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

"There's no work to do over there."

The words, though not spoken aloud, spread quietly among the crowd like an undercurrent. Some stopped shoveling and looked up towards the south of the city; others whispered among themselves, but did not leave immediately. Only a few actually set off.

Lu Ding stood at the edge of the wasteland, watching all this, without rushing to speak.

Xu Huang lowered his voice and asked, "Should we stop them?"

"Stopping them will only make things worse," Lü Ding shook his head. "Let them go."

Xu Huang frowned: "What about our side?"

"Those who remain are the ones who can be used."

These words were spoken softly, yet were extremely clear.

Before long, about 30% of the able-bodied men put down their shovels and headed towards the soup kitchen in the south of the city. A patch of wasteland suddenly appeared empty, and the atmosphere became slightly tense. Those who remained were not without their own anxieties, but they were still hesitant.

Lu Ding walked slowly to the center of the crowd, his voice not loud, but loud enough for those around him to hear.

"If you want to go, go now, I won't stop you."

Nobody moved.

He added, "But remember, if you leave the team today and return tomorrow, you will only be given food according to your work, not land, and you will no longer be registered."

This time, the crowd quieted down.

Some people gripped the shovel handles tighter, while others bent down and continued digging the trench.

-

In front of the Zhang family's residence in the southern part of the city, the porridge stall was still bustling with activity. Three large pots were replenished with water in turn, the porridge growing thinner yet still steaming hot. Initially, they didn't ask about people's origins, but now there was a wooden table with a manager sitting beside it, casually asking, "Where are you from? How many people are in your family?"

Registration was done very casually, but it has already begun.

Zhang did not directly confront the Yi Cong Camp, but instead used the name of "benevolence and righteousness" to pull the displaced people back from "labor" to "kindness".

-

That evening, Chen Erhe reported: "The Zhang family has announced that the soup kitchens will be open for three more days. There are also rumors that the refugees do not need to listen to the militia."

After listening, Lü Ding only asked, "What is the reaction in the city?"

Some people praised Zhang for his kindness, while others said that Zhang was taking advantage of the situation to do favors, with ulterior motives.

Lü Ding nodded: "That's enough."

He was not in a hurry to retaliate.

The next day, he ordered his men to erect a wooden sign on the first three acres of reclaimed wasteland, which read "First Household" and had the household name and profit-sharing ratio inscribed next to it—70% to be retained by the household and 30% to be returned to the prefecture. The wooden sign was erected upright so that it could be seen at a glance.

The news spread quickly. When someone returned from the south of the city and saw the land with the name on it, their expression changed.

"The Zhang family is giving out porridge," someone whispered, "and this family is giving out land."

From "eating one meal" to "growing for a year," people's hearts began to weigh things.

-

On the afternoon of the third day, a dispute suddenly broke out in front of the porridge stall in the south of the city. Someone returned and complained, "The porridge is even thinner now, and we have to register our names!"

When this sentence was brought back to the wasteland, it had already taken on a different meaning.

"They've started memorizing people."

Chen Erhe said in a low voice.

Lü Ding was not surprised. "The porridge is the starter; people are the goal."

That evening, he summoned three hundred temporary conscripts and took attendance under the torchlight.

"From this day forward, you are no longer refugees." He looked at the crowd. "You are now conscripts. Obey orders and follow the rules. If you commit a crime, you will be punished according to military law."

Although the responses from the three hundred people were not uniform, they gave them a shared identity for the first time.

From refugees to forced laborers.

-

Inside the Zhang family's inner hall in the southern city, the man who had been watching from the high slope listened to the report and his expression turned slightly cold.

"He gave us land and even made a list of names. If we keep dragging this out, he'll take all the people."

Someone asked, "So what?"

He said calmly, "Send someone to tell us in private that the Liang army is heading south."

Rumors are the fastest tool.

-

As night fell, streaks of firelight appeared on the wasteland north of the city. The second drainage ditch was taking shape, and the temporary work teams were working in groups, with a more organized approach than the night before.

Chen Erhe walked to Lü Ding's side and whispered, "There are already rumors that Liang's troops are coming."

Lu Ding's gaze fell on the turned-up mound of earth, without turning around.

"Investigate the source."

"If it is a self-written account by refugees, then establish rules."

"If it was released by an outsider—"

He paused for a moment.

"Investigate the source."

The wind swept across the barren land, and the firelight flickered faintly.

Porridge can satisfy hunger for a day.

The land, however, can bring peace of mind.

But for the land to truly settle down, the prerequisite is that the land can hold on to its destiny.

When the first batch of soil on the wasteland was turned over, the rumor finally took shape.

"The Liang army has reached the southern border. Conscription is imminent, and the displaced people will be conscripted first." These two sentences floated across the wasteland before disappearing into the city as if they had grown legs. Even the most composed rank in the conscription team began to whisper among themselves. Someone asked, "If a real war breaks out, will this land still count?" Someone else whispered, "After all, we're clearing wasteland."

Chen Erhe relayed these words to Lü Ding without missing a single one.

Instead of immediately mobilizing his team to refute the rumors, Lü Ding asked a question: "Who started spreading the rumors today?"

"A man named Liu San came back from the south of the city."

"How many people did you bring?"

All three of them had been to Zhang's soup kitchen.

Lu Ding nodded. "Don't touch him yet. Move him to the frontmost ditch."

"In public?" Chen Erhe was taken aback.

"in public."

At noon, when Lü Ding inspected the wasteland, he deliberately stopped at the group where Liu San was located. The ditch was already taking shape, and the water was slowly flowing along the low-lying areas. He squatted down and drew a line on the ground with a wooden stick. "If it's half a foot deeper here, it won't flood when it rains. If soldiers come, soldiers will defend us. But if the water comes, you can only rely on yourselves."

Liu San was called out, his face turned pale, but he could only lower his head and agree.

That night, Lü Ding personally entered the city and met with Han Zixiu again.

The candlelight in the back room was dim. Han Zixiu, who already knew about the rumors from the north, spoke first: "The Zhang family of Nancheng denies spreading these rumors."

"Of course I deny it," Lü Ding said calmly. "But rumors don't just appear on their own; someone always spreads them."

Han Zixiu pondered for a moment, then asked, "What do you want?"

"Use the name of the prefecture and issue a proclamation," Lü Dingdao said. "Three points: First, wasteland will not be harvested for three years; second, those currently serving in the military will not be included in the conscription roster; third, Liang troops have not crossed the border."

Han Zixiu looked up. "You want me to vouch for you?"

"What I need is the county seal," Lü Ding replied. "Without the county seal, the land is merely my word."

After a long silence, Han Zixiu finally nodded.

On the day the notice was posted, a large crowd gathered in front of the wasteland. As Chen Erhe read the notice aloud, the crowd gradually quieted down. Liu San stood at the edge of the crowd, his eyes darting around. The rumors were no longer as sharp, but they hadn't completely dissipated.

The Zhang family of Nancheng had obviously seen the notice as well. That night, the man from Gaopo gathered his clansmen again, saying, "He's using the prefectural government's name to pressure us. If this drags on any longer, and all these people are added to his register, we'll have no one to rely on when Lord Yuan goes south."

"Then cut off his roots," someone whispered.

"How to determine the outcome?"

"A barren land without water will surely dry up in three days. If ditches and canals are not built, the fields will surely be ruined."

The man smiled slightly. "Water is life for people, and it is the same for the land."

The next morning, the temporary duty team discovered that the upstream water intake had been secretly blocked, and half of the drainage ditch dug the night before had collapsed.