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

The council hall of Liujiazhuang should not be used at this time of year.

In previous years, around the time of spring plowing, the gates here would only be opened once to discuss water, fields, and corvée labor. The clan elders would sit at the head of the table, while the young people would stand on either side. They would argue a few times, slam their fists on the table, and finally, each side would back down and disperse.

But this year is different.

The long tables that were originally placed along the walls in the council chamber were cleared away one by one, leaving only the widest one in the center.

The tabletop had been repeatedly scraped and washed, the old paint was gone, the wood grain was white, and the texture was crisscrossed, like bones worn away by time.

A layer of coarse cloth was laid on top, and the edges were already frayed.

Beneath the coarse cloth were neither sacrificial vessels nor wine and meat.

What was pressed down were account books, grain coupons, and rosters handed over by various villages.

The roster was divided into several stacks.

Some were delivered in whole packages, with neat handwriting and fairly proper sealing;

Some were just a few scattered households, their names written crookedly, as if copied by the light of an oil lamp at night.

Whoever handed over the grain, the supply was cut off;

Which warehouse was disturbed at night? Which household was missing during the day?

Everything is here.

Yan Xiang sat behind the desk.

He wasn't wearing official robes, just a faded dark-colored straight-hemmed robe, with the cuffs rolled up half an inch to reveal his wrist. His hand was long and steady, with thin calluses on his fingers, though the knuckles weren't thick.

He had only been in Runan for a few days.

I didn't plan to stay long anyway.

When Yuan Shu sent him out, he neither gave him an official seal nor a banner, but simply said:

"Don't rush to plant the flag. First, see if we can use the people."

Yan Xiang remembered those words very clearly.

The counting rods rose and fell between his fingers.

The sound of the stones falling onto the table was distinct.

No rush, no panic.

Outside the hall, a flag opposing Dong Zhuo was planted at the entrance.

They are very close.

As the wind blew, the flag fluttered and its shadow swayed on the threshold, almost sweeping into the hall.

But Yan Xiang didn't look up even once from beginning to end.

Flags are for people to see.

The accounts are for oneself.

"Mr. Yan."

The man surnamed Du stood to one side, his tone noticeably lower than when he was in Lüjiazhuang.

This is not outside.

His confidence in "acting in the name of opposing Dong" was completely useless in this council chamber.

"Last night... nothing happened at Lü Family Village."

The counting rods paused slightly, then continued.

"I know."

Yan Xiang's voice was not loud, as if he were stating something that had been planned in advance.

Du was taken aback and subconsciously asked, "How did you know, sir?"

Yan Xiang didn't look up, only replying calmly:

"You didn't return to camp last night."

Mr. Du gave a wry smile.

There was indeed no reply.

It wasn't that I was stopped.

He stood outside and watched for half the night.

"……yes."

He thought for a moment, then added:

"They stood very firmly."

This time, the counting rods stopped.

Yan Xiang finally raised his eyes and glanced at him.

That single glance, though not sharp, made people dare not look away.

It's like measuring a piece of land to see if it's suitable for setting up stakes.

"How stable is it?"

Mr. Du licked his lips, as if searching for an accurate statement that didn't sound exaggerated.

"No flag was displayed."

"No one was called out."

"I didn't pursue anyone."

He paused, then said in a low voice:

"Like a wall."

The council chamber fell silent for a moment.

The only sound was the wind rustling the flags outside, one after another.

Yan Xiang lowered his head, put the last few counting rods back in their place, and then spoke:

"What about Liujiazhuang?"

"It's a mess."

Du answered quickly, "If we only buy 30% of the grain, people's hearts will be scattered that very night."

"Did they kidnap him?"

"no."

"That's because they scattered it themselves."

Yan Xiang nodded.

This is normal.

When the flag is lowered, the first to disperse from the village are never the able-bodied men.

It is the heart.

Once the mind wanders, the game is no longer the game.

It's just a place that can be entered and exited repeatedly.

"What about Lü Family Village?"

Mr. Du hesitated for a moment this time.

"...It hasn't dispersed."

"Not only did it not dissipate, but instead—"

He lowered his voice:

"There are other villages outside, so we're starting to move closer to them."

Yan Xiang tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

"Depend on?"

"It's not a vote."

Mr. Du quickly explained, "I just wanted to borrow some grain, borrow the night, and borrow someone to take a look."

"They gave it to you?"

Give me a little.

"But the rules are very rigid."

"What are the rules?"

"Not to the village, but to the household."

"We won't give you fame, we'll just give you a way to survive."

Upon hearing this, Yan Xiang finally smiled.

She laughed very softly.

"interesting."

He picked up his pen and lightly made a tiny dot of ink in the corner of the ledger.

It's not a circle.

It is not registered.

It's just a single point.

It's like it's just been left there temporarily.

Wait until you turn to the next page before looking at it.

"gentlemen."

Mr. Du tentatively asked, "Should we... try again?"

"Try what?"

"Keep them in check."

Yan Xiang closed the ledger.

"No rush."

Why?

Yan Xiang walked to the entrance of the council hall, but still did not look at the flag.

"Because they didn't rob it."

"The fact that they didn't rob it means they don't need it."

"But what if we wait until they're a little older—"

"When they grow up."

Yan Xiang interrupted him, his tone calm.

"That's beyond our control."

"remember."

Yan Xiang said slowly:

"Flags can keep unruly soldiers in check."

"You can't control someone who's good at calculations."

Mr. Du swallowed.

"Na Lü Ding—"

"He's calculating."

Yan Xiangdao,

"And he's not fast at calculating."

"It's dangerous if things aren't going smoothly."

⸻

Not all villages can be counted.

On the south side of Runan, there are three small villages.

They're not very big.

Each group had no more than twenty or thirty households.

In the past few days, they heard something—

"The Lü Family Village was neither flagged nor looted."

This statement is more effective than any proclamation against Dong Zhuo.

The first village I visited was where I learned to collect grain.

The clan elder slammed his fist on the table:

"Thirty percent! We'll take thirty percent too!"

The words were shouted loudly.

But as soon as the grain was harvested, people went wild.

"The Lü family village has a guard!"

"What do we have?"

That very night, some people fled with their families.

Not towards Lüjiazhuang.

They were scattered directly into the wild.

The second village taught them how to patrol at night.

They selected a dozen or so strong men and gave them wooden sticks.

The first night went fairly smoothly.

On the second night, someone pretended to be sick.

On the third night, someone actually came.

Not many, about ten.

No, I didn't.

They only set fires and shouted messages outside the village.

The night patrolmen ran away first.

By daybreak, the granary was half empty.

Zhuangzi dispersed that very day.

The third Zhuang was the most accurate in imitation.

Land allocation.

Establish rules.

They even say "per household".

But they made a mistake.

Too hasty.

The rules have just been established, and they're already trying to establish their authority.

A tenant farmer was beaten in public for being late in delivering a bushel of grain.

The person is not dead.

But the next day, all the gates in the village were closed.

It's not for preventing thieves.

It's to protect against them.

On the morning of the third day, half of the people had left.

The rest of the land is deserted, with no one left to cultivate it.

Three days.

Three villages.

It collapsed completely.

And within these three days—

Lujiazhuang now has twenty-seven more households.

No one is playing the drums.

No one announced it.

At night, a few more lights appeared in the outer village.

Someone is coming.

No one stopped them.

Lü Ding only asked people to remember one thing:

Who comes? I don't ask Zhuang.

Ask only people.

But he knew the truth of this matter himself—

There are more people.

Food supplies are a critical issue.

Spring in Runan hasn't fully warmed up yet.