Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 51 impart
Near the gate of Yang'an Pass, a middle-aged general, about fifty years old, wearing lamellar armor, lay in a pool of blood.

This man was riddled with arrows, turning his body into a pincushion. A knife was still embedded in his abdomen; his death was extremely gruesome.

Hu Lie and the others surrounded this man, remaining silent. Whether it was a sense of shared sorrow or simply a common occurrence, each person's expression was different, a thousand faces, a thousand expressions.

When Shi Shouxin and Du Yu arrived at the city gate and entered the crowd, they saw a man dressed in Shu army uniform lying on the ground who looked like a general.

"General Hu, who is this person?"

Shi Shouxin pointed to the dead body on the ground and asked.

"Fu Qian, the garrison commander of Yang'an Pass, was outnumbered and fought valiantly to his death in the battle."

Hu Lie said with deep emotion.

When faced with the same situation, different people often make different choices.

Jiang Shu chose to live a life of ignominy and betray his master for personal gain.

Fu Qian chose loyalty and righteousness, and fought to the death.

It's difficult to define whether this is worthwhile or not using the same standard.

While betraying one's master for personal gain is certainly not commendable, the instinct to survive in times of crisis is human nature and is perfectly understandable.

While fighting to the death and refusing to surrender is certainly admirable, is it really worth Fu Qian sacrificing his life for Shu Han, which is now filled with public resentment?
Shi Shouxin thought of the phrase "everyone has their own ambitions".

"I dare say, you are the military supervisor, what do you think should be done with Vice Minister Fu?"

Hu Lie asked somewhat hesitantly.

Zhong Hui didn't speak, and it's unlikely he would give any specific instructions. But Fu Qian's body couldn't just be left there unattended.

"Fu Qian died in battle, and his grand funeral was to appease the people."

If the soldiers and civilians of Hanzhong hear that Fu Qian, who fought to the death and refused to surrender, has been properly buried, they will certainly not cause any trouble.

Mr. Shi felt that General Hu should give Fu Qian a proper burial and pardon his family members, which would be the best way to bring peace to the people.

To desecrate a corpse or hang its head on a city tower as a warning to others would be petty and narrow-minded.

Some locals may be uneasy as a result, and may do some incomprehensible things.

Shi Shouxin's words were clear and unambiguous, which is why everyone likes to seek his advice.

He's a man of his word, he never plays games.

Hu Lie nodded; in fact, he had the same thought, but he was worried that Zhong Hui would blame him. Hearing Shi Shouxin speak so decisively, he felt more confident.

"Guards, give Fu Qian a proper burial."

Hu Lie gave the order to his personal guards.

Before long, Wei soldiers carried away Fu Qian's body, and many soldiers were busy cleaning up the battlefield.

"Brother, let's go have a drink, a celebratory drink!"

Hu Lie grabbed Shi Shouxin's arm and laughed heartily. His guards, officers, and cavalry captains all laughed along, clearly understanding what Hu Lie meant. They now considered Shi Shouxin one of their own.

Du Yu and Shi Shouxin, being newcomers to military service for the first time, had no idea what was going on and could only chuckle awkwardly as they followed Hu Lie into Yang'an Pass.

This is a majestic pass built against the mountain, with towering mountains on both sides, making it virtually impossible to cross! As the first line of defense protecting the Shu region, Yang'an Pass holds an extremely important strategic position.

After the founding of the Cao Wei state, Wei attacked Hanzhong three times. The first two times, they couldn't even get close to Yang'an Pass, but the third time, they captured the pass with ease.

This clearly shows that the Hanzhong region has now been brought under our control, a victory not seen in decades.

With this merit, even a lavish feast tonight would be perfectly acceptable. Even if Zhong Hui knew, he wouldn't blame Hu Lie.

There's a saying: "It's hard to defy public anger."

The group arrived at the "Hanzhong Governor's Mansion" where Fu Qian had previously resided. In the not-so-spacious hall, tables and stools for kneeling had already been set up.

After Hu Lie sat down in the main seat with an air of authority, he gave a few instructions to his personal guards. Soon, the guards brought up the food prepared by the cooks.

Although the meals consisted of simple dishes like chives and roasted meat, with only bean porridge and fermented flatbread as staple foods, they were still considered a rare delicacy in the military.

The quantity and variety are sufficient, but the cooking is rough and not refined enough.

"Gentlemen, there is no need to worry. I have already compiled a list of merits. You will all review it in a moment. If there are no problems, I will send someone to present it to the Grand Commander tomorrow."

Today we won't discuss military affairs, nor political matters, but only... matters of the heart, yes, only matters of the heart!

Hu Lie laughed heartily.

Despite Jiang Shu surrendering the city, which was the key to the capture of Yang'an Pass, he wasn't even here at the moment, and didn't even have a chance to sit at the table!
A defeated general has no right to speak of bravery. This is the fate of those who surrender. Even if they manage to survive, they can forget about achieving great success.

It's natural to be looked down upon.

Shi Shouxin ate his food in silence. In any case, this military merit had nothing to do with him, and the more he spoke, the more awkward it would be. He looked around and found that Yang Xiu, who had come to announce his arrival, was also there, and was drinking happily, showing no trace of his previous anger.

He thought to himself: Yang Xiu looks young, but he is unusually familiar with these crooked ways in the army.

After a few rounds of drinks, Hu Lie's cheeks were flushed. He squinted and whispered something to his personal guards beside him. Soon, the guards brought in more than a dozen beauties.

They wore brightly colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) in various styles.

Their ages varied; some were clearly married, their hair tied up in a bun. Others, however, looked like young girls, probably no more than sixteen or seventeen.

"Oh, Supervisor Shi, you go first."

Hu Lie laughed loudly, pointing at the group of women and speaking to Shi Shouxin. The generals in the hall didn't mind at all, and they all laughed and jeering. During this attack on Hanzhong, Shi Shouxin, as the military supervisor, had done many things for them. They were all grateful.

Shi Shouxin's expression changed slightly. Seeing this, he understood what was going on. This was just a sex party!

“General Hu, the Grand Commander has a bad temper. If he knows that General Hu has captured Yang’an Pass but did not report it, he may use this as an excuse to make trouble.”

Shi Shouxin bowed to Hu Lie and subtly hinted: "If Zhong Hui finds out you're having a lavish party, he'll definitely use it as an excuse to make a scene."

Hu Lie pondered for a moment, then his smile faded. He nodded and said, "The celebration cannot stop, but it is indeed inappropriate not to send someone to report the victory. Here's what we'll do: the report document is here. You take your own troops and travel lightly to the main camp to report the victory. Let's set off now."

Hu Lie took out a scroll of silk that had been written in advance from his sleeve. Shi Shouxin stepped forward, took the scroll, bowed and left.

After Shi Shouxin left, Hu Lie sighed and shook his head regretfully, saying, "Shi Gandang's wife is the beloved daughter of Li Yin, the Imperial Censor. No wonder he couldn't stay put. If his father-in-law finds out about this banquet tonight, he'll surely get a lecture when he gets back."

Hu Lie assumed that Shi Shouxin didn't join their silver party because he was afraid of his father-in-law's power, and immediately felt sorry for this military supervisor of humble origins. He didn't think it was because the other party was being shy.

What man isn't attracted to women?

Of course, without Li Yin as his father-in-law, Shi Shouxin, given his background, would never have been able to sit here and engage in such lofty discussions.

The Hu family was a prominent family in the Northwest, and their members all held high-ranking positions in Cao Wei. The Hu family was also Sima Yi's confidants. After winning a battle, Hu Lie threw a lavish party, so of course he wasn't afraid of Zhong Hui's wrath!

Moreover, holding a lavish party after a major victory was a long-standing tradition in the Cao Wei army. Back then, after defeating Zhang Xiu, Cao Cao threw a very costly party, resulting in the deaths of Dian Wei, Cao Ang, Cao Anmin, and others – a truly tragic end.

"General Hu, I, Du, have been observing from the sidelines outside the city today and have not participated in the capture of the city. I am truly unworthy to be seated here. I will take my leave now."

Du Yu stood up, bowed to Hu Lie, and then strode away, too lazy to explain further.

As Sima Zhao's brother-in-law, he didn't need to give Hu Lie any face.

After he left, Hu Lie commented to the generals, "Du Lang comes from a good family, but he's the General's brother-in-law and they've only been married for a short time. No wonder he had to leave. Otherwise, if the General asks about it when we get back to Luoyang, Du Lang won't know how to explain it, hahahahahahaha!"

The generals in the hall burst into laughter, but at the same time, a bitter feeling and sympathy welled up in their hearts.

To gain something, you will lose something else; that's just human nature.

People like Shi Shouxin and Du Yu may have obtained marriages that others envied and received support from their wives' families.

But they also lost the "freedom" to have affairs outside.

No matter how outstanding a person's abilities are, they will still be constrained and hampered by their wife's family to some extent. These days, the wife's family has a lot of influence, and the wife's relatives are an important part of the husband's interpersonal relationships.

For people like Shi Shouxin and Du Yu, whose wives' families are quite powerful compared to their own families, attending the Silver Party after winning a victory is a very difficult thing.

Meanwhile, Shi Shouxin went to the stable, found his warhorse, and led it out to gather his troops, namely the hundred soldiers of the Imperial Guard.

He looked up and saw Du Yu strolling around inside Yang'an Pass.

It was still dark when Shi Shouxin saw Du Yu walking towards him and quickly greeted him.

"Yuan Kai, why don't you stay there a little longer?"

Shi Shouxin asked in surprise.

"Du is the brother-in-law of the general, there are some things that cannot be done."

Du Yu spoke calmly, without offering further explanation.

He countered, "Why did you make an excuse to leave? Your wife is a woman of great understanding and should not care about such social obligations. Cao Cao did the same thing in the army, and everyone did it that way. What are you so afraid of?"

“Those are the families of those who died in battle in Shu, or the families of those who surrendered. I, Shi, cannot bear to humiliate them.”

Shi Shouxin waved his hand and said.

"That's how the world is, it's commonplace, I dare say I haven't told Mr. Du the truth."

Du Yu shook his head, clearly dissatisfied with Shi Shouxin's words.

"Well, actually, it's because I feel deeply indebted to my wife and can't bear to betray her kindness. My wife has been very good to me, and in this situation, I really can't bear to do anything reckless behind her back."

Although men may sometimes be forced into situations where they have no other choice, they should try to act according to their own wishes when faced with matters that they can decide for themselves.

Just like Yuan Kai didn't actually want to be the general's brother-in-law, but he had no choice but to do so for the sake of his family.
If you have to do things that require forbearance, and even things that don't require forbearance, then what's the point of forbearance?

Shi Shouxin countered with a question.

"well said!"

Du Yu clapped his hands and laughed loudly!
He stepped forward and patted Shi Shouxin on the shoulder, whispering a reminder: "When you get to the camp, don't mention today's banquet, and especially don't mention those women. Just report your achievements to Zhong Hui."

"Don't worry, I know about this."

Shi Shouxin nodded.

The two passed each other, and Du Yu turned back and grabbed Shi Shouxin's sleeve, asking in a deep voice, "Are you really not going back to Luoyang? It's perfect time to go back now; I don't think the Grand Commander will object!"

He had asked this question many times; he was truly trying his best.

"I don't want to go back, and I'm too ashamed to go back."

Shi Shouxin sighed and said nothing more.

"Then take care of yourself."

After saying this, Du Yu turned and left. He had already done more than enough.

After Shi Shouxin left, Du Yu couldn't help but turn back to look at his retreating figure and sigh helplessly.

How many people fall on the road to fame and fortune, and how many actually reach the end? Recalling Sima Zhao's instructions before his departure, Du Yu felt that things were developing in the direction he least wanted to see.

(End of this chapter)