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

The smoke from the northern boundary marker had not yet dissipated when swift cavalry from the south broke through the morning mist. The water at the river mouth was tinged with a thin white, and the embers of fire outside the treeline were still burning. The militia were clearing away the tripwires and broken logs from the previous night.

Han Changli stood on the slope, surveying the area. The arrow wound on his shoulder throbbed with pain. He had not yet removed his armor, and he could feel the bloodstains slowly sticking to the fabric under his cloak.

Suddenly, a rider galloped in, shouting before even entering the camp gate: "Urgent report—urgent report from Chen State!"

The sound pierced through the morning mist, like a cold blade.

Han Chang turned and went downhill. The knight tumbled off his horse, holding out urgent letters with wet mud in his hands, clearly sealed and sent overnight.

"Yangxia has fallen."

Han Chang's fingers paused on the seal clay.

His movements as he opened the letter were steady, but the moment his gaze fell upon it, his pupils suddenly contracted.

The main force of the Yellow Turbans launched a night attack on Yangxia. The defending army numbered less than three hundred, the county gate was breached, the granaries were burned, and the remaining troops retreated to Chen County. The letter also stated that the Yellow Turbans were taking refugees along the way, and their numbers were rapidly expanding, with three different banners now in use.

The last sentence is extremely short: "The gates of Chen City have been opened; it may be difficult to hold out alone."

Han Chang looked up, his gaze sweeping across the river mouth to the shadowy trees south of the boundary marker. Last night, when the Yellow Turbans burned the grain, he had assumed they were after the granaries; now it seemed they were merely trying to hold off the patrolling force.

The lieutenant lowered his voice: "General, if Yangxia falls, Chencheng will be left defenseless."

Han Chang did not answer; he only heard a muffled thud in his chest. Yangxia was the southern shield of the Chen Kingdom; without this barrier, Chen City would become an isolated city.

Just then, intermittent bugle calls came from the east side of the forest line. Unlike the previous night, these calls were shorter and more fragmented. A scout galloped over: "A small group of Yellow Turban troops has been spotted three miles outside the forest. They haven't approached the river mouth, but they are constantly issuing warnings."

Han Chang received an urgent letter.

This is a drag.

The Yellow Turbans did not retreat; they deliberately lingered around the river mouth, forcing the troops on the northern front to remain still.

He turned around abruptly: "Gather the troops."

The lieutenant was startled: "General?"

"Send five hundred men with me to return and reinforce Chencheng."

The lieutenant's face turned pale: "There are only seven hundred soldiers left at the river mouth. If we divide our forces again, and the forest line falls into disarray again—"

Han Chang shouted sternly, "Yangxia has fallen!"

Before the words were even finished, another rider galloped in from the south. This rider was even more disheveled, his horse stained with blood, his face ashen. He tumbled to the ground before reaching the camp, his voice almost ripping apart: "The main force of the Yellow Turbans has been spotted outside Chen City, over two thousand strong! They've already arrayed themselves beneath the city walls; the city is requesting reinforcements!"

The air seemed to have been sucked out.

two thousand.

These are not scattered bandits; they are siege forces.

Han Chang felt a ringing in his ears for a moment. He knew very well that the garrison in Chencheng numbered no more than eight hundred, and most of them were county soldiers. If the main force were stationed there, it would be difficult to hold out for even two days.

The lieutenant whispered, "General, this is a diversionary tactic. They burned the grain supplies last night, and today they're attacking the city. If the border is breached, they can break through on two fronts simultaneously."

Han Chang knew, of course. He even saw the line—the burning of grain last night was to immobilize him; the siege today was to prevent him from returning to reinforce the city.

The bugle sounded again from beyond the woods, and several rockets crossed the shallow river, landing on the wooden stakes at the river mouth. The fire hadn't yet gained momentum, but it was enough to unsettle people. It was as if they were telling them—stay here, don't go anywhere.

Han Chang's chest heaved violently. How many days could Chencheng hold out? No one could guarantee it.

With Yangxia captured, the Yellow Turbans are at the height of their power. If Chencheng falls, the very foundation of the Chen state will be shaken.

He suddenly realized that this was not a tactical issue, but a matter of choice.

The deputy general, seeing Han Chang's face shifting between light and shadow, as if he were torn between two conflicting emotions, whispered worriedly, "The governor's office is still undecided; if the general were to act rashly—"

"If Chencheng falls, what use will the prefect be?" Han Chang asked in a low voice.

The wind whistled through the treeline, and the bugle sounded again. The Yellow Turban army appeared and disappeared at the edge of the forest, never approaching, yet never retreating.

Han Chang suddenly turned around: "Prepare the horses."

The lieutenant was stunned.

"I'm going to see Young Master Lü."

Asking for help meant acknowledging that the border control was in Runan's hands; it meant that the State of Chen would no longer be able to defend alone.

Inside the tent, Lü Ding was reviewing documents from the south. The embers in the brazier were still burning, and the air still smelled of burnt grain. Han Chang strode into the tent, placed two urgent letters on the table, and said in a very low but steady voice: "Yangxia has fallen, and Chencheng is under siege."

After reading it, Lü Ding looked up and asked, "How many main forces of the Yellow Turbans are there?"

"Two thousand or more."

Are there still troops harassing the forest line?

"have."

"You want to come back to help."

Han Chang did not evade the question: "Yes."

"The magistrate has not yet resolved the matter."

"I know."

"How will you handle yourself after disobeying orders?"

Han Chang's throat tightened, but he did not back down: "If Chencheng falls, I will have no face to live with myself. As for the governor... I can't care about that now."

The sound of horses' hooves echoed intermittently outside the tent, and the faint sound of bugle calls from the forest line drifted over. Lü Ding remained silent for a moment, then asked, "How many more days can Chencheng hold out?"

"If there is still enough food, two days."

"What if people's hearts are in turmoil?"

"Or less than a day."

Lü Ding stood up, walked outside the tent, and looked towards the river mouth. Dust shadows flickered beyond the treeline; small groups of Yellow Turban soldiers were still roaming. He needed to hold back the river mouth, hold back Han Chang, hold back the last fighting force of the Chen Kingdom.

"If you leave, the river mouth will be vacant," Lü Ding said.

"If I don't leave, Chencheng will be in danger," Han Chang replied.

These two sentences are like two stones weighing down the same scale.

After a long silence, Lü Ding spoke: "Xu Huang."

"exist."

"Reorganize the army."

Han Chang suddenly looked up.

Lü Ding turned to him: "This trip to rescue Chencheng is not for the sake of the Chen state, but for the sake of the border. If Chencheng falls, Runan will surely fall into chaos."

Han Chang felt a sharp pain in his shoulder wound again, but he no longer hesitated. He understood that once he took this step, the Chen Kingdom would no longer be the Chen Kingdom of the past.

Dust thickened in the distance; the main force of the Yellow Turbans had approached Chencheng. The bugle calls still echoed at the river mouth, and the harassing troops outside the forest had not yet retreated.

The front line is being dragged down, and one city is in dire straits.

Han Chang knew he had no way out.

Xu Huang asked no further questions and turned to leave the tent. A moment later, the drums of the camp sounded softly, more like a military drill than a battle preparation. The banners of the Righteous Cavalry Camp slowly unfurled in the morning mist, and the various battalions formed orderly ranks.

Han Chang stood in front of the tent, watching the army take shape, and a complex emotion suddenly arose in his heart—these were soldiers who came to rescue Chen City, but they were not soldiers that the Chen Kingdom could mobilize.

However, Lü Ding did not immediately order the departure.

"Xu Huang," he said in a low voice, "Keep the troops at the river mouth intact, guard the forest line and the shallow river. Re-establish the barricades, and extend the outposts three miles outwards. If the Yellow Turbans divide their forces to counterattack—burn the bridges and cut off the roads; do not allow them to linger in battle."

Xu Huang clasped his hands in a fist salute: "As you command."

Lu Ding's gaze swept over the volunteer soldiers lined up in front of the camp.

"Draw three thousand, as I see fit."

He then mounted his horse, his voice not loud, yet it carried clearly in front of the camp:

"If we retreat today, the three border prefectures will be in chaos. Follow me south."

The flag of the Righteous Cavalry Battalion suddenly tilted forward.

Before the drums began to beat rapidly, a series of low, deep sounds rang out. Three thousand riders broke out from the formation, their hooves gradually straightening, and dust swirling in the morning light.

Han Chang led more than 700 men to accompany the army.

Further south, atop the city walls of Chen, people could already see a cloud of dust billowing in the distance—

Those are not refugees.

They were the main force of the Yellow Turbans who had gathered together.

No one knows how long the city gates can hold out.