Three Kingdoms: Ten Times Speed, Diao Chan Says I'm Too Fast

Early morning, in a flat area in a mountain valley north of Tanhan Mountain, surrounded by mountains on the east, west, and north sides.

Scattered in a staggered pattern, there are approximately several thousand tents distributed on the left and right sides near the mountainside.

On the south side of the valley is a city wall made entirely of logs.

The city wall has a main gate on one side and two side gates on the other.

Thousands of tents are scattered throughout this mountain valley, resembling a vast free city-state.

Besides the tents, there are a few wooden buildings located in a city within a city that stretches from the main gate all the way to the north side near the foot of the mountain.

This city within a city is one of the few that uses buildings pieced together from stone and wood.

Countless Xianbei people lived in this mountain valley.

Besides the Xianbei, you can also occasionally see some Han Chinese walking on the streets.

However, every Han Chinese was dressed in extremely tattered clothes, and they all had ropes tied around their necks or bodies, with the other end of the ropes being held by Xianbei people.

Apart from these, the Han people bound by ropes were all young men and women; there were no elderly people or children among them.

At this moment, inside the city within a city in the mountain valley.

A middle-aged Xianbei nobleman, dressed in fine clothes and wearing a sable hat, emerged from a stone building with a dozen guards.

Beside him was a middle-aged Han Chinese man and several Han Chinese guards.

The middle-aged Han Chinese man wore a long black robe, was thin, and had narrow eyes like a hawk.

The middle-aged Xianbei man standing to the side had a rugged face, and his beard was braided into a small plait, with gold and silver rings hanging down from it.

“My esteemed guest, it is my honor to be able to help you. Rest assured, as long as my royal cavalry appears on the grassland, those tribes will automatically retreat.”

"With my protection, your goods will surely arrive safely in Liaodong."

Kui Tou laughed and patted his hairy chest, saying, "I'm glad you came to see me."

Wang Rou, standing beside Kui Tou, smiled and nodded: "I naturally believe in the Chanyu's abilities."

"You will surely inherit the legacy of Chanyu Tanshihuai and make the Xianbei people strong here."

Kui Tou spoke Chinese, though somewhat haltingly.

"Haha."

Hearing Wang Rou's compliment, Kui Tou smiled and nodded, saying, "However, as friends, we also have our own rules on the grasslands."

"Friends should help each other."

"If I help you and you help me, then we can be friends."

"I also have a request, and I hope my esteemed guest can help me."

Wang Rou nodded as expected: "Please speak, Chanyu."

Kui Tou's gaze sharpened, and his expression suddenly turned fierce as he said, "I have been maintaining a friendly relationship with you for the past few years."

"But some people think..."

"They believe this is a betrayal of the ancestors' wishes."

"Therefore, they want to ruin our relationship."

"Therefore, I must eliminate these people. Only in this way will our relationship be more stable."

"But my royal cavalry are now lacking salt and iron."

"Therefore, I need salt and iron, lots of salt and iron, to make fine weapons, and then to destroy these enemies."

"I wonder if my friend would be willing to help me with this?"

Wang Rou smiled slightly.

What enemies destroy friendships?

A barely perceptible hint of disdain flashed in Wang Rou's eyes.

After Tan Shihuai's death, his son Helian succeeded him.

However, Helian's talent was far inferior to that of Tanshihuai. In the first year after he succeeded as Chanyu, he was shot and killed by an arrow while leading troops to plunder the northern lands.

However, Helian's son, Qianman, was too young to inherit the position of Chanyu.

Therefore, Kui Tou, the son of He Lian's brother, temporarily succeeded to the position of Chanyu.

Now, several years have passed, and Qianman has grown up.

Kui Tou should then return the position of Chanyu to Qianman, the eldest son of Helian.

But once you have power, there's no reason to just hand it over.

Moreover, in recent years, Tanhan Mountain has been under the command of Kui Tou, and has gradually gained a group of loyal subordinates.

Before winter last year, Kui Tou wanted to secretly kill Qian Man to eliminate any future troubles.

However, Qianman learned of Kui Tou's plan from his subordinates, so he led his men and a portion of the tribes loyal to him and his father away ahead of time.

Since early spring, the two have fought twice.

We've now completely broken off all pretense of civility.

After thirty years of management by Tan Shihuai, Tanhanshan was easy to defend and difficult to attack, with a terrain advantage that made it impossible for Qianman to break in.

But Qianman occupied several salt lakes.

This cut off the main supply route for salt from Kuitou.

Wang Rou had dealt with the Xianbei for so many years that she naturally had some channels to learn about these things.

Moreover, Wang Rou had already prepared a plan before she arrived.

“What the Chanyu says is true,” Wang Rou replied with a smile. “As friends, it is natural to help each other.”

“I have prepared five thousand shi of salt and one hundred thousand iron arrows for the Chanyu.”

"At this moment, we are inside Gaoliu City."

"Once this batch of goods arrives safely in Liaodong, I will have my younger brother transport the salt and iron arrows to Tanhan Mountain."

"With these, I believe the Chanyu will be able to defeat his enemies."

hiss!

Kui Tou took a breath, and a happy expression instantly bloomed on his face.

He stretched out his large hands and patted Wang Rou's shoulders repeatedly.

"Haha, my friend, you are my friend forever, and also the Xianbei's honored guest forever."

"In the future, as long as you walk on the grassland, you will receive the blessing of the Xiongnu Chanyu."

"No one will dare to plunder your troops or show disrespect to you and your troops."

The two chatted as they walked.

We arrived at a shed that looked like it was closed off.

The wooden shed was surrounded by a fence.

The fence was surrounded by Xianbei soldiers armed with weapons.

Just as Wang Rou was passing by, the door of the shed suddenly opened.

A group of people of varying ages.

Children, ranging in age from twelve or thirteen to as young as ten, emerged from the shed.

There were both boys and girls among them.

They were all equally emaciated and dilapidated.

Some of them didn't even have clothes on their upper bodies.

Its skin is jet black and covered with a layer of mud.

It's impossible to see what your face actually looks like.

The children's hair had all been cut short.

They all have a brand resembling a mountain on their bodies.

When the boy and girl who came out of the shed saw Wang Rou, who was clearly dressed in Hanfu and was of Han ethnicity, their eyes widened immediately.

His eyes were filled with pleading.

“This is…” Wang Rou turned her head to look at the boys and girls inside the fence and said, “Why are there so many children here?”

"Don't you Xianbei people only want young men and women?"

Kui Tou chuckled and said, "I've heard that your Han families raise children from a very young age."

“These children are raised by you from a young age, and then they grow up to become assassins, loyal to your family.”

Wang Rou frowned.

Both the Xianbei and the Xiongnu wanted to imitate the Han people.

However, no matter how much you imitate, you can only get the surface and not the essence.

These children are clearly Han Chinese. Even if they grow up, how could they possibly be loyal to a Xianbei?

Wang Rou nodded without saying anything more.

As for the pleading looks from the more than one hundred Han children, Wang Rou completely ignored them.

"When can we set off?" Wang Rou asked Kui Tou. "This shipment is urgent, and I hope it can be done as soon as possible."

"Moreover, this batch of goods will arrive a day ahead of schedule, so you will be able to get what you need sooner."

Kui Tou smiled and nodded, saying, "My friend, you don't need to rush. After noon, I will have the tribe's warriors accompany you on your journey!"

Having received a definite answer from Kui Tou, Wang Rou nodded in relief.

Following Kui Tou's arrangement, Wang Rou went to a yurt to rest.