Map of the Kingdom's Warfare.

Summary

In the Kaifeng to Shangqiu area, the Wa Gang army, initially 50,000 strong, rapidly expanded to 80,000 after capturing key counties, causing chaos among Sui soldiers. They surrounded Songcheng, defended by 5,000 troops led by Zhu Qing Yun, who was anxious about the city's defense and the lack of reinforcements. The local populace, suffering from famine and a recent rice looting incident, showed little unity against the Wa Gang army, with many hoping for the army to provide food. Zhu Qing Yun and the governor He Zan debated the distribution of limited grain supplies, with Zhu refusing to use military granaries for relief. Meanwhile, over 100,000 starving refugees gathered nearby, planning to seize grain from the Bian Shui granary, believing it was poorly guarded. Jiang Bai Li, a respected leader among the refugees, proposed creating a diversion to draw the officials away, allowing them to raid the granary. The group agreed to act that night.

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