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

"I'll take over the recruitment."

The clerk was taken aback and subconsciously looked up.

Lü Ding had already turned around:

"The name, it's still the name of the county."

"I'll figure something out."

⸻

The back hall of the county government office.

The light is still on.

Xu Heng barely slept all night.

The county's order to "recruit a thousand soldiers" felt like a stone pressing on my chest; if I didn't move, it would be fine, but if I did, my chest would collapse.

He did consider pushing it away.

To whom can it be passed on?

The county has already taken sides.

If the county pushes it again, it will be considered disobeying orders.

Just as he was weighing the matter, the clerk returned.

He only brought one sentence.

"Lu Ding said—he would take over the matter of recruiting soldiers."

Xu Heng was taken aback.

Then, he slowly exhaled.

It doesn't feel relaxing.

Rather, it's a sense of relief—that someone has finally taken over this task.

"What did he say?" Xu Heng asked.

The clerk reported the facts truthfully.

Xu Heng listened and remained silent for a moment.

Then he nodded.

"it is good."

"Do as he says."

This is not complete decentralization.

But Xu Heng knew very well in his heart—

If this matter were still in our hands, Pingyu would surely descend into chaos first.

⸻

The next morning.

The county government posted a notice.

The statement was short.

Yet the word choice is extremely stable.

Instead of mentioning "conscription," it simply states:

"To recruit volunteers to prepare supplies for the campaign against Dong Zhuo, and also to protect the local communities."

The line below in smaller print:

"Those who wish to volunteer should first gather outside the city, led by someone familiar with the area."

The moment the list was posted, the city was immediately in an uproar.

But not panic.

Instead, they are observing.

Lü Ding did not enter the city.

He simply cleared out the drill ground outside the city.

Five hundred guards, the same group as before, stood in rows.

The year Jiawei was the year of the new change.

The sword has not been newly drawn.

But the way he stands makes it obvious to everyone—

This is not a hastily assembled team.

Xu Huang stood at the very front.

Lu Ding only said one sentence to him:

"These five hundred people were registered in the name of volunteerism."

Xu Huang immediately understood.

It's not about disbanding and reorganizing.

But -

From guards to soldiers.

The order remains unchanged.

The person hasn't changed.

Only the wording on the roster was changed.

That afternoon.

The first batch of donations has been received.

Thirty-seven people.

not much.

None of them were recruited.

What they saw was—

The five hundred men already standing outside the city.

tidy.

Quiet.

Do not give orders.

No shouting.

Just standing there.

Someone whispered:

"If it were truly chaotic, it would have been chaotic long ago."

the next day.

The number of people has doubled.

Day three.

A queue had already formed outside the training ground.

Lu Ding did not show his face from beginning to end.

He only set three rules:

1. No forced recruitment.

Second, do not form a formation immediately.

Third, all newly recruited men shall first practice with the guards.

Thus, a highly unusual scene unfolded—

Five hundred "veterans" led five hundred "new recruits".

Eat together.

Let's practice together.

On the same tour.

The old ones are more stable.

We dare not act recklessly in the new situation.

On the third night, the city was quieter than usual.

⸻

The seventh day.

The county's military commander has arrived.

Armored.

He brought more than twenty riders.

Once outside the city, the drill ground came into view.

He did not go into the city.

Instead, they rode straight over.

"Who's in charge?" the general demanded.

Xu Huang stepped forward.

"I."

Ya Jiang glanced at him.

"The county has issued an order to recruit one thousand soldiers."

"Have you ordered everything?"

Xu Huang remained neither humble nor arrogant.

"Everything is ready."

Ya Jiang sneered.

"That's good."

"Since these soldiers were recruited by the prefecture, they are naturally under the command of the prefecture."

"Get ready and follow me."

The drill ground fell silent the moment those words were spoken.

The newly recruited militiamen instinctively gripped their weapons tighter.

The guards, however, did not move an inch.

Xu Huang looked up at the other person.

"General."

"The roster is at the county government office."

"The army is at Pingyu."

Teeth frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Xu Huang spoke calmly.

"No action has been taken against Dong Zhuo."

"The northern route is still undecided."

"Pingyu is located on a strategic road."

"This soldier cannot be allowed to leave."

Ya Jiang was so angry that he laughed instead.

"Can't we leave?"

"Who do you think you are, daring to block the county soldiers?"

He hadn't finished speaking.

Xu Huang had already taken half a step forward.

It wasn't drawing a sword.

Just stand still.

Five hundred people behind him moved in unison.

step.

The nails rustled softly.

At that moment, Ya Jiang realized—

This is not a group of newly recruited local militia.

These are soldiers who are already able to obey orders.

"Whose man are you?" Ya asked in a deep voice.

Xu Huang did not hesitate.

"People from Pingyu County."

That was a very steady statement.

Ya's gaze darkened.

He finally realized something—

These soldiers were nominally requested by the county.

But in reality—

Someone else has already taken it first.

"Okay." Ya Jiang nodded.

"Then I'll go back and report."

"But remember this."

"The soldiers are from the county."

Xu Huang did not refute.

He simply replied with one sentence:

"The person is still in Pingyu."

Ya Jiang snorted coldly and turned to leave.

⸻

at night.

Lu Ding stood on a high place outside the city, watching the county troops depart into the distance.

Xu Huang walked to his side.

"They will come again."

Lü Ding nodded.

"meeting."

"And next time, we won't just ask the soldiers."

Xu Huang said in a deep voice:

"What should we do then?"

Lü Ding did not answer immediately.

He looked at the lights in the city.

One lamp after another.

It shines very steadily.

"Soldiers, hold them for now."

"Let them remember your name."

"We really want to reap the rewards—"

He paused for a moment.

"We also need to see if their hands are steady enough."

Lu Ding stood there for a long time before turning around and leaving the city.

It was already midnight when we returned to the village.

The watchman's call from the drill ground continued precisely on time, not a single note more or less.

The next afternoon.

Xu Heng then received the official document from the prefecture.

It was not in the name of the prefect.

But -

The county issued a document regarding the allocation and distribution of military supplies.

The wording was more subdued than the previous letter.

There was no "order" or "time limit".

He only mentioned three things repeatedly:

Firstly, with the campaign against Dong Zhuo imminent, all counties should prioritize the overall situation.

Secondly, Pingyu is located on a strategic route, and its military strength should not be left idle.

Thirdly: The recruited soldiers should be put into service as soon as possible so that they can be deployed.

After Xu Heng finished reading, his fingers lingered on the table for a long time.

This is not an order.

But it carries more weight than an order.

Because it has already assumed one thing—

The soldiers must leave.

It's just a matter of how much or how little one walks, and how fast or slow one walks.

Xu Heng did not immediately approve the reply.

He put away the documents, changed into an outer robe, and went directly to Lü Family Village.

This time, he did not bring a clerk.

Outside Lüjiazhuang, it was already dark.

The gates of the manor were not closed, but it was quieter than usual.

When Xu Heng dismounted, the night patrol guards nodded in acknowledgment, without reporting or saying anything, clearly having already received instructions.

Lü Ding was in the backyard.

There was no banquet or elaborate festivities.

On the table was only the official document from the county that had not yet been approved.

"They've started changing their tune," Xu Heng said. "They're not pressuring us anymore, but the soldiers will leave sooner or later."

Lu Ding looked down at it.

It closed again very quickly.

"Whether they leave or not is their business," he said. "When we leave is our business."

Xu Heng was taken aback.

Are you confident?

Lu Ding looked up at him.

"It's not a question of whether we're confident or not now."

"They're afraid to make any moves."

Xu Heng's heart tightened.

Why?

Lü Ding did not answer directly.

He simply reached out and pointed to that sentence on the document—

"Since it is located on a strategic route, our troops should not be left idle."

"They want soldiers," Lü Ding said, "but they're even more afraid of something going wrong on this road."

"As long as this road remains stable, they won't dare to act recklessly."

"To move Pingyu now is tantamount to tearing down the road right under everyone's noses."

Xu Heng remained silent for a moment.

"What if—the higher-ups issue a direct order to mobilize troops?"