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

After receiving the summons from the governor's office, Lü Ding did not delay.

After briefly explaining the affairs of Runan, Lü Ding set off northward.

The group was small, consisting of a few personal guards, Xu Chu, and a hundred elite soldiers.

The group traveled north along the official road. Although there were no more than a hundred riders, their ranks were orderly and disciplined.

Xu Chu rode on his horse, still carrying that thick-backed sword on his back. He didn't say much along the way, only occasionally glancing around.

North of Runan, once you enter the heart of Yuzhou, the scenery changes slightly from the south. More fields are abandoned, and villages are sparse. In some places, you can even see burned-down houses, with weeds growing between the crumbling walls.

Xu Chu looked around for a while, then suddenly said in a low voice, "It looks like this place has been robbed."

Lü Ding nodded.

"The Yellow Turban Rebellion in Yuzhou has not yet been quelled."

Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, although many places have been suppressed, there are not many places that have been truly cleaned up.

Many of the remaining survivors fled into the mountains and fortified villages, where they lived as scattered refugees in ordinary times, but once they gathered together, they became a bandit army.

This is why the governor's office suddenly summoned him.

Two days later, the prefectural capital city where the governor's office was located appeared in the distance.

The city walls weren't high, but they were wider than those of the prefectural city, and there was a considerable amount of traffic outside the city gates. The prefectural flag hung above the city gates, giving the place an air of solemnity.

After Lü Ding and his party entered the city, they were quickly welcomed into the governor's mansion by the officials of the prefecture.

The governor's mansion was much larger than the Runan prefecture, with deep courtyards and interconnected corridors.

Several clerks walked back and forth in the courtyard, and people were constantly passing bamboo slips and silk books back and forth.

Lu Ding waited in the side hall for a while before a clerk came to invite him.

"The governor requests your presence."

Lü Ding stood up.

Xu Chu also stood up.

The registrar glanced at Xu Chu but didn't say anything more. He simply led the two of them through the courtyard.

The main hall was dimly lit.

A middle-aged official sat behind his desk, on which lay several scrolls of documents. His face was slightly pale, and there was a hint of weariness between his brows; he occasionally coughed softly.

Lü Ding walked into the hall and bowed with his hands clasped.

"Lu Ding of Runan has met with the governor."

The middle-aged official behind the case looked up and glanced at him.

"Yunzhong."

He murmured the name once.

"sit."

Lü Ding thanked him and sat down in the hall. Xu Chu stood to one side, silent as a wall.

The governor's gaze lingered on Xu Chu for a moment before returning to Lü Ding.

"I heard you've been suppressing bandits in Runan recently."

Lu Ding said, "It's just cleaning up a few remaining groups."

The governor smiled slightly, then coughed softly.

"A few remaining groups."

"The documents received by the state government are not written like this."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and took a scroll of silk from the table.

"North of Shangcai, three streams have been breached."

"In the Peinan area, another thousand were wiped out."

"A great many prisoners were captured."

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

"Are all of these things true?"

Lü Ding did not deny it.

"true."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

The governor remained silent for a while, then suddenly sighed softly.

"Yuzhou has been in chaos for far too long these past few years."

He spoke in a low voice, but with a hint of weariness.

Lü Ding did not interrupt.

The governor's gaze swept across the hall from the outside, as if looking at the distant border of the prefecture.

"When the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, the entire prefecture and county were shaken. Although there were many attempts to suppress it afterward, it was never completely eradicated."

"After Dong Zhuo burned down the capital and the emperor moved west, bandits roamed freely among the various prefectures."

"The people dared not cultivate the land, and fortified villages sprang up everywhere."

He coughed again as he said this.

A servant immediately served warm tea.

The governor waved his hand but did not drink.

After a while, he looked at Lü Ding again.

"I've heard some of what you did in Runan."

"To reassure the people."

"Recruit prisoners of war."

"The entire county's troops."

His tone softened slightly as he said this.

"It's not easy to get to this point."

Lu Ding cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "It's merely a matter of self-preservation."

The governor looked at him and suddenly smiled.

"Self-preservation."

"If it's merely about self-preservation, why bother going north to Pei?"

The hall fell silent for a moment, and Lü Ding offered no explanation.

The governor did not press the matter. He remained silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "I am not young anymore."

He said this calmly, but the officials in the hall all lowered their heads slightly.

The governor coughed lightly and continued, "These past few years, the affairs of the prefecture have become increasingly complicated, and I have gradually become unable to manage them all."

"But if Yuzhou continues to be in chaos, the people will truly have no way to survive."

He looked at Lü Ding as he spoke: "Since you were able to gain a foothold in Runan..."

"I want to see."

"Just how far are you capable of doing?"

Lü Ding raised his head.

The governor slowly said:

"Within the territory of Yuzhou, there are still many remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion."

"Some are in the mountains and forests, and some are in the fortified villages."

"The state government has launched several crackdowns, but has failed to completely eradicate them."

His tone suddenly turned somber as he said this.

"Do you dare to go in my place?"

Lü Ding did not answer immediately.

The hall was quiet.

Xu Chu stood to the side, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his expression still calm.

After a while, Lü Dingcai slowly said:

"The governor wants me to..."

"The traitors of Yuzhou?"

The governor nodded. "Let's start with the southern prefectures."

"Runan, Pei, and Liang".

"Sweep away the remaining Yellow Turban rebels in these areas."

He added at this point:

"The state government will issue a document, and all counties will cooperate."

"But I want you to be the one in charge of the troops."

Lu Ding was silent for a moment. He understood, of course, that this was not just about suppressing bandits.

If this task can be accomplished, the Runan troops will then have a legitimate reason to operate in the various counties of Yuzhou.

This is a test, but also an opportunity.

Lu Ding looked up and said, "If we want to wipe out the bandits in Yuzhou, the troops in Runan are probably not enough."

The governor looked at him and asked, "How many soldiers do you want?"

Lü Ding did not answer immediately; after a while, he said:

"It's not about the quantity of soldiers, but about their effectiveness."

The governor suddenly chuckled: "You certainly know how to talk."

He tapped lightly on the table.

"If it's under the guise of suppressing bandits."

"You can expand your army in Runan."

"All able-bodied men from fortified villages and captured soldiers can be incorporated."

"But there's one condition," he looked up at Lü Ding, "that it must be used properly."

Lu Ding stood up and cupped his hands in greeting: "I will do my best."

The governor looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly said, "I await your news."

A spring breeze blew in from outside, and the leaves of the trees in the courtyard swayed gently.

On the same day, the documents of the governor's office began to be copied.

Several clerks sat at their desks under the eaves, writing swiftly, and scrolls of silk were quickly completed. Ink was pressed down, and the official seal of the prefecture was placed on the documents.

The courier was then summoned to the court, where the registrar distributed the documents one by one.

"Send word to Runan."

"Passing the country of Pei."

"The story is told of the Liang Kingdom."

"Passing Yingchuan."

"The news spread to the State of Chen."

"It was passed down to the State of Lu."

"The state government has issued an order—"

"The prefects of each prefecture are hereby ordered to immediately prepare their troops."

"We must cooperate with the troops of Runan to suppress the remaining Yellow Turban rebels; we cannot shirk our responsibilities."

Several couriers bowed and accepted the order, quickly mounting their horses. Before long, the sound of hooves rang out from outside the governor's mansion, and one rider after another rushed out of the city gate, galloping along the official road in all directions.

These documents will soon be delivered to the prefectural and county governments.

Meanwhile, within Yuzhou, the remnants of the Yellow Turban rebels, hiding in the mountains, fortified villages, and wilderness, were still unaware of this.

A sweeping purge that engulfed the entire Yu Province had quietly begun.