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

On the third night after the guard team was secretly established in the village, Lü Boshe returned.

There were no ceremonial guards.

There was no welcoming or farewell ceremony.

A single old car and two attendants slowly drove into the village gate from the dirt road to the south.

The guards on night watch, holding torches, paused for a moment when they saw the people on the cart, then quickly went to meet them.

"The old master of the manor has returned."

This message quickly spread through the ranks.

When Lü Boshe entered the hall, the lamps were already lit, and the clan elders and several stewards were all there. Even several elderly people who had recently moved into the village were standing by the door, not daring to come in, but reluctant to leave.

Lu Boshe looked around but didn't speak immediately.

He first took off his outer robe and handed it to his attendant, then sat down and slowly drank a bowl of warm water.

After he finished drinking the water, he said:

"There's no chaos in the village."

It's not a question.

It is a judgment.

Lü Ding nodded: "The chaos hasn't reached here yet."

"Then it's not too late," Lu Boshe replied.

The clan elder couldn't help but ask, "How's it outside?"

Lu Boshe remained silent for a moment.

"East of Luoyang, there is no longer any concept of 'stability'."

"It's just a matter of dividing—"

"Is the chaos obvious or not?"

These words made the atmosphere in the hall quieter.

"Once the banner of 'opposing Dong Zhuo' is raised, all sorts of monsters and demons will emerge," Lü Boshe continued. "Some are genuinely raising an army, some are using the pretext to recruit people, and others simply take advantage of the chaos to plunder grain and seize villages."

He looked up at Lü Ding.

I heard about your land distribution on the way here.

Lü Ding did not deny it.

"You did the right thing," Lu Boshe said.

The clan elder was taken aback.

"But it's only half right."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall tensed up.

"The land has been distributed, and people's hearts are at ease," Lü Boshe said slowly. "But the outside world will also see the peace of mind that has been restored."

"In their eyes, this is not good governance."

"It's fatty meat."

The elder muttered a curse under his breath.

Lu Boshe waved his hand.

"So this trip isn't to avoid trouble."

"It's about seizing the initiative and securing the rightful place beforehand."

After those words were spoken, the hall fell silent.

Lü Ding looked up.

"Under what pretext?" he asked.

Lu Boshe took out several letters from his bag.

The paper is old, but the seal is well preserved.

"I went to the county first," he said, "without mentioning troop training."

"I'll just mention two things."

"First, we can deliver the grain on time this year."

Second, do not flee in the face of chaos.

The elder was startled.

In today's world, saying "can deliver grain" is more reliable than saying "loyal."

"After listening to their explanation, they only asked one question," Lü Boshe continued, "Can you hold out?"

Lü Ding replied, "You answered?"

"I answered," Lü Boshe nodded. "I said we can hold out."

"Because someone is guarding it."

Upon hearing this, several elderly men in the hall subconsciously looked outside.

The commands from the training ground could be faintly heard.

"The county officials dared not ask any more questions," Lu Boshe said. "They were afraid of taking responsibility."

"But it's different in the county."

He paused.

"The county asked three questions."

"Who is training the troops?"

How many people?

"Are you willing to listen to my tune?"

The elder's expression changed slightly.

This means reaching out.

"I only replied with one item," Lu Boshe said. "The third one."

I said—

"We will only guard the village and not leave the territory."

"Only protect ourselves, not join any alliances."

Upon hearing this, Lü Ding understood.

"So they want a name that can be written into the book," he said.

"That's right." Lü Boshe nodded.

"Without a legitimate cause, the guards are just a bunch of rabble."

"Once you have a title, no matter how big it is, it's just 'local self-defense'."

The elder asked in a low voice, "What did they give us?"

"Two options," Lu Boshe replied.

"One is to have my name listed on the register."

The elders all changed color.

"I didn't answer," Lu Boshe shook his head. "At my age, I can't handle what happens next."

"and--"

He looked at Lü Ding.

"What they really want to see is you."

The room was so quiet you could hear someone breathing.

"The second option," Lü Boshe continued.

"Establish a Zhuangzheng, who also serves as the head of the group."

"The guards are considered local militia."

"The roster is limited and there are only a few spots available."

"No transfers, no requisitions, no dispatches."

This is already the maximum concession we can make.

Lü Ding pondered for a moment.

"condition?"

"The candidates need to be reviewed by them," said Lü Boshe.

"Defend against the Yellow Turbans, defend against bandits."

"Also to prevent things from getting out of control."

Lü Ding nodded.

"Can."

These two words were spoken with great composure.

That night, Zhuang Zhong rewrote the roster.

It's not Tian Ce.

It is the guard roster.

Each person wrote down their place of origin, age, and family members.

It wasn't for the sake of the government.

It is for—

If someone comes to investigate later, there will be records to match.

On the morning of the third day, someone from the prefecture arrived.

Three riders.

He does not lead troops.

With a stamp.

They looked at the training ground, the formations, and then flipped through the roster one by one.

"You are Lü Ding?" the leader asked.

Lü Ding cupped his hands in greeting: "Yes."

"You trained the guard team too?"

"Yes."

The man stared at him for a long time.

"Do you realize that once this title is bestowed, the responsibility will fall on your shoulders?"

Lü Ding answered quickly.

"Know."

"What happened to Ruozhuang?"

I'll take responsibility.

The seal fell.

It didn't make a sound.

It was like driving a stake into the ground.

That evening, the drills proceeded as usual.

Lu Boshe returned a few days later.

Changes began to appear outside the village.

It didn't all fall apart at once.

Instead, it happens slowly, like water levels rising.

The first to be affected were several small villages in the southwest of Pingyu County.

What started as nighttime raids on grain by scaling the walls escalated into daytime raids by large groups. The village head dared not report it to the authorities, and even if he did, no one would care; he could only defend the village himself. However, those guarding the village were mostly hastily assembled able-bodied men, who scattered at the sight of a knife.

On the third night, one of the villages was destroyed.

The fire started very quickly.

When dawn broke, only ashes remained.

The news reached Lüjiazhuang by those who had escaped.

He was a middle-aged man with a limp, dragging his feet into the village. His shoes were worn out, and blood dripped onto the dirt road.

The moment the guards stopped him, he knelt down.

"Give me some water."

"My village is gone."

By the time he said those words, he was no longer able to cry.

The village did not respond immediately.

But the door was not closed.

Water and food were provided.

The people were placed in an old house that had been vacated in the outer village.

That evening, a second group arrived.

This time, it was a family of five.

An old man was holding a child, a woman was carrying a bundle on her back, and a man was clutching a rusty wood-chopping knife.

They stood outside the village, not daring to go in.

It wasn't until the night patrol guards discovered him that he said, trembling:

"I heard... the land here has been divided up."

"He can still live."

This statement quickly spread throughout the southern part of Pingyu County.

It wasn't posted by anyone.

It was a message from one person to another, passed on by those who were fleeing for their lives.

On the morning of the fourth day, more than a dozen households had already gathered outside the village.

There was no commotion.

There was no robbery.

I just stood on the edge of the field, watching the smoke rising from the village chimneys in the distance.

Lu Ding was very familiar with that look in his eyes.

It is the look in a person's eyes when they see a place where they can still live, even when they have nowhere else to go.

The clan elders began to get restless.

"If this continues, the population will only increase."

"Where's the grain?"

"Where's the field?"

"Can Zhuangzi contain it all?"