As the East Sea ramped ocean forces thus returned to the city, it was decided that a surprise attack should be ushered forth that night upon the latter's stockades to deal a critical blow to Zhu Bolin's morale and attain potential assistance from other neighbouring powers— such as the Grand Dukes — after they had heard of Wang Shuaiyue's strength.
Jiang Xicheng said, ''We need to move fast with our plan. I'm sure Zhu Bolin has heard about our forces returning to the city. We should launch a surprise attack on his stockades tonight and weaken his enthusiasm''.
Wang Shuaiyue agreed, ''Yes, if we can complete the attack before dawn it will have an even bigger impact and give us an edge in our war effort. If others hear of our strength, the Grand Dukes may even provide us with assistance. That would be a game-changer''.
Jiang Xicheng marked some places on the map as he said, ''Let's make sure to move forward with our strategy and attack as soon as we can. Do you think your troops are ready to go?''
Wang Shuaiyue nodded, ''Yes, they will be ready and waiting. Shall we get the ball rolling now?"
"Yes, let's go!"
Once such a tactic had been fully employed at dusk, Zhu Bolin fled to a newly established camp and drink his worries away at the thought of Liu Qi, Garrison Commander of the North's future assistance.
While his forces thus ignorantly slept for the night, Wang Shuaiyue's forces charged forth with the furiousness of a tiger and slaughtered countless soldiers of Henan province in mere moments. Now in a state of great fear for his life, Zhu Bolin personally clashed his cutlass against the resolved Wang Shuaiyue until the former's generals ran to his assistance. As the Henan forces thus fled in the majority, Wang Shuaiyue called off their pursuit after twenty li of distance was travelled.
While currently fleeing through the stars of the night with his generals, Zhu Bolin concluded that strict defence should be employed for the moment while a messenger should be sent to Liu Qi in a request for reinforcements.
Unfortunately for Zhu Bolin however, Jiang Xicheng suddenly appeared before the light of the moon with his ambush–party completely determined to put an end to the former's life. With his immense renown and resolve, Jiang Xicheng easily defeated three generals of Henan province singlehandedly with his great dragon glaive.
Luckily for Zhu Bolin however, his general Yuan Yangzi noticed the battle and hurried to his assistance for a determined escape! The long retreat began across the current of river Fen and Zheng for Zhu Bolin's party, as the sun rose above the heavens and Jiang Xicheng kept constant pursuit for three whole days.
It was during these forty-two hours of continuous travelling that Zhu Bolin's troops grew weary of battle and came to near exhaustion, while Wu Yangzi and other generals proposed to end their hopeless journey with a last–stand given their current dire situation.
Wu Yangzi came to Zhu Bolin's camp and said, ''Master, I think an outsider is helping Wang Shuaiyue in this battle''.
Zhu Bolin was thinking the same thing, ''His son was nowhere but a stranger in a black mask and gown was helping him in this battle''.
While Zhu Bolin's thoughts comforted him as to the validity of Wu Yangzi's viewpoint, Jiang Xicheng finally caught up with their prime escape–route and therefore closed all avenues for an amicable escape. It was then that Zhu Bolin's generals responded to such a difficulty by propagating a plan to oppose Jiang Xicheng's forces with the terrain's persistent inclines and declines in mind.
Under Zhu Bolin's wise advice, his forces settled in the near–perfect terrain of Meixian and kept stationary for the night to rest and thus replenish their stores of energy necessary for the battle to come.
Unlike Zhu Bolin's expectations, however, Jiang Xicheng and his armies began the battle the very next day, while the forces of Henan province were still trying to prepare and rest! As the enemy forces surged forth with contention, Zhu Bolin's entire army sprang to their feet and deployed their force in the form of the defensive circular shield formation, also known as the Twin Blade Formation.
Immediately afterwards, the strategy was established in which the two sides of the formations were split evenly, with one side ready to launch their assault in a ferocity of free–flowing motion while the other side stunned and demoralized their enemies with a valley–wide stonewall.
The Generals of Henan province understood fully that Jiang Xicheng's armies were composed of strong–arm warriors armed with their weapons of destruction and an iron–iron will, and thus responded in kind with an assault of powerful ferocity. Arrows and arrows again posed to shower the enemy's ranks and cannons filled the air with smoke and fire, thus weakening Jiang Xicheng's ranks and his personnel's morale.
Additionally, the techniques of Two Repulses and Three Advances were employed to repel the invaders from the battlefront and thus concentrate all offensive and defensive actions to one area after the other, eventually covering the entire terrain.