Baling and Changsha, with a total of 130,000 soldiers, were lined up along the Yangtze River and Xiang River, facing the soldiers of Ning Country across the border from Yuzhang Prefecture.
On Changsha's side, troops were mobilized frequently, clearly targeting Ning Country.
This naturally alerted Ning Country as well.
Shangguan Ming, who was in charge of 100,000 naval forces in Yuzhang Prefecture, immediately issued an order upon hearing about Lu Yuan's movements. This old acquaintance, who once wanted to become his father-in-law, ordered:
Withdraw 50,000 naval forces to the west, directly blocking the Yangtze River's waterway and dividing Changsha into two parts, completely isolating the south and the north.
Then, he led the remaining 50,000 naval forces from Xunyang Camp to Chaisang Prefecture, confronting Lu Yuan's 100,000 soldiers in Baling City.
