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

When Lü Ding left the governor's mansion, it was already late. A spring breeze blew across the city walls, and the streets and alleys of the prefectural capital gradually quieted down.

Occasionally, the sound of horses' hooves could be heard on the distant post road; it was the messengers dispatched by the governor's office, delivering documents to various prefectures overnight.

When Lü Ding walked out of the mansion, Xu Chu was already waiting outside with his horse.

"Young master."

Lu Ding nodded and mounted his horse. He glanced back at the gate of the governor's mansion. The lights inside were still on, and he could vaguely see clerks running back and forth, indicating that the state's documents were still being copied.

Xu Chu asked, "Back to Runan?"

"Return."

Lü Ding didn't say much. The group of one hundred riders quickly left the city gate and headed south along the official road they had come from.

Night deepened. The official road was much quieter on a spring night than during the day, with the occasional light of a distant fortified village visible. Those lights were not bright, yet they appeared particularly lonely in the darkness.

Xu Chu, still on horseback, suddenly said, "The governor wants you, young master, to cleanse the bandits of Yuzhou."

Lü Ding nodded: "Yes."

Xu Chu was silent for a moment, then asked, "How many battles will we have to fight?"

Lü Ding did not answer immediately. After a moment, he said, "A lot."

Xu Chu simply nodded after hearing this and said nothing more.

Two days later, in Runan County.

News of Lü Ding's return to the city quickly reached the prefectural government. Xun You was reading a document in a side hall when he heard footsteps and looked up.

"Young master is back."

Lu Ding nodded, took off his cloak, and sat down.

"What about the governor's mansion?"

Lü Ding briefly recounted the events at the governor's office. After listening, Xun You remained silent for a moment before saying, "Asking you, my lord, to purge the bandits of Yu Province is no small matter."

Lü Ding looked at him: "What do you think?"

Xun You thought for a while and said, "If you can wipe out the remaining Yellow Turban rebels in the southern counties, the Runan troops will be able to enter the counties legitimately."

He paused here, not continuing. But both of them understood what this meant.

Xun You pondered for a moment, then said, "However, this matter involves an entire province. If we could invite another person to discuss it with us, it might be more secure."

Lü Ding looked up at him: "You have other candidates?"

Xun You nodded.

The two spoke almost simultaneously:

"Guo Fengxiao".

As soon as he finished speaking, both of them were slightly taken aback.

Xun You then laughed: "It seems that you've thought of that too, young master."

Lü Ding nodded.

Xun You said, "Although this man is young, he is a rare talent in Yingchuan. Although he is somewhat unrestrained, his insight is no less than that of ordinary people. In terms of resourcefulness and decisiveness, there are not many scholars in Yingchuan who can match him."

He added, "If we could invite them to discuss this matter together, we might be more confident in our success."

Lü Ding listened and nodded.

—If we were to use a term from a later game, this person would probably be the kind of person who comes up with more strategies the more injured they are.

It's as if even after being stabbed, you can still come up with two more ideas.

Thinking about this, he couldn't help but chuckle a little.

Seeing a slight change in his expression, Xun You couldn't help but ask, "Young Master?"

Lu Ding then came to his senses and coughed lightly.

"In that case..."

"Then please invite Fengxiao here."

Xun You nodded, then turned and gave instructions to the person outside the door:

"Go and invite Guo Fengxiao."

Shortly after, footsteps were heard outside. A young man pushed open the door and walked in, dressed simply and with a composed expression; it was Guo Jia.

He glanced at the two people in the hall and smiled, "It seems we're about to discuss something important."

Xun You smiled and said, "I was just about to invite Fengxiao to discuss this with me."

Guo Jia walked to the desk, saw the map on it, and asked, "Yu Province?"

Lü Ding nodded: "The governor ordered me to eliminate the bandits in Yuzhou."

After listening, Guo Jia gave a soft "hmm," placed his hand on the map, lingered on it for a moment, and then said, "The first battle will most likely take place here."

His fingers fell.

Liang Kingdom.

Xun You nodded: "Liang is a mountainous country, making it an easy place for bandits to hide."

Guo Jia said, "Moreover, to the north of Liang is Chen. If we don't clear out Liang first, there will be a constant stream of rebel troops moving south."

Lu Ding stared at the map in silence for a while, then suddenly looked up at Guo Jia.

"Filial piety."

"If it were you."

"How should we proceed in this battle?"

Guo Jia was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "Since you have asked, I will speak frankly."

Lü Ding nodded: "Please speak freely."

Guo Jia pointed to two spots on the map.

"In the southern border of Liang Kingdom, there is likely more than one force."

"What the captain just reported is only one aspect."

"This area is hilly, and the bandits are used to living in scattered locations."

"If we only attack one place, the other place will surely flee far away."

"How about we split up our forces?"

Xun You's eyes flickered slightly upon hearing this.

Guo Jia continued, "We are advancing north and south simultaneously, exerting pressure on each other."

"With no way to retreat, the bandits will inevitably reveal their weakness."

Lu Ding looked at the map but didn't speak immediately.

After a moment, he suddenly smiled.

"In that case..."

"Then let's follow Fengxiao's plan. Is Fengxiao willing to accompany the army?"

Guo Jia cupped his hands in greeting, his expression composed: "I dare not ask."

Xun You looked at the map and suddenly said, "However, there is one more thing. The various prefectures may not all cooperate fully."

Guo Jia nodded: "That's right. Some prefects will only watch and see, and may not even want us to win easily."

Lu Ding remained silent. After a while, he said calmly, "Then let's fight."

Guo Jia glanced at him and suddenly smiled: "As long as we win the first battle, they will naturally cooperate."

Xun You nodded in agreement: "That's right."

Just then, footsteps sounded outside. A captain entered the hall, cupped his hands, and said, "My lord, there is news from the Liang Kingdom."

Lü Ding looked up: "Speak."

The captain said, "In the southern border of Liang, there is a remnant of the Yellow Turbans, numbering nearly two thousand."

Upon hearing this, Guo Jia's eyes suddenly lit up, and he gently tapped the table.

"Alright, first battle."

Lü Ding looked at the captain: "Where are they?"

"South of Yangcheng"

Lü Ding stood up: "Reorganize the troops."

The captain cupped his hands in greeting: "Yes, sir!"

Guo Jia walked to the door and looked at the Runan city wall in the distance.

Commands could be faintly heard on the drill ground outside the city, where newly formed soldiers were lining up.

Guo Jia said softly, "It seems that Yuzhou is about to become lively."

In a valley in the southern border of Liang, over two thousand remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion were gathered. Their banners were tattered, their armor disheveled, but their numbers were considerable. A bandit leader, his head wrapped in a yellow turban, stood on a stone platform and sneered, "The government troops? In all these years, haven't they made a lot of noise but accomplished little?"

The thieves below burst into laughter.

However, they did not know that just a few days later, an army from Runan was already on its way.

This army will be the last government troops they ever see in their lives.

Beyond the valley, the spring breeze swept across the hills of Liang Kingdom's southern border, and the wild grass swayed gently in the night.

Several scattered fortified villages were lit with torches in the distance, and the local militia on night watch kept looking toward the official road to the south.

They had already heard some news.

The governor's office issued an order to mobilize troops in Runan and other prefectures.

But no one has been able to say for sure what exactly will happen.