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

In the front courtyard of the Zhen family's fortified village, Duan Yu held Zhen Jiang's hand, with guards following behind them.

"Wait a moment!"

Suddenly, a voice called out from behind them.

Duan Yu stopped and looked back in confusion.

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Zhen Jiang immediately searched for the familiar figure in the garden.

Wearing a purple robe with a pink gauze overlay, Zhen Tuo lifted her skirt and, accompanied by two maids, jogged toward Duan Yu.

"Your sister?"

Looking at the girl who resembled Zhen Jiang somewhat, Duan Yu turned his head and asked Zhen Jiang.

Zhen Jiang smiled and nodded: "Her name is Zhen Tuo."

As Zhen Tuo ran up to Duan Yu and Zhen Jiang, he clutched his chest, his slightly bulging chest heaving as he breathed heavily.

A pair of curious eyes kept looking at Duan Yu.

There was no sign of fear whatsoever.

Duan Yu had noticed this little girl when they were outside the city; she seemed to be quite bold.

In that situation, she was the only one who dared to speak up for Zhen Jiang.

That's a good personality.

"Brother-in-law, are you taking my sister to Liangzhou?" Zhen Tuo asked Duan Yu after catching his breath.

Duan Yu immediately laughed; he called him "brother-in-law" quite smoothly.

So he nodded and replied, "Yes, I'm taking your sister to Liangzhou. She'll be living there from now on."

Zhen Jiang stepped forward and affectionately stroked Zhen Tuo's hair.

Zhen Tuo raised her chin, looking at Zhen Jiang with pleading eyes, and said, "Sister, I also want to go to Liangzhou. I don't want to stay at home anymore."

“They…they are all bad people. I don’t want to stay at home. I want to go to Liangzhou with you.”

Zhen Tuo's sudden request caught Duan Yu and Zhen Jiang off guard.

Go to Liangzhou?

Is this young lady also going to Liangzhou?

Duan Yu stared blankly at Zhen Tuo.

What? It's buy one get one free?

While Duan Yu was still in a daze, Zhen Tuo had already grabbed Zhen Jiang's arm and started shaking it, pleading, "Please, sister, I want to go to Liangzhou too."

"Little sister, don't be silly. Liangzhou is a long way away from Jizhou. If you go there, it will be very troublesome for you to come back."

"Besides, Liangzhou is bitterly cold, unlike Jizhou. You've already been beaten, and you still want to get married. Why are you going to Liangzhou? Listen to me and don't make trouble."

Zhen Tuo immediately pouted her pink lips.

“Why not? My sister can go to Liangzhou, so can I. If I go, I won’t come back.” Zhen Tu shook his head and said, “I don’t want to stay at home and listen to them.”

"If I'm going to get married, I want to marry a great hero like my brother-in-law."

"If no one wants me, I'll marry my brother-in-law."

Zhen Tuo stood in front of Zhen Jiang with her hands on her hips and said, "Sister, please, please take me with you."

Zhen Jiang was being pestered and clearly couldn't persuade Zhen Tuo, so she looked to Duan Yu for help.

Duan Yu shrugged.

What can he do about this?

But the road is not bitterly cold.

Moreover, it's not difficult to return to Jizhou from Liangzhou. There are caravans that travel from Jinyang to Jizhou every month. If Zhen Tuo has had enough, we can just send her back.

“Since she wants to go, then let her go. Jia Dong leads a caravan back and forth every month, so it’s not that difficult for her to make a trip.”

"Besides, since you're new to Liangzhou, you'll need someone to talk to," Duan Yu said with a smile.

"Thank you, brother-in-law! You're the best!"

Before Zhen Jiang could say anything, Zhen Tuo cheered happily.

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

Time flies, and it's already July.

Four months have passed since the chaos that began in March when people wore yellow turbans and started the nationwide upheaval.

These four months were undoubtedly a period of great anxiety and hardship for the Han Dynasty.

The eight provinces of Youzhou, Jizhou, Yanzhou, Qingzhou, Xuzhou, Yuzhou, Yangzhou, and Jingzhou were in turmoil.

Since the Han Dynasty, which lasted for four hundred years, there has been no such turmoil except for the end of the Western Han Dynasty.

This inevitably brings to mind the chaotic era at the end of the Qin Dynasty, after Chen Sheng and Wu Guang shouted, "Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?"

After the imperial court dispatched five large armies to quell the rebellion, the battle situation became even more volatile.

From Zhu Jun's initial defeat at the hands of Bo Cai to Huangfu Song's imprisonment at Changshe, the battle situation became passive.

It wasn't until Duan Yu traveled from Liangzhou to the battlefield that the first victory was achieved, turning the tide of the war in Yuzhou and temporarily resolving the crisis in Yanzhou.

However, what followed was a dramatic change in Ji Province.

No one expected that Lu Zhi, who had been winning every battle, would lose all 50,000 troops in Ji Province despite having a large army at his disposal.

It was extinguished within Guangzong City by a raging fire that seemed poised to destroy the already crumbling Han Dynasty.

A great fire raged in Guangzong City for ten days.

It almost burned the big man's spine.

Although Zhu Jun and Huangfu Song won a series of victories in Wancheng and Jingzhou, seemingly belatedly defeating the main forces of three Yellow Turban armies, the situation in Jizhou took a sharp turn for the worse.

Upon hearing of Lu Zhi's death in battle, the Luoyang court was thrown into a state of panic.

Fortunately, at the crucial moment, Duan Yu provided Luoyang with a reassuring boost.

The heads of Zhang Bao, who claimed to be the Earthly General, and Zhang Liang, the Human General.

Meanwhile, Emperor Liu Hong, in the Luoyang palace, was overjoyed upon seeing the heads of Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang.

That very night, an imperial edict was issued appointing Duan Yu as General of the Guards and ordering him to lead the campaign against the Yellow Turban rebels in Ji Province.

At the same time, Liu Hong also issued an edict to pardon Dong Zhuo's previous crimes and allow him to remain in Luoyang in his place.

But things did not improve.

Due to Lu Zhi's death in battle and the annihilation of 50,000 troops, Ji Province was left with only Duan Yu's force of less than 15,000 men.

Although the Liangzhou troops were skilled in battle, Jizhou was the stronghold of the Yellow Turban rebels, and the imperial court simply could not send out any extra troops.

At the end of June, Duan Yu wrote to the imperial court in Ji Province, requesting military support.

Meanwhile, Zhang Jiao, the leader of the Way of Peace, was recruiting Yellow Turbans from all over the land in Xiaquyang.

The number of Yellow Turban rebels surged in Xiaquyang in a short period of time.

Tens of thousands of Yellow Turban rebels from Youzhou marched south to join Zhang Jiao, and the number of Yellow Turban troops in Xiaquyang surged to nearly 500,000.

Upon receiving this news, Luoyang was once again thrown into turmoil.

Although Duan Yu was a skilled warrior, everyone knew that 15,000 men could not possibly defeat 500,000.

Therefore, the imperial court ordered Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun to quickly resolve the southern war and then lead their troops north.

However, the bad news did not stop there.

Just as Duan Yu was submitting a memorial requesting military support, Li Zhao, the governor of Ji Province, rashly advanced his troops and was ambushed and killed by the Yellow Turban army.

His soldiers either died or surrendered, and the Changshan Kingdom's army was almost wiped out overnight.

The imperial court then issued an urgent order appointing Yuan Shao, who had previously distinguished himself in battle and was now stationed in Wei Commandery to defend against the Yellow Turbans and prevent them from crossing the Yellow River, as the governor of Ji Province.

At the same time, the Yellow Turban Army, having successively killed Lu Zhi, the General of the Northern Army, Li Zhao, the Governor of Ji Province, and Guo Xun, the Governor of You Province, had reached the pinnacle of prestige in Ji Province.

With the addition of troops from Youzhou and Jizhou, the number of Yellow Turban soldiers surged, and they spread across multiple provinces and prefectures in Changshan State and Julu County.

Meanwhile, Zhang Jiao, the leader of the Taiping Dao, set up an altar to worship Heaven in Xiaquyang and recruited Yellow Turban rebels from all over the world to come and worship Heaven.

Upon receiving the news, Taiping Dao followers in Yanzhou, Qingzhou, and Yuzhou all headed north towards Jizhou.

In a short time, the Yellow Turban rebels in Jizhou were growing to the size of a million.

Luoyang was shaken.

Emperor Liu Hong held court for several consecutive days to discuss how to deal with the Yellow Turban rebels.

An official in the imperial court submitted a memorial stating that Zhang Jiao was preparing to seize control of Ji Province and You Province north of the Yellow River.

Therefore, some suggested blocking the Yellow River to prevent Zhang Jiao from gathering a million Yellow Turban rebels.

Some people suggested that Zhang Jiao should gather the forces and then wipe out all the Yellow Turbans in Jizhou.

Some say that Zhang Jiao was preparing to gather a million-strong army and then march south across the Yellow River, so he suggested sending more troops to the eight passes of Luoyang.

Even more extreme, some have suggested moving the capital to Chang'an.

Anxious, Liu Hong reinstated Yuan Wei and Yang Ci, and appointed Cao Cao, who had previously served as Cavalry Commandant and had distinguished himself in battle in Yu Province, as Governor of Yan Province.

He also ordered the governors and prefects of each prefecture and county to recruit troops on their own to resist the Yellow Turbans.

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

Early July.

Julu County, Xiyang Pavilion, Liangzhou Army Camp.

This place is less than 20 li away from Xiaquyang.

Since mid-June, the Liangzhou troops have been stationed here for more than half a month.

Aside from some routine patrols, the Liangzhou troops and the Yellow Turban army near Xiaquyang seemed to have agreed in advance to keep to themselves and not interfere with each other.

At this moment, inside the main tent of the Liangzhou army's central command.

Duan Yu, dressed in black casual clothes and wearing white felt socks, was lying on his side inside the large tent.

Wearing a white dress and barefoot, Zhen Jiang sat in front of Duan Yu, holding a brush and carefully writing something on the accounts in front of her.

Although time did not permit them to hold a wedding ceremony, Duan Yu and Zhen Jiang had not yet done so.

But with a beauty by his side, and they spent every day together, plus Duan Yu hadn't had any meat for a long time since leaving Liangzhou, how could he resist eating?

Therefore, as early as the second night after bringing Zhen Jiang out of the Zhen family, Duan Yu, like a big bad wolf, couldn't wait to devour this little white rabbit.

These days, Zhen Jiang has been living in Duan Yu's central command tent.

Besides experiencing the pleasures of sex for the first time.

Zhen Jiang's daily work consisted of keeping accounts and planning future trade routes in Liangzhou.

If Jia Dong is a business genius, then Zhen Jiang is a genius among geniuses.

At first, Duan Yu thought that Zhen Jiang was only able to do this because she had relied on the Zhen family's foundation built up over many years.

But it wasn't until he learned more about it that he discovered it wasn't like that at all.

Zhen Jiang has been involved in the Zhen family business since she was a child.

Over the years, this has helped the Zhen family expand their business significantly.

Horses from Youzhou, furs from Bingzhou, salt and iron from Xuzhou...

These are all within Zhen Jiang's business scope.

After Duan Yu told Zhen Jiang about the plan to plant mulberry trees and raise silkworms, Zhen Jiang immediately prepared a system for how to sell silk in the future.

There are also a series of plans regarding future routes for transporting goods from Liangzhou out of Liangzhou.

Duan Yu exclaimed that he had struck gold.

He will no longer need to worry about any of the trade-related matters in Liangzhou.

What Zhen Jiang is currently writing is the first version, which is also the Eastern Han Dynasty version of the business plan.

Moreover, it is a business plan for the next few years.

"My lord." Gao Shun stood outside the tent, cupping his hands in greeting, and said, "Bai Tu has arrived."

Upon hearing Gao Shun's message, Duan Yu stood up from behind Zhen Jiang.

He then gently patted Zhen Jiang's shoulder and said, "Jiang'er, go and rest for a while. You've been writing all morning. These things can't be finished in a day or two. There will be time after we get back to Liangzhou."

Upon hearing this, Zhen Jiang shook her head seriously and said, "Husband, the autumn harvest begins in August, and the silkworms are already weaving cloth. If we want to sell the woven cloth in winter, it's already too late to start planning now."

"My lord, you go ahead with your military affairs. I'll go inside and continue tidying up."

Zhen Jiang slowly got up and walked towards the side tent.

Duan Yu nodded with a smile.

Having so many beautiful and capable wives is truly a blessing.

Now that Dong Yi is the matriarch in Liangzhou, and being a native of Liangzhou herself, coupled with the help of Li Jue, Guo Si, and others, she can stabilize the rear area by staying in Liangzhou.

Dong Yisheng is now the eldest son of the legitimate wife. To put it bluntly, even if he were to die now, he would still have an heir, which is the foundation for stabilizing the rear.

Diao Chan was in charge of the household affairs. Apart from that, in Jinyang, it was Diao Chan's fellow villagers who took care of the paper and snow salt matters.

Suhe, on the other hand, was in charge of managing the herding and pastures of Liangzhou for the Xiongnu.

What could be better than a Hun herding and managing a pasture?

Liangzhou was originally known for its warhorses, and the Qiang people were a semi-nomadic, fishing and hunting people.

The large number of warhorses, cattle, and sheep captured during the campaign against the Qiang people last year are now under the management of the Xiongnu Yicong under the control of Suhe.

Now there's another powerful businesswoman managing commerce.

It is foreseeable that all matters related to the development of commerce and trade in Liangzhou in the future will definitely fall on Zhen Jiang's shoulders.

Utilizing the trade channels previously obtained from the Zhen family, future wealth acquisition will depend on Zhen Jiang.

Inside Quyang City, there was also Zhang Ning, who helped him manage the followers of the Taiping Dao.

Zhang Ning is now the Holy Maiden of the Way of Peace.

However, their relationship was not made public.

The Imperial Guard General is married to the Holy Maiden of the Way of Peace. If this were to be revealed, the entire city of Luoyang would be so frightened that people would migrate to Chang'an.

When the Taiping Dao relocates to Liangzhou, with Zhang Ning in charge, there will be far fewer unnecessary troubles.

No man from Liangzhou is useless.

The women of Liangzhou are all equally capable and outstanding.

Liu Baitu, dressed in a black robe and looking increasingly mature, walked in from outside the tent. He then cupped his hands in greeting to Duan Yu and said, "My lord, the Great Teacher's health has been deteriorating these past two days, and he probably doesn't have much time left."

Duan Yu frowned.

Yes, if you count the days, Zhang Jiao's time is indeed running out.

"Pass the word down. Get ready. The plan can get started."