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

In the spacious study, Duan Yu sat behind the desk in the main seat, with many lacquerware and goldware displayed on the antique shelf behind him.

His fingers tapped lightly on the table in front of him, making a rhythmic sound.

Who killed Cui Lie?

Duan Yu frowned slightly.

Yesterday, while he was visiting his youngest son, Duan Tian, ​​in the Jiaofang Palace, he received a message from Liu Baitu saying that the court in Luoyang had inquired about Anwen, and that Lady Dong had suggested granting him the title of king.

Of course, Duan Yu didn't care about being granted the title of king; what he cared about was whether the Dong family would impose any additional conditions.

After all, it's not bad to be able to get some tangible benefits.

Of course, he was not prepared to accept the title of king.

That's why I rushed back from Jiaofang Palace yesterday.

Unexpectedly, I received news of Cui Lie's death this morning.

Cui Lie was ambushed and killed at Hongmen Pavilion, not far from Chang'an.

Clearly, this order did not come from him.

"My lord..."

Li Ru, who was seated below Duan Yu, bowed slightly and said to Duan Yu, "In my opinion, everyone present in court yesterday is a suspect in the assassination of Cui Lie."

"After all... they now reside in Chang'an, in the Chang'an court."

"if......."

Duan Yu stopped tapping his fingers on the table and took a deep breath.

Duan Yu understood what Li Ru meant by those words.

After the Battle of Hangu Pass, the gentry of Guanzhong had already chosen sides.

If, he meant if.

If he accepts the imperial pardon from the Luoyang court now, these people will likely be purged in the future.

Of course, the Guanzhong gentry were not stupid; they also knew that the probability of this was extremely low.

But there's a premise: "Every man for himself, or he'll be damned."

Especially when a group of interests is formed and deeply intertwined, things are like this: if you don't make a decision, someone else will make the decision for you.

Cui Lie is dead.

The plan for Luoyang to offer amnesty to the imperial court failed, resulting in a win-win situation for both the Guanzhong gentry and the Chang'an court.

only......

Duan Yu didn't quite like this feeling.

But as I said before, this kind of thing can't be solved overnight.

To replace the importance of the aristocratic families, three to five years is too short a time; ten to eight years may be enough to see initial results.

"Alright, let's not bring this up again for now. Let Liu Baitu investigate secretly. He's dead, so what? It's no big deal and won't affect the overall situation."

Duan Yu waved his hand, then picked up the hot tea on the table, took a sip, and looked at Jia Xu, asking, "Wenhe, you just returned from the Western Regions. When you passed through Dunhuang, how was the school run by Zhang Zhi and Zhang Chang?"

Jia Xu raised his hands in a cupped-hand salute and replied, "Initial results have been seen."

"The orphans and widows among the million Yellow Turbans who migrated from Jizhou to Liangzhou last year have now begun to move to Dunhuang. Zhang Zhi and Zhang Chang have also recruited some poor students in Dunhuang to teach together."

Currently, there are already several hundred students.

Hearing Jia Xu's reply, Duan Yu nodded slightly.

Breaking the monopoly on knowledge is not something that can be accomplished overnight, especially since he is now facing the challenge of dominating the world and needs the support of the gentry.

Of course, he wouldn't let this situation continue indefinitely.

However, this method needs to be implemented gradually and should not be rushed.

Therefore, when he first met Zhang Zhi and the Zhang brothers, he set his sights on Dunhuang County.

Dunhuang Prefecture was far from the Central Plains, and it was also a place he had absolute control over.

Zhang Huan spent his later years teaching students.

As sons of Zhang Huan, Zhang Zhi and Zhang Chang, who were known as the "Sage of Cursive Script" and "Second Sage of Cursive Script" respectively, were perfectly suited to complete this task.

Starting with Dunhuang County, we will first train a group of people.

We don't expect them to have great academic knowledge; at the very least, it would be enough if these people were trained to be literate, able to solve cases, and govern counties and townships.

Then, through this group of people, cultural knowledge was gradually spread throughout Liangzhou.

It slowly grew into a prairie fire.

"Not enough." Duan Yu shook his head slightly.

Although Cui Lie's death was not a major event, it increased Duan Yu's vigilance and resentment towards the aristocratic families.

“Write to Gai Xun and increase investment in the school. Every student who enrolls will receive a monthly living allowance, and Liangzhou will cover all the food and lodging expenses for the enrolled students.”

"In addition, tell Zhang Zhi and his brother Zhang Chang that the teachers who teach students should be ranked according to their teaching hours and contributions."

"Students take a unified exam every quarter, and the promotion of students and teachers is linked to their performance in the exam."

"The gentleman will be classified into three levels: primary, intermediate, and advanced, and will be rewarded with a nominal salary. Furthermore, he will be given priority in being recommended for the civil service examination based on filial piety and integrity among the clan's members."

"All the stationery and writing implements for the school were provided by Liangzhou."

“Send a message to Yang Fu, informing him to expand the printing plant in Ji County and print his privately collected books on white paper and send them to Dunhuang County.”

"In addition, send a message to Xi Zhong, instructing him to also open schools in the Western Regions, ban all languages ​​of the Western Regions, and unify the teaching of Chinese."

After Duan Yu issued his orders, everyone in the hall began to take notes.

"That's all for now," Duan Yu continued. "You've just returned from the Western Regions, so take some time to adjust to life in Chang'an."

"Chang'an is currently in dire need of reconstruction, its foundation is still weak, and the people of Guanzhong do not yet have a strong sense of belonging to us."

"Therefore, we should increase our efforts to win over the people of Guanzhong. Taking advantage of this ascension to the throne, we should first exempt Guanzhong from taxes for the coming year, and then slowly carry out land reform. We should temporarily avoid touching the interests of the Guanzhong gentry by using the Liangzhou production team model, and carry out land reclamation."

"All the farming tools used by the people, as well as the good seeds for next year, will be provided by Liangzhou."

"We will implement the policy of officials visiting households to ensure winter preparedness, which was implemented in Liangzhou two years ago, and supervise it at every level."

"At the same time, we will vigorously promote the 'Battle Achievements of Liangzhou' in Guanzhong, so that the people of Guanzhong will know about the situation in Liangzhou."

The limitations of the era meant that even people in different prefectures and counties were completely unaware of what was happening or what was going on in distant places.

In this era without electronic communication, even if people were only separated by a county, it was like living in two different worlds.

To let the people of Guanzhong know about the treatment they receive in Liangzhou and the happiness they enjoy, we must combine publicity with policy reassurance.

"Go and make your own preparations," Duan Yu said, waving his sleeve. "The Liangzhou troops will rest for now. We will formulate next year's strategic direction and specific matters after His Majesty ascends the throne."

After Duan Yu gave the order, Li Ru and the others did not move.

Just as Duan Yu was wondering what was going on, Jia Xu, Li Ru, Xun You, and Cheng Yu all stood up and came to Duan Yu.

"My lord, we request that you accept the honor of being granted the title of king."

"My lord, we request that you accept the honor of being granted the title of king."

"My lord, we request that you accept the honor of being granted the title of king."

"My lord, we request that you accept the honor of being granted the title of king."

The four of them said in unison.

Duan Yu looked surprised.

Then he gently shook his head and smiled.

It seems that it wasn't just the Guanzhong gentry who were eager for him to accept the title of king and then bind him with their interests to the greatest extent possible.

His subordinates are the same.

Of course, this is all human nature.

His subordinates, who had followed him from his humble beginnings in Jinyang until now, had long since formed a huge interest group.

The Bingzhou lineage, the Liangzhou lineage...

"Alright, I will give this matter serious consideration. You may all go about your business."

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

Situ Yangbiao's residence.

Yang Feng, who had been granted the title of Tiger-General, was sitting in the hall with Yang Biao at this time.

After listening to Yang Ci recount the process and outcome of intercepting and killing Cui Lie, Yang Biao nodded in satisfaction.

“Although Marquis Ji will not accept the title bestowed by the Luoyang court, Chang’an has just been pacified and people’s hearts are not at ease. As long as Cui Lie enters Chang’an, it will arouse suspicion. His death is the best outcome. In this way, everyone will be happy and so many people will not worry about their future,” Yang Biao said slowly.

Yang Ci nodded slightly and said, "I just don't know if Marquis Ji will find out about what we've done in the future..."

"No, don't worry."

Before Yang Feng could finish speaking, Yang Biao shook his head and interrupted, saying, "Even if Marquis Ji finds out in the future that we did it, he won't blame us."

"Chang'an needs stability, as does the Emperor, including the Empress Dowager in Weiyang Palace, and the strategists and fierce generals of the Marquis of Ji..."

"By doing this, we have solved a problem for Marquis Ji, and for the Empress Dowager and His Majesty."

Yang Feng breathed a sigh of relief, and his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was finally at ease.

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

Time flies, and several days have passed.

Before long, the appointed day for Liu Bian to ascend the throne arrived.

At the third quarter of the hour of Mao (5:45 AM), the Heavenly Street was solemn.

At dawn, the bronze horns mounted on the battlements of Weiyang Palace rang out in unison, their sound like thunder.

All the gates of Weiyang Palace were opened one after another.

Three thousand Imperial Guards, clad in golden armor and wielding halberds, stood in formation, forming a ten-mile stretch of scarlet carpet from the White Tiger Hall to the Xi'an Gate.

Seventy-two bronze chimes erected on both sides of the imperial road rang out in unison, their sound resounding throughout the world.

The nine-dragon curved dragon carriage slowly drove out of Chengming Hall and headed towards the sacrificial altar outside Xi'an Gate along the imperial road paved with scarlet carpet.