Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 75 Torment
Although Zhong Hui took radical measures and dealt with some mid- to high-ranking military officers, including Hu Lie.

However, Jiang Wei's raid on the camp made him realize that without generals like Hu Lie, the Wei army could not be commanded smoothly.

Although Zhong Hui has many soldiers under his command, it doesn't necessarily mean he can defeat Jiang Wei. War is a matter between two armies, not a one-on-one fight between two people.

As for the "troublemakers" like Hu Lie, although they already regarded Zhong Hui as an enemy, they had no reason to rebel against him and had to endure and wait for an opportunity.

On the surface, they pretend to be compliant and repentant, but in reality, they are secretly plotting.

Another conflict between the two sides is only a matter of time! The current peace talks are merely a way to deal with the crisis and prepare for the next conflict!

"General Hu, what do you think should be done about Jiang Wei's attack on the camp last night?"

Zhong Hui asked in a deep voice. He didn't want to dwell on those trivial matters. The most important thing right now was to get through this hurdle.

"Grand Commander, in my humble opinion, the reason why Jiang Wei was able to lead his troops to flank and launch a surprise attack on our camp is because we left Jian Ge unattended, which allowed Jiang Wei to free up his resources for this surprise attack."

As long as we attack Jiange day and night without ceasing, I believe Jiang Wei will focus his energy on defense, and won't have time to resort to those underhanded tricks.

Hu Lie said casually, seemingly unconcerned. Zhong Hui's current submissive stance had already proven a lot, giving Hu Lie a lot more confidence.

It must be said that Zhong Hui was a master of strategy, while Hu Lie was a master of practical combat.

Compared to Zhong Hui, who preferred theoretical discussions, Hu Lie and Jiang Wei were actually more like the same type of people. Both were frontline generals in the army and were very familiar with battle formations.

Hu Lie summed it up in one sentence: What's there to hesitate about? Offense is the best defense!

The Wei army is here to attack Jiange. If they stop and don't make a move, wouldn't that be exposing their weakness? Jiang Wei is now using offense as a form of defense. Can't you even see that?

If you don't hit others, they'll hit you!

Hearing Hu Lie's words, Zhong Hui felt embarrassed, so he sternly instructed Hu Lie, "Starting tomorrow, your unit will attack Jiange first. Qiu Jian's unit will build siege equipment in the rear, and after it is ready, it will cooperate with your unit in the attack."

"Yes, sir! I will go and prepare immediately."

Hu Lie bowed to Zhong Hui, then turned and left without lingering. He understood that Zhong Hui couldn't do anything to him for the time being!

They couldn't do anything about it, at least not before they entered Sichuan. As for what will happen in the future, we'll just have to wait and see.

"Disperse, everyone. Proceed according to plan! Shi Jianjun, you will cooperate with Qiu Jian to build siege equipment. Do not slack off."

Zhong Hui gave a brief instruction and then signaled everyone to leave the command tent.

……

Yinping Road actually consists of more than one route. The more famous ones, when discussed separately, include Yinping Main Road, Yinping Sloping Road, and Yinping Side Road. Theoretically, each road had a garrison of Shu troops, or at least a directional stone tablet.

It is said that Zhuge Liang erected stone tablets at the end of each road.

In other words, this road was not Deng Ai's "original creation," but rather it had existed for a long time, and was known to high-ranking officials in the Shu army!
However, they did not see a single Shu scout along the way, which made Shi Zuan, who was following Deng Ai over mountains and valleys, breathe a sigh of relief.

"General Deng, is this road a viable option?"

Shi Zuan looked at Deng Ai beside him and asked, his heart filled with anger, but he didn't know how to vent it. He looked extremely aggrieved, like a young wife being scolded by her mother-in-law.

"Of course it's possible, what's the problem?"

Deng Ai turned and glanced at him, and Shi Zuan instantly fell silent, like a rooster with its neck being strangled.

Looking down at the path, which only allowed two people to pass side by side, and with a sheer cliff to the left that seemed to plunge into an abyss, Shi Zuan felt a pang of anxiety and quickly moved to the right, fearing that his legs might give way and he would fall off the cliff.

He recalled the scene before he set off, and he trembled with rage, wanting nothing more than to take a knife and chop Deng Ai to pieces.

That day, Deng Ai summoned Shi Zuan to his tent alone, saying he wanted to give him some instructions. Shi Zuan didn't think much of it, since the two had worked together quite well along the way.

As soon as Shi Zuan entered the military tent, he found Deng Ai sitting at a table, with ten personal guards holding ring-pommel swords standing on either side of him.

He looked incredibly imposing and menacing!

Deng Ai had Shi Zuan sit opposite him, then asked with a smile, "I'm thinking of taking the Yinping Road to launch a surprise attack on Fucheng. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Zuan was so frightened that he almost lost his mind. He hurriedly waved his hands and said, "That won't do. The general told us to defend Yinping, but he didn't say anything about attacking Fucheng. How can tens of thousands of troops travel through these seven or eight hundred miles of mountain roads?"

Upon hearing this, Deng Ai sighed and said, "I am over sixty years old this year. After years of fighting, I have countless hidden injuries and only a few years left to live. Destroying the Shu Kingdom and achieving unparalleled feats is my only wish. Since you, General Shi, are blocking my way, then I am sorry, I can only let you go first. But rest assured, after I conquer Chengdu, I will definitely commit suicide to atone for my sins and accompany you on your journey to the Yellow Springs. You go first, I will follow soon."

Seeing that Deng Ai, who was about to turn hostile, was about to turn hostile, Shi Zuan quickly waved his hand and said, "When a general is in the field, he may not obey military orders. If General Deng wants to create unparalleled achievements, I will definitely follow you without hesitation."

Seeing that Shi Zuan was very pragmatic, Deng Ai handed over a "letter of advice" to Sima Zhao with satisfaction.

It reads like this:

If our army launches a surprise attack on Fucheng via Yinping Road, the main Shu army under Jiang Wei will definitely return to reinforce Fucheng, allowing the Wei army in Hanshou to easily break through Jiange. If Jiang Wei does not return to reinforce, our army will surely be able to capture Fucheng.

Once Fucheng is captured, a foothold will be established in the heart of Shu, and taking Chengdu will be just around the corner. The destruction of Shu will then be a foregone conclusion.

The military situation is urgent, and we have no choice but to set off first. We request that the General be able to dispatch troops to provide support.

Simply put, it means that a general in the field may not be able to obey orders from others.

They'll act first and report later; they'll sneak across Yinping first and discuss everything else later. As for whether Sima Zhao will agree... that's not important. Anyway, Deng Ai has already led his troops out, what can Sima Zhao, who is thousands of miles away, do?
Deng Ai looked at Shi Zuan and smiled, "General Shi, sign it. The document will be sent to Chang'an by fast horse today."

This is a classic case of getting on the train first and buying the ticket later.

Shi Zuan glanced at the executioners beside Deng Ai, then at the letter of advice, and didn't even dare to sigh. He chuckled awkwardly, sat up straight, picked up the brush on the table, and wrote his name on the silk.

After signing, Shi Zuan reluctantly bowed to Deng Ai without saying a word, and stormed out of the military tent.

This happened the day before we set off.

Recalling that scene still makes Shi Zuan feel nauseous, as if he'd swallowed a plate of greenbottle flies. That despicable Deng Ai! You deserve to die!

Shi Zuan cursed Deng Ai in his heart for his lack of martial ethics.

Deng Ai tricked him into signing the silk scroll, causing him to betray Sima Zhao's trust. This matter could be considered a big or small issue, entirely depending on Sima Zhao's perspective.

That scoundrel Deng Ai really ruined him!

But when Shi Zuan looked at Deng Ai, he found that the general showed no remorse whatsoever, as if he, as the military commander, was simply following along across mountains and valleys.

You bastard Deng Ai, you just wait!

Shi Zuan cursed incessantly in his heart, or perhaps it could be called impotent rage.

Soon after, the army marched to an open area to rest. Shi Zuan looked ahead and found that the terrain was gradually rising. Although it was still relatively flat, it undoubtedly reached straight into the clouds in the distance.

He walked up to Deng Ai and lowered his voice to suggest, "General Deng, our army still has too many men. The rations are only enough for seven days. Thirty thousand men are on the road, and without horses, it will be difficult to replenish supplies by carrying them on our shoulders."

"What are General Shi's thoughts?"

Deng Ai asked in a deep voice.

This was a spontaneous trip, so Deng Ai's preparations were not thorough.

"Leave 20,000 men behind to transport military supplies forward in stages. Select 10,000 elite troops to traverse the mountains and valleys, and take only them out of Jiangyou Pass to attack Fucheng!"

Master Zuan clenched his fists and said.

He knew very well that, given Deng Ai's character, if they failed this time, none of them would survive, since Sima Zhao would also face death if he pursued the matter after the war. Now, everyone in this group was in the same boat.

Either achieve great things, or die on the battlefield!
There is no third option!
Deng Ai pondered for a moment, then realized that Shi Zuan's words made a lot of sense. Preparing provisions for 30,000 men was certainly not as difficult as preparing provisions for 10,000.

Selecting 10,000 of the most elite soldiers and sending them into battle lightly armed seems to be a more appropriate approach. While we are still relatively close to Yinping, we should gradually reduce the number of troops and set up temporary granaries for transporting provisions in open terrain.

Yes!
Seeing that Deng Ai was somewhat interested, Shi Zuan quickly added, "General Deng, you will lead the vanguard in full armor, while I will lead the rear guard to transport supplies. What do you think of this arrangement?"

"Wouldn't that be a waste of your talent? Such trivial matters can be left to others. How could we possibly do without you in this surprise attack on Shu?"

Deng Ai said with a forced smile, shattering Shi Zuan's delusions with a single sentence.

……

After everyone left, Shi Shouxin was left alone.

Zhong Hui looked at him, and after a long while, he sighed and said, "I apologize for stealing your letter last time. I had no choice but to do so."

Upon hearing this, Shi Shouxin sneered inwardly, but his face remained impassive.

If he hadn't known the "finale," he might have actually been "moved" by Zhong Hui's "treating scholars with respect."

"At that time, I felt that the Grand Commander wanted to kill me."

Shi Shouxin couldn't help but complain.

"Alas, Empress Dowager Guo's dying wish is here; take a look. Last time was merely a test; I only wanted to see if you could be entrusted with important matters."

After all, you were the one who held the sword beside the Duke of Gaogui!

Zhong Hui took out a piece of silk from his sleeve and handed it to Shi Shouxin to examine, and couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

It's hard to say whether Empress Guo wrote this, because Zhong Hui was famous for his skill in imitating other people's handwriting; it was one of his minor skills. No matter who read the letter, no one would find any flaws on the surface.

Of course, Shi Shouxin would never expose such a trivial matter to someone's face.

In this so-called "last will and testament," Empress Dowager Guo wrote: "Knowing my days are numbered, I have entrusted Zhong Hui to rally loyal ministers from all sides to unite against the Sima clan. Zhong Hui is a loyal minister of our Great Wei. His allegiance to the Sima family is merely that of an inside agent. His righteousness is as high as the heavens, and his loyalty is as clear as the sun and moon. Please do not blame him for past events."

In short, Empress Dowager Guo said that Zhong Hui was loyal to Cao Wei and a great loyal minister of Cao Wei.

"Grand Commander! I have misunderstood you!"

Shi Shouxin bowed to Zhong Hui, his face full of excitement.

Zhong Hui stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Back then, you held your sword by the emperor's side; you were a loyal and righteous man, and I understand that."

He then changed the subject and continued, "I intend to rebuild the Cao family's Wei kingdom in Shu. Would you be willing to lend me a hand?"

"I dare not disobey the Grand Commander to the death!"

Shi Shouxin immediately bowed to show his loyalty. Inwardly, however, he thought to himself: If I refuse now, I'm afraid I won't even be able to leave the commander's tent!

"So do you know what to do?"

Zhong Hui looked at Shi Shouxin and asked.

"Secretly follow the Grand Commander's instructions, and outwardly pretend that nothing has happened."

Shi Shouxin said in a deep voice.

Zhong Hui nodded in satisfaction and said, "After this is accomplished, being granted a title of king or marquis will be a piece of cake. I will be Zhuge Liang in Shu, and you will inevitably be Jiang Boyue."

"Thank you for your promotion, Grand Commander! I will go and prepare immediately!"

Shi Shouxin could not hide his excitement, bowed in gratitude, and left.

　First update delivered, more coming today, let's keep going!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)