Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 64 Squeeze them as much as you can.
Shi Shouxin returned to Liu Qin's Wei army camp after midnight. Liu Qin repeatedly asked how the conversation had gone, but Shi Shouxin only said it was alright before going to his own tent to sleep.

He slept soundly until the sun was high in the sky. It wasn't until the tent became unbearably hot that Shi Shouxin got up, took a bath in the Han River, changed into his military uniform, and then returned to the camp.

Shi Shouxin was a military supervisor, so he had some free time. It was no big deal for him to wash off his sweat when he had nothing to do in the army, and no one would criticize him for it.

Around dusk, the Shu army from Huangjinwei sent men to Liu Qin's camp. They left without saying anything, simply leaving behind a few scrolls of bamboo slips.

This is a Han dynasty poem that Liu Yin wrote on the spur of the moment last night, titled "Ode to the Winter Plum Blossom," a very ordinary name.

The article is very long, and it begins like this:

The time is governed by the mysterious laws, and the season is solemn and solemn.

The north wind blew across the fields, and six raindrops covered the sky.

Looking at the changing seasons, I lament the withering of all the flowers.

Withered lotus leaves droop on the waves, broken reeds and startled tumbleweeds.

Chrysanthemums wither in the golden valley, orchids fade in the secluded thicket.

This fine tree stands out with its unique appearance.

It embodies the virtuous spirit of Kun and the upright character of Qian.

……

In short, it directly expresses the noble and precious nature of plum blossoms, which are not afraid of wind and snow, while other flowers wither in the cold. Then, it uses the plum blossom as a metaphor to suggest that the author, like the plum blossom, will not be disturbed by the wind and snow of the outside world.

However, at the end of this poem, it is stated that the plum blossoms will "fall by themselves" and turn into spring mud when "spring is warm and flowers are in bloom".

This is an implication that Liu Shan's edict has arrived, and the plum blossoms that had previously fought to the death to never wither will finally fade.

If Shi Shouxin hadn't become more familiar with classical Chinese poetry over the past two years, he would have had almost no idea what Liu Yin was trying to say.

It's easy to understand the surface meaning of these cultured people's articles, but it's difficult to understand what they want to express through these articles!
For example, Liu Qin, that roughneck, didn't understand what Liu Yin was trying to achieve by writing this article. What was this about plum blossoms not being afraid of wind and snow? It was just pointless whining!
"Shi Jianjun, Liu Yin wrote this 'Ode to the Winter Plum' to tell us that he would only surrender after receiving Liu Shan's edict."
How come I didn't notice?

Liu Qin looked completely bewildered, almost cursing.

"That's right, that's what he promised yesterday. This 'Ode to Winter Plum' is the token given to him by Liu Yin."

Shi Shouxin said with a smile, the weight lifted from his heart and the gloom on his face vanished.

"only……"

Liu Qin paused, then asked, puzzled, "Why bother? We can't understand it anyway. Why doesn't he just write a letter promising to surrender and be done with it?"

“We can’t understand this ‘Ode to Winter Plum’, but the Grand Commander (Zhong Hui) can.”

Shi Shouxin smiled and said, "Your words have awakened me from my dream!"

Ah! I see! I understand now!
"Commander Shi, you are truly resourceful!"

Liu Qin almost jumped for joy.

"As long as we send someone with this 'Ode to the Winter Plum Blossom' to the Grand Commander's desk, he will not pursue our decision not to attack Huangjinwei. Because Liu Yin has made it very clear through this ode that he would rather die than surrender, and is only waiting for Liu Shan's edict."

The Grand Commander-in-Chief loves associating with renowned scholars; upon seeing this "Ode to the Winter Plum Blossom," he will surely be captivated. How could he possibly hold him accountable?

Shi Shouxin explained patiently.

Liu Qin was truly convinced this time. He had originally thought that the so-called military supervisor was just there to cause trouble in the army, but he hadn't expected Shi Shouxin to be so knowledgeable and capable. Many difficult matters were resolved smoothly in his hands.

"These are all minor matters. Liu Yin has had a tough time too. It's really unnecessary for us to go after him relentlessly. I personally witnessed the fall of Yang'an Pass, and I truly contributed little but achieved much."

People cannot be compared to each other, and things cannot be compared to each other.

Shi Shouxin was in a good mood at the moment and casually mentioned it.

Even now, when he brings up the unpleasant things that happened at Yang'an Pass, he doesn't feel too bad. Because it's all in the past, and people can only move forward if they look to the future.

"Sigh, yes, you can't compare people."

Liu Qin shook his head and sighed.

Just then, a guard announced that someone had come to deliver a message, specifically naming Shi Shouxin.

Liu Qin asked with curiosity, "This letter was specifically given to Supervisor Shi. What kind of letter is it?"

Shi Shouxin spread his hands, indicating that he also knew nothing. He and Liu Qin came to the outside of the military tent and saw a young man whose face resembled Yang Hu, holding two wooden boxes in his hands.

They all came with brass locks and were sealed with sealing wax, just like the ones Wei Guan had given him back then!

The only difference was that one box had "Zhong" written on it, and the other had "Deng" written on it.

"I am Supervisor Shi, and my name is Yang Ji. Yang Hu is my uncle. The court has sent me to deliver this message and these two boxes to you. The court requires you to send one of these boxes to Hanshou, to Zhong Hui, and the other to Yinping, to Deng Ai."

My uncle asked if you had any letters to take home; I'll bring them to Luoyang for you on my return journey.

Yang Ji treated Shi Shouxin with utmost respect, clearly aware of the latter's close relationship with his uncle, Yang Hu. Having served in Yang Hu's army, Yang Ji was naturally unaware of Yang Hu's extensive network of connections. Liu Qin glanced at Shi Shouxin with some surprise; he hadn't expected this military supervisor to be so familiar with Yang Hu's lineage from the Yang clan of Mount Tai.

Shi Shouxin originally wanted Yang Ji to take a letter back to Li Wan, but thinking about his journey, including places like Hanshou and Yinping, which were all mountainous areas and dangerous passes on the way to Shu, he hesitated.

The journey was arduous, not to mention the hostile presence of someone like Zhong Hui.

Perhaps it's best not to worry your wife.

Shi Shouxin abandoned the idea of ​​writing a letter and asked Yang Ji in a gentle tone, "Has Lord Yang arrived at Baoxie Road? Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent you to deliver the letter."

Upon hearing this, Yang Ji exclaimed, "Uncle said that Supervisor Shi was both wise and brave, and his predictions were like those of a god. Seeing him today, I can confirm that his reputation is well-deserved. Indeed, as Supervisor Shi said, Uncle is now serving as the Commander of the Central Army, leading 10,000 Imperial Guards to garrison the Baoxie Road. In addition, Jia Chong is leading 10,000 Imperial Guards to garrison the Tangluo Road."

As expected, Sima Zhao was already deeply wary of Zhong Hui! By blocking two roads, even if the army that was going to conquer Shu rebelled, they would not be able to enter Guanzhong.

Even if they succeeded in rebelling in Shu, they would probably have to follow Zhuge Liang's example and launch one Northern Expedition after another.

Shi Shouxin nodded calmly and said to Yang Ji, "I will write a reply, affix my seal, and you can take it back to report to the General."

Yang Ji nodded and bowed to Shi Shouxin in a very polite manner.

People of the Celestial Dragons tend to show more respect to those who are capable. But that doesn't mean they'll be so polite to others they look down on.

After writing the reply and handing it to Yang Ji, who had already left the camp, Shi Shouxin's face darkened, but he did not take any drastic action.

The appearance of this wooden box meant that it contained an important letter. Having successfully delivered the letter to Chang'an last time, Sima Zhao was now using the same method.

Use those who are useful to the fullest, while those who are insignificant themselves are of no use. Aside from impotent rage, Shi Shouxin didn't know what else he could do.

It took him a long time to calm down and let go of his anger.

Shi Shouxin looked at the two wooden boxes on the table. As usual, he opened the boxes first and then read the letter!
Shi Shouxin took out his tools and first opened Zhong Hui's box, inside which was a letter written by Sima Zhao. The content was not complicated; it said that he temporarily agreed to Zhong Hui's request not to withdraw his troops, but hoped that he could take the initiative to find weaknesses in the Shu army.

The others were all official appointments from the imperial court, documents granting Zhong Hui higher official ranks and titles.

A few words flashed through Shi Shouxin's mind: Zheng Bo Ke Duan Yu Yan!
He copied the letter, sealed the first box, and then opened the second box, which was for Deng Ai.

I don’t know, I’m scared.

There was only one letter in this box, it was completely empty, unlike Zhong Hui's box which was stuffed full.

This was also Sima Zhao's "personal letter" (stamped with his personal seal). In the letter, Sima Zhao reprimanded Deng Ai and asked him why he hadn't stopped Jiang Wei, which led to Jiang Wei running to Jiange and blocking Zhong Hui's army's advance.

After reprimanding Deng Ai, Sima Zhao ordered him to lead his troops back to Tazhong and let Zhuge Xu's troops take over Yinping, so that he would stop causing trouble.

Simply put, after expressing his dissatisfaction with Deng Ai's military campaign, Sima Zhao told him not to waste time and resources and to withdraw first!

That is, let Deng Ai go back to Tazhong to wash up and sleep!

The bias shown in this case is self-evident and needs no further explanation.

"After reading this letter, Deng Ai will take Zhong Hui even less seriously. Jealousy can make a person unrecognizable."

Shi Shouxin sighed, having roughly guessed what Sima Zhao was planning to do.

This general, who was stationed in Chang'an to oversee the war, was afraid that Zhong Hui would join forces with Deng Ai to seize control of the Shu region, so he had to create an irreconcilable conflict between them!

Praising Zhong Hui while belittling Deng Ai is like dragging fools into a trap while simultaneously destroying the old coin.

This tactic of comparing and contrasting is nothing new, but the parties involved find it difficult to extricate themselves from the situation.

Shi Shouxin clicked his tongue in admiration, then continued copying the letter and returning the wooden box.

After finishing all this, Shi Shouxin tidied up and walked out of the military tent, only to see Meng Guan idly playing with a cricket using a grass tendon. When he saw Shi Shouxin come out, he quickly stood up straight, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his face.

"You've gone to the trouble of coming with me to Hanshou."

Shi Shouxin patted him on the shoulder and said.

Hanshou was the name given by Liu Bei. Its original name was Jiameng, which included a series of surrounding territories including Jiameng Pass. It was much richer than ordinary passes and had a certain level of local production.

Zhong Hui is currently stationed in Hanshou, facing off against Jiang Wei at Jiange.

"Supervisor Shi, the General thinks you're reliable at delivering messages, so he's using you like a dog. This is too much of a bully."

Meng Guan said indignantly.

"Isn't that just how the world is? What's there to complain about?"

Shi Shouxin glared at Meng Guan, then turned around and started packing his things.

Liu Qin watched with a heavy heart, but said little. Shi Shouxin's life was indeed hard, but his father-in-law was Li Yin, the Imperial Censor, and he was acquainted with the Yang family; their futures were bright. Hard work always pays off.

Liu Qin felt somewhat sorry for himself. As a nobody with no connections, he really had no right to sympathize with Shi Shouxin. Perhaps the merits he gained would be divided among the powerful and influential, and he didn't know how many years he would have to struggle before he could get ahead.

(End of this chapter)