Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 92 A Song of Generosity and Tragedy
The battlefield was a scene of carnage, littered with corpses. Some wore black Wei army uniforms, while others wore red Shu army uniforms.

Zhuge Zhan sat in his wheelchair, looking at the Wei soldiers around him without any fear on his face.

Those men didn't make a move; they were waiting for Deng Ai's military orders.

Soon, the encirclement parted, creating a path. Deng Ai stepped forward, his hand gripping his blood-stained sword. However, he did not intend to kill Zhuge Zhan. Instead, he sheathed his sword and simply stared at him.

"If you are willing to surrender now, I will recommend you for a title of nobility. In front of so many officers and soldiers, Deng's word is his bond."

Deng Ai said in a deep voice.

He felt he had already given Zhuge Zhan a lot of face.

There's a term called "united front value," and for Deng Ai, Zhuge Zhan possessed that value. Just because his father was Zhuge Liang, Zhuge Zhan was bound to be well-received in the Wei Kingdom.

Of course, don't even think about getting rich quick through this.

This was Deng Ai's own opinion. He felt that if he brought this up, Zhuge Zhan would be grateful to him.

However, he was wrong.

Zhuge Zhan slowly said:
“I have three faults: first, I failed to remove Huang Hao and execute the treacherous minister; second, I failed to restrain Jiang Wei, thus only harming the people’s strength.”

As for the third point, it's that I can't stop you from advancing into Chengdu.

With these three sins, even if I were to live, it would be a life of ignominy, and I would be ashamed before the people of Shu.

If they were to be granted the title of marquis, wouldn't that be worse than pigs and dogs?
Though I am guilty, I will not kneel and surrender; I will only repay my king with my death.

After saying that, Zhuge Zhan didn't say another word. He directly slit his throat with his sword, and blood splattered on the spot!
This scene filled the surrounding Wei soldiers with admiration.

Deng Ai remained silent, feeling his vanity had not been satisfied. He wanted to be magnanimous and, as a victor, "forgive" the Shu officials who had fought to the death.

If Zhuge Zhan were alive, even if he were merely captured and refused to surrender, he would have no worries about food and clothing in the future. If he wanted to, he could easily have become an official.

Unfortunately, they didn't appreciate it!

Deng Ai's performance was tantamount to flirting with a blind man.

"Cut off Zhuge Zhan's head and take it to persuade the Shu army to surrender. Collect the body and do not desecrate it."

Deng Ai, slightly weary, spoke to his personal guards, then turned and left. The battles on the left and right flanks were not yet over; he had to continue fighting. There was no time to rest, much less time to ramble on about Zhuge Zhan's corpse.

Unlike the central army, which was quickly defeated, the right flank of the Shu army fought exceptionally hard, and the two sides were engaged in fierce fighting.

Deng Zhong's helmet had fallen off, and he was covered in blood, as if he had just taken a bath in a pool of blood, making him look extremely terrifying.

His eyes were bloodshot as he swung his spear wildly, striking the shields of the Shu soldiers with a dull thud.

There were not many Wei soldiers left behind Deng Zhong; almost everyone who survived was wounded.

Zhuge Shang, who deliberately avoided a direct confrontation with Deng Zhong, fought with increasing ferocity, penetrating deep into the Wei army to carve away blood and slay enemies.

Originally, Deng Zhong had no chance of defeating Zhuge Shang, given the vast difference in troop strength. However, strangely, many of Zhuge Shang's soldiers spontaneously deserted the battle lines.

As a result, Zhuge Shang and his personal guards were surrounded by the Wei army, facing a perilous situation.

If Deng Ai were here, he would surely have seen that many Shu soldiers had no desire to fight. However, Deng Zhong lacked this insight and continued to fight relentlessly, forcing many Shu soldiers who wanted to flee into the battle and into combat with their spears.

Just as the two were locked in a fierce battle, a rider suddenly galloped up from afar, holding a human head aloft in his right hand—it was a scout from the Wei army!
"Zhuge Zhan is dead! Surrender and you will not be killed!"

He galloped wildly along the edge of the battlefield, shouting at the top of his lungs. His voice was so loud that even in the noisy battlefield, it was like a demonic sound.

"Zhuge Zhan is dead! Surrender and you will not be killed!"

"Zhuge Zhan is dead! Surrender and you will not be killed!"

Upon hearing this, the Wei soldiers were all invigorated and joined in the shouting.

The Shu soldiers who were fighting them immediately threw their spears and shields to the ground and chose to give up resistance.

The tense battle was decided in an instant.

Soon, Zhuge Shang found himself a lone commander, fighting alone on horseback, while the Wei soldiers gradually surrounded him!

While running, Zhuge Shang's horse was struck down by a spear. Zhuge Shang immediately fell to the ground, dropping his spear.

He drew his sword and, relying on muscle memory, cut down a Wei soldier who approached him. After recovering slightly from the shock of his concussion, he found that just two steps away, there were Wei soldiers with shields and swords.

They've completely surrounded him!
"Zhuge Shang, I respect you as a hero. Lay down your weapons and surrender, and my father will recommend you for a noble title!"

Deng Zhong shouted from behind the crowd.

It wasn't that he didn't want to go forward and show off, but his body was already exhausted. Not to mention the risks of going forward, given his current condition, he was being supported by his personal guards.

The effects of adrenaline had worn off, and the exhaustion left Deng Zhong feeling numb, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

"I am the grandson of Zhuge Liang, and I have received great favor from the country!"

Now I am determined to kill the traitors but powerless to reverse the situation; the only thing I can do is to die to atone for my sins!
There's no reason left for them to live a life of ignominy!

Zhuge Shang cursed in the direction of Deng Zhong, then drew his sword and committed suicide without hesitation.

As Zhuge Shang committed suicide, the Wei soldiers dispersed. Deng Zhong, supported by his personal guards, slowly stepped forward and looked at Zhuge Shang lying in a pool of blood, unable to help but let out a long sigh.

At this moment, Deng Zhong and Deng Ai shared the same sentiment. They both offered each other very generous terms of surrender, but the Zhuge family simply wouldn't accept them.

Perhaps this was the last loyal minister of Shu Han. "Give him a proper burial; there's no need for beheading."

Deng Zhong gave a brief instruction to his personal guards, then broke free from their support and walked alone toward the central army.

The left wing, where Shi Zuan was stationed, was relatively lucky. Huang Chong, who was in charge of the battle, died early in the chaos of battle. The reason why the left wing could not be quickly defeated was because Shi Zuan was seriously injured in the previous battle and actually fainted on the battlefield.

The battles on both sides were fought by soldiers, with no commanders involved. However, the Shu army lacked the will to fight and collapsed on its own when it could not hold out.

However, the victorious Wei army lacked a commander, so they were unable to support battles in other directions. They had no choice but to remain in their positions and wait for the wounded Shi Zuan to wake up and take command.

An hour later, the Shu army on the battlefield in the northern suburbs of Mianzhu had been cleared out. Those who had not died in battle had all fled back to Mianzhu County.

Under the threat of the fleeing soldiers, the magistrate of Mianzhu County had no choice but to open the city gates.

After being captured by the Shu army and then successfully rescued, Tian Xu was sent to take over the county seat of Mianzhu. Everything was calm and uneventful.

With the last gateway breached, Deng Ai's path to Chengdu was now open.

……

"That's enough, stop! You and your men step back, we'll handle the rest!"

In front of a rather imposing mansion, Meng Guan, wielding a ring-pommel sword, held the sword horizontally in front of the door, blocking Xi Zuo, whose face was filled with excitement and fanaticism, from entering the house.

The tone of his voice was very rude!
Behind Meng Guan, the Wei Kingdom's imperial guards under Shi Shouxin were filing into the Li family's residence, while Xi Zuo's men were being prevented from entering.

"General Meng, what do you mean by this?"

Xi Zuo asked with some dissatisfaction.

"General Shi has ordered that your troops are not allowed to enter the Li family residence."

Meng Guan replied coldly.

"My sister is General Shi's woman. You should think carefully before you speak!"

Xi Zuo sheathed his sword and glared at Meng Guan, threatening him.

Although he appeared aggressive, he had actually given up on his plan to enter the Li family mansion and wreak havoc.

"Shi Jianjun's father-in-law is the Imperial Censor. You should think carefully about his identity before you speak!"

Meng is Shi Jianjun's subordinate, so I don't need to worry about his father-in-law causing me trouble, but you're different."

Meng Guan retorted without holding back.

Xi Zuo fell silent, because Meng Guan had truly spoken the truth to him.

The Imperial Censor of the Wei court—that's not someone he can contend with. To bring up anything about his sister whispering in his ear is rather laughable.

"Humph!"

Knowing he was in the wrong, Xi Zuo turned and left. He felt a little guilty, as if Shi Shouxin had seen through his little scheme.

This man is indeed extraordinary.

Xi Zuo, a wise man who knew when to yield, immediately abandoned his idea of ​​turning the tables.

The reason he rushed in to kill the Li family was the same as the reason Meng Guan was ordered by Shi Shouxin to stop him from entering!

Xi Zuo hoped that Shi Shouxin would only have his own family among the powerful clans of Hanzhong under his command. Shi Shouxin, however, thought the opposite: the more powerful clans of Hanzhong who pledged allegiance to him, the better!
Competition is necessary to get things moving; and only when we're engaged can we focus on our work.

Shi Shouxin's schemes were far more profound than Xi Zuo's petty thoughts.

Seemingly noticing the argument between the two, Shi Shouxin, who had been watching from a distance, walked over and asked Xi Zuo, "What's wrong? Are you arguing? How about I settle this?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing. I just wanted to lead my people to clear the way for General Shi. I didn't expect you to have already made arrangements."

Xi Zuo chuckled, his attitude extremely humble, with not a trace of resentment on his face.

"Oh dear, I thought it was something serious, it's all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!"
You and the Li family are both prominent local families in Hanzhong. You see each other all the time, so it's not good to strain your relationship.

If anyone's going to do something wrong, it'll be me. I certainly won't let you be the culprit. I act with integrity and honesty, so you can rest assured. If anything goes wrong, I'll take the blame; I won't pass the buck to you."

Shi Shouxin laughed heartily and patted Xi Zuo on the shoulder.

Having said all that, Xi Zuo naturally had nothing more to say and could only wait outside the mansion. The Li family's mansion was far less fortified than the Xi family's wooden stockade, but it still had a gate tower, high walls, and arrow towers, and was by no means a "family of scholars and poets".

Xi Zuo was ruthless; his men killed more than a dozen tenant farmers of the Li family, so the conflict with the family probably started some time ago.

Shi Shouxin's gaze swept back and forth over the dead bodies, his expression gradually darkening.

Seeing this, Xi Zuo quickly explained, "General Shi, these people are resisting and even tried to sneak into the mansion to report to us. We had no choice but to kill them."

Upon hearing this, Meng Guan's lips curled into a mocking smile, but he remained silent.

Shi Shouxin was a smart man and saw things clearly. How could he be fooled by Xizuo's little tricks?

A man like Xi Zuo might have some fighting ability under his command, but his discipline was completely lacking. These generals, whose military system was based on hereditary military service, often needed to be properly used and trained by their commanders to be able to command them effectively.

Of course, every military system has its advantages and disadvantages, and Shi Shouxin was well aware of this.

He raised his hand to interrupt Xi Zuo, saying, "This time I'll let it go, but don't let it happen again."

(End of this chapter)