Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 86 Flying Dragon Rides the Face
Mianzhu is a large county in Sichuan, and its county seat is much larger than that of a typical county seat.

At this very moment, Zhuge Zhan stood atop the city wall of Mianzhu, gazing northwards where danger lurked. Deng Ai's army could attack at any moment.

The anger he felt at the time, provoked by the envoy, had dissipated. Now, Zhuge Zhan was considering a very practical question: if Deng Ai came with his troops, should he meet him head-on or hold out in Mianzhu?

The city still has a decent amount of grain, but it's all for supporting Jiange. If Deng Ai sends troops to block their route, Jiange will soon run out of food!

Keep in mind that Jiange had over 30,000 Shu troops! Deng Ai's surprise attack on Jiangyou completely disrupted Shu's defense plans.

Now, Zhuge Zhan is also hesitant about whether or not to go out of the city for a field battle, and his hair has turned quite a bit white.

After all, he had never led troops before, and this was his first time being hastily put into battle!
In fact, Zhuge Zhan's military expedition was unusual from the start. Even he himself sensed the sinister undercurrents within it.

The Shu Kingdom wasn't lacking in capable military leaders. For example, Yan Yu, whom Huang Hao strongly recommended, was quite skilled at leading troops.

Why did Liu Shan appoint Zhuge Zhan as commander-in-chief? Chengdu wasn't lacking in military generals!

Upon careful consideration, Zhuge Zhan realized that the root cause was that Liu Shan no longer had many people he could absolutely trust.

The powerful families in Sichuan almost all wanted to surrender; they had long since given up on resisting, and didn't even want to pretend anymore.

If that's what they all think, who can guarantee that the generals leading the troops don't think the same way?
Zhuge Zhan was Zhuge Liang's son, and like a banner, he was hung on the moral high ground, unable to move.

Anyone can surrender, but Zhuge Liang and his descendants cannot.

Liu Shan could be shameless, but could Zhuge Liang be shameless?

Moreover, Zhuge Zhan was also the son-in-law of the emperor! He was bound to the fate of the nation!
In this crisis for the Shu Kingdom, if Zhuge Zhan doesn't step forward, who will? Who is more reliable than him?
The problem is that loyal people may not have the ability to turn the tide.

Standing atop the city wall, Zhuge Zhan was deeply worried about the impending battle!

"Lord Wuxiang, Deng Ai has already led his troops to Mianzhu. Judging from their pace, they will be at the city gates tomorrow."

Huang Chong cautiously stepped forward, bowed to Zhuge Zhan, and said...

The Shu scouts traveled far, closely monitoring every move in Fucheng. The official road from Fucheng to Mianzhu was nearly two hundred li long, and Deng Ai's army did not have many horses, so it was obviously impossible for them to reach Mianzhu in one go.

It would be even more impossible to do it silently on the road!

However, Zhuge Zhan's mind seemed elsewhere, as if he hadn't heard Huang Chong's words at all.

"His Majesty has appointed me as his son-in-law and bestowed upon me a high official position and generous salary. Whenever the country implements a good policy, the people all say that it was proposed by Marquis Wuxiang."

Do you think I deserve these honors and such great affection?

Zhuge Zhan looked at Huang Chong and asked.

Huang Chong was exceptionally intelligent and often offered insightful comments on people and events, frequently pinpointing the crux of the problem.

But at this moment, he didn't know how to answer the question.

Seeing that Huang Chong did not answer, Zhuge Zhan continued, "My father was like the bright moon in the world. Even though he is gone, His Majesty still hopes that there is such a person in Shu, at least as a memory. And I am that memory. I cannot bear His Majesty's great kindness. If I cannot stop Deng Ai, I will repay the world with my death and repay His Majesty's kindness."

He seemed to be talking to himself, but Huang Chong understood. Zhuge Zhan seemed to have awakened from his childhood dream, but unfortunately it was too late; it was too late to turn back.

Wasn't Liu Shan's favor towards Zhuge Zhan also a form of calculation? Zhuge Zhan's limited abilities were a fact that was obvious both inside and outside the court, so how could Liu Shan not know it?

Politics is ruthless and full of manipulation and calculation, especially for a monarch; without some skill, one cannot succeed.

Liu Shan didn't seem to have done anything wrong.

Huang Chong sighed and bowed to Zhuge Zhan.

It might not be very auspicious for Zhuge Zhan to say such things before the battle, but... never mind.

Who in this world can escape death?

Since we're going to die anyway, what's the point of dying a glorious death?
"Lord Wuxiang, we will fight to the death. Even if we cannot stop Deng Ai, we will never be the kind of people who live a life of cowardice."

Besides, Deng Ai's army has been on a long and arduous campaign, and is likely already exhausted. We, on the other hand, can wait in comfort and have a much better chance of winning.

Huang Chongxin said this with unwavering conviction and an exceptionally firm attitude!

However, Zhuge Zhan was not as optimistic as he was. The vanguard of the Shu army had previously clashed with Deng Ai's troops, which gave Zhuge Zhan a glimpse of what was to come.

Regardless of the world, the army comes from the people, not from those in power.

The politics of Shu Han were inherently fragmented, with "outsiders" from Jingzhou and Xiangyang monopolizing most of the important positions in the court. These people were the second or third generation of those who had fought alongside Liu Bei to establish the empire.

However, most of the low- and middle-ranking officials in Shu Han came from the local area.

The troops were even less of a story; almost all of them were from the Shu and Hanzhong regions.

How motivated are they to "revive the Han Dynasty"?

Huang Chong probably dared not think too much about this problem.

The so-called "Imperial Guards" under Zhuge Zhan's command are all recruited from Chengdu and the surrounding areas, or even temporarily assembled.

A large portion of them were not part of the Shu Han regular army.

So, could such an army win against Deng Ai's vanguard? No, which is why they lost the battle outside Fucheng so decisively.

"If we make sure the soldiers are well-fed today, we will surely have a fierce battle tomorrow."

Zhuge Zhan gave a brief explanation, then turned and left the city wall without saying a word.

He was going to write a letter home to make arrangements for his passing.

……

Standing before Yang'an Pass, Xu Yi looked at the troop of soldiers led by Shi Shouxin who were not wearing uniforms, a puzzled expression on his face.

At this moment, the gates of Yang'an Pass were wide open, and Shi Shouxin's soldiers were unloading the grain carts stored inside the pass and dragging them away one after another. They would head to the Baocheng granary at the entrance of the Baoxie Road to transport the grain to Baishui Pass.

As for the transshipment from Baishuiguan to Hanshou, Zhong Hui would send people to handle the transportation, so there was no need to worry about it. Of course, Shi Shouxin would still need to send people to transport these grain carts from Baishuiguan to Yang'anguan afterwards.

"Supervisor Shi, there's something I don't quite understand. You're just transporting grain, why do you need to wear civilian clothes?"

Xu Yi stroked his mustache and asked with a puzzled look.

Shi Shouxin smiled mysteriously, leaned close to Xu Yi's ear and whispered something for a long time, until the other party suddenly understood!
"Oh, so that's what happened!"

Xu Yi was overjoyed, but kept quiet about it.

He's currently still under investigation, and if he really causes trouble, he'll inevitably get a beating from Zhong Hui. Although Zhong Hui has already punished Zhuge Xu to establish his authority, it's unlikely he'll take it out on Xu Yi, but it's always better to be safe than sorry.

Shi Shouxin had just told him that he planned to take his brothers to Hanzhong to "raise" some military rations, and Xu Yi immediately understood.

After all, doing this was already a tradition in the Cao Wei army. Xu Yi's father, Xu Chu, had done it before, so how could he not know?
Shi Shouxin promised to return after the matter was accomplished and bring Xu Yi a "gift," but he did not say what the gift was.

It could be a set of gold and silver valuables that doesn't move, or it could be a set of "valuables" that moves.

In short, Xu Yi was very much looking forward to it and felt very reassured by Shi Shouxin's candor.

"By the way, which company or which place is it?"

Xu Yi suddenly pulled Shi Shouxin aside and asked in a low voice.

"The Xi family and the Yang family."

Shi Shouxin showed sincerity and did not hide anything.

In many things, there still needs to be a basic level of mutual trust between people; otherwise, once a secret is exposed, one's character will be shattered beyond repair.

"The Yang family is nothing special; they have a long history of studying classics and historical texts."

However, the Xi clan originated from the natives of Bashu and were quite fierce. Many of their descendants served in the Shu army back then.

If you teach them a lesson, I think quite a few people will thank you for standing up for them. But I suspect the Xi family is not easy to deal with; you'd better be careful!

Xu Yi gave a brief introduction, explaining that he seemed to have had conflicts with the Xi family and knew a great deal about them.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. No matter how fierce they are, they are still civilians, and no matter how weak we are, we are still soldiers. If we can't even beat the local Sichuan natives, then we might as well give up on our lives."

Shi Shouxin patted his chest and guaranteed.

Xu Yi thought about it again and realized that it was indeed the case.

The Xi clan is fierce because they were once officers in the Shu army, and even had hereditary soldiers under their command!
But after leaving the Shu army as a major platform, do they still have the fighting power they had back then?
Can they produce their own weapons, bows, arrows, and crossbows? Do they have armor? Do they have a dedicated, off-duty army?

That's questionable; it's perfectly normal that their strength is far inferior to what it used to be.

"Yes, Supervisor Shi must be careful, and act quickly. There are 10,000 troops in Han and Le cities. If they find out what's going on, it won't be easy to explain."

Xu Yi reminded Shi Shouxin of something, which was actually what the latter was most worried about.

If the looting becomes too loud, it will alert the armies besieging Han and Le cities. Although they are supposedly friendly forces, swords have no eyes, and the commanders of those two armies may not listen to Shi Shouxin's explanation!
"Thanks!"

Shi Shouxin responded and followed the group out of Yang'an Pass.

Before long, Meng Guan caught up and reported to Shi Shouxin: "Supervisor Shi, no one has fallen behind. When we reach the site of Yangping Pass ahead, Liu Qin and I will separate."

"Well, everything is as planned."

Shi Shouxin nodded and said that the information provided by Xu Yi was very important.

The origins of the Xi family are closer to those of Meng Huo than to a simple self-employed farmer who rose to prominence.

However, their Sinicization was incredibly fast. In just a few decades, they transformed from a mountain tribe into something indistinguishable from Han Chinese nouveau riche, and by the Eastern Han Dynasty, they were already a prominent local family that had produced military generals.

Therefore, the Xi family must have possessed abundant martial virtue.

In chaotic times, martial virtue was almost synonymous with wealth; otherwise, it would have been robbed clean long ago.

"The Xi family is a fat sheep, worth making a fortune from, but they have some thorns."

Shi Shouxin snorted coldly.

"Hehe, Supervisor Shi is wrong. We should kill no tycoons like the Xi family. The court would only want us to stab them a few times."

Meng Guan snorted coldly.

Are there similar places in your hometown?

Shi Shouxin asked curiously.

Meng Guan nodded and said, "That's right. Nowadays, the imperial court can only govern the county towns. In the countryside, there are all sorts of strange and unusual people. For example, there are Taishan bandits who run rampant in the countryside near Mount Tai. It's really strange that there are bandits in Mount Tai, a place for imperial sacrifices!"

Shi Shouxin nodded. He had only been to Hedong, which was generally peaceful. However, that was because the powerful families in Hedong had developed, which squeezed out the living space of people like the Xi family.

"We'll see how things go when the time comes."

Shi Shouxin gave instructions to Meng Guan.

Meng Guan rubbed his hands together excitedly and said, "Of course! I have been following Supervisor Shi for a long time, but I have not yet shown my skills. This is a good time to test my abilities."

Just in case, although they weren't wearing military uniforms this time, they brought a hundred sets of half-body lamellar armor. If the Flying Dragon charge is driven back, they'll immediately don the armor and, disregarding all martial ethics, bully the Xi clan!

However, it shouldn't come to that. Shi Shouxin believes that his thousand men can take on ten of them!

(End of this chapter)