West of Tong Pass lay a flat, open plain.
Huayin stood exposed in the middle, with no defensible terrain to rely on. It could only exist as Chang'an's forward outpost, meant to delay attacks from the Central Plains. During Zhao Yun's time in command, he had relocated the civilians, turning Huayin completely into a military station.
Last year, Liu Bei had deployed troops on two fronts, Anding and Longyou, drawing away most of Guanzhong's forces. Liu Feng had been left with only three thousand men at Huayin, so the moment Tong Pass showed any major movement, Huayin rushed a warning to Chang'an.
Huayin was less than fifty li from Tong Pass, yet two or three hundred li from Chang'an. Even if warhorses ran day and night without rest, Liu Feng could not wait for Chang'an's reinforcements to arrive. He had to choose between defending the city and retreating.
Huayin was a small county town, and its walls were weak. Holding it to the death carried enormous risk, while Liu Feng lacked Zhao Yun's intimidating prestige. So after sending scouts to call for aid, he gathered his forces and prepared to withdraw when the opportunity arose.
Wei general Wang Zhong led the vanguard to arrive first. Liu Feng arrayed his troops beneath Huayin's walls.
"Where is Liu Bei's adopted son? Come out and die at once!" Wang Zhong shouted from the front lines, a broadsword in hand.
Watching from the city wall, Liu Feng saw that the Wei Army numbered roughly the same as his defenders. He had originally intended to blunt the enemy's edge, but before they had even met, the other side had directly challenged him by name. Could there be some scheme at work?
At the battle of Dingjun Mountain, Xiahou Yuan had fallen into Fa Zheng's trap