Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 93 The Art of Balancing

The "cleaning" of the Li family manor was not completed until dawn.

Ma Long, yawning, approached Shi Shouxin, bowed, and said, "General Shi, the Zhao family has not come to reinforce us. I have been on guard all night, but there has been no movement. Perhaps they don't know, or perhaps they know but pretend not to."

There was a smug look on his face, like someone who had won a bet. Shi Shouxin sighed and waved his hand gently, indicating that he could go and rest.

The assessment of the enemy was too broad, but the enemy's expectations were too narrow.

Indeed, this is how the world is: everyone loves to add flowers to brocade, but avoids to offer charcoal in the snow. As a family with generations of intermarriage, the Zhao family chose to stand by and watch when the Li family was in trouble, not caring at all that their ally was being stabbed.

Anyway, as long as the knife didn't cut me, it's fine. As for my children and in-laws, I can only blame them for being unlucky.

This raid yielded many benefits for Shi Shouxin. Unlike the impoverished Xi family, although the Li family's troops were not as good as the Xi family's, their storerooms were filled with silk, gold and silver, and granaries were overflowing!

No wonder they have such a distinguished lineage, having served as high-ranking officials for two generations during the Han Dynasty! Even though the family members are no longer involved in government affairs, the Li family, with its tradition of passing down Confucian classics, undoubtedly has something to offer in this era.

Much better than the Xi family.

Once a dynasty changes, for example, just like when the Wei Kingdom occupies Hanzhong now, as long as they make contact with the government, they can quickly gain a foothold in the local area. Even outstanding members of the family can go to Luoyang to make a living.

Just as Shi Shouxin was lost in thought, Meng Guan led two personal guards out of the mansion and bowed to Shi Shouxin, who was waiting outside the door, saying, "Supervisor Shi, the main family of the Li family has already gathered in the hall. After we went in, they were quite cooperative, but they gathered together and discussed for a long time."

As you instructed, I did not urge you.

Meng Guan reported in a low voice.

They could actually have completed a rough inventory of the valuables and dealt with the people that night. It was Shi Shouxin who was trying to lure the Zhao family into a trap, deliberately slowing things down.

"well done."

Shi Shouxin nodded and said that he felt Meng Guan was quite capable in handling affairs, and most importantly, he was obedient and did whatever he was told.

Leading his imperial guards and Xi Zuo into the main hall of the mansion, he saw the Li family members standing together, seemingly discussing something.

One of the elderly men, dressed in a blue brocade robe, saw Shi Shouxin and his group enter and hurriedly stepped forward to strike up a conversation. He was about to speak when he saw Xi Zuo's menacing gaze and immediately fell silent.

The old man immediately turned back and whispered a few words to a young man in his twenties, seemingly wanting him to take action.

There seems to be a story behind this!
Shi Shouxin, who was watching from the sidelines, leisurely crossed his arms and watched the excitement.

"My name is Li Liang, and I greet General Shi."

The young man stepped forward, bowed deeply to Shi Shouxin, his waist bent so low it was almost ninety degrees!
Li Liang appeared gentle and refined, clearly someone who had never handled a knife before. Calluses were present on other parts of his fingers, likely from frequent pen-writing.

Shi Shouxin observed the other party calmly and quickly formed a judgment in his mind: This is the Li family's "seed player," a scholar specially trained to become an official! He must be very intelligent.

"This is not the place to talk."

Shi Shouxin raised his hand, signaling Li Liang not to speak.

"General Shi, the study is over there. I'll take you there now."

Li Liang gestured for them to proceed.

No one in the Li clan interrupted him, which suggests that he holds a high position in the family.

Shi Shouxin followed Li Liang into the study.

After the two were seated, Li Liang got straight to the point, saying, "General Shi, you may take whatever wealth and provisions you have at home. However, we hope to become your subordinates and lead an army on your own."

That's interesting! They voted decisively!

Hearing this, Shi Shouxin was overjoyed. He didn't want to resort to violence; a peaceful resolution would be best.

"You seem to know exactly why I'm here. Have you guessed who I am?"

Shi Shouxin asked with a half-smile.

Hearing this, Li Liang smiled wryly:

"Some time ago, I went to the Wei army camp outside Lecheng to explain my intention to join their cause. But I was sternly rejected. As for Grand Commander Zhong Hui, that's not someone I, Li Liang, can approach."

I think it shouldn't be hard to guess what the Wei court is thinking. We're simply at their mercy, like fish on a chopping board.

As for you, Shi Gandang of Luoyang, who in the world doesn't know you?

Shi Shouxin nodded. This was his trump card, but he hadn't expected that someone would have seen through it beforehand. He hadn't even revealed it to Meng Guan and Ma Long.

"Indeed."

Shi Shouxin took out a Wuzhu coin from the Western Han Dynasty from his sleeve and fiddled with it in his hand. He looked at Li Liang and continued:

"If the court doesn't take advantage of you completely, how will we make up for the huge losses incurred in this campaign against Shu?"

You powerful clans dominate this region, yet you're not one of our own. How can the imperial court trust you?

After the fall of the Shu Kingdom, your people will be relocated elsewhere.

As for the wealth, land, and even tenants in the treasury, they should be distributed to the meritorious soldiers!

Therefore, even if you go to the Wei army camp outside Lecheng to seek refuge, no one will pay you any attention.

Because soon someone will come after you!

If you try to curry favor with them now, you might find it hard to do it later.

Do you understand this principle?

Shi Shouxin asked with a cold laugh.

"I entrust everything to General Shi. As for the Zhao family, I will personally go and persuade them. The Zhao family will definitely bring their troops to join us!"

Li Liang made the promise cautiously, his tone filled with trepidation.

"You are a smart man named Liang. Do people usually call you Little Crouching Dragon?"

Shi Shouxin asked casually, waving his hand to indicate that Li Liang didn't need to be so nervous.

"I dare not compare myself to Zhuge Liang, but I was indeed called that nickname when I was a child."

Li Liang said embarrassedly, not daring to show even the slightest bit of pride.

Shi Shouxin wanted to laugh but dared not. Li Liang was probably a child prodigy, but unfortunately, he was born in the wrong place. If he had been born in Luoyang, he might already be famous throughout the world.

After exchanging words, the tense atmosphere between the two eased considerably.

"Your relocation is necessary, and I can't control that. But where you relocate to is something I can discuss. Ultimately, it depends on your performance. Those with merit will be easier to talk to, understand?"

The imperial court has never truly trusted you; at the very least, it cannot allow you to remain in Hanzhong.

Shi Shouxin was giving frantic hints from the side.

Li Liang sighed helplessly and nodded slightly. He actually had a lot to say, but he couldn't fight city hall, so why expose his shortcomings?
After capturing Hanzhong, the Wei Kingdom, in order to maintain its rule, would definitely first sort out all the local tyrants, simply put, uproot them, and then have some of its own people migrate over to become new tyrants.

Anyone would do this. Otherwise, it wouldn't have taken a century for local tycoons to grow so powerful that they would have been able to carve out their own territories and become kings.

Hanzhong was far from Luoyang, the ruling center of Wei, and obviously could not be allowed to remain in such a precarious situation.

If Sima Zhao doesn't do this while the Wei army is in Hanzhong, it can only mean that his political acumen has reached an appalling level.

Both Xi Zuo and Li Liang clearly saw this and were actively trying to save themselves.

When the Wei army had just captured Yang'an Pass, Li Liang had approached the Wei general guarding the area. It's unclear who he was, but the general clearly didn't want to deal with a local tycoon like Li Liang.

Shi Shouxin understood this approach perfectly, because he wouldn't try to build a relationship with the beef and mutton that were about to be served. The Wei army besieging Hanle and Ercheng were very likely the same forces that would later raid Li's home.

"General Shi, please tell us what you need us to do. We will do our best, even at the cost of our lives."

Li Liang asked very seriously. He wasn't stupid; it was obvious that they were the ones begging others. There's no such thing as a free lunch!
Shi Shouxin's arrival must be for a reason; there must be something he can do to help them.

"Actually, it's alright to tell you. The Wei army's commander-in-chief in this campaign against Shu, Grand Commander Zhong Hui, is plotting a rebellion. I have been ordered by the court to eliminate him if necessary."

Therefore, I need trustworthy retainers, not the kind of retainers who obey Zhong Hui.

After the matter is accomplished, you will be rewarded for your contributions and will have a bright future.

Loyalty pays off!
"Do you want to do something big?"

Shi Shouxin handed the appointment document that Sima Zhao had given him to Li Liang, and the words "acting as an imperial envoy" were clearly written on it!
This confidential matter was truly shocking, but Li Liang was relieved.

Unsolicited kindness is always suspicious; no one is kind to you for no reason.

Mutual benefit is the norm for cooperation and the foundation of mutual trust. This foundation is often stronger than bonds of affection.

"The entire Li family thanks General Shi for his kindness. Words are not enough; I will write a guarantee right now."

From now on, whatever General Shi says, I will do without hesitation!

Li Liang took out a large sheet of paper, ground ink on the spot, and then wrote a "manifesto," stating that his Li clan supported the imperial court and was ordered to punish the traitor Zhong Hui, vowing to fight to the death and never betray the dynasty.

After the ink dried, Li Liang handed it to Shi Shouxin and said, "I am not capable of leading troops, and can only serve as a staff officer to assist General Shi. Therefore, the troops at home will be directly commanded by General Shi, and we will not interfere. Five hundred men are not many, but they are enough to protect General Shi."

Li Liang offered a very high price, even giving up his position as a general leading an army and giving all his troops to Shi Shouxin.

Stupid?

Not stupid at all.

To gain something, you must first give something. The Li family's approach was very clever, and it resulted in a win-win situation.

After a little thought, Shi Shouxin saw through the Li family's scheme.

The Li family held high office for two generations during the Eastern Han Dynasty, following the upper echelons of the court. Maintaining private armies was merely a means to ensure their survival in their local areas should they lose their official positions. They did not have the same intentions as the Yuan family, so maintaining a large private army was not a wise strategy.

Now that we've already allied ourselves with a powerful patron, the small private army is no longer a big deal; we can just keep a few at home to guard against thieves.

Adding a few hundred more men wouldn't be of much help to the Li family. It would be better to simply hand over command of these private soldiers to Shi Shouxin.

More importantly, Shi Shouxin needed to use Li Liang to suppress Xi Zuo, as well as Meng Guan, Ma Long, and others.

Different people have different plans for the future, and their personal choices will naturally differ as well.

Shi Shouxin witnessed the skillful maneuvering of the local powerful clans in Hanzhong. None of these clans were simple; at least, none of the people who stepped forward to make decisions were fools.

"General Shi, please sit here. I need to go and talk to my family about this matter."

There shouldn't be any problems with the promise I just made.

Li Liang stood up and bowed to Shi Shouxin, who was kneeling on the cushion.

He wanted to explain to his clansmen what he had agreed upon with Shi Shouxin, but of course, he would keep anything related to Zhong Hui a secret.

"please."

Shi Shouxin was sparing with his words, uttering only one word before watching Li Liang leave the study.

After Li Liang left, Shi Shouxin sighed softly and muttered to himself:
"Next, it should be time to send the daughter away. Without the female relatives to whisper in the ear, we cannot guarantee that the family's interests will not be harmed."

I can't refuse this woman; I'm definitely going to have to be a kidney warrior tonight.

"If Ms. Li stakes everything on this and then looks down on someone else's sister, that's incredibly unreasonable and makes her untrustworthy."

Sure enough, a short while later, a young woman dressed in a white gauze dress slowly walked into the study, carrying a wine pot in her hand.

Her long hair cascaded down her shoulders, as black as a waterfall.

Li Liang followed behind her; the two looked somewhat alike. Even if they weren't blood siblings, they must have been cousins.

"Her name is Li Qiu, and she is my younger sister. She was immediately smitten with General Shi and is willing to offer herself to you tonight."

"How about General Shi takes her as his concubine? That way, when he's reviewing official documents, he'll have someone to keep him company. What do you think?"

Li Liang spoke flattering words, but his expression remained unchanged. Giving his sister away was like giving her a gift; he showed no emotion whatsoever.

"General Shi, I'd like to offer you a toast. I'll drink first as a sign of respect."

Li Qiu poured himself a glass of wine and drank it all in one gulp.

A blush immediately spread across her pretty, fair face, and her small lips looked luscious and tempting. Her fair hands were like works of art, so white they were dazzling.

Sure enough, it's the same old formula, the same old path dependency. Many routines have become habits; when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

Shi Shouxin suddenly thought of his father-in-law, Li Yin. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that his father-in-law had been quite shrewd back then.

Was it really just for his daughter's lifelong happiness? Judging from the current situation, it's probably not entirely that simple.

"Sit down and have a drink with me."

Shi Shouxin pointed to the spot next to him and said to Li Qiu. Seeing this, Li Liang quietly left the study and closed the door.

(End of this chapter)