Hearing Zhao Shujiao say that he was leaving, Gao Di couldn't help but be surprised, he was in charge of the armies of the five provinces around Guizhou, why didn't he receive the official document that Zhao Shujiao was leaving? Not only Gao Di was surprised, but even Zhang Jing'an was surprised, and he asked at that time: "Did General Zhao receive an order or hearsay?" We're here together, and you're leaving, should I go too? ”

Zhao Shujiao said: "Here's the thing, we started to build roads and houses after we came at the end of last year, my troops were deliberately selected when they were formed, but the young people with strong combat effectiveness were selected into the combat units, and the youngest ones were in their thirties. Since they are all young and have families, they thought that they would live here for three or five years, so as soon as the house road was repaired, someone proposed to take over the family to reunite, and I also wrote to the court at that time. ”

Gao Di said: "I can't see that Mr. Zhao is still moving fast, no wonder I don't know about this matter, but how can you say that you are leaving?" ”

Zhao Shujiao said: "Two days ago, Jinyiwei commanded Liu Qiao to go to Sichuan from Zunyi Road, and he said that he forgot everything at first, and then remembered one thing, that is, the emperor did not agree with my subordinates to bring the family to Guizhou. The emperor meant to wait for the dry season after September, and let my troops garrison the canal by the canal and dredge the canal by the way, since we were leaving, the village we were going to live for our families would be vacated, which is why I wanted to relocate the people on the other side of the river. There are 30,000 people in my army, and there are 30,000 households per person, and there are more than enough people in the relocated area to sell or rent some to the local people. ”

Gao Di said: "This Liu Qiao is really forgetful, and he can almost forget the emperor's affairs, but is his words credible?" After all, the emperor only had this intention and did not decide. ”

Zhao Shujiao shook his head and said: "Before we came, the emperor asked me to choose an address by the canal and said that he would give us a place to live. On that day, Lord Liu Qiao Liu said that the emperor had asked all the families of our army who originally lived in Shanglin Yuan to move to the canal] The soldiers are old and the children are also older, the younger ones are eleven or twelve years old, and the general ones are fifteen or sixteen years old, and they are also a soldier when they put on armor, and at first the tall adults said that they would hand over the newly recruited more than 10,000 baby soldiers to my subordinates, and I think they must be willing, because these baby soldiers are as big as their children and look kind. ”

Cai Fuyi also smiled: "It seems that Mr. Zhao is really leaving, this general doesn't like to make ideas in front of civil officials in order to avoid others saying that he is in the limelight, and Mr. Zhao is leaving, so naturally there are no such taboos." It's only June now, and there are still two months left, just enough to train those recruits to cooperate with Zhang Zongbing's people to advance westward, and Zhao Zongbing will talk freely about what we should do today. In fact, we civilian officials have ideas because we have no practical experience, which can be regarded as paper talk, and military generals have experience and can hear the needs of soldiers, so your ideas are the most valuable. ”

Gao Di and Zhu Xieyuan also smiled and asked Zhao Shujiao to talk about it, saying that his words could provide new ideas for others.

Zhao Shujiao said: "Since you are polite, I am not modest, my subordinates are not good at this march and war, but how to build a city and fort still has a certain right to speak."

Let's look at this map, the river we are guarding now is called the cat jumping river, and the local people call the tiger a big cat, that is, the river is not wide and even the tiger can jump over, and the water of this river is not balanced, and it can be passed without a boat in the dry season, but in the high water period, it is turbulent and dark rocks are mixed with Chen boats and boats are difficult to cross. Because the river is easy to cross, there are more people who need to defend and patrol the cat jumping river, and if it is a big river, there is no need for so many people, just focus on defending the ferry. ”

Gao Di, Cai Fuyi and others listened to Zhao Shujiao's words and looked at the map, Gao Di looked at it for a while and said: "This must have a purpose in everything, our purpose here is to rectify the army, and the second is to wait for an opportunity to quell the rebellion. Don't you want the soldiers to have more combat experience? Therefore, we must train soldiers to combine with the enemy on the ♀ enemy is very cunning, you want to find him when it is not easy to find, when you are not guarded he will secretly attack, Zhao Zongbing said to hold the village to retreat to prevent attack is a good way, so to find a defensive place is indeed necessary. ”

Cai Fuyi also said: "Replacing offense with defense requires pressing step by step, forcing the enemy to come to war with me, but Sun Chengzong Sun did this in Liaoxi back then, and later the imperial court's financial resources could not keep up with the speed of repairing cities and forts, and the continuous destruction of the Jurchens made it extremely difficult, will we do this now will we follow the old path of Lord Sun?" ”

Gao Di thought for a while and shook his head and said: "The destruction of the Jurchens has repeatedly blocked the Liaoxi Army's plan to repair the city, and the reason is that the Jurchens have strong field combat capabilities, and it is difficult for the Liaoxi Army to resist the attack of the Jurchens without the protection of the fortified city. Now the situation in Guizhou is different from that in Liaoxi, the rebels under An Bangyan and Hao Chongming do not have the courage of the Jurchens, and will only take advantage of the geographical advantages to become strong, and he will come to make trouble halfway to us, and he is not afraid of him at all. But in terms of financial considerations, we have to think more, if it is really like Zhao Zongbing began to say that roads should be built on every mountain, and stonemasons and bricklayers should be called to build strong outposts on the top of each mountain, it would indeed be a waste of money and labor that we can not cope with now. ”

Zhu Xieyuan said: "I can hear that Mr. Zhao began to say the opposite, but it is true that he said that the cat jumping into the river is not safe and should choose a new line to be armed, this village in Guizhou is either in a mountain recess or on the plateau, and it is really not reassuring to build a garrison only in the village, and a blockade line with both fixed guards and mobile patrols should be built. Gao Daren began to say that everything should have a purpose, and I think that the goal is too far in the matter of pressing westward step by step, and the soldiers have courage and perseverance at the beginning, and then it is inevitable that they will end up hastily, and if there is no goal, they will be like headless flies, so they also need a suitable goal. ”

Gao Di nodded and said, "Since Mr. Zhao said that it is not appropriate for a cat to jump into the river, then do you think it is more appropriate there?" ”

Zhao Shujiao said: "Everyone, please see, less than 100 miles west from the Maoqiao River is the Wujiang River, I heard the locals in the army say that the Wujiang River is steep, the beach is rapid, and it is known as the natural danger, and there are not many places to cross, as long as you defend the key places, the enemy will not be able to attack the east. In the south, we can start from Anshun and go straight to the bank of the Sancha River, the middle section gradually advances to the confluence of the Liuchong River and the Sancha River, and the northern section relies on Zunyi to defend the Biyan River and the Yachi River, so that we can be separated from the enemy across the river, and it is not far from the rebels' old nest Zhijin and Shuixi. ”

Zhu Xieyuan said: "If the terrain of the Wujiang River is dangerous, it is not conducive to attack or defense, and the mountains around the river beach are dangerous, and the roads must not be repaired for many years? The enemy will definitely come to stop it halfway, Mr. Zhao, your people will leave in two months, what should we do then? ”

Zhao Shujiao said: "I refuse to build a sentry post on the top of the mountain, because I feel that it is a waste of money and labor, and second, I think that it is not meaningful to do so, who will want to go to that place to drink wind in the future?" However, the construction of roads along the Wujiang River is different, even if it is not repaired in three or five years, it should be repaired in ten or twenty years. Why do people in Guizhou always rebel? The first reason is that there are too many toasts, and these people are ambitious, and the second reason is that the road is difficult to walk, and it is difficult for the officers and soldiers to enter. If the roads are not repaired, even if An Bangyan and Hao Chongming are pacified, there will be people who will rebel in a few years, and there will be others after my people are gone, and these tens of thousands of local soldiers can continue to build roads and houses. ”

Gao Di said: "I am afraid that it is not good to move in one place alone, so that the soldiers in Yunnan can set out from Qujing and Xundian to the Niubaran and Kedu River to fortify, if An Bangyan and Hao Chongming do not react, we can hold on, not only to prevent the rebels from fleeing westward, but also to closely monitor An Xiaoliang of Wusa." If An Bangyan and Hao Chongming colluded with An Xiaoliang, they would inevitably attack westward and open up a way to escape to the Dongchuan area, but Wumeng Mountain was not a living creature raised by the rebels, as long as they stuck to the dangerous places on the mountain, it was not easy for the rebels to win in a short time, and after a long time, they would also be safe in Shuixi and Zhijin. ”

Cai Fuyi said: "Since this is the case, we will make a big move, and let the Sichuan army stationed in Yongning also take advantage of the situation to move south, until Zhenxiong is firmly on the bank of the Chishui River, with Wumeng Mountain and Da Lou Mountain on the east and west, and Chishui River and Wujiang River in the north and south, so as to limit the enemy to a small range." No matter which direction the enemy counterattacks, we will retreat slightly, and when the enemy has no strength, we will strengthen the defense line and prepare to slowly close the net, just like besieging a beast, slowly consume its strength first, and when the enemy has no strength, it will naturally be captured. ”

Gao Di saw that everyone agreed, so he decided to contact the armies of Yunnan and Sichuan and then act as a whole, after the meeting was dismissed, Zhang Jing'an said to Zhao Shujiao that it was already evening, please Zhao Shujiao to his camp to rest, by the way, there is something to ask, Zhao Shujiao thought about it and agreed.

The two of them each took their entourage and rode to Zhang Jing'an's camp, and when they arrived at the camp, Zhang Jing'an first ordered someone to arrange a place for Zhao Shujiao and his entourage, and personally invited Zhao Shujiao to his camp tent to talk. After entering the camp tent and sitting down, Zhang Jing'an asked the left and right people to retreat, and then asked anxiously: "I came to Guizhou with General Zhao, is there any news of me that General Zhao is leaving?" ”

Zhao Shujiao smiled and said: "General Zhang's words make me not know where to start, at the beginning you heard that I want to go back is all Liu Qiao Liu Master Liu's words, I don't know whether I go or stay, and I don't know if General Zhang is going to stay." ”

Zhang Jingan said with some anxiety: "General Zhao is older than me, qualified older than me, and is my big brother, we are all from the front line in Liaodong, and we are considered people who share weal and woe, and General Zhao must help if he can." My mountain infantry battalion has now become an army, and its combat effectiveness is not to say that it is invincible in the world, but also to dare to say that it has the strength to fight with any enemy, and it looks like it is going to use troops against the Mongols or Jurchens, and now it is not a matter to be a teacher in this wild place, can Brother Zhao help me with an idea? ”

Zhao Shujiao thought for a while and said: "Since Brother Zhang is so polite, I will say it directly, in fact, your brother is here to be at ease and be your teacher, but it is better for you, than if you go to Liaodong to fight with the Jurchens." Think about it, now that your territory is occupied by Zu Dashou's people, what are you going back to do? For those natives of Liaoxi, you are a foreigner, so you might as well be here. ”