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

The flames of war have been burning for three days on the walls of Shangcai.

The city wall was covered with soot from the smoke, and several sections of the parapet had been smashed down, with rubble scattered all over the ground.

Nearly a hundred corpses lay scattered on the open ground below the city, their bloodstains washed away by the rain, turning into a dark red mess.

Inside the city gate, a group of militiamen were leaning against the city wall, panting. They were mostly dressed in coarse cloth, some even wearing straw armor. Their weapons were also a mixed bag, including spears, machetes, and wooden forks.

These people were originally farmers from the nearby area. They were summoned into the city to defend it three days ago when the Yellow Turbans suddenly besieged it.

Someone muttered under their breath, "These scoundrels are really persistent."

No sooner had the words been spoken than a drumbeat suddenly sounded from outside the city.

In the distance, figures began to move within the Yellow Turban camp, dozens of tattered flags fluttering in the wind. Someone cried out, "Another attack!"

Chaos immediately broke out on the city walls.

Just then, a tall figure walked up the city wall. The man was wearing an old suit of armor, with a sword at his waist and a spear on his shoulder. His face was covered in dust, but he stood very steadily.

"What's the panic?"

The voice was not loud, but it suppressed the commotion on the city wall.

The militia immediately fell silent, and someone called out, "Chief Li."

Li Tong walked to the city wall and looked down. He saw that the Yellow Turban rebels outside the city had begun to form ranks, and dozens of men were carrying makeshift siege ladders forward. He said in a deep voice, "Prepare the bows and arrows."

Immediately, someone on the city wall raised their bow.

Li Tong glanced again at the area outside the city. These Yellow Turbans were nothing more than a rabble, but their numbers were considerable, densely packed on the wasteland outside the city. Three thousand men. If this dragged on for a few more days, the city's food supplies wouldn't last.

He gripped the gun tightly, his voice low: "Wait until they get closer."

The drumbeats outside the city grew more urgent, and the crowd began to press forward.

Thirty steps.

Twenty steps.

Li Tong suddenly shouted, "Release!"

The bowstrings twanged in unison, and a rain of arrows fell from the city walls.

Several men immediately fell below the city walls, but many more rushed to the base, and siege ladders were brought up. Chaos erupted on the city walls in an instant; some pushed ladders, some threw stones down, and others thrust spears downwards.

One of the Yellow Turban bandits had already climbed halfway up the ladder when Li Tong stepped forward, flicked his spear, and sent the man tumbling down the ladder.

A scream immediately erupted from below the city walls. He didn't stop, and with another shot, he snapped another ladder in two. The ladder crashed down, taking several bandits with it as they tumbled into the muddy water.

The morale of the local militia was immediately boosted.

"kill!"

Shouts erupted from the city walls.

But the people outside the city were still rushing uphill. Li Tong looked at the mass of people, and his heart sank. At this rate, they could only hold out for two more days at most.

Just then, a cloud of dust suddenly rose in the distance.

Suddenly, a local militiaman shouted, "There are cavalrymen to the north!"

The people on the city wall were taken aback.

Li Tong suddenly looked up.

On the distant official road, a dark line was rapidly approaching, the sound of horses' hooves growing clearer. Soon, banners became visible.

"The Righteous Cavalry Camp!"

Someone cried out in disbelief.

A commotion erupted atop the city walls, while the Yellow Turban rebels outside noticed the commotion and some turned back in panic. At that very moment, the cavalry charged into the battlefield.

Lu Ding rode at the front, with Xu Huang beside him; their horses barely slowed down.

"Break the formation."

Before the words were even finished, the volunteer cavalry had already charged into the Yellow Turban formation.

With long spears thrusting out, the first rank of Yellow Turbans was almost instantly scattered. Horse hooves pounded the muddy ground, splashing up large amounts of mud and water, and the cavalrymen slashed into the crowd like a knife.

The Yellow Turban formation instantly fell into chaos, with someone shouting in terror, "Cavalry! Cavalry!"

But it was too late for them to regroup.

The cavalry of the Righteous Cavalry charged back and forth through the ranks, their long spears felling row after row of men. Before long, the Yellow Turbans began to crumble, and hundreds turned and fled north.

The local militia on the city wall were dumbfounded.

Someone couldn't help but shout, "Reinforcements have arrived!"

Li Tong stood by the city wall, watching the cavalry unit. The leader, mounted on horseback, wielded his spear with fierce precision, each strike clean and swift. Soon, the battlefield fell silent.

The city gates opened.

Li Tong led dozens of local soldiers out of the city gate.

Not far away, the volunteer cavalry had already stopped.

Lü Ding dismounted.

The two quickly became a couple.

Li Tong first clasped his hands in greeting: "Li Tong, a soldier from Shangcai Township."

Lü Ding returned the greeting: "Lü Ding of Runan."

The two exchanged a glance.

Li Tong couldn't help but say, "Young master, you've arrived at just the right time."

Lu Ding smiled and said, "I heard there are three thousand thieves guarding the city, so I came to check it out."

Li Tong was taken aback, then laughed. "They're just a bunch of peasants who've gathered together as militia. If we'd been a few days later, I'm afraid we wouldn't have been able to hold out."

Lu Ding glanced at the city wall.

The people standing on the wall were dressed in tattered clothes, their feet still covered in mud from the fields. He suddenly asked, "Are these people all farmers from the nearby villages?"

Li Tong nodded: "Most of them are tenant farmers."

Lu Ding remained silent for a while.

Li Tong added, "This year's harvest is poor, but the rent is still 55%. The people in the village are already suffering, and now they're facing rebel soldiers."

He said this in a very flat tone, as if he were already used to it.

Lu Ding didn't reply, but just glanced at the city wall.

The local militia on the city wall were cleaning up the battlefield. Some were dragging siege ladders down, some were squatting on the ground picking up arrows, and others were helping wounded soldiers slowly walk into the city gate. The men were dressed in tattered clothes, and most of them were tenant farmers from nearby villages.

Li Tong followed his gaze and glanced at him, then suddenly seemed to remember something.

"Oh, right."

He hesitated for a moment before speaking:

"I heard someone talk about something a few days ago when I was in the countryside."

Lu Ding glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Li Tong continued, "Speaking of Runan, some estates have already started to reduce rents."

He paused, his tone tinged with uncertainty.

"It seems that Lüjiazhuang and Shenjiazhuang surrendered first."

Tenants only pay 30%.

The wind blew outside the city, and a faint smell of smoke lingered on the battlefield.

Li Tong gave a wry smile.

"Many people in the village were talking about it at the time, but I never took it seriously."

"No estate would be willing to lower the rent to 30%."

As he said this, he looked up at Lü Ding.

"The young master is in Runan."

"Is this... really true?"

Lü Ding did not answer immediately.

He simply stood there, watching the Yellow Turban corpses slowly disperse outside the city. Broken banners lay in the mud, warhorses neighed softly in the distance, and the volunteer cavalry were gathering up their scattered weapons.

After a while, he said calmly:

"Some villages do it this way."

Li Tong paused for a moment.

Just then, someone nearby chuckled.

Xu Huang was walking over, carrying a long axe, his armor still stained with blood. Hearing their conversation, he casually remarked:

"It's not just some villages."

"It was my young master who brought it up first."

Li Tong was taken aback and turned to look at him.

Xu Huang casually propped the axe handle on the ground and said:

"The rent in Lüjiazhuang was lowered first."

"Later, Shenjiazhuang also surrendered."

"Many villages in Runan are now following suit."

He spoke of it casually, as if he were talking about something completely ordinary.

Li Tong remained silent.

He glanced at Lü Ding.

Lu Ding did not explain, but simply stood there, looking at the city wall in the distance.

The local militia guarding the city were still moving stones and dragging ladders on the city wall. Their clothes were tattered and their feet were covered in mud.

Li Tong suddenly clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"If that's true."

"The people of Runan should thank you, young master."

Lü Ding remained silent.

As the sun slowly set in the distance, the battlefield outside Shangcai City gradually quieted down.

On the city wall, the villagers who had just been sent to defend the city stood behind the crenellations, watching the cavalry in the distance.