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

After Xu Chu gave his name, the area in front of the fortress gate fell silent for a moment.

The wind swept across the desolate wilderness, scattering the tattered yellow turban flags, and the ground was littered with the corpses of those who had just fought.

The local militiamen on the fortified wall still held their wooden shields and long forks, cautiously watching the government troops that had suddenly appeared.

The bandits who were just in the fortified village had scattered and fled, leaving only a scene of devastation.

Xu Huang, mounted on his horse, sized Xu Chu up and down, then suddenly chuckled: "A man from Qiao County?"

Xu Chu nodded: "Yes."

He remained calm as he spoke, as if the battle had not taken much of his strength.

Lu Ding glanced at him, then looked at the fortified wall. Although the wall was not high, it was extremely thick, clearly reinforced over many years.

Dozens of local militiamen stood on the wall, their clothes and armor simple, but their grip on their weapons was quite skilled, clearly indicating that they were not villagers hastily assembled.

Lü Ding asked, "How many people are in the dock?"

Xu Chu replied, "There are three hundred clansmen and more than two hundred able-bodied men from the village."

Upon hearing this, Xu Huang couldn't help but grin: "Five hundred men guarding the fortress, can they really hold off over a thousand bandits?"

Xu Chu shook his head: "Block it for a while, but not for long."

His tone remained calm, as if he were stating something extremely ordinary.

Xun You watched from the side and nodded slightly. It's rare to find someone who doesn't boast at a time like this.

Just as Lü Ding was about to ask more questions, he suddenly heard a commotion in the woods north of the village, followed by someone shouting, "Thieves! The thieves are back!"

Everyone turned their heads at the same time.

Suddenly, a group of figures emerged from the low bushes, about three or four hundred people, their clothes disheveled, carrying knives, forks, and wooden spears, running towards the fortified village. Clearly, the bandits who had just scattered had regrouped.

Xu Huang immediately laughed: "That saves us the trouble of looking for it again."

He was about to raise his spear and give the order when he suddenly saw a figure walk out.

Xu Chu, carrying his thick-backed sword, strode to the open space in front of the dock.

Li Tong stood aside, stunned.

The bandits also saw the government troops, but seeing only one person come out, someone shouted and rushed forward.

The first person swung his sword and slashed.

Xu Chu did not stop walking.

A flash of light.

The man had already been knocked to the ground.

As the second man rushed forward, Xu Chu swung his blade with a backhand strike, the blade heavy and powerful. The man, spear and all, was cleaved back two steps and fell backward. Within a few breaths, five or six men lay dead on the ground.

The remaining bandits were so badly killed that they dared not advance for a moment.

They had assumed the people in the village were just villagers, but they never expected the burly man in front of them to be so fierce.

Xu Huang, watching from horseback, had a sudden flash of inspiration and couldn't help but exclaim, "What strength!"

Xun You also said, "This person is usable."

Lü Ding did not speak immediately.

He looked at the burly man's figure—broad shoulders and back, steady steps, and simple yet extremely powerful swordplay.

He had actually heard of this name before.

According to the historical records he remembered, this man later served as Cao Cao's bodyguard for many years. He was brave and taciturn and was known as "Tiger Fool".

Lu Ding never expected to meet someone in front of such a small fortified village.

He said softly, "Tiger Fool."

After a moment's hesitation, more than ten more men rushed forward.

Xu Chu still did not retreat.

He took a sudden step forward, his blade flashing, instantly cleaving one man in two, and kicking another who had just gotten close. The band of thieves were terrified and their steps faltered.

Xu Huang then burst into laughter, raised his long spear, and shouted, "Cavalry, charge!"

The volunteer cavalry immediately moved.

Black-armored cavalry charged out from both sides, their hooves thundering.

The newly assembled band of bandits had no time to react before being routed by the cavalry. Some dropped their weapons and knelt down, while others desperately fled into the forest. In the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the wilderness fell silent once more.

Xu Huang reined in his horse, grinned at the corpses on the ground, and said, "These thieves really threw their lives away."

He glanced down at Xu Chu, who stood there, his breathing still steady, blood slowly dripping from the knife in his hand, as if those few slashes were nothing more than casual blows.

Lü Ding then asked, "How far is Qiao County from here?"

"More than ten li."

"Are there many thieves in the Pei Kingdom area?"

Xu Chu nodded: "Many. The number started to increase after spring this year, initially in groups of dozens, and gradually grew to hundreds or thousands."

He spoke in a calm tone, but the local militia on the fortified wall became visibly nervous.

Clearly, this wasn't the first time they'd encountered such an attack.

Lu Ding glanced at the fortified wall, then looked at Xu Chu, and slowly said:

"Defending the dock is not a long-term solution."

Xu Chu looked up at him.

Lü Ding continued, "Since there are so many thieves, we might as well wipe them all out."

The wilderness was quiet for a moment.

Xu Chu was silent for a moment, then asked, "How do we fight?"

Lü Ding said, "I will join the army."

Xu Huang grinned from the side: "Follow us and we'll wipe this area clean of thieves. It's better than waiting for people to come and besiege the fortress every day."

Xun You also said, "The fortified village can be guarded by people; you can bring some men out."

Xu Chu remained silent for a moment, then turned and glanced back at the gate of the fortress.

The figures of women and children could be vaguely seen inside the door.

After a moment, he nodded: "Okay."

A murmur of discussion immediately broke out on the wall of the dock.

Xu Chu turned around and shouted at the top of the wall, "Open the door."

The dock gate opened quickly.

Dozens of local militiamen ran out to gather the weapons on the ground. Before long, another group of strong men emerged from the fortress. These men were poorly dressed, but extremely sturdy, clearly the result of years of training while guarding the fortress.

Xu Chu quickly selected more than three hundred men to stand in front of the gate of the fortress.

Xu Huang glanced at it and nodded in satisfaction: "It does have some merit."

Lu Ding said, "Form up the team."

The order was given, and the volunteer cavalry repositioned themselves at the front, followed by the infantry.

Xu Chu, along with his three hundred local militia, was positioned on the flank of the formation.

As the sun gradually set in the west, the army formations rose again on the desolate landscape.

Xu Huang mounted his horse and said, "Since there are so many bandits in Pei State, let's take this opportunity to wipe them out."

He looked at Xu Chu: "Lead the way."

Xu Chu nodded: "Ten miles north, there's another one in the woods."

The team quickly set off again.

That night, the government troops wiped out two more groups of scattered bandits.

As night deepened, there were no longer any groups of bandits in the southern border of Pei State.

Only then did Lü Ding order a retreat.

The group turned south and headed towards Runan.

Li Tong, mounted on his horse, looked at the burly man beside him.

Xu Chu didn't say much, just walked along the side of the group with his sword in hand, but the three hundred local militia followed him closely, clearly showing their great respect for him.

The night wind blew through the hills, and the lights of Shangcai City were already faintly visible in the distance.

Xu Huang suddenly turned around and laughed, "Young master, we've picked up someone this time."

Lü Ding did not answer, but only glanced at Xu Chu.

After a moment, he said calmly:

"Since you're here, you might as well join the army."

Xu Chu nodded without saying anything more.

He simply slung the knife back over his shoulder and continued south with the group.

After that night, Lü Dingjun gained another truly fierce general.