The Hexi Army of 1.5 million made the first move, advancing on the Jianye Prefecture with a thunderous momentum to seize Pengkang and Jiuchi Counties first. Leiyin Temple responded hastily, deploying over 2 million troops to Yeyun County in an attempt to stop the Hexi army east of Yeyun County.
However, Hexi's tactics were superior, employing a trick of replacing the plum for the peach. They had already disguised a force of the Zhaoyang Army as the main Red Flame Army in Jiuchi County, leading Yeyun County to believe they would continue their attack, while secretly Hou Yuxiao led a million elite Red Flame troops on a southern route, directly threatening the heart of Leiyin Temple at Jianye Prefecture City, eventually capturing it in one stroke.
