Chapter 34 Investing in a Cold Stove

Yangan Pass was some distance from the main camp where Zhong Hui was stationed, and the journey required traversing a lengthy mountain road. The main camp lay northeast of Mount Dingjun, situated very close to Hancheng, the administrative seat of Hanzhong Commandery.

After spurring his horse hard for fifty li, Shi Shouxin arrived at the southwestern side of Mount Dingjun. The road ahead became impassable, and with the hour growing late, Shi Shouxin ordered the troops to make camp near a small stream at the foot of the mountain.

They lit a bonfire, ate some simple dry rations, and drank the fresh water from their leather canteens. Shi Shouxin took out the mugwort leaves packed in his personal bundle and burned them like mosquito coils to ward off insects.

These had been prepared for him by Li Wan, an act of meticulous and thoughtful care.

Shi Shouxin stared fixedly at the crackling bonfire, his gaze gradually growing hazy.

The reason he had chosen not to violate or humiliate the female family members of the Shu military officers that day was not out of any soft-hearted reluctance or inability to act.

Shi Shouxin was merely feeling a sense of empathetic grief for those sharing his fate.

In times like these, the families of the defeated were treated just like the women who would be moaning and begging for mercy beneath Hu Lie and his men tonight—and perhaps that was still a relatively favorable outcome.

If Shi Shouxin himself were to become the defeated party, what would happen to him?

Leaving his own life aside, his wives and concubines would undoubtedly become playthings for others, wouldn't they?

Shi Shouxin could not help but sigh.

And what about Yang Huiyu?

Not only could he not refuse this woman, but she would also bring him even greater trouble. Having witnessed the fate of the defeated today, he knew that only through unremitting self-improvement could one ensure self-preservation.

He could not afford to lose! He had to rise to prominence, or else he was dead for sure!

How could he possibly have the leisure to dally with women?

Shi Shouxin clenched his fists tightly.

Amidst the firelight, he seemed to see Yang Huiyu lying on the bed, her jade-white body etching itself into his vision.

Every flutter of her eyelashes, every smile, was so enchanting, as gentle as water, like a fleeting dream of a romantic rendezvous.

It was a beauty beyond description... and an unspeakable allure.

In a daze, Shi Shouxin's heart was gripped fiercely, aching with a mixture of sweetness and pain.

Suddenly, he realized what a terrifying thing he had done! He had stolen Sima's widow, and stolen her thoroughly at that, taking away both her body and soul.

If this matter were ever leaked, Shi Shouxin did not even dare to imagine the consequences.

"Inspector Shi? Inspector Shi?"

A personal guard beside him called out.

"Ah, speak if you have something to say. I won't blame you," Shi Shouxin said with a gentle wave and an awkward smile. Having just snapped out of his trance, he had recalled the wildness of that night in bed with Yang Huiyu, leaving him feeling restless and distracted.

"Inspector Shi, now that we've miraculously broken through Yangan Pass, will we press on and storm Chengdu?"

The guard asked in a low voice.

"Hard to say, but it's very likely," Shi Shouxin nodded and said.

"Yet serving in the Inspector's detachment, it's so difficult to earn military merits," the guard sighed with a hint of helplessness.

"Are you looking to make a name for yourself?"

Shi Shouxin asked with a smile.

Observing that the guard was quite young, likely in his late teens and newly enlisted, his face still bore a youthful innocence.

His present composure was entirely put on, looking unnatural no matter how one observed it.

Needless to say, with Sima Zhao frantically recruiting soldiers and expanding the imperial guards in recent years, this man was undoubtedly one of the newly enlisted, sent to the Inspector's detachment merely to gain some experience, with no expectations of him charging into battle to slay enemies.

"Coming from a humble background, one only has the chance to make something of oneself by charging into battle and killing the enemy.

Inspector Shi is fortunate enough to have married a fair maiden from an official's family, so naturally, there are influential people backing you up. Wretches like us have it miserable; when will we ever amount to anything?"

The guard sighed repeatedly, then suddenly realizing he might have said something inappropriate, he quickly apologized, "Please don't take offense, Inspector Shi. Your subordinate is simply overwhelmed with envy, with no other intentions whatsoever, absolutely no other meaning."

Observing his flustered state, Shi Shouxin quickly offered a warm and reassuring smile. "To tell you the truth, this marriage was decreed by the Emperor of Gaoguixiang. Otherwise, a fine woman like my wife would never have been mine to marry, hahahahaha."

Seeing his carefree demeanor, the guard chuckled along with him.

He bowed and saluted Shi Shouxin, saying, "Your subordinate is Meng Guan, a native of Bohai in Hebei. I am willing to serve as Inspector Shi's close confidant and follow you on official duties wherever you go! Wherever you walk, your subordinate will follow!"

Meng Guan hastily professed his loyalty, dropping to one knee and refusing to rise.

Shi Shouxin narrowed his eyes and calmly helped him up.

In human society, certain rules are universal, and one of them is pursuing benefit and avoiding harm.

Every person is actually observing constantly at all times: who around them can be befriended, who is worth pulling into their circle, and who can be relied upon.

While Shi Shouxin was secretly observing the people around him, someone was also quietly watching and assessing him.

For instance, Meng Guan, who served as his personal guard.

He had observed Shi Shouxin for a long time, and after weighing various major and minor events, he concluded that Shi Shouxin was a man of integrity and worth aligning with.

Or rather, someone who could give him a helping hand!

In this day and age, climbing the social ladder without the patronage of a nobleman was impossible.

For example, both Li Wan and Yang Huiyu could be considered Shi Shouxin's benefactors, not to mention Shi Chong and Yang Hu.

As for Meng Guan, he viewed Shi Shouxin as his own benefactor.

Meng Guan had even compared the personalities of Shi Shouxin and Zhong Hui, reaching the conclusion that while Zhong Hui held high status, he was cold, ruthless, and driven entirely by self-interest—an extreme egoist devoid of human warmth.

In contrast, Shi Shouxin was a much more interesting character: he could stand up for Xu Yi, he could devise strategies for the army, and he could uphold righteousness to butt heads directly with Zhong Hui!

More importantly, Shi Shouxin was very young, had the backing of his father-in-law Li Yin, and had not yet fully revealed his ambitions!

If this cold stove was warmed up, it would be of immense help to him in the future.

Upon learning that Shi Shouxin was unwilling to participate in the debauchery of violating the wives and daughters of the surrendered Shu generals, Meng Guan had taken the initiative to pledge his allegiance.

In other words, a man with such solid moral character would never push him to his death, even if he couldn't offer much help.

"And what are your strengths?"

Shi Shouxin asked with a smile.

The stone hanging in Meng Guan's heart finally landed. If Shi Shouxin had agreed without asking anything at all, he truly would have been terrified!

"Reporting to Inspector Shi, your subordinate's martial arts skills are passable,"

Meng Guan said with considerable confidence.

To be honest, enlisting in the army without any martial arts skills was practically suicide. They weren't like Shi Shouxin, whose primary duties belonged to a "civil official" and who only held a military post due to the exigencies of war.

For imperial guards like Meng Guan, if they failed to rise through the ranks, they could only await old age and discharge, or perish in some battle.

He felt it was not worth throwing his life away that way, which was why he wanted an alternative path.

"Very well, from today onward you are my confidant,"

Shi Shouxin said, patting Meng Guan on the shoulder.

"However, keep it as confidential as possible,"

Shi Shouxin added in a low voice.

Meng Guan nodded. He cast a thoughtful glance at Shi Shouxin and said nothing more. Outsiders would always figure out such matters eventually, but keeping a low profile for as long as possible was best.

The night passed quietly. The next day, the troop set out, continuing northward through the mountain path of Mount Dingjun and arriving at the northeastern foot of the mountain. Throughout the journey, Shi Shouxin's attitude toward Meng Guan remained unchanged, no different from before.

In less than an hour, the cavalry detachment arrived at the main camp where Zhong Hui was stationed.

The location Zhong Hui had chosen for the main camp was not particularly brilliant; it merely offered a water source, while the southern side of the camp was overgrown with dense brushwood.

If a massive fire were to break out there, one could only imagine how lively the scene would be. Perhaps frightened by Xiahou Yuan's fate years ago, Zhong Hui had established his camp at the foot of Mount Dingjun, quite close to the camps surrounding Hancheng.

Upon careful consideration, Shi Shouxin felt the troop concentrations were overly dense—relying entirely on the assumption that the Shu state had few troops left in Hanzhong.

Shi Shouxin surmised that Zhong Hui was emboldened by his massive force and the fact that he had already surrounded the two major cities of Hanzhong, rendering him unafraid of surprise attacks.

He had a vague sense that Zhong Hui was actually not skilled in military command and troop deployment, remaining at heart merely a character akin to Zhang Liang. Even a half-baked amateur like Shi Shouxin could spot numerous flaws in Zhong Hui's camp placement; surely other generals could perceive them to varying degrees as well.

In other words, the respect the various generals held for Zhong Hui was likely minimal, amounting to little more than a reluctant obedience to military orders. Such a state of affairs might hold as long as nothing went wrong, but if a crisis truly erupted, how could Zhong Hui possibly keep the military officers in check?

Suppressing the distracting thoughts in his mind, Shi Shouxin led the Inspector's detachment into the main camp and was promptly escorted alone by Zhong Hui's personal guards into the commander's tent.

The moment he stepped inside Zhong Hui's command tent, he saw numerous generals arrayed on both sides, looking stern and formidable as if discussing some major matter. Wei Guan was evidently among them, standing closest to Zhong Hui.

"What is the situation at Yangan Pass?"

Zhong Hui asked calmly.

All the generals turned their gazes toward Shi Shouxin.

"Reporting to the Great Commander, General Hu has already captured Yangan Pass and requests that the Great Commander relocate the army there. These are the battle report and the silk scroll reporting our achievements."

Shi Shouxin drew Hu Lie's silk scroll from his sleeve and handed it to a personal guard, who then passed it to Zhong Hui.

"Gentlemen, tomorrow we shall proceed to Yangan Pass to oversee operations and distribute rewards according to merit."

A smile finally appeared on Zhong Hui's face as he turned to look at Wei Guan and asked, "What does Inspector Wei think?"

"Splendid. Wei will also dispatch men to report the achievement to the Great General,"

Wei Guan said with a smile, and the atmosphere within the tent instantly relaxed. In truth, before Shi Shouxin's arrival, Zhong Hui, Wei Guan, and the others had been arguing over whether or not to attack Yangan Pass.

"Ah, right, I have a task for you."

As if suddenly remembering something, Zhong Hui looked at Shi Shouxin, his enigmatic smile laden with deep meaning.

"Please give your instructions, Great Commander."

Shi Shouxin hurriedly saluted with cupped hands.

"No need for formalities, it's merely a small matter. I am too swamped with official duties to spare the time; Zhuge Liang's tomb lies right at the foot of Mount Dingjun—go on my behalf and sweep Zhuge Liang's grave."

Zhong Hui said casually.

For an inspector of the Wei army to sweep the grave of Zhuge Liang, the Chancellor of Shu, was indeed a peculiar affair.

"Understood, your subordinate will attend to it right away."

Although Shi Shouxin sensed the extreme oddity of this task, he raised no objections. Naturally, he was in no position to refuse either.

"Splendid. Once you finish sweeping Zhuge Liang's grave, take the dispatches reporting our merits and deliver them to the Great General in洛阳 (Luoyang). You need only take a few men as an escort; the rest of your subordinates will rejoin the unit.

Sweep the grave today, and set off at first light tomorrow to deliver the despatches."

Wei Guan added.

If you have the ability to run errands, keep running them until you drop dead! An undisguised form of workplace bullying washed over him.

Acting as though he noticed nothing, Shi Shouxin accepted Wei Guan's order with a calm expression.

Only after stepping out of the commander's tent did his face turn ashen!

Waiting outside, Meng Guan noticed Shi Shouxin's abnormal demeanor, stepped closer, and asked in a low voice, "Inspector Shi, just now... how did it go?"

"Pick two familiar brothers, and we'll go sweep Zhuge Liang's grave together right now.

Once the grave-sweeping is done, I'll collect the dispatches from Inspector Wei and set off tomorrow morning to deliver the report in Luoyang.

As for the rest, I'll explain to you later."

Shi Shouxin said with a calm expression, though the disappointment in his tone was difficult to conceal.

Along with a trace of imperceptible anxiety.

While it was true he was an inspector on this expedition, he remained a military civil official under Wei Guan's jurisdiction, and galloping back to Luoyang to report merits was part of his official duty, leaving him utterly without room for refusal.

Meng Guan's expression also betrayed disappointment, though he quickly reined in his emotions. He returned to the ranks to fetch two soldiers with whom he was on familiar terms, and the group departed the main camp together.

Shi Shouxin thought to himself: With the destruction of the Shu state imminent, I wonder what thoughts Chancellor Zhuge would have if he knew of this from the netherworld.