...ancestor of the Han family, your unworthy descendants...are here!"
Xue Ji's white beard trembled, he couldn't help but burst into tears.
"My Hexi...corridor, my...western...region, my Han family...the country!"
Xuan Zhen lay on the wall, looking at the western sky, tears streaming down his face, and he burst into tears.
Since the Anshi Rebellion, the Hexi Corridor fell into the hands of the Tubo and was displaced. Now, hundreds of years later, the Hexi Corridor and the famous Xiongguan City have finally come under the control of the Central Plains Dynasty.
"The Western Regions, the green ridges of the Tianshan Mountains, it won't take long for you to return to the rule of my Song Dynasty and the embrace of my Han Dynasty!"
Someone was so passionate that he shouted loudly to the Gobi Desert outside the wall.
Zhao Hong looked to the west, his heart was racing and he couldn't help himself.
I saw you off at the east gate of Luntai. When you left, the road to Tianshan Mountain was covered with snow. You can't be seen on the winding mountain road, leaving a place for horses to walk in the sky above the snow.
The roads in Tianshan Mountain are covered with snow!
The iron cavalry of the Song Dynasty traveled across the Western Regions of Heaven, what kind of exciting scene was that?
