Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 109 Be a bad guy, be bad; be a good guy, be even worse.
Jiange has been captured by Hu Lie's troops. The battle was extremely fierce. Although the main force of the Shu army has retreated, Liao Hua, who was covering the rear, obviously did not intend to give up the city directly.

He fought and retreated, keeping Hu Lie, who was unfamiliar with the terrain of Jiange, at bay. In the end, the Wei army suffered thousands of casualties before finally capturing Jiange.

Of course, Hu Lie's fate was expected; it was Zhong Hui deliberately setting a trap for him, which was also Zhong Hui's way of eliminating dissidents.

Didn't Hu Lie write a letter to Sima Zhao accusing Zhong Hui of plotting a rebellion?
Zhong Hui would naturally make things difficult for Hu Lie, sending him and his troops to the vanguard to gnaw on bones.

What else could Hu Lie say?

Just like Sima Yi dealt with Zhang He back then, a higher rank can have a crushing effect. Zhong Hui ordered him to attack, so what could Hu Lie do?

They had no choice but to bite the bullet and go ahead, because if they said "no," they would be subjected to military law by Zhong Hui.

After capturing Jiange, Hu Lie was filled with resentment and immediately sent a wounded personal guard to Hanshou to deliver a military order, informing Zhong Hui that they had captured Jiange.

It's a veiled expression of dissatisfaction.

It seems the two have stopped pretending at all, and no one can say for sure when they will officially fall out.

However, this had nothing to do with Shi Shouxin. As the rearguard, he was responsible for taking inventory of the treasury and granary located at the rear of Jiange, within the Great Sword Pass.

They also stored grain and organized logistics there.

Next, he planned to use Jiange as a base to gradually establish temporary granaries towards Chengdu, setting up a granary every fifty li to supply the logistics of more than 100,000 troops and ensure the stability of the supply route.

Zhong Hui's meaning was quite clear: there are many good things left behind by the Shu army in Jiange. You can take as much as you want to enrich your troops and make it easier for us to do things after we go to Chengdu.

Shi Shouxin naturally understood Zhong Hui's good intentions.

A true example of someone who quietly makes a fortune by eating plain rice and keeping a low profile.

It was just after nightfall when Zhong Hui was reading letters inside the city tower of Dajian Pass. Many prominent families and so-called "famous scholars" in Shu had written to him, but none of them mentioned surrendering.

Those people were not qualified to surrender on behalf of the Shu Kingdom's court.

They were simply expressing their personal goodwill towards Zhong Hui, wanting to "exchange literary ideas" with him, and eagerly hoping that Zhong Hui would come to Sichuan.

It looks like a rather "personal" letter.

In reality, this is a classic case of groveling for an official position, hoping to get a share of the pie in the Wei court. You can't directly say "I want to be an official" when asking for one; that would seem too uncultured and would be looked down upon.

"All the famous scholars in Sichuan combined can't compare to one Jiang Boyue. Just looking at him makes me feel disgusted."

Zhong Hui put down the letter in his hand, his brows furrowing slightly, his displeasure written all over his face. He looked up and ordered Qiu Jian, who was serving him, "Take these letters away and burn them as firewood!"

Seeing his displeasure, Qiu Jian quickly threw all the letters on the table into a basket, picked it up, and left the signing room. Qiu Jian didn't quite understand why Zhong Hui was angry when these people were writing letters begging and flattering him.
From a normal person's perspective, even if you don't like people who fawn over you, the act of fawning itself is not offensive!

He had just stepped out of the signing room when he encountered Shi Shouxin, who had come to report on military affairs.

Qiu Jian was carrying a basket filled with bamboo slips, paper, and even silk scrolls.

Shi Shouxin asked in confusion, "What is General Qiu doing with these letters?"

He revealed a probing look. If Qiu Jian's actions were not ordered by Zhong Hui, then even if he were to behead him now, Zhong Hui would not blame him afterwards!

"Sigh, the Grand Commander found these letters disgusting and told me to burn them as firewood."

Qiu Jian complained.

“I see. Well then, I’m not busy right now anyway. General Qiu, give me these letters and I’ll go roast some game. I’ll send some roasted meat to your house later.”

Shi Shouxin said with a smile.

Qiu Jian was already annoyed by being ordered around by Zhong Hui to do boring chores, so when he heard that Shi Shouxin was actually willing to run errands for him, he was overjoyed.

He asked, feigning modesty, "Wouldn't that be too much trouble for Supervisor Shi?"

"No trouble at all. I caught some game today and was just wondering where to go to chop firewood. It's getting late and it's not very convenient to go into the forest. General Qiu, this basket of stuff is just what I need."

After saying that, he took the basket without further ado.

Qiu Jian casually shoved it into his hand, chuckling, "You must deliver the barbecue, I'll eat it after I get back to my room from my night patrol."

"General Qiu, rest assured, I, Shi, am reliable in my work."

Shi Shouxin didn't seem annoyed or bothered at all, which put Qiu Jian at ease. After exchanging a few polite words, he headed towards the signing room where Zhong Hui was.

He will continue to stand guard there.

After he left, Shi Shouxin casually took a letter from the basket. By the light of the torch, he saw a sycophantic letter praising Zhong Hui. It was signed Du Xiong, without any official title.

This is a "private letter" in which Du Xiong himself expresses his admiration for Zhong Hui's character and talent.

This has absolutely nothing to do with Zhong Hui having over 100,000 troops under his command, nor is it because he fawned over Zhong Hui as the Grand Commander.

It's all because of literature! It's all because of Zhong Hui's personal character!

"Hehe, when Zhong Hui is defeated and falls from grace, I'll take these letters to you opportunists and extort money from you. I think I can make quite a bit of money that way."

"After I receive the money and burn the letter, you'll still have to thank me."

Shi Shouxin made a complaint and then handed the basket to Meng Guan beside him.

"Commander Shi, what should we do with these?"

Meng Guan asked in confusion, because he hadn't heard Shi Shouxin talking to himself clearly.

"Keep these safe. When we leave Shu, these things will turn into gold and silver."

You'll get your share too!

Shi Shouxin patted Meng Guan on the shoulder and said with a mysterious smile on his face.

"Then I must keep a close watch on them."

Meng Guan was overjoyed and left with the basket.

"By the way, didn't you hunt some wild game in the mountains today? Grill some meat later and take it to Qiu Jian."

"If we're going to put on a show, we should go all the way. Qiu Jian has eaten our food, so he won't go around blabbing about it."

Shi Shouxin gave Meng Guan a few instructions, and then walked into the signing room where Zhong Hui was located in a very open and unassuming manner.

As soon as he entered, he saw that Zhong Hui looked somewhat melancholy, and he wondered what she was thinking.

"If you have something to say, then say it. If not, then leave," Zhong Hui said impatiently.

"Grand Commander, the grain and fodder sent by the imperial court are already somewhat insufficient. I suggest that the grain and fodder supply be reduced for some units that are not performing well in battle, so that they can solve their own food shortages."

Or eat a little less each day.

Shi Shouxin bowed to Zhong Hui and said.

So, is there a shortage of food or fodder?

lack!
We don't lack any!
There is a shortage of incremental growth; the daily consumption exceeds the daily intake.

But there was no shortage of supplies! Jiange had already stockpiled a large amount of grain and fodder, and Jiang Wei retreated in such a hurry that he didn't take any with him. Not to mention that Sima Zhao had prepared for the conquest of Shu for two years and had made many preparations in advance.

Shi Shouxin said this to pave the way for his next move.

Disciplining Yang Xiu couldn't be too abrupt; directly withholding military rations would make it seem like Shi Shouxin was deliberately causing trouble. Even Zhong Hui wouldn't like a subordinate who brought personal grudges into official business.

If someone wants to settle a personal score, only Zhong Hui himself can do it; he won't tolerate anyone using him as a shield!
Shi Shouxin informed Zhong Hui in advance that "the army is short of food," so that he could legitimately cut back on the food supplies for Yang Xiu's troops.

When Yang Xiu comes to complain, things will get interesting.

"That's not necessarily a bad thing, but those troops will definitely plunder the local area and corrupt military discipline."

Zhong Hui frowned and asked, without directly objecting to Shi Shouxin's proposal.

"Such a thing could indeed happen. When that time comes, the Grand Commander can take action and deal with those who have gone too far. Wouldn't that be great?"

"It is the duty of the Imperial Guard Supervisor to investigate illegal activities; the Grand Commander can simply hand those people over to the Imperial Guard Supervisor for disposal."

Shi Shouxin offered his suggestion without changing his expression.

Zhong Hui immediately understood the deeper meaning, and his gaze toward Shi Shouxin changed from before.

If they didn't like certain troublemakers, they would use the excuse of food shortage to cut off the rations of these soldiers and make them "find their own way".

These people will inevitably have no choice but to plunder the area to make up for the shortfall.

Since they've already plundered the area, they certainly wouldn't be after just a little bit of military rations; they'd definitely take the opportunity to make a quick buck.

Then Zhong Hui will make his move and see if these troops have looted more grain and fodder, more gold and silver, and whether they are throwing lavish parties in the villages and countryside.

Finally, they let Wei Guan clean up the mess and offend people.

This set of smooth little combos was truly impressive!

"You're very good; your future is limitless!"

Zhong Hui sighed with admiration.

"You flatter me, Grand Commander."

Shi Shouxin said modestly, not taking credit for anything.

Just then, Qiu Jian, who was on duty outside the door, brought in an envoy dressed in military uniform.

Just as Shi Shouxin was about to leave, Zhong Hui waved to him, signaling him to stay and listen.

Zhong Hui was desperately short of manpower, and he wanted to win over anyone who didn't betray him behind his back. He was already grooming Shi Shouxin, who was both quick-witted and capable, as a trusted confidant.

"Tell me what's going on."

Zhong Hui asked calmly.

The messenger bowed to Zhong Hui and said, "I am Chen Shou, a subordinate of Qiao Zhou, the Grand Master of Ceremonies. I have come here on the orders of Deng Ai, the Grand Commandant, to deliver his letter."

Chen Shou?

Shi Shouxin was startled. He looked at the unassuming civil official and couldn't believe that this fellow had actually written the Records of the Three Kingdoms.

It is true that you cannot judge a book by its cover.

"Since you are the messenger, you should know what Deng Ai means."

"I won't read the letter, just tell me what's wrong."

Zhong Hui tore the letter and its envelope to shreds, then stared intently at Chen Shou.

Shi Shouxin sighed inwardly: Was Chen Shou a bit foolish? Deng Ai and Zhong Hui were both generals in the Wei army, so why didn't he send his own confidant to deliver the letter, but instead sent you, a subordinate of a surrendered official, to deliver it?
Isn't this all obvious?

"Reporting to the Grand Commander, Grand Commandant Deng said..."

Seeing Zhong Hui's gloomy expression, Chen Shou gritted his teeth and continued, "He said that Shu has been pacified, and the Grand Commander need not waste supplies coming to Chengdu. He can wait for the court's military orders at Jiange. He has already submitted a letter to the court, and the military orders will arrive at Jiange soon."

"presumptuous!"

Zhong Hui slammed his fist on the table, his anger reaching its peak!

"Guards! Drag this scoundrel away and behead him! Send his head to Chengdu for Deng Ai to see!"

Zhong Hui pointed at Chen Shou and roared!
Who does Deng Ai think he is, that he dares to say such things to me!

At this moment, Zhong Hui was completely enraged!

"Grand Commander, as the saying goes: A scholar can be killed but not humiliated."

Why not hand this man over to me, humiliate him, and then send him back?

If we simply behead him, I'm afraid that scoundrel Deng Ai won't take the Grand Commander seriously.

If the court wants to blame someone, it's because it was all my doing, and has nothing to do with the Grand Commander.

Shi Shouxin stepped forward to persuade Zhong Huidao.

Hearing this, Zhong Hui pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Give him fifty lashes first, then we'll see. You can decide for yourself whether to tattoo his face or something else."

After saying that, Zhong Hui gently raised his hand, indicating that Shi Shouxin could leave. He was so disgusted by Deng Ai that he didn't want to do anything now.

"I will retire at the end."

Shi Shouxin grabbed Chen Shou's arm and pulled him outside!
(End of this chapter)