Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 152 Will the instigator have no descendants?

Inside the imperial palace in Chengdu, Liu Shan sat upright at a table, while faint sounds of commotion could be heard from outside the door.

Cries, shouts, and curses mingled together, along with the sound of approaching footsteps.

He vaguely guessed what was going on, but Liu Shan had already given up on treatment and couldn't say a word. He only felt bitter inside, a sense of frustration at being unable to use his strength.

What can be said now? Regardless of who wins or loses, he's just a spectator.

Just then, the bedroom door was pushed open, and Shi Shouxin walked in with several personal guards.

"Commander Shi, what's happening outside?"

Liu Shan pretended to be confused but asked, appearing relatively calm, since Shi Shouxin wouldn't actually draw his sword and try to kill him.

If someone else had entered, Liu Shan wouldn't have had this expression.

"Jiang Wei conspired with Zhong Hui to rebel, and both of them have been executed. That's the story."

Shi Shouxin spoke calmly, as if it were a trivial matter. Behind him, however, screams continued to echo—the desperate cries of Jiang Wei's former Shu troops as they struggled and were slaughtered!
Liu Shan's face turned pale. Seeing Shi Shouxin looking at him meaningfully, he cursed, "I knew Jiang Wei was no good back then, but I never expected him to rebel today."

"In that case, isn't it a bit too late to say this now? Jiang Wei was shouting that he wanted to be loyal to the Han Dynasty before he died."

Shi Shouxin asked with a half-smile.

Liu Shan quickly stepped forward, took his hand, and said, "Supervisor Shi, you must put in a good word for me with the Duke of Jin in the future. I beg you, I beg you."

"What Duke of Jin?"

Shi Shouxin reprimanded him in a low voice.

Liu Shan's face turned ashen, but the other party emphasized, "I am now the Prince of Jin!"

Huh? Is it that fast?

Liu Shan was taken aback, inwardly marveling at Sima Zhao's eagerness to seize power. The army that had invaded Shu hadn't even returned yet, and Sima Zhao had already bestowed upon him the title of Prince of Jin!
"That's enough. Today, the Wei army will withdraw from the palace completely, leaving only a detachment to guard the Taiji Hall and the palace walls. They will not enter the inner palace again."

"Don't cause any more trouble. After the Lantern Festival, I will personally escort you to Luoyang."

Shi Shouxin sighed, and without waiting for Liu Shan's reply, he waved his hand at him and turned to leave.

After bidding farewell to Liu Shan, Shi Shouxin arrived at the Taiji Hall and saw that Hu Lie and other generals were waiting there. The hall was packed with hundreds of people, all of whom were talking to Wei Guan.

Humans have an innate instinct to stick together for warmth. Now that the situation has changed drastically, everyone present naturally wants to stick together and think about how to make the mutiny "legitimate and legal".

With Zhong Hui absent, a person who could publicly command respect among the more than 100,000 troops needed to be selected, and Wei Guan was the only suitable candidate.

After all, judging solely from the court's appointment, Wei Guan held the highest authority in the military, making him perfectly capable of shouldering the heavy responsibility.

Upon seeing Shi Shouxin arrive, Hu Lie, Li Fu, and the others hurriedly came forward, bowing and expressing their gratitude.

Li Fu said with a face full of gratitude, "Otherwise, if it weren't for Inspector Shi's instructions to guard the door tightly, we would have almost been killed by Zhong Hui at the last moment. I will never forget your life-saving grace!"

Everyone expressed their deepest gratitude to Shi Shouxin, which left Wei Guan, who was watching from the side, with mixed feelings.

On the surface, he held the highest official rank, being the one who carried the imperial insignia.

But in reality, the whole thing was orchestrated by someone else, and the favors were done by someone else. He was just a bystander and did nothing at all!
Of course, when the matter was reported to Sima Zhao, the official announcement was one thing, while the secret report behind the scenes was another.

At the very least, on the surface, Wei Guan has done a great service this time.

Anyway, let's leave it at that. We can't exactly hang up Zhong Hui's corpse and then whip him, can we?

Wei Guan sighed softly, somewhat regretting having Shi Shouxin deliver that letter in order to test him. If that incident hadn't happened, and with Shi Shouxin's secret help, he certainly wouldn't be in such a passive position now.

Some people are not the kind of people who can be easily manipulated by others. If someone is blind enough to try and control them without the corresponding ability, they shouldn't blame him for flipping the table.

Who could have imagined that Shi Shouxin would openly side with Zhong Hui at that time? Who would have had such courage, and who would have had the wisdom to jump ship later?
Wei Guan was lost in thought when he saw Shi Shouxin pull a letter from his sleeve, wave it in front of everyone, and say:
"Gentlemen, please see, the execution of the traitor Zhong Hui was all thanks to the strategic planning of the Imperial Guard. I, Shi, was merely the one who carried out the task."

With the letter from Duke Wei as proof, when you return to Luoyang, please don't make things up about how I, Shi, was clever and pretended to help the rebels to kill Zhong Hui. I was just a messenger.

Duke Wei was the one who took charge at the crucial moment!

With a humble expression, he handed the letter to Hu Lie and the others to read. After all the generals had read the letter, they gathered around Wei Guan and thanked him profusely.

Li Liang stood behind Shi Shouxin without saying a word, quietly watching this scene, feeling that he had not followed the wrong person.

Often, taking a step back is not a bad thing. If your foundation is not solid, don't force yourself to maintain a facade you can't support.

The real benefit comes from getting things done behind the scenes.

Wei Guan was no mediocre man either; he quickly issued three military orders in front of everyone:
Firstly, Shi Shouxin's troops took over the Chengdu Imperial Palace and stationed there, while the rest of the Wei army and their commanders returned to their camps outside the city and were not allowed to enter the city without orders.

Secondly, Wei Guan temporarily assumed the position of Grand Commander, and Shi Shouxin temporarily assumed the position of Military Commander; the two jointly managed the transmission of military orders.

Thirdly, the generals' merits and changes in military positions should be promptly sent to Chang'an for the Prince of Jin to decide. The army will gradually return to Luoyang after the Lantern Festival.

All previous personnel appointments in Shu are hereby nullified; all subsequent appointments will be made by the King of Jin. The troops and generals stationed in Shu will be subject to the King of Jin's arrangements; Wei Guan will only offer suggestions and will not provide guarantees.

Upon hearing this arrangement, Hu Lie and the others said nothing and left the Taiji Hall of the Imperial Palace. However, Wei Guan and Shi Shouxin did not leave, as there were still many follow-up matters to arrange.

The two arrived at a signing room in a side hall. After taking their seats, Wei Guan asked softly, "What are your plans for the former officials of Shu?"

He got straight to the point, without beating around the bush at all.

"After the Lantern Festival, I will lead my troops and Liu Shan to withdraw from Shu, head to Chang'an, and eventually return to Luoyang. I will be among the first troops to leave Shu."

Shi Shouxin spoke with a calm expression, as if he had already thought about this question.

Wei Guan nodded. It was clear that Shi Shouxin wasn't planning to claim any credit. Whoever left Shu the earliest would get the least share of Shu's benefits.

This is similar to the principle that if everyone eats at the same speed, the person who leaves the table earliest will eat the least.

"Many former officials of Shu participated in Jiang Wei's rebellion. How should these people be dealt with?"

Wei Guan asked again.

Shi Shouxin didn't speak, but dipped his finger in the wine and wrote a single word on the table: Kill!

"Alright, you decide who to kill and who not to kill. I won't interfere in this matter."

If it was merely coercion, then Wei would not object to paying money to atone for the crime.

Wei Guan nodded and said, "Consider it doing Shi Shouxin a favor."

Since the other party is so sensible and willing to help with shady work, it is only reasonable to give them complete control and the opportunity to make money.

"In the eyes of the people of Shu, I am nothing more than a bandit in military uniform. Countless people from Shu secretly curse me to die soon. On the contrary, the military supervisor Wei is low-key and his bad reputation is not obvious."

It would be better if the military supervisor played the good cop and spoke on behalf of the wealthy families in Sichuan, while Shi played the bad cop and did some practical things.

There are still more than ten days until the Lantern Festival. Shi should quickly finish his business and then leave Shu with Liu Shan.

As for the task of appeasing the wealthy families in Sichuan, I'll leave that to Military Supervisor Wei.

Shi Shouxin said with a smile.

“Very well, I agree.”

Wei Guan agreed. It's easy to get together with smart people; you just need to say the right thing, and those who understand will understand.

"Although this move to restore order and eliminate Zhong Hui was a reasonable and just action, it was ultimately a mutiny by the soldiers who disobeyed orders."

Please transfer the power of investigation to my department to maintain order in Chengdu and investigate those who commit crimes within the army.

Otherwise, there will be even greater chaos to come.

Of course, I'll handle minor matters myself, but major decisions must be made by the military supervisor.

Shi Shouxin said solemnly.

Upon hearing this, Wei Guan, who had been leisurely, immediately sat up straight.

"Are you saying that Hu Yuan's decision to lead troops out of the camp has already made some people smell the scent of meat, and that the instigator will have no descendants?"

Wei Guan muttered to himself, a thoughtful expression on his face.

It has to be said that, compared to the out-of-touch Zhong Hui, Shi Shouxin really understood what the soldiers in the military camp were thinking on a daily basis.

Killing Zhong Hui was Shi Shouxin's plan, but what happened afterward was not what he expected.

Having tasted the benefits of their mutiny, the soldiers who did so were naturally less afraid to stage another one. The act of eliminating Zhong Hui actually severely damaged the Wei army commander's control over his soldiers.

Of course, those people certainly wouldn't dare to attack the Chengdu Imperial Palace.

But would they dare to plunder the Shu region? Would they dare to kill everyone in a wealthy household, empty their storerooms, and then burn them down?
It must be said that this possibility not only exists, but is also very high, and may even be inevitable.

Wei Guan did not want to view the issue from the perspective of the powerful families in Shu, nor did he want to endorse them.

However, if it's about looting and killing, it should be Wei Guan who leads the men to rob and kill.

He gets to divide the spoils he steals, and he gets to establish his authority through murder!
What kind of trouble is it for a group of bandits in military uniforms to wreak havoc, loot, and kill in the local area? Wei Guan won't get a single penny of benefit from it!
Shi Shouxin's meaning is: I'll kill people, I'll steal things. I'll give you what I steal, and if there are any problems, you can come to me. Besides that, whoever sticks out their claws, I'll chop them off!
We must never allow anyone to exploit the idea that "the law doesn't punish everyone" to commit robbery in secret. They may reap the benefits, but they'll bear the infamy.

"Then so be it. Of course, if anything goes wrong, I will report it to the Prince of Jin in person and will not cover it up for you."

Wei Guan said solemnly.

Although he spoke with absolute certainty, he knew that Shi Shouxin wouldn't act recklessly. A reckless person couldn't possibly overthrow Zhong Hui.

Now that Shi Shouxin has proven his strength and ability, he is qualified to sit at the table and eat.

Giving him the power to create the "custom menu" now doesn't seem like a bad idea.

"In that case, thank you, Supervisor Wei."

Shi Shouxin bowed to Wei Guan, feeling much more at ease.
After all that running around, it's time to sit down and eat!

The two left the palace; Wei Guan went to the military camp outside the city, while Shi Shouxin was surrounded by his own trusted men.

Meng Guan asked anxiously, "Commander Shi, what's the situation now?"

"Let's talk about it when we get back. This isn't the place to talk."

Shi Shouxin smiled and waved to everyone, suppressing the burning passion in his heart.

(End of this chapter)