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

Lüjiazhuang.

The night was dark.

The campfires spread out in rows.

New recruits were assigned to different queues.

The veteran stood in front.

Xu Huang walked past each row.

No need for forced small talk.

Just one question:

"How many miles can it run?"

"What weapons will you use?"

How many people are in your family?

The questions were very detailed.

I remember it in more detail.

There was no noise in the camp.

Only the sound of footsteps during drills could be heard.

Lü Ding stood outside the camp.

Looked for a long time.

Xun You said in a low voice:

"The number of participants has exceeded five thousand."

Lü Ding nodded.

"Too fast."

"If we raise funds again, we'll have to stop for a while."

Xun You was taken aback.

"stop?"

"Yes."

Lu Ding's gaze fell on the granary in the distance.

"It is easy to gather troops."

"Food is hard to come by."

"They only know how to recruit soldiers, but not how to stockpile grain."

"It's easy to cause trouble."

Xun You remained silent.

He followed Lü Ding's gaze.

The wooden door of the granary was tightly closed.

The iron latches on the door gleamed coldly in the firelight.

Five thousand people.

Xun You said in a low voice.

"Calculated at two shi per month—"

He didn't continue.

Lü Ding said calmly:

"So we have to stop."

"It's not that we think there are too many soldiers."

"The warehouse is not big enough."

A night breeze blew by.

From the distant camp, the shouts of new recruits running in formation could be heard.

The sounds were not in unison.

Yet powerful.

Just then.

The sound of wheels could be heard from outside the village.

Not urgent.

But it sank.

Xu Huang turned his head to the side.

"Is there a car at night?"

Before he could finish speaking...

A guard walked quickly towards the gate.

"Young master."

"The Shen family has arrived."

Xun You was slightly taken aback.

"Shen Shao?"

"no."

"It's Miss Shen."

Lü Ding looked up.

The firelight reflected in his eyes and flashed for a moment.

"Please come in."

⸻

Not long after.

A long line of oxcarts slowly drove in along the dirt road outside the village.

The axle pressed down on the ground, making it feel heavy and dull.

It was covered with linen and tightened with rope.

Every vehicle was packed very tightly.

Shen Wan walked over from beside the car.

The clothes are plain and clean.

His expression was calmer than usual.

She didn't beat around the bush.

After exchanging greetings, proceed directly to:

"This is the first batch."

Lu Ding glanced at the grain on the cart.

"The Shen family is also in dire straits now."

Shen Wan nodded.

"Yes."

"But if the camp runs out of food, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"The Shen family may not be able to stay safe either."

This statement is extremely straightforward.

There was not a hint of probing.

Lü Ding looked at her.

"Does your father know?"

"Know."

He said—

She paused for a moment.

"If something really happens in the county."

"First, win people's hearts."

"If people disperse."

"Everything is gone."

Xun You, standing to the side, took a soft breath.

This is not a delivery of grain.

It's a bet, betting on Lü Ding.

Xu Huang walked to the car.

Lift the burlap sack.

I grabbed a handful of millet.

Grains.

Clean.

He nodded.

"New grain".

Shen Wan did not look at him.

He just looked at Lü Ding.

"The Shen family cannot openly oppose the county government now."

"But the grain can be sent."

"If we want to raise funds again..."

"It can last at least three months."

She spoke calmly.

It's as if they had already thought it through.

Lu Ding remained silent for a moment.

"You've dragged the Shen family into this mess."

Shen Wan said calmly:

"It was already tied up."

"From the day that document from the county was issued."

A night breeze blew.

The firelight flickered.

The footsteps of the new recruits continued in the distance.

Lu Ding finally nodded.

"it is good."

"Grain should be stored in the warehouse first."

"Keep accounts separate."

"How much will the Shen family contribute?"

"How much does the camp owe?"

Shen Wan was slightly taken aback.

"owe?"

"Yes."

Lü Ding spoke in a very flat tone.

"The Righteous Cavalry Battalion does not belong to the Shen family."

"They're not from the Lü family either."

"If I really have to leave the prefecture in the future."

"This grain is military rations."

"The accounts for military rations must not be ambiguous."

Shen Wan looked at him.

a long time.

nod.

"it is good."

Xu Huang waved.

A group of soldiers stepped forward.

The grain was carried into the granary.

The wooden door opened again.

Bags of grain were carried inside.

Shen.

But it brings peace of mind.

Xun You said in a low voice:

Five thousand people.

"If another thousand were added—"

Lü Ding shook his head.

"No rush."

"Train first."

"Having many soldiers does not guarantee strength."

"Only when the formation is in perfect unison."

Shen Wan stood to the side.

Watching the drills in the camp.

Suddenly he said softly:

"Do they know why?"

Lü Ding did not turn around.

"I only know half of it."

"You don't need to know your other half now."

"They knew Luoyang had burned down."

"We knew that the emperor had moved west."

"Knowing that the world is changing."

That's enough.

The night grew deeper.

The grain carts were empty.

The sound of wheels faded into the distance.

Before getting into the car, Shen Wan glanced back at the campsite.

The firelight illuminated the flag.

The flag stands tall in the wind.

She said softly:

"If one day I really have to leave the prefecture."

"The Shen family, we walk with you."

After saying that, the person had already gone far away.

Xun You stood beside Lü Ding.

"The Shen family has staked everything on this."

Lu Ding looked at the granary.

"Yes."

"Therefore, not a single step can be wrong."

He looked up at the night sky.

There weren't many stars, but the wind was strong.

The bugle call sounded again in the camp.

This time, it's a bit neater than before.

The firelight illuminated the warehouse door.

The warehouse is full.

The camp was full.

People's hearts are slowly filling up.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the county town.

The lights were still on.

The number of patrol soldiers inside and outside the prefecture was twice that of usual.

The city gates are no longer ajar at night, and the bowstrings on the watchtowers are already drawn.

After the urgent report of Luoyang's destruction arrived, Han Zixiu issued three orders in succession—

First, the granaries were sealed off, and the grain stored in the prefecture was inventoried.

Secondly, the city walls were repaired and the military equipment was reorganized.

Third, litigation should be stopped; all matters that are not urgent should be postponed.

Runan was originally a large prefecture.

There are many households and a diverse population.

Normally, rules keep things in check, but once trouble starts, the first places to become chaotic are often the most populated.

In the back hall.

Han Zixiu stood with his hands behind his back in front of the map.

Runan, Yingchuan, Chenliu, and Liang State are laid out in a line.

Chen Su stood at the lower end.

"Prefect," Chen Su said in a low voice, "a proclamation has already been sent from Yingchuan."

"Who sent it?" Han Zixiu asked.

"Yuan Shao of Bohai," Chen Su replied, "is nominally acting on imperial orders to suppress Dong Zhuo."

Han Zixiu was not surprised.

The Yuan family had produced three high-ranking officials across four generations, and their students and old friends were everywhere.

A single proclamation can travel faster than ten thousand soldiers.

"Has Yingchuan raised an army?" he asked again.

Chen Su shook his head.

"No large army was seen leaving the city."

"There was much discussion among the gentry."

"But the troops have not yet moved."

Han Zixiu nodded.

"The name comes first, the troops do not move."

Chen Su continued:

"The Liang Kingdom has already begun requisitioning grain."

"The official purpose is to prepare for military operations."

Han Zixiu's gaze darkened slightly.

Requisitioning grain.

These two words are more substantial than a proclamation.

We can wait and see about the proclamation.

When grain is requisitioned, it will be done in a serious manner.

"Has Liang Guoxiang taken sides?" Han Zixiu asked.

"It has not been stated explicitly yet."

"But the warehouse door was already open."

Han Zixiu remained silent for a moment.

"Runan cannot be slow."

Chen Su looked up.

"The governor wants to—"

"Prepare."

Just one word.

But it made the room feel heavy.

"It's not for Yuan Shao."

"It's not for Dong Zhuo either."

"It's for self-preservation."

He turned around and his gaze fell on the map of Runan.

"If the counties in the Guandong region truly rise up in rebellion."

"The first place to be in chaos was not Luoyang."

"It's the Central Plains."

Runan is among them.

"We cannot be the first to step forward."

"We can't be completely unprepared."

Chen Su said in a low voice:

"There are more than two thousand soldiers registered in the city."

"Those capable of fighting number less than a thousand."

The room fell silent again.

Han Zixiu suddenly asked:

"How many people are there in the Pingyu Volunteer Corps now?"

Chen Su paused for a moment.

"More than 2,000 people were previously reported, but the actual number is now unknown."

Han Zixiu did not speak immediately.

He certainly knew about the Pingyu Righteous Army Camp.

Even more so, I know—

That camp was quietly formed while he was away on an inspection tour of the counties.

"Has he not left the prefecture?" Han Zixiu asked.

"Not out yet," Chen Su replied. "They've been training inside the manor."

No contact was found with other counties.

Han Zixiu remained silent for a long time.

"It is still debatable whether he can remain within the prefecture."

Chen Su was slightly taken aback.

Han Zixiu turned around.

"Go and invite him to discuss county affairs."

Chen Su looked up.

"In what name?"

"Under the guise of discussing prevention of chaos."