Although Jieyang is a county town, if you visit here in person, you will not associate it with the "city" at all. Except for a low city gate with the word Jieyang written on it, the two ends of the city gate are

There is no city wall, only a fence made of bamboo. It is so simple that it cannot really be regarded as a city.

And such a city could not pose a threat to the Wei army at all. After Tao Huang arrived in Jieyang, he did not put 10,000 soldiers and horses in the city. Of course, the main reason was that the city was too small and could not accommodate one person.

With tens of thousands of troops, Tao Huang could only station his troops elsewhere.

Of course, Tao Huang was not mediocre. He had been familiar with military books since he was a child and was well versed in strategy. After arriving in Jieyang, he did not station his troops around Jieyang City. Instead, he chose to camp at several important intersections and selected the most suitable ones.

He could defend some dangerous passes if the Wei army came to attack Jieyang.

Tao Huang not only set up camp in Jieyang, but also sent many outposts all the way to Jian'an County to spy on the movements of the Wei army. If the Wei army sent troops to deliver troops to the state, he had better prepare early to avoid being caught off guard.

The Wei army deployed troops at the border area between Yangzhou and Jiaozhou, which has caused a deep panic in Jiaozhou. Judging from the posture of the Wei army, it will definitely launch an attack on Jiaozhou, but when exactly it will come, the people of Jiaozhou do not know.

know.

This is like a stone hanging above your head. You don't know when it will fall. You are in fear every day, can't eat, can't sleep at night, and your spirit is about to collapse.

The people of Jiaozhou are in such a state now. They know that the Wei army is coming, but the stone just won't fall to the ground. The more this happens, the more uneasy and uneasy they become.

Tao Ji sent Tao Huang to garrison Jieyang, just to let him guard the east gate of Jiaozhou. Even if he couldn't guard Jieyang, at least Jiaozhou would know that the Wei army was coming. Otherwise, let the Wei army march to Panyu City.

They just woke up from a dream. Isn't that extremely bad?

Tao Huang knew his position, and Tao Ji probably told him specifically before leaving. If the Wei army only sent a small number of troops, Tao Huang could defend Jieyang, but if the Wei army attacked with heavy troops, he would not be able to do so.

If you want to fight with them, you must decisively withdraw your troops to avoid greater losses.

Therefore, Tao Huang always kept Tao Ji's instructions in mind. After arriving in Jieyang, he immediately dispersed his troops to spy on Wei Jun. Only by knowing Wei Jun's achievements in advance could he make the correct response plan.

Although the Wei army had sent an army to the state border before, Tao Huang didn't care. After all, the number of this Wei army was not large, only about 3,000 people, and they had been staying in Jian'an County honestly without doing anything.

In addition to cross-border operations, they were more focused on monitoring the Wu army in Jieyang and blocking the road to the east.

The existence of this army put a certain amount of pressure on the Wu army, especially for the Wu army scouts who wanted to go deep into the hinterland of Jian'an County to spy on the enemy. However, the Wei army remained stationary for a long time.

There will also be some slack.

Even if they attack with all their strength, Tao Huang doesn't have to worry too much. He still has 10,000 troops in his hands. He can still deal with the 3,000 Wei army, right?

What Tao Huang is more concerned about is that the 80,000 Wei troops staying in Jian'an County are the real worry. If the 80,000 Wei troops come and kill them all, it will be like Mount Tai pressing down on the top, and Tao Huang will not be able to resist it. At this time,

If Tao Huang is still prepared to fight head-on, he can only hit an egg with a stone.

Of course Tao Huang was not stupid. The principle he pursued was to fight if he could win, and to run if he couldn't. If the Wei army really had to attack in a large scale, Tao Huang would certainly not defend Jieyang. He would definitely be the first to escape and escape back to Panyu.

Say it again.

However, news came back from the border that the Wei army did not send a large number of troops this time, but only a cavalry battalion.

The full strength of the Wei army's cavalry battalion is 15,000 men. In addition to the 3,000 men who have already arrived at the border, the Wei army's troops attacking Jieyang this time total 18,000 men.

This made Tao Huang a little confused. In terms of military strength, the number of troops sent by the Wei army this time was almost twice that of the troops he led. As for whether there would be more troops in the future, Tao Huang obviously did not know.

After all, the Wei army has sealed the border area, and it is difficult for the scouts sent by Tao Huang to penetrate into Jian'an County. Therefore, Tao Huang still cannot figure out what is going on in Jian'an County.

However, considering that the Wei army's logistics supply line was relatively long, Tao Huang felt that the Wei army's ability to send nearly 20,000 people to attack Jiaozhou should be the limit of the Wei army.

But the 20,000 people are relatively difficult for Tao Huang to deal with. Now Tao Huang only has more than 10,000 people, and his strength is only about half of the opponent's. If they fight head-on, they will definitely not be able to fight.

But Tao Huang was still a little unwilling to withdraw his troops like this. After all, the number of Wei troops had not reached a point where Tao Huang could not match them. Now Tao Huang's men and horses basically occupy dangerous pass areas, such a dangerous terrain.

, can it somewhat offset the Wei army’s numerical advantage?

Tao Huang thought about it and decided to give it a go. After all, Jiaozhou was the territory of their Wu State. The Wei army had to go on an expedition and arrived in Jieyang.

Powerful.

Tao Huang immediately wrote to his father Tao Ji, reporting the situation in Jieyang to Tao Ji, and stated his determination to hold on to Jieyang. At the same time, he asked his father to send more reinforcements to resist the enemy in Jieyang and never let the Wei army enter Jiaozhou.

.

After sending away the messenger, Tao Huang ordered all the troops to immediately enter a state of combat readiness and prepare to attack the Wei army.

Tao Huang sent out a 600-mile express horse, which could reach Panyu City in just one day.

At this moment, the city of Panyu became prosperous and lively because of the new emperor's ascension to the throne. People from other counties rushed to Panyu to pay homage to the new emperor.

Of course, the purpose of these people coming to Panyu was to get a piece of the pie. The news that the new imperial court was selling official positions at a clear price had already spread throughout the counties in Jiaozhou. The gentry and wealthy businessmen all heard the news and rushed to Panyu from all over the country.

There are many wealthy households in Jiaozhou, but no matter how much money they have, they still have no social status. Therefore, seeking an official position has naturally become the primary goal of these people. Now that the new imperial court has opened up the door to official career, there is such a great opportunity.

How could they miss it? Naturally, they sharpen their heads and dig in.
Chapter completed!