Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 154 Scene and Dignity

Late at night, in front of the Guan family mansion in the northern suburbs of Chengdu, Shi Shouxin's troops were confronting Pang Hui's troops.

Because they were secretly dispatching troops for "private business," Pang Hui dared not make a big show of it, so he only brought two hundred men. Shi Shouxin, on the other hand, brought a full thousand men!

Thus, as soon as the two sides began to confront each other, Pang Hui's side had already fallen into a disadvantageous position.

Xi Zuo's force, composed of his clansmen and tenant farmers, was far more obedient than Pang Hui's men. At Shi Shouxin's command, these thousand men split into several groups, flanking and surrounding Pang Hui's forces.

Pang Hui had no choice but to order the formation to be made into a circular array, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Brothers, storm into the Guan family's mansion! Everything we steal is yours. I, Pang, will not take a single penny; my only goal is revenge!"

Pang Hui turned around and shouted to the soldiers behind him.

His troops instantly gained high morale, and the shield wall slowly advanced, like a spiky paramecium, crawling towards the front gate of the Guan family mansion.

Xi Zuo's troops, however, did not receive orders to charge and could only retreat slowly to maintain their line.

"I will count to three. If Pang Hui's troops do not lay down their weapons, they will be treated as Zhong Hui's accomplices and executed without mercy!"

Shi Shouxin shouted something towards Pang Hui.

The crowd that was pushing forward suddenly stopped. What did it mean to be an ally of Zhong Hui? Even if Pang Hui pretended to be confused, his subordinates would not.

"one!"

Shi Shouxin began to count, but Pang Hui shouted, "Don't listen to him! We're just going to kill the Guan family, it has nothing to do with Zhong Hui! Why should Shi Shouxin kill us?"

He shouted merrily, but his soldiers clearly didn't listen to him; their feet seemed to be welded to the ground, and they stood motionless.

To put it bluntly, Pang Hui is acting today to avenge himself, not to benefit his subordinates. Shi Shouxin has made it very clear: any further action would be treason! That would mean the death of his entire family!
Who would be foolish enough to listen to Pang Hui at this point?

"two!"

Shi Shouxin continued counting, and the soldiers behind Pang Hui began to look at each other in confusion, a stir breaking out, but they still did not put down their weapons.

At this moment, Pang Hui's face was deathly pale, and he was so angry that he was about to grind his teeth to dust!

"three!"

As soon as Shi Shouxin counted to three, Pang Hui's personal guards put down their swords and shields, stood still with their hands raised, to show that they had no intention of rebelling.

Seeing that some people had put down their weapons, the others also put down their weapons.

There were only two hundred of them, and they had left the camp without orders. They would be beaten with sticks anywhere they went to complain. Acting tough at this point was simply courting death.

"Listen carefully, Pang Hui left the camp without authorization to seek personal gain and disregard military law."

I, now acting as Military Commander with the authority of a general, hereby execute him! As for the others, their crimes will not be investigated.

"Guards! Seize Pang Hui!"

Shi Shouxin shouted towards Pang Hui, and Xi Zuo led several personal guards forward, punching and kicking Pang Hui until he was forced to kneel down in front of Shi Shouxin.

Pang Hui's personal guards quickly made way, pretending not to see what was happening, fearing that if they stood out at this moment, they would be implicated and punished by Shi Shouxin.

"cut!"

Shi Shouxin gave instructions to Xi Zuo.

"Stone Dog Thief, oh my god, today..."

Before Pang Hui could finish his curses, he was beheaded by a personal guard of Xi Zuo. Pang Hui's men were all pale with fright, their faces filled with terror, yet they couldn't utter a single word.

Pang Hui isn't their father, so what's the point of talking about this now!

"Send a team of men to escort them back to camp first. I will go to the main camp tomorrow to handle the aftermath."

Shi Shouxin gave instructions to Xi Zuo, pointing to Pang Hui's men.

"Yes, sir. I will carry it out immediately."

Xi Zuo bowed to Shi Shouxin and turned to leave. Soon, the two hundred Wei soldiers who had already been disarmed were taken away.

When they return to camp, they will inevitably receive a beating. Not only that, but this incident will also be reported to the entire army tonight as a warning to others.

After the Wei army mutinied and killed Zhong Hui, military discipline was lax, and the authority of the generals was seriously challenged.

Pang Hui's appearance at this time is a perfect example to uphold military law, and I believe Wei Guan won't say anything about it.

Shi Shouxin did not urge them or enter the Guan family's house, but waited outside the door.

An hour later, Xi Zuo led his team back. By then, the gates of the Guan residence were wide open and filled with torches.

Xi Zuo was carrying a wooden box filled with white silk. He walked up to Shi Shouxin and asked, "Sir Shi, shall we begin the work now?"

"Take ten brothers inside together, and the rest can wait outside."

Shi Shouxin waved his hand listlessly and shook his head in disappointment. He looked at the headless corpse lying on the ground, Pang Hui's bloodless face, his eyes wide open.

They were too lazy to even call someone to collect the body.

"Pang Hui, Pang Hui, isn't it good to be alive? Why do you have to be so determined to die?"

If you try to break free, don't blame me for being ruthless.

Shi Shouxin muttered something to himself, then led Xi Zuo and the others into the Guan family mansion.

In the front yard, all the members of the Guan family, men, women, and children, were gathered, each with a look of fear on their face.

"Who is Guan Yi? Come out and speak!"

Shi Shouxin looked at the group of Guan family members in front of him and asked.

"I am Guan Yi. May I ask who you are?"

A middle-aged man who looked to be around thirty years old stepped forward, bowed to Shi Shouxin, and asked him a question.

"I am Shi Shouxin, temporarily serving as the military commander of the Wei army."

"You were involved in the Zhong Hui and Jiang Wei rebellion, and that has already been exposed. What do you think is the reason I'm here tonight?"

Shi Shouxin looked at Guan Yi and asked, his gaze sharp as the torchlight illuminated him.

Guan Yi remained silent, while his family members behind him wept bitterly.

"It's all fate; the victor is king, the loser is villain."

Guan Yi sighed but didn't utter a curse.

Shi Shouxin said to Xi Zuo beside him, "Give them the white silk to end their own lives."

Xi Zuo handed the wooden box in his hand to Guan Yi.

After Guan Yi took the wooden box, Shi Shouxin looked at him and said, "This is the last bit of dignity I'm giving you. Tomorrow, outsiders will know that the Guan family died for their country, to show the integrity of our ancestors."

Upon hearing this, Guan Yi nodded, his face showing gratitude.

"I will raise the youngest child."

Shi Shouxin added another sentence, and Guan Yi and the Guan family members behind him immediately looked at him with disbelief.

There was gratitude, confusion, and relief.

"Light the incense sticks for the severed head, and wait for them to go out before we come in to collect the body."

Shi Shouxin said indifferently to Xi Zuo, then pointed to a woman behind Guan Yi whose face resembled Liu Yue by about 80 percent, and said, "When you come out with the child later, I will send someone to take you to the palace! Of course, you can also choose to be buried alive with him."

After saying that, Xi Zuo took a stick of incense, lit it, and then stuck it in the gap of the Guan family's gate.

Shi Shouxin then led his men out of the courtyard and waited outside the gate.

He thought to himself: In the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the Guan family must have a lot to say about life and death, so there's no need to disturb them there.

This incense stick seems to burn very slowly; you can't even tell it's getting shorter if you stare at it. But it actually burns very quickly. If you turn your head away and look at it again later, it has already shortened considerably.

"Sir Shi, have the Guan family ever done you any favors?"

At the gate, Xi Zuo leaned close to Shi Shouxin's ear and whispered a question.

"We have no relationship."

Shi Shouxin spoke calmly, revealing no emotion.

"If that's the case, why not just kill this person? Why make such a fuss?"

Everyone's going to die eventually, and once someone's dead, where can you even see them?

"Doing this and that for these dead people, isn't that just throwing a tantrum at the blind?"

Xi Zuo asked, somewhat puzzled.

“We didn’t kill anyone. It was the Guan family who sacrificed themselves for their country. Don’t talk nonsense,” Shi Shouxin emphasized.

"Is there a difference?"

Xi Zuo asked awkwardly.

He still didn't understand what the difference was.

Are you saying they committed suicide, or that they weren't forced to their deaths by you? If our troops hadn't come, would they have committed suicide?

Xi Zuo always thought that Shi Shouxin's actions were unnecessary, or rather, pretentious.

Of course, it didn't matter to Xi Zuo, since he was just following orders anyway. He would do whatever Shi Shouxin said without having to think about anything else.

There are three kinds of noodles that are hardest to eat in the world: face of people, face of feelings, and face of situations.

Let the Guan family commit suicide instead of us slaughtering them; that's what it means to be humane, or to have dignity.

Kill Pang Hui to prevent them from settling personal scores and to uphold military discipline—that's the proper way to conduct ourselves.

As for what constitutes "face" or "respect," you can figure that out for yourself; there's no point in saying more.

Shi Shouxin waved his hand gently.

So it's the "Three-Sided Technique"! Xi Zuo nodded thoughtfully, a sense of awe and admiration welling up in his heart.

Before they finished talking, the incense had burned out.

Shi Shouxin looked at the burnt-out incense stick, sighed, and called out to Xi Zuo, entrusting him with important matters.

"I can't stand seeing tragedy, and I'm afraid I'll have nightmares at night."

You take some people in to collect the bodies of the Guan family; I won't go.

Liu Shan's second daughter, the woman I just pointed to, after you've dealt with the bodies of the Guan family, take her to the Chengdu palace to find Liu Shan.

She should be with a baby, Guan Yi's youngest son. I just saw him, but just pretend you didn't see the child.

I will send others to handle the Guan family's assets; you are not to touch them. Be discreet in your dealings; we're not short of money.

I'll take the main group back first. Come back as soon as you're done, so as not to cause any further trouble.

After saying that, Shi Shouxin turned and left without waiting for Xizuo's reply.

Soon, the main force had all left, leaving only a few dozen personal guards standing beside Xi Zuo, looking completely helpless.

"What are you all standing there for? Go into the yard and collect the body!"

Do you really want to stay here in the cold wind all night?

Xi Zuo shouted at his personal guards, but a series of questions welled up in his mind.

……

The entire Guan family committed suicide, effectively being wiped out. This news spread rapidly, sending shivers down the spines of many former officials of the Shu Kingdom.

However, Shi Shouxin didn't care what others thought about this matter. The next day, he went to the Wei army camp, met Wei Guan, and told him the truth about Pang Hui's matter, explaining the cause and effect in detail.

Xi Zuo has already sent Pang Hui's body back, but the two hundred soldiers who disobeyed orders and acted without authorization have not yet been dealt with, and the news has not yet spread.

Upon learning of this, Wei Guan quickly issued two military orders.

The first military order was that the four large camps around the four gates of Chengdu were no longer necessary, and all troops should be combined and encamped in the eastern suburbs of Chengdu. Except for Shi Shouxin's troops who were responsible for military surveillance within Chengdu, all military officers and soldiers were to leave Chengdu and were not allowed to reside within the city.

The second military order is for all officers of the rank of Yamen General and Cavalry Captain to immediately come to the central command tent for a meeting!
Dismantling the camps and relocating the army takes time, but generals can attend meetings at any time. The afternoon after Pang Hui's execution, the army's generals gathered in the command tent for a meeting, but none of them looked pleased.

Because Pang Hui's head was hanging on the pole in front of the commander's tent, and it looked extremely ferocious and terrifying!
Everyone's eyes are sharp; with this kind of situation, how could anything good happen?
Think about it and you know it’s impossible!

Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, Wei Guan clapped his hands and shouted, "Is everyone here? Then let's begin the military council."

After he finished speaking, the central command tent fell silent instantly.

Even just looking at the human head hanging at the door, one has to give Wei Guan enough face.

"Military Commander, you speak."

Wei Guan instructed Shi Shouxin, "As the acting Grand Commander, there's no reason for him to be at the forefront giving speeches. He only needs to say the most crucial few words."

Sitting next to him, Shi Shouxin stood up and said, "Generals, last night Pang Hui left the camp without producing any military orders. Now I would like to ask, whose orders did he receive?"

Shi Shouxin looked around at his generals, but no one stepped forward to speak.

In fact, Li Fu knew about this matter. Pang Hui had told him before he left, but he didn't say that he was going to wipe out the entire Guan family. He only said that he wanted to go and make some money.

But at this moment, he pretended to know nothing, and when Shi Shouxin asked him questions, he showed a confused look.

"Then it seems there aren't any."

Without orders, he sneaked out of the camp with his men in the dead of night, solely to settle a personal grudge.

Generals, I would like to ask, according to military law, should Pang Hui be executed?

Shi Shouxin continued to ask.

Hu Lie shouted from below, "Commander Shi, what's the point of keeping this kind of person alive if we don't kill him? If everyone is only thinking about revenge and making money, there's no point in fighting this war!"

With him taking the lead, a large number of people immediately followed suit.

Anyway, it's none of my business, so I'll just mind my own business. Besides, Pang Hui is already dead.

This kind of person, caught red-handed doing shady work to make money, deserves to die. Why should anyone else speak up for him?

Why didn't Pang remember them when he was making money?
"Since everyone agrees that Pang Hui should be killed, I suggest that he beheaded in the three armies on the grounds of causing chaos in the army, so as to rectify military discipline."

The two hundred soldiers who were coerced into joining last night will each receive fifty lashes as a minor punishment to serve as a warning.

Let's leave this matter here. What do you all think?

What else can be done after the people have been killed?
Everyone present, including Li Fu, agreed.

But I was secretly on edge.

Fortunately, Pang was there to scout ahead. These men had actually secretly considered taking their own men out to rob, since there was no fear of being punished for being in a group!
In retrospect, I should thank Pang Hui!
Seeing that the time was almost right, Wei Guan, who was standing next to Shi Shouxin, spoke up at this moment:

"Pang Hui's crimes are unforgivable, and he deserves to die. He brought about his own destruction, which goes without saying."

But the right thing to do is to ensure that similar things don't happen in the first place!
After the Lantern Festival, the various armies were to depart from Shu in succession according to military orders, and then return to Guanzhong.

Anyone who violates military discipline again will suffer the same fate as Pang Hui.

Wei will not be tolerated!

Wei Guan said solemnly, "Shi Shouxin killed Pang Hui last night, and today we will immediately hold a meeting to rectify military discipline. No one will mention his 'acting first and reporting later' anymore."

I must say, that was a brilliant move; the combination of punches was executed flawlessly.

Pang Hui died in vain; his coffin lid is nailed shut! There will never be a chance to overturn the verdict.

If you have to blame someone, blame yourself for not being skilled enough.

Wei Guan thought to himself, but he didn't feel sorry for Pang Hui at all.

He then announced the list of those to be rewarded and the approximate route of the army's return, before adjourning the meeting. The generals left the command tent all beaming with joy, their minds filled with thoughts of rewarding their achievements.

As for the name Pang Hui, it no longer appears in their daily conversations.

After everyone had left, Wei Guan looked at Shi Shouxin and asked, "Regarding the Guan family, I heard that they committed suicide, is that right?"

"Yes, the Guan family committed suicide out of fear because they were involved in the defeat of Zhong Hui and Jiang Wei."

Let them die for their country; they have achieved their goal of benevolence.

Shi Shouxin explained.

"That's fine too, it saves us the trouble of doing it ourselves."

As Wei Guan spoke, he waved his hand slightly, clearly not taking the matter seriously.

“Those who committed suicide all died for their country. If those who remain do not pledge allegiance to the Great Wei and then mention the matter of restoring the country, the people of the world will look down on them.”

Do you think this makes sense, Commander Wei?

Shi Shouxin asked with a smile.

"Indeed."

Wei Guan nodded in agreement, looking at Shi Shouxin with a meaningful gaze.

(End of this chapter)