Lu Xiaoxian finally pushed Zhang Meng away, and after breaking free, he greeted Guo Qin who came to greet him with an embarrassed expression.

Guo Qin looked at Zhang Meng and Lu Xiaoxian with a smile on his face, and the heartfelt brotherly feelings between the two made him really moved.

After greeting Guo Qin, Lu Xiaoxian's gaze crossed Guo Qin and fell on Zhao Lang behind him.

"General Zhao, why are you also in Taozhou City?" Lu Xiaoxian's face was pleasantly surprised.

After escorting them to Taozhou City last time, the Whirlwind Brigade left fifty soldiers to help train the Guangwu Unity Army, and Zhao Lang left with the rest of the people with Wang Xiaojie, which had been several months.

Zhao Lang was still as elegant as before, and he respectfully saluted Lu Xiaoxian: "Back to Master Lu, the general manager learned that you were coming back, and specially sent the last general to lead the whirlwind brigade to Taozhou City to protect you!" ”

"Thank you for your hard work, General Zhao!" Lu Xiaoxian nodded politely.

Lu Xiaoxian was very satisfied with Wang Xiaojie's arrangement, the negotiations with Qinling had broken down, Taozhou City was at the forefront of the Tang Dynasty, and the Tubo army could launch an attack on Taozhou City at any time. Although the number of people in the Whirlwind Brigade is small, all of them are elites in the army, and having them by his side makes Lu Xiaoxian feel much more at ease.

Thinking that there were tens of thousands of Tibetan troops under Qinling, Lu Xiaoxian was still a little weak-hearted, and secretly muttered in his heart: "Qinling, Qinling, although I have a place where I can't stand you, but don't come at me, it's better to attack elsewhere!" ”

Although he thought so in his heart, Lu Xiaoxian would not pin his hopes on Qinling to let him go, and he had to take precautions.

Early the next morning, Lu Xiaoxian made an appointment with Guo Qin and Zhao Lang to inspect the defense of Taozhou City together.

It stands to reason that this kind of thing doesn't have to worry about Lu Xiaoxian. But the problem is that he is now in Taozhou City, and he has to ensure his safety just in case. Maybe the Tubo people will come to attack Taozhou City one day, after all, the last time Qinling besieged Taozhou City has only passed.

Lu Xiaoxian's worries were not superfluous, and on the third day of his return, Qinling led a large army again and surrounded Taozhou City.

Lu Xiaoxian felt that he was really miserable, and he wanted to take a good rest after running around for so long, but Qinling didn't give him this opportunity at all, and his front foot just entered Qinling in Taozhou City, and his back foot arrived.

In fact, in addition to Taozhou, there are Shazhou, Suzhou, Ganzhou, Liangzhou, Shanzhou, Lanzhou, Maozhou and other places bordering Datang and Tuyuhun.

In addition to the reason that Taozhou is closest to Tuyuhun and it is more convenient to send troops, Qinling also has a last resort.

According to Qinling's original plan, he wanted to completely destroy Wang Xiaojie's main force through a decisive battle, and demonstrate to Zampu with military merits. Because of this, Wang Xiaojie did not launch an offensive until his army was assembled.

But at this moment and then, under the pressure of Zampu, Qinling must have a decisive battle with Wang Xiaojie as soon as possible.

Qinling is in a hurry now, but Wang Xiaojie is not in a hurry at all, according to the previous discussion with Lu Xiaoxian, he played a cat-and-mouse trick with Qinling, and the 100,000 troops under his command did not know where to hide, and Qinling could not find him at all.

Wang Xiaojie doesn't show his head, Qinling can't fight with the air, right?

In desperation, Qinling made the decision to attack Taozhou again, and his purpose was very clear: to force Wang Xiaojie out.

In the previous attack on Taozhou, Wang Xiaojie was very calm and did not be fooled. But this time it was different, the envoys of the Great Zhou Dynasty were in Taozhou City, and Qinling didn't believe that Wang Xiaojie would really die and not be saved.

……

Qinling once again surrounded Taozhou City, and the most nervous person was not Lu Xiaoxian, but Guo Qin.

Although Guo Qin was born in a family of military generals, he has always been a civil official, relying on the imperial examination to achieve the assassination of history, and he is not good at marching and fighting.

Before the Tibetan army besieged the city, Guo Qin took on the responsibility of defending the city alone, and the pressure can be imagined. Fortunately, Tubo suddenly withdrew his troops, allowing him to survive the catastrophe without danger.

This time, the Tibetan army made a comeback, and Guo Qin's heart once again rose to his throat. The only person he can rely on now is Lu Xiaoxian, and with Lu Xiaoxian in Taozhou City, his heart is a little more settled. While taking Lu Xiaoxian as his biggest support, Guo Qin completely forgot that Lu Xiaoxian was just a cloth cloth.

Glancing at the anxious Guo Qin, Lu Xiaoxian comforted him with a smile: "Guo Tingshi doesn't need to panic, although there are many people in Tubo, most of them are cavalry and are not good at attacking cities. If there is no problem with the grain and grass, there should be no problem in keeping it for a month. ”

What Lu Xiaoxian said was not unfounded, he was still very confident in defending Taozhou City.

First of all, he saw through Qin Ling's intentions. As long as Taozhou City is not breached, Qinling can only continue to be consumed. If Wang Xiaojie and his army do not show up, the life of Qinling will become more and more sad, and there will be more and more flaws, and then the initiative will be in their own hands.

Secondly, Taozhou City, as an important border town of the Tang Dynasty, although the city is not large, its protection ability is still very good.

Yesterday, Lu Xiaoxian, Guo Qin, and Zhao Lang checked the defense of Taozhou City together, and he was still very satisfied.

The walls of Taozhou are made of bluestone masonry and are very strong. Like most cities in the Tang Dynasty, deep trenches were dug outside the city walls, and horses, antlers, and spurs were placed to block enemy attacks. It was not easy for the Tibetans to enter the city by climbing over the city walls.

As for the city gate, Lu Xiaoxian didn't have to worry about it.

When attacking the city, the siege gate is more dangerous to the attacking side, and more manpower is needed to push the siege vehicle, and when encountering the archers in the city gate, the two sides have not yet fought, and most of the soldiers attacking the city gate will be damaged. What's more, there is a suspension bridge in front of the city gate of Taozhou, if the Tubo people do not attack the city tower and put down the suspension bridge, the city car will not be able to play a role.

In addition, Taozhou City is also set up with an urn city, even if the outer urn city is breached, the soldiers on the inner wall can also attack the Tubo people who break through the urn city from all sides. Therefore, it is not so easy for the Tibetans to attack the city gate.

In addition, the baggage supplies in the granaries and arsenals in Taozhou City were sufficient, enough to support their defense.

Everything is a double-edged sword, and the advantage of the defending side naturally becomes the disadvantage of the besieging side.

Since the Tibetans were determined to attack the city, they must be prepared to suffer heavy casualties. Even if all kinds of siege equipment are put into the battlefield, it cannot eliminate the loss of siege troops. Therefore, it is not unreasonable for Sun Tzu to say that ten times the siege of the city, that is, to prepare ten times the number of troops, so that the casualties of the siege can be minimized.