Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 115 I Remain Unmoved
No one could have imagined that the sky, which was just sunny a moment ago, would now be filled with lightning and thunder, and torrential rain.

Without warning, no one could have predicted it; it just crashed right into us!
It seems the saying "the weather is unpredictable" is indeed true.

At this moment, Zhong Hui, who was sitting on the viewing platform, looked somewhat embarrassed.

The heavy rain obscured visibility, making it impossible to see the specific situation within the formation from the city wall.

"Grand Commander, it's raining outside. Perhaps we should end today's martial arts exercise here."

Wei Guan bowed and offered his suggestion to Zhong Hui.

On the surface, this statement appears to be a "I'm doing this for your own good" remark, but in reality, it subtly mocks Zhong Hui for "not being in the right place at the right time."

The old coin can naturally understand the language of the old coin. Zhong Hui's expression was somewhat unpleasant. He turned to look at Wei Guan and questioned, "If a sudden downpour were to occur on the battlefield, would both sides immediately sound the retreat and stop fighting? What kind of logic is that?"

Zhong Hui retorted without hesitation, directly slapping him in the face.

"I am merely offering a suggestion; the final decision rests with the Grand Commander."

Wei Guan smiled and said, secretly laughing at Zhong Hui in his heart:
Hehe, you're just putting on an act for now, you'll regret it later!
Zhong Hui had long been detached from the front lines and had no understanding of the situation within the army. He was very good at devising strategies, but he was an outsider in all aspects of military affairs. In the past, he had only offered advice to Sima Zhao, and at his most accomplished, he had only participated in the pacification of Huainan.

Zhong Hui was only responsible for conceiving ideas, not for execution, so naturally he didn't know what the situation was like at the grassroots level of the army.

In comparison, Wei Guan was much more modest in this regard and also knew a little about it.

Those soldiers, their state of mind is "different with the times and adapted to the local conditions".

Jiang Wei, who was watching the martial arts demonstration from the side, had a smile on his lips.

The weather is perfect! This is going to be interesting!

Jiang Wei observed the army formation below the city without making a sound. At first glance, it seemed to be nothing special and remained as solid as ever.

However, upon closer inspection, something unusual was discovered.

People were already shaking, but it was just a few individuals moving, which was nothing compared to such a large "Five Elements Formation".

But what if we continue to wait?

Jiang Wei suddenly realized that Zhong Hui, and even the Wei army under his command, were only large in number, and were not actually that scary.

Zhong Hui stood up from the cushion without making a sound, opened his umbrella and walked to the parapet of the city wall, gazing at the Five Elements Formation in the distance.

At this moment, a commotion broke out within the great formation.

That's how formations work. If everyone is perfectly aligned, then it looks just like that. But if someone scratches their head, wipes their face, takes off their helmet, or covers their head with their hands to avoid the rain...

That doesn't seem to be the case at all!
Zhong Hui clenched his fist tightly with the hand that wasn't holding the umbrella; his expression was grave, and he was practically grinding his teeth.

He was furious, but with dozens of generals and soldiers around him, he couldn't bear the shame!
Just then, Zhong saw a small group of people leaving the great formation and heading towards the camp! One of the Wei army's camps was only a few hundred meters away from the great formation!

"Who sent them back to camp?"

Zhong Hui looked at Qiu Jian and roared.

"This... there are too many steps below, this humble general needs to go and check them out."

Qiu Jian reported cautiously, afraid of offending Zhong Hui.

"Go back quickly!"

Zhong Hui coldly gave the order, and Qiu Jian obeyed and left. However, before Qiu Jian had taken two steps, Zhong Hui called out to him, "Come back!"

Hearing Zhong Hui's words, Qiu Jian had no choice but to return, muttering to himself: You said you were going to investigate, and you're the one who said you were coming back. What do you want from me?

At this moment, Qiu Jian had no idea what Zhong Hui was going to do.

"Check again later. Also, none of the officers and soldiers currently observing the ceremony on the city wall are allowed to leave! Send word immediately!"

Zhong Hui said through gritted teeth.

An entire army actually returned to camp without receiving any orders!
How could such an absurd thing happen!

Zhong Hui could hardly believe his eyes.

However, his emotions quickly shifted from anger to helplessness.

Because that army took the lead, the other troops followed suit, leaving the main formation and heading to their own camps to take shelter from the rain. They showed no courtesy to Zhong Hui whatsoever.

It's true that the Wei army was well-trained. Such a large formation, a full 100,000 men, retreated in an orderly fashion without any stampedes!
It must be said that they do have a certain level of professionalism; at least their queuing and marching formations are neat and orderly.

However, that’s all.

"General, the rain is quite heavy. The soldiers have fought a bloody battle and are exhausted. In this torrential rain, even if it is against military law for them to return to their camps to rest, it is only human nature."

After all, the Shu Kingdom had fallen, and the war was over.

Jiang Wei, standing to the side, sighed in a mocking manner.

Anyone could tell he was subtly criticizing while praising someone, speaking from a position of privilege.

Zhong Hui's face darkened further; the anger he was suppressing could set the house on fire!
Actually, he brought this on himself.

Zhong Hui was too self-centered and ignored Wei Guan's "advice," which is why he suffered this humiliation.

Wei Guan had said before: It's already raining, forget about this boring military drill, hurry up and let the soldiers go back to the barracks to get their clothes.

If Zhong Hui had accepted the situation then, all would have been fine! Nothing would have happened. Jiang Wei's words weren't unfounded: now that Shu has fallen, there's no more fighting.

Although Zhong Hui had a large number of soldiers, their morale had waned. Everyone knew that there was no longer any fighting, which is why they felt free to go out and plunder, and why they didn't take military orders seriously.

Because there are no enemies left! Since there are no enemies left, why are we so tense?

No matter how serious a military drill is, it's still a drill, not actual combat. It's no wonder that the soldiers in the army can't muster their spirits.

The law does not punish the masses. If everyone dispersed and returned to camp to rest, could Zhong Hui order the execution of all 100,000 soldiers?

Obviously impossible! It's impossible to kill even one percent!
With this mindset, if one unit breaks away from the main formation, all the other troops will follow suit. After all, the power of example is immense.

Zhong Hui looked up and saw that the magnificent Five Elements Formation from just moments ago had vanished without a trace.

Some of the lazy teams had already returned to camp, while others were still dispersing in a scattered manner.

At this moment, Zhong Hui wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. This martial arts demonstration not only failed to showcase his might and majesty, but instead exposed his backside!
What kind of fighting power can an army have if it cannot obey orders?

He originally wanted to show off his skills to win over Jiang Wei, but now it seems that Jiang Wei might look down on him.

Actually, this matter was largely Zhong Hui's own responsibility.

The troops under Zhong Hui's command, perhaps when they left Chang'an, were all on edge, obedient, and skilled in battle. But when Liu Shan's letter of surrender arrived, these troops were like ducks released from their cages. They all knew what had happened and what it meant.

Now that we're about to return to the capital, who the hell would actually take military orders seriously? As long as it's not too outrageous, it's fine!

Wei Guan was in charge of enforcing military law and knew these rules well, so he deliberately didn't explain beforehand, just to embarrass Zhong Hui.

"Grand Commander, there is still one army that remains unmoved."

Qiu Jian moved closer to Zhong Hui and pointed to an army in the distance, positioned within the main formation. They remained in their square formation, without moving an inch.

Standing there now, surrounded by emptiness, it looks somewhat abrupt.

"Go! Go and see!"

Zhong Hui instantly perked up!
He led the way down the city wall, with Jiang Wei beside him, and behind them a group of Wei generals. Each of them wore a different expression.

But to be honest, it's all a bit awkward.

Shi Shouxin was in the group and had no idea what was going on.

Today, his mind is not on this place, but on the situation in Chengdu.

Having received some information from Chen Shou, Shi Shouxin knew that there were powerful local families in Chengdu, representing a significant force.

Without the support of these people, internal strife would break out in Shu within two or three years.

If Zhong Hui leads a large army to Chengdu this time, the local forces will definitely not stand idly by.

As the group descended the city wall, Shi Shouxin realized that the massive Five Elements Formation from before had vanished. Only a small, seemingly foolish retinue of about three thousand men remained standing motionless.

As he approached, Shi Shouxin's expression turned strange, as if he wanted to laugh but dared not.

Isn't this the hereditary army I brought from Hanzhong?

These people were probably intimidated by their previous experience training in formation at Jiange. They thought that if they moved today, they would be punished with beatings or beheadings.

Since no one announced their disbandment, they didn't dare to make a move. Back in Jian Ge, one person who refused to believe in the evil spirits had already been beheaded, and his head was still hanging on the gate of Dajian Pass.

"Whose repertoire is this?"

Zhong Hui smiled and asked, looking at the group of generals behind him.

By this time, the rain had subsided slightly, and visibility was no longer obstructed. The army in front of them was soaked to the bone, with rainwater streaming down their faces from their helmets. Their uniforms were drenched and clung tightly to their bodies, making them look extremely disheveled.

But nobody moved!
"Reporting to the Grand Commander, these are my men."

Shi Shouxin bowed to Zhong Hui, his attitude humble and unassuming.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Zhong Hui said "good" three times in a row!

"Let them go back to camp and rest. Tonight, we'll have an extra meal—meat and alcohol! Make sure it's all prepared!"

Zhong Hui laughed heartily and turned to walk towards Fucheng.

Jiang Wei glanced at Shi Shouxin with some curiosity, then looked at the army whose origins he didn't know, said nothing, and followed Zhong Hui.

The generals surrounding Zhong Hui all sized up Shi Shouxin, their eyes filled with shock, curiosity, and a fawning desire to befriend him. Each of them would subtly pat Shi Shouxin on the shoulder as they passed by, their gestures carrying a deeper, more intriguing meaning.

After Zhong Hui and the others left, Zhao Lun, Xi Zuo, Ma Long and the others walked up to Shi Shouxin. Ma Long said, "Supervisor Shi has been diligent in training military discipline, and I have never forgotten it for a moment. Today, I have finally not let you down."

"We'll arrange an extra meal tonight, with wine and meat, eat as much as you want, to encourage the soldiers to obey orders. Go!"

The Grand Commander has spoken: I will concurrently serve as the quartermaster; you can take as much food as you want from the granary!

Shi Shouxin laughed heartily.

Face is given by others, but shame is something you lose yourself.

But Zhong Hui has lost face today. How will he regain his dignity?
Shi Shouxin slowly suppressed his smile, a question welling up in his mind.

(End of this chapter)