Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 148: Pay attention, I'll only teach you once.

While the banquet in the Chengdu palace was in full swing, no one could have imagined that the Wei army camp on the outskirts was also shrouded in dark clouds and turbulent undercurrents.

Early in the morning, the snow was still falling, swirling in the air. Such heavy snow is rare in Chengdu.

The Wei army's main camp in the northern suburbs of Chengdu was garrisoned primarily by Hu Lie's troops.

To prevent any unforeseen circumstances today, Hu Lie had already ordered his eldest son, Hu Yuan, to lead 3,000 troops to stand by and prepare for any eventuality, ready to rush to the palace at any moment.

Zhong Hui's ambitions were nothing new; even before the Wei army entered Shu, Hu Lie had written a letter of betrayal to Sima Zhao. So how could these Wei generals not be on guard when Zhong Hui hosted a New Year's banquet for them?
"It's so cold."

Hu Yuan rubbed his hands together as he stood guard at the camp gate, barely blinking, his heart pounding in his chest.

There were tens of thousands of troops in the camp, but they hadn't been mobilized. They were all just loafing around and had no intention of fighting.

Only Hu Lie's main force of three thousand men had already eaten and drunk their fill and were ready to set off at any time.

However, Hu Lie's orders were vague, saying that "in case of any trouble," he should lead his troops to attack and march on the Chengdu palace.

So what kind of situation qualifies as "in case something happens"?

Hu Yuan didn't know, and Hu Lie didn't explain either.

Even if something happened inside the palace, these people didn't have any informants there, so how could they know whether something had actually happened?

Even if Hu Lie wanted to send them a message, he might not be able to leave the palace, so how could he deliver the message?

Hu Yuan wasn't stupid. He sent people to investigate and found that the defenses of Chengdu's city walls remained unchanged, and the northern city wall was still under the responsibility of their camp, which goes without saying.

However, the roads around the palace have been blocked off, and the palace gates appear locked from a distance.

Did something happen, or did nothing?
Hu Yuan was unaware of this; he could only wait for news and could not act rashly.

The feeling of worry, anxiety, and fear was truly unpleasant.

Fortunately, Heaven did not make Hu Yuan wait in the heavy snow for long. Less than an hour after dawn, a team of more than a thousand people arrived at the camp gate, but they had no intention of entering the camp.

The troops lined up just an arrow's throw from the camp gate. One of the tall generals stepped out of the ranks and came to the gate to negotiate with the sentry on duty.

Hu Yuan quickly arrived at the camp gate, where the tall general before him was none other than Zhao Lun, a hereditary military commander under Shi Shouxin. Hu Yuan was deeply impressed by this tall man.

"General Zhao, what brings you here with your troops?"

Hu Yuan asked with a smile. He felt that the other side definitely did not bring these thousand men to attack the camp. That's not how war is played. You can tell whether a team is hostile to you from many clues.

"Former officials of Shu are plotting a rebellion. They plan to launch a surprise attack on the Chengdu palace today, kill all the Wei generals attending the celebration, and then leave the more than 100,000 Wei troops leaderless."

Shi Jianjun had seen through their conspiracy and had made preparations in advance. He deliberately held back, intending to wipe them out before they launched their mutiny today.

This map shows the location of their hidden troop. General Hu, please gather three thousand soldiers and accompany me. If they succeed, they will massacre one hundred thousand Wei soldiers!

Zhao Lun said with a solemn expression.

Is there such a thing?

Hu Yuan was shocked, but when he thought about what his father Hu Lie had told him the night before, he felt that there was nothing strange about it. There's no smoke without fire.

"This is true. Here is a map of the hidden troop locations. General Hu, please take a look!"

Zhao Lun pulled a map from his sleeve, which was covered with dense red circles.

Hu Yuan took the map, his face filled with astonishment and disbelief.

If Zhao Lun and the others were just putting on an act, then they were making the performance far too convincingly; it was simply not worth it.

"How dare they?"

Hu Yuan took a deep breath and said, "I really can't believe that a former official of Shu Han is so resolute!"
"Shi Jianjun said that if he is held accountable afterward, he will take full responsibility, and everyone else is just following orders."

Seeing that Hu Yuan was wavering, Zhao Lun encouraged him.

As expected, Hu Yuan nodded slightly. Although he didn't say anything, his expression clearly showed that he was convinced.

Zhao Lun leaned closer and whispered persuadingly, "General Hu, if I may be so bold, even if something goes wrong, it's just a matter of eliminating some loyalists of Shu. We can spare the leaders and hand them over to Supervisor Shi. As for the wealth and provisions, we can take them as they please. What's the big deal? We're not leading troops into Chengdu, so who will hold us accountable?"

These words made Hu Yuan's eyes light up!
What a great deal – benefits without risks! Absolutely brilliant!

If someone were to lead troops into Chengdu to attack the imperial palace without cause, regardless of whether it was truly to "relieve the siege," it would incite fear and inevitably lead to retaliation afterward.

But what if we kill the wrong people when dealing with those loyal Shu generals in the suburbs...?

Should Zhong Hui or Sima Zhao be held accountable?
What difference would it make if we killed the surrendered officials and generals of a country that had already fallen?

"General Zhao, please lead the way. I, Hu, will simply accompany you to confiscate your property. How does that sound?"

Hu Yuan licked his lips and asked in a low voice.

"That's natural."

Zhao Lun nodded, without denying it.

"General Zhao, please wait a moment. I will immediately muster the troops. We will depart within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn!"

Hu Yuan patted Zhao Lun on the shoulder, then turned around and called on the sentries to gather the three thousand men who had been prepared in advance.

Seeing Hu Yuan readily agree, Zhao Lun breathed a sigh of relief, secretly admiring Shi Shouxin's uncanny foresight in accurately predicting the hearts and minds of the people.

When it comes to forming alliances, you should entrust them with tasks that offer high returns, low risks, and easy opportunities to shift blame afterward. This way, verbal allies can act like true allies.

If Shi Shouxin's arrangements are all within the Chengdu Imperial Palace, then we must be wary of the fickle nature of people's hearts, because no one wants to risk their life for someone else! Before long, Hu Yuan rode out of the camp with 2,500 infantrymen and 500 cavalrymen on horseback.

"General Zhao, shall we go now?"

Hu Yuan asked with a smile, while the soldiers behind him were all eager to go and... suppress the rebellion.

"Zhao will lead the way!"

After speaking, Zhao Lun mounted his horse and rode off towards a farm. Behind him was a large and imposing army.

Shi Shouxin had given instructions that the former officials of Shu should each be surrounded in their own residences and kept in place until they were to be dealt with.

As for other matters, handle them as you see fit.

The looted goods could be seized without being recorded in the books and then divided up privately.

The saying "Emperor doesn't starve his soldiers" applies here; when people receive benefits, they work even harder.

After finishing their tasks, everyone can return to their respective camps.

Zhao Lun's journey took the longest.

The other three routes, led by Meng Guan, Ma Long, and Liu Qin, mobilized even faster.

They were all Wei army generals, very familiar with military rules, and didn't waste any time on small talk. Upon arriving at the Wei army camp, they went straight to the point: plunder!

Upon hearing the rules of the game—that "the spoils of war would be divided equally after being handed over and not recorded"—the Wei soldiers were overjoyed at the prospect of battle. Since only three thousand men were needed for a single camp, the lower-ranking officers vied to lead the attack themselves, almost causing a fight to break out.

In order to mobilize these Wei troops by surprise, Shi Shouxin did not say whether Zhong Hui or Sima Zhao was right, nor did he tell them to attack the Chengdu palace, nor did he tell them to obey his orders.

He mentioned two key words: loyal to the Shu Kingdom and plundering wealth.

The imperial court doesn't care about the loyalists of Shu, and even wants to kill them as soon as possible. They won't be held accountable after dealing with them, so this trip is risk-free.

The looted wealth was not counted as part of the war merits, and there were no ledgers to check it; everything that was taken was kept by the individual, so the profits from this trip were enormous.

Anyone would be happy to take advantage of something that offers profit without risk!

While chaos raged outside Chengdu, troops inside the city were also implementing the same strategy, consisting of forces from those four groups.

Because Zhong Hui's defense zone divisions meant that each major camp was responsible for one section of the city wall, the Wei troops outside the city were now carrying out a large-scale purge against the former officials of Shu. They could naturally pass through harmlessly, sending a force of several hundred men into the city to purge the gathering points of the former officials of Shu within the city.

Those attending the banquet in the Chengdu palace were completely unaware of all this. Even if they had known, it would have been too late to change the course of events.

In the event of a mutiny, thorough preparation is crucial. By the time a decision is made, the situation is often already irreversible.

It's very difficult for the losing side to turn the tide, and the winning side, unless they're celebrating at halftime, will most likely have the last laugh.

As night fell, torches were added to the Taiji Hall of the Imperial Palace. The underfloor heating continued to burn, so there was no feeling of coldness inside.

The dancers and musicians have been changed several times. When they get tired of dancing or playing, they are replaced.

Inside the main hall, the Wei generals and advisors were also unable to drink or eat. One by one, they were drowsy, their heads bowed, seemingly lost in thought.

However, the "yielding" that Zhong Hui had hoped for did not happen. No one stood up to support his so-called "Empress Dowager Guo's edict." Everyone resisted Zhong Hui's coup with a passive attitude of disapproval, silence, and refusal to leave.

At this moment, Zhong Hui's poor interpersonal relationships within the military are clearly on full display.

"Grand Commander, it's almost midnight."

Qiu Jian approached Zhong Hui and whispered his report.

"Is it almost midnight?"

Zhong Hui was startled and looked sharply at Shi Shouxin. The man was still calmly drinking; it had to be said, this fellow's alcohol tolerance was truly impressive.

Zhong Hui rose and walked towards the side hall without making a sound. Seeing him leave, Shi Shouxin also got up and went to the side where Zhong Hui had just gone.

Inside the side hall, Zhong Hui asked Shi Shouxin, "Time is almost up, what should we do?"

From the start of the mutiny in the morning, Zhong Hui was thinking of a solution, but after much deliberation, he came to only one conclusion: even at midnight, he would not be able to kill these people, or at least most of them.

"Grand Commander, all I want to say is that killing these people will surely throw the more than 100,000 Wei troops into chaos."

They panicked and stormed into Chengdu, burning, killing, and looting. Will the Grand Commander be able to control them?
You don't know any of the lower-ranking officers in the army.

Shi Shouxin patiently persuaded him.

"You mean, separate them and imprison them in the palace, then persuade them one by one, right?"

Zhong Hui asked in confusion.

"That's right. If it's inconvenient for the Grand Commander to come forward, then I can step in and persuade him."

Shi Shouxin bowed to Zhong Hui and said.

"You arrange accommodations for these people in the palace. I will personally persuade them tomorrow. Three days later, execute all those who disobey!"

Zhong Hui's face contorted with rage.

"I will take care of it immediately."

Shi Shouxin accepted the order and left, thinking to himself: "You, surnamed Zhong, open your eyes wide and watch how I staged a coup. I'll only teach you once, and I'll take your life as tuition."

(End of this chapter)