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

The Northern Route Army camp was located north of the Ru River.

The military camp was not deeply established, but it was extremely stable.

There were no exaggerated flag formations outside the camp, and the trenches were only half-deep, yet the routes of approach, retreat, and flanks were all clearly marked.

This is Yuan Shao's consistent style—

Don't rush, don't panic, and don't give anyone an opportunity to take advantage.

When Zhang He returned to camp, it was nearly dusk.

He did not immediately enter the central command tent, but instead returned to his own rank of camp.

Remove armor and wash hands.

I mentally reviewed everything I had seen along the way.

—Pingyu.

That city wasn't big.

But it was too "organized," not because there were many soldiers, but because every step seemed to have been carefully planned.

In places like this, it is most dangerous to simply pass through.

Because once a change occurs, it usually doesn't come from the front.

By the time they realized it, the road was already in someone else's hands.

Zhang He looked up and glanced in the direction of the central command tent.

After a short while, he got up and went into the tent.

⸻

There were quite a few people inside the central command tent.

Yuan Shao sat at the head of the table.

Beside him were Guo Tu, Feng Ji, and several others, and several subordinate generals stood in the tent, all of whom were key figures in Yuan Shao's northern route deployment.

As soon as Zhang He entered the tent, Yuan Shao looked up.

"Junyi is back?"

"Yes."

"How's the road scouting going?"

Zhang He did not answer immediately.

He bowed first, then slowly began to speak:

"The other county roads are fine."

"Just along the Pingyu line—"

"This humble general is somewhat unsure."

The people inside the tent had different expressions.

"Unsure?" Guo Tu spoke first. "What do you mean?"

Zhang He thought for a moment, then spoke very slowly:

"Night patrols are conducted in an orderly manner."

"Military movements have their limits."

"It's not a hastily put together place, nor does it resemble a chaotic area."

Every single sentence is true.

There was no judgment, nor any exaggeration.

"County soldiers?" a lieutenant asked.

Zhang He shook his head.

"Unlike the kind of county soldiers who only listen to the county government."

Upon hearing this, Guo Tu's brow twitched noticeably.

"General Zhang," he began, "what do you mean by this?"

Zhang He looked up at him.

"It means—"

"In that place, there are people who understand military affairs and know how to train soldiers."

The tent fell silent.

Yuan Shao remained silent.

He simply used his fingertips to gently stroke the edge of the table.

"Who is it?" Yuan Shao finally asked.

Zhang He thought for a moment and answered very cautiously:

"A person who dares to stand on the official road, neither welcoming nor blocking, yet cannot be ignored."

That was said very softly.

This caused the people in the tent to look up at the same time.

"Does it have a name?" Yuan Shao asked.

"Xu Huang".

Zhang He said the name in a casual tone.

Guo Tu immediately flipped through the bamboo slips in his hand, then shook his head:

"This person is not registered as a general."

"That's exactly right," Zhang He said.

"He is not a general, yet he has the aura of a tiger general."

He paused for a moment, then added:

"That kind of person—"

"They should not be regarded as nobodies."

Guo Tu immediately replied:

"General Zhang, the campaign against Dong Zhuo is imminent, and the northern route is of utmost importance."

"Why complicate things over with just one county?"

Zhang He did not refute.

They simply turned to Yuan Shao.

"My lord."

"This humble general only hopes that my lord can recruit this man into his ranks."

Guo Tu frowned:

Why?

Zhang He looked at him.

"If we do not bring him under our lord's command today, he may end up working for someone else in the future, which could eventually cause trouble for our lord."

He didn't add another word.

Everyone in the tent understood.

Guo Tu then spoke:

"General Zhang is overthinking it."

"If such people are truly useful, they will come to serve us."

"If they don't come, they are just local self-preservationists and not worth your trouble, my lord."

Zhang He frowned upon hearing this, but said nothing more.

There was a moment of silence in the tent.

Only the faint sound of the lights remained.

Finally, Yuan Shao spoke:

"The main army is now at the forefront, advancing from all directions."

"It's not time to make a decision about one person in one county yet."

"Remember this, the vanguard will advance."

There was a moment of silence in the tent.

The lamplight flickered slightly on the top of the tent.

Yuan Shao remained silent, and the generals, understanding the situation, did not respond further.

At times like these, saying more is not offering advice, but rather vying for victory.

Zhang He stood with his head bowed in the tent, his expression unchanged.

He was neither disappointed by Yuan Shao's rejection nor displeased by Guo Tu's rebuttal.

He has said everything he needed to say.

As for whether the lord will remember it, and when to use it—

That's not something he can decide right now.

Yuan Shao waved his hand.

"All generals, return to your camps."

The lieutenants responded and withdrew.

Guo Tu and Feng Ji also got up to take their leave.

When the curtain was lifted, the night wind blew in, causing the lamp flame to tilt slightly.

Zhang He was about to leave when Yuan Shao stopped him.

"Junyi".

Zhang He stopped, turned around, and bowed.

"Your subordinate is here."

Yuan Shao did not mention Pingyu again, nor did he ask Xu Huang again.

I just asked casually:

"How long do you think that place can remain stable?"

This is not a military order.

It wasn't a test either.

It's more like a statement about the considerations for those who are generals.

Zhang He thought for a moment, then didn't rush to answer.

"As long as no one touches it first," he said after a moment's thought, "it will be stable."

Yuan Shao nodded.

"That's good."

He said this in a very calm tone, as if confirming something he had already let go of.

"Go down."

Zhang He responded and withdrew from the central command tent.

The night was deep outside the tent.

The campfires lined up in a row, but they were not dazzling.

He walked back to his camp, where his personal guards greeted him and asked in a low voice whether he needed to send out more patrols.

"No need," Zhang He waved his hand. "It's the same as before."

He sat down, leaned Jia against him, and reached out to press his forehead.

But the scene on the official road involuntarily resurfaced in his mind.

—That person was standing there.

Don't welcome, don't stop.

This deterred the three hundred cavalrymen from making any rash moves.

Zhang He knew very well that such a person, once he left civilian life and entered the army,

How sharp it will be.

But it is equally clear—

Such a person, if not in the hands of his lord...

In the future, they will stand under someone else's flag.

That's the real trouble.

At the same time.

Chenliu.

The city wasn't big, but it was very noisy.

It wasn't because of the noise in the marketplace, but because there had been far too many people entering and leaving the city gates these past few days—

Some carried weapons, some carried money and provisions, and some carried only a name card but looked anxious.

The proclamation has been sent out.

The phrase "oppose Dong" is like a spark ignited by someone, falling in different places and setting off different fires.

Someone really wants to fight.

Some people used motor vehicles.

Most people are simply too afraid to move.

Cao Cao stood under the corridor of his mansion, holding the proclamation that had been flipped through until it was creased.

Every word was generous.

But what he was looking at wasn't words.

The real question is how many people this manifesto actually provoked.

"My lord."

Xiahou Dun entered from outside the courtyard, his voice very low.

"Three more groups of people came today."

Cao Cao did not turn around.

Which three groups?

"The first group said they were willing to follow the Lord to fight against the traitor Dong, and they brought more than thirty local militiamen."

"The second group consists of old acquaintances from the county. They sent someone to say that they hope the lord will remember them."

"The third group—" Xiahou Dun paused, "came to ask whether our lord truly intends to travel north to the alliance meeting."

Cao Cao then turned around.

He smiled.

The smile was very faint.