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

The morning breeze in mid-August already carried a hint of coolness, causing the sleeves of the black official robes of the officials standing outside Sima Gate, waiting to enter the palace, to sway gently.

But even the coldest wind couldn't compare to the battle reports cut down by the Liangzhou army's blades at Hangu Pass.

An army of over 200,000 was wiped out in an instant.

Although there were 100,000 White Wave soldiers among them, the remaining 120,000 were also the elite of the Han army.

Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun each led 50,000 troops in Yuzhou and Yangzhou, and never suffered a defeat in their campaigns to the east and west.

Little did they know that a crushing defeat would lead to their complete downfall.

Zhu Jun was captured, and his head is still hanging on Hangu Pass, exposed to the autumn wind.

After their defeat, Huangfu Song and Zhang Wen were imprisoned upon returning to Luoyang.

The betrayal by the Yang family of Hongnong added a chilling touch to this report of defeat.

With the loss of both Hongnong and Hedong prefectures, the Liangzhou army's advance was aimed directly at Hangu Pass in Xin'an County.

When this battle report was delivered to Luoyang last night, the entire city was shaken.

In the past, on the days of court sessions, many officials would gather in groups of three or five in front of the Sima Gate, chatting and laughing.

But today, the area in front of Sima Gate is deathly silent.

Apart from heavy breathing, no one spoke.

Grand Tutor Yuan Wei.

Situ Cui Lie.

Sikong Ma Ridi.

Court Minister Guo Hong, and Xun Shuang, who had just been recruited by the court and replaced Yang Biao as Commandant of the Guards, stood in front of the Sima Gate.

When the appointed time arrived, the Sima Gate opened.

Hundreds of officials, holding white official tablets and dressed in black robes, slowly entered the Sima Gate in order of their rank.

When all the court officials arrived near the Jiade Hall, the hall was noticeably more somber than usual.

Imperial guards stood on the imperial road leading to both sides of the Jiade Hall.

Jian Shuo, the commander of the Imperial Guards, also stood in front of the palace gate with a knife in his hand.

Inside the cold and gloomy Jiade Hall, Empress Dowager Dong sat beside Emperor Liu Xie, who had only recently ascended the throne.

The beaded curtain hanging from the phoenix crown on her head swayed slightly.

The wide sleeves of the robe were clasped together.

After the officials took their seats according to their official ranks, before the eunuch could announce the start of the court session, Empress Dowager Dong, who was sitting next to Liu Xie, had already spoken up impatiently.

Lady Dong first glanced at Yuan Wei, who was kneeling in the front row, and then looked at the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers.

However, at this moment, everyone's heads were lowered, their eyes were downcast, and they were looking at their noses, noses, mouths, and hearts.

They didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

It seemed as if they were afraid of offending the Dong family on the throne.

"I'm sure you've all heard yesterday's battle report," Lady Dong said in a very suppressed voice, "Two hundred thousand troops!"

"An army of two hundred thousand was defeated in an instant!"

"The 200,000-strong army that the imperial court supported with so much money and grain was defeated in an instant."

"I sent them to quell the rebellion, but they were so frightened by Duan Yu that they stayed at Hangu Pass for half a month and didn't even dare to attack Hangu Pass!"

These are the loyal ministers and generals of the court, these are the officials of the Han Dynasty! Are they going to wait until Duan Yu's army reaches the gates of Luoyang before handing over the Empress Dowager and His Majesty to Duan Yu?!

As soon as Madam Dong finished speaking, the hundreds of court officials kneeling in the Jiade Hall immediately knelt down on the ground.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger."

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger."

"Calm down?" Madam Dong's delicate brows furrowed tightly. "How can I calm down? Two hundred thousand troops have been wiped out, Hongnong and Hedong counties have fallen, and Duan Yu's Liangzhou troops are about to reach the gates of Luoyang!"

"Does my anger need to be appeased?"

"Tell me, what should we do now?" Lady Dong pointed to the kneeling courtiers in the palace.

The hall was completely silent.

Grand Tutor Yuan Wei, who was kneeling at the front, was the first to straighten up and hold up his tablet with both hands, saying, "Empress Dowager, Luoyang still has eight passes. Although Duan Yu has broken through Hangu Pass, it will not be easy for him to conquer the eight passes of Luoyang."

"Hangu Pass in Xin'an County is heavily guarded. As long as it remains closed and no one comes out, Duan Yu will absolutely not be able to break through it easily in a short time. Besides, winter is just around the corner."

The old minister suggested that the Empress Dowager immediately issue an edict to raise a large army from all over the country to guard the eight passes of Luoyang.

"This old minister recommends Liu Bei, the Chancellor of Langya. He is a member of the Han imperial family, devoted to the Han dynasty, and skilled in strategy and military command. This old minister believes that by having him guard Hangu Pass in Xin'an County and leading troops to Luoyang, Luoyang can be kept safe."

Lady Dong, seated on the throne, nodded.

But it's clear that this didn't completely satisfy the Dong family.

Although winter is just over a month away, what if something goes wrong in that month?

"I am naturally at ease with the Grand Tutor's recommendation, but what should we do now?" Lady Dong pressed on, "What if Duan Yu leads his troops to attack?"

As she spoke, Madam Dong turned her gaze to Situ Cui Lie.

Cui Lie, who was being watched by Madam Dong, seemed to have something on his mind and slowly straightened up with an extremely troubled expression.

"Your Majesty, I...I have a suggestion," Cui Lie said slowly.

"Speak," Madam Dong said impatiently, looking at the dawdling Cui Lie. "What suggestions does Situ have?"

At this moment, Cui Lie lowered his gaze, not daring to look at his colleagues around him, and then slowly said, "Empress Dowager, I believe that the best course of action now is to stabilize Duan Yu. Duan Yu's desire to support Marquis Shi is nothing more than a desire to gain power and status."

"In the past, the Empress Dowager promised Duan Yu that she would make him a king. Now that Duan Yu has conquered the Western Regions, why doesn't the Empress Dowager use this as a pretext to negotiate with Duan Yu? She can use the promise of a kingship as a starting point to appeal to his emotions, reason with him, and offer him benefits. Since Duan Yu is the governor of Liangzhou, then let's ask him to be granted the title of King of Liang. If Duan Yu is tempted, he might just... put an end to the war."

hiss!

Cui Lie's words immediately drew a murmur and gasps of surprise from the court.

Split the land and become king!

This is about to establish a fiefdom and bestow titles upon kings.

The White Horse Alliance came first, and it was an ancestral instruction from Emperor Gaozu that no one other than a member of the Liu family could be granted the title of king, and no one other than one who had made military contributions could be granted the title of marquis; otherwise, the whole world would unite against them.

Although the White Horse Alliance was broken several times afterward, each time it caused turmoil in the world.

Cui Lie's public remonstrance in the court to grant Duan Yu the title of king was clearly a treasonous act.

How dare Cui Lie say such a thing?

Kneeling at the front, Yuan Wei narrowed his eyes, the shrewd glint in them like that of an old fox as he stealthily glanced at Lady Dong, who sat on the throne.

Does Cui Lie have the audacity to say such a thing?

Apparently not.

Judging from Cui Lie's expression just now, it was clear that he was unwilling, but had no choice but to say it.

Who drove Choi Yeol to this point?

The answer is already obvious.

Cui Lie bought the position of Minister of Works with money, which meant he was unworthy of the position and was only after coveting the position of one of the Three Dukes.

Because of this incident, Cui Lie's reputation has been completely ruined.

Without a doubt, it was the Empress Dowager who instructed Cui Lie, and she used Cui Lie's official position as leverage.

Only someone like Cui Lie would be so willing to submit for an official position.

If it were someone else with the same name, they would certainly rather resign from their official post and return to their hometown than dare to utter such treasonous words.

Sure enough, as soon as Cui Lie finished speaking, Xun Shuang was the first to stand up and point at Cui Lie: "Minister Cui, how could you utter such treasonous words? According to the ancestral teachings of Emperor Gaozu, no one other than the Liu family could be granted the title of king after the White Horse Alliance. How is your open discussion of granting land and the title of king to Duan Yu any different from treason?"

Xun Shuang's words only made things worse, as Cui Lie felt a pang of guilt.

But when he saw that it was Xun Shuang who stood up and accused him, his already pent-up frustration exploded.

“Xun Ciming, you don’t need to spout righteousness and ancestral precepts all the time.” Cui Lie turned around and pointed at Xun Shuang, saying, “It’s not like there aren’t people from your Xun clan who serve under Duan Yu. What about Xun You? Isn’t he helping Duan Yu? What right does your Yingchuan Xun clan have to talk about me like that!”

"you!"

Xun Shuang's face turned bright red from the rebuke.

The Minister of Justice, Guo Hong, who was kneeling not far away, lowered his head and slightly raised the corners of his mouth.

Are they starting to expose each other's shortcomings?

The aristocratic families do not put all their bets together; this has been a tradition for thousands of years, and everyone knows it, but no one will actually bring it up.

The people sitting on the throne have changed over the centuries, but the people who govern the world have always been the same.

Of course, this cannot be blamed on Xun Shuang and Cui Lie.

Clearly, the idea of ​​negotiating peace with Duan Yu and bestowing upon him the title of king did not originate from Cui Lie.

"enough!"

A sharp shout from Lady Dong on the throne interrupted the argument between Cui Lie and Xun Shuang.

"Today's court assembly is for discussing how to deal with Duan Yu, not for you to quarrel. What kind of behavior is this, three high-ranking officials?"

Xun Shuang took a deep breath, snorted, and then ignored Cui Lie.

Cui Lie also turned away and stopped looking at Xun Shuang.

"Although Situ Cui's suggestion was somewhat inappropriate, I did agree to grant Duan Yu the title of king, and Duan Yu may have some resentment in his heart... in addition to some previous misunderstandings."

I feel it is necessary to explain these things to Duan Yu.

"How about this, let's send someone to sound out Duan Yu first. If he really harbors resentment, everything can be resolved," said Madam Dong.

Yuan Wei gently shook his head.

Confused.

That's just womanly compassion.

At this point, what is there left to discuss?

Duan Yu now holds a decisive advantage, and his army is poised to strike Luoyang.

This is not the best time for peace talks.

The person who came up with this idea must be an idiot, a moron.

Moreover, once the news of this peace talks is released, the gentry in Guanzhong will likely all side with Duan Yu.

However, Yuan Wei did not refute this.

By using Cui Lie to test everyone's reaction and pushing him out as a target, Dong Shi clearly had made up her mind.

Yuan Weimi lowered his head and narrowed his eyes.

It seems that the Yuan family also needs to leave themselves a way out.

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

P.S.: Ahem... those who know, know. Let the charging and little gifts come even more fiercely, hehe. Time for bed, time for bed, if I stay up any longer I won't be able to get up for work tomorrow! Goodnight everyone, sweet dreams!