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

North of Yinshan Mountain.

As the sun set, the crimson sunlight painted the entire Yinshan Mountain red.

A group of several hundred riders emerged from the Yinshan Mountains, where the boundless northern grasslands stretched out before them.

"Report!"

Behind hundreds of cavalrymen, a swift horse galloped up, kicking up dust, and arrived at the forefront of the hundreds of riders.

"The general has ordered us to set up camp and head to Shoujiang City early tomorrow morning!" the messenger shouted.

Chen Qing'an and Zhang Liao, who were leading the troops, raised their arms, and the hundreds of cavalry behind them immediately fell silent.

The line came to a stop.

In front of Chen Qing'an and Zhang Liao, the dozen or so riders led by Lü Bu also stopped their horses and turned to look at Zhang Liao and Chen Qing'an.

Wearing armor and a robe draped with flowers on his back, and wielding a halberd, Lü Bu turned around and asked with a slight frown, "This place is only a few dozen miles from Shoujiang City. We can get there before dark. Why don't we continue forward?"

Chen Qingan frowned slightly, his expression somewhat displeased.

Even Zhang Liao, who was standing next to Chen Qing'an, frowned as he looked at Lü Bu.

I thought to myself, this person is probably an idiot.

"How dare you question the general's troop deployment?" Chen Qing'an said with a stern face. "You are responsible for guiding the surrender city, but you are not allowed to participate in the marching."

Chen Qing'an looked at Lü Bu with a cold expression.

"you!"

Lu Bu glared at him, instantly speechless with anger.

"What do you mean, 'you'?" Chen Qing'an said nonchalantly, "You're just a lowly bandit in the county, how could you possibly understand how a general commands troops?"

"Just do your job well."

Chen Qing'an didn't say that on purpose to humiliate Lü Bu.

Since setting off the day before yesterday, Lü Bu has really acted like he's someone important along the way.

He would always offer his opinion on matters such as marching and setting up camp.

At first, Chen Qingan didn't say anything.

But now Lü Bu has actually begun to question Duan Yu's military orders.

As a subordinate, obeying orders and following orders is fundamental.

Furthermore, the army's journey to Shoujiang City was intended to demonstrate the might of the Han army.

The army had traveled a long way and was in disarray. Even if they arrived at Danhan Mountain ahead of schedule, what if the Xiongnu had malicious intentions?

To use an exhausted army to reap the benefits of others' success is a major taboo in military operations.

If you don't even understand this, then what are you talking about when you say you're marching?

"Qing'an, let it go. They're just local bandits; they don't understand the essentials of large-scale military operations," Zhang Liao advised from the side.

Chen Qing'an then nodded and ordered the entire army to dismount and reorganize the camp.

Lu Bu, who was walking at the front, was so angry that his face turned red.

Song Xian rode forward two steps, approached Lü Bu, and lowered his voice to say, "My lord, there's no need to lower yourself to their level."

"This man is called Chen Qing'an. He used to be just a farmer in the village, but now he has been appointed as a Sima thanks to Duan Yu's influence."

"He has no idea what speed is all it takes in war."

Lu Bu took a deep breath to calm himself down, and then nodded.

After the cavalry dismounted and set up camp, they started a fire to cook, waiting for Duan Yu's central army to arrive.

The dozen or so men that Lü Bu brought were all from Jiuyuan County.

Therefore, even when they were sitting in the main camp, they formed their own small group.

They were quite far from the 300 vanguard cavalry led by Chen Qing'an and Zhang Liao.

Sitting by the fire, looking at the porridge cooking in the jar, Lü Bu's gaze fell on Chen Qing'an and Zhang Liao in the distance, his eyes filled with resentment.

At this moment, Song Xian and the others sitting next to Lü Bu started causing trouble again.

The porridge in the jar was boiling. Song Xian picked up a wooden spoon and stirred it, then threw the spoon back into the jar with a disgusted expression.

"I'm getting so sick of drinking porridge every day."

“We get meat every meal back in the county, but here we have this tough job and all we get to eat is porridge every day.”

Hou Cheng, who was standing to the side, took off the water pouch from his waist, shook it, and smacked his lips.

"It's really annoying that there's not even any alcohol available."

As soon as the two started shouting, more than a dozen of their companions from Jiuyuan County joined in the commotion.

The sound naturally caught the attention of Chen Qing'an and Zhang Liao.

Chen Qingan frowned.

Zhang Liao lowered his voice and whispered, "Qing'an, don't pay any attention to it."

“These local officials are used to bullying others in their counties. If they were to go to the battlefield, how many of them could endure the hardships of war?”

Speaking of hardship, before following Duan Yu, Chen Qing'an could only eat one meal a day in the village, and he was lucky if he could eat his fill.

Now I can eat my fill three meals a day, a life I never dared to dream of before.

As for what life was like for minor officials in the county, Chen Qing'an had no idea before.

But Chen Qing'an understood one thing: as a soldier, one must obey military orders.

He and the three hundred cavalrymen he now lead are all members of the Zhang family of Mayi.

In terms of making a living, he was certainly no worse off than a minor official in Jiuyuan County.

But when it comes to military orders, the dozen or so minor officials in Jiuyuan County are worlds apart from the three hundred members of the Zhang clan in Mayi.

So it's not really a question of where they come from.

Rather, it stems from a fundamental flaw.

This is why this group of people had poor military discipline.

Just as Zhang Liao was trying to persuade him, someone from Lü Bu's side spoke up again.

"Sir, let's go behind the mountain and hunt some wild game to improve our palate."

"I haven't eaten meat for the past two days, and I have no strength at all," Song Xian said to Lü Bu.

Lu Bu glanced at the tasteless porridge in front of him and was somewhat annoyed, so he nodded.

Having received Lü Bu's consent, Song Xian immediately winked at his companion, then grabbed the bow and arrows beside him and stood up.

"Wait a minute."

Unable to bear it any longer, Chen Qing'an stood up from beside the fire, one hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist, and looked at Lü Bu and the others, saying, "After the army sets up camp, no one is allowed to leave the camp without a military order. Anyone who violates this rule will be punished according to military law!"

"you......"

Song Xian, who had already stood up with his bow and arrows and several minor officials, froze on the spot.

"Why, why not? We're just going to hunt some game to improve our meals, is that not allowed?" Song Xian said indignantly.

"No way!" Chen Qing'an said decisively, "If everyone were like you, going into the mountains to hunt for food to improve their lives, would there be any soldiers left in the army?"

"Military orders are absolute; anyone who disobeys will be executed without mercy."

Chen Qingan's face darkened.

He had been enduring this for a long time.

Although Lü Bu and his group were county officials of Jiuyuan County, since they were ordered to accompany the army, they had to follow and manage the army.

It was bad enough that Lü Bu and his men had been lax in their military discipline along the way, but they also questioned Duan Yu's orders. Now, they were allowed to freely enter and leave the camp after setting up camp. Such behavior was a provocation against military regulations.

This is something Chen Qing'an absolutely will not allow.

From the day he began learning military strategy and tactics from Gao Shun, Gao Shun taught him an ironclad rule.

That is, military orders are absolute and must be obeyed without question.

Seeing Chen Qing'an's dark face, Song Xian didn't dare to move rashly for a moment, but looked to Lü Bu for help.

At this point, Zhang Liao stopped trying to persuade him.

Military orders are the last line of defense, and this time Zhang Liao chose to stand on Chen Qing'an's side.

Lu Bu stood up with a furrowed brow.

His tall and imposing figure immediately exuded a sense of oppression.

The atmosphere around them instantly turned cold.

"Chen Qing'an, don't go too far." Lu Bu said coldly, "We are officials of Jiuyuan County, not your soldiers. You don't need to use military law to suppress me."

Do you really think I'm afraid of you?

As Lü Bu stood up, Hou Cheng, Wei Xu, and more than a dozen of Lü Bu's subordinates also stood up, looking ready to fight at the slightest provocation.

Chen Qing'an retorted sharply, showing no sign of backing down, "Even if you're just a county official from Jiuyuan County, or even a prefectural official from Wuyuan Prefecture, once you've entered my camp, you're under my command!"

"If you disagree, that's fine too."

“Now turn back and go back to your Jiuyuan County to lord it over everyone.”

"No one will stop you from eating and drinking if you want."

"But here, I'm in charge, and I won't tolerate your wild behavior!"

Chen Qingan let out a loud shout.

Many soldiers in the camp turned their heads to look.

As Zhang Liao pressed his hand on the hilt of his sword, all the soldiers around him instantly stood up and looked at Lü Bu.

Song Xian glanced at the soldiers who had stood up.

He then took a step closer to Lü Bu and lowered his voice, saying, "My lord, he's deliberately trying to provoke you and then drive you away."

"You must not act impulsively, sir."

"My lord has come here to make a name for himself. If he returns like this, wouldn't it be the same as returning empty-handed?"

"My lord, if you can swallow your anger now, you'll be able to get your revenge later!"

"Yes, sir, Song Xian is right."

Hou Cheng and Wei Xu were also beside Lü Bu, offering their advice.

Standing still, Lu Bu, resembling a tiger about to unleash its fury, gripped the hilt of his sword tightly and loosely, then loosely and tightly again.

His eyes were filled with anger.

At that moment, two soaring eagles flew overhead, screeching loudly.

Lu Bu's eyes darted around, and he reached out his hand to Song Xian.

"Bring me the bow!" Lü Bu roared.

Song Xian handed the bow and arrows in his hand to Lü Bu.

brush!

Zhang Liao drew his sword and pointed it angrily at Lü Bu: "Lü Bu, what are you doing!"

The surrounding soldiers saw Zhang Liao draw his sword.

They immediately drew their swords and shielded Zhang Liao and Chen Qing'an.

"Wen Yuan, it's alright!" Chen Qing'an reached out and pressed down Zhang Liao's sword, saying, "I don't believe he would dare to shoot me with an arrow!"

Lü Bu indeed had no intention of shooting Chen Qing'an with an arrow.

Under the watchful eyes of Chen Qing'an and Zhang Liao.

Lu Bu drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and aimed it at the eagle flying overhead.

Then the bow was drawn fully and an arrow was shot.

As soon as the first arrow was fired, Lü Bu quickly nocked the second arrow.

Another arrow followed closely behind.

"Violent!"

As the arrow in Lü Bu's hand soared into the air.

Soon after, two mournful cries and howls of eagles echoed from mid-air.

Then, the two eagles in the sky turned into two ever-growing black dots and fell from the sky.

puff!

puff!

With two sounds, the ground fell to the ground.

The eagle crashed to the ground.

He was positioned right between Lü Bu and Chen Qing'an.

With an arrogant expression, Lü Bu put down his bow and arrow, looking at Chen Qing'an not far away with a provocative gaze.

"With a single arrow, I can bring down a soaring eagle in the sky; if I were to shoot a man, I could pierce his chest from a hundred paces away!"

"Why leave the camp for a mere hunt?"

"Song Xian, go and pluck the fur and skin of that hound and boil it in a pot."

"My lord is mighty!"

"Your archery skills are unparalleled, sir!"

"My lord is awesome!"

"Your archery skills have improved again, sir!"

"We have meat to eat! We have meat to eat!"

The people around Lü Bu immediately showered him with praise.

Holding a bow and arrow, Lü Bu looked at Chen Qing'an with a smug smile.

Rumble~

In the distance, the heavy sound of horses' hooves could be heard.

The appearance of Duan Yu's central army at the rear of the camp immediately attracted everyone's attention.

Lu Bu's gaze passed over Chen Qing'an and looked in the direction where Duan Yu was leading the central army.

He glanced at the two eagles that had been shot down on the ground, a defiant look in his eyes.