Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 156 Intertwined Fates

Chapter 156 Intertwined Fates (End of this volume)
On the Lantern Festival, a somber mood hung over Chengdu. No household dared to decorate with lanterns or decorations, for fear of attracting the attention of Shi Shouxin and his troops.

After all, being decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations means that life is good, and living well means that the family has surplus wealth.

If a family has surplus wealth, then naturally those who understand will know. No matter the circumstances, keeping wealth hidden is always a wise principle.

However, these people from Sichuan really overthink things and worry unnecessarily.

Shi Shouxin is too busy to send people to plunder the area around Chengdu, because... Yang Hu has already brought his troops to Chengdu!
As a landmark appointment marking the transition from "military control" to "civilian control," Yang Hu's arrival signified the official end of the war to conquer Shu.

When Yang Hu arrived, he became the highest-ranking administrative official in the Chengdu region. Unless someone was deliberately trying to embarrass them, any act of plundering the local area would require Yang Hu's approval.

Shi Shouxin, of course, would not embarrass Yang Hu. On the Lantern Festival, the two were having hot pot in the military camp. Now, Shi Shouxin had moved out of Fei's residence in Chengdu and was living in a separate military camp outside the city, preparing to set off for Jiange.

Ostensibly, it was to relieve Yang Hu's troops, but after arriving at Jiange, other troops would come to relieve him again before heading to Chang'an and finally to Luoyang.

Yang Hu brought new news: Sima Zhao had returned to Luoyang and was preparing to ascend the throne there. Furthermore, Shi Bao had also been transferred back to Luoyang from Ye City to prepare for the "founding ceremony."

Everything was proceeding in an orderly manner, and everything was for the purpose of changing dynasties.

Sima Zhao's burning passion and anticipation could not be cooled even if thrown into the sea!

"Yang Xiu told me about this campaign against Shu, but I never expected so many things to happen after he left."

Yang Hu sighed and picked up a piece of meat from the pot, putting it in his mouth and chewing.

Before this campaign against Shu, although many people anticipated that Zhong Hui might cause trouble, no one expected that he could still create so many problems during the entire campaign without any strong resistance from the Shu Kingdom.

It's truly a case of one person finishing their act only to be replaced by another. Back then, Sima Zhao appointed one person with the imperial insignia and two people with false imperial insignia, but all three of them suddenly became incapacitated at the moment Zhong Hui was killed!
If Shi Shouxin were to kill Wei Guan and then hand him over to Zhong Hui, it would be an unimaginable scene.

"The Shu region will not be stable for many years. The wealthy families in Shu who feel they have been wronged will eventually cause trouble."

Shi Shouxin poured Yang Hu a glass of wine and said calmly, as if he didn't care much.

"how do I say this?"

Yang Hu asked in a deep voice. He had been appointed Governor of Yizhou, Commander-in-Chief of all military affairs in Yizhou, and in charge of important military and political affairs in Shu. As for Shi Shouxin, it didn't matter how much trouble the powerful families in Shu would cause in the future, since he wouldn't be here anymore anyway.

But Yang Hu couldn't afford to take it lightly!
At that time, he was most likely still in Chengdu overseeing the overall situation!

“Uncle, this time I personally handled the looting of the wealthy families in Shu. Do you think I don’t know how much money we made?”

Although the money didn't end up in my hands, I still have a record of exactly how much it was!
Today we are exploiting them to the bone, but in two years, once the powerful families in Sichuan have recovered a little, they will launch a counterattack at the slightest sign of trouble.

There was a reason why Zhuge Liang used harsh punishments when he entered Shu.

Shi Shouxin slowly explained, and his reasoning was very straightforward: If we can make money so easily today, then don't blame the victims for retaliating later.

Yang Hu frowned slightly but remained silent.

Seeing this, Shi Shouxin continued, "However, the wealthy families in Sichuan are no good either. They prey on the common people every day. Otherwise, where did their vast wealth and extensive land come from? Did they weave cloth at home every day?"

“I dare to take the risk. What do you think we should do to ease the situation? We used tyranny to conquer Shu back then. Now that the army is returning to Luoyang, we should ease the situation in Shu.”

Yang Hu expressed his opinion.

"The wealthy families in Sichuan have only lost some disposable income this time; their land remains, and their foundation is still intact."

If the goal is to restore the prosperity of the powerful families in Sichuan without expanding their influence, the only solution is to divide their land in two, keeping half for themselves and distributing the other half to tenant farmers, thus registering them as commoners.

We can't spoil them.

Anyway, I've already shown them what I'm capable of with a knife, so my uncle can send someone over to discuss the division of the land.

If things settle down in a few years, it will be harder to bring this up.

Shi Shouxin gave Yang Hu a suggestion: take half of the land owned by wealthy families in Shu and distribute it equally among them. The reason for not taking more was that too much of a good thing could be bad; if the cut was too drastic, it would force the wealthy families in Shu to rebel.

"How about establishing military farms west of Fucheng?"

Yang Hu inquired.

That place was Deyang City, Shi Shouxin's previous life. It was a good place, but it wasn't located at the foot of Chengdu.

Shi Shouxin nodded slightly and said, "That would be very good. However, Sichuan is exhausted, and many people have died in the war. There is plenty of land, but not enough people. It would be better to relocate people from Nanzhong and Hanzhong to Sichuan to cultivate the land."

Yang Hu glanced at him with some surprise, but in the end he didn't say anything, just nodded slightly and said, "You've really improved so much this time, I almost don't recognize you."

"Even Lu Meng of Wu had the saying that one should look at a scholar with new eyes after three days of separation, let alone me?"

Shi Shouxin laughed heartily, raised his wine glass, and clinked glasses with Yang Hu.

His knowledge far surpasses that of the "initial version" of Wu Xia Ameng.

The two continued chatting, and when they had drunk enough wine, Yang Hu took out a bamboo tube from his pocket and handed it to Shi Shouxin.

"The Prince of Jin knows that you and I have a good relationship, so he sent me to deliver this letter. Consider it a reply to your insistence on escorting Deng Ai back to Luoyang last time."

Yang Hu certainly knew what was written in the letter, but he didn't say it directly. As the saying goes, everyone has their own ambitions, and he couldn't make the choice for Shi Shouxin.

Sure enough, Shi Shouxin removed the sealing wax from the bamboo tube, took out the paper inside, and read it quickly. His expression changed slightly.

Sima Zhao wrote in his letter: "Since Deng Ai's matter is still unclear, and you, being a nominal official, cannot punish him, then send him back to Luoyang for investigation by the Court of Justice. Furthermore, I have heard that Shi Zuan was assassinated in the dead of night by his personal guards for treating soldiers roughly. You are in charge of military law; is this true?"
Eh?
Shi Shouxin was taken aback, not expecting Sima Zhao to ask this.

Sima Zhao said that Shi Zuan was dead, but... Shi Zuan is still alive!

Shi Shouxin handed the letter to Yang Hu to read. After reading it, Yang Hu shook his head and sighed:
"Shi Zuan was once the chief clerk of the General's Office and was sent by the Prince of Jin to serve Deng Ai. However, he neither stopped Deng Ai from crossing Yinping by force nor stopped Zhong Hui from plotting a rebellion. As a trusted confidant from the General's Office, he failed to accomplish anything the Prince of Jin wanted to do."

Those great achievements you made were originally Shi Zuan's responsibility. Therefore, the King of Jin suspected Shi Zuan might have ulterior motives, hence his question.

Yang Hu nodded nonchalantly, as if he had long expected that Shi Zuan was a dead man in the futures market.

To put it bluntly, Shi Zuan was a thorn in Sima Zhao's side during the campaign against Shu, but he was incompetent and failed to restrain Deng Ai and Zhong Hui's reckless actions.

Shi Zuan, who came from a poor family, was surprisingly passive and incompetent in his work, which contrasted sharply with Shi Shouxin, who turned the tide and acted with great composure.

With such a "gem" as Shi Shouxin already existing, Shi Zuan, who is neither loyal nor capable, becomes an eyesore.

In Sima Zhao's eyes, those who are trash without noble birth and who try to get into officialdom are not worthy of living.

“The King of Jin probably hoped that Gan Dang would kill Shi Zuan on the way back, so that after he returned to Luoyang, he would be unwilling to be rewarded by the King of Jin, and unwilling to be rewarded at all.”

Yang Hu explained to Shi Shouxin.

As expected, in the cruel chaos of war, a war settlement would be made after each war ended.

There are winners and losers. With a demanding boss who relentlessly pursues performance reviews, being a trusted confidant while slacking off is sometimes an extremely risky endeavor.

Shi Zuan failed to accomplish his mission for Sima Zhao, but the conquest of Shu was, overall, the objective was achieved. Therefore, when Shi Zuan returned to Luoyang, Sima Zhao didn't even want to look at him again, yet he had no choice but to reluctantly "reward those who had contributed." Sima Zhao clearly wanted to kill a few people to establish his authority for the change of dynasty, and Shi Zuan was one of those he wanted to eliminate.

Shi Shouxin remained silent, knowing that Sima Zhao wanted him to pledge his loyalty. Killing Shi Zuan would prove his "loyalty" to Sima Zhao, making him one of his own.

Seeing that Shi Shouxin remained silent and seemed reluctant to take action, Yang Hu stood up, walked out of the military tent, gave some instructions to his personal guards, and then went back into the tent to drink.

Before long, Shi Zuan arrived at the military tent with a fawning expression, coming to pay his respects to Yang Hu. Upon meeting him, he bowed deeply and his face was full of smiles. As for Shi Shouxin, he merely gave him a polite greeting.

"General Shi, you have made many outstanding contributions in this campaign to conquer Shu. I, Yang, would like to offer you a toast."

Yang Hu poured wine for Shi Zuan, a friendly smile appearing on his face.

"You're too kind, Mr. Yang."

Shi Zuan hurriedly poured wine for Yang Hu, his attitude very humble.

"Duke Jin intends to have General Shi guard the Shu region. I estimate that I won't be able to stay in Shu for long. In a year or two, the position of Governor of Yizhou will still belong to General Shi."

Yang Hu smiled and offered a toast to Shi Zuan.

"This humble general has no such ability. Lord Yang is too kind."

Shi Zuan's smile remained unchanged as he drank the wine and poured more for Yang Hu.

The two engaged in a back-and-forth of business flattery, leaving Shi Shouxin, who was standing to the side, completely unable to get a word in edgewise and so embarrassed that he kept scratching his toes.

They drank back and forth like this for half an hour, and Shi Zuan's face turned red. Because he drank too fast and was hungry, he was slurring his words.

However, just as Shi Zuan was squinting and feeling a bit drunk, Yang Hu suddenly drew the sword from his side and thrust it into Shi Zuan's throat!

puff!
That was the sound of a weapon piercing flesh!
In the blink of an eye, Shi Zuan was stabbed before he could even react!
Yang Hu drew his sword, and Shi Zuan's face was still frozen in disbelief and astonishment. His eyes widened, and he fell straight down, blood gushing from the hole in his throat.

He raised his finger and pointed at Yang Hu, then let it fall limply down. His body trembled involuntarily a few times before he died.

"Shi Zuan is arrogant. After a few drinks, he became disdainful of everyone and even insulted me. He even tried to kill me with his sword."

Left with no other choice, I drew my sword in self-defense, but inadvertently killed him. How tragic and lamentable!

Yang Hu wiped the blood off the sword on Shi Zuan's corpse, then sheathed the sword and bowed deeply to Shi Zuan.

"You always say that hesitation leads to trouble. Participating in the conquest of Shu is like risking your life. It's not worth it for someone like me to give up such a promising future."

I know you're reluctant to do it, but I'll do it for you. However, the officialdom is treacherous, and the Sima family isn't exactly known for bestowing favors. In the future, you mustn't be so soft-hearted when faced with problems.”

Yang Hu patted Shi Shouxin on the shoulder and said.

"I see."

Shi Shouxin nodded and said, "Great kindness needs no words of thanks. We can repay such kindness in the future. There's no need to keep talking about it."

Seeing that Shi Shouxin didn't dwell on the minor details, Yang Hu laughed and said, "You're the one who killed him, I just lent you a hand. Today you invited Shi Zuan to drink, but Shi Zuan is arrogant and, after drinking too much, tried to kill someone, but you killed him instead. I'll be your witness."

You're the one who has to take the blame, otherwise it won't be a good look.

Yang Hu made himself perfectly clear, and only you and I know what really happened. In the eyes of outsiders, Shi Zuan was killed by you while you were drunk.

Such things were extremely common during the Three Kingdoms period, or at any time.

When two drunk people go from arguing to fighting, and then to killing each other with knives, what right or wrong is there to speak of?

"Since Shi Zuan is dead, then his death is not a pity."

Shi Shouxin gave Shi Zuan his final assessment, providing him with an evaluation.

……

Just after the Lantern Festival, Shi Shouxin led his thousands of followers eastward and then northward, leaving Chengdu for Jiange.

Accompanying him were Deng Ai, who was sitting in a prison cart, Liu Shan, who was sitting in a carriage, Xi Zheng and Zhang Tong, who were with Liu Shan, as well as Liu Shan's children and wives and concubines.

Sitting in the prison cart, Deng Ai was like a caged beast, his head drooping, utterly devoid of energy. If he hadn't occasionally adjusted his posture, anyone would have thought he was dead.

The army marched slowly, covering about ten li a day, but in Deng Ai's view, this pace was still too fast. No matter how slow walking was, they would eventually reach Luoyang.

When the army arrived in Luoyang, Deng Ai's head was about to roll.

"Someone come here, it's still a bit cold, bring General Deng an extra blanket."

Seeing Deng Ai shivering in the prison cart, Shi Shouxin, who was riding on horseback, ordered his personal guards to hand him a blanket.

Deng Ai opened his eyes and looked at Shi Shouxin, asking in a hoarse voice, "I heard the soldiers guarding me say that you drank too much, got into an argument with Shi Zuan, and accidentally killed him. Is that true?"

"If everyone says it exists, then it certainly does."

Shi Shouxin said with an indifferent expression.

The person is already dead, the body has already been buried, and the tombstone has already been erected. Now, whatever outsiders say is acceptable.

"Hehe, I don't believe it."

Deng Ai snorted coldly.

"Sima Zhao cannot tolerate Shi Zuan, so he asked you to kill him. Sima Zhao also cannot tolerate me, and he will kill me when we reach Luoyang."

Deng Ai sighed deeply, his tone filled with a mixture of desolation and regret.

"You see things so clearly now, how come you were so confused back then?"

Shi Shouxin looked puzzled and asked in return.

"Hmph, all I want is to be remembered in history. So what if I die?"

Deng Ai answered with great conviction.

"Your bodies and names will perish, but the rivers will flow on forever."