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"We must also leave troops to guard against the Ming Dynasty,"
"So there's not much military ration left here."
"Last winter, several batches of military rations were transported from Tanzhou."
"Afraid of being seized by the Ming Dynasty navy,"
"We dare not transport goods by boat from Dongting Lake,"
"They were all transported to Yiyang first,"
"Then transport them by livestock to Yuanjiang and Chenyang."
"Once we arrive in Chenyang, we'll load the cargo onto a ship and transport it to Dingzhou City."
"The food supply here is critically low this spring."
"Two more batches of military rations have been transported from Tanzhou."
"But it's just a drop in the ocean; we can only wait for the rice harvest."
"Now the war has broken out again,"
"Dingzhou can no longer collect grain."
"The grain from Tanzhou must be supplied to Zhong Xiang's army,"
"It's impossible to ship any more over."
"Therefore, in Dingzhou, each city and fortress is raising its own military rations."
"I am afraid there won't be enough food,"
"Just a few days ago, I was leading my soldiers to fish, collect clams, and catch snails."
"If Zhong Quan dares to order the troop gathering,"
"There's no need to fight him head-on,"
"He ran out of food in a month or two."
"The garrison commander of Chenyang is named Liu Heng,"
"He and Liu Rui are distant relatives,"
"We can send Liu Rui to persuade them to surrender."
"Liu Heng only has a little over a thousand soldiers at his disposal,"
"The main problem is that we have too many soldiers and can't afford to support them."
"But if our army besieges Chenyang,"
"He could immediately recruit thousands of civilians to defend the city,"
“These people practiced military formations in their spare time.”
"The garrison commander of Yuanjiang is named Quan Cong,"
"The troop strength is also not large,"
"But this city is fortified and particularly difficult to attack."
"However, Yuanjiang City is located on the shore of Dongting Lake,"
"The Ming Dynasty's warships were equipped with formidable firearms,"
"It should be able to suppress the defending troops on the city wall."
"..."
After hearing this, Lin Chong
I instantly felt reassured.
The message sent back by the spy
He knew that Prime Minister Zhong was short of food.
I never expected to be in such dire straits.
Currently, the grain supply within the pseudo-Chu state...
Mostly used to supply Zhong Xiang's army,
The cities where troops were divided for defense were all in a state of food shortage.
This is caused by a combination of factors.
The large number of troops in the pseudo-Chu army was only one aspect.
Years of war have necessitated the conscription of laborers.
This has also had a long-term impact on agricultural production.
Last year, we also experienced a major flood.
The flood disrupted Li Bao's battle plan.
This also resulted in large-scale crop failures in the Dongting Lake and Xiangjiang River basins.
For Zhong Xiang,
It can be said that misfortunes never come singly.
The food supply under his rule was becoming increasingly insufficient.
After a few days,
Lin Chong led his troops to besiege Chenyang.
This place later became Hanshou County.
The Yuan River flows past its north side.
To the west is the Canglang River.
It is only twenty or thirty miles east of Dongting Lake.
Qu Yuan "set off from Wangzhu in the morning and lodged in Chenyang in the evening".
Not only did they stay overnight in Chenyang,
I even washed my feet by the Canglang River.
On the contrary, it is Yuanjiang County in the southeast,
During the Sui Dynasty, it was located at the mouth of the Yuan River where it flows into Dongting Lake.
During the Tang Dynasty, the Yuan River was divided into two.
During the Song Dynasty, the river completely changed course and flowed northward.
The county town is now fifty or sixty miles away from the river.
Lin Chong led his troops to completely surround Chenyang.
They then divided their forces, sending Lin Chong to Yuanjiang.
The Ming Dynasty navy also bombarded Yuanjiang County.
Zhong Xiang's younger brother, Zhong Quan, was stationed in Dingzhou.
Upon learning that Chen Yang was surrounded,
For a moment, I was undecided.
Zhong Quan only had five thousand soldiers at his disposal.
Relying on the appeal of Manichaeism,
He could immediately conscript 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers.
Then they led their troops to fight a major battle with Lin Chong at Chenyang.
But if we do that,
The military rations can only last for one or two months at most!
I hesitated for two or three days.
Zhong Quan still ordered the conscription of soldiers.
The people had to tighten their belts to pay their grain taxes.
At the same time, a large number of ships and laborers were conscripted.
Liu Rui personally shouted from below the city walls:
"The Great Chu is about to perish,"
"Brother, you'd better surrender soon..."
General Liu Heng stood atop the city wall of Chenyang:
"You ungrateful wretch!"
"I'm not your brother. Fire!"
The attempt to persuade them to surrender failed.
Lin Chong began to fortify the camp.
Waiting for Zhong Quan to lead his army to rescue them.
His initial idea was to besiege the enemy stronghold and attack their reinforcements.
Knowing at this moment that the enemy was short of food,
There's no need to rush to send reinforcements.
Let's hold him off for a month or two while we remain in our stronghold.
Chapter 1909 Mixed Race
When the puppet Chu reinforcements run out of food,
Let's take it down in one fell swoop!
Zhong Xiang's main force marched south to quell the rebellion.
They won't be back for a month or two.
Waiting for Prime Minister Zhong to return.
Dingzhou is probably gone.
This is the stronghold of Manichaeism.
Many relatives of high-ranking generals in the puppet Chu regime,
They still live in Dingzhou today.
More than ten days later,
Zhong Quan led his army to arrive.
Including laborers, the number exceeds 40,000.
Zhong Quan was in a state of food shortage,
Eager to fight Lin Chong,
Lin Chong, however, remained steadfast in his camp and refused to come out.
Yuanjiang County in the southwest,
It has also been bombarded by the navy for many days.
Huang Zuo went outside the city every day to persuade the enemy to surrender.
The defending general, Quan Cong, began to waver.
But in the end, they are still observing.
Chenyang next door is gone.