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

With Yuan Shao and Cao Cao returning to the capital, the banner of victory in the Battle of Liangzhou was raised.

Duan Yu's name once again resounded throughout the streets and alleys of Luoyang.

Within a year, Duan Yu won two major victories.

They fought their way to the southern desert, set fire to Danhan Mountain, and shot and killed the Xianbei Chanyu.

The Battle of Liangzhou was particularly brutal, with hundreds of thousands of Qiang people killed.

At this time of transition between the old and the new year, Duan Yu's great victory seems to be a celebration of the new year.

When Yuan Shao returned to Luoyang, he was accompanied by Liang Hu, the former governor of Liangzhou, and Cheng Qiu, the chief administrator of Liangzhou.

The day after they were escorted to Luoyang by Yuan Shao, Liu Hong ordered them to be executed.

But this is not a bad thing for Liang Hu and Cheng Qiu.

During the time he was detained in Ji County.

Cheng Qiu witnessed what it meant to be worse than dead.

He regretted not having sought death when he was in Jincheng, and instead was sent to Ji County.

Liu Baitu, dressed in a black robe and with a shy smile, left an indelible scar on Cheng Qiu's heart and body.

So much so that when Cheng Qiu was sent to Luoyang to be beheaded, he had a relieved smile on his face before he died.

As for Liang Hu...

Liang Hu's death caused quite a stir in Luoyang.

Although Liang Hu was not a very good official.

However, Liang Hu was extremely accomplished in academics.

Liang Hu's calligraphy in the "eight-part" style and Cai Yong's calligraphy in the "flying white" style were equally famous.

In Luoyang, Liang Hu's old friends and mentors all blamed Duan Yu for Liang Hu's death.

For a time, the Qingliu faction in Luoyang City kept submitting memorials to impeach Duan Yu, arguing that his large-scale war against the Qiang people could easily lead to a change in the situation in Liangzhou and trigger a general rebellion by the Qiang people in Liangzhou.

This indirectly led to the delay in deciding on the rewards that Duan Yu should have received immediately.

Several different opinions arose in Luoyang regarding the rewards and honors bestowed upon Duan Yu.

............

In November, the temperature in Luoyang plummeted as if it were sliding down a slide.

The Luo River, which encircles Luoyang, is like a sleeping dragon, slowly penetrating the thin mist rising from its surface after the morning sun rises.

From a distance, Luoyang resembles a mysterious city shrouded in mist, appearing and disappearing indistinctly.

The gray and towering city walls, like loyal guardians, stand amidst the thin mist.

Compared to the desolation of Liangzhou, even with the sudden drop in temperature, vendors and laborers lined up in front of the Luoyang city gates in the early morning, waiting to enter the city as the gates opened. They waited by the drawbridge over the moat, which had not yet been lowered.

Luoyang, the residence of the emperor, was a place where every inch of land was incredibly valuable.

Apart from the vast land occupied by the magnificent imperial palace, the city was filled with the residences of high-ranking officials such as the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers.

Ordinary people, on the other hand, could only live outside Luoyang city.

As the golden sun gradually rose higher, the shops on both sides of the main street inside Pingcheng Gate opened their tightly closed doors one after another.

In Buguangli, to the east of Beigong Palace, mansions occupying vast areas are scattered like chess pieces, arranged in a well-ordered manner to flatter Beigong Palace.

In front of a grand mansion, a luxurious carriage waited quietly.

The coachman stood in front of the horse, holding the reins in one hand and the whip in the other. He wore a coarse gray coat and a yellowish-brown square scarf on his head.

A large plaque hangs on the porch of the two vermilion gates of the mansion.

The calligraphy is flamboyant and unrestrained; just looking at the characters, one can sense the pride and arrogance of a scholar.

The two large characters "Cui Mansion" are displayed on the plaque.

Before long, Cui Lie, dressed in a black official robe and impeccably dressed, walked out of the mansion and boarded the carriage.

............

Inside the Hao Gate on the east side of the South Palace.

The offices of the three highest officials—the Minister of Works, the Minister of Education, and the Grand Commandant—are arranged from north to south.

At this moment, several carriages had already arrived in front of Yang Ci's Grand Commandant's mansion.

When Cui Lie's carriage arrived, the people in the other carriages had already disembarked.

Meanwhile, Yang Biao, the son of Grand Commandant Yang Ci, was already standing in front of the mansion gate waiting.

After getting off the carriage, Cui Lie and many other upright officials, including Guanglu Dafu Ma Ridi, Taishi Ling Zhang Xun, Wuguan Zhonglang Jiang Tang Xidian, and Jianyi Dafu Han Shuo, entered Yang Ci's residence together and greeted him.

Yang Biao stood in front of the mansion gate and led everyone into the mansion one by one, then ordered the servants to close the gate.

Before long, everyone took their seats in the main hall of the Grand Commandant's residence.

Looking somewhat listless, Yang Ci, the Minister of Works, wearing a loose court robe, slowly walked into the main hall with the help of two attendants.

"General."

"Grand Commandant."

Upon seeing Yang Ci, everyone stood up.

As Yang Ci walked toward his seat, he immediately gestured with his hand: "Sit down, sit down, everyone sit down."

"I have been unwell recently and have been unable to meet with you all in time. I am truly sorry and hope you will not take offense."

As Yang Ci sat down, he bowed and apologized to Cui Lie, Ma Ridi, and the others.

"No, no," Cui Lie immediately returned the greeting and said, "It's almost winter, Your Excellency should take care of your health. We, the people of the Qingliu faction, still have a lot to rely on Your Excellency."

As soon as Cui Lie said this, many of the upright scholars in the room nodded in agreement.

If we say that the Yuan family had produced three high-ranking officials across four generations, and that their disciples and former officials were spread throughout the land, then they were the foremost aristocratic family in the world at that time.

The Yang family of Hongnong, which surpassed the Yuan family and had four generations of high-ranking officials, is now the leading family of upright officials in the country.

Even with four generations of four dukes in the Yang family of Hongnong, they still cannot compare to the Yuan family of the present day.

This was solely because the Yang family of Hongnong belonged to the Qingliu faction.

Yang Ci's grandfather, Yang Zhen, was once famous both inside and outside the court. He fought against the eunuch faction many times and won more often than he lost.

In the end, he even committed suicide by poison in order to argue with the emperor.

At that time, the Yang family was renowned throughout the Han Dynasty.

Those who die for speaking frankly and offering honest advice are considered loyal and righteous.

Yang Ci coughed lightly, interrupting Cui Lie, and then looked at the crowd below and said, "As my son has already said, the reason you have come is for Duan Yu, the Prefect of Hanyang County, right?"

Cui Lie and the others immediately nodded.

“Lord Yang, we must heed the lessons of the past,” Cui Lie said, frowning. “How is Duan Yu’s current behavior any different from what Duan Jiong did back then?”

"I heard that after the father-in-law and son-in-law came to Luoyang last time, they sent generous gifts to Zhang Rang Zhao Zhong and others."

"Such a person is ruthless and cruel, and he is attached to the eunuchs. Sooner or later he will become the eunuchs' lackeys. If we allow him to grow in power, he will not only endanger the safety of Liangzhou, but he will also do what Duan Jiong did sooner or later!"

Yang Ci lowered his eyes, his expression calm and still, as if he were deep in thought.

"Then... according to your opinion, what should we do?" Yang Ci looked up at Cui Lie, Ma Ridi, and the others.

Cui Lie rolled his eyes and said, "Since His Majesty wants to bestow a reward, why doesn't Lord Yang suggest transferring this person back to Luoyang and then promising him a vacant position?"

Cui Lie's implication was that he would use the same methods as he had used to deal with Zhang Huan, Huangfu Gui, and Duan Jiong.

Zhang Huan, Huangfu Gui, and Duan Jiong all rose to prominence because of their military achievements.

However, after the war, they were all stripped of their military power, recalled to Luoyang, and given a seemingly high-ranking but powerless sinecure.

After hanging them for a while, they'll find some random reason or excuse to punish them.

Then it will be delegated to lower levels.

This method is almost the most common way to manage military generals.

After Zhang Huan was punished in this way, his first choice was to rely on the Qingliu faction, conduct academic research, and even go so far as to change his household registration.

But in the end, he died in depression at home.

After Zhang Huan, Huangfu Gui also rose to prominence in the court due to his campaigns against the Qiang, but he was later framed for accepting bribes.

Perhaps because of Zhang Huan's example, Huangfu Gui did not choose to associate with the Qingliu faction, but instead chose to associate with the aristocratic families, preferring to take the blame for the aristocratic families when the disaster of the partisan purge broke out.

In the end, however, he still couldn't even fulfill his wish to grow old and die at home, dying of illness on his way to take office.

Duan Jiong did not align himself with the literati, nor did he rely on the aristocratic families; in the end, he chose to rely on the eunuchs.

He eventually committed suicide by poisoning himself in prison.

At that moment, Cui Lie compared Duan Yu to Duan Jiong, who had sided with the eunuchs.

Yang Ci listened to Cui Lie's words with his eyes half-closed, as if he were asleep.

Standing beside Yang Ci, Yang Biao spoke up after Cui Lie finished speaking: "Father, Duan Yu's methods are even more ruthless than Duan Jiong's. If he is allowed to serve in Liangzhou, it may cause great trouble."

Yang Ci then nodded slightly.

"I am aware of this matter, but..."

"My opinion cannot sway His Majesty's mind; we must ultimately decide..."

The "they" that Yang Ci was referring to....

Cui Lie, Ma Ridi, and others knew the truth.

It was nothing more than Yuan Wei, Dong Zhuo's patron, and Zhang Rang, a palace eunuch, and others.