Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 150 A Great Terror Lies Between Life and Death

"How about it?"

Inside the Imperial Study in the Chengdu Palace, Zhong Hui looked at Shi Shouxin with a nervous expression and asked a question.

"Wei Guan's attitude was very firm, and it was unlikely that he would step forward to appease the army."

"It would be better for the Grand Commander to personally go to the main camp at dawn to read out Empress Dowager Guo's last edict."

Shi Shouxin bowed to Zhong Hui and spoke in a humble manner.

He gave Zhong Hui a suggestion: You go yourself!

This stumped Zhong Hui, who was told to go to the army and read out Empress Dowager Guo's last edict, informing the soldiers that he was preparing to rebel!
Is this appropriate?

Zhong Hui immediately felt extremely embarrassed.

His power to command the three armies was granted by Sima Zhao, and similarly, Sima Zhao could also take it back.

This army wasn't trained by him, and now the generals in the army aren't on his side.

It's like forcing a duck onto a shelf to talk about this now; even a fool could see that this approach is wrong.

"Here's what we'll do. After dawn, I'll send my trusted men to take charge of the various armies. Anyway, we've already got the seals of office."

Zhong Hui sighed and rejected Shi Shouxin's explanation.

After placing Hu Lie and other generals under house arrest, Zhong Hui successfully found their seals on their persons, which were the tokens they used to transmit military orders.

Otherwise, when a military order reaches lower-ranking officers, who would know whether it was Hu Lie or Zhang Lie who gave the order? Words alone are not enough; a seal is the least necessary proof.

In theory, holding a general's seal is roughly equivalent to him personally conveying orders.

However, theoretical knowledge is just that—theoretical. In the military, soldiers only recognize junior and middle-ranking officers; they may not even be familiar with their commander.

The lower and middle-ranking officers were mostly the commander's confidants, and they often recognized the person rather than the seal.

The so-called confidants around Zhong Hui were all rotten potatoes and rotten birds. They might not even be able to read properly. How could they possibly control the situation in the army?

Shi Shouxin was not optimistic about this.

"Grand Commander, the soldiers in the army probably don't recognize the confidants you sent. Naturally, they are unlikely to obey your military orders."

Besides, their families were all in Luoyang and Chang'an, while some of the men originally under Deng Ai had their families in Longyou.

Moreover, soldiers in the army have always been unruly, and I, as an officer who has led troops, have experienced this firsthand.

Your method might not be very effective.

Shi Shouxin patiently persuaded him, speaking tactfully, but his meaning was crystal clear:

It's useless to pray to Buddha when you don't need to burn incense regularly! If you really learned to lead troops like Wu Qi, wouldn't it be up to you whether they rebel or not?

Of course, Zhong Hui liked to hear nice things, so Shi Shouxin would never say what was on his mind.

"Here's what we'll do: I'll have Zhong Yong go to the army camp to read out Empress Dowager Guo's last edict, and you'll go with him."

You have established connections within the military; you should be able to handle the situation.

Zhong Hui looked at Shi Shouxin and said.

Zhong Yong was originally the son of Zhong Hui's elder brother, Zhong Yu. Because Zhong Hui had no biological son, Zhong Yong was adopted as his son, and according to etiquette, he was treated as a biological son.

In critical moments, things that Zhong Hui was unable to do himself could only be entrusted to Zhong Yong.

Furthermore, Shi Shouxin, also holding the title of "acting as an imperial envoy," had connections within the army. Since Wei Guan was not the first choice, they had to settle for second best and have Shi Shouxin go to the military camp to read the imperial edict.

Zhong Hui felt that this arrangement was more appropriate.

"Grand Commander, it is probably not appropriate for me to leave the palace."

Jiang Boyue is a man of cunning and unpredictable thoughts; you should be wary of him.

Shi Shouxin leaned close to Zhong Hui's ear and whispered something.

"It's alright. With Qiu Jian here, Jiang Boyue's troops are limited and he can't cause any trouble."

Zhong Hui waved his hand gently and said.

"Why not send Qiu Jian to announce that my troops are to enter the palace to guard it..."

Shi Shouxin was about to speak again when Zhong Hui rudely interrupted him, saying, "Where has your courage gone, when you accompanied the emperor with a sword back then? It's just going to the camp to convey Empress Dowager Guo's last edict. Is it any more difficult than what happened back then?"

"Your Majesty, take your orders."

Shi Shouxin said awkwardly, a bitter smile on his face.

"Don't worry, once I have control of these 100,000 troops, I will not mistreat you and will naturally give you military power."

Sichuan is rich and prosperous. Once we control Sichuan, we can have as many vast fields and mansions as we want, as well as beautiful wives and concubines.

"That's infinitely better than being a lowly ninth-rank official under Sima Zhao!"

Zhong Hui patted Shi Shouxin on the shoulder and comforted him.

"Grand Commander, that's not the issue, it's..."

He wanted to say more, but Zhong Hui raised his hand, signaling him to shut up!

"We'll set off after dawn. You should go and get some rest now."

Zhong Hui left a message, got up, and walked out of the Imperial Study.

"Grand Commander, I'd like to try and persuade those who are imprisoned. Perhaps some of them will change their minds?"

Shi Shouxin caught up with Zhong Hui and offered his advice.

"Then you can go and take a look, but I've already given up hope. If anyone is rude and speaks coldly to you, killing a few people won't hurt."

Zhong Hui waved his hand, somewhat impatiently. He had personally tried to persuade those people, but they all remained silent and unresponsive.

This attitude infuriated Zhong Hui.

Without saying a word, Shi Shouxin accepted the order and left.

He arrived at the small cell where Li Fu was imprisoned. These small cells were formerly the residences of palace eunuchs, and the room was filled with some indescribable strange smell.

"What, you're in cahoots with Zhong Hui now?"

Li Fu, who was resting with his eyes closed, opened them and looked at Shi Shouxin with a tone full of sarcasm.

Why are you doing this to yourself? Just give in.

Shi Shouxin sighed and then grabbed Li Fu's hand, writing a few words on it stroke by stroke.

Li Fu's eyes widened instantly, only to see Shi Shouxin nod slightly, signaling him not to make a fuss.

"Get out, get out! You lackey of Zhong Hui, you'll definitely die a horrible death!"

While cursing, Li Fu nodded to Shi Shouxin, a smile finally appearing on his face, and his tense body relaxed.

Shi Shouxin wrote a few more words on the other person's hand, then slapped Li Fu across the face, angrily cursing, "You dog, I want to see how you die!"

After saying that, he walked away.

He had just stepped out of the room when he saw Zhong Hui looking at him with a gloating expression. Shi Shouxin couldn't help but sigh, but said nothing.

"Keep asking, just ask these people again, no need to waste your breath," Zhong Hui said with some disappointment.

……

Before long, dawn broke, and the heavy snow outside had stopped. Zhong Hui, who was lying in his study fully clothed, was awakened by Jiang Wei's arrival.

He rubbed his eyes and looked at Jiang Wei, asking, "What's the situation outside the palace?"

"No movement."

Jiang Wei said in a deep voice.

"That is not bad."

Zhong Hui breathed a sigh of relief; for him, no news was good news. His worst fear was hearing about the soldiers outside the city clamoring to enter; that would be disastrous.

Where is Shi Shouxin?

Zhong Hui asked again.

"I have already gone with Zhong Yong to the camp on the outskirts of the city to read out Empress Dowager Guo's last edict."

Jiang Wei answered fluently.

"Yes, I arranged for him to go."

Zhong Hui nodded and said that he had kept this matter from Jiang Wei, who only found out when Shi Shouxin left the palace.

"Grand Commander, now that everything that needed to be done has been done, why not just kill all the generals imprisoned in the palace?"

Jiang Wei lowered his voice and suggested.

"This...I'm afraid it's not appropriate."

Zhong Hui shook his head, decisively rejecting Jiang Wei's suggestion. If all those Wei generals were killed, then regardless of success or failure, Shu would be under Jiang Wei's control.

What did Jiang Wei want to do? Obviously, he wanted to restore the Shu Kingdom and let Liu Shan take power again.

If that were the case, wouldn't Zhong Hui's efforts be all for nothing?
Therefore, not carrying out large-scale killings of Wei generals was Zhong Hui's bottom line, and it was unshakeable!

"Don't give those people food or water; let them be thirsty and hungry first."

Zhong Hui looked disgusted and said fiercely.

Jiang Wei had no reply and could only accept the order and leave.

His plan was for former Shu troops to attack the palace gates from outside!
Then, the former Shu troops inside the palace coordinated with those outside to kill Zhong Hui and all the Wei generals, scattering the Wei troops surrounding the palace. Finally, taking advantage of the great victory, they attacked the Wei army camp outside the city.

Although the Wei army was numerous, it lacked a commander to lead it, and coupled with their strategic mindset but lack of awareness, it was difficult for them to turn the tide.

Bandits are lurking everywhere, wreaking havoc in Sichuan. What should we do?
The only option is to kill!

Jiang Wei now has a long sword in his heart, and he wishes he could kill all the Wei army's lackeys!
As a result, Jiang Wei did not see any of the former Shu troops outside the palace, not even one. With only those people inside the palace, surrounded by Qiu Jian's troops and the Wei army outside the palace, the uprising was unlikely to succeed.

It really was just one step away!

He felt incredibly bitter inside, feeling powerless against overwhelming odds, and even though he had strength, he didn't know how to use it!

Jiang Wei arrived at the palace wall at the main gate and saw Zhang Yi on duty, so he went up to him and asked, "Is there really no movement at all?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yi turned his head, a bitter smile on his face.

He nodded and said, "That's right, not a single person has come. I don't know if they're scared, or... if something happened along the way. Others may not come, but General Liao Hua will definitely come, but I just haven't seen any movement from the city gate."

From the corner tower of the Chengdu Imperial Palace city wall, one could see the movements on the distant city wall. However, Zhang Yi strained his eyes to see, but all he saw in the distance was as usual.

How could one not be extremely anxious!

"Are you scared?"

Jiang Wei sighed and asked.

Zhang Yi shook his head and said, "I'm afraid we can't kill all the scoundrels in the world."

Jiang Wei leaned closer and whispered to Zhang Yi, "If the Wei army attacks the palace, immediately take your men to the place where the Wei generals are being held, and then..."

He made a gesture of wiping his neck.

"That's perfect. Even if I die, I'll take someone down with me!"

Zhang Yi nodded, not rejecting the suggestion. Of course, this was a last resort and shouldn't be used lightly.

……

At the Wei army camp on the northern outskirts of Chengdu, Hu Yuan saw Shi Shouxin approaching with a young man and a dozen or so personal guards. He then led his men forward to make contact.

"Commander Shi, what brings you here? Where is my father?"

Hu Yuan asked in confusion.

"This is Zhong Yong, the son of the Grand Commander, who has come to the military camp to deliver military orders."

Shi Shouxin said without changing his expression.

"Oh, I see. Then please read out the military order."

Hu Yuan was somewhat puzzled and could only nod slightly.

Zhong Yong was somewhat frightened, but he finally mustered up his courage and unfolded the silk scroll that read "Empress Dowager Guo's Last Edict". Just as he was about to speak, he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen!

A sword had already pierced through his abdomen!

As the sword was drawn, Zhong Yong fell into a pool of blood! Just as Zhong Yong was about to read the incantation, Shi Shouxin suddenly attacked and killed him.

"What are you all standing there for? Zhong Hui is conspiring with Jiang Wei to rebel, and he's going to kill you all!"
Are we just waiting to be killed if we don't take action now?

Shi Shouxin shouted at Hu Yuan in a fierce and stern voice.

The latter was momentarily stunned, then drew his sword and charged towards the guards behind Zhong Yong who were already terrified and at a loss!

Soon, Hu Yuan and his men cut down more than ten of Zhong Hui's personal guards.

Hu Yuan looked at Shi Shouxin with a horrified expression and asked, "Uncle Yi, what exactly happened?"

“Zhong Hui has detained your father and all the generals who attended the banquet. He conspired with Jiang Wei to kill us all and become emperor in Shu!”

Now gather your troops and we will rush to the Chengdu Palace to rescue your father.

Any later, and they might have died at Zhong Hui's hands.

Shi Shouxin, panting heavily, explained that the shock of killing someone with his own hands had made it difficult for him to calm down quickly.

"Uncle Yi, let's go now!"

Hu Yuan shouted, and then ordered his messengers to beat the drums and muster the troops!
Looking at Zhong Yong lying on the ground, Shi Shouxin muttered to himself, "The story of Lord Chunshen in ancient times serves as a stark warning. Hesitation only leads to trouble; it's easier said than done."

He crouched down and ran his large hand over Zhong Yong's wide-open eyes, causing the corpse on the ground to close its eyes.

“I cannot gain people’s trust if I don’t kill you. It’s not that I, Shi, am fond of killing people.”

Blame your biological father for giving you up for adoption to Zhong Hui.

Shi Shouxin sighed, stood up, and saw flocks of crows perched on the treetops in the distance, with a gloomy cloud hanging over the horizon.

(End of this chapter)