Gao Shun asked again: "What is the situation in Wudu County?" ”

"My lord, the military location of Wudu County is important, connecting the Qianghu gathering area of Yizhou and Liangzhou; Now the Qiang Road is occupied by the Qiang people; Wudu Dao and Xiabi were occupied by the clans, and the powerful ones were the White Horse Clan and the Wudu Clan; Fu County was occupied by Zhang Lu in Hanzhong; Sanguan and the old way are still under our control; The other counties were located in the mountains and valleys, which were difficult to defend, and the Han people had withdrawn to the Sanfu area for resettlement, which had been abandoned. ”

At the beginning, Gao Shun and Dong Zhuo recruited a large number of soldiers from the Sanfu area; The soldiers recruited by Gao Shun even moved away from their families, so that the Sanfu area was vast and sparsely populated; In the Weishui Basin, the land is fertile and easy to cultivate, and the idle land is just right to accommodate the people who have been withdrawn from the counties of Liangzhou.

Fu County was close to the county governor of Hanzhong County, Nanzheng, and was greatly threatened as it went down the river to the east, and Zhang Lu's move was aimed at strengthening the defense of Hanzhong County.

Dao is a kind of administrative region in the Qin and Han dynasties, which is equal to the county level, set up as a place where barbarians gather, and the management is relatively loose, and the barbarians in the jurisdiction can implement the original traditions and customs, and manage themselves, similar to the autonomous regions of later generations.

Gao Shun asked, "How to take the entire territory of Wudu County?" ”

Zhou Fei objected: "My lord, Wudu County is located in the middle of lofty mountains, high mountains and dense forests, and the population is sparse, which is not suitable for large-scale use of troops, and it is useless to fight; If you don't follow the bank of Weishui, fight Longxi in the west, and take Jincheng directly, then Liangzhou can be flat; After Liangzhou is pacified, there will be no worries, and a large number of officers and soldiers will be vacated, and it will not be too late to operate Yizhou. ”

Frustrated and asked, "Could it be that the Lord intends to be in Hanzhong?" ”

Gao Shun said hypocritically: "Hahaha, what the military advisor said is true, if you don't occupy Hanzhong County, it will be difficult to cut off Yizhou's trade with the barbarians, and the connection between the Yizhou barbarians and the Liangzhou barbarians, which is not conducive to the counterinsurgency of Liangzhou, and the Sanfu region will inevitably be threatened by Yizhou, I am uneasy." ”

Frustrated, he said: "My lord, what the state pastor said is true, and at this moment, it is most taboo to use troops on two fronts. ”

Gao Shun said: "Everyone's suggestions are good, but the use of troops in Jingluyi Prefecture and the rebellion against Liangzhou is different; To quell the rebellion, Liangzhou can follow the ancient road of the Wei River, the road is wide and flat, and the cavalry can move forward wantonly; For Yizhou, it is necessary to build infantry that can climb mountains and mountains, and is agile and strong; The purpose of occupying Wudu County at this moment is to train a strong infantry and prepare for the march to Yizhou; And the rebels in Liangzhou can be pacified, so you don't have to worry. ”

Zhou Fei was very anxious, and he had always hoped to quickly quell the rebellion in Liangzhou, so he asked eagerly: "What is the good plan of the lord?" The Liangzhou rebels are strong, and they can organize hundreds of thousands of troops in an instant, and we have more than enough strength to defend at the moment, but the attack is insufficient; And if the army is approaching, the various forces will put aside their contradictions and conflicts, and temporarily unite to unite with the outside world, which is really difficult to quell the rebellion. ”

Frustrated and opposed: "The lord can't, if Liangzhou is quickly pacified, the court will be terrified, and the overall strategic layout of the lord is not good, and the confrontation at this moment is the best situation; If Longxi is not pacified first, it will be difficult for Wudu County to be pacified, and it will cost money and grain. ”

Wudu County is located in the western edge of the Qinling Mountains, the terrain is more complicated, there are big roads leading to Longyou Qishan, Guanzhong and Yangpingguan of Hanzhong County respectively, which is more suitable for large troops to march and fight (compared to the terrain of the Qinling Mountains), along the Yinping Road can also go directly to Yizhou, how can Gaoshun not take such an important place of military value?

Gao Shun said resolutely: "You have considered it comprehensively, but I have made up my mind, and there is no need to discuss it again; Appoint Zhonglang generals Zhao Yun, Zhao Zilong, and Wudu County Taishou, you must give strong assistance, complete the strategic layout, and occupy Hanzhong County within three years. ”

"Yes, my lord!" Now that Gao Shun has decided, they can only accept this plan, but now there are 5,000 infantry stationed in Sanguan and Gudao, which can be assigned to Zhao Yun's Wudu County, which can be slowly managed by him, and with Zhao Yun stationed in Sanguan, it will be more stable and conducive to the overall strategic situation of Liangzhou.

Zhao Yun also realized more clearly from the words of everyone the difficulty of occupying Wudu County, where the terrain is a big problem, and more importantly, the number of Han people is scarce, how to operate? Do you want to kill all the barbarians who don't surrender?

"What are your best plans for occupying Wudu County?" Gao Shun continued to ask.

Zhou Fei didn't have a good way, so he looked at the military advisor and said helplessly: "Appeasement is the best policy, and we can train elite soldiers for our use; The relocation of the barbarians to the Sanfu region is the middle policy; Armed strikes are the best policy. ”

Zhao Yun said: "My lord, the number of Han people in Wudu County is scarce, and the number of barbarians is huge, so a compromise method can be adopted. For those who surrender, the soldiers and their families can be placed on the spot, they are familiar with the local mountains and rivers, adapt to the local climate, and facilitate training into the army; For the families of those who have no one to join the army, they can be relocated to the Sanfu area for resettlement, which reduces the pressure of logistics and reduces the number of barbarians, and facilitates the management of the local area; Finally, a favorable tax policy should be adopted to attract Han people from Longxi County and Hanzhong County to settle down, increase the number of Han people, and be more conducive to local stability. ”

In private, Zhao Yun called Gao Shun his brother-in-law, and called Gao Shun the lord in public, and the etiquette could not be abolished.

Zhao Yun gives everyone the impression that he is a young white face, relying on nepotism; As soon as his words came out, everyone's impression of him immediately changed greatly, and they sighed that the lord Gao Shun really had a great eye for people.

Gao Shun felt that Zhao Yun was good, and this method was more practical and effective on the basis of comprehensive suggestions.

He smiled and said: "Hahaha, what Zilong said is very good, and he will live up to the trust of the lord, and he will give strong support." ”

Zhao Yun hurriedly got up and saluted and said, "Thank you, military advisor!" ”

Gao Shun asked, "How is the strength of Wudu County allocated?" ”

"My lord, five thousand infantry are stationed in Sanguan, which can be placed under the jurisdiction of Wudu County!" ”

"What about the cavalry?"

"My lord, the roads in Wudu County are narrow, which is not conducive to cavalry combat, and it is mainly defensive, so it is best not to arrange cavalry troops."

Gao Shun said dissatisfiedly: "The military division is poor, Wudu County is not a defense, it must be actively attacked, there is no cavalry, how to deal with the Qiang people and the clan?" ”

Frustrated and painful, he said: "Lord, are the five thousand cavalry good?" After Zilong takes office, he can recruit himself locally, whether it is the Qiang people or the clansmen, they are good at riding and shooting, and they are excellent candidates for cavalry. ”

"Okay!" Gao Shun was a little dissatisfied with such a small number of troops, but he could equip Zhao Yun with some more systematic cavalry and infantry to strengthen his defense.

Wudu County is temporarily dangerous, Zhao Yun is busy with the war, and Gao Shun is ready to let his sister Gao Feng temporarily live in Chang'an City and be with the eldest princess of Wannian and others.