Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 91 One whale fall, all things come to life
"Do I have flowers growing on my face?"

Shi Shouxin noticed that Meng Guan had been staring at him from time to time all day, and couldn't help but ask him a question.

He also didn't understand why everyone was preparing for a surprise attack tonight, and also to take some of the grain from the Xi family's granary as provisions for Xi Zuo and his troops.

How come Meng Guan is so carefree?

"Commander Shi, how was last night...?"

Meng Guan asked in a low voice.

"Uh, it's pretty comfortable, isn't it?"

Shi Shouxin gave an ambiguous answer, actually referring to how comfortable it felt for Xi Chun to massage his shoulders. As for matters concerning his lower body, that was definitely not something he would do casually.

"Supervisor Shi, you wait outside tonight. Let Xi Zuo's men go first, and I will lead my men to follow behind. Let Ma Long stay by your side and be responsible for providing support."

Judging from last night's events, these local tyrants of Hanzhong are ultimately no match for the government troops.

Meng Guan commented from the side.

He just wanted to know if Shi Shouxin had slept with Xichun last night. After learning that it was "very comfortable," he naturally didn't need to ask for more details.

That's not something he should know!

How many are there?

Shi Shouxin asked in a deep voice.

"They all lived very close to each other. There was the Li family of Nanzheng, who had served as high-ranking officials for two generations during the Han Dynasty, and they had intermarried with the Zhao family of Nanzheng for generations."

The targets this time are the Li and Zhao families. There must be some kind of alliance between them; if we attack one, the other will definitely come to our aid.

Meng Guan had already inquired with Xi Zuo and found out the details.

Shi Shouxin nodded, then pulled Meng Guan to a secluded spot and said in a deep voice:

“Xi Zuo is not a good person. If he is not suppressed, he will surely cause trouble in the future.”

I plan to take in the sons and followers of the Li and Zhao families. After tonight, they already have a grudge against the Xi family, so they will not be able to join forces to plot against me.

"Remember this: if Xi Zuo decides to go on a killing spree, you must stop him immediately."

"Are you saying that Xi Zuo knows he will be leaving with most of his clan and retainers, and fears that the Li and Zhao families will seize his family's land and property, so he wants to use someone else to do his dirty work and wipe out those two families tonight to establish his authority?"

Meng Guan, quick-witted, immediately understood what Shi Shouxin was thinking.

"That's true. Otherwise, there would have been no need to give my sister to me as a concubine."

It's all just to pull off a show of force.

The local wealthy families of Nanzheng, unaware of the situation, assumed that Xi Zuo had found a powerful patron and naturally dared not disturb the Xi family's estate.

Shi Shouxin remarked with a sigh that Xi Zuo's actions were actually quite brilliant, but he simply chose the wrong target. Shi Shouxin was, after all, a man who "foresaw the future."

Once a strategy loses its mystique, its power diminishes considerably.

However, there's a saying: "A small temple has many demons, and a shallow pond has many turtles." Don't underestimate these local tycoons or treat them like fools.

In reality, these people are quite cunning.

There are different ways to play the big game and the small game. Even turtles will fight amongst themselves in the pond.

Shi Shouxin was fully aware of Xi Zuo's schemes, but chose to keep quiet about them.

He has his own way of dealing with it.

"That's it. The Li and Zhao families have been linked by marriage for generations, so they naturally cooperate with each other. Individually, their troops might not be as strong as the Xi family's, but when the two families are united, that's a different story."

These three families all sent men to serve under Supervisor Shi as auxiliary soldiers in transporting grain; presumably, the Grand Commander wouldn't refuse.

Meng Guan also realized what Shi Shouxin was planning. Simply put, it was to strengthen his own power by constantly introducing external forces.

The two arrived at the wall of the wooden stockade and discovered that the Xi family's stockade was actually quite simple, its only notable feature being its size. If they attacked Xi Family Village during the day, the tenant farmers and retainers could enter the stockade to defend it.

The city walls will be packed with people, making it difficult to breach them.

This type of manor actually already resembled the fortified villages of Hebei during the Five Barbarian Invasions. As outsiders who had migrated from the Ba barbarians, the Xi family was certainly not on good terms with the local wealthy landowners!
This is also the main reason why people like the Xi family often acted as henchmen of separatist regimes and ran rampant in the local area.

Both sides had their own needs. Shi Shouxin's appearance only gave the Xi family a choice, rather than forcing them to accept rule.

"Once we get to Chengdu, we may all have to rely on the support of people like the Xi family."

They would absolutely not obey Zhong Hui or anyone else's orders. Having their support would also put pressure on Liu Qin.

Shi Shouxin said in a low voice, though his face appeared calm, his heart was burning with excitement. His grand plan was gradually becoming a reality.

Every task we undertake is like adding bricks to a tile.

Night fell quickly, and the troops began to assemble. The Xi family led five hundred men to the front, followed by Meng Guan with the thousand Luoyang Imperial Guards, while Shi Shouxin and Ma Long brought up the rear.

The Xi family taking the lead was, in a sense, a pledge of allegiance. Having pulled this off, they were all in the same boat. If the Xi family rebelled, not only would Shi Shouxin not let them off, but even the local powerful families wouldn't stand idly by.

It must be said that Xi Zuo was a ruthless and intelligent man.

The "advanced technique" of inserting incense into bamboo tubes was also learned by the Xi family. Now, whether it is the hereditary soldiers under Xi Zuo's command or the imperial guards led by Shi Shouxin, everyone has one.

Looking up, countless red dots swayed from near to far, making one's scalp tingle.

Shi Shouxin suddenly felt that this era was extremely barbaric and cruel. Extermination of entire clans was commonplace, and there were all sorts of natural and man-made disasters. Armies and bandits could simply change their appearance.

"Supervisor Shi, we've recruited so many retainers this time, at least two thousand men. How are we going to explain this to the Grand Commander?"

As Shi Shouxin was lost in thought, Ma Long suddenly spoke up and asked a question.

He was unaware that Shi Shouxin was already one of Zhong Hui's "own men," so he was particularly worried about this matter. "It's alright, just say that the wealthy families of Hanzhong support our military campaign against Shu, sending auxiliary troops to help us transport grain, and they have also provided a lot of provisions."

Shi Shouxin explained, seemingly unconcerned.

He believed that Zhong Hui would not oppose this, because there were almost no die-hard supporters of Zhong Hui in the Wei army, so Zhong Hui was not at all opposed to this kind of "external force," at least he could still win over these people.

As for those Wei generals, their families were mostly in Luoyang, so there was almost no chance that they would wholeheartedly follow him.

Before long, the group stopped, as they had reached the entrance to "Li Family Village". The structure of the manor here was almost exactly the same as that of Xi Family Village, with a fortified manor in the center of the village, self-cultivating farmers on the outskirts, then tenant farmers, then retainers, and only the side branches of the Li family were located next to the fortified manor.

Of course, these things were all introduced to him by Xi Zuo and Shi Shouxin; he had not seen them with his own eyes yet.

"Commander Shi, shall we make our move now?"

Meng Guan ran over and asked in a low voice.

"Let Xi Zuo's men lead the charge, and once they enter the house, you should immediately replace them."

Shi Shouxin gave detailed instructions.

"Yes, I will take care of it right away."

Meng Guan accepted the order and left.

Malone remained silent and did not volunteer for the fight.

"Take three hundred men and set up defenses at the village entrance. The Zhao and Li families have been intermarried for generations, and they may come to reinforce us after receiving the message."

Shi Shouxin gave instructions to Ma Long.

"This……"

Malone hesitated for a moment, thinking that Shi Shouxin was overthinking things. A marriage alliance was indeed possible, and while exchanging goods was commonplace, it was rare for someone to come to one's rescue in a crisis.

He felt that Shi Shouxin was too loyal to others, and that others might not be as righteous as him.

"Yes, sir. I will go and prepare immediately."

Without saying a word, Malone went straight to muster his troops.

After he left, Shi Shouxin crossed his arms and looked in the direction of the Li family mansion, where a large number of scarlet lights were flashing.

"I really want to see Xi Zuo's frustrated expression. He actually dared to scheme against me."

Shi Shouxin snorted coldly, a glint of cold light flashing in his eyes.

……

In the northern suburbs of Mianzhu, the fierce battle has reached its final stage!
Deng Ai led his fresh troops to charge towards the central army where Zhuge Zhan was located. As soon as they made contact, the Shu army's lines began to inexplicably retreat!

The Wei army, which clearly outnumbered Deng Ai's forces, had not participated in any previous battles and was full of energy, and was in a well-organized and orderly formation, unafraid of the enemy breaking through their lines, was clearly waiting for the enemy to break through.

But the front lines were in retreat.

"Behead those who retreat!"

Minister Zhang Zun had already drawn his sword and was supervising the battle from the rear with his personal guards, but the Shu soldiers in front of him were still slowly retreating.

Sitting in his wheelchair, Zhuge Zhan frowned slightly, suddenly realizing that something was amiss.

He has already sent out some of his trusted troops to support the left and right flanks, and it is thanks to this that the two flanks have not collapsed.

But now, Zhuge Zhan realizes that he seems to have made an unforgivable mistake!

"Our army is defeated! Our army is defeated!"

A shrill scream came from behind.

Upon hearing the sound, Zhuge Zhan's expression changed drastically. He abruptly stood up and turned to look in the direction from which the sound came.

Then Zhuge Zhan witnessed a scene that left him utterly astonished.

The Shu troops in front of Zhuge Zhan were still resisting, but the Shu troops behind him had begun to flee in organized groups! It seemed to be more like an organized escape than an individual's action!

Our army's defeat was merely a signal to launch a defection!
Blah, blah!
The Shu army's central formation collapsed almost instantly, like mud washed away by rain. Deng Ai's soldiers had already begun to flank Zhuge Zhan's position from the edge of the collapsed formation.

However, a major incident also occurred at Zhuge Zhan's front. In the chaos, Zhang Zun, who was supervising the battle, was stabbed to death by a Shu soldier behind him. As he turned around, he was slashed several more times.

There has been a rebellion within the Shu army!

Zhuge Zhan's heart was pounding, and his mind went blank. He didn't know what to do; none of the military books he had read said what to do in such a situation.

"Lord Wuxiang, the front lines can't hold out any longer. Let me lead you out of here and we'll make further plans once we get back to Mianzhu County!"

The personal guard beside him shouted at Zhuge Zhan.

Although this personal guard didn't know how the central army had inexplicably lost, a defeat was a defeat, and now the Shu army's routed soldiers had begun to turn and flee.

It probably proves the saying: "I have the will to kill the enemy, but I am powerless to save the day."

"You should go now, I'll stay."

Zhuge Zhan sat back in his wheelchair and waved gently to his personal guards. He drew his sword, held it horizontally in front of him, and then stared straight ahead at the approaching Wei infantry.

He was waiting for Deng Ai to come to him.

The guards stepped forward to push the wheelchair, but Zhuge Zhan turned his head and glared at them angrily, saying, "My mind is made up; I will prove my loyalty with my death. What are you trying to do!"

The shout startled the guards, who then slowly turned around and ran away without looking back.

In the retreating torrent, Zhuge Zhan and his wheelchair stood like a reef in the flood, eventually surrounded by the Wei army in black uniforms.

(End of this chapter)