Yao Xiang's intelligence was correct. On the afternoon of October 17, Shen Jin's troops arrived outside Xingyang and formally began the changeover of its garrison. Clearly, it had been Zhou Cheng's men packing their belongings earlier.
The timing was sickeningly awkward. If they left Sishui Pass for Xingyang now, a forced march would barely get them beneath the walls before dark, leaving little room to deploy for battle, and they would also have to guard against possible ambushes... Yet after a little thought and discussion, Yao Xiang and Wang Liang unanimously decided to leave the pass immediately.
After all, an army could be robbed of its fighting spirit. Striking at the first opportunity and maintaining an image of strength was itself a boost to their fighting power, one that could intimidate the allied forces of Liu Cheng and Zhou Cheng to some extent.
Besides, Yao Xiang's Central Army was not actually afraid of night fighting or chaotic melees. At the very least, they should have been better at those than Liu Cheng's newly raised troops and battered remnants, because their own internal structure was extremely stable, with trustworthy officers reaching all the way down to the lowest ranks. If both sides lost command, the Qiang people of Shetou would certainly have a little more ability to fight independently than their opponents.
With the decision made, the nine thousand men of Yao Xiang's Central Army set out at once. Beneath the warm early-winter sun, they poured through Sishui Pass in a mighty column and headed straight for Xingyang.
Even Liu Cheng felt somewhat moved when he received the news, but he also knew that this battle was now inevitable. He immediately dispatched the Attendant Secretariat Supervisor cavalry again, seizing his last opportunity to issue strict orders that Shen Jin defend Xingyang