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

The fog outside Lüjiazhuang Village had not yet dissipated.

The Shen family's car was already parked in front of the manor.

When Shen Shao got out of the car, he first glanced at the manor gate.

There is no plaque.

No new repairs were made.

The wood on the doorposts has been worn white by wind and rain.

He suddenly realized—

The reason why Lüjiazhuang has been able to stand firm has never been because of its appearance.

"Father."

Behind her, Shen Wan called out softly.

She wore a plain-colored outer robe, and her hair was not fully tied up, but held in place with a wooden hairpin.

She didn't dress up intentionally.

⸻

Lü Ding did not wait in the main hall.

Instead, it was on the ridges of the fields outside the village.

The ground beneath our feet was freshly turned and still damp.

When Shen Shao saw him from afar, Lü Ding was squatting at the edge of the field, talking to a tenant farmer.

The tenant farmer had calloused hands and spoke in a very hurried manner.

Yet she dared to look him directly in the eye.

Shen Shao slowed his pace by a fraction.

This scene is more convincing than any promise.

"Young Master Lü."

He approached and spoke.

Lü Ding stood up and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Patriarch Shen arrived early."

"You were here earlier," Shen Shao said.

"There are many people in the village, so they naturally get up early," Lü Ding replied.

Shen Shao turned his head and looked at the field.

Lu Ding then asked, "What was the tenant farmers' reaction after the lease agreements were posted yesterday?"

Shen Shao did not answer immediately.

He looked into the distance—

Several tenant farmers stood by the field, gazing at this scene from afar, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

"I'm scared," he said.

"We also hope so."

"What are you afraid of?" Lu Ding asked.

"I'm afraid it's all fake," Shen Shao said. "I'm afraid that all this hard work this year will ultimately be taken back."

"What about hope?"

Shen Shao paused for a moment.

"I hope that one day I will no longer have to ask for help from others."

"I hope I won't have to entrust my life to others anymore."

Shen Wan stood beside her father the whole time without saying a word.

Only then did she raise her eyes and look at Lü Ding.

"Young Master Lü."

Her voice was steady.

"What if the tenants have a bad harvest that year?"

Lü Ding looked at her.

This was the first time they had truly looked each other in the eye.

"A natural disaster?" he asked.

"Or it could be man-made," Shen Wan replied.

"What if both are present?"

Lü Ding did not evade the question.

"Then we'll calculate it according to the rules."

"Disaster relief, rent reduction."

"Disaster, accountability."

"How much will the rent be reduced?" Shen Wan pressed.

"Reduce their numbers until they can still live," Lü Ding replied.

"And what about you?" she asked again.

"What will you use to make a living?"

This isn't being difficult; it's about presenting the worst possible outcome in advance.

Shen Shao did not stop him.

He was waiting for Lü Ding's reply.

Lu Ding glanced at Shen Wan.

That glance contained no scrutiny.

There was no probing.

It was just very calm.

"I live off them," he said.

"If they can't survive, no matter how much food I give them, it won't make a difference."

Shen Wan was taken aback.

It's not because the phrase sounds nice.

Rather, it's because—

This is someone who places himself above the success or failure of the system.

She suddenly understood why her father had nodded.

⸻

Xun You stood at a distance, watching, but did not approach.

"Once the tenancy agreement is broken," Shen Shao said slowly, "other aristocratic families will definitely come to ask me about it."

"What do you want to ask?"

"Ask the Shen family, what gives them the right to dare?"

Lü Ding answered quickly.

"Based on the Shen family, we'll see the people first."

Shen Shao smiled.

"What a brilliant idea to 'see people first'!"

He turned to look at his daughter.

"Wan'er, what do you think?"

Shen Wan did not answer immediately.

She looked towards the field.

He looked at the tenant farmers who were waiting, but dared not approach.

Then he spoke.

I think—

She paused for a moment.

"This is not a tenancy agreement."

"It's an opportunity to treat people as human beings."

Shen Shao remained silent.

But a slight relaxation appeared in his eyes.

he knows--

At this point, the Shen family was no longer being pushed along.

Instead, they made it on their own.

⸻

Before noon.

Suddenly, a commotion arose outside the village.

They are not from the Shen family.

Instead, several other cars were stopped at the intersection.

There is no banner.

But they all had managers with them.

"They're here," Xun You said in a low voice.

"Who?" Lü Ding asked.

"Those who are observing," Xun You replied.

Lü Ding did not move.

He looked at Shen Shao.

Shen Shao also looked at him.

Their eyes met.

No words were spoken.

But they all understood—

From this moment on, the Shen family is no longer just a pilot project.

But -

Everyone is the "first target" used to judge whether this path is feasible.

⸻

evening.

The tenancy agreement was posted again.

This time, there was an extra line of small print next to it.

This is not an official document.

It is handwritten.

The handwriting is very steady.

-

"For all those who cultivate the land in accordance with this agreement, the Shen family will not reclaim the land or increase the rent."

The village fell silent once again.

Then, someone knelt down.

It's not crying.

It's kowtowing.

Facing the ground.

Facing that tenancy agreement.

This scene was witnessed by everyone standing at a distance.

Also by——

The eyes hidden in the shadows saw everything clearly.

⸻

at night.

Lü Ding returned to his study.

There was an extra letter on the table.

No signature.

Just one sentence:

"If this becomes the norm, people's hearts will surely be in turmoil."

Xun You stood aside, and after reading it, he said softly:

"They're starting to get scared."

"What are you afraid of?" Lu Ding asked.

"I'm afraid you'll succeed," Xun You replied.

Lu Ding took the letter and folded it.

Place it near the candlelight.

But it didn't light.

"Then let them continue to be afraid."

He said.

outside the window.

The wind blows across the fields.

The night was dark.

And in even more distant places—

Some people have already started sharpening their knives.

at the same time.

A residence somewhere in the city.

Several stewards from aristocratic families sat around a table, on which lay a copy of the Shen family's tenancy agreement.

"He's gone mad," someone muttered under their breath.

"It's not madness, it's that someone wants to make a name for themselves," another person sneered.

"But a name is something that stands on the back of others."

The eldest man did not speak.

He looked at that line of small print repeatedly—

"The Shen family will not reclaim the land, nor will they increase the rent."

a long time.

He then slowly began to speak:

"This is not what the Shen family intended."

Everyone fell silent.

"This is Lü Ding; he's forcing us."

"What should we do then?" someone asked.

The old man looked up.

"Don't rush."

"Let it go first."

Whether the land is good or bad is not important.

"What matters is whether a person is stable or not."

He paused for a moment.

"As long as people lose control even once—"

"This path is impassable."

⸻

Lü Ding's Study.

When Xun You came back in, he had a new newspaper in his hand.

"Outside Shenjiazhuang, someone is secretly inquiring about the tenant farmer register," he said.

Lu Ding's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"Whose people?"

"I didn't reveal my identity," Xun You replied, "but what I asked wasn't about renting, it was—"

He paused for a moment.

"Who was the first to sign the contract?"

There was silence in the room.

Shen Wan stood aside and finally understood.

Those who signed up in the first batch were not just beneficiaries.

Too--

The first group to be targeted.

"Should we take it slow for now?" she couldn't help but ask.

Lü Ding shook his head.

"If we delay now, the tenancy agreement will become empty words."

"First thing tomorrow morning—"

"Register all the tenants who signed the first batch of contracts."

"Who dares to touch them?"

"Then we can only use the volunteer battalion to make people remember this rule."

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent for a moment again.

Shen Shao frowned slightly, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Lu Ding had already raised his eyes, looking at the deepening night outside the door, and then spoke:

"Xu Huang".

"exist."

"Escort Master Shen and Miss Shen back to their residence."

After he finished speaking, he added:

"Don't stray from the path tonight."

⸻

outside the window.

The fields were silent.

But this land is no longer just a place for growing grain.

It is becoming—

A testing stone.

From this moment on, the knife was no longer held solely by Lü Ding.