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

Cui Jun frowned: "Then why?"

Lu Ding closed the letter, then gently pressed his fingertip on the inkpad, as if to confirm the weight of the character "Yuan".

He did not answer immediately, but slowly said, "For the sake of Yuzhou." Lü Ding raised his eyes, "Cao Cao's pressing of the river is a test; Yuan Shu's letter is to put pressure on us. If Cao Cao takes Runan, Yuan Shu will definitely not be able to sit still."

Xun You, who was standing nearby, pondered for a moment and said, "So Yuan Shu probably wanted Cao Cao to take Runan as an opportunity and then covet Yuzhou."

"Exactly." Lü Ding walked to the map, pointed at the outline of Yuzhou and slowly moved his finger. "If Runan is stable, Chenliu will be difficult to suppress; if Runan is in chaos, Nanyang can be entered. Cao Cao is testing the waters to see if we will be in chaos; Yuan Shu's letter is to let us know that Yuzhou originally belonged to the Yuan family."

A moment of silence fell over the hall. Outside, the wind subsided, and although no weapons were seen in the standoff at Xihe Ferry, it had already stirred up the state of affairs.

"Please invite the messenger into the mansion," Lü Ding instructed.

Yuan Shu's envoy entered the hall, his expression calm and without arrogance. After bowing, he spoke in a gentle tone: "Nanyang and Runan are both counties in Yuzhou. Cao Cao's northward probe along the Yellow River has caused turmoil in the province. My lord is concerned about the instability of the province's borders and wishes to discuss a strategy for defense with the acting governor."

Lü Ding did not respond immediately, but instead looked up and asked, "Has Nanyang recently mobilized troops?"

The messenger paused slightly before replying, "Nothing has been done."

"Since nothing's been done," Lü Ding looked at him, "why the rush to talk about Watchers?"

The envoy smiled and said, "It is precisely because we have not moved that we are in a state of defense. If the territory falls into chaos, it will be too late."

Lu Ding said calmly, "Whether the prefecture is in chaos or not depends not on the letter, but on the hearts of the people. If Runan holds the river line, the prefecture will naturally not be in chaos."

The envoy's expression shifted slightly: "Does the acting envoy mean that Nanyang's assistance is unnecessary?"

"Assistance is possible," Lü Ding said slowly, "but matters of state are not a matter of one person suppressing another. If there is any alarm in the state, Runan is willing to send troops to assist in the defense; if everything is stable, each prefecture should guard its own territory."

These words, though not harsh, were clear. They neither relinquished the state's name nor made any definitive statements.

The envoy remained silent for a moment before nodding and saying, "My lord is willing to exchange military reports with Runan and discuss matters concerning the state."

"Yes," Lü Ding answered readily.

After the envoy left, Cui Jun sneered, "You're playing chess with Yuan Shu."

"It's not a game of chess, it's leveraging each other's strength," Lü Ding said. "He dares not move against Runan now. Cao Cao has not yet broken through the borders of the province. If he moves first, the hearts of the people of the province will be scattered."

Xun You asked in a low voice, "What about Cao Cao?"

"He will leave."

Why?

"He didn't come for just one prefecture. Yahe was just a test. He won't waste his time in Runan."

Several days later, the scouts who went to the western front finally reported back.

The two thousand cavalrymen on the north bank did not turn back or circle back to the river line. Instead, they headed west, crossed the border of Chenliu, and went straight into Yanzhou, without disturbing a single county in Runan along the way.

Cui Jun climbed the city wall and looked into the distance, saying coldly, "He really left."

Xun You whispered, "The governor of Yanzhou has always been weak and incompetent, and the local gentry are wavering. Cao Cao wants to take over Yanzhou."

Lu Ding nodded slowly: "Yahe was just a test. What he really wanted was never just a river."

The camps on the north bank gradually emptied, and Xihe Ferry returned to its former tranquility.

-

Inside the Chenliu military tent, Cao Cao stood before a map, the candlelight reflecting off his profile and casting his shadow over the Yanzhou area.

Xiahou Dun couldn't help but ask, "Does our lord truly not intend to contend for Runan?"

Cao Cao did not turn around, but said only: "If we forcibly take the river, we will only hurt ourselves."

"If we defeat them in Runan, then there will be no one left to take Yanzhou."

He paused for a moment, then said calmly, "Yuan Shu won't be watching."

Xiahou Dun asked in a deep voice, "What about Lü Ding?"

Cao Cao then turned around, his gaze calm: "He faces even more problems."

-

Nanyang.

Upon hearing that Cao Cao had moved west, Yuan Shu paused, his wine cup still in his hand.

His attendants immediately advised, "Our lord could take this opportunity to conquer Runan."

Yuan Shu slowly put down his wine cup and shook his head: "Cao Cao just left, and I'm already advancing? What would that look like?"

"My lord?"

Yuan Shu sneered: "He's been holding out on the river for so long, and people are on edge right now. If I move troops now, it will only make them think that Nanyang is also an outsider's territory."

Silence fell over the hall for a moment.

"What about Lü Ding?"

Yuan Shu's gaze darkened slightly: "Let him guard."

There was some confusion on both sides.

Yuan Shu said calmly, "If he can hold the line, he'll be protecting me; if he can't, someone will hold him accountable. But if he acts beyond the prefecture—"

He tapped lightly on the table.

"That's the opportunity."

-

Half a month later, an urgent report arrived in Yingchuan. The letter stated that powerful clans in the prefecture were fighting over taxes and corvée labor, the governor had misjudged the deployment of troops, and the people in the prefecture and counties were in turmoil. Some scholars had already secretly sent people to inquire whether Runan was willing to send troops to help stabilize the situation.

Xun You finished reading the urgent report, his eyes brightening slightly: "The opportunity has arrived."

"It's not an opportunity, it's a test," Lü Dingdao said. "If Yingchuan falls into chaos, Yuan Shu will make the first move; if Cao Cao gains Yanzhou, he will also look south. We cannot seize it."

Lu Ding immediately dispatched Chen Fang with 300 elite cavalry to patrol the territory. They did not enter the city, but only set up sentries on the border, ostensibly to protect the trade route.

He then sent a letter to Yingchuan, saying that if there were any soldiers disturbing the people in the prefecture, Runan was willing to send grain to help pacify the area, but would not enter the prefecture.

Within a few days, the several aristocratic families in Yingchuan County, who had been at loggerheads, suddenly backed down, and the dispute over taxes and corvée labor gradually subsided.

Several days later, Yingchuan reported again that the unrest had not yet taken hold and that several aristocratic families had mediated the situation themselves.

Xun You whispered, "They are looking at Runan."

Lu Ding shook his head: "It's not Runan, it's about seeing which way the wind is blowing."

"wind direction?"

"Whoever steps forward first shall bear the responsibility first."

He looked up at the map.

The prefectures of Yuzhou spread out like a chessboard.

Runan is now stable, Yingchuan is secretly stirring, Chen, Liang, and Pei are still observing, and Nanyang is holding onto its prefecture name and refusing to let go.

Meanwhile, in Yanzhou, Cao Cao's base was slowly taking root.

Xun You pondered for a moment: "What if someone in the state pushes you to step forward at this time?"

Lu Ding said calmly, "Then there are those who are hoping I'll take the fall."

"So you shouldn't?"

"It's not that I shouldn't respond, it's that I can't respond."

He pointed to Nanyang on the map, then towards Yanzhou: "The prefecture is named Nanyang, but its territory is in the west. Moving now will only draw attention from both sides."

Xun You asked softly, "Then what are you waiting for?"

Lu Ding withdrew his hand, his tone calm: "When they can't sit still anymore."

-

A month later, Yan Province officially appointed Cao Cao as its governor.

When the news reached Runan, the city did not erupt in uproar, but rather fell into silence. The waters of Xihe Ferry remained shallow, but no one considered the standoff a mere coincidence anymore.

That same evening, a mounted messenger suddenly rushed in through the south gate. After the guards verified the tally, their expressions changed slightly, and they immediately headed straight for the west wing.

"Acting as the new manager—"

"Prefect Han returned from the north and had already reached ten miles outside the city."

Several people in the hall looked up at the same time.

Xun You's eyes narrowed: "He's back?"

Lü Ding did not speak immediately, but looked at the map on the table.

With Yanzhou secured, unrest is brewing in Yuzhou.

With the war in Hebei raging and Yuan Shao locked in a stalemate with Gongsun Zan, he had no time to look south.

The person who was summoned to Yecheng to observe the situation was eventually released and returned to Runan.

He said slowly, "Prepare the lamps."