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

The shopkeeper was taken aback.

There is only one Zhuangzi that can be referred to as "south of the city".

He didn't press the matter further. The porter, however, had already finished his soup, got up, and left. The curtain was lifted, letting in a gust of cold wind, and some of the customers in the teahouse dispersed. The innkeeper, head down wiping the bowls, silently went over his earlier words in his mind.

South of the city.

More than ten miles south of Runan City lies only Shenjiazhuang.

At the same time, lights were still on in an inconspicuous courtyard in the north of the city.

The courtyard gate was tightly closed, but three people were sitting inside. Chen Erhe leaned against the table, his cloak still on, and opposite him sat two members of the Fox Camp, one slightly older and the other looking like an ordinary porter.

"That's the news from the teahouse," the porter said. "Yang Family Village sent grain out last night, saying it was to replenish the tenants, but the grain wasn't from their own village."

Chen Erhe didn't speak immediately. He tapped his finger lightly on the table before asking, "Where did the car come from?"

"South."

"Who placed the bet?"

"Two guards, and an empty cart following behind."

Chen Erhe frowned and asked again, "Only one truckload?"

"First there was one car, then two more cars came, and then the road split up."

"Where to send it?"

"Yangjiazhuang, Liujiawu, and Dongpo Village."

The room fell silent for a moment. Chen Erhe looked up at him: "The Third Division?"

The porter nodded. "I've been watching for a while, and the grain sacks are all freshly sealed."

"What about sealing it?"

"The hemp rope from Shen's grain shop."

These words were spoken softly, yet they instantly made the atmosphere in the room heavy.

Chen Erhe slowly sat up straight, his gaze falling on the table. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," the porter said. "The Shen family's grain shop has always used this kind of rope."

Chen Erhe didn't ask any more questions. He simply pulled over a piece of paper from the table and slowly wrote down a few names on it—Yangjiazhuang, Liujiawu, Dongpo Village. After finishing, he paused, looked up, and asked, "Go investigate one more thing."

"What?"

"Were the rents for these estates reduced this year?"

The porter thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "It's been reduced, to the same as Shen Family Village, 30%."

Chen Erhe didn't say anything more, but folded the paper and stuffed it into his sleeve.

Just then, the courtyard gate creaked open, and another scout from the Fox Camp entered. He whispered as he went inside, "I've found out about the carriage company. The Shen family has been sending a lot of carriages these past two months."

"grain?"

"Grain, and cloth."

"Where to send it?"

"Other villages."

Chen Erhe looked up: "What kinds of estates are there?"

The man recalled for a moment and said, "In the southern part of the city, there are Yangjiazhuang, Liujiawu, Dongpo Village, and two other small villages."

The people in the room fell silent for a moment. Chen Erhe slowly exhaled; the matter was almost clear. The Shen family was sending grain out, not to sell, but to supplement their income, and not just to one place, but to several estates.

He suddenly remembered Lü Ding's words—a 30% rent reduction, if the Shen family were filling that gap… Now it seemed, it was far more than that. The Shen family was supporting several estates together.

After a moment of silence, the porter asked in a low voice, "Should we continue the investigation?"

Chen Erhe shook his head: "Let's stop here for now. What the young master wants is to understand things clearly. That's enough for now."

After he finished speaking, he stood up, put his cloak back on, pushed open the door, and went out.

A night breeze blew in his face, and the streets of Runan City had quieted down, with only the distant sound of the night watchman's drum echoing through the air. He walked slowly, but his mind was preoccupied with something else. Shen Family Village had also lowered its rent this year, and if these other villages were to be compensated, life would likely become even more difficult. But Shen Wan didn't say a word.

Chen Erhe sighed softly.

"This girl..."

He shook his head and turned to walk towards the county government office.

Before dawn, the gates of the prefectural government office were already open. The soldiers on night duty saluted him as soon as they saw him return.

"Is the young master still inside?"

"exist."

Chen Erhe nodded and went straight into the courtyard.

The light in the room was still on; Lü Ding was indeed still awake. He was sitting at his desk, reading an old book, and only looked up when he heard footsteps.

"So fast?"

Chen Erhe took off his cloak and nodded, saying, "There are some clues."

Lü Ding didn't urge him, but simply put the scroll aside and said, "Speak."

Chen Erhe didn't beat around the bush: "The Shen family is sending grain out."

Lu Ding's expression remained unchanged: "How much?"

"We've found five villages in the past few days," Chen Erhe said. "Yangjiazhuang, Liujiawu, Dongpo Village, and two smaller villages have all had their rents reduced this year, just like Shenjiazhuang."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Lu Ding slowly stood up, walked to the map on the wall, and looked at the area south of the city. Those villages were all located near the southern mountain road.

"Where does the grain come from?" he asked.

"The Shen family."

"Sell?"

"No," Chen Erhe paused for a moment, "it's more like a subsidy."

Lu Ding didn't speak, but simply placed his finger on the map and tapped it a few times. Yangjiazhuang, Liujiawu, and Dongpo Village were connected in a line, right near the patrol route for grain supplies.

After a while, he asked, "Can she afford to compensate so much for just her entire estate?"

Chen Erhe shook his head: "It's okay for a short time, but I'm afraid it won't work for a long time."

The room fell silent again, the candlelight flickering slightly. Lü Ding suddenly smiled, a very soft smile.

"No wonder."

Chen Erhe looked at him: "Young Master?"

Lu Ding didn't explain; he simply rolled up the map slowly.

He said, "She was afraid that others wouldn't be able to handle it."

Chen Erhe was momentarily speechless.

Lü Ding had already reached the window. The sky was just beginning to lighten, and the torches of the patrolling cavalry outside the city were slowly being lowered. He watched for a while, then asked, "How much grain does Shenjiazhuang have stored this year?"

Chen Erhe thought for a moment and said, "Probably a little over ten thousand shi."

Lü Ding did not turn around.

He stood by the window, watching the sky outside the city gradually turn white, as if he were calculating something in his mind.

After a while, he finally spoke.

"Help me see how much longer she can hold on."

Chen Erhe was taken aback: "What does Young Master mean...?"

Lu Ding paused for a moment, his gaze still fixed on the distant mountain line.

"If she can't hold on."

He spoke calmly.

"Let's prepare the grain supply route first."

Chen Erhe was stunned for a moment, but quickly understood.

If Shenjiazhuang's grain supply truly runs out, one village alone cannot support these tenant farmers. When that happens, either grain will need to be purchased or transferred; someone needs to pave the way first.

He nodded.

"I'll send someone to check out the grain market first."

Lu Ding didn't say anything more.

The sky outside the window gradually brightened. The first wisp of smoke rose from the chimneys of the village south of the city.

The grain market at the city gate was starting to bustle. Several oxcarts loaded with grain were slowly entering the city, the drivers yawning, and the porters already unloading grain into the granaries. The sound of abacuses rang out intermittently in the shops, and several grain merchants huddled together, discussing in hushed tones.

"With the fighting in the north, food prices will likely rise further."

"The price in Nanshi rose by one cent yesterday."

"In a few more days, I'm afraid we'll have to move again."

These words were scattered in the morning mist and were quickly drowned out by the voices of people on the street.