Things went much smoother afterward. With success behind them, the rest of the county checkpoints fell using the same tactic.
The losses were kept to a minimum, around ten casualties. Though in times of peace, the passes hardly had good defenses, a hundred men at most.
The three counties had five passes. He had 200 soldiers stationed to the two most important ones while leaving the other three with 100 each.
The total of surrendered guards reached 500 and to avoid any mistakes, Zhong Yu had them put down.
His men were too few to watch them and watch the pass. He didn’t feel safe otherwise.
Zhong Yu was left with only 500 soldiers, 100 cavalry and 20 fortune from the killed guards.
It was too few to make a difference, only replacing the losses.
Rushing and killing, he reached the center of the three counties, Changli County.
It was around 1.5 larger than average with many dangerous passes.
With how the county was surrounded by mountains and hills, most of its economy was from fishing and hunting.
All in all, it had 17,000 people. And he was in the easternmost part of the county city, the greatest checkpoint, Yun Pass.
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It guarded the Hanzhong Region from the Nanyang Region. First, the Han River needed to be passed over. Other than that, there were the harsh peaks around the Yun Pass.
Zhong Yu had no clue how to attack such a place. A place so accessible from all sides yet like made by divine hand, it was a dangerous choke point.
Holding Yun Pass would need a few hundred soldiers and he’d be worry free even if ten thousand men attack.
But such a dangerous place was too crucial to be left in charge of it and the county. It was better to separate it to make it a standing county, free from Changli County.
He would turn the extra half into Yun County and the rest into Changli County.
With how it was more of a military town with developed transportation, it was doable.
With that decision came pacifying the 25 km around it in Yun County’s jurisdiction.
The army rolled in, killing and maiming, leaving corpses as he laid the foundation to Yun County.
In just a day, he had the harsh lands of Yun County combed.
With so little arable land around, the clans were few, only three.
Zhong Yu’s men were now accustomed to the job and ended the 1,000 people in no time at all.
Though they were twice his men, killing people was not like killing pigs, they even waited for death.
And so, it was far easier. One needed to poke a man in the neck and they’d die. While killing a pig needed far more strikes.
In short, pacifying Yun County was easy as pie.
With the added fortune from the killings, he called for 80 soldiers, now having 600 men.
He went to Changli County with this force, even though he was shorthanded.
Eight days later, Zhong Yu settled Changli County, Xunyang County, Yang County and Wuling County. He killed the 5,000 clansmen within and earned 200 fortune too.
He now chose to wait for the month to turn and get the fortune income.
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Use the 200 fortune to get 400 soldiers and have them guard two counties.
With Yun County being the gateway to the northeast, it had to be defended. So Zhong Yu left 500 soldiers here in case of emergency to defend Yun Pass.
With the remaining 100 footmen and 100 cavalry, he went to Xicheng County where he stayed. He’d thus save time when the fortune comes and exchange here, rather than rush around.
Having some leisure time, Zhong Yu made plans for his lands.
Fangling Region had only four counties. ‘Best I give Changli County and Yun County in its jurisdiction and it can finally call itself a region with 80,000 people.’
Xicheng County was too vast and hard to govern; thus divided into three counties.
Shiquan County, Ankang County and Jinchuan County added to Xunyang County, Yang County and Wuling County formed Xicheng Region, of 70,000 people.
According to the land division, a county had 3-7 townships, a region had 3-7 counties, a prefecture had 3-7 regions, a state had 3-7 prefectures, a province had 3-7 states and a dominion 3-7 provinces.
And a nation corresponded to its size and the division above. A barony having the size of a county, a viscountcy being a region, a countdom having the size of a prefecture, a marquisdom having the size of a state, a duchy having the size of a province, and a kingdom being the size of a dominion.
Having two regions under him and plus those six counties in Hanzhong forming another region, he barely qualified for the smallest prefecture, a countdom.
‘Tomorrow will bring a new month and the 15,000 people in my original domain will get me 600 fortune to call 1,200 soldiers to order.’
He would then resume campaigning with 1,400 men, for Hanzhong Region’s Nanzheng County, its center, holding the most number of clans. Killing those 20,000 would get him 800 fortune and 1,600 soldiers.
By his calculation he would have an easy time pacifying six counties with three thousand soldiers.
The day soon passed and with it came the 600 fortune that turned into soldiers on the spot.
As for the governing of the two regions under him, he’d deal with it after taking the Hanzhong Region as well.
This new sunrise marked the march of Zhong Yu’s 1,400 men towards Chenggu County.