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

Duan Yu understood Jia Xu's meaning.

This is similar to harboring a bandit to enhance one's own power.

We cannot allow Liangzhou to settle down quickly, but we also cannot allow it to become too chaotic.

It's important to grasp the right balance in this process.

When the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away; when the cunning rabbit is dead, the hunting dog is cooked.

It has been unavoidable since ancient times.

But there was one thing Jia Xu couldn't have foreseen: a few years later, the Han Dynasty would collapse.

What Duan Yu needs is a strong rear area, an absolutely stable rear area.

Only in this way could he compete with the powerful clans and gentry of Kanto for supremacy.

Otherwise, with this chaotic Liangzhou and its hundreds of thousands of people, how could he possibly compete with the Guanzhong gentry who have a million people in Runan County alone?

The land of Ji Province alone could support a million soldiers.

What about Liangzhou?

Let alone a million, even a hundred thousand is impossible.

Liangzhou has a population of only 500,000 to 600,000.

Even if you add the 600,000 people of Bingzhou, it would only amount to a million people.

Without strong production capacity, using one-tenth of an army to support 100,000 troops would only hasten the collapse of the rear.

Therefore, we need to find a balance that can both cool and cure cold.

They even used the Qiang people for their own purposes.

Another way is to increase productivity and absorb more people.

This needs a catalyst.

The Yellow Turban Rebellion.

The Yellow Turban Rebellion did not originate from a group of believers wanting to break any rules.

The root cause of the Yellow Turban Rebellion was that the people were starving, that land was being annexed, and that constant natural and man-made disasters led to the emergence of displaced people and rebels.

As Duan Yu weighed his options, Jia Xu spoke up.

"If our lord governs Liang by suppressing the enemy, as is the case today, then over time, this will inevitably lead to a united rebellion."

"In the end, this will only lead the lord to go further and further down the path of curing Liang, and he will only be able to resort to suppression."

“Suppression, establishing authority, and deterrence are merely means, not the solution to govern Liang.”

"My lord must make this clear."

Duan Yu nodded.

He understood that.

Indiscriminate killing can only breed fear. He was fine in Liangzhou, but once he was no longer there, fear would breed rebellion.

Or rather, when fear accumulates to a certain degree, it can trigger a violent backlash.

This illustrates the principle that things will inevitably reverse when they reach their extremes.

Therefore, establishing authority and suppression are merely means; they must be supplemented by methods that can tame the Qiang people.

"I understand what Wenhe said, and I will consider it carefully," Duan Yu nodded and said.

Jia Xu nodded slightly, then stood up and bowed respectfully: "My lord, I can only advise you, but as for internal affairs, that is not my forte."

Duan Yu rubbed his temples.

Difficult.

This is fucking difficult.

He felt that the time-travel script he had was different from others.

After transmigrating, the person doesn't need anything else; all they need to do is shudder, and those locations, no matter where they are, even those whose home addresses the protagonist can't recall, will automatically appear.

Then they bowed down to the protagonist and worshipped him as their master.

Why is it different for him?

Look at the people around me now.

They were all roughnecks.

All of them were military generals.

Moreover, they were all military officers from the Northern Group.

He also went to Luoyang and saw the talented people there.

He met Xu You, members of the Xun family, members of the Guo family of Yingchuan, and members of the Han family of Yingchuan.

Why isn't there anyone who bows down to him in complete admiration?

Of course, these were all just thoughts in Duan Yu's mind.

It would be truly strange if the sons of those aristocratic families bowed down to him.

Just look at Yuan Shao and you'll see.

Although Yuan Shao doesn't even hold an official position right now, you can tell just by looking at the people around him.

Before the world descends into chaos, everyone and everything is governed by the rules.

In the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were three paths one could take to become an official.

One type is academic, such as the great Confucian scholars Ma Rong, Zheng Xuan, and Cai Yong, who became officials based on their academic achievements.

He achieved fame as a great Confucian scholar and a renowned figure through his extraordinary scholarship.

This path may lead to great academic and reputational achievements, but it generally does not have a lasting political impact.

Another type is similar to the gentry of Yingchuan and the Yuan family of Runan, who used their family's classical learning to govern the people through politics.

Examples include the Meng family's Confucian classics of the Yuan family of Runan, the Xiao Du Lü of the Guo family of Yingchuan, and so on...

These family-inherited classics, such as the Meng family's Book of Changes and the major and minor Du laws, are all ways to govern the country and the people. Therefore, those who have family-inherited classics often hold high political positions and have disciples and former officials all over the world.

The last option is to advance through military merit.

That is, the path Duan Yu is on now.

Of these three paths, the one that the gentry of the world despise and look down upon the most is the one that Duan Yu is currently taking.

Because military achievements eventually lead to the emperor's suspicion.

Civil officials and scholars who wanted to rebel failed to succeed within ten years.

But for a military man who holds power, it would be too easy to rebel.

Therefore, military generals inevitably face the fate of being discarded like a hunting dog after the rabbit has died.

This is one of the reasons why Zhang Huan, Huangfu Gui, and Duan Jiong all met tragic ends.

Unless the world descends into chaos and a contest of who has the toughest knife and the biggest fist takes place, these talented members of aristocratic families would generally not even give a second glance to a warrior like Duan Yu from a remote prefecture.

This is something Duan Yu only learned a little bit about after he transmigrated.

Moreover, even if the world is in chaos, the border warriors will not get a share of the spoils.

Just look at the warlords at the end of the Han Dynasty.

Among the most powerful warlords in the border regions at the end of the Han Dynasty, Gongsun Zan, Ma Teng, and Han Sui were undoubtedly the most formidable.

But look around at these border warriors.

Is there anyone whose name I can name, a true talent in domestic affairs like Xun Yu, a minister of state?

Even when the world was in chaos and the gentry were choosing sides and investing in different areas, these border warriors were not the first choice.

That's why Duan Yu found it difficult.

In response, Jia Xu, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, expressed his helplessness: "My lord, Liangzhou is a vast and sparsely populated region, so there is certainly no shortage of military generals."

"But... as for the other talents, my lord will have to find a way himself."

"I am also powerless to help."

Duan Yu took a deep breath.

Then he got up from his seat.

Is there no one who can help?

"Wenhe," Duan Yu looked at Jia Xu, his disappointment vanishing, and said with renewed vigor, "Wenhe, have you ever heard a saying?"

"Huh?" Jia Xu turned his head to look at Duan Yu in confusion.

Duan Yu smiled slightly and said:

"No one will support my lofty ambitions."

"I tread upon the snow-covered mountain peak!"

"If one is not destined for such fortune..."

"One may also climb Kunlun alone!"

"My journey along the way..."

"From a hunter in the village to now, although there is an element of luck involved, who could have imagined that a hunter in the village just six months ago would become a prefect of a prefecture?"

Jia Xu was stunned.

They were stunned into place by the overflowing and domineering confidence and arrogance emanating from Duan Yu.

Duan Yu has always been very humble in front of everyone.

These words...

This was the first time Jia Xu had heard of it.

No one supports my lofty ambitions... I trek through the snow to the mountain peak...

If one is not destined for such a fate... one can still climb Kunlun Mountain alone...

In life, there are things one should do and things one should not do...

With his imposing physique and black robes, Duan Yu walked step by step toward the door of the study.

Outside the door, night was thick and the bright moon hung high in the sky.

Duan Yu looked up slightly at the bright moon hanging high in the sky.

The shadow behind him enveloped the entire study.

It resembles a Kunpeng spreading its wings.

Jia Xu stood in the shadows behind Duan Yu.

"The only enemy a person can have in their life is themselves..."

"If I had resigned myself to my fate in that small mountain village, perhaps I would be living a very comfortable life now. Compared to others, I would eat well, sleep well, and have a beautiful wife at home..."

"But if I had chosen comfort, how could I have achieved the reputation of being a tiger general of this world and the position of governor of Hanyang Commandery?"

"The Qiang people are not my enemies..."

Duan Yu shook his head and said:

"Former magistrates of Jinyang County, Chen Ye; prefect of Taiyuan, Liu Wei; prefect of Yanmen Commandery, Wang Rou; and the Xianbei Chanyu, Kui Tou..."

"None of them are my enemies."

"They are just scenery along my journey!"

"If I hadn't been destined for this, perhaps they would have been the last stop in my life."

"How could a mere Liangzhou possibly bind a tiger general like me?"

"What I like, what I love, has never been the power I hold!"

"But...it's the thrill of conquering along the way!"

I know a principle.

"Birds that soar high perish from greed, and fish that dwell in deep pools die from tempting bait."

"I know where my weaknesses lie, but the world doesn't know my true trump card and ultimate purpose..."

Duan Yu turned around, looked at Jia Xu behind him, and said with a smile:

"Wenhe, let's wait and see. Let's see if it's those powerful families who sit in the court and wreak havoc on the people who can ultimately crush me, a border warrior, or if it's me, a border warrior..."

"It can turn the world upside down!"

Jia Xu was startled, and for the first time, his eyes revealed shock and confusion when he faced Duan Yu.