Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 59 Rolling in the Mud

Compared to the formidable Jiange Pass of the Shu Kingdom, Huangjinwei, the easternmost fortress in Hanzhong, was insignificant. However, despite repeated attacks by Liu Qin's troops, the narrow yet strategically important Huangjinwei remained standing.

After rushing for over a hundred li from Yang'an Pass to Huangjinwei, Shi Shouxin realized that the situation here seemed to deviate somewhat from his preconceived notions.

"Prefect Liu, I am Shi Shouxin, here to serve as military supervisor. The official documents from the imperial court are here."

According to military orders, your unit is under my command.

Shi Shouxin bowed to Liu Qin, the governor of Weixing, and then took out a silk scroll from his sleeve and handed it to him for inspection. After verification, Liu Qin bowed to Shi Shouxin and invited him into the camp.

They followed the procedures meticulously and without the slightest slackening.

Liu Qin was a stocky man with long arms and rough hands. He was clearly skilled in archery and horsemanship.

His dark, ruddy face was clearly the result of years of sun and wind exposure. After reviewing the imperial appointment letter, he returned the greeting to Shi Shouxin with a calm expression and gestured for him to proceed.

Shi Shouxin nodded slightly, then glanced at Liu Qin's personal guards, all of whom were incredibly strong, clad in armor, carrying swords and spears, armed to the teeth.

The main camp had a military tent with a capacity of about two thousand people. Half of them were on duty in Golden Valley to prevent the Golden Encirclement troops on the hillside from launching a surprise attack, while the other half were resting in the main camp.

The entire camp was silent, creating a somber and oppressive atmosphere.

Shi Shouxin thought to himself: This Prefect Liu is strict in managing his troops, rarely smiles, and seems reliable and steady. He doesn't seem like an ordinary person.

Although his army was only the county soldiers of Weixing Commandery, they were disciplined and disciplined, and could not have been a hastily assembled force. It was an elite army, but it was not valued by Sima Zhao, and in Zhong Hui's eyes, it was just a small fry, so he assigned them to the Golden Siege City, which was the farthest from Yang'an Pass.

This can be considered a form of workplace bullying.

Of course, Huangjinwei is very close to Weixing County, so Zhong Hui's actions were understandable. However, it's certain that when it comes to rewards for meritorious service, Liu Qin and his subordinates will have no place.

That day, as soon as Shi Shouxin arrived at the military camp, Liu Qin sent someone to invite him to his own tent that very night.

The two men sat down at a table laden with common military fare: flatbread, rice porridge, and pickles. There wasn't even a piece of meat, let alone any alcohol.

"Commander Shi, please bear with this. If the enemy's encirclement is not broken, the commander-in-chief is drinking and eating meat, which will affect the morale of the soldiers."

Hearing that Supervisor Shi's father-in-law is the Vice Censor-in-Chief, and that he'll have someone to vouch for him if anything happens, Liu is quite envious.

Liu Qin sighed with emotion, his tone tinged with resentment.

Shi Shouxin recalled how Hu Lie had thrown a lavish party for his generals after the capture of Yang'an Pass, and suddenly felt that the Prefect of Weixing was living a very difficult life. He had to be extremely careful even when fighting a battle, fearing that someone would find a pretext to punish him.

Liu Qin's concerns were not unfounded. In war, if the battle goes smoothly, it's fine, but if the battle is lost, the first to be punished are generals like them who have no powerful backers.

Unless they can turn the tide and win, or manage to escape unscathed, they're doomed!

"Prefect Liu, what are you saying? Military law is merciless. Even if I commit a crime, I will still be punished."

Furthermore, my father-in-law is an upright man; if I, Shi, were to commit a crime, he would undoubtedly have to uphold justice even at the cost of his own family's life.

Shi Shouxin quickly waved his hand and denied it outright, not daring to take on Liu Qin's question at all.

Seeing his cautious demeanor, Liu Qin sighed and decided to be frank.

He spread out a map drawn on a sheepskin on the table and, making do with what he had, used a rice bowl and a plate to cover the four corners.

"Commander Shi, please look, this is the topographical map of Huangjinwei. This fortress is built against the mountain and beside the water, on the mountainside, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. The commander is Liu Yin, a famous general of Shu, who is skilled in military administration."

I have led my troops here for many days and tried to attack several times, but apart from suffering heavy losses, I have not even been able to touch the gate of the fortress.

Seeing that the Wei army was winning every battle in attacking cities throughout Hanzhong, Liu was extremely anxious.

Liu Qin complained to Shi Shouxin.

Liu Qin could tell whether a military supervisor was there to cause trouble. Since none of them were from the Celestial Dragon faction, there was no need to compete with each other; it was better to talk things out.

Upon hearing this, Shi Shouxin immediately understood that he had been "arranged" by Sima Zhao again. From the beginning, his position as the acting military supervisor was separate from Wei Guan's to avoid any conflict of duties.

However, if there is any change in the army that is going to conquer Shu, then he can jump out and cause trouble again!

Shi Shouxin didn't say anything, but just stared at the map, trying to find a flaw.

Golden Wai is named after Golden Hill, Golden Valley and Golden Gorge, and as a whole it presents a complex defense system including hills, rivers, beaches and canyons.

It's not simply a city sitting there waiting to be attacked.

Although it is not very obvious on the map, it can still be seen that Golden Wai has no shortage of water sources, is located at a high altitude, and has only one entrance to the mountain.

"Huangjinwei, also known as Huangjinshu, is said to have been built by Zhang Lu."

According to military regulations, a garrison consists of at least fifty men and at most five hundred men. Even if the garrison is full, it will not be more than a thousand men.

Liu estimated that Liu Yin had at most five hundred men, or even only three hundred. However, due to thorough preparation, he had a small number of soldiers but a large amount of stored grain.

Even if we hold out for a year, we might still be able to hold on.

Liu Qin introduced in a deep voice.

Large cities are indeed difficult to conquer, but attacking small outposts also presents its own set of challenges. If the terrain is too treacherous, only a few dozen men can be sent to attack the city at a time, relying solely on piecemeal tactics to slowly whittle down the enemy's health and eventually destroy their morale.

"General Liu, when you attack the city tomorrow, I'll have something to say when I report my victory. Otherwise, I might believe some of what you say, but the General might not."

Shi Shouxin said noncommittally. No matter what excuses Liu Qin made, it was unacceptable that they couldn't even capture Huangjinwei, a small stronghold with only a few hundred men; it suggested they were cowardly.

It's already late, so there's no need to elaborate. Tomorrow, we should try attacking Huangjinwei to show Shi Shouxin, the supervising officer, what we're capable of. Liu Qin looked hesitant, but ultimately nodded slightly, offering no objection. Without putting them to the test, it would be difficult to gain the respect of the troops.

Nothing happened that night, and early the next morning, the drums began to beat in the camp. Shi Shouxin was quite familiar with this kind of drumming to troop mobilization. He calmly walked into the troop mobilization tent and immediately sensed that the atmosphere inside was very tense.

Liu Qin said nothing, but placed a bamboo tube on the table with four bamboo sticks stuck inside.

Four captains stood before the table, preparing to draw lots, each with a solemn expression.

"One at a time, in turn."

Liu Qin said with a stern face.

Shi Shouxin watched this scene without showing any emotion, but the information he gleaned gave him a very bad feeling.

The drawing of lots was completed quickly. One of the captains looked as if he had lost his parents, his head hanging low in dejection. Liu Qin stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "If you can't take it, retreat. Don't use brute force."

"Order!"

The man bowed to Liu Qin, took the bamboo stick, and walked out of the military tent.

After the captains left, Liu Qin said with a wry smile to Shi Shouxin, who was watching the show, "We have repeatedly failed to capture Huangjinwei, and the soldiers are all losing heart. We have no choice but to resort to this desperate measure."

Nobody wanted to go, so taking a gamble and drawing lots wasn't a bad idea. Shi Shouxin could also see that Liu Qin was indeed overwhelmed by Huang Jinwei.

"I will report this matter to the General truthfully, Prefect Liu need not worry."

Shi Shouxin spoke calmly, adopting a businesslike demeanor.

Liu Qin led him to the riverbank below Huangjinwei. The terrain here was open, and from the high walls of Huangjinwei Fortress, any soldier could see the situation clearly.

However, the path up the mountain to capture the fortress was extremely narrow. The defending side had a clear advantage!

Shi Shouxin felt a sense of powerless despair. The geographical advantage meant that the defending side was basically fighting a war while lying down.

The Wei army captain who had just drawn the lot led several dozen swordsmen and shieldmen up the mountain. Soon, logs began rolling down the mountain path. In their attempts to dodge and avoid them, they exposed many openings and were wounded by stray arrows and arrows, with several men killed in action.

In the end, they had no choice but to retreat in a sorry state.

Of course, this siege was just a "show," a deliberate demonstration for Shi Shouxin, and they didn't go all out.

"Commander Shi, Yang'an Pass has now been breached, and Hanzhong is already in our hands. As for the small fortress of Huangjinwei, it will fall sooner or later. Even if we don't attack, they will starve to death without supplies."

Therefore, the soldiers in the army had little ambition and did not want to perish here. Once the imperial edict arrived here, our return to Weixing County would be inevitable.

Look at this…

Liu Qin looked troubled.

Shi Shouxin remained composed, while Meng Guan, who served as his personal guard, was so angry he almost cursed.

The soldiers in the army were just getting by, thinking only about finishing the job and going home. How could they possibly talk about making meritorious contributions?
He was about to say something sarcastic to Liu Qin when Shi Shouxin raised his hand to stop him.

"How about we move the camp to the other side of the river? It's not a good idea to keep it surrounded like this."

Shi Shouxin offered his suggestion.

Liu Qin thought for a moment, looked around at the terrain, and finally nodded slightly.

Late at night, Shi Shouxin was drawing in the military tent of the new camp, his first job in the Imperial Household Department. Now, returning to his old profession, he was as skilled as ever.

More than a dozen brushes of varying thicknesses were laid out on the brush rack, ready to be used at any time. Meng Guan ground ink on the side while preparing vermilion pigment.

Liu Qin's cartographic skills were very poor. If he dared to show that hand-drawn military map in the Imperial Household Department, he would definitely be dismissed from his post! Shi Shouxin observed the Wei army's attack on Huangjinwei today, and afterwards went to the high mountain on the opposite bank of the Han River to look out. He has already seen most of the terrain here.

Golden Enclosure was not a simple fortress, but a defensive system that included the fortress itself, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

The mountaintop covers an area of ​​about 100 acres and is flat. There is a fortified village, about 50 paces in length and width, with houses inside that can accommodate about 100 to 200 people. The granary is also located here, accessible only by a single mountain path.

Smoke can be seen from the chimneys during the day, so cooking and resting are probably done here.

The mountain fortress, the place Liu Qin attacked, was stockpiled with a large amount of logs, stones, and arrows. The walls were mainly made of wood, with key sections consisting primarily of stone walls.

There are more than a dozen watchtowers along the way up the mountain, serving as early warning systems.

In addition, there were observation posts on the protruding cliffs along the river. As for things like barricades and traps, they were countless and impossible to observe and record one by one.

As Shi Shouxin drew the map, he recalled what he had observed during the day and estimated the distances in his mind. He continued drawing until dawn before finally finishing.

This map is made of four sheepskins sewn together, in black and red, with more than a dozen lines of varying thickness, and looks very exquisite.

"Commander Shi, your drawing is absolutely brilliant!"

Meng Guan, who was standing to the side, gave a thumbs-up in approval.

"Being good at drawing can only make you a draftsman."

Shi Shouxin yawned, made a comment, and then put the map away.

He planned to discuss with Liu Qin later whether they should deal with the enemy as soon as possible. Fighting to the death with a few hundred Shu soldiers at Huangjinwei, rolling around in this mud, was truly pathetic.

(End of this chapter)