Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 98 No War, No Peace, No Surrender
Dozens of two-wheeled flatbed carts were parked together on the open ground of the Li Family Manor.

A large crowd was watching from the outer circle.

The military uniforms, weapons, crossbows, and arrows on the vehicle were all produced by workshops under the Wei state government, and were of top quality.

Looking at the weapons on the flatbed truck, Zhao Lun felt a surge of excitement; he was almost ready to order these weapons to be used by his troops.

The uniforms were fine, but the weapons were something that would be impossible to handle under normal circumstances, but Shi Shouxin solved it with just one sentence.

What a terrifying ability that is!
"Commander Shi, are you really giving us these weapons?"

Zhao Lun asked cautiously, afraid of angering Shi Shouxin.

Standing to the side, Xi Zuo's eyes were also filled with greed. He hadn't expected that Shi Shouxin would be able to obtain enough weaponry to equip five hundred men from the Wei army.

This matter is simple in a way; as long as you have a position in the Wei army, it's not difficult to get some equipment for your own soldiers.

However, those were things that the generals had to buy with money! Or they had to exchange them for battle merits!
It's fine if you don't pay for the new uniforms, but this army belongs to the Sima family, and you'll just be in command of it.

The imperial court can dismiss you with a single word!
Similar to Xi Zuo and Zhao Lun, hereditary soldiers were not uncommon in the Wei army, and their equipment was provided by the general. These troops were not the main force of the Wei army and were often used for miscellaneous tasks.

In places like Huainan and Jingxiang, there were many hereditary military units, while this was less common in the north. Even if they existed, they were mostly located in Longyou, Qingxu, and other similar areas.

"It's not given to you directly. Instead, I will select elite soldiers from your troops. Only elite soldiers can be equipped."

I'll gradually fill the remaining gaps for you. We'll change into uniforms once we pass Baishuiguan.

Shi Shouxin said in a deep voice.

Zhao Lun glanced at Xi Zuo, a flash of disdain crossing his face, but he didn't resent Shi Shouxin. He didn't need the equipment himself, as long as it wasn't given to Xi Zuo's troops.

Shi Shouxin's meaning was clear: he wanted to select a personal guard, choose the most elite soldiers, use the best equipment, and give them the best treatment.

He wanted his men to be both capable and loyal!

Is this fair?

It's definitely unfair, because these soldiers will gradually break away from Zhao Lun and Xi Zuo's control. In reality, this is sacrificing their own troops to fill Shi Shouxin's own forces.

But there's nothing you can do about it if it feels unfair; this is the necessary stepping stone to rely on others.

If you can't even bear to part with this, then you're a traitor, and you deserve to be beaten to death.

Thinking that giving away a daughter will grant a new identity is wishful thinking. No matter what kind of woman she is, in this dog-eat-dog world, she's not worth that much! She can't even buy an army!
This is the first time Shi Shouxin has selected elite soldiers to bolster his forces, but it will certainly not be the last.

Official generals with "business licenses" used this method to control hereditary military commanders. The established rules were clearly laid out, treating every "retainer" under their command equally.

"Get ready, we'll set off today for the camp outside Yang'an Pass."

Shi Shouxin gave instructions to Li Liang.

Before they had even rested for an hour after returning from the Wei army camp, Shi Shouxin ordered them to continue their march and return as quickly as possible to reunite with Liu Qin and the others.

Deng Ai's secret crossing of Yinping should have yielded results by now. Shi Shouxin is very worried that Zhong Hui has already led his troops across Jiange into Shu.

If Deng Ai succeeds, Jiang Wei will not stay in Jiange waiting to die.

Shi Shouxin had some worries, but they weren't written on his face. To outsiders, his expression remained confident.

In fact, everyone could see the dominance that Shi Shouxin displayed in winning over the three local tyrants in Hanzhong.

I'll do it!

This is the dominance that Shi Shouxin demonstrated!

Calm, organized, and decisive, and most importantly, there's nothing he can't accomplish! The arrogant Wei general arrived with several thousand troops, but Shi Shouxin made him slink away with just a few words.

Later, they also obtained uniforms and weapons from the Wei army to equip 500 men.

Just one question: who else is there?

Who else has this ability?

Even a proud man like Xi Zuo was completely convinced by Shi Shouxin.

"General Shi, we have completed the inventory and are ready to depart at any time!"

Li Liang reported this to Shi Shouxin.

"Then let's set off!"
All issues can be discussed after the army enters Baishui Pass.

If there's anything you can't handle, tell me directly. Don't keep it to yourself or try to resolve it privately.

Did you hear that?

Shi Shouxin looked around at everyone and asked.

"Order!"

Meng Guan, Ma Long, Xi Zuo, Li Liang, Zhao Lun, and others shouted in unison.

"Alright, Ma Long will lead the way, Xi Zuo will cover the rear, Meng Guan will be responsible for finding those who have fallen behind and killing any deserters who have deliberately separated from the group, Li Liang will be by my side to relay orders, and Zhao Lun will lead the troops following behind Ma Long's troops."

That's settled then, everyone disperse!

Shi Shouxin gave the military orders in a few words, clearly and concisely.

After everyone had left, Li Liang asked with concern, "Supervisor Shi, we have about two thousand men, but only five hundred are wearing uniforms. What about the rest?"

He didn't ask that question for no reason.

The private armies of the local tyrants in Hanzhong totaled two thousand men. Xi Zuo led one thousand men, while Zhao Lun and Li Liang each had five hundred men. Li Liang's troops were directly under the command of Shi Shouxin.

Five hundred people are in military uniform, what about the others?
This is a very real problem; the problem isn't scarcity, but inequality.

"It's alright, I have my own plans. Let's go back to Baishuiguan first and then make a decision, and then reorganize the troops."

Shi Shouxin waved his hand slightly, indicating he didn't want to discuss it in detail. His plan was still missing two things, one of which was to write to Zhong Hui and request the unit's designation!
As for the other one, it requires a little "skill".

……

If Shi Shouxin simply didn't want to discuss in detail how to reorganize the troops he had recruited, then Deng Ai, who defeated Zhuge Zhan, was completely arrogant and didn't even want to talk to Liu Shan!
Inside the main hall of the Chengdu imperial palace, on the table before Liu Shan lay the head of Zhuge Zhan. None of the courtiers dared to speak first, fearing they might say the wrong thing.

Deng Ai didn't even write a letter of persuasion to surrender; he directly sent an envoy with Zhuge Zhan's head.

The meaning is clear: if you don't surrender, you'll end up like him.

"My esteemed ministers, how should we deal with this crisis?"
Deng Ai's troops have already occupied Mianzhu, and they have no shortage of food and provisions. They will not starve to death.

"To fight or to surrender?"

Liu Shan asked.

"Father, I am willing to go to war!"

Liu Chen, the King of Beidi, stepped forward and immediately volunteered for battle without hesitation.

"Ugh!"

Liu Shan sighed and looked around at the officials in the hall. Some bowed their heads and remained silent, some shook their heads and sighed, and some looked embarrassed and hesitated to speak.

No one stood up to speak up.

War is out of the question; it would just be suicide.

"Huo Yi, the military supervisor of Nanzhong, has requested to lead troops to defend Chengdu. Your Majesty, it would be better to ignore Deng Ai for now and wait for Huo Yi's reinforcements to arrive."

Secretary Xi Zheng stepped forward and offered his suggestion.

His meaning was simple: neither send troops to subdue Mianzhu, nor send envoys to Mianzhu to ask Deng Ai for surrender.

Anyway, we'll just play dead and wait for Huo Yi's reinforcements to protect Chengdu. Then we'll see how things go.

It's a bit rough, but it's still a viable solution.

Liu Shan nodded slightly, seemingly having some thoughts.

Xi Zheng is a good minister. Even at this point, he still didn't say the word "surrender." His character is commendable.

Liu Shan sighed inwardly.

However, he did not immediately agree to Xi Zheng's suggestion and remained silent.

Liu Shan's attitude left the courtiers in the hall somewhat uncertain.

Is this a fight or a surrender?
After a long silence, Liu Shan asked softly, "What do you think about moving the capital to the south?"

He seemed somewhat indecisive, and his tone wasn't very firm. However, this wasn't the first time Liu Shan had acted this way; he often hesitated, and it wasn't just now.

As expected, moving the capital was out of the question; the powerful families of Shu simply did not want to resist.

Qiao Zhou, a proponent of peace, immediately stood up to refute:
"If Your Majesty wishes to lead your ministers to the south, you should make preparations as soon as possible before proceeding."

But now we face a formidable enemy, and defeat is imminent. Can Your Majesty guarantee that people's hearts will not be corrupted?
If everyone believes the country is doomed, then perhaps unforeseen events will occur within the army on the day of departure. In that case, will Your Majesty be able to reach the south safely?

Liu Shan nodded slightly and sighed, "That's true."

Liu Shan ruled Shu Han for decades and was a worldly man, certainly not an imbecile.

If the hearts of the people are scattered, the army will be difficult to lead. If he leaves Chengdu with his remaining troops and court officials, it will be tantamount to abandoning the foundation established by Liu Bei.

Having lost his foundation, who would be willing to follow him to those barren lands in the south?
The soldiers' families were all around Chengdu, and the officials' families were all inside the city. Who would be willing to follow Liu Shan south and live a life of wandering and displacement?

Qiao Zhou's words, though disheartening, were indeed true.

"Can't we ally with the Kingdom of Wu? We can retreat to Yong'an and ask Wu for troops."

Liu Chen, the Prince of Beidi, looked at Qiao Zhou and retorted directly, not even bothering to call Qiao Zhou by name.

"There has never been a case of an emperor uniting with his subjects since ancient times. If we unite with the Wu Kingdom, we will inevitably be annexed by Wu, and we will be even worse off than Emperor Xian."

Since we're going to be annexed anyway, it's better to surrender to Wei than to Wu. The fate of the world is sealed; Wu will inevitably be annexed by Wei. Even if we surrender to Wu, we'll just have to surrender to Wei later anyway—what's the point?

Qiao Zhou retorted again, leaving Liu Chen speechless. Although he was unconvinced, he didn't know how to refute Qiao Zhou.

"Let's follow Xi Zheng's advice for now and not move our troops rashly. Write a letter to Huo Yi, telling him not to leave Nanzhong."

Liu Shan sighed again, saying that he had adopted half of Xi Zheng's strategy.

Simply put, we should lie down and play dead for now, and see if Deng Ai is any good.

Perhaps the Wei army, unable to adapt to the local climate and environment, ended up killing themselves?

Liu Shan still harbored some illusions, but his overall strategy was to neither fight, make peace, nor surrender.

"Your Majesty, this is absolutely unacceptable..."

Qiao Zhou quickly stepped forward, but before he could finish speaking, Liu Shan raised his hand, signaling him not to say anything more.

"My decision has been made."

Liu Shan left with a single sentence, then turned and left the main hall, clutching the wooden box containing Zhuge Zhan's head.

A large group of officials were left looking at each other in bewilderment, whispering among themselves.

Now that things have come to this, Zhuge Zhan is dead, and the hastily assembled army has been defeated.

What else can they do?
Are we to send them, unarmed, to the front lines of the Wei army to reason with Deng Ai?

(End of this chapter)