Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 83 Old Deng must die!
Standing atop the city wall of Jiangyou, Deng Ai surveyed his generals, then glanced at Deng Zhong, who had rushed back, and asked solemnly, "What is the military situation in Fucheng?"

"Fortunately, the troops are few. But I led my troops to scout south and found a large number of Shu troops gathered in Mianzhu, which seems to be... an attempt to block us."

Deng Zhong said matter-of-factly, lying through his teeth without batting an eye.

In fact, the Shu army did not react at all, Fucheng was almost undefended, and there was no large army assembled in Mianzhu! But if he really said that, some of the veteran soldiers in the army would hesitate.

Because they don't feel the pressure of survival!
Upon hearing this "military intelligence," Deng Ai waved his hand gently without speaking, while Deng Zhongzhi tactfully stepped aside to listen to the instructions.

"Commander Shi, what do you think? The military situation is critical; now is not the time to hesitate!"

Deng Ai looked at Shi Zuan and asked, his words full of implications.

Those slightly cloudy eyes were filled with a cold light! They stared straight at Shi Zuan!

The latter seemed to sense something and quickly bowed to Deng Ai, saying, "This humble general is willing to lead troops to capture Fucheng and serve as the vanguard for the main army!"

Regardless of whether there were large numbers of Shu troops stationed in Mianzhu, if Deng Ai said there were, then they were. At this point, anyone who disobeyed orders would truly face Deng Ai's ruthless measures!

Along the way, Deng Ai's generals, including Shi Zuan, all knew what kind of person this old general was. Anyone who stood in his way of achieving glory was someone this old Deng was willing to kill!

"Deng Zhong, you will lead your troops to join forces with Shi Zuan and attack Fucheng."

"Do not return until Fucheng is captured! I will arrive shortly with the central army!"

Deng Ai gave the order decisively, and none of the generals around him objected.

At this moment, whoever steps forward will die!

"Order!"

Deng Zhong bowed and turned to leave.

Aside from Deng Ai, he was the only one in the know, so naturally he knew what to do.

After Deng Zhong and Shi Zuan left, Deng Ai looked around at the generals around him and ordered in a deep voice: "Everyone, go and make preparations. Tomorrow we will set off for Fucheng to meet Deng Zhong and Shi Zuan!"

"Order!"

The generals filed out and descended the city wall, but Deng Ai alone stood on the Jiangyou Pass city wall, looking at the Fu River flowing not far away.

"It's not far off. Just one more major battle and the Shu Kingdom will surrender!"

Deng Ai murmured to herself, her eyes filled with longing.

The destination ahead is Chengdu, the place where he made his name!

He captured Chengdu, destroyed the Shu Kingdom, and became famous throughout history. He was the biggest winner of this campaign against Shu!

What a bright future!

It's just one step away.

……

On the other side, in a relatively flat area inside Baishui Pass, was the garrison's drill ground. To welcome Liu Qin's troops to Baishui Pass, Shi Shouxin specially brought out the limited military rations in the army, allowing the soldiers to eat as much as they wanted! A continuous feast was set up on the drill ground, letting them eat their fill!
Meanwhile, in a large courtyard inside Baishui Pass, a small banquet for officers began. Everyone's face was filled with innocent smiles as they ate heartily. Not only were there no armored personnel, but they had also left their weapons behind.

Everyone was having a great time at the welcome banquet, so it was indeed a bit impolite of you to bring a knife.

The table was laden with wine and meat, though not elaborately prepared. But in wartime, such a meal was a rare treat. These soldiers, even the officers, hadn't had meat in a long time. Their daily diet consisted of wheat porridge, millet porridge, and pickles.

At most, you can add some dried plums, mulberries, or other dried fruits.

They couldn't even remember how long it had been since they'd tasted meat. At this moment, these people were filled with gratitude towards Shi Shouxin.

While this feeling might not be enough to make them risk their lives to do something for the other party, they would still give them some face when carrying out orders on a daily basis, and wouldn't slack off.

"Everyone."

Shi Shouxin shouted something, and the officers in the courtyard all put down their chopsticks and wine glasses to listen.

They still had some goodwill towards this new leader; at least his military rations were unlimited and never embezzled, and he didn't pressure them to go to war. He was more humane than Du Yu.

Of course, they quickly changed their minds.

"In accordance with the General's order, I, Shi, have come here to eliminate traitors in the army. The order has been verified by Generals Ma and Liu."

Everyone, please remain seated and do not move, or you will be treated as traitors.

Guards! Seize the suspects and bring them back to our camp for interrogation!

Mr. Shi will not let a villain get away with it, nor will he wrong a single brother!

Shi Shouxin gave the order in a stern voice, and the entire courtyard became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

The turn of events came so suddenly that all the officers at the banquet were completely bewildered.

Snap, snap, snap.

Jingle bells, jingle bells.

Footsteps approached from afar, accompanied by the sound of the iron ring of the ring-pommel sword striking the hilt.

Each group of fifty axemen, led by Ma Long and Liu Qin, rushed in. Following the map, they led more than ten junior officers out.

The whole process was as smooth as flowing water, without pushing or shoving, without beatings or scoldings, and was quiet with an indescribable sense of dread!

Shi Shouxin finally breathed a sigh of relief after everyone had left.

"The party continues!"

He shouted something and then left the courtyard.

Half an hour later, the banquet in the army was still going on, but in the general's tent, more than a dozen junior officers were being guarded and were unable to move, unarmed.

Ma Long and Liu Qin personally led their personal guards to watch over the military tent, not daring to be careless in the slightest.

"General Shi, everyone's here!"

When Ma Long saw Shi Shouxin walking towards him, he bowed and greeted him.

"Well, let's talk about it once we're in the camp."

Shi Shouxin nodded slightly.

Upon entering his tent, he saw the dozen or so unfortunate men with their heads down, none of them speaking, and none daring to look up at him.

Where is Li Yaozu?

Shi Shouxin asked in a cold voice.

But no one answered.

Malone gave a signal to his personal guards, and two of them dragged out a trembling man. "Take him away!"

Shi Shouxin casually replied, then continued to ask, "Where is Zhang Bu'er?"

"Yay, I'm here!"

A burly man roared and stood up, but was immediately dragged away by two bodyguards.

Before an incense stick could burn, Ma Long entered the military tent, carrying a severed head in each hand. The remaining dozen or so men stared in terror.

So those two heads were the ones of the two people who were just taken away!

Do you know why they died?

Shi Shouxin looked around at everyone and asked.

No one answered, or rather, no one dared to answer. The two bloodied heads already demonstrated the consequences of making a mistake.

As for what is "wrong," that is for the young supervising officer to decide!

They were just feigning an act; killing a lower-ranking officer was as easy as finding a pretext!
Seeing that no one was there to respond, Shi Shouxin felt he had made a fool of himself, so he continued:

"I, your officer, will lead my brothers in the army to Hanzhong to make a fortune! I will ensure that the soldiers return laden with spoils, so they won't have to eat wheat porridge in the camp every day! And so that when they die, their families won't even be able to receive a pension!"
Li Yaozu and Zhang Bu'er actually disagreed! Tell me, shouldn't they be killed?

Shi Shouxin continued to press for answers.

This time someone responded. If they still couldn't see that Shi Shouxin wanted to let them go at this point, they would be incredibly foolish.

"He deserves to die!"

"They've blocked our path to wealth, they deserve to die!"

Most of the dozen or so people began to echo Shi Shouxin, and their tone seemed to indicate that they were relieved.

Seeing that everyone had given in, Shi Shouxin nodded. Indeed, those who know when to yield are the wise ones; those who stubbornly insist on proving a point are, after all, a minority.

"When General Ma asked you, you didn't agree, but you didn't refuse outright either."

We're all brothers, and I only want to help you all prosper, not kill you for my own amusement.

Here is a document written by me, which states that I will take you to Hanzhong to eat at the hands of the wealthy!

Those who want to join, come and leave your handprint; we're still brothers.

Those who are unwilling, like Li Yaozu, are not far from the Yellow Springs; you may follow them.

Shi Shouxin looked around at everyone and said, his expression calm but his presence imposing.

He waited for these people to provide answers.

In Shi Shouxin's mind, righteousness often comes from humble backgrounds, and those soldiers from the lower classes should still have some integrity.

To his surprise, not a single person put on a tough front. They all rushed forward to leave their handprints like starving people seeing delicious food! It was a scramble to get started!
Soon, a bunch of red fingerprints appeared on the pale yellow silk book.

"Good! Good! We'll set off in a few days to Hanzhong to find those bloated, corrupt local tyrants and take their wealth and provisions to the army as military supplies."

Part of the wealth will be distributed as rewards after the army returns, and the rest will be used to purchase rations along the way to improve the soldiers' meals. What do you all think?
Let bygones be bygones. The spoils of war will be shared equally by you and all the soldiers; no one will be shortchanged!

Shi Shouxin asked with a smile, his manner as pleasant as a spring breeze.

"Rob!" "Rob!" "Rob!"

The dozen or so people shouted loudly, their faces filled with a morbid, fanatical excitement.

Nobody wants to turn down money; the more wealth, the better. Especially for those who don't have much money to begin with and have elderly parents and young children to support.

By pressing their fingerprints, they've boarded the pirate ship. This time, they're not only going to plunder Hanzhong, they're even going to lead the charge! For everyone's benefit, we can't back down!

At this moment, they had completely forgotten their previous unpleasantness!

Life is like being raped; if you can't resist... then just lie down and enjoy it!
It might even be quite comfortable!

Once these people got on the pirate ship, their mindset completely changed.

"Disperse! When you return to the army, tell everyone that the traitor has been found and dealt with, and that today's events must not be publicized!"

Shi Shouxin gave the order, as if trying to cover up the truth.

It's easy to imagine that the message, "I'll tell you a secret, but don't tell anyone else," will spread like wildfire. The whole army might know tomorrow they're going to Hanzhong to rob a wealthy family!
Of course, this was also Shi Shouxin's purpose. These officers could talk big to the lower-ranking soldiers, which was more effective than the dry propaganda from the leaders.

Soon, these people filed out and left the military tent.

Both Ma Long and Liu Qin looked at Shi Shouxin with complex expressions, a mixture of admiration and barely perceptible fear.

This military supervisor, Shi, is ruthless and decisive in his actions, yet he is both cautious and methodical in his conduct. He is destined for greatness!
They originally thought Shi Shouxin would kill all of them, but unexpectedly he only killed the two who had resolutely refused to do so, as a warning to others.

That wrist is incredibly flexible!

"Actually, I didn't want to kill any of those people."

"But if I don't kill, people might think I'm afraid to kill, and therefore I have no choice but to kill to prove my methods."

Shi Shouxin looked at the two men and sighed. He had clearly misunderstood, thinking that Ma Long and the others thought his methods were too cruel.

"General Shi, you are truly amazing. You killed only two people without seriously injuring them, and you also unified the morale of the army."

If I were to take action, I would surely kill them all.

Ma Long quickly defended himself, saying that he was now somewhat relieved about the situation after entering Shu. It seemed that Du Yu had indeed not misjudged him. It was still hard to say how Shi Shouxin would perform in battle, but his military skills were already beginning to show.

He is by no means an ordinary person.

"General Liu, is it alright for you to select a thousand men from the army to participate in the operation?"

Shi Shouxin looked at Liu Qin and asked.

"Don't worry, I'll get it done!"

Liu Qin bowed and spoke with great conviction.

In fact, Shi Shouxin didn't rely on Liu Qin's troops, because only the Luoyang Imperial Guards resolutely opposed Zhong Hui's rebellion after entering Chengdu. The border troops of Weixing County might not be so certain.

Therefore, it is necessary to keep the troops under Du Yu's command firmly in hand, while the troops of Weixing County can be deployed outside as reinforcements. The two sides are not in a superior-subordinate relationship, but rather temporary political allies.

It was unrealistic to expect Liu Qin to send everyone to participate in the operation, and it was also inconvenient to implement the same tactics he had just used among the soldiers of Weixing County.

"Let's discuss the details. We've had quite a few troubles lately."

Shi Shouxin beckoned Ma Long and Liu Qin into the military tent to discuss the details.

(End of this chapter)