Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 106 Half-brothers from different fathers, mothers, places, and countries
Early the next morning, Shi Shouxin personally beat the drum on the Baishuiguan city tower.

When the drums sounded ten times, generals Meng Guan, Ma Long, Liu Qin, and others had already hurriedly climbed the city wall and were waiting for orders by Shi Shouxin's side.

Zhao Lun and Li Liang arrived after the drums had sounded thirty times.

When the drums sounded fifty times, Xi Zuo was dressing as he ran towards the city gate, fearing he would be punished by military law if he was too late.

On the drill ground below the city gate, some soldiers had already taken their positions, but most were still rushing over, their footsteps hurried and chaotic.

Although it was chaotic, they gradually lined up in neat rows.

Shi Shouxin watched them expressionlessly from the city wall, his hands never stopping, continuing to beat the drum at the same rhythm. The people around him seemed to sense something was amiss and couldn't help but tense up.

One hundred times, one hundred and fifty times, two hundred times!

When the drumbeats finally stopped, Shi Shouxin's personal guards ran around the drill ground, forming a sparse line that blocked the passage to the drill ground.

There were still a few people in the distance who hadn't run over yet; they were just a hair's breadth away.

But they just couldn't get through.

"Meng Guan, enforce military law!"

Shi Shouxin shouted at Meng Guan beside him.

"Order!"

Meng Guan shouted as he ran down from the city wall.

As soon as he stepped off the city wall, the personal guards that Shi Shouxin had arranged beforehand followed behind him and caught the few latecomers.

These unlucky guys were dragged and pulled to the high platform in the training ground and forced to kneel on the ground.

Immediately afterwards, several axemen stepped forward and snapped their knives and axes!

With a swift stroke, the body was severed from its head!

The soldiers lined up on the drill ground were all dumbfounded.

Holy crap, you guys are really killing people! Wasn't a beating enough yesterday?

Everyone present was horrified.

They were all trying to recall the ten military rules they had been required to memorize the day before. Memories that had been somewhat forgotten were gradually becoming clearer under the reminder of violence... This military rule seemed to say that being late would result in "death by beating," that is, being beaten to death with a stick.

But today it's beheading... well, it's all pretty much the same, everyone's going to be executed.

The ranks, which had been whispering just moments before, were now so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The thousands of new recruits were as one, with no one daring to make a sound or discuss anything.

Many people even felt their calves trembling.

Seeing this, Shi Shouxin breathed a sigh of relief.

People don't learn by being taught, but they learn by doing. Without punishing a few troublemakers who violate military law and act recklessly, military discipline will never improve.

Shi Shouxin was too lazy to give a speech. He simply took the wooden stick from his personal guard and slammed it hard on the gong.

when!when!when!
A loud and penetrating sound spread far and wide from the city tower.

This is a signal to call it quits.

Yesterday, they announced their disbandment. Although they rang a gong, it was only the messengers who made the announcement; it was still the kind of situation where the order was mainly given by shouting.

But today, military law is being enforced directly. It's no longer just verbal reminders. Those who disobey orders will be sent straight to the underworld. Let's see who dares to disobey orders.

In the training ground, Meng Guan's thousand Luoyang Imperial Guards were the first to line up and leave, followed by Liu Qin's troops. Finally, the new recruits from Hanzhong seemed to come to their senses and followed them out in formation.

On the high platform of the training ground, the severed heads and headless corpses, along with the axemen standing to the side, remained motionless.

Occasionally, someone would glance in that direction, but they would quickly look away and never dare to look a second time.

Shi Shouxin walked down the city wall without saying a word and came to the high platform of the drill ground. Behind him were Ma Long, Liu Qin, and a group of generals from the local tycoons of Hanzhong. None of them dared to leave on their own.

The group arrived at the place where the beheading had just taken place. Shi Shouxin took a flask of wine from his personal guard, opened the lid, and poured the wine directly onto the ground.

"I killed you only because you violated military law, not because I intended to kill you."

If you join the military in your next life, remember to obey orders without question.

Drink this glass of wine, and may you have a safe journey.

Shi Shouxin said in a low voice.

With no one around to agree or respond, no one would dare to speak up or try to be clever at this moment.

"Give them a proper burial and record them as fallen soldiers on the roster. We'll arrange for their families to receive compensation when the army returns."

Shi Shouxin put his hands behind his back, turned around and left.

He turned to look at Ma Long and the others, and quickly waved his hand, saying, "Don't follow me. Go and organize the troops and check the supplies. The heat is unbearable during the day, so let's set off at dusk."

"Order!"

The generals shouted in unison and then left on their own.

However, just as Li Liang was about to leave, Shi Shouxin stopped him.

The two arrived at the signing room on the city tower. After taking their seats, Shi Shouxin ordered the guards inside to retreat ten steps away from the door and not allow anyone to approach.

Only he and Li Liang remained in the room.

Shi Shouxin took a letter out of his pocket and handed it to Li Liang.

The latter opened it and found it was written in his younger sister Li Qiu's handwriting, and immediately understood what was going on. Li Qiu and Shi Shouxin had had many intimate encounters in bed, even sleeping together until dawn, things Li Liang naturally knew about.

Judging from this, my sister should be pregnant soon.

There must be a deeper meaning behind Shi Shouxin allowing his "brother-in-law" to read such a confidential letter.

Li Liang remained silent, quietly reading the letter, his heart growing increasingly alarmed. It was a letter from Shi Shouxin to Deng Ai!

As for who Deng Ai was, let's not go into details. The news of Shu's surrender was no secret to them. Tonight, the army set off for Hanshou, preparing to march on Jiange and head into the heart of Shu.

"I estimate that the Shu army has already ceded Jian Ge. Even if they left men to cover the rear, they won't be able to hold it for long."

After we arrive in Hanshou, take this letter and quietly leave the camp to Chengdu to find Deng Ai, then deliver this letter to him. After completing these tasks, gather information within Deng Ai's army and do not return for the time being to avoid any unforeseen complications.

How you explain it to Deng Ai is up to you.

As for the situation in Deng Ai's camp, you should observe it. After Zhong Hui arrives in Chengdu with his more than 100,000 troops, you should quietly return to my camp and tell me about the situation on Deng Ai's side.

"Are you capable of doing this? If not, say so now. Don't wait until we set off to refuse."

Shi Shouxin looked at Li Liang with a deep and authoritative gaze.

This trip is an important military mission, and also the ultimate test.

Li Liang felt a sudden jolt, realizing that a crucial step in his life was right in front of him.

If he had taken this step well, based on completing the key mission, based on his sister being Shi Shouxin's bedmate, and based on the birth of his nephew a year later, he should have already established a firm foothold by Shi Shouxin's side as his uncle.

If anything goes wrong at this step, not only will he no longer be valued, but his sister will also have been taken advantage of and might even be kicked out of the house.

Even if Shi Shouxin were to show lingering affection and Li Qiu weren't driven away, she would have little influence by his side, and her future of misery would be predictable.

Should we accept the order or decline?
The thought lingered in Li Liang's mind for a few seconds before he made up his mind and said firmly, "Please rest assured, General Shi, if this matter is botched, I, Li, will offer my head to you!"

Often, once a person makes a choice at a crucial moment, the path they can take in the future is fixed.

Li Liang was like this, and so was Li Qiu.

"It's not that you need to come to me with your head in your hands, but if this matter goes wrong, it will increase the risks considerably. At that point, not only me, but also the soldiers in the army and your sister, might find it difficult to leave Shu unscathed."

Do you understand what I mean?"

Shi Shouxin said earnestly, without the slightest hint of condescension or arrogance.

"Understood, General Shi, please rest assured!"

Li Liang immediately pledged his loyalty.

"Well, don't take the letter yet. We'll talk about it when we get to Hanshou. Right now, I'm just giving you some time to prepare."

I don't know what's going on in Deng Ai's camp. You might face some risks there, so we'll have to see how things develop.

I don't want you to go to Deng Ai's camp either. But if we don't find out the truth, we'll be completely in the dark, not knowing Deng Ai's strength, and it's easy to make a misjudgment. In that case, it won't just be me who dies.

"Please, you alone are worth a hundred thousand soldiers."

Shi Shouxin grasped Li Liang's hand and pleaded.

"General Shi, do not worry, I will go and make the preparations immediately!"

Li Liang nodded, stood up, bowed to Shi Shouxin, and then turned and left.

After he left, Shi Shouxin muttered to himself, "I dote on your sister so much that everyone knows. You should repay me with loyalty and competence. Otherwise, how can I trust you to use your talents in the future?"

Trust between people is gradually built through mutual testing and compromise. These things don't appear out of thin air.

Shi Shouxin is a trustworthy person; you must both use him and be wary of him.

He treated Meng Guan this way, and he treated Li Liang the same way. Only with checks and balances and oversight can trust be established and maintained in the long run.

Shi Shouxin spread out a simple map of Sichuan on the table, marking the information he had gathered on it.

"The grand show is about to begin. Let those old generals, whose backs are covered with flags, take the stage one by one."

Shi Shouxin used a brush to draw a heavy circle around the place on the map where "Chengdu" was written.

……

After a rapid march, bypassing cities occupied by Wei troops, Jiang Wei finally arrived at Qi County with more than 20,000 Shu soldiers a few days later.

He received both good news and bad news.

The good news is that Qi County and the surrounding villages have not been occupied by the Wei army.

The bad news is that the Wei vanguard, led by Hu Lie, has already breached Jiange Pass. Liao Hua led his troops in a fighting retreat, leaving the Jiange defense zone and heading towards Qi County, with very few soldiers remaining under his command.

This means that the gates of Shu are wide open, and Zhong Hui's more than 100,000 troops will flood into Shu like a tide!
Of course, this is not surprising; in fact, it could be said to be Jiang Wei's arrangement and choice.

At the frighteningly low city wall of Qi County, Jiang Wei was gazing into the distance. The city wall was so low that even if a soldier standing on it jumped down, he would almost certainly survive unless he landed headfirst.

It's fair to say that the defense capabilities are so weak as to be negligible, that they only provide a sense of psychological security.

"General, Zhong Hui sent a message. As you instructed, I have driven the man away."

Zhang Yi walked over, holding a letter in his hand, and handed it to Jiang Wei.

"We're already in this situation; if we don't stand up for ourselves, we'll be looked down upon even more."

Jiang Wei casually explained why he wouldn't negotiate with the Wei envoy, and then opened Zhong Hui's handwritten letter.

With the same humble attitude and the same groveling, Zhong Hui is still the same Zhong Hui!
In the letter, Zhong Hui stated bluntly: "You and I are half-brothers from different fathers and mothers, from different places and countries. If you want to surrender, you cannot surrender to others, you must surrender to me!"
If you surrender to Deng Ai, it would be a waste of your talents, a pity indeed.

Send an envoy to me to discuss surrender. I'll be waiting for you in Fucheng, and we'll happily go to Chengdu together.

Jiang Wei didn't say a word, but handed it to Zhang Yi to examine. The latter looked at it again and again, wondering what Zhong Hui was up to.

"To surrender to Zhong Hui and submit to him, rather than accept His Majesty's surrender document or Deng Ai's military orders, is the first step in my plan."

Jiang Wei looked at Zhang Yi and said.

"General, let's do it! We're already at this point; we're doomed anyway!"

Zhang Yi clenched his right fist tightly, supporting Jiang Wei in carrying out his plan.

"With your words, I am relieved. I, Jiang, am deeply indebted to the country and was promoted from humble beginnings by the Prime Minister."

What do wealth and honor mean to me? What do high positions and generous salaries mean to me?
A true man only seeks to serve his country until his death.

"Zhong Hui is dreaming if he thinks I'll serve the State of Wei!"

Jiang Wei continued to sneer, his eyes revealing a resolute gaze.

(End of this chapter)