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

End of June.

Hanyang Commandery, outside Wangyuan County.

early morning.

Along the official road westward from the Wei River, a long procession consisting of hundreds of carriages, nearly a thousand cavalrymen, and hundreds of servants was heading northwest.

In late June, the banks of the Wei River were lush and green, and the trees along the official road were dense, with weeds reaching more than half a person's height.

Hundreds of vehicles made a rustling sound as their wheels rolled over the sand.

At the very front of the column were hundreds of cavalrymen wielding long spears and broadswords, led by two generals.

Behind him, the black battle flags bore the two large characters "Li" and "Guo".

Behind the column, several hundred cavalrymen followed.

In the middle of the procession was a row of horse-drawn carriages that stretched like a long dragon.

The vast majority of carriages were loaded with a large number of wooden boxes.

At the very center of the procession was a huge carriage pulled by two warhorses.

The carriage doors were thick enough to deflect arrows.

He was followed by dozens of cavalrymen.

There were also a dozen or so maids walking on either side.

The convoy traveled northwest, kicking up clouds of dust behind it.

Around noon, with a command given, the entire team stopped beside an official road that led into the valley.

The doors of the heavily armored, luxurious, and enormous carriage opened.

The maids serving on both sides quickly stepped forward.

Dong Yi, dressed in a black robe with a white gauze over it, gently supporting her lower abdomen with one hand, and Diao Chan, dressed in a red robe with a red gauze over it, stepped down from the carriage with the help of their maids.

The front of the line.

Riding a black warhorse, Li Jue rode up to Dong Yi and Diao Chan, then cupped his hands on his horse and said, "Miss, Madam Ren, the Shehu Valley is just ahead. After passing through the Shehu Valley, it will be another day and a half's journey to reach Ji County."

Ji County was the seat of Hanyang Commandery.

Hanyang Commandery was the capital of Liangzhou.

As the largest and most populous administrative region in Liangzhou, it is also the place where Duan Yu is going to take up his post.

After Duan Yu returned to Jinyang in the middle of the month, he arranged for Dong Yi and Diao Chan to go to Ji County first.

Because both Dong Yi and Diao Chan are pregnant, they are traveling very slowly.

It has taken half a month to travel from Jinyang to Hanyang.

Almost every time we arrived in a city, we needed to rest for a day or half a day.

However, after entering Hanyang County, there were not as many cities along the way.

Liangzhou is a vast and sparsely populated area. After entering Hanyang County, we only passed through two cities.

Further ahead is our destination, Ji County.

Hearing Li Jue's words, Dong Yi nodded slightly: "General Li, you have worked hard. General Li can discuss the matters of marching with Jia Biejia more often."

After speaking, Dong Yi looked at Diao Chan and asked with concern, "How are you feeling, Sister Chan'er?"

Diao Chan smiled slightly and shook her head, saying, "It's alright."

Diao Chan gently stroked her lower abdomen and said, "I seem to have gotten used to it along the way, and it's much better than before."

"That's good." Dong Yi held Diao Chan's hand and said softly, "If Sister Chan'er feels unwell, we can travel a little slower. Anyway, it will take some more days for my husband to arrive."

"If the pregnancy is disturbed, my husband will be angry."

Diao Chan shook her head and said, "It's alright. Let's go a little further and tidy up the house first, so that we can have a place to stay when my husband comes back."

"Miss, Madam Ren, if there's nothing else, then this humble general will go and discuss military matters with Prefect Jia first," Li Jue said to Dong Yi and Diao Chan.

Dong Yi nodded, then waved for Li Jue to leave.

Before long, Li Jue arrived at the rear of the procession along the carriage carrying Dong Yi and Diao Chan.

Not far from the carriage that Dong Yi and Diao Chan were riding in, there was a relatively small carriage.

At that moment, two boys and a woman were playing by the car.

Meanwhile, Jia Xu, dressed in black robes, stood beside the carriage, gazing at the mountains and forests on both sides.

"Wenhe."

Li Jue came to Jia Xu's side.

Jia Xu nodded slightly.

Li Jue followed Jia Xu's gaze and looked at the mountains and forests on both sides.

"How is it? Are those people still following us?" Jia Xu asked, frowning.

Li Jue nodded and said, "I have instructed my soldiers to be aware that those people have been in the vicinity ever since we left Wangyuan County, and their numbers seem to be increasing."

"A soldier described their clothing as resembling that of the Qiang people."

“The Ginseng Wolf Qiang…” Jia Xu frowned and nodded, “There are indeed Ginseng Wolf Qiang around Hanyang County and in the central part of Longxi County.”

"But I'm worried not only about the Gynostemma pentaphyllum, but also about the Dianling, Fengyang, and Zhongqiang tribes."

"These tribes are all located around Hanyang County, among which the Dianling Qiang are the strongest."

"if......"

Jia Xu did not continue speaking.

But clearly, Li Jue, with a solemn expression, had already understood Jia Xu's meaning.

This story begins a few days ago.

Just a few days earlier, when they entered Liangzhou territory from Youfufeng, the cavalry scouts on both sides of the column discovered signs of Qiang activity.

At first, Li Jue didn't take it seriously, so he didn't tell Jia Xu about it.

But that very night, when the troops were encamped in the wilderness, Li Jue's cavalry scouts once again discovered traces of Qiang cavalry activity.

Logically speaking, this is Liangzhou.

The Qiang people are very common.

However, Li Jue, who had been living in Liangzhou for many years, still sensed something unusual.

Therefore, Li Jue sent people to observe secretly.

Sure enough, they discovered something amiss.

The Qiang cavalry seemed to be tracking them.

Liangzhou was a desolate place, and the Qiang people often plundered passing caravans and civilians.

This has become the norm.

But Li Jue never expected that even a Qiang tribe would dare to provoke such a team.

The procession carried the banners of Duan Yu, the Prefect of Hanyang Commandery, as well as the banner of the General Who Was an Envoy to the Xiongnu, and was protected by over a thousand cavalry.

Generally speaking, no small group of Qiang cavalry would dare to target such a force.

Therefore, when Li Jue told Jia Xu about this matter...

Jia Xu deduced that if these cavalrymen really had designs on them...

That could absolutely not be a small group of Qiang tribes.

It is highly likely that they are some powerful species.

In the following days, Jia Xu ordered Li Jue and Guo Si at the front, as well as Wang Fang and Li Meng at the rear, to be on high alert at all times.

Several days have passed since the first discovery of the Qiang people's movements.

Since those Qiang people are still following, it means they must be planning something.

Jia Xu rubbed his temples and looked at Li Jue, asking, "Is this Tiger-Shooting Valley ahead?"

Li Jue nodded in agreement: "Tiger Shooting Valley is just ahead. That's why I ordered a halt to our advance."

"Should we... report this to Miss and Madam Ren?" Li Jue asked.

Jia Xu raised his hand to stop him.

"Not yet."

"Both ladies are pregnant, so even if they knew, it wouldn't help, and it might even cause them worry and harm their babies."

Jia Xu looked towards the distant mountains ahead.

Shehu Valley.

The name reflects the place.

This is a long and narrow valley.

Moreover, there is no way to get around it.

The valley of Shehu is located in the middle of the Wei River Valley, with the Longshan Mountains on both sides.

"In the first year of Yongchu, General Deng Zhi led his troops into Liangzhou to quell the Qiang rebellion. It was here that he was defeated by the Zhong Qiang and Dian Ling tribes, and tens of thousands of people perished here."

Jia Xu said with a solemn expression, "If it really is the nearby tribes that want to take advantage of us, they will definitely do so here."

Has there been any reply from Lintao?

"Have any of the men sent to Ji County returned?" Jia Xu asked.

Li Jue shook his head to indicate no.

Trouble.

Jia Xu inwardly knew something was wrong.

"Then...shall we take a detour?" Li Jue asked tentatively, "or retreat to Wangyuan County and wait for the general's return?"

Jia Xu shook his head and said, "Half of the population in Wangyuan County is Qiang, especially the Dianling, Zhongqiang, and Canlang tribes."

"If it were inside the city, it would be like catching a turtle in a jar."

“If they had planned to intercept us all along, they would naturally have made preparations in Wangyuan County. That’s why I didn’t stay in Wangyuan County,” Jia Xu said.

Li Jue gritted his teeth and said angrily, "These guys are too audacious."

"They actually dared to intercept the general's troops."

"Aren't they afraid of retaliation when the general returns?"

Jia Xu shook his head and said, "It's obvious they're after the general."

"The current political situation is chaotic, and the court is simply unable to attend to Liangzhou. Since the beginning of this year, there have been constant frictions between the Qiang tribes."

"This is merely a preliminary test of the imperial court."

"The general is renowned, and now that he has taken office in Hanyang Commandery, several tribes must have heard of his illustrious reputation."

"This should be a show of force to the general; they want him to back down."

"I have concerns..."

Jia Xu narrowed his eyes and said, "The Qiang people must be plotting something big, and they are afraid that the arrival of the general in Hanyang County will have an impact."

"That's why we acted ahead of time."

"Huh?" Li Jue stared wide-eyed in shock.

Li Jue and his associates lived in Liangzhou for most of the year.

He knew much more about the affairs of Liangzhou than the generals in the Central Plains.

The frequent rebellions of the Qiang people in Liangzhou are nothing new.

The "major event" that Jia Xu mentioned was probably still related to the rebellion.

"So what do we do now?" Li Jue asked, frowning. "Isn't this a dilemma?"

Yes.

Ahead lies the treacherous Tiger-Shooting Valley, an excellent place for an ambush.

Once you enter Tiger Shooting Valley, it's blocked off from both the front and back, making it a dead end.

But they can't go back to Wangyuan County behind them. If they retreat or show any signs of being discovered, the Qiang people will definitely take action in advance.

Jia Xu pursed his lips.

We're in a bit of a dilemma right now.

However, at that moment, a cavalryman rode up at full speed.

"Reporting to the General, Colonel Zhang Ji has sent someone with a message."

Upon hearing this, Jia Xu and Li Jue's eyes immediately lit up.

Then, a young boy on horseback carrying a gun emerged from behind the soldier.

The young man dismounted and approached Li Jue and Jia Xu, bowing respectfully and saying, "General Li, I am Zhang Xiu, the nephew of my uncle Zhang Ji. I have been ordered to deliver a message to you."