Overthrowing Wei: Starting with Cao Cao's "I'd rather betray the world than surrender

As dawn was breaking, Chen Erhe led his men out of the south gate.

The morning mist hung low, and the moisture lingered on the ridges between the fields. The sound of horses' hooves pounding on the wet mud was muffled.

That old trade route was rarely traveled, and the roadside was filled with abandoned wasteland and scattered trees. If someone deliberately avoided the official road, this was indeed the safest route.

The Fox Camp had already deployed sentries ahead.

The boundary marker stood at the border between the two prefectures, half-buried in the weeds, its stone surface mottled from the wind and rain. From afar, Chen Erhe saw a horse lying by the grass, its belly no longer heaving, the reins still in place.

"Where are they?" he asked.

The sentry ahead whispered, "Behind the boundary marker."

As Chen Erhe approached, he saw the rider lying backward beside the stone, his eyes still open, with a very narrow wound on his throat, the blood already congealed and black.

There were no signs of struggle, no trace of tumbling mud; a single, clean cut to the throat.

Chen Erhe squatted down, lifted the other person's clothes, and felt around the waist and cuffs, finally finding a thin bamboo tube hidden in the lining of the boot. Inside the bamboo tube was a small roll of unsealed silk paper.

He unfolded it and glanced at it, his brows immediately furrowing.

The silk paper contained only a few words: "The city is secure, but the Zhao family is alarmed. The fox camp is moving at night; be cautious."

The signature is unnamed, and the handwriting is extremely simple.

Chen Erhe's face turned extremely cold. This was not a letter requesting help, but a letter tipping off the Zhao family. The writer was even fully aware that the Zhao family was being watched.

This means that the commotion in the hall last night had already been reported northwards before dawn.

"Check the saddle," Chen Erhe said.

The bottom of the saddle showed very little wear, indicating it was newly replaced; the reins were tied rather tightly, not like the way a seasoned merchant would do, but more like the way a soldier would.

Looking at the wound again, the blade was extremely thin and the cut was clean, definitely not an ordinary street knife.

"Not from the aristocratic class," the sentry whispered.

Chen Erhe squatted down, glanced at the wound, and gently measured it with his fingers on the side of his throat before saying, "The blade was extremely thin, and it went cleanly into the flesh. There was no second cut."

He looked up and gazed in the direction of the boundary marker.

"It's not street-smart knife fighting."

"Like a veteran in the military."

He stood up and scanned the surrounding overgrown grass. There were no second horse tracks, no obvious signs of a struggle.

The perpetrator moved with lightning speed, making a single cut and immediately retreating, not even having time to take the bamboo tube with him. Was it a deliberate attempt to silence him, or a spur-of-the-moment decision?

"Bring the body back," Chen Erhe said in a deep voice. "And bring the horse back too."

The sentry was slightly taken aback: "Bring it back?"

Chen Erhe said coldly, "Horses are more valuable than people."

Afternoon, west wing.

The lights in the hall were still on when Lü Ding finished listening to the first half of the report. He didn't interrupt, but listened as Chen Erhe explained everything he had seen at the boundary marker.

"Is the throat wound extremely narrow?" Lu Ding asked.

"Narrow and deep, a single cut is all it takes to kill," Chen Erhe replied.

"saber?"

"picture."

Xun You stood to the side and behind, his expression grave: "Yanzhou has just been pacified, and military discipline is not yet in place. If someone had acted without authorization, it wouldn't have been so clean. This sword is the work of an experienced hand."

Lü Ding did not respond immediately. He took the scroll and his gaze fell on the four characters "Fox Camp in Action at Night." Last night, Zhao Gong was admitted to the hospital. Although the Fox Camp's movements were concealed, it was inevitable that a few families would notice. The person who wrote these four characters probably knew that the Fox Camp had been watching for three days.

"Who in the city knew that the Fox Camp had laid out its defenses in three days?" Lü Ding asked.

Chen Erhe said in a deep voice, "Besides the few people in the hall, there are only sentries outside."

Xun You frowned slightly: "If the outer sentries have been compromised, it means that someone in the Fox Camp has leaked the information."

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly turned cold.

Lu Ding looked up at Chen Erhe: "Are your men clean?"

Chen Erhe's gaze remained unwavering, but his tone was even lower than before: "The men on the outer outpost were all selected to serve with me back in Lüjiazhuang. Although the Fox Camp has not been established for long, the men were not hastily assembled." After saying this, he did not argue further.

Lü Ding didn't reply immediately, but simply placed the rolled-up paper back on the table, his fingertip lightly touching the four characters "Fox Camp in Motion at Night." "What happened last night is known to everyone in the hall and the sentries outside. The news of the Zhao family's arrest was sent north before midnight. Either it was a leak from an inside source, or someone is watching Fox Camp." He then turned his gaze to Chen Erhe, "How many places did you move people last night?"

"One at the South Gate, one in the East Alley, and one outpost outside the West Market. We'll rotate between the three," Chen Erhe replied.

"Before the shift change, was anyone temporarily reassigned?"

Chen Erhe paused slightly, then shook his head: "No."

Xun You pondered for a moment and said, "Then it wasn't that the Fox Camp leaked the information on its own, but rather that someone had been watching their movements for a long time. The Fox Camp laid out their trap at the South Gate for three days. If someone was secretly watching them, the interception of the Zhao family's letter last night would have revealed the Fox Camp's network."

Silence fell over the room. The wind had picked up outside the window, and the afternoon sky was gray and heavy, as if pressing down on the roof.

Lu Ding suddenly asked, "How far is the boundary marker from the Yanzhou military camp?"

"Half a day's journey by horse," Chen Erhe replied.

"Half a day," Lü Ding repeated in a low voice, "If they left the city at midnight last night, they could have reached the boundary marker before dawn. If someone was waiting there in advance—" He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone in the hall understood. That swift and clean strike wasn't a hasty killing after catching up; it seemed more like an ambush laid in advance.

"We are waiting for a letter," Xun You said slowly.

Chen Erhe's eyes darkened slightly. If they were waiting for a letter, it meant the other side knew someone would go north; if they were waiting at the boundary marker in advance, it meant the news might not have just come out tonight.

"Check the east side of the city," Lü Ding suddenly said.

"East of the city?" Chen Erhe was taken aback.

"Last night, Zhao Gong entered the West Courtyard. The commotion at the South Gate must have attracted attention. If someone is watching the Fox Camp, they don't necessarily need to be at the South Gate; they could be inside the city."

Lu Ding asked calmly, "Who in the east of the city has been frequently traveling along the northern trade route in recent months?"

Chen Erhe pondered for a moment and said, "The second branch of the Chen family has dealings with the salt merchants in Chenliu. There is also a newly moved cloth merchant family whose origins are unknown."

Xun You frowned slightly: "Recently moved here?"

"I settled here about two weeks ago, renting an old house, and I usually just do small-scale fabric trading."

Lü Ding looked at Chen Erhe: "Investigate that household. Investigate their horses."

"Yes."

Chen Erhe accepted the order and turned to leave, but Lü Ding spoke up again: "Wait."

Chen Erhe stopped.

"That cut at the boundary marker, you said it sounded like it was made by someone in the military." Lü Ding said calmly, "Experienced soldiers don't leave unnecessary traces. Unless—"

"Unless he wants us to see it," Xun You added.

The three men stared at each other, and the air suddenly grew heavier. If the bamboo tube was left there intentionally, it was a warning, not simply a way to silence them. The other side wanted to both cut off the communication route and let Runan know that someone was watching from the north.

"It's like a provocation," Chen Erhe said in a low voice.

Lü Ding shook his head: "It doesn't seem like a provocation. It's more like a reminder."

"What reminder?" Xun You asked.

Lu Ding's gaze fell on the northwest corner of the map, his voice low and steady: "Remind us not to cross the boundary."

"It's also possible that they're forcing us to cross the line."

No one spoke again in the hall. With Yanzhou newly pacified and Cao Cao appointed governor, any secret ties between Runan and Yanzhou would be seen as a test. That stab might not have been directed at the Zhao family's messenger, but rather a warning to Runan.