Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 135 Swift as lightning, like a stolen bell ringing.
In Fucheng, Zhong Hui was unaware that Shi Shouxin had launched a "night raid" on Chengdu and captured Deng Ai the following day.

Zhong Hui wasn't worried at all. Once the generals in the army reached a consensus, he was in an invincible position.

No matter what, Deng Ai's force was only about 10,000 men at most. As long as the Wei army on the Fucheng side wasn't crowded together, Deng Ai would have no way to deal with them.

The rain stopped the next day, and Zhong Hui took a good bath early in the morning, tidied himself up, and changed into a brand new brocade robe.

Dealing with Deng Ai was a major undertaking. Nobles usually liked to burn incense and bathe before undertaking important matters, and to do so with a devout heart, so that they would receive the blessings of heaven.

Whether it was true or not, Zhong Hui didn't know, but he still tried his best to maintain the elegance of a cultured person.

After all this was done, it was already noon. Zhong Hui sent someone to invite Jiang Wei to Fucheng and invited him to play chess.

He still didn't mention military affairs. He had already arranged everything, and all that was left was for everyone to do their job. There was no need for Zhong Hui to remind anyone.

In the face of great events, Zhong Hui remained calm. Although he had made up his mind to deal with Deng Ai, he did not panic or change his strategy.

Zhong Hui believed that Deng Ai would make a move soon, or at least some internal changes would occur, such as someone coming to join him.

If the enemy doesn't move, I won't move; if the enemy does move, I'll strike first after they strike later!
Zhong Hui, who was playing chess with Jiang Wei, showed no sign of panic, which made Jiang Wei feel a little more respect for him.

No one is perfect. Putting everything else aside, Zhong Hui's composure is commendable.

"Did the Grand Commander really foresee Deng Ai's surprise attack on Fucheng? What if he didn't come and just pretended to be dead in Chengdu?"

Jiang Wei asked in confusion, placing a white piece on the chessboard. He was distracted and played haphazardly, while Zhong Hui's "black dragon" was already taking shape.

On the chessboard, a domineering aura is faintly displayed, and it looks somewhat mysterious.

"Zhong is using stillness to control movement, also because his soldiers are unwilling to fight anymore. If he were to launch an attack on Chengdu, their morale would be easily dampened."

Zhong Hui placed a black piece on the chessboard, shook his head helplessly, and said without any polite formalities to Jiang Wei, directly stating what was on his mind.

His current lack of urging to send troops to Chengdu is not entirely due to hesitation.

This is like someone who can win while sitting at home; he certainly wouldn't take a knife and go out into the street to fight his enemy to the death.

Zhong Hui now commands over 100,000 men, giving us the advantage. Why should we launch a surprise attack on Deng Ai?

Why not just wait for Deng Ai to come and die?

Besides, now everyone in the Wei army, from officers to soldiers, thinks that the war is over and they will go back to their hometowns to get married after returning to the capital!

If Zhong Hui were to issue an order, instructing them to launch a strong attack on Chengdu and deal with Deng Ai, who was also a general in the Wei army.

The reasoning seems a bit far-fetched and not very convincing to unite the troops.

Since morale is low, the chances of winning a preemptive strike are slim. If the odds of winning are already low, then why bother launching a preemptive strike?
Zhong Hui understood these things very well.

As for why he didn't call Shi Shouxin to his side to handle matters today, it was actually out of consideration for Shi Shouxin's busy schedule some time ago.

Now that all the military generals have moved into Fucheng, Shi Shouxin has just taken in a young and beautiful princess from Shu, and he is holding her in his arms and reluctant to let her go.

Zhong Hui certainly wouldn't disturb Shi Shouxin's sexual interest at this time.

"Boyue, if Deng Ai remains stubborn and unyielding, how about you lead the vanguard in this battle?"

Zhong Hui asked calmly.

Use surrendered soldiers?
Jiang Wei was startled, but his face remained calm. He asked with a hint of doubt, "The Grand Commander commands over 100,000 men, with fierce generals and elite troops as numerous as rain. It's not that I'm trying to belittle myself, but I simply can't imagine that this would happen to me."

In Jiang Wei's view, Zhong Hui's statement was very strange. Logically speaking, no matter how things were played, it was not Jiang Wei's place to do this.

What if the Shu army, which has already surrendered, were to "recapture" Chengdu, and then develop other intentions and rebel?
"After all, Deng Ai was the one who destroyed the Shu Kingdom. If we were to fight against Deng Ai and his troops, Boyue's troops would likely be in high spirits."

Zhong Hui chuckled lightly, clearly not caring about the matter, or perhaps it was just a casual remark.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wei fell silent.

Obviously, Zhong Hui was just joking, but we can't really rule out that possibility.

In fact, Jiang Wei's generals did not harbor any ill will towards Zhong Hui, but their feelings towards Deng Ai were quite different. If Deng Ai hadn't secretly crossed Yinping, how could the Shu Kingdom have fallen?

Although Zhong Hui had a large army, he did not conquer Chengdu.

Now that he has the opportunity to deal with Deng Ai, Jiang Wei believes that his generals will be very willing to lend a hand.

"Deng Ai is just a clown, not worth worrying about. I just wonder what the Grand Commander plans to do after Deng Ai is eliminated?"

Jiang Wei asked casually, changing the subject to something else he wanted to talk about.

Zhong Hui laughed heartily and said, "The purpose of a great man's life is to sweep away all obstacles and bring peace to the world. Now that the world is not yet at peace, and I am not yet forty years old, it is only natural that I should display my talents and fulfill my long-cherished wish."

Jiang Wei didn't say anything, just nodded slightly and placed a white piece on the chessboard.

"The Grand Commander was born at the wrong time. If he had been born fifty years earlier, there would be nowhere in this vast world he could not go."
Why bother caring about what others think?

Unfortunately, the Shu Kingdom has now been destroyed, leaving only the Wei and Wu kingdoms, so there's no choice between them.

Jiang believed that the Grand Commander was currently in a high position, commanded a large army, and was in his prime. He had also heard that Sima Zhao was not in good health.

If anything were to happen to him in the future, the Grand Commander would likely be suspected by the Sima family.

The Sima family rose to power after the Gaoping Mausoleum incident, and the Grand Commander should know best how ruthless and vicious their methods are.

"What Jiang said is true, and the Grand Commander need not take it to heart. I only hope you can make plans as soon as possible. If the day truly comes when the empire is about to collapse, there will be ways to deal with it."

Jiang Wei shook his head and sighed, while adopting the posture of "I'm doing this for your own good." Every word he said struck the most sensitive spot in Zhong Hui's heart.

What was so awkward about Zhong Hui?

Jiang Wei had already made a judgment in his mind: Zhong Hui's biggest problem was that he was neither good enough for high positions nor good enough for low ones.

Zhong Hui's high status and poor connections were the first reason. His high status led to him being sidelined, doing too many shady jobs for the Sima family, offending too many people, and resulting in him having no friends and an absurdly poor network of connections.

It's better to give up this high status than to make more friends.

Secondly, Zhong Hui was neither too old nor too young.

If the position is too high, one can follow the example of Chen Qian and find a sinecure, living out one's days in comfort around Luoyang. If the position is too low, one can follow the example of Shi Shouxin, slowly working one's way up to become an important minister under the next monarch.

Knowing too much, yet being unable to manage it, this is the third point.

Zhong Hui's career was limited to academic official to attendant official; he had no experience in handling government affairs, managing local affairs, or overseeing specific matters in the central government.

Zhong Hui was a military man, but he had never directly led troops, had no connections among military officers, and no prestige in the army.

Of course, it was precisely because of these shortcomings that Jiang Wei chose to actively seek refuge with Zhong Hui. To put it bluntly, Jiang Wei felt that Zhong Hui was no match for him!

More importantly, Zhong Hui himself did not think so; he felt that he could completely control Jiang Wei.

The casual atmosphere just moments before suddenly turned tense with Jiang Wei's "suggestion."

Jiang Wei's words displeased Zhong Hui, but Zhong Hui knew that Jiang Wei was telling the truth.

The problem doesn't lie with Jiang Wei.

"Life is full of disappointments, and it is so difficult to accomplish anything significant."

Zhong also lamented the passing of time, his ambition to achieve great things never seeming to falter.

Zhong Hui sighed.

Sima Yi and Sima Shi are one thing, but what is Sima Zhao anyway!
Zhong Hui thought from the bottom of his heart that Sima Zhao was nothing special.

If the Sima family could usurp a country, so can he; there's nothing he can't do! In what way is the Zhong family inferior to the Sima family?

Thinking of this, Zhong Hui's expression turned somewhat gloomy, and the refined elegance he had displayed while playing chess vanished, as if he had become a completely different person.

Seeing this, Jiang Wei knew that he had achieved more than half of his goal, so he stopped talking about these things and instead chatted about some interesting things in Shu.

Jiang Wei would also occasionally mention how difficult it was for Liu Bei to start his business, but he eventually achieved great things. He was knowledgeable and had a good memory, and his words were sharp yet humorous, showing great respect for Zhong Hui.

Indeed, he was far superior to those crude and uncultured soldiers in the Wei army. Zhong Hui only felt that he had something in common with Jiang Wei when they were together.

They played chess until nightfall. Zhong Hui was in a good mood and wouldn't let Jiang Wei leave. The latter, however, was plotting something, so he readily agreed to Zhong Hui's attempts to keep him, behaving with utmost respect.

By 9 PM, Jiang Wei was also a bit tired and couldn't stay up any longer.

So he suggested, "Grand Commander, it's getting late. I think after this game is over, I should return to the camp to rest."

Jiang Wei dared not say that he had many military affairs, because as the commander of the surrendered army, if he had "many military affairs," Zhong Hui would inevitably have some doubts.

"Yes, I had a very enjoyable game of chess today. Let's call it a day after we finish this game."

Zhong Hui nodded slightly and smiled, clearly not objecting to Jiang Wei's request.

Just then, Qiu Jian hurriedly walked in and whispered a few words in Zhong Hui's ear. Jiang Wei, who was standing right next to him, only heard the name "Deng Ai" and didn't hear anything else clearly.

At that moment, Zhong Hui was holding a chess piece in his hand. Upon hearing what Qiu Jian said, he was stunned, and the chess piece fell onto the chessboard. Neither Zhong Hui nor Jiang Wei noticed where the chess piece had landed.

Or you could say that their minds weren't on the chessboard at all.

"Is this true? There are no jokes in the military!"

Zhong Hui asked with a solemn expression, and slammed his hand on the table as he stood up!

"Reporting to the Grand Commander, the person is currently outside the study door."

Qiu Jian said with a wronged expression.

"Then why don't you bring the person in!"

Zhong Hui was furious! Right in front of Jiang Wei, he overturned the chessboard!

Not daring to show any sign of grievance, Qiu Jian quickly went to the door and led the travel-worn Meng Guan into the study. At this moment, Meng Guan was soaked in sweat and looked utterly listless, as if he had suffered a great ordeal.

"Shi Shouxin captured Deng Ai? How did he do it?"

Zhong Hui disregarded Jiang Wei's presence, looked at Meng Guan, and asked directly and bluntly, his tone icy.

"We set off on a rainy night and arrived at Deng Ai's army camp on the outskirts of Chengdu the next day. Supervisor Shi entered the camp alone, persuaded the generals to arrest Deng Ai together, and then entered the city without bloodshed, arresting Deng Ai and his son who were in the Taiji Hall of the Imperial Palace. That's how it was."

Meng Guan said succinctly.

"So... they caught him?"

At that moment, only two words came to Zhong Hui's mind: So fast!

"Reporting to the Grand Commander, Deng Ai has lost the hearts of the army, and we entered Chengdu without bloodshed. Commander Shi ordered me to ride back at top speed to report the news, but two of my horses died on the way."

There was still a distance to go, and I ran here on my own two legs just to deliver the good news to the Grand Commander as soon as possible.

Shi Jianjun said, "Please, Grand Commander, come to Chengdu immediately to take charge; delay may lead to unforeseen changes!"

Meng Guan finished speaking in one breath, and was so out of breath that he almost fainted.

"Qiu Jian, take him away and let him rest well. Then inform the generals that I need to muster the troops now, immediately! Go quickly!"

Zhong Hui looked at Qiu Jian and said seriously.

(End of this chapter)