Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 99 Can’t bear to look directly
Yang'an Pass is only a little over a hundred miles from Baocheng. In Shi Shouxin's previous life, it would have taken only two or three hours by car.

Shi Shouxin's raid on local wealthy families in Hanzhong yielded a considerable haul.

They gained two thousand fresh troops, enough food and provisions for a year, and a large amount of wealth. These local wealthy families in Hanzhong all participated by "investing," greatly bolstering Shi Shouxin's power.

In the past, whatever Zhong Hui said was law, and Sima Zhao could manipulate him at will with a single transfer order. But from this point onward, such situations would no longer occur.

No one dared to speak loudly to Shi Shouxin anymore! Anyone who spoke recklessly would have to consider whether his thousands of elite soldiers would turn against them!

Of course, there are still a few things that need to be done, but they are not a big deal.

During this operation, Liu Qin's troops did not travel with him, and the task of transporting grain was also assigned to Liu Qin.

Shi Shouxin originally thought he would be the first to reach Yang'an Pass and establish a camp on its outskirts. Unexpectedly, on his return journey, he encountered Liu Qin and his troops, who had arrived later than expected.

It would have been better if they hadn't met. After the two armies met, what they saw and heard was extremely shocking and shattered their worldview.

The reason why Liu Qin's troops moved slowly was that after they plundered the Yang family of Nanzheng, they took all the members of the Yang family manor with them, including their retainers, tenants, and even self-cultivating farmers!

Liu Qin ordered the able-bodied men to push two-wheeled flatbed carts to transport the grain, and tied the hands of the elderly, women and children with ropes, leading them in the procession like livestock, all the way to Yang'an Pass.

As for everything inside the Yang family manor, they took everything they could, leaving not even a chicken or a dog behind.

What couldn't be taken away was burned. From then on, the Yang family of Nanzheng became a local legend, and everything about this family became part of the locals' memories.

Of course, Liu Qin was very "merciful" and didn't kill a single person. To say he committed arson, murder, and looting would be somewhat unfair; at the very least, he didn't kill anyone.

As the governor of Weixing Commandery and a front-line general in the Cao Wei army who frequently faced the Shu Han army and was often conscripted for battle, Liu Qin understood the importance of diligence and thrift in managing a household.

You can't just kill people randomly, because that costs money!

In Liu Qin's eyes, the captured slaves were no different from livestock; they were all valuable assets. They should not be killed if possible, and even more so, they should not be allowed to starve to death.

Killing someone is just as wasteful as killing livestock without cause and then discarding them carelessly!

Every slave could be exchanged for money, could work the land, and could create wealth. In times of war, they could also be used to build fortifications, transport grain, and free up military forces for combat.

Having spent a long time fighting on the front lines, Liu Qin deeply understood the importance of manpower, so he strictly enforced military discipline.

Killing enemies is acceptable, but killing slaves is not.

When the two groups met, Shi Shouxin looked at the Yang clan members and their retainers bound like livestock and recalled his own experience from years ago. It was exactly the same, without the slightest difference.

Shi Shouxin felt that he might have wronged the two slave traders. What he saw today made him realize that everyone seemed to be doing the same thing these days.

When people are enslaved, they are treated like livestock.

In Shi Shouxin's memory, Liu Qin was a very honest soldier who obeyed military discipline and was willing to follow his orders, giving people the impression of being "harmless".

Unexpectedly, their style of looting was so "tough".

It seems that a person's attitude towards others depends on that person's strength. The strong will maintain respect and loyalty to those even stronger, but will be less courteous to the weak.

"General Liu, didn't I tell you not to kill anyone? Just take the goods and leave, and don't cause any more trouble?"

Shi Shouxin pulled Liu Qin aside and questioned him with some dissatisfaction.

Upon hearing this, Liu Qin looked stunned, and then began to defend himself:

"Of course I remember Supervisor Shi's instructions. This time, we only wounded and did not kill, and the spearheads were removed."

As for any unforeseen complications, there were none. The Yang Family Manor has been razed to the ground, and all the houses have been burned to the ground.

Everyone in the manor, regardless of age or gender, followed the army away. Even when the Grand Commander and the Duke of Jin personally arrived, they couldn't find any evidence to prove that we were the ones who did it.

This was handled quite cleanly, Supervisor Shi, don't worry. If anyone asks later, just insist they are refugees.

Liu Qin reported with a smug look on his face, not feeling at all that he had done anything wrong.

These words left Shi Shouxin speechless. The two had different views on right and wrong, so it's not accurate to simply assume Liu Qin was a bad person.

"So what do you plan to do with these people? Just keep them chained up like livestock?"

Shi Shouxin remained calm and asked in return without showing any emotion.

Liu Qin seemed to have heard a strange question that he already knew the answer to. He didn't know what Shi Shouxin was thinking, so he could only tell the truth: "Supervisor Shi, with so many people, of course they were sold. When the army arrives at Yang'an Pass, Supervisor Shi will talk to Xu Yi, and he will definitely know how to deal with them."

Shi Shouxin asked in a deep voice, "Then how about this? You don't need to hand over the looted wealth to me. Let the Yang family and their troops be at my disposal, and half of the looted grain will be used as rations for these people. How about that?"

Although he was negotiating, his tone was firm and unquestionable! If Liu Qin refused such generous terms, he would turn hostile on the spot.

"Supervisor Shi, you've given me so much wealth... You won't report me to Duke Jin afterward, will you?"

Liu Qin gave a wry smile and asked tentatively, half-jokingly.

The looted wealth was considerable, and in principle, it should have been handed over to Shi Shouxin for distribution.

In this way, the looted wealth was "laundered" as spoils of war, completing the official process of handing it over and redistributing it.

Now that Shi Shouxin is suggesting that Liu Qin's troops take the money privately, it seems like he's setting a trap, which makes people wonder.

These days, human life is worthless, and Shi Shouxin himself suffered a great loss because of his suggestion.

Liu Qin was the governor of Weixing Commandery, and after this battle, he was to return to Weixing Commandery. As a "temporary official," he could only bring a few attendants with him, and he himself followed the military orders of the imperial court.

As for those people from the Yang family, they would only be meaningful to Liu Qin if he sold them for money, and he couldn't possibly take them all the way back to Weixing County with him.

Even if those slaves returned to Weixing County, they couldn't take them with them once Liu Qin was transferred elsewhere.

Why bother doing these thankless tasks?

Moreover, with the fall of the Shu Kingdom, wealthy and powerful families will undergo a new round of reshuffling, and countless people will likely be ruined or their entire families wiped out.

Human life will be worthless then, and exchanging money for a life would be a huge loss. That's why Liu Qin suspected that Shi Shouxin was "entrapping" him.

"Rest assured, I, Shi, have written a guarantee and there is absolutely no reason for me to deceive you. As long as you do not loot after entering Shu, you can take all the wealth you have plundered from the Yang family."

Shi Shouxin laughed, looking quite relaxed, seemingly unconcerned about such material possessions. "Supervisor Shi, recruiting so many people, you don't necessarily intend to..."

Liu Qin looked as if he had suddenly realized something.

Shi Shouxin's actions are not surprising at all. These days, the rules of the game are all in the open, and there are not many "inventions".

"If I want to fight on the battlefield, how can I not raise soldiers for my descendants? Sitting in the Luoyang court waiting for promotion is not my ambition."

Shi Shouxin sighed, speaking very frankly and without concealing his intentions.

Liu Qin nodded in understanding. This was an old custom passed down from the late Eastern Han Dynasty, where many people rose to power through hereditary military service. Sima Yi's three thousand elite soldiers at Gaoping Mausoleum were essentially hereditary soldiers as well.

In the Eastern Wu region, every military general raised hereditary soldiers, a practice that continued through generations of families.

Shi Shouxin's father-in-law was the Censor-in-Chief, and had influence in the court, but lacked any real power behind the scenes. If someone were to come to their door with violence, they would have no way to defend themselves.

Shi Shouxin raised his own hereditary army, which he could take out to fight on the battlefield at any time, so he would no longer have to be a military supervisor who couldn't even muster a hundred personal guards.

With his father-in-law's prestige and the imperial court's military orders, he could do whatever he wanted, and no one dared to order him around anymore.

Upon closer examination, this arrangement is actually quite appropriate, as it addresses its own shortcomings.

As for whether the imperial court will allow it or not, that's a matter for later, and it's pointless to worry about.

To maintain an army, one must have land; and to maintain an army, one must acquire land. Otherwise, one cannot prevent others from seizing that land. These are two sides of the same coin.

If Shi Shouxin could receive a large amount of land as a reward after the war, he could afford to support his hereditary army. Conversely, the army would have to be disbanded, or it would starve to death.

Simply put, existence is its own justification; raising troops strengthens one's power and influence, and with power comes the ability to demand land. These are two sides of the same coin.

Liu Qin felt he didn't need to worry about this Supervisor Shi. If the other party wanted to get things done, he would definitely succeed.

After all, the Sima clan's acquisition of the country was illegitimate, and they also needed the support of their subordinates. Why would they suppress a general who was raising more than a thousand soldiers?

"Supervisor Shi is joking. You always keep your word, so there's no need for a written agreement."

Liu Qin chuckled and rejected Shi Shouxin's suggestion to draw up a written agreement. He believed that basic mutual trust was essential between people; a written agreement would destroy any semblance of goodwill. Liu Qin wasn't about to do something so short-sighted.

"Then I, Shi, thank General Liu."

Here's what we'll do: take the grain and money to Yang'an Pass, greet Xu Yi, and then set up camp at Baishui Pass.

I'll be there shortly. Don't worry about things here; I'll handle it.

Shi Shouxin nodded.

This was essentially the "transfer" of slaves, completing the deal.

Liu Qin returned to Baishui Pass with his troops, taking the valuables with him, effectively settling the matter. After that, he claimed to know nothing about anything concerning the Yang family, stating it had nothing to do with him anymore.

"There is no time to lose. I will go and deal with this matter now, and I will also explain the advantages and disadvantages to the soldiers in the army."

"This humble general takes his leave. I will host a welcome feast for you once Inspector Shi arrives at Baishui Pass."

Liu Qin bowed to Shi Shouxin and then went to the army to relay the order.

After Liu Qin left, looking at the elderly, weak, women and children in Liu Qin's group whose hands were all tied, Shi Shouxin couldn't help but sigh.

This world is far too blatant. The government troops are just bandits in military uniforms, and they make no attempt to hide their burning, killing, and looting.

……

In the main hall of the county government office in Mianzhu County, Sichuan Province, Deng Ai sat upright in the seat of a county magistrate, looking like a sculpture.

The same stillness, the same rigidity!

Three days have passed, why hasn't Chengdu sent anyone to surrender yet?

Deng Ai couldn't understand it.

"Shi Zuan, have you sent someone to Chengdu with Zhuge Zhan's head?"

Deng Ai asked with displeasure, addressing Shi Zuan by his first name without even a hint of respect.

Having successfully crossed Yinping, the isolated army had penetrated deep into Shu territory, and was only one step away from destroying the Shu Kingdom!
Deng Ai felt that this unparalleled achievement could not even be compared to Han Xin's secret crossing of Chencang and the conquest of the Three Qin regions!
Shi Zuan, that clown, kept saying this shouldn't be done and that can't be done along the way, and Deng Ai had long disliked him.

If it weren't for the fact that Shi Zuan was the chief clerk of Sima Zhao's general's office, Deng Ai would have found a pretext to behead him long ago.

"Reporting to General Deng, this humble general did indeed send someone to Chengdu to deliver Zhuge Zhan's head."

However, Liu Shan did not send anyone to surrender, and this humble general does not know what his plans are.

Shi Zuan said with a wronged expression, not daring to speak too loudly.

Now Deng Ai is arrogant and thinks that the destruction of Shu is imminent, and that all of this is his own achievement! How could Shi Zuan not sense the faint killing intent in his eyes?
But apart from secretly writing down reports of Deng Ai's rebellion and later secretly sending someone to Chang'an to file a complaint, he dared not do anything else.

He could lose his head if things went wrong, especially after defeating Zhuge Zhan, when Deng Ai felt that no one could restrain him anymore.

Now Deng Ai can kill whomever he wants. Under the halo of his unparalleled achievement in conquering Shu, no one dares to do anything to him.

"We are about to deploy our troops outside Chengdu, and this foolish emperor Liu Shan has not even sent anyone to surrender. This is intolerable!"

"Tomorrow we'll muster the troops and march to Luocheng!"

Deng Ai slammed his fist on the table, his anger reaching its peak!

"General Deng, our army is old and weary. We have suffered heavy losses since we set out to conquer Shu. It is really not advisable to fight recklessly."

Shi Zuan suggested that he was truly afraid of Deng Ai.

"The morale of the army must not be broken. We must take Luocheng in one fell swoop. I refuse to believe that Liu Shan will not surrender!"

Deng Ai waved his hand, his attitude very firm, and he didn't want to listen to Shi Zuan's rambling at all.

(End of this chapter)