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

This statement is extremely clear.

Lü Ding nodded: "Defense is the right strategy. But the Yellow Turbans may retreat today, but they may return tomorrow. If each side defends its own corner, they will eventually become exhausted."

Luo Jun raised his eyes, his gaze sharp: "What is your intention, young master?"

"Joint defense," Lü Ding answered readily. "Chencheng will guard the inside, and our camp will guard the outside. Scouts will communicate with each other, and supply lines will be jointly protected. Military orders will be carried out by each unit without hindering each other."

Luo Jun remained silent for a moment. The wind outside the hall picked up, as if someone was whispering in the corridor. After a long while, he slowly said, "Today's battle is easy, but tomorrow's long defense will be difficult. Is the young master confident?"

Lü Ding did not answer immediately, but instead looked out the window. In the distance, outside the city gate, the Yi Cong Camp's formation remained disciplined.

"The key to holding a position is not how long it lasts, but how to win the hearts of the people," he said. "As long as the hearts of the people are with us, we can hold a position for a long time."

Luo Jun looked at him and suddenly smiled softly: "Young master, you are young, but your words are not light."

Lu Ding did not accept the praise, but said only: "The Prime Minister has governed Chen for many years, and the city is stable. This is not something that can be achieved overnight. Today's discussion is only to ensure that Chen and Runan no longer fight each other."

After Lü Ding finished speaking, the hall fell silent for a moment.

Luo Jun tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, but his gaze never left Lü Ding's face.

"Each should stay in their own post and not hinder each other," he said slowly. "Easier said than done."

Lü Dingdao said, "The orders of the Chen state still originate from Chen City. Our camp will only guard the southern route and will not be involved in internal affairs. If there is any military intelligence, military reports will be sent together; if there are any troop movements, we will be notified in advance. When the enemy comes, we will fight together; when the enemy retreats, we will each guard our own territory."

Luo Jun pondered for a moment.

"What about outside of South Road?"

Lü Ding did not evade the question: "If the southern front is in chaos, both Chen and Runan will suffer. If the southern front is stable, Chen will be safe and Runan will be spared. This is not a matter of whether to submit or not, but a matter of survival or non-survival."

The wind outside grew stronger, and the eaves bells tinkled softly.

Luo Jun raised his eyes and asked, "What name would you like to use, young master?"

This question isn't about titles, but about stances.

Lu Ding replied calmly, "The name can be discussed later. First, we must protect the people, then the roads. Within a month or so, the scouts should communicate with each other, and the supply lines should be jointly protected. If there is no further unrest on the southern front, then we can discuss a longer-term strategy."

Luo Jun stared at him, remaining silent for a long time.

After a long silence, he slowly said:

"Alright. We'll defend together for a month. Our sentries will communicate with each other, and we'll protect the supply lines together. Chencheng will guard the inside, and your camp will guard the outside. If any enemy invades, we'll advance and retreat together. If there are any changes in military reports, we'll inform each other first."

He paused, then added, "But the administration of Chen shall remain with Chen."

Lü Ding cupped his hands in greeting: "Of course."

The atmosphere in the hall subtly shifted at that moment.

It was not submission, not vassalage, but a southern front, from which there would be no more division.

For the first time, the states of Chen and Runan were described as "side by side" rather than "standing side by side".

With the atmosphere in the hall settled, Luo Jun said no more. Lü Ding rose to take his leave, and Luo Jun did not try to stop him, only saying, "We will send someone to the city gates tomorrow to discuss the matter of the military sentries."

Lü Ding nodded.

When we left the main hall, it was already close to dusk.

The ranks outside the city had not yet dispersed. The Black Horse general, escorting the prisoners, stood before the ranks, his hands still bound, but his gaze was calm. The surrounding soldiers neither insulted nor shouted, but simply guarded the city according to military discipline.

As Lü Ding approached, the man looked up and met his gaze.

"What is your name?" Lü Ding asked.

"Zhang Cheng," he answered crisply, "originally from Yangxia."

Lu Ding didn't ask any further questions, only saying, "Take it back."

-

Several days later, the escort team headed north.

Chencheng was no longer disturbed, and the joint defense operation began. Military outposts communicated with each other, and supply lines were protected together, gradually stabilizing the southern front.

Zhang Cheng remained silent the entire way.

When we entered Runan, the autumn harvest was almost over.

He had expected to be beheaded under the city walls or displayed to the public to boost morale, but he never imagined he would only be detained.

What they saw along the way was not plunder and looting, but villages gradually returning to farming, river embankments being repaired, and no disturbance between soldiers and civilians.

In the fields, the wheat stalks had not yet been harvested, and several children chased each other along the edge of the fields. In the distance, smoke rose steadily from the chimneys of the villages.

The escort team did not enter the city, but instead turned towards a village.

The gate to the manor was not high, and there was no ornate plaque in front of it, only the old color of the wooden beams and the slightly slanted eaves. Outside the manor, soldiers were practicing their formation, their steps in perfect unison.

Zhang Cheng stopped and asked, "Where is this?"

The escorting soldier replied, "Lü Family Village."

There were no heavy troops or high walls in the village, only neat granaries and clean wells. Women carried water by and were not alarmed by the soldiers.

For the first time, Zhang Cheng's gaze flickered.

He was born in Yangxia and was originally the son of a tenant farmer. When the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, he merely followed the crowd. His so-called "acting on behalf of Heaven" was nothing more than a desire to escape being driven away and subjected to exorbitant taxes.

He believed that the world was in chaos and that wherever his troops went, they would plunder and burn.

But here, soldiers returned to their posts, and civilians went home, each going about their own business as if they had never been wary of each other.

He didn't sleep that night.

-

A few days later, Lü Ding summoned Zhang Cheng.

There were no instruments of torture in the hall, and even the guards had retreated to the outside of the corridor, leaving only a half-closed door, through which light slanted in from under the eaves.

Without exchanging pleasantries, Lü Ding asked only one question: "Why did you join the bandits?"

Zhang Cheng remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "To survive."

"Where are you from? How many people are in your family? How did you make a living before you became a thief?"

"A native of Yangxia. Originally, he rented three mu of land."

"The rent was increased the year before last, but the harvest was poor, and we were owed two bushels of grain. The landlord demanded rent, and the house was taken back."

"My mother fell ill, but we had no money for medical treatment, and she passed away."

At this point, Zhang Cheng suddenly stopped. He had never retreated despite being attacked by swords and arrows on the battlefield, but now he lowered his head.

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Lü Ding asked, "If I don't join the rebels, can I survive?"

Zhang Cheng raised his eyes, his gaze cold and hard: "You won't survive."

Lü Dingdao said: "In Runan, the rent for tenants is fixed and cannot be increased. It may be deferred in case of famine. The army shall not occupy land. Anyone who disturbs the people shall be executed."

Zhang Cheng stared at him: "Rent arrears can be deferred?"

"slow."

"Didn't the land change hands due to war?"

"Not easy."

Lu Ding looked at him and said calmly, "Farming or joining the army. The choice is yours."

Zhang Cheng's eyes flickered slightly.

"How about farming?"

"Rent three acres, pay 30% rent, and keep the rest for yourself."

"Or perhaps join the army?"

"Units are organized into ranks, and rewards and punishments are based on military discipline. Each soldier is responsible for his own life and death."

The hall fell silent.

Zhang Cheng stood there, motionless for a long time. He had always thought he was just a prisoner, that freedom was no longer his concern, and he never imagined that someone would entrust his fate to him.

After a long silence, he said in a low voice, "If I were to farm, my mother is no longer here. In this chaotic world, how could farming possibly bring me any peace?"

Zhang Cheng looked up, his tone low but firm: "I will join the army."

Lü Ding nodded: "Military discipline comes first."

Zhang Cheng then slowly bowed down.

This bow was made only so that he would no longer be forced to become a thief.

In the following months, Zhang Cheng was not given any important authority, but was only assigned to the outer ranks of the militia to accompany the army.

He knew the whereabouts of the scattered Yellow Turban soldiers and understood why they gathered and dispersed.

He repeatedly tried to persuade his former subordinates to surrender, but he never spoke of righteousness or victory; he only asked one question: "Do you still have your family's land?"

Some remained silent, so he continued, "The rent here will not be increased, and overdue rent can be deferred." His words were few, but they carried more weight than any promise.

Several hundred members of the Yellow Turban rebels, who had previously been scattered and causing trouble in southern Yuzhou, gradually surrendered.

It wasn't because of Wei, nor because of En, but simply because they finally saw that there were other ways to live.