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

The post horse dared not stop all the way, and by the time dawn broke, the knight had already rushed into Yingchuan Prefecture.

The lights in the hall were still on when a young scholar received an urgent report, unfolded it, and read it for a moment, his brow furrowing slightly.

Someone nearby asked, "What is it?"

The scholar did not answer immediately; he merely glanced again at the urgent report. It read: "In Runan, several Yellow Turban rebels have been defeated."

Someone in the hall asked, "Who is this person?"

The scholar remained silent for a moment, then suddenly said softly, "Lü Ding..."

The person next to him asked in confusion, "Sir, do you recognize it?"

The scholar smiled slightly.

"Back when I was in Runan, I was invited to meet him once."

He paused, then added.

"He was just a boy then, and I was the one who gave him his courtesy name."

At this point, he slowly placed the urgent report on the table.

"I never imagined that I would be able to lead troops to pacify the prefecture."

The people in the hall exchanged glances, and someone whispered, "If this person continues to gain power..."

The scholar shook his head, his tone remaining calm.

"Let's take a look first."

He looked up at the gradually brightening sky outside the hall.

"The chaos has only just begun."

This scholar.

It was Chen Qun.

No one in the hall spoke for a moment.

Yingchuan has always been a gathering place for scholars, and most of those sitting in the prefectural government office are scions of prominent aristocratic families. They usually talk about court affairs and classical texts, and few people pay attention to local military matters.

However, the name "Lu Ding of Runan" clearly attracted some attention.

Someone frowned and said, "Runan is just a small prefecture, yet it managed to defeat several Yellow Turban rebel groups?"

The other person shook his head: "The remnants of the Yellow Turbans are already scattered. If one or two troops are willing to help, it wouldn't be surprising if they were wiped out."

The speaker's tone was somewhat nonchalant.

In their view, such battles were merely small-scale local suppression operations, and were nothing compared to matters that truly influenced the overall situation of the world.

Only Chen Qun remained silent. He stood by the desk and glanced down at the urgent report.

The letter was very brief, just a few lines:

"The troops from Runan marched out of Shangcai, pursued the Yellow Turbans, broke through several groups, and captured many prisoners."

Next, there is a name—Lü Ding.

Chen Qun's finger lingered on those two words for a long time, as he recalled the young man he had met in Runan a few years ago.

At that time, Lü Ding was still young, but he already appeared remarkably composed. During the gathering, when everyone discussed classical texts and current affairs, he didn't say much, only occasionally offering a few words, but they were always insightful and to the point.

At the time, some people joked, "If this child lived in a chaotic era, he might have made a name for himself."

Chen Qun remembers that he did not refute it at the time, but he did not expect that this day would come so soon.

Someone in the hall then asked, "What does Lord Chen think of this man?"

Chen Qun raised his head and looked at everyone in the hall. He did not answer immediately, but after a while, he slowly said, "It is not an easy thing to gather troops to suppress bandits in the midst of chaos in the prefectures and counties."

"Moreover, it can also gather the fortified villages."

The people in the hall were slightly taken aback.

"A fortified village?"

Chen Qun nodded.

"Between Runan and Peinan, there are many clan settlements."

"If we can get the help of these fortified villages, the military strength of a prefecture will be more than just the government troops."

The people in the hall exchanged glances.

Someone couldn't help but say, "So, this Lü Ding is quite shrewd."

The other person frowned and said, "But if the military strength gradually increases, the state may not be able to ignore it."

Chen Qun did not refute, he simply said slowly, "That depends on how far he goes."

Just then, someone chuckled softly from a corner of the hall.

Everyone turned to look and saw a young man leaning against a pillar, looking quite composed.

He was not old, only around twenty, and his clothes were not particularly expensive, but he looked exceptionally dashing.

Someone laughed and said, "Was Fengxiao listening just now?"

The young man cupped his hands in greeting.

"I heard some of it."

His gaze fell on the urgent report on the table, and he said with a smile:

"If we can truly gather troops to suppress the bandits in one prefecture and also take control of the fortified villages."

"It doesn't seem like just luck."

Someone in the hall asked, "What does Fengxiao think?"

The young man smiled.

"You can't really tell much from what's on paper."

"It's better to see it for yourself."

Everyone was taken aback upon hearing this.

Someone joked, "Are you planning to travel again?"

The young man nodded.

"I have nothing to do anyway."

He spoke in a relaxed tone, as if it were just a casual remark.

Chen Qun glanced at him at that moment.

The young man was named Guo Jia, courtesy name Fengxiao. Although he was still young, he was already quite famous among the scholars of Yingchuan.

Chen Qun was silent for a moment, then said, "In that case, Fengxiao, go to Runan."

Guo Jia smiled slightly, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "That's exactly what I was thinking."

As he spoke, he straightened up and glanced at the urgent report on the table.

"Lü Ding," he murmured the name.

"I'd like to see."

"What kind of person was this man who was able to raise an army in Qing County during a time of chaos?"

The sky outside the hall was already fully bright, and the morning light shone into the hall through the porch.

Meanwhile, dozens of miles away in Runan County, another group was slowly making its way along the official road.

Lu Ding rode on his horse, and the army behind him advanced in orderly formation.

Xu Chu remained silent and followed behind.

Further on, there were rows of prisoners tied together with ropes.

The spring morning mist gradually dissipated.

Scattered villages can already be seen in the distant fields.

The land remains chaotic, but in some places, a new order is quietly taking shape.

Several days later, a new document was also sent to the governor's office of Yuzhou.

In the governor's mansion, documents were piled up.

An official presented the document from Runan.

The middle-aged official sitting behind the desk took the silk scroll, and after reading a few lines, he suddenly coughed softly.

A servant quickly offered him warm tea, but the official waved his hand, took a breath, and then continued to look down at the tea.

After a moment, he whispered two words.

"Lü Ding".

This person.

It was Kong Zhou, the governor of Yuzhou.

He put down the document and couldn't help but cough lightly, covering his face with his sleeve.

The registrar said in a low voice, "The governor's cough has not yet healed; perhaps we should discuss this later?"

Kong Zhou shook his head: "The affairs of the state cannot be stopped."

He said he took another look at the document.

Only a few things are written on it:

Suppress thieves.

captive.

Dock closed.

Kong Zhou was silent for a moment, then said calmly, "To be able to stabilize a prefecture, one is indeed a talented person."

No one responded in the hall. Outside the window, the sunlight gradually rose, and the spring breeze blew through the courtyard, gently turning the pages of the silk book on the table.

Kong Zhou's gaze lingered on the document for a moment.

He didn't say anything more, but simply closed the silk scroll again and pushed it back onto the table.

"Make a note of this first."

"We'll bring it up again when the state council holds its meeting."

The registrar responded and put the document into his desk.

A spring breeze swept through the courtyard, and the eaves bells jingled softly.

And among this stack of unopened state government documents,

"Runan - Lüding"

This name was also recorded in the register of the Governor's Office of Yuzhou for the first time.