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

On the third day after the grain market was shut down, the atmosphere in Runan City had completely changed.

The weighing scales at the grain market in the east of the city remained closed, and the once bustling street corner was now mostly empty. A few rows of stone scales stood forlornly under the shed, with only a few porters sitting on the ground chatting idly.

However, the streets not far from the grain market were almost completely blocked by oxcarts.

The grain collected by the Huainan cart team over the past few days was all parked in the city. More than three hundred oxcarts were crammed into the streets and alleys, stretching as far as the eye could see. Huainan signs hung on the cart shafts, and the oxen were tethered to the roadside, occasionally emitting low mooes.

The shopkeeper looked at the line of carts, his brow furrowed.

"The city gates aren't open yet?"

The guy next to him shook his head.

"The investigation is slow."

The shopkeeper remained silent.

slow.

This is the word I've heard most often these past two days. The city gates weren't actually closed, but there were a few more checkpoints. Every convoy carrying grain had to stop and register, supposedly for "military grain inspection," and they checked each convoy very thoroughly.

After a whole morning, only a few vehicles can usually be released.

The shopkeeper was silent for a moment, then asked, "What's the price of grain today?"

"It dropped a little."

"How many?"

One point.

The shopkeeper's expression darkened slightly. When grain prices rose, they rushed to buy it. What was more troublesome was that they had too much grain on hand.

More than 300 cartloads of grain, if all of them were stored in the city, would be money to feed people and horses every day.

He paced back and forth at the street corner a couple of times, then stopped.

"Go ask the city gate again."

"Yes."

The waiter hurriedly ran out.

The oxcarts on the street were motionless. The porters were getting bored, and some squatted down in twos and threes beside the carts chatting. Some were adding hay to the oxen, while others simply lay down under the cart shafts to sleep.

The shopkeeper watched all this, but his heart grew increasingly troubled.

Their trip to Runan was originally to purchase grain for Shouchun. They planned to stockpile as much grain as possible before prices fully rose. However, they didn't expect that not only would they have exceeded their budget for grain purchases, but after finally managing to collect enough grain, they would suddenly encounter a grain inspection.

Things happened too coincidentally.

He glanced up towards the south of the city. That was where the military granary was located, and people had been going in and out there for the past few days. Many grain carts, after entering the city, were taken there before even reaching the grain market.

The shopkeeper had a vague, inexplicable feeling, as if something was amiss.

Just then, the waiter ran back from the street corner.

"I've already asked."

"How so?"

"Like I said before," the clerk said, "It's a military rations check."

The shopkeeper paused for a moment.

"how long?"

"It's hard to say."

The shopkeeper didn't ask any more questions. He stood at the street corner, watching the grain carts. If he delayed any longer, things would only become more difficult to handle.

He thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "How many warehouses are left in the city?"

The waiter paused for a moment, then asked, "Warehouse?"

"A warehouse that can be rented. Judging from the sky, it looks like it's going to rain, and it's not a good idea to keep storing the grain like this."

The shop assistant thought for a moment and said, "There are granaries behind the grain shops."

The shopkeeper nodded: "Go and ask around, see which company is willing to rent out warehouse space."

The man then realized that the convoy was too large and would attract attention if parked on the street. If it dragged on for several days, it would indeed be more troublesome. It would be better to put the grain into the granary first and then slowly transport it out after the city gates reopened.

"I'll go ask right away."

The man quickly ran out.

By the afternoon, the men were running back one after another, but the news they brought back was getting worse and worse.

"The King of the West City says the granary is full."

"Those two shops on East Street are also full."

"There is another warehouse that has vacant space, but it is only willing to rent to local grain merchants."

The shopkeeper frowned: "Fully full?"

The waiter gave a wry smile: "They said it's all full."

The shopkeeper looked at the rows of oxcarts and his heart sank. More than three hundred carts of grain, if left piled up on the street, would be in trouble if it rained.

What you fear most is what happens.

The sky had darkened at some point, and layers of clouds from the south pressed down as if they were about to fall.

The shopkeeper was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Cover it tightly first."

The porters immediately got to work. Straw mats were laid out again, ropes were tightened, and thick layers of straw were pressed on top.

Even so, half of the grain stacks on the truck were still sticking out.

A muffled clap of thunder suddenly sounded in the distance.

The porters on the street subconsciously looked up, and the atmosphere immediately became tense.

The wind gradually picked up.

The straw mats rattled in the wind, and the straw ropes on several oxcarts were even lifted by a corner. The porters quickly jumped onto the carts and pressed the mats back down.

"Are you really going to download it?"

"This doesn't seem like Xiaoyu."

"If you get soaked all night, that would be a real problem."

Some people tightened the straw mats again, while others carried out cartloads of straw to cover the grain stacks. The cattle were startled by the wind and became restless, occasionally swishing their tails.

Just then, a porter suddenly shouted, "Rain!"

A few drops of water fell.

At first, it was sporadic.

Then it gradually became denser.

The people on the street immediately became chaotic.

"Quickly press the mat!"

"Tighten the rope one more turn!"

"Don't let the water seep in!"

The porters shouted as they climbed onto the cart. Some used wooden sticks to prop up the mats, while others simply lay down on the grain stacks to weigh them down.

The rain only lasted for a short while.

In less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, it slowly stopped again.

The people on the street finally breathed a sigh of relief. The porters jumped off their carts, each one covered in mud and water.

"I was terrified."

"Fortunately, it wasn't big."

"What if it really happens next night..."

Before he could finish speaking, everyone fell silent for a moment.

The shopkeeper didn't laugh; he looked up at the sky.

The rain had stopped, but the clouds didn't disperse; instead, they pressed lower and lower. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and the wind was colder than before.

The more than three hundred carts of grain on the street looked like a mountain piled up in the city. If things dragged on for another two days, whether it rained or the grain was inspected, things would become even more difficult.

The shopkeeper stood at the street corner for a long time, then suddenly said, "Go ask Cang again."

The shop assistant was taken aback: "Aren't the warehouses all full?"

The shopkeeper frowned, his tone somewhat irritated.

"Go ask again when it's full."

"Ask them one by one."

The man had no choice but to run out again.

The straw mat was soaked by the rain, making it a darker color. The porters pressed the mat down again and added another layer of straw on top.

Thunder could still be heard in the distance.

The shopkeeper didn't move.

He stood at the street corner, watching all this, and suddenly a very strange feeling arose within him.

It's as if there's an invisible hand in this city.

From the day the grain market stopped operating, they were gradually forced to this point.

Meanwhile, in the prefectural government compound in the south of the city, Chen Erhe was standing under the corridor, looking towards the east of the city.

Looking into the distance, the streets and alleys were filled with oxcarts. The rain had just stopped, and the straw mats on the street were still dripping water.

Chen Erhe couldn't help but chuckle: "They've covered it with a mat."

Lü Ding stood under the eaves without saying a word.

After a while, he asked casually, "Has Cang asked?"

Chen Erhe nodded: "I asked, and there are no empty warehouses in the whole city."

Lü Ding then nodded slightly.

A gentle breeze blew in the courtyard, and another clap of thunder sounded in the distance.

Lu Ding looked towards the east of the city, his tone calm:

"Next game."

"They will come."

Chen Erhe was taken aback: "What are you here for?"

Lu Ding said calmly:

"Come sell grain."