Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 140 The Dark Curtain Descends
The fact that Deng Ai was arrested is actually a trivial matter in the current political situation.

On the same day that Yang Xiu went to the Grand General's Mansion in Chang'an to attend Sima Zhao's family banquet, Sima Zhao instructed Xun Yi, the Minister of Works, to submit a memorial to the "court": In recognition of his merit in destroying a country, he requested Emperor Cao Huan to confer upon Sima Zhao the title of King of Jin!
The astute Cao Huan agreed that very day, ordering Xun Yi to draft the edict, affix the imperial seal, and then approve the appointment!
The whole process was smooth and efficient, and it was completed in less than an hour.

In addition, Sima Zhao also unveiled his long-planned trump card: reforming the system and preparing to establish a new country!

Sima Zhao submitted a letter to Cao Huan (which was essentially just a notification):

The national system has remained unchanged for a long time and is no longer able to meet the needs of the new era.

Therefore, I ordered Jia Chong to revise the laws, ordered Pei Xiu, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, to oversee the reorganization of the official system, and ordered Zheng Chong, the Grand Protector, to take charge of adjudication, in order to adapt to the new era.

Then, the state established a new five-rank nobility system to reward meritorious officials.

The first few moves were all "standard options," and even though Sima Zhao hadn't said anything, he had been quietly adjusting them all along.

The real strength lies in the last point.

The so-called "five ranks of nobility" simply means that the ranks were distinguished by the amount of land granted and the number of households in the fief, forming a nine-rank system of nobility based on "King, Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron".

If it were just an empty title, that would be fine. The key point is that this "five ranks of nobility" also stipulates the area of ​​fiefdom that the title can be held, which is a real benefit.

Sima Zhao painted a rosy picture, waiting for the powerful and influential families to patronize him. Once the land was secured, these people could then seize it through cunning and force.

Whoever supports him will be granted a title and land; whoever opposes the Sima family, Sima Zhao doesn't even need to lift a finger, he can simply manipulate the conferment of titles and make those who oppose him suffer terribly!

These people who were granted titles were the core of Sima Zhao's regime change! They were also the trump card he had prepared long ago, only delayed for a few years by the death of Cao Mao!

Yang Xiu attended a banquet that evening and was astonished to learn that Sima Zhao was already the Prince of Jin, and also heard about the five ranks of nobility. The usually eloquent Yang Xiu was speechless for a long time.

He originally thought that Sima Zhao would only implement these "upgrade options" after the army that had conquered Shu returned, and in Luoyang. There would be several court meetings, some polite refusals and strong recommendations, and then these decrees would be passed.

I never expected Sima Zhao to be so greedy! He didn't even hold a court assembly and went straight to mounting his horse!
The Sima family relinquished some of the power that should have belonged to the emperor, allowing powerful families to acquire land and expand their influence in the provinces. With such a scheme in mind, the ruling class naturally hoped for an early change of dynasty.

The day the nation is founded will be the day we're served! The menu is full of delicious food, and everyone will have a share!

As for Yang Xiu's "serious crime" of leaving the group without permission, Sima Zhao, the Prince of Jin, didn't take it seriously at all.

With a wave of his hand, he not only pardoned Yang Xiu but also, on the grounds of "meritorious reporting," bestowed upon him the title of "Marquis of Guannei" and sent him back to Luoyang to work alongside Sima Yan, organizing documents and helping him with daily chores.

As for Zhong Hui's matter, Yang Xiu didn't even have time to speak up. Sima Zhao had already granted him a marquisate, which was already a sign: I know your loyalty and bravery, this matter can end here.

As for the rest of the nonsense, let's not even mention it. If you've gotten a good deal, just sit back and relax; don't act all innocent.

If you're so loyal and brave, why didn't you fight Zhong Hui in Shu? What a load of crap!

Sima Zhao was clearly not a fool. He could certainly meet Yang Xiu's demands, but he wouldn't let her lead him by the nose.

Yang Xiu, who had no military achievements, was granted the title of Marquis of Guannei by Sima Zhao simply because of their kinship. Meanwhile, Shi Shouxin, who had repeatedly made outstanding contributions since the conquest of Shu, had not received a single penny in return.

It must be said that the Sima family's way of employing people was to first see if you were "one of their own" before discussing anything else.

The principle of "appointing people based on merit," which originated with Cao Cao, has gradually become a mere formality with the promulgation of the Nine-Rank System and the Five-Rank Nobility System.

With the fall of the Shu Kingdom, the vibrant life of the Three Kingdoms period, characterized by "a hundred boats racing," was gradually forgotten, and the iron curtain of powerful clans began to slowly descend.

A sumptuous feast is about to begin!
……

In Chengdu, Sichuan, inside the imperial palace, the atmosphere of the banquet reached its climax as Liu Shan "performed a dance" for Zhong Hui.

However, Zhong Hui did not cause any more trouble. After the banquet, he ordered his generals to return to the camp to rest and await orders for the next day.

The night passed peacefully, and the generals, most of whom were quite drunk, went back to their camps and fell asleep immediately.

However, the very next day, Zhong Hui dropped a bombshell:
All officers above the rank of Yamen General and Cavalry Captain are not allowed to stay overnight in the main camp outside the city; they must reside within Chengdu city.

Apart from the personal guards of each general, no army was allowed to enter the city of Chengdu.

The surrendered Shu troops under Jiang Wei's command were disbanded on the spot, and the soldiers were allowed to return to their hometowns, while the generals were to await reassignment.

In addition, a new army will be established, with Jiang Wei as its commander-in-chief, responsible for recruiting soldiers locally to maintain order in Chengdu and the surrounding areas.

The news caused an uproar in the Wei army camp.

The generals were outraged and went to the Chengdu palace to petition Zhong Hui for an explanation, unwilling to be separated from their soldiers.

Zhong Hui, however, readily accepted this advice.

No matter what you say, the more than 100,000 Wei troops are absolutely not allowed to enter Chengdu. Only the commanders of each army and their personal guards are allowed to enter.

If any general does not wish to reside within the city, then they should not reside there; from now on, they shall not be allowed to enter the city without a military order.

Anyway, winter is coming soon and the weather is getting colder, so it's not Zhong Hui who will be freezing.

Upon hearing Zhong Hui's words, all the generals abandoned the idea of ​​staying in military tents. After the battle was over, they were all going to enjoy themselves; who would want to stay in a tent in the suburbs!

Then a new problem arose: there were no empty houses in Chengdu, at least not any large mansions. The slightly better mansions were all full of people; after all, it was the "capital" of the Shu Kingdom, and everyone under the emperor's nose was a powerful and wealthy household!
With over 100,000 Wei troops and many generals, deciding where to stay and where not to stay was a significant issue.

For example, if a Wei general wanted to stay at Guan Yu's residence, Guan Yu's family would have to be evicted and given other places to live. Obviously, these generals couldn't do this themselves; they would have to get "permission" from Zhong Hui.

Otherwise, these Wei generals would fight each other to seize houses, turning on each other!

The generals then realized that they were completely under Zhong Hui's control.

However, among a flock of chickens, there will naturally be cranes, otherwise there would be no idiom "a crane standing out among chickens".

Unlike many Wei generals, Shi Shouxin told Zhong Hui that he was young and energetic and not afraid of staying in military tents. So he decided not to go to Chengdu and instead stay in the suburban camp to enjoy the cool breeze, which seemed quite nice and could help him temper his will.

Just give up the opportunity to live in the house to someone else.

Zhong Hui remained noncommittal and casually dismissed Shi Shouxin, already thoroughly annoyed by the clamor of a group of generals demanding to live in a large mansion. The next day, just as night fell, Shi Shouxin summoned Li Liang to his tent for a meeting, discussing a series of military orders issued by Zhong Hui in the past two days.

"I believe that Zhong Hui is already preparing for a coup."

There's also a clever tactic here: feigning one route while secretly advancing another!

After listening to Shi Shouxin's account, Li Liang said in a deep voice, his expression full of worry.

"Let me explain in more detail."

Shi Shouxin nodded slightly, appearing very calm.

"On the surface, Zhong Ran arranged for all the army commanders to live in Chengdu, which separated the soldiers from the generals and prevented the commanders from conveying military orders at critical moments."

But in reality, Zhong Hui's trump card lay with Jiang Wei.

First, they disbanded the surrendered Shu troops to create a false impression, making it seem as if Jiang Wei had no one to rely on and was not a threat. Then, they formed a new army and gathered back the scattered troops, which was essentially a reunification of Jiang Wei's old subordinates.

These people were allowed to move freely within Chengdu, effectively helping Zhong Hui maintain control of the situation.

Li Liang astutely pointed out Zhong Hui's deadly scheme: deceiving the heavens and crossing the sea!

"That's exactly what I'm worried about. Zhong Hui's move is truly outrageous; it's incredibly deceptive!"

Shi Shouxin sighed helplessly. He had actually seen these things, but it was inconvenient for him to openly oppose them.

He looked at Li Liang and said, "At last night's banquet, Zhong Hui's arrogant attitude was probably just an act. Perhaps he was also hinting at his intentions to the local powerful families in Sichuan. When they heard that he had spent the night in the palace, they knew that he had no intention of returning to Luoyang."

Li Liang sighed and said, "Zhong Hui's approach is actually the same as yours, Supervisor Shi. Your refusal to enter Chengdu may seem to Zhong Hui as a reluctance to lower your guard, but to the other generals, it means you are unwilling to submit."

That hit the nail on the head.

Shi Shouxin shook his head with a wry smile and said, "When I play chess, I am also a chess piece. How can I do whatever I want?"

When Shi Shouxin entered the palace during the day, Zhong Hui asked him why he didn't live in the city.

Shi Shouxin's answer was: To achieve great things, one cannot indulge in pleasure; one cannot control the army without being in the camp, and therefore cannot respond promptly. If I were in Chengdu, what if we were wiped out inside the city during the Grand Commander's mutiny? What if the army outside the city were taken over by someone else?
Zhong Hui temporarily agreed to let him stay in the camp outside the city to monitor the army's movements. However, Shi Shouxin also realized that Zhong Hui only used him as a pawn to check and balance Jiang Wei.

Without Shi Shouxin, and given Zhong Hui's distrust of other Wei generals, Jiang Wei would inevitably have turned the tables on him. However, he clearly couldn't place his hopes on Shi Shouxin's "loyalty."

Both are used and both are guarded against; they are used and guarded against simultaneously!

As the two were discussing countermeasures, a guard outside the door called out, "Supervisor Shi, General Qiu requests an audience."

Qiu Jian is here!

Shi Shouxin was startled and hurriedly went out of the military tent to greet him.

Qiu Jian didn't even bother to come in. He simply smiled and said, "Supervisor Shi, the Grand Commander invites you. Please follow me into the city!"

"Alright, I'll go with you then."

Shi Shouxin nodded and followed Qiu Jian out of the camp.

On the way, he tried to get close to Qiu Jian, wanting to ask him what Zhong Hui meant by letting him into the city at this time. However, Qiu Jian kept his mouth shut and kept changing the subject.

Upon arriving at the Imperial Study, Zhong Hui was writing a letter; it was unclear whether it was addressed to Sima Zhao.

Upon seeing Shi Shouxin arrive, he gently waved his hand, signaling Qiu Jian to wait outside.

"I've been very busy today and haven't had time to explain everything to you in detail."

Chairman Zhong sighed, pointed to the cushion in front of him, and gestured for Shi Shouxin to sit down before continuing the discussion.

"The Grand Commander requests instructions."

After Shi Shouxin knelt down, he bowed to him and said...

"Which house in Chengdu catches your eye? You can choose any one except the Zhuge family's."

Zhong Hui smiled gently, clearly ignoring Shi Shouxin's earlier suggestion of "staying overnight at the military camp."

“Grand Commander, if you feel that it is not appropriate for me to live in the military camp, then the Qiao Zhou family residence in the suburbs is also a good option, and it is not far from the military camp.”

Shi Shouxin gave his terms.

However, Zhong Hui seemed not to hear Shi Shouxin's words. He said to himself, "How about this, tomorrow I will send someone to inform the Fei family to find another place to live and vacate their house. You can take your confidants and personal guards and stay at the Fei family's house."

ha?
Shi Shouxin thought he had misheard.

Didn't I tell you I was staying at Qiao Zhou's house? You dog, can't you understand human language?

Shi Shouxin cursed Zhong Hui in his heart for being shameless, but he also knew that he had no way to resist. The main reason was that if he resisted, he would be overturning the table, the kind of overturning that would kill Zhong Hui.

Before that, we must be patient in everything we do; a small act of impatience can ruin a great plan!

"Grand Commander, isn't this... a little inappropriate?"

Shi Shouxin asked in confusion, still wanting to struggle a bit more.

"It's settled then. Don't worry, I won't let you be the bad guy."

You can endure the night in the barracks; by sunset tomorrow, you'll be able to move in comfortably.

Zhong Hui laughed heartily, then exchanged a few polite words, but Shi Shouxin did not agree, so he told him to go back to the camp and wait.

(End of this chapter)