After entering April, The Court and the people within the capital and beyond started to shift into war preparation mode.
With the issuance of an imperial edict in early May by Princess Yu Hongchang, the Jianguo, appointing Li Xuan as the 'Great General Zhenbei' with control over all military affairs and operations in the Meng Wu direction, the entire northern Jingying and Weisuo Institute began to make preparations upon hearing the news.
On May 25th, thirteen battalions of Shenji Camp totaling 130,000 men, twelve battalions totaling 120,000 men, the five army camp with 60,000 men, as well as 90,000 elite infantrymen from the north Zhili and the Jizhou Weisuo Institute all successively entered the front lines near Xuanfu.
Of these 400,000 men, apart from the Shenji Camp and one division of the ten battalions which were fully equipped with firearms, the rest of the forces were also all equipped with the old-style muskets improved by the Shenqi Union.
