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

"Thousands."

The room fell silent for a moment. Xu Huang frowned first: "Several thousand men lent to Sun Jian? How many troops does Yuan Shu have?"

Lü Ding did not respond immediately. He walked to the table, spread out the route map of Baima Slope, and took out a map of Yuzhou and placed it next to it.

Under the candlelight, the mountain ranges, waterways, and county boundaries were all clearly visible.

He pointed to Shouchun: "Yuan Shu is now eyeing Yangzhou. Lending troops to Sun Jian shows that what he values ​​is more precious than a few thousand soldiers."

His finger moved north to Yanzhou, "In Yanzhou, Cao Cao has just gained power and hasn't yet suppressed the local powerful clans."

Further east lies Ji Province. "Yuan Shao has many troops, but Gongsun Zan is keeping an eye on him from the north, so he dares not make any moves."

He finally placed his hand on central Yuzhou, saying, "Although there is an imperial court in Chang'an, it is the old scoundrel from Xiliang who controls the government. Who can truly take care of Yuzhou, sandwiched in the middle?"

The people in the room remained silent. Xun You said softly, "The current Yu Province is empty."

Lu Ding nodded: "It's not that there's no one, it's that there's no one who can take care of everything. The governor has few troops, and Yuan Shu has moved south. Each prefecture is its own, and each is looking after its own affairs. In a place like this, it will either be swallowed up by someone else, or it will scatter first."

Xu Huang looked at him and asked, "Then what should we do?"

Lu Ding simply placed his finger on the southern mountain line, drawing from Lutai Ridge to Baimapo, and then to Xiling.

"We've already taken the first step. We're patrolling the three southern prefectures together, staying along the mountain passes. Chen Liang is willing to go with us, and the governor has tacitly agreed." He spoke calmly and unhurriedly.

"The second step is to patrol the route without entering the city, without interfering in the prefectural administration, without setting up additional camps, and without demanding any official titles. This will put the governor at ease and reassure Chen Liang. We will only guard the valleys and protect the grain supply routes."

Xu Huang asked, somewhat puzzled, "And what's the third step?"

Lu Ding looked up at him: "Stable spring planting, stable autumn harvest, and winning the hearts of the people."

Xun You understood perfectly: "From bottom to top."

Lu Ding nodded: "That's right. When everyone encounters trouble, they will naturally turn to the south first. The prefecture is too busy to take care of everything. Whoever can stabilize the situation below will be indispensable to the prefecture."

Xu Huang slowly realized, "You don't want to fight for control of the province; you want to gradually shift control southward." Lü Ding smiled, "The words 'control of the province' are too heavy. I just want Yu Province to be stable and for the flames of war to stay away."

Chen Erhe, however, asked a more practical question: "What if the governor interferes later? What if he wants the various prefectures to withdraw their joint defense?"

Lu Ding thought for a moment, then said calmly, "If he really has the troops to hold the line, we can simply back down. We haven't overstepped our boundaries or interfered in politics; we're just guarding the valley and protecting the road. If he can take it back, that's his skill; if he can't, it's because he can't leave."

Xu Huang sneered: "I'm afraid he's already too busy to handle it."

Xun You couldn't help but laugh: "You're even more calculating than when you're fighting a war."

Lu Ding shook his head: "Winning a battle is a matter of luck. Staying stable for a year is the right thing to do. The world is in turmoil right now, and everyone is rushing forward. Yuan Shao wants to completely control Ji Province, Cao Cao wants to establish a foothold in Yan Province, Yuan Shu wants the waterways and Yang Province, and Sun Jian wants Jiangdong. Those who move quickly may look fierce, but they may not be able to hold their ground. We should slow down so that we can take each step steadily."

The room fell silent again. The distant sound of the night watchman's drum from Lutai Ridge drifted in from outside, its rhythm slow and orderly.

Chen Erhe asked in a low voice, "So, what's next?"

Lu Ding pushed the patrol schedule in front of the three men: "Make a clear copy of the patrol schedule, one for each of the three prefectures. Rotate the patrols monthly, and do not change it for any particular person. The patrolmen should rotate at the designated times. Write down who is on night duty and who reports. Once this system is established, it must be enforced even when I am not in office."

Xun You said softly, "People may change, but rules must not."

Lu Ding nodded: "That's right. Let's make the south a model first. Once Yingchuan has observed it for a while, they'll naturally come to talk; once the prefecture feels comfortable with it, they'll naturally push things this way. It's not us asking for it, it's others coming to us."

Xu Huang looked at the map and suddenly chuckled, "Back then, the Lü Family Manor had two hundred guards, and you were guarding a manor. Now you're guarding the border of an entire prefecture." Lü Ding didn't respond to this, but simply said, "The manor was defended because the rules were clear. The same goes for a prefecture."

The candlelight slowly dimmed. None of them spoke again. The world was in turmoil, yet the room remained quiet.

The mountain ranges of the three southern counties have been connected, patrols have been established, and spring planting has begun.

Lu Ding didn't mention any grand plans or high positions. He simply rolled up the map and said, "This year, we just need to cultivate the land well and train the troops well. As for the rest, we'll see how things change in the world."

After saying this, the group dispersed. The patrol report was put away, the map was rolled up, and the lamps were extinguished one by one. Chen Erhe left first, while Xu Huang was still at the door instructing the soldiers on night duty. Xun You glanced back at Lü Ding as he left, said nothing, and simply closed the door gently.

The room fell silent.

Lü Ding stood before the table, his finger still resting on the map of Yuzhou. The candlelight flickered, casting a long shadow.

He suddenly felt a little dazed.

At this time last year, he was still counting the heads of the guards in the courtyard of Lüjiazhuang. Two hundred men, their weapons in disarray, without even a proper set of military equipment. At that time, all he thought about was not being swept away, not being caught up in the chaos of war, and simply surviving.

What's next?

Going back further, he didn't even belong to this era.

He would sometimes forget that identity, but in the quiet of the night, he would always suddenly remember it.

The initial panic upon arrival, the first sight of real battle formations, the first smell of blood on the battlefield—he had doubted himself, questioned the judgments in books, and whether he could survive in such a chaotic world.

Before we knew it, more than a year had passed.

In a year, he rose from a farmer to a commander, from guarding a village to guarding a corner of the land. He climbed this ladder step by step. Each step was slow and fraught with danger. Southern joint defense, clearing grain and protecting farmland, joint patrols—every step had to be taken with utmost care.

Lu Ding rolled up the map and leaned it against the wall. The sound of the watchman's drum rang out again, slowly drifting in. He suddenly realized that he rarely thought about "going back" anymore.

Where to go back?

That familiar yet long-gone world?

Or is it this land that is slowly gaining a foothold?

He chuckled softly.

The world has its own way of operating. He has already done his best to protect the people in his region.

He walked to the window. The night was deep, but the firelight on Lutailing was still burning. That little bit of light gave him a sense of security.

"First, we need to protect this land," he murmured to himself.

In one year, what he learned was not ambition, but a sense of proportion.

Advance when you should, and retreat when you should. In chaotic times, don't take the wrong path.

He reached out and closed the window.

Tomorrow I have to inspect the troops, check the grain registers, and also check on the troop rotation on Chen Liang's side.

Before the lights went out, he took one last look at the scroll of the Yuzhou map.

A year has passed.

The following year, he only hoped that the south would be more stable.

As for things further ahead—

Let's wait until things stabilize before making a decision.

The candles went out, and the room became completely quiet.

The mountain wind blows outside, and the drumbeats continue.