After Yan Keqiu's matter was finalized, Zhu Li thought of Li Hanzhi, Yang Zaixing, Liang Zun, Liu Zhijun, Shang Rang, Lin Heier and others. It would be better to bring these people back to Shuozhou and make arrangements as soon as possible.
Lin Heier is easy to deal with. She is not much older than Ning'er and was taken in by Yuchi Jin. So she should be placed next to Ning'er first and study with her. Ning'er, who is cheerful by nature, can be the source of light to help poor Heier and slowly dispel the haze in her heart. Zhu Li thought so and decided so.
As for the others, we must discuss this with the three gentlemen.
With this thought in mind, Zhu Li looked at Guo Chongtao and Guo Qizuo and said, "Has Jing Ming sent someone to give you the detailed information about the people I brought back?"
The two nodded after hearing this. Guo Qizuo looked at Zhu Li and asked in confusion, "How are you going to arrange these people?"
"I would like to hear your opinions first." Zhu Li looked at the three people leisurely.
The three of them looked at each other, and Yan Keqiu said, "I've just arrived in Shuozhou, and I don't know much about the situation here. I'd better let the two Mr. Guo make the decision."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Li nodded, and then looked at Guo Qizuo and Guo Chongtao again.
Guo Qizuo signaled Guo Chongtao to speak first, and Guo Chongtao was no longer polite and said, "Your Excellency can arrange them like this. Let Li Hanzhi and Liu Zhijun go to Sanggan. One of them is unruly and the other is conceited. It's just right for General Wu Dao to suppress their arrogance and temper their tempers."
"Yanmen is an important pass, located between Daizhou and Shuozhou. It is not so important now. General Liang Zun is relatively old, but he has rich combat experience. He can be sent to guard Yanmen. It is a good opportunity for him to discuss practical experience with General Guiba."
"As for Shang Rang, he used to hold a high position and great power in the Cao army. Now that he has suddenly lost that power, he must be feeling unbalanced. Your Excellency might as well appoint Shang Rang and Yang Zaixing as the left and right generals, and use General Zaixing's sharpness to curb his arrogance. If he changes, it won't be too late to reuse him." Guo Chongtao suggested seriously.
"What is Mr. Guo's opinion?" After listening to Guo Chongtao's suggestion, Zhu Li did not make a decision immediately, but turned to Guo Qizuo again.
Guo Qizuo glanced at Guo Chongtao and found that he looked calm and was ready to listen to his opinion seriously, so he said, "Although Chongtao's words are reasonable, they are inappropriate."
"Well, what do you think, sir?" Zhu Li raised his eyebrows and asked seriously.
Guo Chongtao and Yan Keqiu also immediately put on an attitude of listening attentively, both looking as if they had heard something new and profound.
"Since the Three Sovereigns ruled the world and the Five Emperors ruled the country, Hedong has been an important place for the descendants of Yan and Huang to reproduce and thrive. Looking at the territory of the Han Dynasty, from Guanzhong, Hedong, and Heluo, it is a place where people gather and the population is dense."
"Li Keyong is now in control of Hedong, while we are based in Daishuo. It is conceivable that if there is a military action in Hedong, the only options are to go out of Xing to attack Youji or to attack Heshuo in the north. Therefore, defending against Li Keyong, or even using him as a necessary obstacle to break through when heading south, is the primary thing we must consider now."
Zhu Li, Guo Chongtao and Yan Keqiu all nodded when they heard this. Zhu Li didn't know whether the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors had ever really ruled Hedong, but he knew that Hedong was very prosperous in the late Tang Dynasty, which was true and there was no doubt about it.
The area that Zhu Li currently occupies has a long horizontal front, which is a taboo for military strategists. If they want to pacify the world, they only have two choices. The first is to attack from the Hetao direction.
, expanding the territory westward and southward would stretch the front line longer, and we would not make that choice unless we had no other choice.
As for the second option, it is to go south to capture Taiyuan. Only in this way can the controlled areas be connected into one, making the territory more secure and more stable.
Moreover, from Zhu Li's perspective, whether from the perspective of personal grudges or strategic and people's livelihood considerations, conquering Hedong is the best choice. Guo Qizuo looks at the overall situation and knows it best.
If we only consider the aspect of employing people, Guo Chongtao's opinion is very pertinent. Mutual restraint and complementarity is the best strategy. However, if we consider the overall situation, it is questionable.
Seeing that the other three understood what he meant, Guo Qizuo continued, "Throughout history, whether it was when the First Emperor used the prosperity of Guanzhong to pacify the six kingdoms, or when Emperor Gaozu raised troops in the Central Plains and swept the world westward, Hedong was always a strategic location, and wars were inevitable."
"Li Keyong is now strong, so if he goes north, it will be justified; we are weak, so now we can only consider defending instead of attacking and wait for the opportunity, so it is very urgent to defend against Li Keyong's northern expedition."
"If we were Li Keyong and wanted to march north to attack Dai Shuo, which attack routes would we choose?" Guo Qizuo looked at the three people and asked.
The three of them frowned and thought deeply after hearing this. After a while, Yan Keqiu said, "First, we will take Ningwu, break Lanzhou, and then attack Shuozhou. Secondly, we will attack Shiling Pass, break Xin and Dai first, and then take Shuozhou."
"That's right, but Li Keyong still has two more routes of attack. He can first take You and Ji to confuse us, then take Xin and Dai, and finally attack Shuozhou."
"Or they can capture You and Ji, go straight to Juyong Pass, pass through Jundu Xing, and attack us from the east of Shuozhou." Guo Chongtao immediately added after hearing what Yan Keqiu said.
After listening to the two, Guo Qizuo nodded and said calmly: "Now Ningwu and Shiling Pass are both in our hands. Under strict defense, if Li Keyong attacks the two passes, it will be a thankless task. Therefore, his most likely route of attack is still the two routes mentioned by Chongtao."
"Juyongguan is in the hands of Lord Li of Fanyang. Even if we want to send someone to guard it, it is impossible. Junduxing between us and Lord Li has never been guarded. To be on the safe side, someone must be sent out to guard here."
"There was no one before, and it was sandwiched between Youzhou and us, so we thought it was nothing, but who can guarantee that Lord Li will not be replaced by someone else?"
Guo Qizuo's words left Zhu Li and the other two speechless. In this era, no one could guarantee that a military governor could keep his position for long. If Li Keju was replaced by someone else, Jundu Xing would undoubtedly be exposed, and would become an easy path for those who were interested in attacking Shuozhou.
Seeing that Zhu Li and the other two realized the seriousness of the problem, Guo Qizuo continued, "So I suggest that you allocate 3,000 guards to Liang Zun, along with his former subordinates, to station troops in Duxing; let Shang Rang and Liu Zhijun go to the command of General Wudao; appoint Li Hanzhi as a personal guard general; and appoint Yang Zaixing as the military commander of Shuozhou."
Upon hearing this, Guo Chongtao carefully thought about Guo Qizuo's intention in making this allocation and immediately understood.
Among those assigned people, the ones that Zhu Li felt most at ease with were undoubtedly Yang Zaixing and Liang Zun.
All of Liang Zun's former subordinates and relatives moved north to Daishuo. His intentions were very clear. He had already planned to hang himself on Zhu Li's tree. Needless to say, his loyalty was evident.
Yang Zaixing single-handedly protected Zhu Li all the way, and never left her side during their one-year escape. His loyalty was unquestionable.
Of these two, Guo Qizuo allowed one to rule alone, and the other
Let him control the guards directly under Shuozhou. It can be said that this proposal must have won Zhu Li's heart.
As for the three unstable ones, Shang Rang and Liu Zhijun were all sent to Wu Dao for training. Who is Wu Dao? He is Zhu Li's master. Not only does he have extraordinary martial arts skills, but his strategies and tactics are unfathomable. He even has his own unique insights into government.
Letting these two people follow Wu Dao is actually no different from directly letting them follow Zhu Li for training.
As for the brave and unruly Li Hanzhi, just let Zhu Li bring him with him. In Shuozhou, with Zhu Li to suppress him internally and Yang Zaixing to restrain him externally, I believe that he will be able to suppress the other party and lose his temper soon.
Thinking of this, Guo Chongtao looked at Guo Qizuo with bright eyes. He had been with Guo Qizuo for so long and thought that he was not far behind the other party, but now it seems that there is still a big gap between them.
Whether in terms of understanding people's minds or in layout and planning, they were obviously much better than him; as for Yan Keqiu, he naturally figured out the key to it, and the look he gave Guo Chongtao and Guo Qizuo was also full of admiration.
These two people are not famous at all in the Central Plains, but unexpectedly they are unfathomable and mature in planning for the country. No wonder Zhu Li was not worried at all about anything happening in his old nest after wandering outside for two or three years. With these two people around, it would be difficult for anything to happen.
After hearing what Guo Qizuo said, Zhu Li said without even thinking, "Since it is your arrangement, let's do it."
Just a simple sentence made Guo Chongtao and Yan Keqiu's envy and admiration for Guo Qizuo even higher; rather than saying it was a decisive word, it was better to say it was a word of echo, and the trust and affirmation in it were beyond doubt.
The next day.
The military order of the Governor's Office conferred the title of General Yiwei on Liang Zun, and ordered him to lead 5,000 soldiers to garrison Duxing. He was to set out the same day. He was allowed to bring all the materials needed for the construction of the pass himself.
Li Hanzhi was appointed as the general of the imperial guards, in charge of 3,000 imperial guards in the governor's office.
Yang Zaixing was appointed as General Xuanwei and was in charge of 5,000 guards in Shuozhou.
Yan Keqiu was appointed as the inspector of You, Ling and Yan states, and Shi Yan was appointed as the general Mingwei, and they led 6,000 troops to Hetao to garrison Lingzhou.
Shang Rang and Liu Zhijun were appointed as Generals of the Central Army of Guide and were soon to follow Zhu Li to Sanggan to serve.
The area of the twenty-four states conquered by Wu Dao was the area around the Sanggan River. As for the area north of the Hetao region, Gao Su was currently attacking it.
At the same time, the Inspectorate also promoted former generals, such as Gao Yuan, Zhou Dewei, Huo Qing, Meng Juehai and others, all of whom were promoted to the position of General of the Guide Army. These were all military officers of the fourth rank, and had the same rank as Liang Zun, Shi Yan and others.
As for Gao Su, Zhu Li appointed him as General Zhuangwu, Wu Dao as General Zhongwu, and Wang, Guo Chongtao, and Guo Qizuo all as Governors of Zhongzhou, all of whom were officials of the fourth rank.
Theoretically, Zhu Li was only a governor of a lower state, and he could not be given such a high official title. It would not be his turn to be given one, but who made him bear the label of a rebel? Being a rebel also has its advantages, and that is being willful.
This lavish reward is inevitable. Officials receive salaries according to their official positions. Life is much better now than before. Can we let the old people eat coarse food? It is impossible. Even the most loyal subordinates will not have the energy to be loyal if they are not well fed and clothed.
The defense of Shuozhou was basically completed, and basically only Liang Zun's garrison commander was added, who was inconspicuous.
It was time to go and pay a visit to Master Wu Diao. Zhu Li had made this plan. If he had promised Xiao Yueyun something, he had to ask Master Wu Diao for help. What's more, he really missed him.