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

The Northern Palace of Luoyang, Jiade Hall.

Just as Liu Bei hurriedly arrived at Jiade Hall, Grand Tutor Yuan Wei had also arrived there.

Empress Dowager Dong, dressed in a black phoenix robe, sat behind a beaded curtain.

Jian Shuo, dressed in armor and carrying a sword at his waist, stood at the bottom of the steps.

"Your subject Liu Bei pays his respects to the Empress Dowager."

Upon entering the main hall, Liu Bei approached Yuan Wei and then respectfully knelt and kowtowed to Lady Dong.

Empress Dowager Dong, sitting behind the curtain, raised the sleeve of her phoenix robe and waved it gently: "It's the Marquis of Linxiang. No need for formalities, please rise."

"Thank you, Empress Dowager."

Liu Bei stood up, straightened his robes, and stood still.

"When the Marquis of Linxiang arrived, he must have already known why I summoned you to the palace," Lady Dong asked.

Liu Bei nodded.

Just now, when we were outside the city, Liu Bei had already heard the message from the messenger.

"I have heard some of it," Liu Bei said, bowing his head.

Lady Dong took a deep breath and said, "I just received news that Zhang Yang, the governor of Bingzhou, was captured alive and surrendered to Duan Yu after being betrayed by Liu Wei, the prefect of Taiyuan. Su Gu, the prefect of Hanzhong, also surrendered to Duan Yu."

"The Prefect of Jingzhao, Sima Fang, reported that your former classmate Gongsun Zan was careless and underestimated the enemy. He led 7,000 cavalrymen out of Hanoi County to meet the enemy, but they were ambushed by Liangzhou troops outside Tianjing Pass. Almost the entire army was wiped out, and even Gongsun Zan himself was killed. The White Horse Cavalry was completely wiped out."

Every battle report delivered by Empress Dowager Dong made Liu Bei and Yuan Wei, who stood below the throne, feel increasingly gloomy.

Especially when he heard the news of Gongsun Zan's death in battle, Liu Bei felt a sense of unreality.

Gongsun Zan was his former classmate and friend, and his senior in school.

In his early years, Liu Bei studied under Lu Zhi at Mount Goushi in Luoyang. During his time living in Luoyang, Liu Bei received a lot of care from Gongsun Zan.

When Liu Bei heard this news outside the city, he was truly shocked.

The White Horse Cavalry were the elite troops under Gongsun Zan.

When he was in Youzhou, he was basically invincible in battles against the Xianbei and other nomadic tribes of the grasslands.

There are seven thousand cavalrymen right now, not seventy or seven hundred.

How could we lose so easily?

And he didn't even have a chance to escape; he was killed instantly.

Although the specific details are still unknown, this is enough to surprise Liu Bei.

Furthermore, the capture of Zhang Yang, the governor of Bingzhou, was tantamount to the near annihilation of the entire Bingzhou.

I believe it won't be long before Duan Yu conquers Bingzhou entirely.

There is also Hanzhong Commandery.

Hanzhong Commandery was a crucial gateway town to Yizhou.

The loss of Hanzhong would effectively open the gateway to Yizhou.

Duan Yu's occupation of Hanzhong could threaten Yizhou at any time.

The Han Dynasty had thirteen provinces.

Last year, Duan Yu only held half of the position of Commandant of the Capital Region in Liangzhou.

If things continue at this pace, Duan Yu might already have Liangzhou, Bingzhou, and Yizhou before even the New Year's Day.

Duan Yu raised his army in March, and only a month and a half has passed since then.

But for the past month and a half, there have been nothing but failures.

"Marquis of Linxiang, Grand Tutor."

Empress Dowager Dong looked at the two men through the curtain and said, "It is not that I blame them for being incompetent, but Duan Yu has only been leading his troops for a month and a half. Is it possible that two provinces of the Han Dynasty will fall into his hands?"

"At this rate, Duan Yu will probably be sitting on the dragon throne in Luoyang for the New Year before the end of the year."

Both Liu Bei and Yuan Wei knelt on the ground this time.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger."

"I am not angry. What I am worried about is that my mausoleum is not yet completed. When Duan Yu enters Luoyang, where should I be buried after I die?"

"How can these officials of the Han Dynasty face the late emperor and all the previous emperors?"

"Lord Linxiang, I have a question for you." Lady Dong looked at Liu Bei.

Liu Bei's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately lay down on the ground.

"Lord Linxiang, if I were to order you to lead an army of 300,000 men out of Hangu Pass to fight the Liangzhou army, would you be able to win?"

Liu Bei's expression changed as he pressed his face against the cold, white marble floor.

If Liu Bei were to have him guard the Luoyang pass and rely on the formidable pass to hold off the Liangzhou army, he would still have a chance of winning.

But if he were to lead troops out of the pass to fight the Liangzhou army...

To be honest, Liu Bei didn't have a chance of winning.

In terms of field combat ability, in the Han Dynasty today, if Duan Yu claims to be number one, no one dares to say he is number two.

However, if Liu Bei were to admit to Empress Dowager Dong that he dared not, it would be tantamount to admitting that he was a useless person.

"Your Majesty, it's not that I dare not," Liu Bei explained while prostrating himself on the ground. "It's just that the situation on the battlefield changes in an instant. If there is any mishap, there is no possibility that the army will be overthrown and the eight passes of Luoyang will be indefensible."

"Furthermore, even if I were to win by chance, the rebels still have the strategic pass of Hangu Pass to defend, so they still cannot easily break through the pass."

"Moreover, the army's food supply is currently insufficient. If the army goes on an expedition, food and supplies will be a burden."

"Of course, if the Empress Dowager commands me to go, I will do my duty without hesitation. However... 300,000 troops are too many and absolutely not advisable. I will only take a portion of the troops with me."

Liu Bei also had his own selfish motives in saying that.

An army of 300,000.

That's all of Liu Bei's current assets.

It was Liu Bei's trump card and reliance.

If he loses, even if he wins, he won't be able to keep his current position.

On the contrary, if he only leads a portion of his troops, even if the entire army is wiped out, as long as there are still troops left, his position remains secure, allowing him to attack or defend as needed.

This is the best solution Liu Bei can think of right now.

As expected, after hearing Liu Bei's words, Lady Dong hesitated.

"Grand Tutor, do you have any good strategies to defeat the enemy?"

Lady Dong then turned her gaze to Yuan Wei.

Yuan Wei took a deep breath, then straightened up and held up his tablet with both hands, saying, "Your Majesty, the war situation is not entirely bad news."

“The Governor of Ji Province, Yuan Ji, previously wrote a letter to his old ministers, outlining a strategy that might turn the tide of the war in Bing Province.”

"Oh?"

Madam Dong immediately raised an eyebrow and said excitedly, "Grand Tutor, please tell me, what is your best strategy to deal with the enemy?"

Liu Bei also looked at Yuan Wei with surprise.

Yuan Wei paused slightly before beginning his explanation.

After Yuan Shao's unexpected death in Ji Province, Yuan Wei recommended Yuan Ji to succeed him.

However, he was no longer the governor of Ji Province, but the prefect of Ji Province.

"Your Majesty, Governor Yuan Ji of Ji Province wrote to me saying that Duan Yu's attack on Bing Province will inevitably cause the Southern Xiongnu in the northern grasslands to move south to coordinate with him, thus attacking Ji Province from both the north and south."

"That's what I thought at the time too."

"Now that Duan Yu has captured Taiyuan County and the governor of Bingzhou, Zhang Yang, has surrendered, if the Southern Xiongnu were to move south to cooperate, Bingzhou would probably fall to Duan Yu very soon."

"Yuan Ji, the governor of Ji Province, once said that Duan Yu had burned down Danhan Mountain four years ago and shot and killed Kui Tou, the elder brother of the current Xianbei Chanyu Budugen, thus forging a deadly feud with the Xianbei."

"In these four years, the Xianbei Chanyu Budugen has fought in the south and north, and has almost unified all the Xianbei tribes. His power is comparable to that of Tanshihuai in the past."

"Yuan Ji, the governor of Ji Province, suggested that the court write a letter of state to the Xianbei, establish an alliance between the two countries, and then give them certain benefits so that the Xianbei would send troops to restrain the Southern Xiongnu."

"In this way, the Southern Xiongnu will be unable to move south to cooperate with Duan Yu."

Empress Dowager Dong, sitting behind the beaded curtain, listened and nodded.

“That’s possible, but it won’t stop Duan Yu from conquering Bingzhou,” Dong Shi said, frowning.

Liu Bei thought so too.

The absence of the Xianbei would indeed have slowed down Duan Yu's conquest of Bingzhou.

But it couldn't completely stop Duan Yu.

"Empress Dowager, Governor Yuan Ji of Ji Province also mentioned in his letter that we could try to win over the Southern Xiongnu to the court. If successful, we could give Duan Yu a decisive blow at a crucial moment."

hiss!

Liu Bei raised an eyebrow as he looked at Yuan Wei.

To win over the Southern Xiongnu?

Not likely.

Princess Suhe, the eldest daughter of the Southern Xiongnu, was Duan Yu's first wife.

How could the imperial court win over the Southern Xiongnu?

"Empress Dowager, several years ago, when Duan Yu was still serving as a county magistrate in Bingzhou, he pursued Wang Rou to Daqingshan because of the case. There, he fought against Yufuluo, the eldest son of the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu. Duan Yu won the battle and severed one of Yufuluo's legs."

"Although the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu later married his eldest daughter to Duan Yu, the Southern Xiongnu were not a monolithic entity."

"The Southern Xiongnu's son, Huchuquan, was always by Duan Yu's side, while his eldest son, Yufuluo, remained on the grasslands for a long time."

"If this contradiction is used properly, it may not be impossible to win over the Southern Xiongnu."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei suddenly understood.

Yufuluo had one leg broken by Duan Yu.

Hu Chuquan has been by Duan Yu's side all these years.

If the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu Qiangqu dies in the future, who will succeed him as the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu?

Who will Duan Yu support?

Without a doubt, Duan Yu will support Huchuquan, or the child born to Duan Yu and the Southern Xiongnu princess Suhe, as the Chanyu of the Southern Xiongnu.

But no matter what, it won't happen to Hufró.

What will become of Juflo?

Yuan Wei was trying to exploit the conflict between Yu Fuluo and Duan Yu to escalate the situation and win over Yu Fuluo.

To be honest, if the Southern Xiongnu and Xianbei had both sided with the Han Dynasty and swept south from Bingzhou, Duan Yu's conquest of Bingzhou would certainly not have been as smooth as it is now.

This Yuan Kui... truly is an old fox.

However, just as this thought was brewing in Liu Bei's mind, Yuan Wei spoke up again, saying, "If it is only Marquis Linxiang who goes out of the pass to attack Duan Yu, it may not be able to defeat Duan Yu."

"But if we have the cooperation of the Southern Xiongnu and the Xianbei... then the chances of winning should be much higher."

"There is another plan. This old minister thinks we can use the name of the imperial court to win over the generals around Duan Yu."

"Even if the chances are slim, as long as we can arouse Duan Yu's suspicion... it will still be of some use. Duan Yu's foundation is still shallow, and he has many generals and troops under his command, so there is still hope."

"good!"

Empress Dowager Dong, sitting behind the beaded curtain, smiled and said, "Grand Tutor is indeed a pillar of the Han Dynasty. I grant your request."

"As long as this traitor Duan Yu can be eliminated, I will grant it without hesitation!"

Empress Dowager Dong was delighted, but Liu Bei felt as if he had been tricked by Yuan Wei.