Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 143 Destruction and Rebirth (1)

Late at night, in a farm in the northern suburbs of Chengdu, the largest residence was inhabited by Zhang Yi, the former Left General of the Shu Han.

He originally owned a residence in Chengdu, but without exception, he was driven out of the city by Zhong Hui.

The lobby was packed with guests; quite a few people had come.

Among them were the veteran general Liao Hua, Guan Yi (grandson of Guan Yu), Zhang Shao (son of Zhang Fei), Jiang Xian (son of Jiang Wan), Fei Cheng (eldest son of Fei Yi), and so on.

Zhang Yi sat in the main seat, seemingly the initiator and organizer of the meeting.

"Jiang Boyue is unable to come forward in person, so he entrusted me to gather you all to discuss the matter of restoring the country."

What I've said is exactly what he meant. Of course, I fully agree and am determined to participate.

Zhang Yi looked around at everyone, his voice low.

No one spoke, no one questioned. Although Jiang Wei's scheme was shrouded in mystery, it was not without clues.

His eagerness to cooperate with Zhong Hui and act as Zhong Hui's lackey was already somewhat strange.

Before the fall of Shu Han, Jiang Wei was not like this at all!

However, considering the rumors that Zhong Hui was about to betray Sima Zhao, Jiang Wei's intentions became quite clear. Anyone with a modicum of insight could see right through it.

"The two thousand suits of armor used by the army are in the farmhouse cellar. When the army was disbanded, many soldiers left, and naturally, there were many more suits of armor."

These armors weren't taken by Zhong Hui; instead, they were hidden right here.

Zhang Yi's voice was somewhat suppressed; in fact, he, like Jiang Wei, was also very unwilling.

"But there are over 100,000 people outside the city. What difference would it make if we had 20,000 more armor, let alone 2,000 more suits of armor?"

Zhang Shao raised his own questions.

On the surface, Chengdu was forced to surrender by Deng Ai. However, with Deng Ai's small force, the idea of ​​destroying the Shu Kingdom was far-fetched. What Liu Shan and his ministers truly feared was the more than 100,000 Wei troops under Zhong Hui's command—an irresistible force.

Deng Ai owed much of his success to the sheer power of this army.

Now, more than 100,000 troops are camped outside Chengdu. Do you think it makes sense to have only 2,000 suits of armor?

"Zhong Hui's plan is to capture all the generals in the Wei army, and Jiang Boyue already has enough troops."

But what he wanted was for His Majesty to regain power, so his next step was to get rid of Zhong Hui.

It's unlikely that Zhong Hui was unprepared, which is why the two thousand armored soldiers came in very handy.

Zhang Yi explained patiently.

Everyone nodded slightly.

More than 100,000 Wei troops, that looks pretty intimidating.

However, what if Zhong Hui controlled or even killed all the generals of these armies? Wouldn't these 100,000-plus men then run around like headless flies? Wouldn't they be unable to defeat an army of 10,000?
It's hard to say, but it's very likely!
Therefore, Jiang Wei's plan may not be without room for maneuver, as it involves a brutal life-or-death struggle.

"There are other weapons hidden in other places. I am telling you all today only so that we can work together to accomplish something great."

Liao Hua chimed in from the side.

Both he and Zhang Yi were generals of that elite Shu army, so they could naturally explain the origin of these weapons.

Everyone present remained silent, still somewhat shocked and unable to process what had happened.

"Your Majesty's Third Princess, Zhong Hui gave her to that Shi Shouxin with just one sentence, causing the Fei family to lose face."

This might just be a warning. Do you all think that if we do nothing, everything will be fine?

Zhang Yi looked around at everyone and asked, his gaze landing on Fei Cheng, whose former sister-in-law was Liu Yue, the third princess of Shu.

It wasn't just a divorce; she was forcibly taken away by Liu Shan!
At this moment, Fei Cheng's face was red and white in patches, making him look extremely embarrassed.

"I heard that Shi Zuan has taken a liking to the Crown Prince Liu Xuan's wife, Lady Fei, who is also your elder sister."

I think the Fei family will make a fool of themselves again. At the next banquet, His Majesty's concubines will be bestowed upon the military generals by Zhong Hui.

The women in your households would be best advised to stay away; trouble is imminent.

Zhang Yi looked at Fei Cheng and said this, seemingly speaking to Fei Cheng, but actually warning the others as well.

Everyone present felt a chill run down their spines. With precedent already set, there was no need to worry about a lack of follow-up.

Who says this kind of thing won't happen to me? It just depends on how others feel.

"I, Liao, have carried out Jiang Boyue's plan!"
I have lived to a ripe old age, enjoyed wealth and honor, and received the benefits of the country.

The worst possible outcome is death.

"If you and your families are unwilling to participate, that's fine, I've already made up my mind."

Liao Hua was the first to speak up, clearly having disregarded life and death. He spoke frankly, "I'm an old man, what haven't I seen?"

"Done!"

"Kill all these Wei bastards!"

"Kill them all!"

The crowd was in high spirits, but Zhang Fei's son, Zhang Shao, remained silent.

He knew he had a way out, and because his mother was from the Xiahou family, his family was very unlikely to be purged!

But can we say no now? If we do, we might not even be able to leave this house.

"Those who wish to participate, raise your hands, and then sign an oath in blood!"

Zhang Yi continued, saying that he didn't actually want to appear as if he didn't trust others, but it was Jiang Wei's request.

Everyone present raised their hands to vote, including Zhang Shao.

Then, the prepared manifesto was presented, and everyone dipped their fingers in chicken blood and signed their names on the paper with the manifesto written on it.

"Alright, everyone, please be patient for a few days."

Two weeks later is the Lunar New Year, and before that, a winner will surely be decided.

Then, we will accomplish great things together!

You should all go back and make preparations, organize your private army, servants, and tenants.

Our stockpile of armor, weapons, shields, bows, and crossbows is enough to raise an army of 20,000!

Zhang Yi became more and more excited as he spoke, as if he could already see the country restored and the sun and moon shining again in half a month.

However, the expressions on the faces of everyone present were all different.

There was melancholy, tension, regret, helplessness, and feigned composure.

Jiang Wei's plan sounds like it's worth a try, but... there are hundreds of thousands of Wei troops outside Chengdu! Even if you slaughtered 100,000 pigs, it would take several days, right? Is it really that simple?
I don't know what others think, but Zhang Shao himself doesn't believe it.

After hearing Zhang Yi's impassioned speech, the others also shared their thoughts.

Some said to prepare well, some said to monitor each other to prevent betrayal, and some said to leave a way out for their own families by sending a son out of Sichuan.

After everyone left, Zhang Shao felt increasingly frightened as he walked home.

He had a way out, so why risk his life?
Thinking about this, Zhang Shao felt he needed to leave himself a way out and not put all his eggs in one basket.

……

As the weather grew colder, Shi Shouxin kept checking the warehouse accounts, and the more he looked, the more alarmed he became.

Before he arrived, some grain had been stolen, but there was no record of it. Some weapons had been stolen, but there was no record of that either.

Moreover, none of these were things handled by the Wei army; the main problem was that the Wei army needed military equipment but had no use for it!

Both the granaries and the armory were missing a lot of things—not just a few hundred items, but over a thousand. It was clear that a huge number of things were missing.

Where did these things go?
Shi Shouxin felt there was something fishy going on and that it was worth investigating thoroughly.

Because these accounts are from this year, not from years ago. In other words, the lost items were all lost during Wei's campaign against Shu. Goods made in the workshops were sent to the armory and taken away within two days, without being recorded.

Is this reasonable?

That is clearly unreasonable.

The more urgent the battle, the more meticulous the management of the warehouse and accounts is required.

There's something fishy going on here; we need to investigate thoroughly, or something serious could happen if we're not careful!
Shi Shouxin returned home with a heavy heart; it was already completely dark. A cold wind blew, and he couldn't help but shiver.

With only two weeks until the Lunar New Year, this should be a good opportunity for Zhong Hui to launch a coup. Of course, the Lunar New Year is the first day of the first lunar month, followed by the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

Zhong Hui may stage a coup in the next two days. Which day will it be?

Zhong Hui couldn't say, nor could he ask; everything had to be guessed, predicted based on the slightest clues.

Shi Shouxin has been using his brain too much lately and often feels headaches.

As soon as she entered the house, Princess Liu Yue of Shu excitedly took Shi Shouxin's arm and whispered in his ear, "My lord, I'm pregnant. The physician came to check on me today."

"Really?"

Shi Shouxin's face lit up with delight; all his hard work had truly paid off!

This little princess, in bed with her partner who had been thoroughly trained and matured by him, actually took so long to conceive.

Looking at it by time is not unusual, but looking at it by frequency is a bit outrageous.

It's worth noting that Li Qiu started getting pregnant almost a month later, which means she's a woman who is very likely to conceive.

It has to be said that the reason why her ex-husband has no children is probably because of Liu Yue.

Clearly, the surprise on Liu Yue's face was due to this; she also knew that she seemed to have some health problems.

In this era, for a woman to have a child was like being reborn. Her future hope depended on her offspring.

The saying "a mother's status rises with her son's" perfectly illustrates this point.

The two entered the bedroom, and Liu Yue stroked her belly and sighed, "This child has really had a tough journey."

That's for sure, I've almost worn you out.

Shi Shouxin thought to himself, but said nothing, only putting his arm around Liu Yue's shoulder.

Just as the two were enjoying this warm moment, Li Liang knocked softly on the door and said, "Commander Shi, we have a distinguished guest."

He emphasized the word "distinguished guest".

Shi Shouxin stroked Liu Yue's hair and said, "I'll be right back. You need to start taking care of your pregnancy from today."

"Go, Ah Lang."

Liu Yue nodded, her face still smiling.

Shi Shouxin pushed open the door, and Li Liang looked at Liu Yue sitting on the bed and waved to her.

"Ok?"

Shi Shouxin looked at Li Liang with a puzzled expression.

"It's Zhang Shao; he's the maternal uncle of this Shu princess."

Li Liang leaned close to Shi Shouxin's ear and whispered something.

Zhang Shao? What's he doing here?
Shi Shouxin suppressed his doubts and led Liu Yue to the study. The middle-aged man in front of them was Zhang Shao, who was well-maintained and looked to be in his early forties.

But even if this person is young, he is probably over fifty years old, after all, Zhang Fei has been dead for more than forty years.

"Uncle, what brings you here?"

Liu Yue asked curiously.

Liu Yue's mother was Madam Zhang, Zhang Shao's younger sister. It was quite appropriate for Liu Yue to call Zhang Shao "uncle".

"I don't know how you've been since your divorce from Fei Gong. I was on my way to the palace today and happened to pass by here, so I thought I'd come and see you."

Zhang Shao smiled modestly, displaying the attitude of an elder visiting a nephew or niece.

However, both Shi Shouxin and Liu Yue knew that Zhang Shao had not come just for "casual stroll".

"Uncle, I'm pregnant, so I can't stay with you. You can talk to Ah Lang if you need anything."

Liu Yue said something meaningful, then walked out of the study without overstepping her bounds.

After she left, Zhang Shao looked at Shi Shouxin and asked, "Really?"

"It's my child; the diagnosis was just found out today."

Shi Shouxin nodded slightly.

Liu Yue and her ex-husband have been divorced for several months. If the child were really her ex-husband's, it would have been discovered only today.

"This child has had a tough time."

Seeing Liu Yue's happy expression, Zhang Shao guessed that Shi Shouxin must treat her very well, so he felt relieved.

"Speak, what is it? You wouldn't come if it wasn't something important."

Shi Shouxin said seriously, without being polite to Zhang Shao at all.

(End of this chapter)