Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 137 Holding Back

A day later, Hu Lie led three thousand cavalrymen and rushed from Fucheng to Chengdu, immediately taking over the defense of Deng Ai's army camp.

If it were just a matter of coming to Chengdu, that would be one thing. The key issue is that Hu Lie, acting on Zhong Hui's orders, forcibly confiscated all the weapons of Deng Ai's soldiers in the camp.

Store it in the warehouse!

This caused the soldiers, who had already quieted down, to regroup and start making noise again.

At this critical moment, Shi Shouxin gathered all the officers and soldiers in the camp together and told them in person that he would eat and live with them without carrying any weapons. He also emphasized that Deng Ai's crimes had been cleared and that no one else would be implicated.

Shi Shouxin also promised that the current confiscation of weapons was merely to prevent misunderstandings. He stated that once Zhong Hui arrived in Chengdu with his army, the weapons would be distributed, and military affairs would be rearranged.

Seeing that someone had stepped forward to vouch for them, the Wei generals returned to their camps without causing any disturbance.

Hu Lie, who was being looked down upon by everyone, cursed Zhong Hui to death in his heart.

Knowing full well that this was a trap that would offend everyone, that bastard Zhong Hui still pushed him into it! He's a real piece of work!

That's often how it is; when a leader who doesn't care about anything starts to screw over the people below, they're sure to succeed.

If Hu Lie obeys orders, it could very well cause a mutiny among Deng Ai's soldiers. If that happens, he'll be severely punished, if not killed.

If Hu Lie disobeys and refuses to surrender his weapons, he will be considered to be disobeying military orders. When Zhong Hui arrives in Chengdu with his infantry, Hu Lie will be the first to be punished.

That night, to thank Shi Shouxin for quelling the crisis of "confiscating weapons," Hu Lie specially came to his tent to express his gratitude and also had his personal guards bring him a lot of good wine and food.

After three cups of wine, Hu Lie stopped pretending. He smiled and squinted as he asked:

“My dear brother, Deng Ai has also been arrested, and the military supervisor has been placed under house arrest.”

When Zhong Hui arrived in Chengdu, he became the one who called the shots in the army.

"Can you be frank with me? How exactly do you plan to clean up this mess?"

Hu Lie spoke casually, but the questions he asked were anything but casual.

During this period, he was tormented by Zhong Hui. Fortunately, his military post was appointed by Sima Zhao, and Zhong Hui had no power to dismiss him. Otherwise, it's hard to say how far things would have gone by now.

In short, Hu Lie was still shaken and wished Zhong Hui would die sooner.

Yang Xiu had powerful connections and a low-ranking official position, so his escape was understandable. Hu Lie, however, was considered the "third-in-command" in the army after Zhong Hui and Li Fu. While others could escape, he couldn't.

Thanks to Zhong Hui, Hu Lie's life was extremely miserable.

"If nothing unexpected happens, Zhong Hui will deploy troops to stage a coup in Chengdu."

But he knew he lacked prestige within the army, so he certainly wouldn't launch an immediate attack.

Shi Shouxin wiped the smile off his face, put down his wine glass, and said in a deep voice.

Hu Lie nodded slightly. The reasoning was actually quite clear, and the generals in the army generally knew what Zhong Hui was going to do.

But knowing this is one thing; if the specific details are slightly different, the result could be completely different.

Who dares to say they can stop Zhong Hui when the time comes?
"There are only two months left until the New Year, and it is the harvest season."

Zhong Hui could find an excuse, such as that it was harvest season and the fields were full of crops that hadn't been harvested yet, so could the army withdraw?

That's definitely not possible. We must harvest all the crops in the fields and store them in the granary before making any decisions. We don't need to worry about military rations either; we can just allocate them from the local new grain supply.

The autumn harvest is over, the weather is getting colder, and the New Year is just a few days away. It's impossible to send the soldiers back to Guanzhong in the freezing cold in just a few days; we have to wait until after the New Year celebrations.

I secretly believe that the New Year's celebration banquet will be the time for Zhong Hui to launch his attack!

Shi Shouxin patiently explained, revealing his guess.

Hu Lie felt his hair stand on end after listening. He had known nothing about the situation before, but after Shi Shouxin's analysis, he could actually guess most of it!
He had to admit that Shi Shouxin was truly a man of both wisdom and courage. His ability to lead five hundred cavalry in a nighttime raid on Chengdu to capture Deng Ai was enough to demonstrate his skill!
"Brother, I'll do whatever you say. I'll do whatever you tell me to do!"

Hu Lie was truly convinced this time.

Shi Shouxin nodded slightly, sighed, and said:

"Without Jiang Wei and the surrendered Shu soldiers under his command, let alone you, even someone like Xu Yi could overturn the table and crush Zhong Hui!"

But with Jiang Wei, things changed.

Don't forget, the Wei army that has entered Shu now is not the Wei army that governs and guards the Shu region; they will all be recalled to Guanzhong later.

Zhong Hui could easily find an excuse to rebuild a new army to guard the Shu region, using Jiang Wei's troops as the backbone!

At that time, this army will be completely under Zhong Hui's command!

Shi Shouxin's words terrified Hu Lie, causing him to break out in a cold sweat. If that day were to come, Zhong Hui would no longer need to rely on these Wei generals.

When it comes to who gets killed and who doesn't, isn't it all up to Zhong Hui to decide?

Is it possible for this to happen?
Hu Lie had never believed it before, but hearing it from Shi Shouxin's mouth, Hu Lie had no choice but to believe it, even if he didn't want to.

Shi Shouxin is now a prominent figure in the Wei army, and what he says is not just nonsense.

Just then, Meng Guan quietly walked in. Seeing that Hu Lie was also there, he was about to leave when Shi Shouxin quickly scolded him, "Speak your mind. General Hu is no outsider!"

"Shi Jianjun, Deng Ai's son Deng Zhong, escaped last night. I led men to search for him for a long time in the suburbs of Chengdu, but we couldn't catch him. We don't know where he went."

"This subordinate has failed in his duty of supervision; I beg Inspector Shi to punish me!"

Meng Guan knelt down on one knee and apologized to Shi Shouxin.

"So be it, it's all fate. Deng Ai was the main culprit, and Deng Zhong was just an accomplice. Let him go if he's gone."

I will apologize to the Grand Commander for this matter myself. You may leave now!

Shi Shouxin waved his hand calmly and said that Meng Guan understood, got up to take his leave, and forced a smile off his face.

“Brother, Deng Zhong has escaped. Is this... alright?” Hu Lie’s face showed a strange expression. After thinking for a moment, he suppressed his doubts.

"It's certainly important that he ran away, but it might not be such a bad thing."

Deng Ai's crime warranted the extermination of his entire clan. Why not leave a way out for others? Why go to such extremes to wipe them out?

Anyway, Deng Zhong is unlikely to show his face again, so let him be.

He'll most likely live a life of anonymity and obscurity in the future; what difference would that make from being dead?

Shi Shouxin said casually, and upon hearing this, Hu Lie confirmed his earlier suspicions.

Many things are best left unsaid; the meaning is often understood without needing to be explicitly stated.

How could someone who wasn't carrying any weapons escape from Chengdu?

Everyone knows that Shi Shouxin deliberately let them go, but outsiders can't find fault with him.

Since Shi Shouxin lived in the military camp outside the city, it's quite normal that he, living in the military camp outside the city, wouldn't know that the people inside the city had fled.
Anyway, if you say you have it, you can't get any evidence; if you say you don't, everyone knows what's going on.

“My dear brother, you are a good person in every way, but you are too soft-hearted and too easy to talk to. You will suffer for it in the future.”

Little did they know that people's hearts are treacherous; just because you are magnanimous doesn't mean others will be.

Hu Lie couldn't help but give a hint.

"Brother, you're joking. Deng Zhong ran away on his own. What does it have to do with me? You can't say things like that."

Shi Shouxin chuckled, picked up his wine glass, and clinked glasses with Hu Lie.

……

In the signing room of the Jiange City Tower, Yang Hu and Yang Xiu, two cousins, were also drinking together.

However, the atmosphere inside the room was a little tense at this moment. Yang Hu looked at Yang Xiu with a worried expression, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Cousin, why don't you tell me what Duke Jin's plans are? The transfer documents haven't arrived yet. Should I go to Chang'an now, or stay in Jiange?"

Yang Xiu asked in confusion.

He had been here for some time, but had not yet set off for Chang'an. The reason was simple: Yang Hu had advised Yang Xiu to stay in Hanzhong for the time being and take up a post there. He would then return with the army when it returned to Guanzhong.

The advantage of doing this is that it doesn't require Sima Zhao's approval at all; all it takes is a word to Jia Chong to complete the transfer!
Yang Xiu, on the other hand, was determined to go to Chang'an! However, if he did that, the charge of "unauthorized departure" would be harder to cover up.

"You'd better stay in Hanzhong and not go to Chang'an."

Yang Hu said solemnly.

"I must go to Chang'an, meet the Duke of Jin, and personally recount Zhong Hui's treasonous acts!"

Yang Xiu seemed to be possessed and wouldn't listen to any advice.

Seeing his stubbornness, Yang Hu sighed helplessly, "Duke Jin knew long ago that Zhong Hui was going to rebel, but he just held back. There are 50,000 elite troops in Hanzhong, ready to enter Shu at any time. I didn't want to tell you this secret, but seeing your insistence, I have no choice but to tell you the truth."

“Cousin, if that’s the case, then I must go to Chang’an even more. Otherwise, what if the Duke of Jin thinks that Zhong Hui and I are acting in concert?”

Hearing Yang Hu's description, Yang Xiu became even more anxious.

"You wouldn't be thinking of speaking ill of Shi Gandang in front of Duke Jin, would you?"

Yang Hu looked at Yang Xiu with a strange expression, somewhat unable to understand such thoughts.

"No, no, absolutely not!"

Yang Xiu confidently assured him that this was indeed his plan on the way here. But now he had changed his mind.

"That's good. Shi Gandang has been entrusted with an important task by the Duke of Jin. You must not mention anything about him, otherwise it will arouse suspicion."

An incident occurred that aroused the Duke of Jin's suspicion towards Wei Guan.

Shi Gandang's purpose was to monitor Wei Guan and thwart Zhong Hui's scheme at a crucial moment.

If you get involved, it will definitely not end well.

Yang Hu's face was devoid of any smile; his words were a clear warning to Yang Xiu not to act rashly.

Upon hearing this, Yang Xiu broke out in a cold sweat. He was intelligent from a young age, with a quick mind, and from Yang Hu's words, he knew the truth behind this matter was unfathomable!

He never expected that Shi Shouxin would be entrusted with such an important task. No wonder he had become Zhong Hui's confidant.

Yang Xiu originally thought that Shi Shouxin was blinded by greed and couldn't see the situation clearly, but she didn't expect that the other party not only saw the situation clearly, but also got involved himself and wielded great power!
"I understand, but I still have to go to Chang'an to denounce Zhong Hui."

Yang Xiu's attitude was very firm.

"Is it really just a scolding?"

Yang Hu asked with a smile.

Yang Xiu nodded and said, "This matter is because Duke Jin was fishing. He knew that Zhong Hui was going to rebel, but deliberately did not say anything. Since that's the case, then I must state my position. As for tipping someone off, what you say is not important. The fact that I went to Chang'an itself has already explained everything."

Upon hearing Yang Xiu's words, Yang Hu reconsidered and realized that his cousin's actions were not without reason.

Going to Chang'an is a way of showing that you've firmly chosen a side!
Although it was of no help whatsoever and did not harm Zhong Hui in the slightest, it allowed him to extricate himself completely.

When Sima Zhao launches his great purge in the future, it won't necessarily affect Yang Xiu.

"Then you don't need to wait for the documents, just go directly to Chang'an."

Yang Hu sighed deeply. He disliked such things, but he also knew that in many situations, it was not acceptable to remain silent in the face of major political events.

Yang Hu looked Yang Xiu up and down, feeling that Yang Xiu seemed to have grown a lot after this campaign against Shu.

(End of this chapter)