Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 138 Heaven desires to destroy man.
It's currently autumn, and the weather has clearly shifted from hot to comfortable. Even walking around outside without clothes wouldn't feel uncomfortable.

Riding on his horse, Zhong Hui looked at the golden wheat fields on both sides of the official road and felt exceptionally comfortable.

Behind him followed an endless army, stretching as far as the eye could see. Each soldier was clad in gleaming armor. Banners fluttered in the wind, their military might unapproachable.

Zhong Hui was filled with lofty ambitions. He came, leading an army of hundreds of thousands.

Chengdu will be the cradle and new starting point for him to write a new legend in his life.

"Boyue, when you meet Deng Ai later, is there anything you want to say to him?"

Zhong Hui raised his riding whip, pointed to the distant city of Chengdu, and asked, his face full of high spirits.

"Jiang is nothing but a freeloader; Deng Ai was not captured by me."

"If I were to meet Deng Ai, he would probably laugh at my incompetence."

Jiang Wei sighed helplessly.

Upon hearing this, Zhong Hui's smugness vanished instantly, replaced by a listlessness.

That's right, Deng Ai wasn't captured by Jiang Wei, but he wasn't captured by Zhong Hui either!
At that moment, a question suddenly popped into Zhong Hui's mind: Shi Shouxin, whose resources were far less abundant than his own, was able to capture Deng Ai, so why couldn't he capture him?

A sense of fear welled up inside him, and he didn't even dare to say those four words out loud.

That means "I'm not as skilled as others"!
Unfortunately, Jiang Wei had no qualms about what Zhong Hui dared not say.

Jiang Wei couldn't help but sigh deeply and said:

"Shi Shouxin, under the command of the Grand Commander, is truly a dragon among men. On a rainy night, he led 500 light cavalry to raid Chengdu, seized the military camp without bloodshed, turned Deng Ai's generals against him, and finally captured him in the palace."

"Well done! As the saying goes, heroes emerge from among the young; I, Jiang, am truly ashamed of my own shortcomings!"

Whether his words were genuine flattery or an attempt to sow discord, Zhong Hui was thoroughly displeased upon hearing them.

The wheat fields on both sides of the road looked almost like withered yellow weeds.

Zhong Hui lost interest in speaking and focused only on urging his horse forward.

Before long, they arrived at the east gate of Chengdu.

At this moment, Hu Lie and his generals, along with Deng Ai's own men, were all waiting respectfully outside the door. Shi Shouxin was among them, but he didn't stand out.

After the army halted, Zhong Hui gave Li Fu a few instructions, telling him to lead his troops into the Wei army camp outside the city to expand the camp and await further instructions.

Then, Zhong Hui rode forward and shouted to Shi Shouxin, who was hidden in the crowd, "Shi Gandang, take this commander to find Deng Ai!"

The crowd outside the city gate was stunned, unable to understand what Zhong Hui was trying to do for a long time.

Shi Shouxin, however, remained calm and stepped forward to respectfully bow to Zhong Hui, who was riding on horseback, saying, "Deng Ai is being held in the Zhuge family's residence. I will take you there now."

After saying that, he took the reins of Zhong Hui's horse and led it into the city gate, not caring at all that this was a great insult to him.

Seeing that Shi Shouxin had no rebellious intentions, Zhong Hui didn't say anything, but just showed a smug smile on his face.

After entering the city gate, seeing his generals following behind, Zhong Hui turned to them and instructed, "Go and attend to your respective military affairs. A banquet will be held tonight in the Chengdu Imperial Palace. We'll discuss anything else then!"

He seemed to be in a very good mood. Hu Lie and the others didn't like Zhong Hui to begin with, so naturally they wouldn't have anything to report to him. After hearing this, they all dispersed.

After these people left, Zhong Hui dismounted. He wasn't used to having others lead the way on his horse; his earlier high-profile display was just for show.

Whoever leads whose horse is whose servant; many things don't need to be said aloud.

"Let's go and take a look at the Zhuge family."

Zhong Hui gave instructions to Shi Shouxin.

The two walked on the wide and smooth roads in Chengdu. Zhong Hui looked around at the houses and the magnificent palaces in the distance and couldn't help but sigh, "Why did the Shu Kingdom use the money to build Chengdu instead of for military expenses? If they had built one less palace, how could they have faced the calamity of national destruction?"

If life in Shu is uncomfortable, what's the point of being the emperor of Shu?
Shi Shouxin knew Liu Shan's thoughts. Although he did not agree with Zhong Hui's view, he could only chime in with, "How much sorrow can one have? It's like a river of spring water flowing eastward." Perhaps Liu Shan shared the same thoughts as the Grand Commander at this moment.

"Hmph, Liu Shan is a good-for-nothing."

Zhong Hui snorted coldly and replied noncommittally. He seemed to feel that being compared to Liu Shan was an insult to him.

Zhong Hui had been talking to Jiang Wei about Deng Ai the whole way, but now he was just letting Jiang Wei follow behind without even a chance to interject.

Seeing this, Shi Shouxin seemed to be deep in thought, and couldn't help but overestimate Zhong Hui a bit.

Zhong Hui viewed this act of showing off in front of his "enemy" as a reward.

Since this is a reward, it shouldn't overshadow the main event. Moreover, it involves some confidential matters within the Wei army, which Jiang Wei, a surrendered general from Shu, shouldn't know.

The group arrived at the Zhuge family's residence. Zhong Hui checked it repeatedly before he was convinced that it was indeed Zhuge Liang's house.

"Was Zhuge Liang's house really this small?"

Zhong Hui looked at Shi Shouxin and asked.

"Indeed, Prime Minister Zhuge is an incorruptible official who owns only fifteen acres of poor land. My family, on the other hand, owns twenty acres of rich land, which is truly shameful."

One hectare of land could probably support one household. This land size proves that Zhuge Liang's family had at most fifteen tenant households.

This scale is unprecedented, not to mention that there will be no one like it in the future who will hold a similar position to that of a prime minister.

Upon hearing what Shi Shouxin said, Zhong Hui immediately felt ashamed and inferior.

He sighed and said, "I feel extremely uncomfortable interrogating Deng Ai here. How about this, I'll go to the palace first, and you bring Deng Ai here. I want to interrogate him."

"I will take care of it immediately."

Shi Shouxin bowed to Zhong Hui and said that he knew what Zhong Hui was afraid of.

The saying goes, "Heaven is watching from above." When Zhong Hui interrogated Deng Ai at Zhuge Liang's house, it was as if Zhuge Liang's spirit was watching them, the Wei generals who had conquered Shu, fighting each other like dogs.

That feeling was really awful.

If one asks himself honestly, Shi Shouxin also felt uncomfortable in Zhuge Liang's house, as if he were being extremely cautious for fear of disturbing the spirit of the hero.

Interrogating Deng Ai was Zhong Hui's moment of glory, a chance to vent his emotions; how could he let those messy things interfere?

Shi Shouxin perfectly understood Zhong Hui's thoughts; it was a mixture of self-reproach and a guilty conscience. Shi Shouxin entered the Zhuge family compound, opened the door to the room where Deng Ai was being held, and shouted inside, "Deng Ai, the Grand Commander wants to interrogate you. Answer whatever he asks. If you don't want to die, don't mention the confession you wrote for me, understand?"

Shi Shouxin's voice was cold. Although there was no one around, Deng Ai still stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Can he really live?"

"Probably, but it's not up to me to say."

Shi Shouxin made a casual remark and then turned and left.

He led Deng Ai to the palace gate, and after inquiring a little, he learned that Zhong Hui had gone to the Imperial Study. Shi Shouxin then led Deng Ai to the Imperial Study, which should have been Liu Shan's office, and saw Zhong Hui curiously looking around at the furnishings inside.

They kept marveling at it.

"Isn't this Ai Ai?"

When Zhong saw Deng Ai arrive, he couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark. Jiang Wei, standing to the side, glanced at Deng Ai, a flash of hatred in his eyes, which he quickly concealed.

Shi Shouxin kept his eyes down, knowing that Zhong Hui was looking for some emotional value in Deng Ai.

"I've written a confession for you, and it will be sent to Chang'an by fast horse shortly. Why don't you take a look at it now?"

Zhong Hui took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it directly to Deng Ai for his perusal, appearing very generous.

As for whether the other party would tear it up, Zhong Hui wasn't worried at all. He loved seeing the people he wanted to get rid of standing by, looking helpless and furious.

That would bring him an indescribable pleasure!

If Deng Ai really did such a thing, Zhong Hui would write another one for him on the spot to destroy his spirit!
After finishing writing, he would ask Deng Ai if he wanted to tear it up again.

As expected, Deng Ai trembled with rage upon seeing the confession.

The above states frankly: The reason I secretly crossed Yinping and put all my effort into destroying Shu is because I know that Shu is weak. As long as I can hold Liu Shan hostage, I can achieve the effect of controlling the emperor and commanding the disobedient, thus controlling Shu and becoming a regional emperor, blah blah blah.

In short, everything I, Deng Ai, have done is for my own sake to become emperor in Shu.

Deng Ai's mood at this moment was one of impotent rage.

What frustrated him was that the handwriting on the confession was his own, and even Deng Ai himself couldn't tell whether it was his handwriting or not.

I'm afraid Sima Zhao will be the same.

"Zhong Hui, you shameless scoundrel! Even if Sima Zhao can't take you down, Heaven will!"

Deng Ai pointed at Zhong Hui and started cursing, but Zhong Hui just stood there calmly, no matter how much Deng Ai cursed, he just smiled and didn't talk back.

Jiang Wei stood aside, feeling a surge of anger, but it wasn't convenient for him to say anything.

In the end, it wasn't him who captured Deng Ai!

Shi Shouxin, however, remained as if he were dead, keeping his head down and pretending not to hear anything.

Before long, Deng Ai got tired of cursing. He had just insulted all of Zhong Hui's relatives, but Zhong Hui remained unfazed and didn't retaliate no matter how much Deng Ai cursed him.

He had an arrogant attitude that said, "What can you do to me?"

At this moment, Deng Ai seemed to have given up and didn't want to say anything more. He slumped down, looking like a breathing dead person.

Zhong Hui also felt bored, so he instructed Qiu Jian beside him: "Lock Deng Ai in prison and keep him under guard. Don't let him commit suicide!"

When dealing with Deng Ai, Zhong Hui didn't want to listen to his explanations at all, and had already written his confession in advance.

He didn't care what Deng Ai would say at all; everything was arranged perfectly for him. In comparison, Shi Shouxin was quite polite and "gentle" in his dealings.

The tragedy of those who lose in power struggles lies in this: even if they are right, their enemies may not give them a chance to speak.

At this moment, Deng Ai was both angry and frustrated, just like a mouse that had been played with by a cat that had grown tired of it. And that cat was Zhong Hui!

Deng Ai turned around and glared at Zhong Hui angrily, then was pushed and dragged away from the imperial study by Qiu Jian.

Without a second thought, Zhong Hui sat down on the dragon throne and gestured for Jiang Wei to sit down as well. He waved his hand gently, and Shi Shouxin bowed and left the imperial study.

"Now I, Zhong, command an army of 200,000. First, we will break through Jiange, and then take the Tangluo Road to attack Chang'an."

Now that Chang'an is vulnerable, we can surely take it in one fell swoop.

Even if that fails, sending troops to guard the passes of Shu would still make him a second Liu Bei.

What do you think, Brother Boyo?

Zhong Hui wore a faint smile, as if he could accomplish what he was saying with a mere wave of his hand.

"Grand Commander, that is true, but what if the generals in the army all object?"

Jiang Wei looked worried, sensing that things were definitely not that simple.

"There's no rush to stage a coup now."

With the autumn harvest approaching, supplies must be secured before troops can move. We certainly can't count on supplies from Chang'an now.

Fortunately, it was harvest time in Sichuan, and the granaries were full of new grain, so there was nothing to worry about.

After the autumn harvest, launch another attack. First, control the generals in the army, and then issue a proclamation to attack the Sima clan based on Empress Dowager Guo's last edict.

Such a great undertaking can be accomplished!

Zhong Hui said excitedly, just like those young men in Shi Shouxin's previous life, showing off to their equally young girlfriends.

What about starting a business in three years, going public in five years, and becoming a Fortune 500 company in ten years?

However, Zhong Hui's idea was somewhat reasonable, and Jiang Wei had to admit that the autumn harvest was one of the keys to success, which meant that the 200,000 troops were temporarily freed from the Wei court's control over food supplies.

If a coup were to be staged now, it wouldn't take much. Sima Zhao only needs to block Jiange and prevent grain supplies from entering Shu, and Zhong Hui could starve to death.

It goes without saying what a starving soldier would do.

"Grand Commander, I, Jiang, am at your service! I only hope to raise the banner of righteousness as soon as possible!"

Jiang Wei deliberately feigned excitement and bowed to Zhong Hui.

(End of this chapter)