The robbers made no further attacks upon the Nephites during the next year, but they chose a ruthless leader from their ranks named Zemnarihah to replace their slain chief, Giddianhi (21 A.D.); he immediately ordered his bands to surround the Nephites, and to lay siege of them in an attempt to starve them into submission. To all purposes, this was ineffectual. The region occupied by the Nephites was too extended to admit of a siege being successful. The robbers were increasingly short of food while awaiting a possible surrender of the Nephite stronghold. Mormon, in making his abridgment of the record of these times, comments that "this was an advantage to the Nephites; for it was impossible for the robbers to lay siege sufficiently long to have any effect upon the Nephites, because of their much provision which they had laid up in store."
Gidgiddoni perceived that this was his opportunity; time and time again, he made successful sorties, slaying tens of thousands of the enemy, and harrassing, by continual movements, those who remained.