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

The hall was quiet.

The burnt timbers were still crackling, and lingering smoke drifted slowly on the morning breeze, carrying a mixture of acrid and bloody smells. The sky was already bright, but it seemed to be shrouded in darkness by the ruins.

Chen Guang's bow was very deep.

It went so deep that it almost touched the ground on the forehead.

At this moment, he was not the lord of Chen Family Village, but just a man who had just crawled out of the aftermath of a disaster.

Lü Ding did not respond immediately.

He stood at the bottom of the steps, neither going up nor even taking a step forward.

His armor was still on, his sword was still at his waist, and the bloodstains were not yet dry. The morning light fell on his profile, highlighting his cold, hard features, revealing no emotion.

He looked at Chen Guang.

I watched it for a long time.

So long that the sweat on Chen Guang's back slowly slid down his spine.

Those around them unconsciously held their breath.

They are waiting for an answer.

We're also waiting for a result.

Finally, Lü Ding spoke.

"Yes, that's fine."

The sound was not loud, but it was clear.

Chen Guang felt a sudden sense of relief, but before he could even look up, he heard the next sentence.

"But there are a few things I want to make clear first."

Chen Guang was startled and immediately replied, "Please speak, young master."

Lu Ding's gaze swept across the hall.

His gaze swept over the Chen family villagers, whose clothes were tattered, whose eyes were filled with fear, yet who were forcing themselves to stand upright.

"People are not sold; land is not taken for free; knives are not taken for free."

These three sentences were uttered one by one.

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly changed.

Someone subconsciously looked up.

Someone gripped the hem of their clothes tightly.

Chen Guang was stunned.

"Your people are still your people," Lü Ding continued. "Those who should farm should farm, and those who should work should work."

"The fields are distributed according to households."

"The grain shall be distributed according to regulations."

"Those who wish to stay, abide by the rules; those who do not wish to stay, provide them with a way and food, and do not stop them."

He spoke very slowly.

It's like giving everyone time to react.

There was no cheering when the words were spoken.

However, there were a few very low gasps.

Some people had tears welling up in their eyes, but they stubbornly held them back.

Chen Guang's throat tightened, and he opened his mouth several times before he could make a sound.

"...Chen will follow the master's arrangements."

He bent down again.

This time, it's not just about bowing your head.

Instead, they accepted this path.

Lü Ding nodded.

Get up.

"It's dawn."

The morning light shone over the dilapidated rooftops and fell on the open space in front of the hall.

The smoke dissipated somewhat.

The wind is no longer so cold.

The burned-out roof beams lay across the courtyard, the broken wood still steaming and making a faint cracking sound when stepped on. The bloodstains were diluted by the night dew, but could not be completely washed away, forming dark streaks along the low-lying areas.

The body has been dragged to the outer embankment.

There was no monument erected, and no mourning.

Those who are alive must first survive.

Lu Ding turned around, no longer looking at Chen Guang, and whispered to Xu Huang, "Seal the granaries first."

"Sealed off?" Xu Huang was taken aback.

"It's not that we won't issue them," Lü Ding said calmly. "We'll issue them after we've taken inventory."

Xu Huang immediately understood and nodded in agreement.

Food is life.

Without knowing the numbers, there is no order to chaos.

If rules aren't established, chaos will inevitably break out again sooner or later.

Soon, the people of Lüjiazhuang took over.

It wasn't a brutal takeover.

Instead, they do things in separate lines—

One team inventoried the granaries, another registered the casualties, another assisted the women of Chenjiazhuang in collecting the bodies, and yet another team re-erected stakes and repaired the gate on the outer embankment.

The people from Chenjiazhuang stood aside and watched.

There was no obstruction.

No one asked a single question.

They figured it out last night.

Whoever holds the knife firmly has the final say.

In the afternoon, the first list was delivered to Lü Ding.

Lü Ding did not go to see it.

Instead, he looked at Chen Guangdao and said, "Start by distributing grain to the elderly, women, and children."

Chen Guang was taken aback.

This is not the norm.

In the past, when something happened, the able-bodied men were taken care of first, while the elderly and children were put on the back burner.

"By household," Lü Ding added, "not by labor."

This sentence carries more weight than any promise.

Chen Guang bowed once more, but this time he did not speak.

He was afraid that his voice would become hoarse if he opened his mouth.

-

The sun had just passed its zenith when dust rose outside the village.

The government officials have arrived.

There were no ceremonial guards.

There was no county magistrate.

Two minor officials, accompanied by a constable, rode thin horses, stepping into the village through the still-dry blood mud.

They looked very carefully.

Look at the burn marks, look at the corpses, look at the ruins.

But the question was the same old one.

"Who is causing this trouble?"

"What is the extent of the loss?"

"Will this harm the households of government officials?"

Chen Guang answered each question in turn.

They only talk about the rebels, but not the Yellow Turbans.

They only reported the losses, not the spoils.

They only mentioned being attacked, not retaliating.

Lu Ding stood aside without saying a word.

Finally, the clerk closed the book and sighed.

"This year is not peaceful."

"The losses suffered by Chenjiazhuang are true, and the tax payment can be deferred by 20%."

"but--"

He paused, then looked at Lü Ding.

"The village has its own garrison, and the county... is also short-handed."

That's a vague statement.

But that's enough.

The authorities knew what had happened.

But I don't want to get involved.

Or rather, they can't manage it all.

The official walked quickly, as if unwilling to linger in these ruins for even a moment longer.

After the sound of horses' hooves faded into the distance, no one spoke in the village for a long time.

Until Xu Huang whispered, "This is tacit consent."

Lu Ding hummed in agreement.

He knew it very well.

The government did not pursue the matter, not out of mercy.

Rather, it's because—

In Pingyu County today, there's no time to care about a single village.

-

That evening, the main hall of Lüjiazhuang was brighter than usual.

On the wooden table were two booklets.

One is old, and the other is new.

Xun Heng stood beside the desk, his voice not loud, but his reading was extremely steady.

"Lüjiazhuang has 926 registered households."

"Based on household registration, the current population is approximately 4,200."

He turned the page.

"Chenjiazhuang currently has 406 households."

"The population is over 2,100."

Someone in the hall took a soft breath.

This is no longer the size of a village.

"Among them, the able-bodied men totaled more than 800 from the two villages."

"Approximately two hundred people who can wield a knife and have combat experience."

Xun Heng closed the booklet.

"This is the baseline data we can use right now."

The lights flickered slightly.

All eyes were on Lü Ding.

Lü Ding did not speak immediately.

He stared at the two booklets for a long time, as if he were pressing each number into his heart.

Then, he looked up.

"From this day forward, the two estates shall be united."

The voice wasn't loud, but it made people instinctively sit up straight.

"Regardless of origin or background."

"Those on the register are all people from the village."

He paused.

Total population: over six thousand.

"This is the root."

"Two hundred men are available for defense."

"This is bone."

"The rest of the young and able-bodied—"

"It's blood."

No one spoke.

Because they can understand it.

Lü Ding continued:

"Defense, no expansion."

"Of those who have taken off their jobs, only 180 will remain."

"Divide into three teams, with rotation for training and rotation for defense."

"The rest of the young and able-bodied—"

"Returning to the fields after the busy farming season."

"Training during the off-season for farming."

"No pay."

"Only grain will be supplied."

"If something really happens, one command is all it takes to form a team."

This is not just empty talk.

It was the result of calculations.

Someone couldn't help but ask, "What about the fields?"