Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 47 There must be a brave man under the heavy reward
March arrived in the blink of an eye.

Along the Baoxie Road, the construction of the plank road is in full swing.

On this day, under Shi Shouxin's watchful eye, the craftsmen installed hardware on four small pieces of wood, then spliced ​​the mortise and tenon pieces together, glued them with fish glue, and tied them with ropes to make a large beam.

"Shall we begin?"

Du Yu, standing to the side, asked with a face full of curiosity.

"Exactly, let's begin!"

Shi Shouxin ordered his personal guards to "apply glue," and they did it right in front of him.

A pungent and nauseating smell wafted over, and Du Yu and the others couldn't help but cover their mouths and noses. They saw the soldiers applying a thick, pale yellow "glue" to the surface of the assembled wooden beams, applying one layer and then another.

"This is Eucommia gum, which can be extracted from the leaves and bark of the Eucommia tree."

More than two years ago, I suggested that Sima Liang plant a large number of Eucommia trees in the mountains north of Chang'an, which belonged to his family.

I said at the time that this thing would be of great use in the future, and I hadn't originally intended to use it here. Now, it just so happens to be used by chance.

This thing is no ordinary product; waterproofing and moisture-proofing are just the beginning.

Shi Shouxin laughed heartily, a rare hint of smugness appearing on his face.

A discovery from a thousand years in the future, it is nothing short of cutting-edge technology in this era!

Compared to ordinary rubber, Eucommia ulmoides gum, besides having similar elasticity and waterproof properties, also has an additional anti-corrosion function, especially protecting wood from termite infestation. It's perfect for this application!
To avoid the army having to search everywhere for redwood or red pine, which are simply not available along the Baoxie Road! There's no way to source materials nearby.

Du Yu nodded as if he understood, but he chose to believe Shi Shouxin.

Even without using eucommia gum, these beams won't have any problems for a few days. The challenge is to withstand future wind and sun exposure!

If the army is attacking and conquering Hanzhong, and the plank roads are cut off, supplies won't be able to get through. If they then come to punish Shi Shouxin, he'll likely face military law! This is no joke.

"I dare say, are you sure? If the plank roads break down during this campaign against Shu, then both of us will be..."

Du Yu pulled Shi Shouxin aside and asked in a low voice.

He was Sima Zhao's brother-in-law, so the court probably wouldn't do anything to him. But Shi Shouxin wasn't so lucky.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine."

Shi Shouxin waved his hand and said.

Eucommia ulmoides gum is something that has stood the test of history; he knows the answer, so he's not worried at all. Unlike Du Yu and the others, who faced a closed-book exam and were inevitably filled with trepidation.

With the issues of corrosion and moisture prevention for the crossbeams resolved, there were naturally no problems with their installation.

Li Bao, the Wei general in charge of the construction, led his men to load the crossbeams onto bamboo rafts and proceed down the Bao River. Ropes were attached to the rafts, and they slowly approached the hoisting point on the water.

When the crane reached its location, a nimble soldier was lowered down by a rope, the crossbeam was secured with ropes, and the crane then lifted the wooden beam and the soldier together.

The beam is aligned manually, pulled into the hole manually, and wedges are driven in manually as "expansion bolts" to fill and lock the gap between the wooden beam and the square hole.

There is a series of highly difficult manual operations that, in the era before electric motors, relied entirely on risking one's life and possessing exceptional skill and daring.

This high-risk job was so dangerous that on the very first day of construction, someone accidentally fell into the floodwaters and was swept away; their body was never found.

However, construction never stopped for a moment, because military orders were paramount; no matter how many or dozens of people died, the plank road had to be completed.

Shi Shouxin, Du Yu, and others who were observing Li Bao's construction remained silent. When it came to offering suggestions, they could brainstorm and their words carried weight. But when it came to actually doing the work, Li Bao was in charge.

Because Li Bao was responsible for the project.

If the task cannot be completed on time or the quality is substandard, according to military orders, he will be the first to be executed, followed by his subordinates.

Only after all these people have been killed will Shi Shouxin, Du Yu, and others be held accountable. They were merely the ones offering advice from the sidelines.

I saw yet another unlucky guy fall into the puddles. When he was rescued, he had swallowed a bellyful of water and barely escaped with his life.

Du Yu sighed and said, "A kind heart cannot command an army; the ancients were right."

He didn't want to embarrass himself by stepping forward to stop Li Bao's construction; he could only watch from the sidelines. In feudal times, especially in countries where the Celestial Dragons roamed, this was how everyone did things. As the son-in-law of the Sima family, it was really inconvenient for him to say anything.

What if Li Bao says, "If you're so good, then you do it yourself?" Does Du Yu really have to climb the crane? That's not his job!
However, Shi Shouxin didn't care about these things; some things still needed to be said.
He stepped forward and advised Li Bao, who was frowning and complaining to his soldiers from time to time: "General Li, a generous reward will surely bring forth brave men. You see, the soldiers are somewhat afraid to install the wooden beams. This fear can easily lead to accidents, making what should be an easy task difficult. Continuing like this is just a waste of time."

"What does Supervisor Shi think is the best course of action?"

Li Bao frowned slightly and asked.

The Wei generals who remained on the Baoxie Road were mostly aware of Shi Shouxin's story and had a good impression of this civil official who dared to speak out and was willing to work together to help them build the plank road.

Otherwise, he would have already retorted, and there would be no reason for him to listen to what Shi Shouxin had to say.

"For installing a crossbeam, you'll be rewarded with a bushel of hulled rice; your work won't be in vain."

If someone accidentally falls into the water and dies, their family will receive a compensation of 2,000 yuan, ensuring they have no worries about the future.

When people are at peace, they will be content with what they have, and will not complain about the rewards they receive for their hard work.

Shi Shouxin spoke gently, without putting on airs as a military supervisor or threatening Li Bao.

It must be said that this makes a lot of sense.

The soldiers are not enthusiastic about installing the crossbeams. They are unwilling to go on the crane to install the crossbeams because they feel that doing it is pointless and there is no benefit to be gained. If something goes wrong, they will just consider it a death in battle and it will be a pointless death.

In that case, who would be willing to put in the effort? Doing something with risk and no reward—nobody would do it!
“Commander Shi is right, and I thank you.”

Li Bao bowed to Shi Shouxin with heartfelt admiration, and then stepped forward to promulgate the new regulations for repairing the plank road!

Sure enough, his troops were not cowards; it was just human nature—no one was stupid enough to risk their lives.

After the rules for rewards and compensation were announced, the morale of the construction workers was immediately boosted, and many people rushed to get on the crane to install crossbeams, so much so that some people installed one and then continued to install another.

Left with no other choice, Li Bao had to make a deal: each person could only fill one box, and then they had to switch to another person. If someone insisted on filling a box, no matter how many times they filled it, they would only receive one reward.

The soldiers were highly motivated and their morale was high. During the hoisting operation, no one died. Only two people accidentally fell in. Although they were wearing ropes around their waists, they still suffered minor injuries after falling into the water.

After finishing his day's work, Li Bao had his deputy oversee the other half of the team that night to prepare for the hoisting operation and to fabricate the crossbeams. He himself went to Shi Shouxin's tent with wine to express his gratitude. Whether a person is kind or malicious, capable or unreliable, is obvious to everyone. Shi Shouxin was public-spirited, honest, and fair in his dealings.

Both Xu Yi and Li Bao felt that this person was worth befriending.

Although Shi Shouxin held a low-ranking official position, he was far more straightforward and honest in his dealings with people than Grand Commander Zhong Hui. He didn't scheme against others, nor did he plot against them. He could offer advice when problems arose and speak the truth when things went wrong.

Li Bao toasted Shi Shouxin three times, and the two chatted happily for a full hour before leaving.

After he left, Du Yu arrived. However, he didn't come to thank Shi Shouxin, but to inquire about Eucommia ulmoides gum.

"This thing, wrapped around the outside of the wooden wheels, can reduce vibration."

When I was in the Imperial Household Department, I made a two-wheeled cart with tires made of Eucommia ulmoides resin, which was very convenient for transporting grain and fodder.

"I'll take you to see it after the war against Shu is over."

Shi Shouxin laughed heartily and clinked glasses with Du Yu.

"I know you have the ability to take responsibility, so it's a deal then."

However, this campaign against Shu...

Du Yu's expression suddenly tightened, and he lowered his voice and said, "If anything happens, you should come to my headquarters immediately, and I will protect you!"

The exceptionally intelligent Du Yu had already deduced from various intelligence reports that the campaign against Shu might not go as smoothly as everyone thought. He wasn't the first to say this; Hu Lie, Xu Yi, Li Bao, and others had all previously given Shi Shouxin their assurances.

Shi Shouxin recalled Yang Huiyu's arrangements before his departure and couldn't help but admire this woman who, even after losing her husband, could still stand firm in the Sima family.

Yang Huiyu said that to ensure his own safety, he needed to be on good terms with the lower and middle-ranking officers in the military. If something really happened, these people could not only protect Shi Shouxin, but also secretly tip him off.

Whether it was Zhong Hui or other high-ranking generals, they all needed the support of these officers to kill people.

In retrospect, Yang Huiyu had keen insight and a clear understanding of the political landscape within the Wei army.

"If something really happens, you'll be lucky to survive. We'll stick together then, so let's not be so formal."

Shi Shouxin smiled bitterly.

Du Yu then sighed sadly. His own troops numbered only a little over a thousand, which was better than nothing.

……

April arrived in the blink of an eye. With the successful completion of the plank road of Baoxie Road, Hu Lie sent spies to Hanzhong and discovered that the Shu army had already retreated to the larger cities in Hanzhong. There was no activity of the Shu army in the wilderness of the entire Hanzhong Plain!
Hu Lie then sent someone to quickly inform Zhong Hui.

Several months later, Zhong Hui returned to the army and inspected the Baoxie Road plank road, intending to cause trouble.

After searching around, Zhong Hui was convinced by the sturdy plank road before him, so he had no choice but to leave dejectedly without saying another word. The plank road was indeed beautifully constructed, flawless from every angle.

However, since it concerned the important matter of conquering Shu, Zhong Hui did not hesitate or act coy.

He immediately ordered someone to go to Didao, so that Deng Ai could lead the Northwest Army south to attack Tazhong! This would serve as a detachment to tie down the elite Shu army under Jiang Wei!
At the same time, he sent someone to inform Zhuge Xu, instructing him to lead more than 30,000 troops to cut off Jiang Wei's retreat route from Qishan to the bridgeheads of Wujie and Yinping!

After completing these tasks, Zhong Hui convened a military council in Sanjiao City and ordered Li Fu to march south via the Tangluo Road to attack Wang Han, who was stationed in Lecheng, Hanzhong, with only 5,000 troops.

Xun Kai was then ordered to attack Jiang Bin, who was stationed in Hancheng and still only had 5,000 soldiers.

Zhong Hui himself, on the other hand, led his troops south to attack Yang'an Pass from the Baoxie Road army!
Subsequently, Zhong Hui appointed Hu Lie as the commander of the vanguard army, tasked with the main attack on the pass! Shi Shouxin was appointed as the supervising officer of the vanguard army, accompanying the troops to oversee the battle!
Zhong Hui himself led the main force to cover the rear, and the troops slowly entered Hanzhong, where they established camps and divided their forces to defend them. The Wei army, totaling 200,000 men, launched a multi-pronged attack on Hanzhong, Tazhong, Wujie, and other places.

……

That night, Du Yu came to see Shi Shouxin again and brought up the matter of attacking Hanzhong.

He somehow found a detailed map of the Hanzhong region and spread it out on the table.

"I dare say that. I've recently studied the Grand Commander's fighting style, and it feels... a bit off."

Du Yu said in a deep voice, and casually placed the thumb-sized wooden blocks on the table at the marked positions in each city, making the battlefield situation more intuitive.

"The Grand Commander's plan is to leave 10,000 men each to surround the cities of Han and Le. The main force will be stationed in front of Yang'an Pass, and then the troops will be divided into groups of 3,000 men each to sweep through the strongholds in Hanzhong."

Then, they will slowly wear down the enemy. Yang'an Pass may not be able to be taken down, but the cities of Han and Le will not be able to hold out for long, as their food reserves are limited.

Thus, once these two cities are captured, the campaign against Shu will be over.

Du Yu said with great certainty.

Shi Shouxin nodded slightly, but did not tell him that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Yang'an Pass would eventually be breached, while Han and Le cities would stand firm until Liu Shan's imperial edict arrived before surrendering.

"If we don't break through Yang'an Pass, Zhong Hui will have an excuse to garrison troops in Hanzhong, thus nurturing the enemy and increasing his own importance. The Grand General might not necessarily object to that."

In short, this battle is no longer our concern.

Du Yu complained with some regret.

You're just here to gain prestige, okay? What business could you possibly have?

Shi Shouxin thought to himself, but didn't say it aloud; he simply echoed Du Yu's words.

“I dare say that you said before that if Deng Ai were to enter Sichuan, the situation would be difficult to control.”

Du Yu suddenly lowered his voice, looking very nervous.

"Well, if Deng Ai enters Shu, Jiang Wei will definitely return to defend Chengdu. With such a major event, it's hard to say how much the Shu soldiers will still be in the mood to defend the city."

In short, if that were to happen, it would be an catastrophic event.

Shi Shouxin sighed with emotion.

"In that case, Deng Ai is doomed, and Zhong Hui... is also doomed. Chaos in the army will be absolutely unavoidable. What can we do?"

Du Yu countered with a question.

Shi Shouxin spread his hands, indicating that he was just a nobody and that he had no say in such a deadly situation!

(End of this chapter)