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

This is the first time.

It wasn't the prefectural government that wrote the documents.

It wasn't the common people asking.

Instead, it was the gentry who directly asked for grain.

Xun You stood behind Lü Ding without saying a word.

Because he knew—

At this point, it's no longer just a question of "whether or not to distribute food".

This is asking:

You are, after all, a caregiver.

still--

People who are already capable of making decisions.

Lu Ding looked at the old man.

a long time.

He then said in a deep voice:

"It's not that we can't lend grain."

"But before I lend it, there's something I need to know."

The old man looked up.

"Please speak, sir."

Lu Ding's gaze passed over him and went to the grain pile in the distance.

"These thirty cartloads of grain."

"If another person dies—"

"Does the Chen family acknowledge this debt?"

The night wind swept past the grain carts.

The torch flickered slightly.

No one answered immediately.

The old man stood still, his expression unchanged.

But the two people behind him exchanged a glance.

Before they came, they had considered many possible answers.

Deceptive, vague, or evasive.

But I never expected—

Lu Dinghui would directly ask the question about whether anyone was dead or not.

The old man remained silent for a moment before finally speaking.

"Young master, you've spoken too harshly."

Lü Ding did not look at him.

His gaze remained fixed on that single pile of grain.

Is it heavy?

He said calmly, "One has already died."

These words were spoken very softly.

But it was like a stone, falling into the night.

The old man's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

"That person..."

"Not a member of the Chen family."

"I know," Lü Ding said.

That's why I asked you—

He finally turned his head and looked at the old man.

"If something else goes wrong, who should bear the responsibility?"

The air suddenly tightened.

The old man did not answer immediately.

He suddenly realized something—

From the moment I stepped into Pingyu,

This is no longer a matter of "borrowing grain".

⸻

"Young master."

The old man said slowly, "The Chen family has not come here to shirk responsibility."

"We just felt—"

"Since the grain is here, we can't just watch people fall ill day by day."

That's very true.

It's almost flawless.

Lü Ding nodded.

"That's what I think too."

He raised his hand, gesturing towards the camp behind him.

"So, I'm watching over him."

"I'm also watching over the grain."

"But the problem now is—"

He paused for a moment.

"What you need to borrow is not just grain."

The old man was taken aback.

"What you've borrowed is my hands."

"It's about who I'll have to take responsibility for next."

After those words were spoken,

Even the soldiers on guard duty in the distance unconsciously tensed their backs.

The old man finally understood.

Lü Ding was not bargaining.

"What if the Chen family is willing to take full responsibility?"

The old man countered with a question.

"Then I'll distribute the grain," Lü Ding replied.

"What if not?"

"Not a single grain of that grain was touched."

That should make things clear.

To lend or not to lend grain

It doesn't matter how much benefit the Chen family gives.

It depends on whether you are willing to bear the consequences.

The old man remained silent for a long time.

So long that the oil in the torch crackled and popped.

Finally, he slowly spoke.

"If something else happens—"

He paused for a moment.

"The grain was borrowed from the Chen family, and the lives lost are also attributed to the Chen family."

He didn't say that quickly.

Yet it was exceptionally clear.

Xun You stood behind Lü Ding, his eyes flickering slightly.

This is the first time.

The aristocratic families were forced to step into the limelight.

⸻

Lü Ding nodded.

"it is good."

He didn't say another word.

He simply turned to Xu Huang and said:

Write it down.

"Borrow thirty cartloads of grain."

"The destination, time, and escorts should all be clearly listed."

"There's one more."

Xu Huang looked up.

"The Chen family members accompanied the grain shipment."

The old man frowned.

Why is that?

Lu Ding looked at him, his tone unchanged.

"Since you've taken on the responsibility..."

"Then don't just stand on the shore and watch."

"There was an accident on the road, but you're here."

"Nothing happened on the road, and your people are here too."

"That way, no one can deny it."

This is not a disgrace.

This is the system.

The old man suddenly realized—

He was no longer facing just a local tyrant.

Rather, he is someone who has already begun to establish rules.

Thirty cartloads of grain were quickly counted.

There was no uproar.

There was no fanfare.

It was just that a corner was quietly taken from the grain pile.

But when this corner moved, the atmosphere outside the city changed completely.

The people escorting the grain saw it.

The sentry saw it.

Those who came to inquire about the news all saw it.

The grain has indeed been moved.

Moreover, this was done without orders from the prefectural government.

⸻

Before dawn.

The news has already reached the prefectural government.

"The Chen family borrowing grain?"

"Who made that decision?"

A murmur of discussion arose in the hall.

"Not accurate."

"It was placed in Pingyu."

As soon as these words were spoken,

The council chamber fell silent immediately.

The prefect remained silent, his face grim.

He knew very well what this meant.

Once the grain begins to be distributed, Pingyu will decide its destination.

That wouldn't be considered nursing care.

That is--

Exercising scheduling authority.

at the same time.

outside the city.

Lu Ding stood in front of the grain pile, watching the thirty carts gradually disappear into the distance.

Xun You stood beside him and whispered:

"You put it down."

"The prefectural government can't sit still, and the gentry will come knocking one after another."

Lu Ding hummed in agreement.

"I know."

"Then why did you release it?" Xun You asked.

Lü Ding did not answer immediately.

After a while, he said:

"Because if the food doesn't move, people will die."

"The grain is moving—"

He watched the car silhouette gradually blur in the distance.

Those who are meant to step forward will step forward.

The night was not yet over.

But Lü Ding already knew very well—

Starting tonight,

He is no longer the one who was "pushed to the front".

He has already started to reverse the course of the game.

That pile of grain was no longer just grain; it became the center of all the conflicts that followed in Runan.

The tracks left by the grain carts had not yet disappeared on the official road.

New footsteps have already been heard outside the city.

As dawn approached, more people arrived in Pingyu.

This time, it wasn't a samurai who sneaked in at night.

It wasn't a small county that had to beg for grain.

Instead, it was an official carrying the seal of the prefectural government.

They made no detours or attempts to conceal themselves; the seven of them, dressed in worn-out official robes, headed straight for the Yicong Camp.

The soldiers on guard did not stop them.

When the message reached Lü Ding, Xun You understood the purpose of the visitor after hearing only one sentence.

"They didn't come to ask about food."

Lü Ding looked up.

"Then what are you here to ask?"

"Come and ask—" Xun You said softly, "What gives you the right to release it?"

Outside the camp, the head constable stood straight, holding a document in his hand, but did not unfold it immediately.

"The prefectural government has come to inquire," he said, "whether Pingyu has recently misappropriated any prefectural grain reserves?"

"Did you approve the Chen family borrowing those thirty cartloads of grain?"

The moment those words were spoken, the area outside the camp fell silent.

Even the porters watching the spectacle from afar instinctively held their breath.

This is the first time.

The prefecture government was straightforward.

Instead, they put the word "unauthorized" on the stage right in front of everyone.

Xu Huang's hand had already landed on the hilt of the knife.