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

She had only come to discuss a business deal, but standing under the eaves, she suddenly felt that the person in front of her seemed different from anyone she had ever met before.

Lu Ding remained seated, his expression calm, as if the grain market turmoil he had just experienced was merely a minor incident.

Shen Wan's gaze lingered on his face for a moment, her eyes flickering slightly as if she wanted to say something, but she didn't speak.

Chen Erhe stood to the side and saw the whole scene clearly. He coughed and couldn't help but reveal a meaningful smile.

Lu Ding looked up at him.

"Erhe".

Chen Erhe immediately stopped laughing.

"exist."

Lu Ding said calmly, "Has your camp been rather idle lately?"

Chen Erhe was taken aback, but then he understood and quickly cupped his hands in greeting.

"I have something to attend to, I'll take my leave."

After he finished speaking, he turned and walked out of the courtyard. When he reached the door, he couldn't help but look back once more, and a smile reappeared on his lips.

Soon only two people remained in the courtyard.

A breeze blew through the corridor, causing the locust leaves to sway gently. The air after the rain still carried a hint of moisture.

Shen Wan stood under the eaves without saying a word.

Lu Ding remained seated, his expression calm, as if the grain bureau incident had already passed over in his mind.

After a while, Shen Wan suddenly chuckled softly.

"Brother."

Lü Ding looked up at her.

"Um?"

Shen Wan said:

"I suddenly realize that your strategy in this round wasn't just about selling grain."

Lu Ding did not deny it, but looked outside the courtyard and said, "The grain was just something I took on the side."

Shen Wan raised an eyebrow slightly.

"So what's the important matter?"

Lu Ding remained silent for a while. In the distance, to the south of the city, the Shen family's convoy was slowly leaving the city gate, the oxcarts leaving long ruts in the muddy ground.

After a while, he said:

"Shangji."

Shen Wan was slightly taken aback.

"Shangji?"

Lü Ding nodded.

"In recent years, more and more merchants have come and gone from Runan, but few dare to travel far. And there have been quite a few unexpected incidents."

Shen Wan thought for a moment and said:

"Robbers."

Lü Ding nodded.

"There are also mutinous soldiers."

Shen Wan sighed softly.

"And there are also checkpoints in various places."

Lü Ding said:

"Therefore, merchants dare not go far."

Shen Wan pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "What does my brother want me to do?"

Lu Ding turned to look at her. "Doing business with caravans."

Shen Wan was slightly taken aback. "The caravan business?"

Lü Ding nodded.

"It's not about you going to trade, it's about getting merchants to be willing to follow you."

Shen Wan thought for a moment and suddenly understood.

"Brother, you mean—I should organize them?"

"That's right," Lü Ding said. "Merchants going their own way is prone to trouble. If someone brings them together and provides escorts, the road will naturally be safer."

Shen Wan nodded gently.

"Then what should I sell?"

Lü Ding said:

"escort."

Shen Wan raised an eyebrow.

Lü Ding continued:

"The volunteer battalion provided the men to form the escort team, and the merchants provided the money."

Shen Wan thought for a moment.

"Are you charging a fee per vehicle for escorting passengers?"

Lü Ding nodded.

"Three hundred coins per cart."

Shen Wan did the math and couldn't help but laugh.

"If it's a hundred carts, that'll be thirty thousand coins per trip. Brother, are you suggesting I start a security escort agency?"

Lü Ding shook his head.

"You're not a security escort agency. A security escort agency protects a single shipment; you're protecting an entire road."

Shen Wan was slightly taken aback.

Lü Ding then said:

"You don't need to have goods, you just need people willing to go with you."

Shen Wan slowly understood and said softly:

What I sell is—safety.

Lü Ding nodded.

"right."

Shen Wan suddenly asked again:

"What if something happens to someone?"

Lü Ding said:

"We can collect a sum of money in advance."

Shen Wan looked at him.

"What money?"

"Mutual insurance fee," Lü Ding said, "Each cart will contribute one hundred coins to the mutual insurance fund. If there is robbery or disaster on the road, the party whose goods are damaged will be compensated for 50%, but this is limited to one cart. If nothing happens on the way, this money will remain in the fund."

Shen Wan's eyes lit up slightly.

"Make the businessman pay the insurance premium?"

Lü Ding nodded.

"The more people there are, the less each vehicle has to pay."

Shen Wan couldn't help but laugh.

"Brother, you've certainly got a shrewd plan."

Lu Ding said calmly:

"Businessmen will invest if they think it's worthwhile. If they profit, we profit too."

Shen Wan stood under the eaves, gazing at the distant city gate. After a long while, she suddenly said:

"Brother, I'll do this."

Lü Ding nodded.

"When will it start?" Shen Wan asked.

Lu Ding looked towards the south of the city. In the distance, scattered merchant carts were slowly entering the city along the official road.

He said calmly:

"Release the news tomorrow."

"Let them find out for themselves."

"If someone brings businesses into the team, they can also get a share of the profits."

A new trade route is slowly taking root in Runan.

The wind blew through the yard, rustling the locust leaves.

Just then, a rapid sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from the direction of the city gate in the distance.

Shen Wan frowned slightly.

This voice doesn't sound like a businessman's.

More like military cavalry.

Before long, a knight-errant rushed into the county office. Before his horse had even come to a complete stop, he dismounted, strode to the front of the corridor, and knelt on one knee.

"Young master."

Lü Ding looked up at him.

"explain."

The knight had clearly been rushing, his forehead was still damp with sweat, and he spoke in a very low voice.

"A letter from the north."

Lu Ding's brows twitched slightly.

"where?"

"Shangcai".

Shangcai is located just over a hundred li south of Runan, and can be considered an important county in the prefecture.

The knight continued:

"The county seat was besieged three days ago."

"The city's garrison is insufficient, so the county magistrate sent a messenger overnight to request the prefectural government to send troops."

Lü Ding asked, "Who is besieging the city?"

The knight replied, "Remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion."

"The number is approximately three thousand."

A slight breeze stirred outside the courtyard, and the faint sound of drums from the city gate could be heard in the distance.

Lu Ding remained silent for a while.

"Who is guarding the city?"

The knight said:

"There aren't many county soldiers."

"However, there is a man in the city who has gathered local militia and is helping to defend the city."

Lu Ding looked up at him.

"Who?"

The knight replied:

"I heard his name is Li Tong."

"He led several hundred local militia to defend the city."

Shen Wan repeated the sentence softly:

"Li Tong..."

The knight added:

"The messenger said that this man was quite brave and fierce."

"We have led our men out of the city to fight several times in the past few days, and only now have we managed to stabilize the situation."

Lü Ding stood there without speaking immediately.

After a while, he asked:

Where is the messenger?

The knight said:

"It's in the outer courtyard."

Lü Ding nodded.

"Let him in."

The knight withdrew in response.

Shen Wan looked at Lü Ding and asked softly:

"Is my brother going to send troops?"

Lü Ding did not answer immediately.

He turned his head and glanced in the direction of the south of the city.

After a moment, Lü Ding said calmly:

"Shangcai seems to have lost its way."

"The north and south gates of Ruzhou are now empty."

Shen Wan was slightly taken aback.

Lü Ding continued:

"not to mention--"

He paused for a moment.

"Since there are people in the city who can guard against three thousand thieves."

"It's worth going to see him."

The wind blew in from outside the courtyard.

The locust leaves swayed gently.

Meanwhile, on the official road to the north, a messenger cavalry was heading south, kicking up dust as they went.

The city walls of Shangcai.

The fighting has been going on for three days.