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

Outside the Jiade Hall.

With his head bowed, Yuan Wei walked slowly toward the gate of Jiade, led by two eunuchs.

"Stand back."

As they were walking, a voice suddenly came from the side of the corridor.

Two eunuchs turned around at the sound and saw Yuan She, who was wearing a crimson robe and a tall hat.

Upon seeing Yuan She, the two eunuchs obediently stepped aside.

Then Yuan She walked to Yuan Wei's side and bowed slightly.

The two walked together without speaking until they came out of Jiade Gate. Only then did Yuan She turn his head and look around before cautiously whispering, "Yesterday at noon, Marquis Shi Liu Bian was escorted out of the palace by Empress Dowager Dong and Jian Shuo."

Ok?

Upon hearing this, Yuan Wei paused in his steps.

His face showed extreme surprise.

But in the instant his breath contracted, the shocked expression on Yuan Wei's face vanished.

"Can you confirm that it is Marquis Shi?" Yuan Wei asked in a low voice.

Yuan She nodded.

"He left the palace through the Canglong Gate yesterday at noon. At first, I only had suspicions, but later I sent someone to the Wende Hall to confirm that Marquis Shi was indeed no longer in the palace. I suspect..."

Yuan Wei narrowed his eyes.

Empress Dowager Dong and Jian Shuo escorted Liu Bian out of the palace.

This was undoubtedly an attempt to help Liu Xie secure his throne.

"But my men only followed them to the Azure Dragon Gate. Where they were sent, or perhaps... it's still unclear."

Yuan She did not say it explicitly, but Yuan Wei already understood the meaning.

Yuan She suspected that Empress Dowager Dong and Jian Shuo might kill Liu Bian.

But Yuan Wei did not think so.

If Liu Hong is already dead, then Empress Dowager Dong might do this.

But

.......

But Liu Hong is not dead yet.

What if Liu Hong regains consciousness?

Empress Dowager Dong is probably alright.

But what about Jian Shuo, who was a participant?

Regardless of any reason, Jian Shuo would inevitably be purged by Liu Hong for plotting to murder a prince.

Therefore, he felt that Jian Shuo would never support Empress Dowager Dong in making Liu Bian stupid.

They sent him out of the palace and then hid him.

Once everything has settled down, whether or not to bestow honors or whatever, then things will naturally fall into place.

Besides, Empress Dowager Dong... in the end, was just a woman.

She was once the wife of a marquis.

Deep down, he still shares the same common-sense thinking as Liu Hong, and doesn't understand politics at all.

Then I thought about what had just happened.

Yuan Wei had already formed a very bold conjecture in his mind.

"I'll need you to keep an eye on things in the palace. I suspect there might be a problem with Marquis Shi, Liu Bian. Keep a close eye on things, and send someone to tell me immediately if there's any important news," Yuan Wei said in a low voice.

Yuan She nodded quietly.

The two parted ways as they turned a corner in a corridor.

...........

Jiade Hall.

"what!"

Empress Dowager Dong looked at Jian Shuo with great alarm.

"Say it again, he's missing?"

Jian Shuo lowered his head with extreme remorse.

"Reporting to the Empress Dowager, last night Li Hu's house was attacked by unknown people. Li Hu and his brother Li Yu were all killed, along with more than a hundred wandering knights."

"And Li Hu's house was also set ablaze."

"Lord Shi...Lord Shi's whereabouts are unknown."

this.......

Empress Dowager Dong, dressed in a long black dress, stood in the hall with a shocked expression.

how so.

I just sent Liu Bian away yesterday.

How come there's a problem before even half a day has passed?

who is it!

Someone must have kidnapped Liu Bian!

who is it!

Empress Dowager Dong looked at Jian Shuo in a panic and angrily rebuked him: "Didn't you say it was foolproof? Didn't you say that hiding outside was the safest option?!"

"Now how do you explain this?!"

Wearing armor, Jian Shuo knelt down on the ground with a thud.

From yesterday to today, it has truly been a series of bad news.

Duan Yu has entered Luoyang.

Liu Bian has disappeared.

"Your Majesty, this humble general...this humble general is guilty."

Jian Shuo, kneeling on the ground, kept his head down.

Empress Dowager Dong clenched her molars tightly.

"You are guilty of more than just crimes!" Empress Dowager Dong pointed at Jian Shuo and said, "Find him! Quickly send people to find him!"

...........

Outside Luoyang City.

After dawn, Liu Bian, drenched in sweat, changed his clothes and sat down to eat with Duan Yu in a room.

Only Duan Yu and Liu Bian were inside the room.

They didn't even use waiters to serve the food; instead, they used iron stones and Wang Hunu.

Liu Bian is now a trump card in Duan Yu's hands.

But Duan Yu hasn't figured out how to use this trump card yet.

Seeing Liu Bian wolfing down his food, Duan Yu suddenly asked, "Does Your Highness want to be emperor?"

Liu Bian, who was enjoying his meal, was taken aback.

She raised her head and looked at Duan Yu with a somewhat confused expression.

He then placed the mutton in his hand on a vermilion wooden tray, wiped his hands, knelt upright, and shook his head at Duan Yu.

"Master, I don't want to be the emperor."

"Oh?"

Duan Yu raised an eyebrow: "Why?"

"Isn't being an emperor good enough?"

"Can one command the world, live a life of luxury, and wield supreme power?"

"You don't want any of these?"

Liu Bian shook his head and said, "Master, I don't know why either, but I just don't want to be emperor."

"I want... I want to be like my master."

"I have heard my mother talk about my master. She said that my master is a first-class hero in the world. She said that my master rode his horse in the northern desert and killed all the foreign tribes who submitted to him."

"The Empress Dowager also said that Master is a tiger general of the world, and no one can defeat him."

"My master killed so many Qiang people in Liangzhou that none dared to disobey him."

"I want to be like my master, leading troops into battle and making those foreign tribes who covet the Han Dynasty tremble in fear."

Duan Yu twitched the corner of his mouth.

I thought to myself, your mother really is...

However, Liu Bian's answer did indeed surprise Duan Yu.

"Then do you know what war is?" Duan Yu asked Liu Bian.

Liu Bian shook his head again.

Duan Yu took a deep breath and said, "War is just a means."

"The people of the world are already suffering. No matter what the reason for starting a war, it is always the common people who suffer the most."

“When a war is won, the fruits of victory are reaped by those in power who waged the war, but those who died in the war cannot be brought back to life by the common people.”

"Their families will be saddened by this."

"But the vast majority of those in positions of power will not see this."

"And if the war is lost, the ones who will bear the most serious consequences will never be those in power who started the war."

"But rather, it is the ordinary people at the bottom of society."

Liu Bian knelt behind the table and listened attentively.

"Launching a war requires financial, material, and human resources, which always come from the common people at the bottom of society."

"Therefore, war is a path of advancement for those in power, built upon the blood and sweat of the common people, paved with blood and countless bones."

"One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand."

Duan Yu slowly shook his head.

Whether it's modern warfare or ancient warfare.

Duan Yu had witnessed and personally experienced all of these things.

The world remembers the achievements of Emperor Wu of Han.

They had all heard of the Marquis of Champion's illustrious reputation.

How many people know that during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, the Han Empire, which had been nurtured for several dynasties since the late Qin and early Han periods, lost half of its registered population due to the wars waged during his reign?

The collapse of the grassroots economy and the heavy tax burden led to the displacement of people.

Everyone knows about the sealing of the wolf's lair.

But how many people know that during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the widespread uprisings triggered by the people's poverty and hardship also swept across the entire Han Dynasty?

When a country prospers, the people suffer; when a country perishes, the people also suffer.

"Remember this: as someone in a position of power, do not start a war lightly."

"The way to conquer the world is to combine the way of the king with the way of the hegemon."

"The Way of the King and the Way of the Hegemon?" Liu Bian looked at Duan Yu with some confusion and asked, "Master, what are the Way of the King and the Way of the Hegemon?"

"The way of the king is to subdue people with virtue, while the way of the tyrant is to use force to feign benevolence."

"The way of the king is to put the people first, build order, achieve social harmony and lasting peace, win the respect of all people, and gather all the talents in the world!"

"The hegemony is to maintain its rule and protect the people by means of force and powerful military force."

"The left and right sides represent the way of the king, the right side the way of the hegemon; the two are combined and used interchangeably."

"You'll gradually understand this later."

Liu Bian nodded as he silently memorized the words.

"Alright, let's continue eating. Eat more meat to grow strong."

...........

After having dinner with Liu Bian, Duan Yu led over a hundred of his personal guards on horseback to enter the city.

The interception of Liu Bian was unexpected.

However, he hadn't yet taken care of the main things during his trip to Luoyang.

Riding a black tiger, clad in armor, and with a blood-red cloak behind him, Duan Yu walked at the head of the group.

Behind them stood the brothers Zhao Yun and Zhao Feng, both riding white horses, wielding silver spears, and clad in silver armor.

Further behind are Ma Chao in his brocade robe and Pang De with a composed expression.

More than a hundred elite Liangzhou cavalrymen, wearing masks and armor, headed towards Pingcheng Gate.

And the direction of Pingcheng Gate.

Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun, who had been recalled to Luoyang, saw Duan Yu arrive from the city wall.

[PS: Relatives came to visit yesterday, and I hosted a meal for them. I'm missing one photo, so I'll try to make up for it today.]

Seeing all the requests from you authors for updates, I know that you are doing so because you like me. No matter what form the requests take, it all comes down to your love for me.

However, the author also needs to make a living in addition to writing, and sometimes there will be a lack of updates. I hope you can understand. After all, the author is not a full-time writer and does not have any drafts. He just writes and publishes. Moreover, the author does not want to write filler articles. Sometimes he will experience writer's block when building the plot.

Even though the author updates twice a week, each chapter will definitely be at least 3,000 words. While it may not be considered a long chapter, it's still quite generous compared to the average 1,000 to 2,000 words per chapter.

Thank you again for your love and encouragement. I will work harder and harder to present you all with wonderful stories.