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

Lu Ding glanced at him.

"The land will not be taken back."

"Contracted to each household, with an initial term of ten years."

"Thirty percent of the harvest will go to the village for daily expenses, garrison duty, and reserves during famine years."

"Keep the rest for myself."

"The villagers don't ask what you grow."

"Only 30% is accepted; the more diligent you are, the less diligent you are."

After he finished speaking, the hall fell silent for a moment.

The lights flickered softly, and there were occasional cracking sounds from the wooden beams, but no one moved.

A moment later, someone coughed softly.

An elderly clansman sitting on the left slowly rose, leaning on his cane. His back was slightly hunched, but he stood very steadily. His voice was not loud, but it carried the weight of many years of managing the estate and keeping accounts.

"What Master Lü says sounds good."

He paused.

"But 30%... that's too lenient."

"And isn't a ten-year period too long?"

Upon hearing this, the older men exchanged glances, remained silent, but clearly nodded in agreement.

The elder clansman continued:

"Zhuangzi didn't just focus on farming."

"Repairing dikes, mending palisades, maintaining night patrols, and paying taxes—which of these doesn't require grain?"

"Even at 50% capacity in previous years, the situation has become increasingly tight every year."

"Now that the two estates have merged, there are many people and many things to deal with. How can the estates support themselves if they only take 30%?"

He wasn't questioning.

They're settling accounts.

Many people in the hall lowered their eyes.

This is something they are also weighing in their hearts.

Lü Ding did not immediately refute.

He merely glanced at the clan elder and asked:

"Which 50% are you referring to?"

The elder was taken aback, and subconsciously replied:

"Rental fee is 50%. If the harvest is bad, we can discuss it again."

"Then, if we 'discuss it again,' who will ultimately suffer a loss?" Lü Ding pressed.

The elder opened his mouth, but couldn't find the words to reply.

Lu Ding finished speaking for him.

"They are people who work in the fields."

"The one who dares not stop the most."

"He was also the first person called to get the knife last night."

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the hall noticeably became heavy.

Some people recalled the scene of corpses lying outside the courtyard last night.

Some people instinctively clenched the hem of their clothes.

Lü Ding then continued:

"I'm not ignoring the accounts."

"I'm using a different algorithm."

He raised his hand and tapped lightly on the table.

"Keep 70% of the property in each household."

"Zhuangzi, harvest three-tenths."

"The village doesn't support idlers, it only supports garrison commanders."

"Guard duty shifts, not off-duty."

"Farmers in peacetime, soldiers in wartime."

"We eat the farm's grain, but we don't eat it for free."

The elder's brow remained furrowed.

"But what if... things get even more chaotic?"

"Even 50% won't be able to hold out," Lü Ding said directly.

The sound wasn't loud.

It felt like a stone pressing on the hearts of everyone in the hall.

"In chaotic times, what's needed is not to squeeze every last grain of rice out of the land."

Lu Ding raised his eyes and looked at everyone.

"It makes people want to stay."

"I'm willing to stay."

"Willing to stand up when needed."

He paused for a moment.

"What if we don't have enough to eat—"

"Who will guard the village for you?"

The hall fell completely silent.

After a long while, the old clansman slowly sat down, his hand unconsciously tightening around his cane.

"...What about the old rules?"

The voice had become much softer.

"The old rules end here," Lü Ding replied calmly.

"New village, new method."

"It's not just mine."

"It's a way for everyone to survive together."

No one objected.

Someone nodded slightly.

Someone let out a long sigh of relief.

Only then did they truly understand—

This is not a case of harvesting less grain.

Instead, they chose a different approach to retain people.

Outside the hall, the sounds of drills could be faintly heard.

The gun barrel slammed to the ground, the steps were still unsteady, but each time they became more and more stable.

Suddenly, everyone in the hall understood.

This 30% of the grain,

It's not that there's less.

It's to be used to raise one—

The power that could protect Zhuangzi in chaotic times.

After the people left the hall, the place did not immediately become empty.

The news of the land distribution spread quickly.

It's not a notice.

They asked in hushed tones, one after another.

"...Really not taking the land?"

"What about my two acres of poor land?"

"Ten years...not one year?"

No one dared to say these words aloud.

It's as if they're afraid that if they raise their voices too high, the good news they've just heard will be shattered.

The following afternoon, the steward set up a wooden table in front of the hall, took out the old books, and replaced them with new paper.

By household, by name.

When it was the first household's turn, the person stood still for a long time.

"It's your turn," the manager reminded him.

He was a man in his forties, his hands covered in calluses, and his clothes still stained with blood from the previous night. He glanced around instinctively, then at the booklet on the table.

"My family originally rented three and a half acres of land."

His voice was low. "Does that count?"

The clerk didn't look up; he just wrote in the register.

"Calculate."

"It used to be a few acres, now it's a few acres."

The man was taken aback.

"What if... I grow it badly?"

Zhuang Li paused for a moment, then looked up at him.

"You're the one who suffers a loss."

The moment those words were spoken, the surroundings fell silent.

The man stood there blankly, as if he hadn't understood.

"Shijiazhuang... won't they provide subsidies?"

"Unified measures during famine years."

In ordinary years, no one will cover for you.

The official spoke very calmly.

The man's throat moved, and he suddenly nodded forcefully.

"...That's enough."

His hand was shaking as he signed his name.

It's not that I can't write steadily.

It's too stable, so stable it doesn't seem real.

The people behind them kept a closer eye on them.

Someone was quietly calculating the accounts.

Some people repeatedly asked, "Is it only 30%?"

Some people simply didn't ask any questions, just stared at the new booklet without blinking.

When it was an old woman's turn, she stood in front of the table and didn't say anything for a long time.

The village official frowned: "Report the land."

The old woman then cautiously spoke.

"My family... consists of just me and my grandson."

"Two acres of poor land."

"If I have to pay 30%... will I even survive?"

The official remained silent for a moment.

"You reap what you sow."

"Thirty percent are from the village."

"Seventy percent is yours."

After hearing this, the old woman suddenly raised her hand and wiped her face.

No one could tell whether she was wiping away dust or tears.

"Then my grandson... doesn't need to be sold."

This was said very softly.

But this made the people behind him suddenly lower their heads.

By evening, the new notebook was already more than half full.

There were more people standing in front of the hall than in the morning.

They did not disperse.

It's like they're waiting for something.

Until someone saw Lü Ding come out from behind the hall.

They were not wearing armor.

He also did not carry a sword.

I simply stood on the steps, looking at this noisy yet restrained crowd.

No one shouted.

No one asked.

But all eyes were on him.

Lu Ding paused for a moment before speaking.

"The land belongs to the village, but it also belongs to you."

"The rules are here."

He pointed to the wooden planks in front of the hall.

"Those written into the register today."

"No changes will be made within ten years."

A slight commotion arose below.

Someone couldn't help but ask a question.

"What if...the owner of the manor is changed?"

Lü Ding looked over.

"Then let's proceed according to the register."

"The owner may change, but the rules remain the same."

After he said that, the crowd suddenly fell silent.

It wasn't that it was being suppressed.

Instead, they finally dared to believe it.

That night, the lights in the village stayed on for a long time.

It wasn't about drinking.

It's not a celebration.

Instead, each household is recalculating their own schedule.

Someone drew field boundaries on the ground.

Someone dug out an old hoe and sharpened it.

And some people, for the first time, are seriously thinking about it—

What to plant next year?

Lu Ding stood in front of the hall, looking at the lights that had been relit in every household in the village.

That's all he can grasp.

A small plot of land, with several thousand people.

He is here, struggling desperately upwards.

And further north—

The proclamation calling for the attack on Dong Zhuo has already left the city.