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

Inside Hangu Pass.

When the beacon fires and the sound of gongs rang out, Ding Yuan, who was stationed inside the pass, came out of his military tent.

Ding Yuan, who was in his early thirties, was dressed in armor, with a sword at his waist and a military cap on his head.

Just as he stepped out of the military tent, a young general strode towards him.

Upon seeing the young general, Ding Yuan immediately asked in a deep voice, "Who beats the drum? Why are the beacon fires lit at the pass?"

If Lü Bu were here at this moment, he would definitely recognize the person in front of Ding Yuan.

It was none other than Hou Cheng, a fellow townsman from Jiuyuan County.

Since following Lü Bu to the Xiongnu, Hou Cheng, Song Xian, and Wei Xu have been driven back home by Lü Bu.

After returning from the Xiongnu, Lü Bu never went back to Jiuyuan. After bringing his family away from Jiuyuan, he stayed by Duan Yu's side.

As for Hou Cheng and the others, they were dismissed.

Later, Ding Yuan took over the position of Governor of Bingzhou.

Then, while searching everywhere, I heard about Duan Yu's past deeds.

They also learned that Hou Cheng, Wei Xu, and others had once followed Lü Bu to the Xiongnu.

However, Ding Yuan was unaware of the specific details.

However, Hou Cheng, Wei Xu, and Song Xian all lied, saying that they refused Duan Yu's invitation because they did not want to leave home and had returned from the Xiongnu.

When Ding Yuan heard what they said, he invited them to become his subordinates.

In the past two years, Lü Bu has followed Duan Yu in his campaigns in the south and north, and his reputation has grown considerably.

Since these men were all from the same hometown as Lü Bu, and had a history of traveling to the Xiongnu with Duan Yu and Lü Bu, Ding Yuan felt that they should be of similar quality.

As for whether he was sent back or refused Duan Yu's invitation, Ding Yuan had no way of verifying it, since he was not familiar with Duan Yu.

"My lord, Duan Yu's troops have arrived at the pass!"

Hou Cheng, clad in armor, bowed and said.

"Oh?" Ding Yuan raised an eyebrow and said, "So fast?"

"How many soldiers are there?"

How many cavalrymen?

"Can siege weapons be carried?"

Ding Yuan asked a series of questions.

"Reporting to the lord, the troops that came from the front of the pass number only a few hundred, all of them cavalry, but it seems that there are many more cavalry behind them."

"But no siege equipment was found."

Ok?

Ding Yuan reached out and rubbed the beard on his chin.

There were no infantrymen.

There were no siege weapons.

Is Duan Yu here to seize the pass, or what?

"Let's go and take a look at the gate."

After waving his hand, Ding Yuan walked towards the Hangu Pass, with Hou Cheng following behind him.

"My lord, Duan Yu is a man of extremely high martial arts skills. You must be careful and absolutely not let him get close to the pass." Hou Cheng said while following behind Ding Yuan, "I saw his martial arts skills when I was with the Xiongnu. It would not be an exaggeration to describe them as supernatural."

"No one in the world can surpass this man's halberd skills."

"Even Lu Bu, the Fierce Tiger of Jiuyuan, whom the adults know, is no match for him."

"You should be careful and cautious."

Ding Yuan, who was walking ahead, nodded.

Ding Yuan was certainly aware of Duan Yu's bravery.

In the past two years, Duan Yu has risen rapidly, and he has never been defeated, whether in the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Liangzhou, or in suppressing the Yellow Turbans.

But it wouldn't be accurate to say he's invincible.

Last year, Duan Yu was nearly killed by Bei Gong Boyu's scheme at Xiutu Marsh in Liangzhou.

"Understood." Ding Yuan nodded and said, "This pass is not lacking in ballistae and crossbows. The city gate is so high that as long as Duan Yu cannot fly or teleport, it will be difficult for him to get up here."

"No matter how powerful he is, can he really withstand ballistae and crossbows?"

"The city gate is well-defended and has ample supplies. Even an army of 100,000 would not be able to cross it."

"No matter how capable Duan Yu is, he can only go so far."

"Besides... I don't believe he would dare to openly oppose the imperial court."

As they were talking, they had already arrived at the pass with Hou Cheng.

The pass was heavily guarded by soldiers.

The ballistae and crossbows on the pass have been set up and are aimed at the direction outside the city.

Song Xian and Wei Xu were also deploying soldiers at the pass.

In addition, there was Ding Yuan's deputy, Zhang Yang.

Upon seeing Ding Yuan, Zhang Yang, along with Song Xian and Wei Xu, greeted him.

"My lord, Duan Yu has reinforced his troops again." Zhang Yang said as he walked up to them, "There may be more troops following behind."

Upon hearing this, Ding Yuan nodded as he walked to the edge of the battlements and looked at the dark mass of cavalry outside the pass.

"It's alright, they're all cavalrymen, so Duan Yu might not dare to attack the city."

"Order the soldiers to prepare themselves. If Duan Yu dares to attack the pass, show no mercy."

"The imperial court has issued an order that if Duan Yu dares to disobey, it will be considered a rebellion."

Ding Yuan clenched his fist and landed on the battlement.

"only."

Zhang Yang bowed, cupped his hands, and nodded.

...........

Outside Hangu Pass.

Duan Yu, riding on the black tiger, also looked at Hangu Pass in the distance.

After the four hundred imperial guard cavalrymen left the ancient Hangu Pass, the Xiongnu cavalrymen behind them gradually followed, forming a dense, dark mass of nearly two thousand cavalrymen in front of the pass.

The warhorse pawed restlessly at the frozen ground with its forelegs, and the warm breath it exhaled formed a thin mist.

Behind Duan Yu, six young generals—Tie Shitou, Wang Hunu, Zhao Yun, Zhao Feng, Ma Chao, and Pang De—followed him.

The eight hundred flying bears, led by Hua Xiong, have not yet emerged from the ancient Hangu Pass.

"My lord, it seems that Ding Yuan, the governor of Bingzhou, has already arrived at Hangu Pass before us."

"Iron Stone behind Duan Yu said."

Duan Yu on the black tiger nodded.

We can already see Ding Yuan's flag on the pass.

There's nothing he can do; he's done his best.

But Taiyuan is significantly closer to here than he is.

Moreover, Ding Yuan received the order earlier than him.

In the era before electronic communication, these were unavoidable events.

The gap in distance and time is something that cannot be bridged.

Forcing it won't work.

Hangu Pass is known as the number one pass under heaven.

The pass alone has three layers, inside and out.

The first level has the highest gate, and there is also a barbican in the middle.

If the first gate is breached, the army that has broken through it will enter the barbican, but there is another gate behind the barbican.

If you rush in, you will be attacked from both sides by ballistae, crossbows, and hard bows at the front and rear of the city gate.

Moreover, this towering city gate was never short of rolling logs, boulders, hot oil, and kerosene.

Duan Yu gently squeezed his legs together, and Xiao Hei understood and walked towards the pass.

"My lord..."

"My lord..."

Tie Shitou and Wang Hunu behind them anxiously stepped forward.

Duan Yu raised his hand to stop the two of them.

"It's alright, I'll just go and say hello to Ding Jianyang."

"We should at least try diplomacy first before resorting to force."

After hearing Duan Yu's words, Tie Shitou and Wang Hunu stopped trying to stop him.

Duan Yu, meanwhile, leisurely rode his black tiger towards Hangu Pass.

...........

At Hangu Pass, Ding Yuan also saw Duan Yu walking towards the pass.

What is he doing?

Ding Yuan frowned as he looked at Duan Yu.

At this moment, Hou Cheng, who was standing behind Ding Yuan, suddenly raised an eyebrow and said, "My lord, this is a good opportunity."

"As long as Duan Yu comes within the range of the ballista, once the lord gives the order, the ballista will be fired, and it is very likely that Duan Yu will be shot dead."

"No!"

Before Ding Yuan could answer, Zhang Yang, Ding Yuan's deputy general standing on the other side, frowned and looked at Hou Cheng for obstructing him.

"Is Lieutenant Hou trying to harm the lord?!" Zhang Yang shouted angrily at Hou Cheng.

Hou Cheng spread his hands innocently and said, "What are you saying, Officer Zhang? How did I harm you, sir?"

Ding Yuan remained silent, wanting to hear what the two of them had to say.

Zhang Yang said with a serious expression, "The imperial court's order is to stop Duan Yu from leading his troops into Luoyang."

As Zhang Yang spoke, he pointed to the outside of the city gate and said, "Although Duan Yu has troops at this time, he has not said that he intends to cross the pass. If we attack Duan Yu first, we will surely be retaliated against."

"The soldiers of Liangzhou are the best in the world. If you really offend Duan Yu, and Liang and Bing are now neighbors, without the protection of this pass, will you not have to face the powerful army of Liangzhou?"

"To attack rashly without even knowing Duan Yu's intentions would surely give others something to talk about."

"Duan Yu is the governor of Liangzhou, a high-ranking official with a fief of ten thousand households. He is your superior. Wouldn't your suggestion harm him?"

"And you even served under the Governor of Liangzhou."

Zhang Yang's words left Hou Cheng speechless.

Hou Cheng, his face flushed, struggled to find a rebuttal after trying for a long time.

Ding Yuan, however, waved his hand.

"Alright, let's see what Duan Yu is up to first," Ding Yuan said, waving his hand. "Hou Cheng means well, so Uncle Zhi needn't say anything more."

P.S.: I set the timer wrong last night; it was set for 11 PM tonight. I'll release it earlier.