The collapse of the Pingyuan Commandery troops without a fight came as something of a surprise-to both sides.
But the commanders of the Exorcising the Dragon Army and the Hejian army soon came to their senses at almost the same moment. These several thousand commandery troops had never been their target or their hope in the first place. For the Hejian army, having the Pingyuan troops hold out for a while would already have been enough to satisfy heaven, earth, and their consciences, especially since Governor Qian had nearly come to blows with them just now.
Zhang Xing likewise issued further orders: the troops were not to pursue without authorization, but were to press forward immediately and assault the camp decisively.
"Third Brother, shall we surround three sides and leave one open?" Xu Shiying rode over to ask as the great army surged forward.
"We can, but the opening must face east, and cavalry must be stationed farther out, ready to hunt them down!" Astride his Yellow-Brown Horse, Zhang Xing, who had just finished his lengthy speech, agreed without hesitation, then immediately added, "This battle must end in total annihilation. No intact formation of government troops can be allowed to escape!"
Xu Shiying showed no surprise. He nodded at once, then hurried off again to deploy the troops.
And sure enough, with Zhang Xing personally overseeing the battle, the Exorcising the Dragon Gang's army swiftly completed its deployment:
Jia Yue and Shang Huaien combined four thousand troops from the central army to attack the camp's southern side; Dan Tonghai, Niu Da, and Xiahou Ningyuan joined forces with five thousand men to attack from the north; Wang Shuyong, Zhai Qian, and Xu Kaitong led four thousand from the west; Xu Shiying led Guo Jingke and Wang Xiongdan with over two thousand