Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 37 The Daily Life of a Military Supervisor

Winter has arrived as scheduled, and the Guanzhong Plain is covered in a vast expanse of snow, a silver-white world.

Shi Shouxin and his thousand "military supervisors" were placed in a camp outside Chang'an City and were not allowed to enter the city.

Of course, this was Zhong Hui's way of giving them a warning, since he was the commander-in-chief this time.

Wei Guan was not one of Zhong Hui's "own people," so this Governor of Guanzhong was deliberately giving Wei Guan a hard time, letting those who were supervising Zhong Hui get used to things in advance.

In the dead of winter, watching others go into the city to eat hot pot and sing songs while you're stuck in the cold wind in the camp outside the city, you're bound to feel down.

Wei Guan was like this, and so was Shi Shouxin.

The north wind was howling outside the military tent that day, and Wei Guan and Shi Shouxin were warming themselves by the fire. The north wind would occasionally blow into the tent, bringing a chill, but there was no need to worry about carbon monoxide poisoning.

“Zhong Hui is arrogant and will send troops to attack Shu after spring warms up. I’m afraid the journey will not be so peaceful.”

Old coin Wei Guan cursed Zhong Hui.

However, Shi Shouxin did not respond, but objectively commented: "The Grand Commander has no foundation in Guanzhong, and may not even know all the generals in the army. He embarrassed the supervising officer to show the generals in the army. Since he cannot win people's hearts, making everyone fear is also a way to command the army."

After hearing this, Wei Guan glanced at him thoughtfully and did not respond.

Just then, a commotion broke out outside.

"The military supervisor, Right General Hu Lie, requests an audience."

A bodyguard came in and whispered in Wei Guan's ear.

"Let him in."

Wei Guan nodded slightly, his expression calm.

In fact, because of the war against Shu, Hu Lie had just been appointed as the Protector of the Army for the Expedition against Shu, a promotion of one rank from Right General, and served as Zhong Hui's deputy.

Wei Guan was the military commander of the General Who Guards the West, holding the imperial insignia of authority. Although he did not have command authority, he possessed absolute supervisory power. Theoretically, Zhong Hui needed Wei Guan's approval to deal with any general in the army.

Therefore, Wei Guan still had a psychological advantage when facing Hu Lie, and was not intimidated at all.

A short while later, Hu Lie entered the military tent and immediately saw Shi Shouxin, overjoyed.

However, with Wei Guan present, he dared not act rashly and quickly bowed to Wei Guan, saying, "Supervisor Wei, the vanguard is setting off today, clearing roads through mountains and building bridges over rivers. Please send a supervisor to accompany the vanguard, as is customary."

During the Three Kingdoms period, warfare was paramount. Even when the vanguard was leading the way, there had to be a supervising officer accompanying them. Otherwise, without telephones or the internet, the vanguard might have become cowardly or defected to the enemy, which would have ruined everything.

Therefore, Hu Lie's visit here was not to cause trouble for Wei Guan, but merely to perform routine duties. He was not one of Zhong Hui's confidants either!

"Did the Grand Commander order you to come?"

Wei Guan rolled his eyes, looking displeased.

The weather urged the vanguard to set out, and Zhong Hui's methods were not simple; he deliberately embarrassed his subordinates.

Not going? Heh, Zhong Hui is just looking to use someone's head to intimidate the army!
Why don't you give it a try!
"Supervisor Wei, please don't make things difficult for me. The military order is here; please take a look."

Hu Lie took out a silk scroll and handed it to Wei Guan. He was directly under the command of Zhong Hui, but was also controlled by Wei Guan, so he was caught in the middle.

"I dare to accept. You will take your 100 men and set off with the army. It's freezing cold, so bring plenty of blankets to keep warm."

Wei Guan calmly instructed that this was not workplace bullying, but it was clearly a case of letting subordinates take the lead when there were difficulties.

"Rest assured, Military Supervisor, I will depart immediately."

Shi Shouxin accepted the order with a smile, without any complaints. Hu Lie gave him a grateful look, and the two left the military tent together.

"Please rest assured, brother, I will definitely cooperate with you in the expedition. Please feel free to give me any instructions."

After leaving the military camp, Shi Shouxin winked at Hu Lie and said...

To everyone's surprise, Hu Lie gave a wry smile and shook his head, saying:

"If I were to go on this expedition with you, I would be very happy and wouldn't have to worry about anything. But this time I am the deputy general and must be by the Grand Commander's side at all times."

The vanguard commander this time is Xu Yi, a general of the Vanguard, and the eldest son of Xu Chu, a famous general of Wei. I was originally stationed in Jingzhou, and was only recently transferred to Guanzhong; I don't know him at all.”

"I see!" Shi Shouxin seemed to understand something.
The lower and middle-ranking officers in the Wei army are descendants of the generals who rose to power under Cao Cao. They don't care who controls the court, but their relationships with each other are very complex.

These people were not entirely of one mind with the Sima family's confidants, nor did they have much sympathy for the Cao family. To put it simply, they had the mentality of a wage earner who only earns 800 yuan a month.

Hu Lie's identity is quite clear: he is the son of Hu Zun, a powerful figure in the Northwest, from the An Ding Hu clan.

Hu Zun was a confidant of Sima Yi, so naturally he had no connection with Xu Chu's descendants and could not speak to them.

It's a maze of twists and turns, with all sorts of people and their own agendas, a total of eight hundred schemes!
“Brother, don’t worry about it. I will definitely give you face. No matter how much trouble Xu Yi causes, I will cooperate with him to get things done and won’t let you lose face.”

Shi Shouxin bowed to Hu Lie and said.

"Alright! Don't worry, my dear brother. I will protect you no matter what happens after you go to war. I will make sure you are not harmed by anyone."

Hu Lie made a solemn promise and immediately felt that Shi Shouxin was a very righteous person and got along very well with him.

Half an hour later, the team arrived at a military camp west of Chang'an. Shi Shouxin estimated that, judging from the number of tents, it should be a force of three thousand men, a common infantry formation in the Cao Wei army.

Typically, a team of this size would be assigned by the commander to defend strongholds, pave the way, flank and launch surprise attacks, conduct feint attacks, and perform routine tasks other than the final battle.

Shi Shouxin was unaware of this information before, but recently he has been reading military law every day, so he has naturally gained a more intuitive understanding of the military organization and the rules of warfare.

A short while later, a tall, thin general walked out of the camp gate. He lazily saluted Hu Lie and said, "General Hu, I am Xu Yi, the gatekeeper general. The entire army is ready to set off. May I ask where the supervising officer accompanying the army is?"

Xu Yi naturally saw Shi Shouxin, but he was particularly annoyed by the handsome and imposing young man in front of him, so he pretended not to see him.

"This is Shi Shouxin, courtesy name Gandang, my sworn brother. He will be traveling with you as the military supervisor. The hundred men behind him are the officers from our headquarters who will be involved in law enforcement."

Hu Lie deliberately mentioned it, and since Shi Shouxin was giving him face, he naturally couldn't leave without doing something in return.

Upon hearing Hu Lie's introduction, Xu Yi put away his contempt and stopped speaking sarcastically. He simply nodded slightly to Shi Shouxin and said, "Supervisor Shi, please enter the camp. I will tell you about the marching route. General Hu can go back and report now."

He didn't give Hu Lie a friendly look either.

In the military, soldiers address each other by their official titles; there's no such thing as a sworn brother! Even fathers and sons in the same army address each other by their rank.

Xu Yi secretly despised Hu Lie for his nepotism. Shi Shouxin sensed a stifling atmosphere of alienation and had no choice but to follow Xu Yi into the camp. His hundred-man supervisory corps also followed silently behind. The supervisory corps, under his own command, was clearly distinguishable from Xu Yi's men, from their uniforms to their caps.

Before the battle even began, the unspoken rules within the organization were already in effect, which worried Shi Shouxin. The fact that the two armies were facing off, and that Shi Shouxin was stronger than the enemy, could only guarantee Sima Zhao's success in conquering Shu, but it couldn't guarantee that Shi Shouxin himself wouldn't meet a violent end.

He had discussed the matter with Yang Huiyu many times before, and they both felt that the trip would not be smooth sailing.

After a hearty meal at the main camp, the 3,000-strong army immediately broke camp and marched westward. There was a granary supplying provisions for the army in Wugong County. According to Hu Lie, he himself would later lead the main force of the army along the Baoxie Road.

Xu Yi's route to clear the way was also via the Baoxie Road, which, to put it bluntly, meant him to be the vanguard of Hu Lie's army.

The other army took the Tangluo Road, led by General Li Fu. The two armies advanced separately and then joined forces in Hanzhong.

As fate would have it, Zhong Hui would not be traveling with Li Fu, but rather with Hu Lie along the Baoxie Road. The reason for this arrangement was quite simple: Li Fu had been a subordinate of Sima Yi and was a very senior figure in the army, so Zhong Hui could not easily command him.

Therefore, they could only target Hu Lie, a "second-generation scion" with less experience and poor communication skills. It's only natural to pick on the weak.

However, Shi Shouxin knew that compared to Wei Guan and Hu Lie, he and Xu Yi were "softer persimmons".

Before entering the mountains, the army had rations along the way and could eat as much as they wanted. However, after entering the mountains and taking the Baoxie Road, logistics became less smooth, and transportation was even more difficult in winter. It was estimated that they would only be able to eat dry rations along the way, and would inevitably suffer from hunger and cold.

This is also the reason for Xu Yi's great resentment. Or rather, it's because Zhong Hui is deliberately making things difficult for them.

Upon arriving outside Wugong County, Xu Yi ordered his men to set up camp outside the city and not to enter the county seat to rest. The magistrate of Wugong County sent someone to deliver hot dishes and meals; although there was no wine, there was meat, which was quite thoughtful.

Shi Shouxin observed all of this without saying or asking anything. After nightfall, he went to Xu Yi's military tent and chatted with the officer alone.

Xu Yi, already a middle-aged man, disliked Shi Shouxin, a "pretty boy" who had never wielded a sword, but out of respect for Hu Lie, he dismissed his personal guards and sat by the fire, calmly waiting to hear what Shi Shouxin had to say.

"General Xu, haven't you noticed anything amiss?"

Shi Shouxin asked in a deep voice, a question that stumped Xu Yi.

"What's wrong?"

Xu Yi dropped her nonchalant expression and asked a question in return, secretly on guard.

"The mountain roads between Guanzhong and Hanzhong are rugged, and the cold winter months are not a good time to set off. In any case, we should set off after the Spring Festival."

After the start of spring, the people of Shu will be busy working in the fields, making it difficult for them to organize troops to resist, which will be beneficial to us.

Although it is common to build roads through mountains and bridges over rivers, the severe cold weather makes it difficult to dig through frozen soil and the frozen water makes it impossible for boats to travel, making both mountain-opening and bridge-building quite inconvenient.

The Grand Commander couldn't possibly be unaware of these matters, therefore I, Shi, believe that this military order is quite unusual.

Shi Shouxin shared his conjecture, but of course, he couldn't directly accuse Zhong Hui of plotting something sinister.

"That makes sense. To be honest, it is indeed not quite normal."

Xu Yi nodded, no longer looking down on Shi Shouxin, and his hostility towards him lessened considerably.

"I have an idea in mind. Since the entrance to the Baoxie Road is Mei County, General Xu might as well stay in Mei County for three days after the army arrives and see if the Grand Commander will send someone to urge us to leave."

If someone is sent to urge him, General Xu will reply that the heavy snow has blocked the mountain passes and travel is inconvenient. Alternatively, the general can send someone to Chang'an in advance to inform the Grand Commander.

If the Grand Commander disagrees or sends someone to urge him again, General Xu can reluctantly agree.

If that's the case, it means Mr. Shi's guess was correct, and we'll talk about it then.

If no one comes to urge him, then it can only be said that I, Shi, have been judging others by my own petty standards. Afterwards, I should apologize to the Grand Commander (Zhong Hui) in person.

General Xu, do you think this method of punishment is acceptable?

Shi Shouxin offered his advice with a sincere expression.

After listening, Xu Yi pondered for a moment and nodded slightly without objection. This tactic was to deliberately stop at the entrance of Baoxie Road for a day or two to see how Zhong Hui would react.

He looked at Shi Shouxin and said, "If what you say is true, and the Grand Commander really sent someone to urge us, then I, Xu, should apologize to Supervisor Shi."

"Then let's rest for the night and continue our march to Mei County tomorrow."

Shi Shouxin bowed to Xu Yi and said.

Seemingly sensing the young man's sincerity, Xu Yi's attitude towards Shi Shouxin improved considerably. He forced a smile and said, "It's alright, it's alright. Take care, Supervisor Shi. This cold wind is biting; it would be troublesome if you caught a cold, as you can't even find a doctor in the wilderness."

“Young people have plenty of energy, so Mr. Shi won’t delay his trip.”

Shi Shouxin said with a smile, then turned and left Xu Yi's tent.

The next day, the army set off immediately, but the weather turned bad, and it started to snow heavily. Mei County was not far west of Wugong County. After a day's march, the troops arrived at the outskirts of the county town by evening.

Xu Yi ordered his troops to set up camp here and sent men into the county town to urge them to deliver military rations. The result was the same as in Wugong County: the county magistrate personally led men to deliver hot food, without any hesitation or ambiguity, and did it meticulously without any flaws.

Shi Shouxin stopped the county magistrate surnamed Li and asked, "Our army has received ample supplies in all the counties along the way. Are your preparations always this thorough?"

A force of three thousand men isn't a large number, but it's not small either. Since not every granary is located within the county seat, ensuring a sufficient supply for the army requires advance preparation. Even if grain is available, it needs to be transported by special personnel over short distances, which might not be timely.

The magistrate of Mei County laughed and said, "The Grand Commander has already made arrangements, how could we dare to be negligent? The granaries in all counties are already prepared, enough to feed not only three thousand people, but even three thousand more would be no problem."

Shi Shouxin thanked him profusely and was extremely respectful.

This county magistrate was a minor official, and he often suffered humiliation. Being respected by Shi Shouxin naturally put him in a great mood.

Taking the opportunity, Shi Shouxin inquired about many things concerning the Baoxie Road. What he heard immediately made him realize that something terrible was about to happen.

It turned out that the magistrate of Mei County told Shi Shouxin that the Baoxie Road was indeed the main route from Guanzhong to Hanzhong, but due to years of war, many parts of the mountain plank roads were damaged or collapsed, and some of them were even destroyed by people sent by the Shu army.

At this point, it seems inevitable that road construction and repairs to the plank roads will be necessary.

In terms of time, repairing the plank road is certainly feasible. However, while the death penalty may be avoided, punishment is inevitable. How can one repair a plank road in the dead of winter without enduring some hardship?
Shi Shouxin saw the magistrate of Mei County off with kind words, but did not tell Xu Yi what he had found out.

After the army set up camp outside Mei County, Xu Yi sent a messenger on horseback to Chang'an to inform Zhong Hui that the snow was too heavy and it was dangerous to go into the mountains. He said that once the snow stopped, the army would immediately go into the mountains to clear a path.

As expected, the personal guard sent to deliver the message was given twenty lashes by Zhong Hui's orders and was unable to walk, so he had to recuperate in Chang'an. Zhong Hui then sent his own personal guard to Mei County to convey the military order to Xu Yi: upon receiving the order, he must immediately enter the mountains without fail, or he would be punished according to military law.

The messenger dropped the order and left without offering any explanation to Xu Yi. Just as Shi Shouxin had predicted, an aura of conspiracy began to linger, and Xu Yi was now completely unsettled.

(End of this chapter)