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

Three men were missing during the third roll call at the West City Camp.

At first, only three positions were empty. Deputy Commander Chen Fang assumed that the patrol had not returned and ordered people to check again. However, when the camp register was opened, the three men had not taken their weapons or moved their armor, and the tent was empty. Only a half-finished letter was left on a wooden table, with messy handwriting and still wet ink.

This is not an isolated incident.

The three of them played the same song and disappeared on the same night.

Less than half an hour later, one of them was caught by a patrol at the edge of the wasteland north of the city. His shoes were covered in mud, his breathing was erratic, and fear lingered in his eyes. The other two, however, disappeared into the night.

Before dawn, the news had already reached the prefectural government.

Cui Jun arrived first. He was neither surprised nor angry. He merely glanced at the fleeing soldier kneeling on the ground and said, "Take him to the drill ground." His tone was calm, yet sharper than any angry rebuke.

Before the troops were even deployed at the northern training ground, and before the morning mist had dissipated, the soldiers in the camp had already been urgently summoned. The soldiers of the Three Bends formed a semi-circle, their atmosphere heavy with tension. The Volunteer Battalion was also brought in to stand to the side, with Xu Huang standing silently in the flank.

Cui Jun stepped onto the stage, his voice not loud: "Those who flee at night shall be executed." There were no questions asked, no detailed interrogation.

The deserter suddenly looked up, his voice trembling: "Your subordinate... hasn't gone far—"

"Not far away doesn't mean not escaped," Cui Jun interrupted.

Chen Fang's face turned pale, and he said in a low voice, "There are still two people who have not returned..." Cui Jun's gaze fell on him: "Therefore, we must establish our authority even more."

The wind rustled the flags, and the mist gradually dissipated in the sunlight. The sound of a blade being drawn was crystal clear. Just as the executioner placed his sword against the fleeing soldier's neck, a voice came from behind the crowd.

"Wait a minute."

Lu Ding slowly stepped forward, walked to the center of the field, stood below Cui Jun, and cupped his hands in greeting: "Military discipline should be upheld, but the military situation is not yet clear."

Cui Jun looked at him: "The military situation is clear; we'll escape at night."

"Of the three who escaped last night, only one was captured." Lü Ding's gaze remained calm. "If we execute him now, how do we explain the other two being forced to surrender to the north?"

This sentence shifted the focus from military discipline to consequences, and the room immediately fell silent.

Cui Jun's eyes darkened slightly: "Is Acting Manager Lü going to plead for the deserter?"

"It's not a plea for mercy," Lü Ding replied, "it's a plea for justice." The deserter suddenly looked up, a glimmer of hope appearing in his eyes.

Cui Jun remained silent for a moment, then suddenly turned to the fleeing soldier: "Why did you flee?"

The deserter's lips turned pale, and after a long pause, he finally said, "After the camp was established, there were rumors in the camp... that the deputy commander would be replaced by someone from Hebei, and the prefectural magistrate wouldn't count..."

The atmosphere in the room changed abruptly, and Cui Jun's gaze sharpened: "Who told you that?"

The deserter's Adam's apple bobbed as he whispered, "...Some say that military registration will be changed, and the prefect...may be replaced."

Upon hearing this, even Xu Huang twitched slightly, but Lü Ding's gaze remained unchanged.

Cui Jun said slowly, "So you ran away?"

"Your subordinate... doesn't know who to listen to... is just afraid..."

"What are you afraid of?"

"Afraid of becoming a pawn to be discarded."

When those two words landed, the training ground fell into a deathly silence.

The fear of being abandoned is no longer a matter of military discipline, but a matter of morale.

Cui Jun was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Drag him away."

The executioner paused for a moment, then Cui Jun added, "Imprison him."

Lü Ding said nothing more.

-

That afternoon, a second body was found in the wasteland north of the city.

The deceased was one of the three who fled during the night.

The corpse had a knife wound in its chest; the wound was clean and neat, not like the result of a hasty escape, but more like the work of a skilled hand.

More importantly, a Northern Army Command token was found scattered beside the corpse.

The token did not belong to Runan, and the news caused an uproar in the city.

Someone in the Zhang family residence whispered, "Is this a prelude to Hebei's downfall?"

The Zhao family remained silent.

Lu Ding went to the wasteland, looked at the token, and said only, "It's too clean."

Xun You whispered, "Someone doesn't want him to return to camp."

"Perhaps someone doesn't want him to speak," Lü Ding said.

Cui Jun arrived as well. He glanced at the token and sneered, "Impressive tactics."

"Whose methods were these?" Lu Ding asked.

"You're asking me?" Cui Jun stared directly at him. "The camp was established, then they fled in the night, and died in the wasteland, leaving behind their token. Who do you think orchestrated this?"

This time, their eyes truly met.

-

That night, the third person was brought back.

They weren't captured, they were "sent back".

A patrol team intercepted a weary horse in the west of the city. The rider was covered in blood and was still alive.

He was the third night fugitive; when he was carried into the prefectural government, he was barely alive.

"Who did it?" Cui Jun asked.

The man opened his bloodshot eyes and uttered a sentence with difficulty.

"No...we need to escape..."

"Someone... told us to run..."

Everyone in the room held their breath at the same time.

"Who?"

The deserter's gaze wandered, then suddenly landed in a certain direction. Blood welled up in his throat, and his voice broke.

"Deputy...Deputy..."

He died before he could finish speaking.

Deputy what? Deputy Sima? Deputy General? Deputy Battalion Commander? This omission is more fatal than not revealing the name at all.

-

The military meeting took place that night.

Cui Jun's voice was cold and hard: "Three men escaped at night, two are dead and one is being held captive. The morale of the army is in chaos."

"What caused this chaos?" Lü Ding asked.

"The camp is not yet stable," Cui Jun said. "The morale of the troops is low."

"The army's morale is divided because someone is causing it to be divided," Lü Ding said calmly.

"Are you referring to me?" Cui Jun's gaze suddenly turned cold.

Lu Ding did not answer, but simply looked at him directly.

After a long silence, Cui Jun suddenly said, "Tomorrow, the military camp will take over the registration of the Sanqu army."

This statement, like a razor's edge, signifies taking over military registration, which means transferring troop rosters and conscription records.

"Absolutely not." This was the first time Lü Ding had directly objected. "If the military register is changed, morale will surely collapse."

"The morale of the army is broken," Cui Jun said. "We will report this to Hebei."

This statement finally revealed its true brilliance.

We will report to Hebei.

The military report will be received in Yecheng.

The military newspaper would write:

—The morale of the Runan army wavered, and three men fled during the night. The dead left behind their camp tokens.

This military report is sufficient grounds for changing the prefect.

Lu Ding was silent for a moment, then said, "Three days."

"What?"

"Give me three days," Lü Ding said. "Within three days, I will reorganize the Three Banners. If there is any further disturbance, the military register will be taken over by the supervising officer."

Cui Jun stared at him.

This is a gamble.

Gambling can uncover the person behind the scenes.

I'm betting nothing will happen again within three days.

"Alright," Cui Jun finally said, "Three days."

-

The three-day deadline was set, and the countdown began that very night.

Lü Ding did not return to the west wing, but went straight into the west city camp.

The soldiers of Sanqu had not yet dispersed, and the lights were still on. There was no commotion in the army, but it was quieter than usual. That quiet was not one of peace, but of vigilance.

Lu Ding stood in front of the camp gate and said only one sentence: "Those who clear their name within three days will be innocent."

Upon hearing this, a slight ripple stirred within the camp.

He did not arrest anyone or search the camp. He only ordered Xu Huang to block the passage in the wasteland north of the city, withdraw two patrol posts, and replace them with the old troops of the Yicong Battalion.

This change seems to both loosen restrictions and tighten them.

On the second night, someone came to turn himself in. He was an old soldier from the Third Battalion. He claimed to have heard the words "the deputy commander has been replaced by a northerner" from a whisper when the deputy battalion was relaying orders.

The deputy battalion commander relayed the order, and it happened to be one of Chen Fang's subordinates.

The spearhead began to shift.

Meanwhile, a second military report from Ye City was already on its way—

A sentence was added to the report:

"Internal strife has broken out in the Runan military camp, and morale is wavering."