Tao Kan did not approve of taking the initiative to attack Liu Yao, who was going to fight Gaonu, and he explained to Pei Gai: "Since I arrived at Gaonu before, the higher the terrain and the denser the hills, the more dangerous and narrow the road, it is difficult to arrange a large army......"

In fact, the terrain of the northern part of Fengyi County is the same, belonging to the hilly and gully area of the Loess Plateau, although the land is not as barren as in later generations, but the arable land area is also scarce, resulting in a smaller population. It is precisely by using this terrain that Tao Kan was able to successfully block Liu Hu and prevent him from entering the peace; And if it is in the southern plains, with the speed of the Tiefu cavalry, it is difficult for the Jin army to block, and perhaps in the end it can only stick to the city and the pass, and then use the guerrilla army to find an opportunity to thwart it, then the surrounding countryside and farmland will inevitably be ravaged by the Hu cavalry.

In fact, relatively speaking, there are still some flat land between river valleys in Suyi and Liangshan counties in the north of Fengyi County, and there are many gentle places at the top of the hills, but once you leave the country, that is, from Luochuan County in later generations to Yan'an City, the hills in this area are higher, the ravines are deeper, and there are dense cobwebs, and it is almost impossible to find a few open lands.

Tao Kan therefore said: "The only way to go north is to trace Luoshui (Shangluoshui), but the water potential is tortuous, the flow speed is rapid, it is inevitable to hesitate, and the boat is difficult to lose......" Tao Kan is accustomed to boating, as long as he encounters a slightly larger river, he will consider transporting materials by boat, saving time and effort. However, this section of Shangluoshui south of Gaonu is really bent to the point of making people impetuous, and if the army travels along the coast, the road is sometimes wide and sometimes narrow, and it is estimated that every ten miles must be crossed; Coupled with its water injection in the south, there is more sediment, resulting in dense reefs, and boats are not easy to travel, so that Tao Kan's habitual magic weapon can not be sacrificed at all.

Even Tao Shixing, who is accustomed to fighting in the hilly and swampy areas of the Yangtze River Valley, is very concerned about this terrain - both hills, there are still many differences between the north and the south, and the tactics cannot be applied.

Therefore, Liu Yao could send a small cavalry south to harass, but it was impossible for the Jin people to do anything "Kou can go, I can also go". Because most of the Jin people are foot soldiers, one is slow to march, it is difficult to achieve the effect of a surprise attack, and the other is that they must fight after the battle to fight against the grassland cavalry, but there is nothing to line up the army along the way.

In this case, if you send a small force or go your separate ways, you will send Liu Yao's head; If the army is sent to move forward cautiously, Liu Yao pulls the carriage and runs away first, where are you going to arrest him? The Jin people are afraid of harassment because they don't go to the fields, even if it is not the harvest period, being trampled back and forth by the war horses will have a very bad impact on next year's farming; The Hu people are not afraid of harassment, because they mainly raise livestock, and they can be driven to change places to graze at any time - no matter how barren the land is, it is not a desert after all, and it is difficult to produce food, will there be no weeds?

Therefore, Tao Kan resolutely opposed the attack to fight Gaonu, Pei Caishou pressed the map, repeatedly planned, and finally had nothing to do. So he temporarily threw away his old thoughts, and asked Tao Kan instead: "However, if I can't attack Liu Yao and make him come to harass him often, I must build forts along the border and fortify layer by layer as planned when I was stable. Can Tao Jun teach me? ”

After all, Anding County is sparsely populated, and it is not appropriate to be at the forefront of contact with Hu Han, so it is enough to build some bunkers to prevent the nomads from penetrating into its territory, even if Peng Fuhu invades again, it is unlikely to cause much damage in the absence of internal response. Feng Yi is different, just across the water is Pingyang and Hedong, which is the front line of the enemy, and the southern plain area is one of the main granaries in Guanzhong. If one is careless and is flattened by Hu, agricultural production will inevitably suffer serious damage; And if Liu Yao plundered the back road when he crossed the river to fight Pingyang, it might also make the entire military operation fail.

Once Hu Qi is released into Ping, north of Chang'an, no matter how little natural danger there is, the situation in the entire Guanzhong will be precarious. Why was it that in the original history, Suo Qi, Lu Yun and others were trapped in the city of sorrow, and finally Liu Yao broke through Chang'an? It was because they did not have the strength, let alone the courage to drive Hu Qi to the north of Feng Yi, which led to the repeated ravages of the Weishui River Valley, coupled with Sima Bao's cut off from Longdao, the grain was declining, how could this army that could not even eat enough to hold Chang'an City?

Pei Gai took advantage of Liu Yao's temporary return to the north that day to recover and defend Dali, just to keep this piece of anointed land, he didn't want to be careless and let this tiger go. Liu Yao is only invading at present, but if he succeeds repeatedly, and then accumulates in Gaonu, once he attacks Pingyang in the east, will he take the opportunity to launch a full-scale onslaught? Is it possible for him to cross the Yellow River smoothly?

Tao Kan heard Pei Gaizhi's question, lowered his head and thought about it for a while, and then said slowly: "I have three strategies, please choose ...... for Da Sima."

What should Pei hear, and what are the three strategies? Ancients, don't you have some fresh rhetoric? Oh, well, I'm actually used to saying three things...... immediately looked at Tao Shixing, and said sincerely: "Tao Jun can say clearly, you should listen to it." ”

Tao Kan first stretched out a finger and said: "In fact, the so-called next policy is what Da Sima Shicai said, building forts along the border to prevent disturbances. Da Sima and Tao Mouyun, in Anding County, from Chaona to Linjing, built nineteen forts, nearly 2,000 people; In contrast, Feng Yi's front is narrower, the terrain is more dangerous, and the east and west ten forts are enough. However, to the north of stability, Liu Yaoshi could not disturb the stability of the main force, but he might use the main force to disturb Feng Yi, so the soldiers of each fort were at least three hundred.

"As a result, Liu Yao's remnants of the bandits can contain my 5,000 men and horses between the two counties, not to mention the Beidi County in between. Five or six thousand troops and grain and grass supply and loss, not a small number, if this is the case, the big Sima can use the east to cross to attack the army of Pingyang will be outnumbered, ten percent of the chance of victory, reduced to seventy.

"And if you know the fortification, you will fight or not, and the opponent will be Liu Yaoke, who can accumulate steadily, so as to take advantage of my shortcomings. Moreover, if the military march is like water, its momentum is invisible, and if it is tangible, there will be flaws. If Liu Yao knows where my fortress is, he can find a gap to invade the south, even if the Great Wall is built along the border, it is not perfect, let alone a fortress? He can attack me together, but if I divide the forts, the strength will be weak, and if I gather in one place, I am afraid that he will use the virtual army as the front, and the real army will take me behind.

"All in all, it's a good idea."

Pei should not help but bow his head, and said Tao Jun, your analysis is very correct, and I can't help it, so I came up with a strategy to build a fort and stick to it. So since you say that this is the next step, the other two strategies must be much more subtle - "Please tell me the middle way." ”

Tao Kan said that the middle strategy is to use Rong as Hu-

"In the north of Anding and Feng Yi, there is very little arable land, it is difficult to build a big city, and if you want to move the people, the land can not be harvested in two or three years......"

Pei Gai said with a wry smile, if the number of Jinmin in Guanzhong is enough, I can move and transfer at will, so naturally there will not be so much trouble. Isn't this because the population is too small, so the soldiers don't dare to recruit more, and it is difficult to have more food, so that they are overstretched, so that Liu Yao has a chance to take advantage of it?

Tao Kan immediately raised his second finger and said slowly: "You can move the Rong Department to the border land, make a pastor, and be Liu Yao's ......."

The hilly and ravinely area is not suitable for grazing cattle and horses, but goats can be grazing. On the one hand, the preparation period for grazing is relatively short—unlike ploughing, and in the first two years of land reclamation, the land is not fertile, and it is difficult to obtain sufficient harvests—so that the Rong people can quickly settle down, and on the other hand, the organizational strength of their tribe is much higher than that of ordinary farmers, so that they can gather in time to resist foreign aggression.

"The Rong people are fierce, if they are familiar with the hilly terrain, they can deal with Hu Cai, supplemented by them, and the officers and soldiers will leave one or two thousand in each of the two counties, and stick to Dayi, they will not be afraid of the enemy."

Pei Cai lowered his head and frowned.

Tao Kan showed a faint smile for the first time in this conversation, and said: "What Da Sima is worried about, Kan can know if he doesn't ask. The so-called 'non-my race, its heart will be different', Anzhi Birong does not join forces with the thief, and aggravates the disturbance? ”

Pei Gai nodded slightly, and said: "Xizhou is determined, and Rong's heart is not stable, so it is really not suitable to migrate to the real side......"

Tao Kan replied: "There is no perfect plan in the world, and there must be disadvantages if there are advantages. On the real side, one can be the pawn of high-ranking officials, and the other can be the food of high-ranking officials - but if they are wide in tribute, why should they be lost? It is better to be chaotic in the border than in the heart. ”

Pei Cai thought about it, but still asked, "What about the best policy?" ”

Tao Kan replied: "In Anding County, Lu Shuihu has been entrenched for several generations, and it is deeply rooted, if he still stays, it is inevitable that there will be chaos. If the town of Tarong is moved here, it will be difficult for Peng Fuhu to be lured, and it will save grain than building forts along the border. Therefore, Kan still suggested that Da Sima think twice, and use my middle strategy in Anding County. ”

Then he raised the third finger: "Only Feng Yi can use the best strategy, that is, to leave the country to build a fortress, and slowly move forward to force Liu Yao!" ”

Tao Kan suggested that we could scatter a small force out of the country, find a suitable place to build a fortification, and if Liu Yao did not come to harass, then advance all the way to the north and gradually approach his base camp Gaonu. Once I build a bunker a day or two away from Gaonu and accumulate supplies, the army can safely enter the fort at any time, and then launch a rapid offensive against Liu Yao. At that time, as long as the scheduling is correct, it is estimated that Liu Yao will be too late to run.

Therefore, if I were Liu Yao, I would categorically refuse to let the officers and troops succeed in building a fortress, and I would inevitably wave my army to attack, so that we could cause the enemy but not the enemy, and the initiative would be in our hands.

If you build a fort along the border, you don't know when Liu Yao will come to intrude, and it will be a waste of energy to prevent thieves all day long. But if we go abroad to build a fortress, it will be different, as long as we start construction here and count the time for the news to be passed back and forth, then Liu Yao will naturally know when it will arrive. If he comes early, his preparations will not be sufficient, and if he is late, my fortress will be finished, and he must be hit hard, and the loss will be great.

In this way, one blockhouse after another is advancing to the north, and the fortresses in front will certainly suffer from the strong pressure of the Hu army, but the fortresses in the rear can ensure the safe delivery of additional troops and materials to the front line, regardless of the overall situation or in the local battlefield, our army will have an advantage.

Pei Cai couldn't help but groan, and said in his heart that this was somewhat similar to someone Zeng's method of "forming a hard village and fighting a dumb battle" later......

In fact, not only Zeng Guofan, but also the later attack of Tibet by the Tang people and the attack on Western Xia by the Song people also adopted similar methods, that is, to use the fortress of the advance to control the danger and gradually reduce the room for maneuver of foreign tribes, so as to completely control the initiative on the battlefield in their own hands.

Therefore, I can't help but bow my head again and again.

Tao Kan said again: "There are still two benefits to this strategy. First, Liu Yao will repeatedly come to attack my fortress, and it will be difficult to accumulate, while I can raise the army and store food in Feng Yi without being disturbed by him. Second, after the expansion of the military, although the officers and men have been trained, after all, the actual combat is insufficient, and if they suddenly encounter a strong enemy, it may be difficult to win a decisive victory......"

Pei Jiajun is currently in a state of flux, on the one hand, the large expansion of the army has diluted the number of veterans of a hundred battles, and on the other hand, the veterans have returned to their hometowns in Tai, or they are stationed in various places as the backbone of various units, and the quality and organization of the newly recruited new pawns in Henan and Guanzhong are far inferior. If this bottleneck period can be successfully passed, then Pei Gai's original 30,000 sharp soldiers can be smoothly expanded to 100,000 or more; And if he suddenly encounters a strong enemy at this time, in Tao Kan's opinion, the 50,000 people today may not be as good as the 10,000 old soldiers in the past.

Because no matter how you train, a soldier can only grow up if he has really seen blood, and even if he is as strong as an ox in the rear, it is useless after all. Pei Gai's Xuzhou soldiers began to train from the extermination of the Wubao armed forces in the territory, so that they could be alone in the Northern Expedition, and the two battalions of "Pengshan" faced ten times the enemy on the bank of the ditch water, which was solid like a mountain and difficult to shake.

However, since the Battle of Dali, the troops have gradually expanded and diluted, and the new soldiers have rarely been able to encounter evenly matched opponents. pacified Yongzhou, and then attacked Qinzhou, as Pei Gai himself said: "There are like visiting the mountains to enjoy the flowers, throwing stones and making trouble." "A handful of real stubborn enemies, it is estimated that a small number of veterans in each army will be beaten, and the new pawns are only left with the function of waving the flag and shouting and harvesting heads. In the long run, how can it be practiced? On the contrary, arrogance has inexplicably grown.

Therefore, Tao Kan suggested that if you go out to build a fortress, then there will inevitably be a desperate offensive and defensive battle around the construction site, but because of the limited terrain, it is impossible for both sides to invest more troops, and it is probably just hundreds of people to fight against each other, even if the battle is defeated, it will not be damaged in the overall situation. The officers and men of the rear army can be pushed to the front line in batches, use actual combat to show their experience and sharpness, and then without waiting for a unit to be broken, they can quickly withdraw and replace it with a new force. In this way, I believe that in less than half a year, the entire Great Sima Rear Army will be able to kill the elite division.

Moreover, after the training of the Great Sima Houjun, there are still the former army and the Chinese army, all of which can be pulled up for actual combat training. Liu Yao has now killed 30,000 people, and he is a pawn of the defeated army, his morale is weak, and his courage is uneven. Then its room for maneuver will be narrow, and its strength will be weakened, and one will eliminate the other, and one day will not be an external trouble.

Pei Gai couldn't help but applaud and praised: "Tao Jun is really a world-famous general, this plan is very much in line with my heart!" ”