Jiangling City, a border region of the Yan Kingdom.
Zhou Zhenguang led an army of 130,000 to occupy this place, close the city gates, and station himself here.
In mid-October, the temperature in the border area plummeted, and heavy snow was expected by the end of the month. Without winter supplies, the sub-zero temperatures would likely cause many soldiers to suffer frostbite.
"General, the weather is getting colder and colder, and the soldiers' remaining rations will soon be exhausted. If we don't find a way out soon, we may not even survive the first heavy snow, let alone this winter."
"What are we going to do?!"
"Yes, General, these soldiers are determined to follow us. We can't let them starve or freeze to death!"
Inside the military camp.
Several armored generals, their noses red from the cold and dressed in thin clothes, looked at the general sitting in the main seat with worried expressions.
Not long after Zhou Zhenguang returned to the border, he received an imperial edict summoning him to the capital. He was aware of Emperor Yan's plans and conspiracies, and naturally refused to go to the capital to face trial. But at that moment…
The ungrateful Deputy General Zhang, whom he had personally promoted, actually led a group of people in an attempt to detain him.
Zhou Zhenguang and Deputy General Zhang had a complete falling out.
The military camp's power was divided in two.
In the three years since leaving the military camp, so much has happened. During the time Zhou Zhenguang returned to Beijing, Deputy General Zhang established his own faction and power within the military camp, undermining most of Zhou Zhenguang's prestige.
Those who remain are those who genuinely want to follow him.
"How much grain is left in the granary? How long will it last the soldiers?" Zhou Zhenguang asked, clenching his fist and exhaling a breath of stale air.
"We can eat for the last two days."
“Two days…” Zhou Zhenguang stood up with a furrowed brow. He lifted the tent flap, and the cold wind that rushed in stung his cheeks. The soldiers outside were frozen stiff, their eyes numb.
Fan Wei and Deputy General Zhang worked together from the inside and burned all the remaining grain and fodder.
They also took the opportunity to kill half of the warhorses.
Life is getting harder and harder. Let alone the difficult problem of having enough to eat, we can't even solve the current weather problem... There are no winter clothes or quilts in the barracks.
The soldiers are still covered with the single blankets they used in autumn, wearing only two thin layers of clothing, using their bodies to resist the strong cold air.
"I wonder if Cheng'er received my secret letter, and how the situation in the capital is..." Zhou Zhenguang stood in the cold wind, looking up at the gloomy sky:
"No matter what, we must hold out until he reaches Jiangling City."
"When I left the capital, Cheng'er said that if I gave him a month, he would definitely leave the capital and come to the border to meet me."
"The time is almost up. In seven days, it will be the day that Cheng'er and I agreed to meet."
As soon as his son arrives.
All crises can be resolved.
The generals standing at the rear saw Zhou Zhenguang staring outside and muttering to himself, and they couldn't help but whisper, "We're about to run out of food, why isn't the general worried at all!"
"Instead of thinking of any other solutions, they just stare at the outside world all day. Do they think that just by looking will they get food? Do they think they can survive this winter?"
Another person retorted, "What are you saying? The general is anxious too, but what can we do now? There are 170,000 troops stationed outside Jiangling City by the two traitors, Deputy General Zhang and Fan Wei, which is 40,000 more than us!"
"Their soldiers were well-fed and watered, and had winter supplies."
"Our soldiers are all starving and sickly; they can barely lift their guns. How can we possibly compete with them for food..."
"Does the general look anxious? Even if we can't seize it, we have to find a way! We need to resolve this! Time waits for no one; we'll run out of food soon, and the heavy snow is coming in a few days. Are we just going to wait to die?"
"General, say something!!"
Speak out your anxious words.
Swish Swish Swish-
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