Task: Question Answering
Input (English): Passage: Instead, the Allies spent 1702 and 1703 taking towns such as Venlo and Roermond in the modern Dutch province of Limburg, as well as Liège, Bonn and Huy. Failure to take Antwerp in May 1703 ended hopes of a quick victory while a Dutch army under Slangenburg was surrounded by a French force several times their size at Ekeren on 30 June and only just escaped. Recriminations were considerable, with Slangenburg blaming his commander Obdam but also Marlborough and Van Coehoorn for failing to support him. Van Coehoorn was a difficult character with few friends while William's death in March 1702 deprived him of his most powerful sponsor and much of his influence. The campaigns of 1702 and 1703 showed his limitations as a field officer and led to criticism from both Marlborough and Dutch colleagues. In early 1704, he spoke with the Envoy of Savoy about possible opportunities in their army but died on 17 March in The Hague attending a conference with Marlborough. He is buried at Wijckel where the Frisian States sponsored the erection of a monument over his grave. 
Question: How many years did Allies spend taking towns such as Venlo and Roermond in the modern Dutch province of Limburg? 
Answer type: Number 
Output (English): 2.