The ambush and encirclement operation in Lituo County ended in a crushing defeat.
The more than 6,000 survivors did not escape the minefield until the next day, scaling walls and houses, and then immediately rode their horses toward the palace.
at this time,
Zhou Cheng had only three or four days left before reaching the border.
The 130,000-strong army stationed in Jiangling City had been without food for two days. The cold wind, carrying the feeling of hunger, swept over them. All the soldiers on duty hugged their arms, their lips pale, and weakly gripped their spears to support their bodies.
"Bang!"
Soldiers would faint from time to time.
Since the traitors from Panwei burned all the food supplies, they could only eat one meal a day, which was plain porridge with no oil in their stomachs. They survived each day by sheer willpower.
I haven't eaten a single grain of rice in two days, and I'm only managing to stay alive by drinking water. I simply can't take it anymore.
"General Zhou, you said you'd wait a few days ago, and I waited. What about now?"
"Are there any results?"
The young deputy general was also so hungry that his vision was blurring. His voice, which had been as strong as it had been a few days ago, was much weaker: "Twenty percent of the soldiers on guard duty outside have already fainted."
“Now there are complaints in the army. Some soldiers can’t bear the pain of cold and hunger and have started to riot.”
"The heavy snow is coming tonight. Are we just going to watch them starve and freeze to death?!"
The young deputy general felt frustrated and resentful, hating his own powerlessness and inability to change the situation.
They also complained that Zhou Zhenguang had remained indifferent in his tent, showing no concern or effort to find a way to obtain food.
When asked how to resolve this, he just said to wait, wait and wait!
Now, let alone a young deputy general.
Even the other generals started to get anxious and couldn't stay calm: "General, what he said is indeed true. Go outside and see how exhausted our soldiers are."
"They were all half-dead, barely clinging to life."
"Two weeks ago, you said there would be a solution and told us to wait."
"Alright, we'll wait, but as the days go by, our soldiers are almost starving and freezing to death, and you..."
The general swallowed the harsh words he was about to say.
He paused for a moment.
He slammed his fist on the table, saying with heartache and helplessness, "Can you really bear to watch those soldiers who risked their lives to follow you die such a pathetic death?!"
Zhou Zhenguang was wearing heavy armor, and his fingers and toes were numb from the cold.
He stood in the very center, facing the anxious scrutinizing gazes of all the generals... Not only were they anxious, but he was anxious too, even more so than anyone else present.
He could see soldiers whose bodies were stiff from the cold and whose eyes were vacant.
He could also see soldiers who were so hungry that their vision was blurring and their limbs were weak.
Furthermore, it is evident that the 130,000-strong army has reached its limit.
"Fellow generals."
Zhou Zhenguang closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his unconditional trust in his son rekindled in them: "We've reached the point where we're running out of supplies, and tonight we'll see the first heavy snowfall at the border."
“I’m more anxious than any of you, but give me a few more days, and we will surely see hope come.”
The words were spoken.
The young general charged forward.
Ignoring their respective statuses, he grabbed Zhou Zhenguang's collar fiercely, his eyes red as he roared and questioned, "Zhou, Zhen, Guang!! Even now, you're still saying this, you're still saying this!"
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