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

"Brother, just give me five thousand soldiers, and I'll drive that one-eared thief back. If he doesn't submit, I'll beat him until he does!"

Cao Ren, clad in armor, stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "This is Yanzhou territory. Who gave him the audacity to set foot here!"

"Commander Cao, please calm down. It would be inappropriate to fight."

As soon as Cao Ren finished speaking, Yang Xu stepped forward.

Yang Xu, courtesy name Xingzu, was a native of Shanyang, Taishan.

His family had a hereditary official rank of two thousand shi (a unit of grain measure).

His father, Yang Ru, was the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

His ancestor, Yang Qin, once served as the Commandant of the Capital Region.

They were a prominent family in Taishan County.

After Cao Cao became the governor of Yan Province, he recruited Yang Xu as an official in Yan Province to advise on military and political affairs.

After hearing Yang Xu's words, Cao Cao turned his gaze to Yang Xu.

Wearing a gray robe, Yang Xu, who was about forty years old, stepped out from the crowd and bowed to Cao Cao, saying, "Liu Bei is the Chancellor of Langya State and an official appointed by the imperial court."

"Moreover, both the governor and Liu Bei have a responsibility to suppress the Yellow Turban rebels."

"Even though this is Taishan County, Liu Bei took the initiative to send troops to suppress the bandits. Even if the matter was reported to Luoyang, Liu Bei's actions were still an act of helping the country prosper."

"On the contrary, if the governor were to actually send troops to attack Liu Bei, it would certainly give people something to talk about."

“It is inevitable that some people will say that at this time, the emperor was either supporting the bandits to enhance his own power or colluding with them, which is why Liu Bei was prevented from sending troops to suppress the bandits.”

Yang Xu's words received support and nods from many people.

That's what happened.

“But…” Cao Ren said indignantly, “That one-eared bandit didn’t come to suppress bandits; he clearly wanted to divide up the million able-bodied men of Qingzhou.”

Yang Xu shook his head slightly and said, "Commander Cao, you can't say that."

"Whether it's suppressing bandits or offering amnesty, it's still suppressing bandits, but if you really obstruct it now, sir, the crime will be confirmed."

"There's no doubt about that."

Wei Zi, Bao Xin, Xue Fang, and the others nodded in agreement after hearing Yang Xu's words.

That's what happened.

Cao Cao, with his hands resting on the table, frowned deeply.

It’s not right to hit him, and it’s not right not to hit him.

We can't just stand by and watch Liu Bei divide up all the million able-bodied men of Qingzhou.

Last year's Yellow Turban Rebellion almost wiped out the entire Dongjun County.

Nine out of ten houses inside and outside the city are empty.

If we don't focus on population recovery, it could take a very long time for the entire Dongjun County to recover.

These million refugees from Qingzhou are the best ingredient for restoring the vitality of Dongjun.

Now, some shameless person has come to steal him away.

Let's talk.

Yang Xu looked at Cao Cao and said, "Sir, why don't you first meet with Liu Bei and talk to him to see if you can get him to withdraw completely?"

"If it's possible, that would be great; if it's not possible..."

"Then we'll just have to rely on our own abilities."

Cao Cao, with his hands resting on the table, frowned and nodded.

It seems that this is the only way.

Let's talk first, and if we can't reach an agreement, then we'll discuss it further.

"That damn one-eared thief, if Ziyi were here, he wouldn't dare to be so arrogant. He'd probably run away in fear as soon as he saw Ziyi."

"Immediately send out scouts to locate Liu Bei," Cao Cao ordered.

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

The capital of Langya Kingdom was located in Kaiyang, and it would take less than half a day for light cavalry and fast horses to reach Taishan County.

Linyi is located right next to Taishan County.

Starting from the first day of the Lunar New Year, Liu Bei had already ordered his troops to concentrate in Linyi.

Guan Yu was in charge of leading the troops.

In mid-January, after the million-strong Qingzhou army began its westward advance, Guan Yu relayed this information to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei soon sent the troops and provisions he had gathered back to Linyi.

In this era, population is wealth.

It's strength.

It's about the economy.

It refers to military strength.

It is the source of all food production.

Having people is equivalent to having soldiers, land to cultivate, and the many benefits of a mobile economy.

Duan Yu's implementation of the production team model in Liangzhou also brought some benefits to Liu Bei.

Normal population size in a state or county does not have a significant impact on regional development.

But these million refugees are different.

This is similar to the millions of refugees that Duan Yu relocated to Liangzhou.

It can absolutely be considered personal property.

These refugees have no land and no houses.

Once gathered together, it can be immediately transformed into productivity: farming, producing grain, and recruiting soldiers.

It's easy to imagine the benefits that these million refugees could bring by utilizing the production team model of Duan Yu's land reclamation program.

It was precisely because Liu Bei saw this that he wanted to compete for these million refugees.

Of course, it was euphemistically called suppressing a rebellion.

It was noon.

Liu Bei, dressed in armor and with a double-edged sword hanging at his waist, is riding a white horse.

Behind him stood Zhang Fei, wielding a long spear and wearing a military cap, riding a black horse.

On the other side is Guan Yu, wielding the Green Dragon Crescent Blade and wearing a green battle robe.

The three brothers, one in front and two behind, traveled north along the east bank of the Wu River.

The Wu River originates in Wuyang, south of Taishan County, and flows southward, passing through the Fei Kingdom.

Meanwhile, the Yellow Turban Army of Qingzhou, composed of a million refugees, was entrenched in Mengshan, northeast of Nanwuyang.

Behind the three brothers was a vast army lined up like a long dragon.

There were roughly 10,000 people, a vast and seemingly endless procession.

As the three brothers led their troops forward, a fast horse galloped toward Liu Bei's direction.

They stopped a few steps away from Liu Bei.

"Sir, our scouts have received a letter from Cao Cao, the governor of Yanzhou." The scouts handed the letter to Liu Bei.

Guan Yu rode forward, took the letter from the scout, waved to dismiss the scout, and then handed the letter to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei unfolded the letter and glanced at its contents in three lines at a time.

Zhang Fei, who was following behind Liu Bei, craned his neck and looked curiously at the letter in Liu Bei's hand.

After glancing at it a few times, Liu Bei put the letter away.

"Brother, what is the purpose of Cao Mengde's letter?" Guan Yu asked, his brows furrowed.

Liu Bei looked towards the upper reaches of the Wu River and slowly said, "He invited me to meet in Nanwuyang, saying that he had something to discuss with me."

"Negotiation?" Guan Yu frowned and said, "What is there for us to talk to him about? Cao Mengde is a friend of that Liangzhou barbarian, and they even sleep with the same woman."

"I heard that Cao Mengde gave all his concubines to Duan Yu in order to curry favor with him."

"What is there for us to talk to him about?"

Liu Bei remained silent, instead pondering Cao Cao's intentions.

"Yes, brother. Cao Mengde and that Liangzhou barbarian are practically wearing the same skirt. What's the point of talking to him? This guy is definitely up to no good."

When Duan Yu was mentioned, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei had almost the same expression on their faces.

The scene of Jizhou being humiliated is still vivid in my mind.

Although life is better in Xuzhou, who would willingly leave their hometown unless forced to?

Moreover, later...

Lu Zhi is dead.

When Liu Bei learned of this, he wept bitterly for several days.

Liu Bei naturally attributed Lu Zhi's death to Duan Yu.

"Cao Cao probably wants to discuss with me the matter of the million refugees from Qingzhou."

After pondering for a while, Liu Bei slowly spoke.

"Humph."

Guan Yu snorted and said, "What's there to talk about? Let's just rely on our own abilities. If Cao Mengde thinks he can defeat my Green Dragon Crescent Blade, then let him come."

"Yeah, bro, what's the point of talking to him? If he dares to attack, I'll poke a hundred and eighty holes in him!"

Liu Bei slowly shook his head and said, "That's not appropriate. This is, after all, Taishan Commandery, Yanzhou."

"Although we came under the pretext of suppressing the Yellow Turban rebels, this place is still under Cao Cao's jurisdiction."

"We'll just meet with him to let him know. Even if he complains to the imperial court or to Magistrate Tao, we won't be afraid."

"Let's go. Since he invited us, it would seem cowardly of us not to go. Let's go and see what he's up to."

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

P.S.: I've seen many readers asking about chapter titles.

How about this, from now on, we'll sponsor one big star's nameplate!