Governor Cui Liang was killed, defending general Hu Zun was captured alive, and the officials of Anding Commandery followed Yang Ling in surrendering. With Yinpan County refugees stepping forward to calm the people, order in Linjing swiftly stabilized. Not only did the Han soldiers refrain from disturbing the populace, they even set up porridge stations in the streets to provide relief.
Zhao Yun subsequently had proclamations posted to reassure the people, promising that the Han Dynasty Emperor would treat the common folk well, that Anding Commandery would soon see good days, and that the days of being squeezed dry by Cao Wei were gone for good.
Before the Han army advanced on Xiao Pass, Zhao Yun dispatched a messenger to Chang'an to report the victory and, incidentally, ask Liu Bei to select officials for appointment. Zhao Yun's men needed to continue pursuing Cao Zhen and Zhang He, so they could only temporarily retain the commandery's old officials to govern it.
Three days after taking Linjing, a cavalry force of fewer than three thousand appeared outside Xiao Pass to the northwest. The mountains here were not as perilous as those at Yangping or Sword Gate, but the pass stood beside the Jing River and leaned against a long, secluded gorge. It was an important shield for northern Guanzhong—and Chang'an's northern gate.
Xiao Pass, Dasan Pass, Wu Pass, and Tong Pass—the former Hangu Pass—were collectively known as Guanzhong's Four Passes. Northern Xiao Pass chiefly served to guard against the nomadic peoples of the northern steppes and the Hexi Corridor.
The main reason Fa Zheng had been willing to wager against Pang Tong was that heading north from Xiao Pass to the frontier, the terrain of Hexi was comparatively level. The Longyou, Jincheng, and Wuwei route chosen by Zhang Fei and Ma Chao,