Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 77 Human Hearts Are Like Flowing Water (Part 1)
Jiange is a strategically important location. Leaving aside everything else, the number of stone steps leading up to it is countless. This kind of terrain isn't something you can simply pile up troops in; even with strength, you can't effectively utilize it.

On the first day, Hu Lie led three thousand soldiers to attack Jiange. Swordsmen and shieldmen were in front, archers were behind, and as for the cavalry, sorry, they couldn't get up there at all; they had no use for them.

The mountain path was very narrow, with the widest part only enough for four or five people to walk side by side.

Hu Lie originally thought he had brought few soldiers, but when he arrived, he realized that three thousand men were not just few, but so many that there was no room for them to stand. In the end, the troops formed a long line, with only a few hundred men able to engage the enemy, and the battle lines could not be deployed.

The Shu army launched arrows from high ground, which, combined with the crossbows on the Jianmen Pass, left Hu Lie utterly defeated.

Forget about attacking the city, they can hardly even fight back; they are simply passively taking hits!

The next day, Hu Lie selected 500 daredevils and, under cover of darkness, set fire to the area near Jiange, attempting to set the mountain ablaze.

But Jiang Wei was prepared. The moment the Wei army lit their torches, it triggered a counterattack from the Shu army. Before the fire could even get going, the well-prepared Shu army swiftly pounced on it.

Taking advantage of the situation, veteran general Liao Hua led his troops out of Xiaojianmen, cutting down the enemy from high ground, routing Hu Lie's army. All five hundred men were killed in action. Hu Lie himself was also wounded by an arrow and barely escaped with his life.

Having suffered two crushing defeats in a row, Hu Lie not only lost face, but Zhong Hui also felt that Jian Ge was a formidable opponent.

The Wei army had over 100,000 troops, but they were unable to exert their full strength.

Jiang Wei abandoned Hanshou and Baishuiguan in the north not because he was afraid of fighting, but because he withdrew his fist and used space to ensure the smooth flow of supplies.

If the front line were at Baishui Pass or Hanshou, it would not only be very inconvenient to transport grain there, but the terrain would also not be treacherous enough to take advantage of the situation to inflict heavy casualties on the Wei army.

It has to be said that Jiang Wei's choice put Zhong Hui in a very difficult position.

On the third day, another military meeting was held, and many people attended, including Yang Xiu and others, who all came to the commander's tent for the meeting. Shi Shouxin naturally also came.

These past two days, Shi Shouxin took some time to visit the entrance to Jian Ge, and the terrain there was truly despairing.

Judging by appearance, the height of the mountain walls on both sides is probably no less than 300 meters!

The width of the fortress was relatively easy to measure. Shi Shouxin roughly calculated it to be about twenty meters using the method of proportionality. However, the width of the road leading up the mountain was only a few meters at its widest point.

Even if Zhong Hui led an army of 100,000, no more than 1,000 people could participate in the attack at a time. The others would be unable to engage the enemy and could only watch helplessly from behind.

For the attacking side, this terrain is simply... impossible to fight; they're just "looking up at the stars" the whole way.

Hu Lie attacked Jianmen Pass (Small Jianmen) twice, but still couldn't reach the pass (Great Jianmen). Behind Small Jianmen, there is a Jian Ge that looks like a plank road!
The military tent was filled with a sense of dejection. The Wei generals were whispering among themselves, but none of them looked relaxed.

Both Wei Guan and Yang Xiu were intelligent people, not to mention Zhong Hui, who was exceptionally intelligent.

But no one has come up with any new solutions to change the status quo.

Its advantageous location is a natural feature that cannot be altered by human power.

"Grand Commander, Jiange is a strategically important and dangerous place, and we should not attack it head-on. It would be better to withdraw our troops back to Hanzhong and then make further plans. Now, with more than 100,000 troops crammed here, we will only waste our food supplies."

Yang Xiu suggested that he join the army.

Upon hearing this, Zhong Hui frowned, remaining noncommittal.

At this critical juncture, everyone knows Deng Ai has already secretly crossed Yinping; how can he possibly retreat? If Deng Ai's surprise attack succeeds, the Shu army will soon collapse! If Chengdu falls, then Jiang Wei's persistence at Jiange will be utterly meaningless!
Zhong Hui was waiting for Deng Ai to stab Jiang Wei in the back!

"Grand Commander, I believe we must continue to attack Jian Ge and absolutely cannot stop."

The purpose of this action was not to capture Jiange, but to keep Jiang Wei constantly on the move.

To truly break this deadlock, we can only hope that Deng Ai can break through Jiangyou Pass. A direct assault on Jiange is indeed beyond our capabilities; we must use our weaknesses to attack the enemy's strengths.”

Shi Shouxin stepped forward and offered his suggestion, seemingly in direct confrontation with Yang Xiu!
Zhong Hui remained frowning and silent, his thoughts unreadable.

"Li Fu, you will replace Hu Lie and lead the main force to attack Jiange from the front."

"Yang Xiu, take some men to check the cliffs of Da Jian Mountain and Xiao Jian Mountain, and see if there's a shortcut to the summit."

Zhong Hui, unconcerned, gave the order, deliberately making things difficult for Yang Xiu.

"Great Commander, I estimate that the cliff face of Little Sword Mountain is at least a hundred feet high. Climbing it would be..."

As Yang Xiu explained, she suppressed her anger and almost cursed.

He could understand why Zhong Hui was making things difficult for him, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be angry.

Anyone with eyes that aren't blind would look at those towering mountain cliffs and wouldn't issue such an absurd order!
"Aren't you going to give up the chance to atone for your crimes?"

Zhong Hui remained calm and looked at Yang Xiu, asking her a question in return.

Yang Xiu immediately fell silent, bowed to Zhong Hui, and then strode out of the command tent.

"Supervisor Shi, what do you think we should do to prepare the siege equipment?"

Zhong Hui seemed to have forgotten his previous promise, and his tone was very cold.

"The only way is to first build high platforms, then deploy trebuchets, and attack with stone projectiles to suppress the Shu army's crossbows on the city walls."

Then, using the method of mounding earth, they built an earthen hill in front of Xiaojianmen, level with the city gate.

"I am of limited ability and could only think of such a clumsy method."

Shi Shouxin said neither humbly nor arrogantly that he hadn't been idle these past few days, and had been thinking about how to defeat the Sword Pavilion at all times.

While it's impossible to come up with any groundbreaking or unproductive solutions, there are some conventional and routine methods that can be used.

The only method he could think of was to build up earth to besiege the city. Even if it would take several years to build, it was undeniably a viable solution.

"Then you and Qiu Jian decide what to do. Everyone disperse and proceed according to plan!"

Zhong Hui gave an order and got up to leave. Although he had 130,000 troops under his command, the narrow mountain path limited the number of men he could deploy to a maximum of 1,000 at a time. The rest couldn't be deployed at all and could only watch the heads of those in front from behind.

Jiang Wei had at least 30,000 troops and the advantage of terrain. As long as there was no shortage of food, he could hold out even for a year.

The Small Sword Gate, Sword Pavilion, and Great Sword Gate form a three-dimensional defense system. For the Wei army to break through layer by layer, they would have to sacrifice countless lives.

With Zhong Hui's order, the boring days began.

Yang Xiu was clearly helpless against the hundreds-of-meters-high summit of Xiaojian Mountain. Of course, Zhong Hui couldn't do anything about Yang Xiu either. After a token survey and a few perfunctory responses to Zhong Hui, this Military Advisor Yang simply gave up completely.

Zhong Hui listened to Shi Shouxin's suggestion, and surprisingly, this seemingly clumsy method actually had some effect. The Wei army's extravagant mound of earth in front of Xiaojianmen, and their use of trebuchets to suppress the ballistae and archers on the city walls, did indeed inflict some casualties on the Shu army.

Although they still couldn't break through Xiaojianmen, they managed to fight Jiang Wei to a standstill.

More than ten days later, Liu Qin arrived with two thousand troops to reinforce the army, accompanied by a messenger from the imperial court. This messenger, Shao Ti, an advisor to the Grand General, brought a personal letter from Sima Zhao. The letter was addressed to Zhong Hui and was quite short. Its message was simply: Take Shu at all costs!
Zhong Hui was very uneasy when he saw the letter. According to the original agreement, the army should have returned to Chang'an by now, and Deng Ai should not have secretly crossed Yinping to attack Fucheng.

Sima Zhao's letter signifies that he has changed his strategic intentions and that all the original arrangements have been overturned.

Nobody knows what the future holds!
……

"The military rations have arrived! The military rations have arrived!"

Inside the Wei army camp, a messenger ran towards the commander's tent, shouting orders. Everyone who heard this, from officers to soldiers, breathed a sigh of relief.

With over 100,000 troops stationed in Hanshou, the local grain supplies were almost completely plundered, and the rest had to be transported from Hanzhong. However, Hanzhong's grain reserves were already limited, so grain had to be transported from Guanzhong.

Transporting grain over a long distance involves considerable expenses along the way.

Therefore, the nerves on the front lines in Hanshou were always on edge. Once supplies ran out, the army would have to turn back, and the battle could very well turn around. This was no joke.

At this moment, Shi Shouxin is drawing pictures inside the military tent.

The blueprints for the Thunder Chariot were already completed during the Golden Age period.

The firing parameters and the size of the stone projectiles are readily available.

It only requires recalculation and some improvements; the workload is minimal. However, Shi Shouxin did not present it immediately but instead diligently "dawdled" with the work.

He's thinking about something else now.

Shi Shouxin was so engrossed in his drawing that he had forgotten about his surroundings. Suddenly, he felt as if someone was watching him draw from behind, so he quickly turned around.

He saw a middle-aged scholar in his thirties, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, staring intently at him.

With a smile on her face, she showed no intention of going forward to disturb him.

"you are?"

Shi Shouxin quickly stood up and bowed, because Meng Guan was standing next to that person with a helpless wry smile. This was definitely not some "unrelated person".

"Supervisor Shi, please don't be nervous. My name is Shao Ti, currently serving in the Western Office of the General's Mansion. I have come to pay you a visit."

By the way, your father-in-law and I used to be colleagues. I attended your wedding two years ago.

Shao Ti spoke very politely, without the slightest hint of arrogance.

Shi Shouxin quickly invited the other party to sit down. Meng Guan, knowing the situation, went to stand guard outside the military tent, preventing any unauthorized personnel from entering.

"Supervisor Shi, this is a secret letter from the General to you."

Without wasting any words, Shao Ti took out a roll of silk from his sleeve and handed it to Shi Shouxin.

The latter took it, read it silently, then lit it on the oil lamp, burning it to ashes. Shi Shouxin did this not only to destroy physical evidence, but also to show Shao Ti what was going on.

As expected, Shao Ti nodded in satisfaction and exclaimed, "What a noble man Li Gong is! Back then, he insisted on taking you as his son-in-law and wouldn't budge no matter how the General tried to persuade him. He truly has remarkable insight."

"I understand the matter concerning the Duke of Jin. I will act according to the circumstances. If it fails, he will likely have already died by Zhong Hui's blade, so there is no need for him to swear an oath of loyalty."

Shi Shouxin said in a deep voice, his face calm and composed, seemingly unable to show his emotions.

Shao Ti got up and left without hesitation. He quietly slipped a small object into Shi Shouxin's hand, then left the command tent as if no one else was there.

Soon, he left the camp gate and departed from Zhong Hui's camp with his personal guards.

After Shao Ti left, Meng Guan quickly approached and asked in a low voice, "Supervisor Shi, that was someone from the General's Mansion, wasn't it? Could it be...?"

Meng Guan was very intelligent; relying on his "background knowledge," he had already guessed most of the things involved.

"If you don't listen, you might survive. But if you do listen, you'll die with me the time I die. Do you still want to listen?"

Shi Shouxin smiled.

Meng Guan thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "Supervisor Shi is too optimistic. Now, everyone in the army knows that I am your confidant. Even if I really don't know, Zhong Hui will assume that I do. It's the same thing."

It must be said that Meng Guan's "optimistic assessment of the enemy" approach is commendable. Shi Shouxin nodded and recounted the contents of Sima Zhao's letter.

"That sounds nice, but it's all just talk. Shi Jianjun's authority as a military supervisor doesn't actually give him the power to command troops."

Meng Guan sighed.

Shi Shouxin shook his head silently, took out a seal from his sleeve, handed it to him and said, "Keep it safe, it might save your life. I could be searched by Zhong Hui's men at any time."

Meng Guan's expression changed slightly, then he took the bronze seal and, without even looking at it, tucked it into his belt.

"By the way, Liu Qin and his men have already arrived at the camp with their troops. Shall we meet with them?"

Meng Guan pointed to a group of people in the distance and asked, "Those people are carrying grain into the warehouse."

"We'll talk about it later. I need to go find Zhong Hui first and tell him about Shao Ti's situation."

Shi Shouxin straightened his clothes and said.

"Commander Shi, what's going on here...?"

Meng Guan was shocked, his face contorted in shock.

"You don't think Zhong Hui knows nothing, do you?"

Shi Shouxin snorted coldly, and Meng Guan slumped helplessly, like a deflated balloon.

"Ugh!"

Meng Guan sighed, unsure of what to say.

Those who struggle to survive in the cracks of society rarely see the sky above them, even though the sky has always existed and will continue to exist.

There's always something pressing on my back, making it hard to breathe smoothly.

"You wait here, I'll go and report this to Zhong Hui."

Shi Shouxin gave an order and strode towards Zhong Hui's command tent.

Shi Shouxin doesn't believe that Zhong Hui trusts him completely right now.

　Charge on, don't stop, there's still more today!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)