Guan Yu's confidence came from the Huainan battlefield.
During the ceasefire and recuperation in Jing Province, the situation in Huainan grew increasingly tense. Over the several months from spring to autumn, Lu Xun repeatedly feinted attacks on Hefei, helping Gan Ning successfully seize Lujiang.
Relying on the Scout Battalion's outstanding intelligence-gathering capabilities, Lan Yuan kept real-time track of Xiahou Shang's troop movements and relayed the information to the front lines with precision and speed.
Distracted by concerns on all sides, Xiahou Shang had wanted to send heavy forces to relieve Lujiang, yet feared that Lu Xun's troops would cut off his rear. The few, repeated, ineffective rescue attempts ended up like "Calabash Brothers saving Grandpa"—one after another, each walking straight into the trap.
After campaigning across various places for half a year, Gan Ning wiped out the Wei Army throughout Lujiang Commandery and became its true and rightful Administrator.
As a reserve force, the Trap-Breaking Army had remained at Ruxu Dock conducting combat drills every day before Xiahou Shang's main force moved out. Aside from sending Chu Qing's Scout Battalion to gather intelligence, Ding Feng and Luo Tong carried out missions abroad most of the time.
Lan Yuan's Trap-Breaking Army could not fight on water, so before the battle, he borrowed Ding Feng and Luo Tong from Lu Xun. The two usually relayed and coordinated intelligence by waterway, but would occasionally take warships around another route to land and launch surprise raids on the rear of Lujiang's reinforcements. Through methods such as harassing the Wei Army's supply and grain routes, they placed real pressure upon the Wei forces sent to relieve Lujiang.
After Xiahou Shang arrived in Huainan, Gan Ning's, Lu Xun's, and Lan Yuan's forces took turns tormenting him. His nerves were stretched to the limit every day, and