Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 113 revealed a big surprise.

In a small village near Fucheng, everything from houses to fences was ablaze.

Yang Xiu frowned slightly as she watched a Wei soldier pin a naked village woman down.

be utterly shameless.

The shouts and cries blended together, creating an unbearable cacophony.

Soldiers were moving things around, and others were killing people with knives, as if they didn't see what this person was doing.

"You scoundrel! How could you lay a hand on such trash? What kind of people are you?!"

Yang Xiu couldn't help but curse, then stepped forward and kicked the lust-driven Wei soldier to the ground, before slashing the village woman beneath him to death.

"We're out here to get military supplies, not for you to run wild!"

Yang Xiu punched and kicked the soldier repeatedly, cursing as she did so.

The village has been destroyed. All the stored grain was looted, and everyone, regardless of age or gender, was slaughtered and their bodies burned to cover up the crime.

Seeing that the provisions had been almost completely moved, Yang Xiu shouted to his personal guards who were directing the soldiers who were busy with their tasks, "I'm going back now. You guys figure it out yourselves. Don't bother me next time!"

He mounted his horse and left without hesitation, not wanting to stay even a second longer.

That bastard Zhong Hui actually embezzled military rations!

This was something Yang Xiu hadn't expected, but Zhong Hui's actions weren't surprising; it was just a tit-for-tat exchange, a way of putting each other in a difficult position.

Regarding the issue of military rations, Yang Xiu went to Zhong Hui to complain that the quartermaster was embezzling military rations.

Zhong Hui retorted: "Your unit didn't participate in the battle, so why are you eating so much?"
Then let Yang Xiu figure out how to get the food herself.

What other options did Yang Xiu have? She simply robbed him.

Yang Xiu originally thought that he could just ask the local people in the villages near Fucheng for some stored grain, which wouldn't be a big deal.

As a result, once they entered the village with their troops, they couldn't stop them.

This is just like his usual womanizing; he has no control over the situation at all.

When he first saw a beautiful woman, he thought he would just look at her and that would be enough; a gentleman uses words, not fists.

After seeing it, I felt that kissing wasn't such a big deal.

After kissing, you want to hold them in your arms and touch them all over your body. Once you've touched them enough, you want to take off their clothes and touch them again.

Finally, I couldn't control myself. Why care about anything else? I just did whatever felt good and took care of that in bed too.

When the Wei soldiers entered the village, they only wanted to store a little bit of food, because Yang Xiu's troops did not have a large food shortage.

But in the end it turned into... burning, killing, looting, and raping village women, the whole package was served.

This made Yang Xiu feel a little physically uncomfortable. It wasn't that he sympathized with the villagers, but he felt that the way his subordinates were behaving was too damn disgusting.

It's unbearable to watch these soldiers tackle such an ugly village woman to the ground.

What kind of bastards are they?!
Yang Xiu secretly despised and looked down on these crude and brutal soldiers.

Staggering back to his camp, Yang Xiu drank in his tent. Since the war against Shu was over, the next step was to go to Chengdu and have some fun. Chengdu was prosperous and famously wealthy; he was sure he could make a fortune there.

Suddenly, a name popped into his mind: Shi Shouxin!
Suddenly, I felt that I hadn't done a good job in this campaign against Shu! The wine in this cup tasted bland.

We can't let Shi Shouxin go unpunished; Yang Xiu promised to give Sima Yan a gift. However, the current situation has deviated greatly from the original plan.

Originally, Shi Shouxin was just a military supervisor, all alone, and could be killed at any opportunity.

Now I hear he's highly trusted by Zhong Hui and has a direct retinue of troops, making it a bit difficult to take action against him.

Yang Xiu gently swirled the wine in her hand. Sima Anshi had been holding back his anger for many years, and he would never feel at peace until he released it.

Yang Xiu understood this principle very well, so he was eager to make this happen.

But now the situation has become very complicated.

He downed the turbid wine in his cup in one gulp, muttered a disgusted curse, and poured himself another cup.

Drinking alone in silence, Yang Xiu became increasingly agitated. Before long, she lay down on a soft cushion, drifting in and out of sleep.

Yang Xiu didn't know how long she had been asleep when she suddenly heard the sound of armor rubbing together!

He suddenly woke up to find that it was almost dark outside, but torches had already been lit at the entrance of the tent!

"Yang Xiu, get out here!"

Zhong Hui's furious roar came from outside the military tent.

The guards rushed in and whispered a few words in Yang Xiu's ear.

Yang Xiu, who was still a little dazed, instantly woke up.

He straightened his clothes slightly, feigned composure, and walked out of the military tent. He then saw Zhong Hui standing with his hands behind his back in front of the tent. Beside Zhong Hui was a middle-aged man whom Yang Xiu had never seen before and had no recollection of.

"Yang Xiu, do you know your crime?"

Zhong Hui asked with a gloomy face.

"Grand Commander, what crime have I committed?"

Yang Xiu asked, looking puzzled, a bad feeling already creeping into his heart. He knew perfectly well what he had done, but even if he did, he had to pretend to be confused for now!

"Bring the people up!"

Zhong Hui snorted coldly and gave an order to Qiu Jian, who was standing to the side.

Qiu Jian, who had been prepared, accepted the order and soon arrived with his personal guards, escorting dozens of soldiers under Yang Xiu's command.

"General Yang, save me!"

"We all follow your orders!"

"General Yang, I'm innocent!"

The soldiers knelt on the ground, begging for mercy in soft voices, tears streaming down their faces.

Zhong Hui looked at the person beside him and asked, "Boyue, what do you think?"

He was actually Jiang Wei?
Yang Xiu was startled. She glanced at the man and immediately understood what was going on. She cursed herself for being incredibly unlucky.

Within the Wei army, it was impossible for anyone to report a crime. However, the situation became complicated when Jiang Wei's men saw it.

"Today, Jiang led his troops through a village on the outskirts of Fucheng. He found the village littered with corpses and razed to the ground. All the village's valuables had been looted, and only the houses were still burning, with the fire still raging."

This situation is chilling. If the Grand Commander were to take control of Shu with such military discipline, it's only a matter of time before war breaks out. I urge the Grand Commander to consider this carefully.

Jiang Wei bowed to Zhong Hui. Although he was speaking the truth, Yang Xiu believed that this fellow was specifically targeting her.

"You actually did such a thing?"

Yang Xiu looked "shocked" and stepped forward, kicking a kneeling soldier to the ground and then punching and kicking him.

"Better to sacrifice a friend than myself," Yang Xiu thought, seeing his scheme exposed, all he wanted to do now was cover it up. Whatever he denied, it was either something he didn't know or something that hadn't happened.

How could you do such a heinous thing? You're worse than animals!

Yang Xiu pointed at the soldiers and cursed them, while those kneeling on the ground looked horrified, as if they were meeting Yang Xiu for the first time!
Damn it, weren't you the one leading the team? Why are you pretending not to know now? How dare you!
Those people cursed inwardly, but no one dared to shout it out.

If you don't shout, at most you'll die; if you shout, your whole family will die.

"Grand Commander, I truly knew nothing about this matter!"

Yang Xiu knelt on the ground and begged for mercy; this time he was truly terrified.

"Boyue, I think Yang Xiu is truly unaware of the situation; it was all his soldiers who acted without authorization. How about we behead those offending soldiers, punish Yang Xiu with fifty lashes for failing to manage his subordinates, and make an example of him?"

Zhong Hui looked at Jiang Wei and asked, his tone very humble. It could be said that he was giving Jiang Wei a lot of face.

"Everything is up to the Grand Commander. I am a surrendered general and do not know anything about military affairs, so it is inappropriate for me to speak recklessly."

Jiang Wei also bowed and greeted Zhong Hui, knowing when to stop and not persisting.

Tonight, Zhong Hui was supposed to host a welcoming banquet for Jiang Wei, to formally introduce this important figure. Unexpectedly, Yang Xiu went out today to plunder and pillage, and Jiang Wei and his men stumbled upon him. The two events happened almost simultaneously.

If it had been a report from Wei soldiers, Zhong Hui would have killed Yang Xiu without hesitation and used him as a sacrifice to the flag. But since it was Jiang Wei who brought it up, the nature of the matter is different.

Even if Yang Xiu was wrong, Zhong Hui couldn't side with the surrendered general and kill his own subordinate. Otherwise, no one would be willing to work for him in the future.

"Except for Yang Xiu, all the rest are to be dragged away and executed! Yang Xiu shall receive fifty strokes of the military rod!"

Zhong Hui gave instructions to Qiu Jian.

"Order!"

Qiu Jian accepted the order and left, taking all the kneeling soldiers, including Yang Xiu, with him.

"Boycoph, what do you think of this approach?"

The military discipline of Yang Xiu's troops is corrupt, and Zhong will not tolerate it.

Those who needed to be dealt with have already been dealt with.

Zhong Hui looked at Jiang Wei and spoke, his tone almost pleading for mercy. Jiang Wei said nothing, only bowing to Zhong Hui.

Today's pretext was merely a test, and now that the test has yielded results, it wouldn't be good to be unforgiving.

In any case, the dead cannot be brought back to life. Jiang Wei felt that he had done right by those innocent villagers. He was now just a surrendered general living under someone else's roof.

"Today's events have spoiled my mood. Tomorrow, I, Zhong, will host a banquet at the camp to entertain Boyue."

"It's getting late, Boyue should go back to camp and rest."

Zhong Hui gestured for Jiang Wei to follow him out of Yang Xiu's camp, the sound of soldiers beating him with batons echoing behind them.

……

Late at night, Zhong Hui, who was overwhelmed by Yang Xiu's messy affairs, drank alone in his command tent, his face gloomy and terrifying.

He seemed to still be angry.

He had originally planned to show off in front of Jiang Wei today, but Yang Xiu plundered the surrounding villages, leaving no one alive, which completely exposed his weakness.

No sooner had Yang Xiu left than Jiang Wei's troops arrived, leaving him with no way to deny it.

This shameful and disgraceful affair made Zhong Hui lose all face. If he could, he would kill Yang Xiu right now!

"Grand Commander, Military Supervisor Shi requests an audience, saying he has important business to discuss."

Qiu Jian quietly entered the command tent and whispered to Zhong Hui.

"Oh? Shi Gandang has arrived?"

Zhong Hui looked surprised. Logically speaking, Shi Shouxin's speed in bringing his troops here in two days and three nights was not slow at all.

"Yes, Grand Commander, that's right. I entered the camp at dusk, when you were dealing with Yang Xiu's matter."

Qiu Jian continued Zhong Hui's words, his tone full of praise.

"Hmm, Shi Gandang is reliable. Let him come to see me."

Zhong Hui nodded, composing himself.

Before long, Shi Shouxin was led into the commander's tent by Qiu Jian. Zhong Hui poured him a cup of wine, pointed to the table opposite him and said, "Sit down and talk. No need to be polite."

His attitude was very calm, even somewhat courteous.

Shi Shouxin exchanged pleasantries for a moment, and finally sat down opposite Zhong Hui.

"You've just arrived in Fucheng today, why don't you rest for a bit? What brings you to this late hour?"

Zhong Hui didn't beat around the bush with Shi Shouxin and asked directly.

"Grand Commander, I don't want to disturb your rest so late at night, but there is something very important that I must tell you in person."

After saying this, Shi Shouxin took out an opened letter from his sleeve and handed it to Zhong Hui.

"Deng Ai wrote a letter to the court, but I detained the envoy, who is now at Dajian Pass. I have read this letter, but due to the urgency of the situation, please forgive me, Grand Commander."

Shi Shouxin casually retorted that he believed Zhong Hui would not blame him.

Because the timeliness and importance of the letter are paramount compared to having one more insider. It's essential to have multiple confidants "filter" the letter beforehand.

For example, if Deng Ai wrote a letter to Sima Zhao asking, "Duke of Jin, how many bowls of rice do you eat every day lately?"

If such invalid letters were to be delivered to Zhong Hui by express messenger, wouldn't that be incredibly annoying?

Sure enough, Zhong Hui waved his hand dismissively and said, "It's nothing, you did a great job."

He didn't say this lightly, because this letter gave Zhong Hui a plan to deal with Deng Ai!

"You will sit next to me during tomorrow's martial arts practice."

Zhong Hui laughed heartily, the gloom on his face vanishing completely.

(End of this chapter)