Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 30 White Streak in the Waves
When it was still barely dawn, Li Wan opened her eyes, dragging her aching body against the headboard, only to see Shi Shouxin already getting dressed.

"My lord, what are the benefits of building a bridge at Mengjin Ferry?"

She asked while yawning, her back aching.

Last night was so much fun, I felt like I was dying of pleasure!

However, the consequence of their passionate lovemaking was that she had no energy at all today, and could barely lift her arms. Li Wan actually wanted to get up early to make breakfast for Shi Shouxin, but she was a bit too weak.

"To be honest, I didn't want to participate in the conquest of Shu; I wanted to find something to do."

I had to deal with social obligations; going to Sichuan was not my original intention.

As Shi Shouxin dressed, he shook his head and sighed. Even to his wife, who loved him deeply, he would not reveal certain core secrets.

"Why don't you go, my lord? I heard from my father that this campaign against Shu is not dangerous at all; it's all about gaining military merit. Many people are scrambling to join!"
Ah Lang should have a chance to participate, right?

Li Wan's languid expression gradually turned serious. Husband and wife are one; she and Shi Shouxin are partners who support each other on their journey, without any scheming or calculation between them, both genuinely wanting the best for the other.

"In this world, we are often powerless to control our own lives. Having you is already a great blessing in my life. I really dare not ask for more."

Shi Shouxin had already dressed and leaned down to kiss Li Wan on the forehead.

"It's probably better not to go, sigh!"

Li Wan sighed. Xu Ying's fate of being manipulated by others had made her wary, not to mention that Sima Yan was still obsessed with her. Li Wan couldn't even imagine what would happen if she and her husband fell on hard times. Therefore, Shi Shouxin couldn't afford to stop and waste his life.

Once you step outside your home, the world outside is a dog-eat-dog world, full of deceit and treachery. How can you survive without self-reliance?

"I will spend the night at Mengjin Ferry and return tomorrow."

Shi Shouxin casually gave an order and pushed open the door to go out. It was already bright outside, but the crescent moon, which was translucent and pale yellow, could still be seen on the horizon.

"Let's go."

Shi Shouxin gave an order to the greyhound that was fighting with the crowing rooster in the courtyard, and the two of them got into the carriage and left. This was an "official carriage" provided by the Imperial Household Department, which did not require payment, but the horses had to be fed well.

Early in the morning, Shi Shouxin, who was driving the car, saw many farmers in the fields turning the soil, weeding, and carrying water, busy as could be. Xigou sat beside him, observing the situation on both sides of the road.

Shi Shouxin escaped his own predicament of having to work in the fields, but he could not change the fate of most ordinary people in the country.

Seeing the farmers in the fields working so hard, yet having little to show for it at the end of the year, he felt a pang of sympathy.

“My lord, if you are in charge of building the bridge, you won’t be able to participate in the campaign against Shu. Didn’t you say that you would mostly be on official business at the rear granary, where there is no danger? Why bother building the Mengjin Bridge?”

The greyhound asked, somewhat puzzled.

The carriage was filled with many surveying tools made by Shi Shouxin. Their trip to Mengjin Ferry was not for sightseeing, but to conduct an on-site survey and select the most suitable location for building a bridge.

The greyhound wasn't doubting its owner's abilities; it just felt that doing such a task was thankless and exhausting.

"Some risks are unpredictable; safety comes first."

Shi Shouxin gave a perfunctory reply; he couldn't very well tell Xigou the story of "one scheme harming three wise men."

Even if the other party believed it, there would be no point in telling them. This campaign against Shu seemed easy and effortless; Sima Zhao had even already prepared the document granting him the Nine Bestowments.

However, some unexpected events cannot be predicted through reasoning alone.

While one might be able to profit from the "prophet's" guidance, the risks after entering Sichuan are truly uncontrollable.

First, Deng Ai died, then Zhong Hui joined forces with Jiang Wei to rebel, and finally, there was a great chaos. Shi Shouxin couldn't guarantee that he would survive these waves of purges.

Even though he knew that Li Wan hoped her husband would participate in the conquest of Shu and achieve great things, and even though he deeply loved this woman, he could not gamble with his life.

If you lose your life, you lose everything. Fame, fortune, future prospects, wife, family—all gone in an instant.

Mengjin Ferry is not far from Luoyang; you can reach it by heading northeast out of the city.

By the time they arrived, it was past noon. Shi Shouxin immediately got off the carriage and took out the measuring tools he had made over the past two years.

Use a long, thin rope to have a greyhound sit on the ferry and pull the rope to the other side to measure the length. Use a set of set squares to calculate the height difference between the two banks by measuring the height of their shadows.

Next came selecting the location for the approach bridge and using tools to measure the water depth and silt thickness along the bank. After this series of actions, Shi Shouxin and Xigou were exhausted.

Their final conclusion was that no bridge of any kind could be built here except for a pontoon bridge. Not only was the river about two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) deep in the middle, but the soil on both banks was also too soft for laying a foundation.

Simply put, it's impossible to build bridge piers in the middle of the river, and the bridge's length, according to preliminary calculations, exceeds three hundred zhang (approximately 150 meters). Of course, this situation is quite normal; if it were convenient to build a bridge here, construction would have begun long ago. There were certainly clever people in ancient times.

The area surrounding Luoyang has been a densely populated region since the Western Zhou Dynasty.

"Ah Lang, this is a bit difficult to handle."

"The greyhound leaned closer and whispered." Shi Shouxin nodded slightly, neither confirming nor denying. In his first year working at the Imperial Household Department, Shi Shouxin had taken advantage of the local conditions to oversee the design of an arched bridge over the Luo River, which was only a few dozen meters wide.

The width of that bridge is like the difference between a child and a strong man compared to the bridge that is to be built in Mengjin.

"If all else fails, building a pontoon bridge is an option. But with so many boats coming from upstream, wouldn't a pontoon bridge block the river?"

Shi Shouxin crossed his arms and muttered to himself.

Just then, a small boat came towards Mengjin Ferry from afar. Shi Shouxin didn't care about the passing boats, but suddenly a large wave hit, and the small boat rocked a few times on the river and capsized instantly!
Three or four people, including the boatman, were struggling in the water.

"My lord, this distance is over ten zhang. Should we save him or not? I can't swim."

The greyhound muttered to itself.

"Of course we have to save them!"

Shi Shouxin took off his robe and the short jacket and trousers underneath, and jumped naked into the river. He swam quickly like a fish, splashing around a few times before reaching one of the men and dragging him towards the shore.

He pulled the man ashore. The man hadn't swallowed much water, but he shouted at Shi Shouxin, "Why are you saving me? Quickly save my master!"

"Shut up! If you're so capable, you do it yourself!"

Shi Shouxin slapped him and roared, and the guy finally stopped yelling.

The dog quickly tied the thin rope used for measuring distance around Shi Shouxin's waist, and the latter jumped into the river again. The three people struggling in the water were almost drowning.

Shi Shouxin swam to the boatman, untied the rope for him to hold, and then swam to a passenger, letting him hold the rope as well. The greyhound kept pulling on the rope from the bank, and the two men, lying on their backs exhaling, floated on the river like dead fish, slowly approaching the shore.

But there was still one person left, and the distance was too far to pull with a rope.

Shi Shouxin had no choice but to swim over and grab the man's arm. But to everyone's surprise, the young man suddenly clung to Shi Shouxin as if he had grasped a lifeline, and the two of them sank together.

"You bastard, repay kindness with enmity! You better behave yourself!"

At the critical moment, Shi Shouxin, driven by malice, struck his opponent on the right cheek with an elbow. The man, already frightened, instantly lost consciousness after the elbow strike and ceased struggling.

Shi Shouxin breathed a sigh of relief. If he hadn't started learning to swim at six, participated in a national competition at twelve, and even crossed the Yangtze River in Chongqing, he would never have dared to go into the water to rescue the man. After struggling in the water with the unfortunate fellow, Shi Shouxin felt utterly exhausted when he reached the shore. While in the water, the adrenaline surged, driving him to the brink of death; but now, an indescribable fatigue overwhelmed him. He sat on a rock, panting heavily, too weary to even move.

A moment later, a hapless fellow with a swollen right cheek staggered over, bowed to him, and said, "Thank you for saving my life, benefactor. May I ask your honorable name?"

Seeing his unusually humble attitude, Shi Shouxin's resentment at almost being killed by him dissipated. He pointed to the large rock beside him and said, "It was nothing, and it just so happens that I am quite good at swimming."

The man sat down and nodded to Shi Shouxin, saying, "Outsiders say that the waves between Fuping Ferry and Mengjin Ferry are turbulent. I didn't believe it before, but this time I was caught off guard. If it weren't for your rescue, I would have almost been swallowed by the fish. My name is Du Yu, courtesy name Yuankai. I work in the General's Mansion. May I ask your esteemed name, my benefactor? You have many instruments for measuring directions with you. I suppose you work in the Junior Treasury?"

Du Yu's face was swollen on one side, making him look somewhat comical, and his lip was cut from Shi Shouxin's elbow. But he wasn't resentful at all; on the contrary, he was extremely grateful.

The person in front of him had saved his life!

"I am Shi Shouxin, a minor official in the Imperial Household Department. I came to Mengjin Ferry to check if a bridge could be built here, but I didn't expect to run into you, Gongtai."

Shi Shouxin gave a casual reply.

"Oh dear! What a coincidence! I came to Fupingdu this time to build a bridge and to survey the hydrological location. We both want to build the same bridge, but Gongtai is on this side and I am on the other! Hahahaha! What a coincidence!"

Du Yu felt as if he had met a kindred spirit, and immediately and excitedly grasped Shi Shouxin's hands, no longer being as polite as before.

“Yuan Kai, you may not know this, but after surveying the surrounding geography, I found that this place is not suitable for building a bridge. The only feasible solution is to build a pontoon bridge, which requires annual maintenance and would also disrupt the upstream and downstream water transport.”

Shi Shouxin sighed deeply.

“My thoughts are similar to those of my benefactor, and I am also worried about this matter. The Yellow River has a large span, and it is impossible to set up bridge piers in the middle, which is indeed a difficult problem.”

Du Yu also shook his head; he didn't have any good ideas either.

Seeing that Shi Shouxin wanted to say something more, Du Yu waved his hand, leaned closer and whispered, "The General plans to attack Shu, and I have been conscripted into the Prime Minister's office to participate in military planning. The Mengjin Bridge is not only impossible to build, but even if it could be built, it would cost a lot of money. The General's ambitions are not in this, so I'm afraid it will be difficult to proceed."

It's about conquering Shu again!
Shi Shouxin was startled, but he simply nodded without showing any emotion.

By this time, it was gradually getting dark. Xi Gou lit a torch, and the group sat around the fire, taking off their clothes to warm themselves. Du Yu kept marveling at Shi Shouxin's strong and well-built muscles.

Shi Shouxin's appearance certainly doesn't conform to the contemporary aesthetic of femininity, but he would definitely be sought after by some women.

Du Yu gently waved his hand to dismiss the servants, and the greyhound, understanding the situation, also left.

Du Yu looked at Shi Shouxin and asked:

"This campaign against Shu is a good opportunity to gain military merit. According to the general's plan, Deng Ai in the north will attract the main force of the Shu army led by Jiang Wei, while we will follow General Zhong Hui to conquer Hanzhong in the south. After capturing Hanzhong, we will withdraw our troops back to Chang'an and wait for the general to go to Chang'an. At that time, we can gain without lifting a finger. Many people already want to participate in this matter."

I observe that you, my benefactor, are skilled in siege warfare and have great potential in the army. I, Du, intend to recommend you for this campaign against Shu. What is your opinion?

Seeing his sincere expression, Shi Shouxin suddenly asked, "Is it now confirmed that Zhong Hui will be the General Who Conquers the West?"

Upon hearing this, Du Yu realized he had let something slip! His expression changed drastically, then turned into an awkward, self-deprecating laugh.

He could only sigh and explain, "I, Du, participated in the military planning of this campaign against Shu. What I just said was merely the General's idea and was not publicly announced in official documents. Please do not tell anyone else, my benefactor. However, it was only a matter of time. It is already autumn now. Let's see if we launch the campaign this winter or next spring."

"I believe that with the capture of Hanzhong, the gates of Shu will be wide open. General, the capture of Hanzhong will have already accomplished the great task. Destroying Shu would be a bad thing."

Shi Shouxin echoed this sentiment.

Du Yu's expression immediately became tense, and he whispered a warning: "It's best if our benefactor knows the truth about this matter, but you must never tell anyone else."

He then realized that this "White Streak in the Waves" was by no means a dullard; in fact, one could say he possessed considerable strategic acumen. Everyone knew that Sima Zhao wanted to attack Shu, but those who could say that Sima Zhao only wanted to take Hanzhong and didn't want to waste time and effort were extremely rare.

"Shi and Yuan Kai hit it off immediately, so we naturally spoke our minds freely. At other times, Shi kept his mouth shut. Yuan Kai doesn't need to call me 'benefactor' or 'benefactor'; he can just call me by my courtesy name, Gan Dang."

Shi Shouxin laughed heartily.

"So you are Shi Gandang?"

Du Yu stood up abruptly from the ground, looking at Shi Shouxin with a surprised expression.

Am I famous?

Shi Shouxin asked with a puzzled look.

"It's not just famous, it's incredibly famous."

Du Yu excitedly grabbed Shi Shouxin's hands, but as if remembering something, he lowered his voice and said with a wry smile, "It's just that the reputation of being daring is not what the Sima family wants to hear, and as for me... never mind, let's not talk about it."

"If, I mean if."

Shi Shouxin suddenly grabbed Du Yu's arm and leaned in to whisper something.

"Feel free to speak your mind."

Du Yu nodded, his expression serious.

"What I mean is, if Deng Ai marches into Shu and captures Chengdu, then... wouldn't the General's entire plan be reduced to ashes?"

Shi Shouxin raised a frightening question. Du Yu remained silent, as if deep in thought.

Shi Shouxin continued, "For example, Yuan Kai gave his in-laws a betrothal gift, held a wedding and banquet, and invited relatives and friends to the banquet."

But on the eve of your wedding night, someone else ends up consummating the marriage with your wife. And afterwards, he becomes your wife's husband. Wouldn't you be furious? Wouldn't you want to kill that person?

"Du must be... no way?"

Du Yu seemed to have thought of something, and suddenly became so alarmed that he got up to leave.

"It's good that Yuan Kai knows the truth; some things are better left unsaid."

Shi Shouxin grabbed Du Yu's hand, winked at him, and gestured for him to calm down.

Du Yu plopped down on the ground, drenched in cold sweat. The analogy Shi Shouxin had used couldn't possibly be referring to the wedding itself.

But he has already made his meaning very clear.

This campaign against Shu can be compared to Sima Zhao marrying a bride. Everything was orchestrated by Sima Zhao; if someone foolishly tries to steal the spoils, what will happen to the guests at the wedding?
Everyone understands, but no one can say it out loud.

"You dare say that? Do you really think there are such ungrateful people in the world?"

Du Yu asked in confusion.

"Who knows? In any case, I think the general's plan to conquer Shu this time is probably not as easy as he thought."

For example, if there were a real opportunity to destroy the Shu Kingdom, would the Grand General go or not? Wouldn't all of Yuan Kai's strategies then become nothing but a pipe dream?

Shi Shouxin's resolute face flickered in and out of focus under the firelight.

(End of this chapter)