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

Jizhou, Weijun, Ye County, Governor's Office.

Mid-September.

With the quelling of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the land of Ji Province finally returned to peace.

However, the Yellow Turban Rebellion, which began in March, directly affected this year's spring planting.

Even now, as the autumn harvest season approaches, there are very few places left in the entire Ji Province where the harvest can take place.

The common people could only watch helplessly as the fields lay barren, and even powerful families were affected.

The grain reserves in various counties and prefectures were either looted by the Yellow Turban rebels or depleted by conscription.

Famine is inevitable.

Looking at the documents submitted by various counties regarding the fear of riots by famine and displaced people in various places.

Sitting in his study, Yuan Shao was so frustrated he was practically bald from pulling his hair out, but he still couldn't come up with a good solution.

Logically speaking, the governor of a prefecture only exercises the power of inspection, which are the official duties of the prefects of various counties, and it is not necessary for Yuan Shao, as the governor, to interfere.

However, due to the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he, as the governor of the prefecture, is now responsible for military defense.

If the people were to rebel again, he, as the governor of the prefecture, would also face the responsibility of punishment and suppression.

Having witnessed the Yellow Turban Rebellion that swept across the land, Yuan Shao now harbors a deep-seated fear of unruly people.

"If it were Ziyi, how would he solve this problem?"

Yuan Shao sat in his study, pulling at his hair, deep in thought.

Outside the door, Xu You, who had come on orders, was wearing a gray robe with a warm black cloak over it.

Seeing Xu You was like Yuan Shao grasping at a last straw.

"Ziyuan, you've finally arrived."

Yuan Shao anxiously stood up from behind the table and beckoned to Xu You: "Quickly, sit down."

"Someone come and serve tea."

Yuan Shao spoke to the servants outside.

Xu You stroked his beard lightly with one hand, then smiled and knelt down not far from Yuan Shao.

Before long, a servant brought hot tea. Xu You, holding the hot tea in both hands, lowered his head and blew on the tea.

“Ziyuan, seeing you drinking tea so calmly, I feel reassured. Do you have any good ideas to solve the current famine?” Yuan Shao looked at Xu You with expectant eyes and said, “Please teach me your strategies, Ziyuan.”

Xu You smiled slightly, then put down his teacup and said, "My lord, this matter may be difficult or easy; it depends on your choice."

"Oh?"

Yuan Shao raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Yuan Shao asked.

Xu You stroked his short beard with one hand, then shook his head and said, "There is a way, and that is to borrow. Although Ji Province has just experienced the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the powerful families have not been affected much."

"The main areas of concentration are still Julu County, Zhongshan State, Changshan State, Anping State and other places."

“The Wei Commandery, Qinghe State, Bohai State, Zhao State and other places were not severely affected.”

"My lord only needs to borrow grain from those powerful families that have not been affected, and we can get through this crisis."

"this......."

Yuan Shao, with a slightly troubled expression, said, "Would they easily lend us their grain?"

Xu You immediately shook his head and said, "Obviously not."

"Uh......"

Yuan Shao was speechless at Xu You's words.

Doesn't that mean it's pointless to say anything?

They asked me to borrow grain, but they wouldn't lend it easily.

“Ziyuan, what you’re saying…” Yuan Shao shrugged and said, “Isn’t it pointless for you to say anything?”

"They asked me to borrow grain, but they won't lend it to me easily."

"I can't possibly go door-to-door asking them for help."

"Besides, I'm not borrowing this grain for my own use, but to help the people of Jizhou get through this winter."

Xu You smiled.

"My lord, you are right."

"It's actually easier if you borrow it in your own name."

“If our lord borrows grain for his own use, those powerful families will be more than happy to send him their own grain in order to curry favor with him.”

"But unfortunately, our lord is not like that. Our lord wants to borrow grain for disaster relief, which is obviously a one-way trip with no return and no benefit to be gained. That's why these people are unwilling to lend it to our lord."

"Even if it's just to save face, it's nothing more than going through the motions."

Yuan Shao frowned and slowly nodded.

Xu You is right.

These words gave him a sudden sense of enlightenment.

No one would do a business that loses money unless it's profitable.

Hey......

I wish he could be like Duan Yu.

Last year, when Duan Yu first arrived in Liangzhou, he was raising funds and provisions to suppress the Western Qiang.

Duan Yu's method at the time was both simple and brutal.

They directly summoned all the powerful families in Hanyang County and forcibly confiscated their property.

Of course, that's because Duan Yu's army was strong and well-equipped, and the powerful families were afraid of him, afraid of facing Duan Yu's wrath in the future.

Yuan Shao sighed and shook his head, saying, "I wish I could be like Shi Ziyi someday."

“Why should my lord belittle himself?” Xu You said. “My lord has his advantages, and the Marquis of Ji has his methods. Different positions naturally require different approaches.”

"The lord's advantage lies in his status."

"The Marquis of Ji is ruthless."

"The Marquis of Ji resorts to his own tyranny to suppress others when he wants to solve problems."

"But our lord can cleverly overcome the attempts to win him over; these are two completely different paths."

Xu You's words rekindled a glimmer of hope in Yuan Shao's eyes: "Please teach me, Ziyuan!"

"Lord."

Xu You slowly opened his mouth and said, "Everything boils down to two words: profit!"

"My lord, I have been keeping statistics these days."

"The Marquis of Ji quelled the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Ji Province and took away a million refugees, the vast majority of whom were from Ji Province."

"After these people left, their land became wasteland."

“These barren fields are of no use to our lord if left there, but they are fertile land for the local powerful families.”

"As long as the seeds are sown next year, a harvest of 10,000 bushels of grain can be obtained in the autumn."

"Why doesn't the lord issue an official document to grant those abandoned and restricted fertile lands in various places to the local aristocratic families so that they can cultivate them next year?"

"In this way, the powerful families will benefit enough, since the refugees can't come back anyway."

"In that case, when our lord makes a request to those powerful clans, will they still refuse?"

"Furthermore, there are currently many vacancies in Ji Province, and my lord can also recommend candidates to the court."

"At present, Ji Province is still in dire need of reconstruction. In order to stabilize Ji Province, the court will surely agree to the lord's recommendation."

"By addressing these two issues, my lord, you can not only solve the current problems in Ji Province, but also gain the support of the local powerful families and secure your current position. Why not do it?"

Yuan Shao listened and nodded frequently.

"Okay, okay, okay, okay."

"Ziyuan is a man of great talent. With Ziyuan by my side, how can I not govern a region like Ziyi?" Yuan Shao laughed heartily and said, "Let's follow Ziyuan's plan..."

"Lord!"

"Lord!"

Before Yuan Shao could finish speaking, a call came from outside.

Wearing armor, Yan Liang strode towards Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao and Xu You, who were in the study, both looked outside at the same time.

Yan Liang, with one hand on the hilt of his sword, strode over and knelt on one knee in salute.

"My lord, this is intelligence that has just been sent from Luoyang."

Yan Liang held up a letter with both hands and presented it to Yuan Shao.

The attendant handed the letter to Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao unfolded the letter and then read it quickly, skimming through it.

A moment later, Yuan Shao's eyes suddenly widened, his expression one of shock.

"this......."

"this......."

"How can this be!"

"This is impossible!"

Seeing Yuan Shao's expression, Xu You curiously approached him.

"Ziyi...is dead?"

The letter in Yuan Shao's hand fell to the ground.

Xu You, who was standing next to him, quickly bent down to pick it up and looked at the contents.

Similar to Yuan Shao's reaction, Xu You was also shocked when he saw the contents of the letter.

Duan Yu... is dead?

How can it be?

Who can kill Duan Yu?

"Someone, go to Luoyang immediately and confirm if this news is true!"

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

Just as Yuan Shao received news of Duan Yu's death.

Cao Cao, who was far away in Yanzhou, Liu Bei, who was in Xuzhou, and even Sun Jian, who was in Jingzhou quelling the rebellion with Zhu Jun, all received news of Duan Yu's death one after another.

The loved ones hurt, the enemies quick.

Cao Cao immediately sent people to Liangzhou to confirm the authenticity of this news.

Liu Bei and Sun Jian were both overjoyed.