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

As the last ray of sunlight disappeared behind Mount Meng, darkness gradually enveloped the earth.

Liu Bei, along with Zhang Fei and two thousand soldiers, gradually lit the torches.

Thousands of torches lit up the plains stretching for miles.

This caused countless refugees scattered across the plains to converge on Liu Bei's location.

As time went on, more and more refugees gathered around Liu Bei.

But most of them are women, children, and the elderly.

The living and the dead, young and strong refugees with their families.

The remaining young men and women walked faster, and under the leadership of their respective leaders, they headed ahead towards Linyi City.

Liu Bei was riding a horse at this time.

Beside him stood Zhang Fei, wielding a ten-foot spear, with a leopard-like head and ringed eyes.

“Brother, these are all women, children, and the elderly. We can’t walk fast with them,” Zhang Fei said, following Liu Bei.

Liu Bei did not answer Zhang Fei, but instead looked at the densely packed crowd around him.

A multitude of numb, bewildered eyes converged in Liu Bei's direction.

"Fellow villagers!"

Liu Bei shouted loudly at the crowd.

Under the cover of night, the surrounding crowd had stopped moving. Although it wasn't completely silent, Liu Bei's voice still carried far.

"Fellow villagers, I am Liu Bei, courtesy name Xuande, the Chancellor of Langya and a descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan!"

Zhang Fei looked at Liu Bei curiously, wondering what Liu Bei wanted to say.

The same was true for the surrounding people. They had no idea what kind of official the Chancellor of Langya was or how high his rank was.

For most of the Qingzhou refugees, the greatest thing they could ever come into contact with in their lives was the orderly life of the three elders in the village and the wandering of the village.

As for the county magistrate, the county assistant may have met him, but they never had any interaction.

Not to mention governors or prime ministers.

However, most of the refugees still knew the meaning of the four characters "Prince Jing of Zhongshan".

But the more I know, the more afraid I become.

They were refugees, while Liu Bei claimed to be a member of the Han imperial family.

They are rebelling, isn't that rebelling against the Liu family's empire?

Therefore, as soon as Liu Bei finished speaking, the surrounding crowd began to stir.

"Don't be afraid!"

"I'm not here to exterminate you!"

"On the contrary, I'm here to save you."

"I came here to give you a home!"

"To give you a place to settle down and make a living!"

As Liu Bei spoke, he pointed to Xiang Fang behind him: "Over there, that's Langya State, that's my territory!"

"You will be safe once you reach Langya Kingdom."

“You will thrive there, and you will continue to live a peaceful life there!”

Zhang Fei was stunned for a moment, then straightened his chest and his eyes became proud, like a savior looking down on the world.

The unrest quickly subsided after Liu Bei's reassuring words.

Although those in the distance could not hear Liu Bei's words very clearly.

But emotions are contagious.

Moreover, those who heard Liu Bei's words gradually relayed what he said to those around them.

The crowd quieted down.

Liu Bei took a deep breath.

“We are still being pursued; those people want to kill you.”

"But don't worry, I will try my best to deal with them, and you will be safe as long as you follow me and go in the direction I point out."

“From here, keep going down this river.”

Liu Bei pointed to the Wu River, which was not far to his left.

Although it was difficult to see clearly at night, the sound of rushing water could still be faintly heard.

"Tell your friends, tell your loved ones, as long as you follow me, I will take you to a safe place."

"Remember my words, my name is Liu Bei!"

The surrounding refugees were silent for a moment, then gradually voices began to rise.

"Lord Liu!"

"Lord Liu!"

"We'll follow Magistrate Liu!"

"Lord Liu is benevolent and virtuous; we will follow Lord Liu!"

"Lord Liu!"

"Lord Liu!"

The cries of the refugees grew louder and louder.

With Zhang Fei and over two thousand Han soldiers joining them, the sound grew louder and louder.

Liu Bei, riding on his horse, straightened his back.

"Mother, what is benevolence and virtue?"

Among the crowd of refugees, a thin little girl who looked about six or seven years old looked up at the woman who was supporting her shoulders.

The woman's face was covered in a layer of ashes, and she wore a coarse cloth dress made of tattered hemp, with a bag on her back.

Although her face was not clearly visible, her deeply sunken eye sockets, high cheekbones, and eyes filled with despair for the world all spoke of the suffering she had endured.

The woman lowered her head and tidied up a few stray strands of hair in front of her daughter.

Then he gave a bitter smile.

Benevolence?

"Benevolence..."

The woman thought for a moment and said, "For example, if Yu'er is hungry and someone gives Yu'er a bite to eat without asking for anything in return, that is called benevolence."

"Mother, isn't that charity?"

“Mother took Yu’er to beg at Liu the rich man’s house. Liu the rich man’s guard gave us food, saying it was charity.”

The woman was taken aback.

Liu the rich man was one of the three elders in their village.

Two years ago, they suffered a severe drought, and the land yielded no harvest. With no other option, the family sold their land to Liu the rich man.

Her family also became tenant farmers for Liu the rich man.

I thought this would be enough to keep things going.

But their good fortune didn't last long. Her husband fell ill, and without money for medical treatment, he eventually died in that simple thatched hut. The mother and daughter were then kicked out of the Liu family's house.

The year was bad, and there were starving people everywhere, let alone how a mother and daughter could survive.

Perhaps, the charity given to the wealthy and powerful is what we call benevolence.

The woman didn't know how to answer that question either.

Just then, the woman felt the ground beneath her feet tremble slightly.

Suddenly realizing what was happening, the woman's expression changed drastically, and she hugged her daughter tightly.

Liu Bei, riding on his horse, also looked into the distance.

A crimson flame was hurtling toward them.

cavalry!

A large number of cavalry!

"Brother, you take the refugees and leave first. I'll hold them off here!"

Zhang Fei raised the eighteen-foot spear in his hand.

Liu Bei glanced at the pursuing troops approaching from afar, then nodded.

"Don't fight them, just hold them off. It's dark now, so even if the Yanzhou army comes after us, they won't dare to act recklessly for a while. Once it's light, you can lead your troops to retreat quickly and don't need to worry about them anymore," Liu Bei instructed.

Zhang Fei nodded: "Don't worry, brother, I know."

Zhang Fei and Liu Bei then split their forces into two groups. Zhang Fei led his troops to block the pursuers, while Liu Bei led the refugees to retreat quickly.