Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 94 Under the Tiger Skin
His rapid breathing gradually calmed down, and Shi Shouxin slowly left the bed. The naked young woman beside him had already fallen into a deep sleep. She was too tired; there were tear stains at the corners of her eyes, but a satisfied smile on her lips.

Shi Shouxin came to the table, lit the oil lamp, poured wine, and then drank it all in one gulp!

The low-alcohol liquor has a hint of sweetness, followed by a slightly sour and astringent aftertaste. Taking a big gulp brings a rugged, exhilarating feeling that flashes through your mind!
"What a dog-eat-dog world! The strong possess everything; the weak are dominated by the strong."

Looking at the oil lamp on the table, Shi Shouxin chuckled self-deprecatingly.

Having just tasted the beautiful young and vibrant body of the pretty woman, Shi Shouxin felt an unparalleled bliss, as if he had ascended to heaven.

Having not touched a woman for several months, Shi Shouxin finally got his wish tonight and had a good time.

The joy of rain after a long drought is indescribable.

At this moment, a domineering possessiveness and a thirst for power surged within Shi Shouxin.

Fortune favors the bold; victory brings all sorts of spoils! Retainers, generals, strategists, beauties, land, power! Everything imaginable!

The bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish!

Looking back on everything that happened tonight, it all feels like a dream.

Just an hour earlier, Shi Shouxin was admiring a beautiful woman under the lamp, and the more he looked, the more engrossed he became.

Li Qiu possesses an indescribable gentle charm, like a pool of autumn water, calm yet with subtle ripples.

Her tiny waist and exaggerated hip proportions are enough to make any man's heart itch.

"You'd be quite bothered if I didn't do something to you tonight, wouldn't you?"

Shi Shouxin looked at the young woman sitting beside him, who was trying to appear calm, and asked with a half-smile. He patted his thigh, and Li Qiu, being quite perceptive, gently sat down.

Li Qiu glanced at Shi Shouxin and said frankly, "That's roughly how it is. General Shi thinks that we are at the mercy of others, which makes sense."

"Inviting guests, beheading, and taking them in as dogs—this is just going through the motions."

Sending sweet nothings to a beautiful woman in bed is also part of this.

If this is not done, mutual trust cannot be established. It is difficult to trust a person or a group of people, but it is very easy to destroy trust.

Misunderstandings and suspicions can easily arise between people who are not related by blood or marriage.

Therefore, everyone often hopes to be a family.

"Once you enter this house tonight, you're my woman. There's nothing more to say."

Shi Shouxin took a sip of wine and said to himself.

"General Shi, you are an upright man."

Li Qiu exclaimed in admiration and took the initiative to shake the other person's large, calloused hand.

"I'm not only frank, I'm also very lustful. Tonight you'll find out how wonderful it is to be a woman."

Shi Shouxin laughed heartily, but a hint of worry flashed in his eyes.

"If you weren't lustful, I'd be a little scared. What hero in this world isn't lustful?"

"I eagerly anticipate serving Lord Shi."

Li Qiu complimented him, saying that his words were truly pleasant to hear.

Shi Shouxin liked her straightforward personality, so he reached out and touched Li Qiu's cheek, clearly in a very good mood.

He then let out a long sigh, his heart filled with helplessness and emotion.

In this chaotic world, if a man gains status and position, others will offer him women, which is naturally a very desirable thing.

However, such gifts always come at a price. In essence, they are all exchanges of benefits.

Whether he was lustful or not, it was a luxury for Shi Shouxin.

Because one must endure when one should endure, and indulge when one should indulge—it's all for politics! Even if one appears glamorous and spirited, deep down one is not in control of one's own destiny.

Whether to take it or not depends on assessing the situation. Following political rules is beneficial for gaining greater power, and all of this is for the sake of better survival.

Accumulating strength bit by bit. All for the sake of survival.

Whether or not to accept daughters depends on practical needs, not on personal whims.

Only by living better and stronger can we realize our ambition to benefit all under heaven. Only by taking care of ourselves can we lead the trend of the times. Do what you are capable of; the road to progress never ends.

Only by becoming an "adult" can one survive in this world.

Adults should not only have strong shoulders, but also the responsibility of adults! They cannot be as willful as children!
Shi Shouxin quietly hid his childlike heart and chose to become an adult who faces the storms of life and can clearly distinguish right from wrong!
Tonight, for example, Shi Shouxin has to sleep with this young woman named Li Qiu, and there are probably members of the Li family eavesdropping outside the door. If he hesitates even slightly, there's a possibility they might turn on him.

After all, they still needed Li Liang to persuade the Zhao family; otherwise, he would lead his men to attack the Zhao family mansion. The Zhao family was probably already on guard, and a direct assault would be a poor strategy.

The Li family's situation was completely different from the Xi family's. They wanted to take the staff route, move from staff to official, and then enter the central government.

Therefore, if Li Qiu is refused, Li will feel that Shi Shouxin is not sincere.

If Shi Shouxin isn't even interested in sleeping with the women in their family, how can he be sure he won't kick them out as outsiders in the future?
This is a very real matter; cooperation requires sincerity. Not sleeping with Li Qiu tonight is a clear sign of disrespecting the Li family.

Li Liang wanted to be a staff officer, while Xi Zuo hoped to lead an army on his own; they were different.

Li Liang was also much more politically astute than Xi Zuo.

Even if Li Qiu were less than beautiful, Shi Shouxin would still get her into bed tonight and solidify their relationship.

"When you find yourself unable to do things your way, it proves that you are now an adult, not a child."

Adults should live according to adult rules. Like you, like me.

Shi Shouxin gently put his arm around Li Qiu's waist and looked at her charming face as he spoke sincerely.

"Yes, General Shi is right. I am no longer a child. Perhaps I was yesterday, but I will not be after tonight."

Li Qiu sighed softly, lowering his guard and feeling a certain degree of approval for Shi Shouxin.

When Li Liang advised her, he said the same thing: everything should be for the sake of the family. If the family were gone, her life would have no meaning.

This is the prevailing rule in this era.

She took off her clothes and sincerely offered her body to serve the man before her, then bore him children, serving as a link between Li and Shi Shouxin—this was her mission.

For this, no cost is too high; this is Li Qiu's mission.

"Don't call me General Shi anymore." Seeing that the atmosphere had reached its peak, Shi Shouxin bit her ear and whispered, "Just call me Alang from now on. Now, you're mine."

These domineering words left Li Qiu completely powerless. She slumped into Shi Shouxin's arms, closed her eyes, and hummed softly, a look of ecstasy on her face, letting him take liberties with her...

Recalling the sexual encounter just now, Shi Shouxin took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

The allure of a beautiful woman is indeed formidable, a veritable graveyard for heroes. When Shi Shouxin first conquered a woman in bed, he had a fleeting illusion of conquering the world.

No wonder this trick works every time, no matter the era.

He stood up, pushed open the study door, and found Li Liang standing guard not far outside. He must have heard everything that happened inside the room tonight.

Li Qiu's cries from the bed were somewhat piercing. Those melodious and deep moans must have filled Li Liang with mixed emotions.

"Have you been guarding this place the whole time?"

Shi Shouxin asked with a smile, without the slightest embarrassment. Having not been with a woman for months, he had thoroughly exhausted Li Qiu tonight.

So what if Li Liang was eavesdropping outside? Shi Shouxin didn't mind at all!
"I have no choice but to stay here, because I don't know what kind of evil schemes the people in my family who hate me will come up with."

Li Liang sighed.

Recalling Cao Cao's experience with Zhang Xiu, Shi Shouxin felt that Li Liang was a very reliable person.

"As long as you do your job well, I won't treat you unfairly, and um, your younger sister too."

Shi Shouxin patted Li Liang on the shoulder and said meaningfully.

"Thank you, General Shi."

Li Liang bowed and greeted her, seemingly having something to say, having just seen his sister off to her new bed.

"General Shi, you have already won over the Xi and Li families. After dawn, I will go and persuade the Zhao family, and then we will have three armies."

As your advisor, I know that Zhao Lun of the Zhao family is skilled with a spear, and his strength surpasses that of Xi Zuo.

With the addition of your subordinates Meng Guan and Ma Long, they could certainly go to Shu to test their skills.

Li Liang said in a low voice.

Shi Shouxin nodded calmly, neither denying nor admitting it.

"General Shi, Deng Ai is a false general, Zhong Hui is also a false general, you are also a false general, and Wei Guan is the one holding the imperial staff."

If Deng Ai succeeds in entering Shu via the Yinping Trail, Jiang Wei will not return to Chengdu, but will withdraw from Jiange and surrender directly to Zhong Hui.

At that time, Chengdu will have three independent military forces: Deng Ai's army, Jiang Wei's army, and Zhong Hui's army.

General Shi means…

Li Liang asked hesitantly.

How did you know all this?!

Shi Shouxin grabbed Li Liang by the collar and asked, a murderous glint in his eyes!
"General Shi, don't panic. My family secretly arrested a Wei army officer, and he told us about it."

Li Liang offered his explanation. He didn't say what happened to the Wei army officer afterward, but it likely didn't end well. The Li family, being local, was clearly not exactly harmless.

"No wonder, these are all military secrets, and ordinary soldiers wouldn't know such details!"

Shi Shouxin loosened his grip on Li Liang's collar.

Li Liang leaned close to Shi Shouxin's ear and whispered something for a long time.

"General Shi, what do you think?"

Li Liang offered his plan.

"Shi has always prided himself on being ruthless, but compared to you, he is far inferior."

Shi Shouxin looked at Li Liang and shook his head with a sigh.

"General Shi, if I may be so bold as to ask: even if you return to the capital in triumph, what benefit will it bring you?"

Even if General Shi makes great contributions, will he be able to compete with those powerful families after returning to Luoyang?

It's absurd to gain promotions and honors through the imperial court.

Li Liang asked a very hurtful question.

To put it simply: if you fawn over Sima Zhao, or in the future fawn over Sima Yan, can you really rise to the top based on your merits?

think too much!

This isn't how games are played in this era! Smart people should follow the new version and new strategies.

Although Li Liang didn't say it directly, his meaning was clear: he was telling Shi Shouxin directly that promotion was not the way to advancement.

"Things are going to get really interesting if your sister gets pregnant."

Shi Shouxin said meaningfully.

"Please rest assured, General Shi, I have risked my entire family's lives and will accompany you into Shu, overcoming all obstacles and offering advice and strategies."

Li Liang knelt on the ground and performed a full prostration to Shi Shouxin.

"No problem, no problem. Actually, your suggestion was not bad, but it was too rough. It would be stupid to use it directly."

Now I'll test you. What should I do when we return to our base at Baishuiguan in a few days?

Shi Shouxin helped Li Liang up and asked, squinting his eyes.

This is a test, a very simple test question.

"General Shi should ask Zhong Hui for a designation and reorganize the hereditary soldiers of the powerful clans in Hanzhong into an independent army."

You shall take command of this army and feign loyalty to Zhong Hui. From now on, this hereditary army will follow you closely, separated from the imperial guards of Luoyang.

Li Liang offered his insights: The first move is to demand a unit designation and form an independent army! Feign loyalty to Zhong Hui!

Upon hearing this, a smile appeared on Shi Shouxin's face.

“You’re absolutely right. Zhong Hui is desperately short of his own troops.”

(End of this chapter)