The flags of the Qinghe First Army have surrounded Jingdong.

Speaking of which, when everyone had something to do, apart from the necessary guards, there were probably only Lin Hai and Shi Zhener left in Lin Hai's camp. Although as the commander-in-chief's camp, it still had the necessary solemnity, it was also much quieter.

In order to prevent Cheng Guorong from making some low-level mistakes without supervision, of course, this was an excuse Lin Hai made up himself. In fact, it was really boring to stay in the camp and wait for military reports, so he got up after sleeping until noon and went to look for Cheng and Ding.

No matter what, Lin Hai is also the commander-in-chief, the principal of Cheng Guorong, and the actual controller of the entire Qinghe. Although everyone thinks that in a war, especially a trivial matter like fighting Cambodia, Lin Hai only needs to stay in the rear and wait for victory news, but since Lin Hai is here, naturally they cannot be neglected, so they take the initiative to step forward, pointing to the sand table and giving Lin Hai as detailed an explanation as possible.

To be honest, Lin Hai had actually seen these contents a long time ago, and there was no major difference between what he saw now and before. However, at least after a period of deployment, there were some changes in the red flag representing Qinghe on the sand table, so it was harmless for Cheng Guorong to talk about it again now.

"So Jingdong's biggest defense is actually this river?" Lin Hai said, "It used to flow into Jingdong from the east and out from the south. But now, to defend against us, they've dug canals to the north and west of the city, surrounding the entire city with the river?"

Lin Hai asked a question knowing the answer.

"Yes," Cheng Guorong said, pointing his baton at the newly excavated river model on the sand table. "Mengyang used to be the first line of defense on the Cambodian border. Although various issues ultimately prevented Mengyang from being built into a fortress, the terrain and roads made it nearly impossible to capture Mengyang quickly using traditional siege methods. This gave the Cambodians the opportunity to deploy troops to support Mengyang's defense."

Cheng Guorong explained the whole story and continued, "Ever since we captured Mengyang, Cambodia has invested massive resources in the previously neglected second line of defense, namely Jingdong and Daqima. Therefore, digging a moat is a matter of course and the most important part."

"During the exploratory attack, did you find out more information about this moat?" Lin Hai continued to ask without moving or changing his expression. He didn't know what he was thinking.

"We've always had intelligence on the moat," Cheng Guorong blurted out. "The Intelligence Department gave us great support in this regard. It's said that when the moat was being excavated, some of our men infiltrated the laborers. Later, several construction teams were staffed by our men, so we're quite familiar with the moat."

"Then tell me."

"Principal, from a positive perspective, with the moat, Kengtung is naturally much easier to defend. Especially during our mobilization and advance, the Khmers urgently dug a number of water-filled trenches between the moat and the city walls, and then built a low wall. We suspect there are also many traps behind the low wall, and even troops for counterattacks, which is a common tactic. These fortifications and the moat form a whole. If we simply cross the river, we will be faced with a stronger counterattack."

"Well, what other advantages are there?" Lin Hai asked immediately.

"The river in Jingdong isn't a big one. Years of siltation raised the riverbed, making it appear wider, but it's actually not deep. Soldiers could wade across it during the dry season. The excavation of the second channel actually distributed the water, making it even shallower. This was evident when they rushed out of the city to clear the silt when we first besieged it."

"Since you know this but haven't taken any action, does that mean there will be follow-up to this?" Lin Hai asked with interest.

This is just like an exam. If you do the test paper by yourself, it will naturally be extremely difficult. But if there is an expert next to you who not only helps you with the test paper, but also explains it to you vividly while doing it and answers all kinds of strange questions you ask, then the exam will not be so boring.

"The commander of Jingdong is Deputy General Fan Liangyong. In fact, the previous rank of Jingdong's commander should have been Lieutenant General, but because Jingdong's status rose sharply after Meng Yang's loss, he was also promoted a level. He is a veteran who participated in the last war. It is said that he fought as far as Jinguan City. He is considered a practical fighter in the Khmer army."

Cheng Guorong first explained the background, then elaborated, "Pan Liangyong must have anticipated that large-scale river desilting was already too late. Furthermore, relying solely on desilting would at most deepen the river, but it wouldn't increase the water flow or provide a complete defense. So, while desilting, he ordered the construction of a dam downstream to block the river, thereby forcibly raising the water level."

"Oh? Then he is indeed experienced." Lin Haidao said nothing else, just asked: "Can the location of the dam be taken down? If it is possible, can we just take it down and dig up the dam?"

"In theory, that's right. Jingdong's forces are limited, and they can't send too many to defend the dam. But according to the scouts' reports, Yang Yizhen's approaching troops' primary support target is the dam, and Jingdong City is his secondary target."

Cheng Guorong's meaning was simple. You can ask me to build the dam, but if I run into the reinforcements brought by Yang Yizhen along the way, I definitely can't let them go. I can't tell Yang Yizhen, "Wait here, I won't be in charge of your area. Just wait for me to send someone to kill you..."

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