Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 100 What to do?
Inside the emperor's bedroom in Chengdu, Liu Shan sat at the table, his eyes vacant, seemingly lost in thought.

Empress Zhang was fanning Liu Shan with a palm-leaf fan. A downpour was approaching, and the air seemed somewhat stuffy.

She was Zhang Fei's second daughter and the younger sister of Empress Jing'ai, Zhang Shi, and had been with Liu Shan for many years.

To be fair, there were no obvious conflicts within the Shu Han court. The relationship between Zhang Fei and Liu Bei was there, and Zhang Fei's position was unchallenged. For decades, the harem lived in peace.

Liu Shan's troubles always lay outside, namely the crisis of the fall of Shu Han.

Whether it was Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions, Jiang Wei's Northern Expeditions, or the current defense of Shu, Shu either adopted an offensive strategy instead of a defensive one, or it simply had no troops to fight back.

In reality, they are always at a disadvantage, trying to gain a lot with a small investment, and the slightest mistake could lead to the destruction of the country.

Now, Deng Ai's military might is almost piercing Liu Shan's eyes. Even if this emperor of Shu Han wanted to lie down, there's nowhere for him to lie down.

He had two paths before him: run or surrender. He had to choose one. As for fighting to the death, that was pointless; it would only delay things for a few more months. The option of resolute resistance was not even on Liu Shan's list of choices.

At this moment, Liu Shan was pondering whether he should quietly leave and seek refuge in the south. Surrender was always a last resort.

"His Majesty?"

Zhang called out softly.

Liu Shan ignored her and remained lost in thought.

"Your Majesty, isn't it time for your meal?"

Zhang called out again, and Liu Shan finally came to his senses.

"Siyuan (Zhuge Zhan) is dead, and I am deeply saddened."

Liu Shan sighed deeply and said.

That was his son-in-law. Although Liu Shan had his own selfish reasons for establishing Zhuge Zhan as his son-in-law, he was still his son-in-law after all.

You'll develop feelings for even a cat or dog after raising it for ten years, let alone a person?

Even though Zhuge Zhan, the son-in-law, was far inferior to his father Zhuge Liang, he was still unyielding to the death and served his country on the battlefield. He had done nothing to betray Liu Shan!
How could Liu Shan not be heartbroken when such a loyal person died?

"Your Majesty, the people of Chengdu are now in a state of panic."

Even if they went to the south, it would be difficult to suppress the soldiers' longing for home on the way.

It would be better to defend Chengdu to the death and sacrifice oneself for the country; that would be a glorious and heroic act.

Zhang offered this advice to Liu Shan.

It must be said that Zhang, despite being a woman and a child, had a remarkably clear understanding of things. If surrendering to Cao Wei offered even a sliver of hope, then moving the capital to the south would undoubtedly mean certain death.

Liu Shan would never get there; he would perish on the way.

"You carried my child for ten months and bore my children, are you just going to send them to their deaths?"

Liu Shan looked at Zhang Shi and asked her in return.

"Your Majesty should not have said such a thing."

Zhang sighed softly, and after saying that, she fell silent.

Liu Shan felt heartbroken upon hearing this and let out a long sigh.

He shook his head in frustration and said, "Fighting back will only lead to certain death; it's just a matter of sooner or later. I no longer care about whether I live or not; I just want my descendants to survive. Am I really wrong to think this way?"

Zhang was speechless. It wasn't that she looked down on her husband, but rather that she genuinely didn't know what to say.

Even with the most eloquent words, how could one stop Deng Ai's army? How could one salvage the already broken hearts of the people?

Just then, the eunuch Huang Hao requested an audience.

Liu Shan had a bad feeling. He saw that Huang Hao's face was full of panic, so he asked, "What's wrong? Why are you so panicked?"

"Deng Ai, Deng Ai's army has already captured Luocheng!"

Huang Hao's voice was trembling with tears as he knelt on the ground, refusing to get up.

"what?"

Liu Shan suddenly stood up, an expression of disbelief on his face.

"Didn't you say before that Deng Ai's troops had suffered heavy losses and were no longer capable of fighting?"

Liu Shan questioned loudly, his face full of gloom, as if he was about to explode.

"It is my fault, it is my fault! Your Majesty, spare my life! Your Majesty, spare my life!"

Huang Hao knelt on the ground and cried, knowing full well why Liu Shan was angry.

It wasn't that Jiang Wei didn't submit a memorial to the court advising against taking precautions; it was because Huang Hao claimed that divination indicated peace throughout the land that he missed the opportunity to mobilize troops.

But can we blame him? He saw through Liu Shan's thoughts and deliberately gave him a way out!

If Liu Shan was not happy, even if Huang Hao divined a hundred times, it wouldn't make a difference.

Being a eunuch is so difficult; the emperor is like heaven, and everything must be done according to the emperor's will.

Eunuchs were like chamber pots, scapegoats for the emperor.

"Get out! I don't want to see you!"

Liu Shan kicked Huang Hao and grabbed a vase, intending to smash it at him. Huang Hao quickly covered his head and ran away, managing to dodge Liu Shan's fancy but ineffective punches and kicks.

After Huang Hao left, Liu Shan collapsed onto the cushion, covered his face, and burst into tears.

"What should I do? What should I do? There are no more cities north of Chengdu. The Wei army will be attacking Chengdu tomorrow. What should I do?!"

Loneliness, helplessness, regret, fear, self-blame, and resentment flashed through Liu Shan's mind, almost causing him to collapse.

Now that things have come to this, what should he do?

What can he do?
……

Outside Yang'an Pass, the makeshift camp was already in complete chaos.

The Yang family members, along with their retainers and tenants, were "rescued" by Shi Shouxin. After surviving the ordeal, they untied the ropes binding their wrists, and the family members embraced and wept.

Shi Shouxin, who was watching from the sidelines, as well as the members of the Xi, Li, and Zhao families, all felt a deep sense of unease upon witnessing this scene.

In particular, these local tycoons from Hanzhong were secretly relieved that their families had finally escaped a calamity.

A few days ago, these people, like the Yang family, were local tycoons in Hanzhong. They were not necessarily extremely wealthy, but they were at least local bullies.
A few days later, Yang was reduced to a slave, tied with ropes, and prepared to be taken to Yang'an Pass to be sold.

Although they had allied themselves with Shi Shouxin, they still maintained a certain degree of independence.

It could be said that they were born in the same year but had different fates.

They were no different from the Yang family, the only difference being that they encountered the reasonable Shi Shouxin, while the Yang family encountered the "unreasonable" Liu Qin.

The law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak, is vividly displayed here.

"Supervisor Shi, what are your plans for settling the Yang family? Will you raise another hereditary army, or will you disperse them and integrate them into the existing forces?"

Li Liang, in front of everyone, asked Shi Shouxin, seemingly not intending to hide anything. "You can go and ask the Yang family if they want to go with you. If they are willing to go with you, I have no objection."

Shi Shouxin looked at Li Liang and asked with a half-smile.

"Actually, I still think it would be better to establish a separate hereditary army for the Yang family. It's not certain that other people can manage it."

Li Liang, taking advantage of the situation, said this to others, especially to Xi Zuo. After all, Li Liang was neither a general nor a commander, so it was none of his business.

"Yes, it would be good to meet someone from the Yang family."

Shi Shouxin nodded.

He instructed Meng Guan to find the leader of the Yang family, an old man in his fifties, who had a pedantic air about him and didn't seem like someone who could manage things.

In fact it is.

His eldest son had passed away, a case of an elderly man burying his son.

The second son, Yang Changcai, was only a teenager and unable to lead the family.

The person who is now helping out at home and is actually in charge with great management skills is the 20-year-old eldest daughter, Yang Ying.

Shi Shouxin didn't waste words with them. He put his second son, Yang Chang, in charge of the troops, selected 500 men, and settled the rest as tenant farmers in Baishui Pass. In any case, the original military households in Baishui Pass had all run away with Jiang Wei, so there was enough land to settle the troops.

As for Yang Ying, the actual manager of the Yang family, Shi Shouxin directly took her as a concubine, regardless of whether the Yang family agreed or not, which was extremely domineering and unreasonable.

After settling his troops in the camp, Shi Shouxin instructed Ma Long and Meng Guan to keep watch there while he, along with Li Liang and a group of personal guards, escorted several carts of silk to Yang'an Pass, intending to deliver generous gifts to Xu Yi.

You can't hit a smiling person, let alone a smiling person with a gift.

Upon meeting, Xu Yi grabbed Shi Shouxin's arms and laughed heartily, "Supervisor Shi, you've been back far too late! I couldn't wait any longer, hahahahahaha!"

He laughed loudly as he invited Shi Shouxin to drink wine in the study of the Hanzhong Governor's Office.

After the group was seated, Shi Shouxin asked Li Liang to wait outside while he and Xu Yi spoke privately.

"Commander Shi, you've brought back so much silk; you're too kind. I only intended for you to bring some gold, silver, and valuables, but I never expected you to bring so many cartloads of silk. This gift is far too generous!"

We're practically family now, so please don't hesitate to ask if Supervisor Shi needs anything!

Xu Yi asked with a smile and great generosity.

Shi Shouxin sent people to help him transport grain and fodder, and also delivered several cartloads of silk to him. Could that have happened without reason?

Even if Shi Shouxin didn't want anything, Xu Yi still wouldn't feel at ease, let alone the fact that the other party had saved his life in the past.

In a society built on personal connections, debts of gratitude are hard to repay. If you have the chance, you must seize it to settle them.

If you borrow and repay, it's easy to borrow again. This is how relationships between people and families are often built.

Xu Yi believed that Shi Shouxin definitely had something to ask for, otherwise there would be no need for such trouble. When they first met, Xu Yi knew that Shi Shouxin was a straightforward person who would never be hesitant or indecisive in his dealings.

"There were 5,000 Shu soldiers at Yang'an Pass before. Some of them died in battle, some surrendered, and a lot of supplies were left in the treasury."

Mr. Shi would like to ask, how much is still in the treasury? And what about the weapons and uniforms of those disbanded Shu soldiers?

Shi Shouxin asked in a deep voice.

interesting!
Xu Yi sat up straight, putting away her nonchalant expression.

"There are still thousands of military uniforms. There are also many weapons, shields, and even ten thousand crossbows."

But there weren't a single arrow left; Zhong Hui had taken them all.

"Since Supervisor Shi wants it, let him take it. It's just been sitting in the Yang'an Pass treasury all along, untouched. We'll see who takes over the treasury later; this messy account is impossible to untangle."

Xu Yi spoke very carefully, speaking slowly, as if choosing his words carefully.

Food supplies were strictly managed in the army, making it difficult to tamper with them.

Arrows are a consumable item, and the demand at the front lines is enormous, so the more the better; they cannot be left in the warehouse.

However, the Shu army's spears, shields, crossbows, and other military equipment are now completely useless to the Wei army.

At the crucial moment of the campaign against Shu, no one came to inventory the warehouses. It was only after the army returned to the capital and the court sent people to take over local civil administration that these weapons were inventoried.

Keep what you can use, and throw away what you can't.

"Does Inspector Shi want to recruit a hereditary army?"

Xu Yi smiled, squinting her eyes, and poured Shi Shouxin a glass of wine.

"Right on my mind."

Shi Shouxin nodded.

"Alright then, you can take whatever you want from the treasury at Yang'an Pass. Only those thousand sets of half-body armor are off-limits; everything else is yours."

Xu Yi offered generous terms.

"You know that Zhong Hui will rebel after entering Shu. Without this batch of armor, I'm afraid my newly recruited hereditary soldiers won't be able to stop Zhong Hui's forces. I beg General Xu to show mercy."

Shi Shouxin pleaded.

If it weren't for those thousand half-body armors, he wouldn't have bothered coming to Yang'an Pass. As for things like long spears, shields, and Shu army uniforms, he could get them anywhere and didn't care about them at all!
"If the imperial court investigates, I'm afraid it will be..."

Xu Yi hesitated for a moment.

Weapons weren't a big problem, but the armor was a real threat. To put it another way, it wouldn't be a big deal for Shi Shouxin to take the armor, but if someone reported him, he'd be in serious trouble.

“Zhong Hui will surely rebel! If I succeed in suppressing the rebellion, no one will bother General Xu.”

If I were to die a gruesome death, Zhong Hui would likely gain power, and the court would no longer care about General Xu.

Shi Shouxin lowered his voice and tried to persuade him.

"It's still a bit inappropriate."

Xu Yi shook his head, about to refuse, when he heard Shi Shouxin say, "Add two more cartloads of silk, no, two cartloads of Shu brocade!"

After he finished speaking, the air in the study seemed to freeze.

That's Shu brocade!

Xu Yi slowly began, “At midnight tonight, the treasury at Yang’an Pass caught fire. The Shu army uniforms, weapons, and armor stored inside were all burned to ashes. Can Supervisor Shi testify for me that it was the work of Shu spies sent by Jiang Wei? As for why Supervisor Shi’s troops had Shu army uniforms and weapons, those were all captured by you along the way, right?”

"Yes, yes, that's it."

Come, let's raise a toast to Jiang Boyue.

Shi Shouxin finally smiled and raised his glass to clink with Xu Yi's.

"Yes, let's toast Jiang Boyue."

Xu Yi also revealed a mischievous smile, his meaning unspoken.

(End of this chapter)