LiuBeivisitedthethatchedcottagethreetimesandfinallysucceededininvitingZhugeLiangtobehismilitaryadviser. Yethisswornbrothers， GuanYuandZhangFei， didnottakeZhugeseriously. Beforelong， CaoCaodispatchedanarmyof 100，000 toattackLiuBeisheadquartersatXinye. CaostroopswereatthecommandofGeneralXiahouChun. WhenLiuBeiturnedtoZhugeLiangforadvice， Zhugesaid： IhavetoborrowyourmajestysswordofauthorityinthatIamfafraidthatGuanYuandZhangFeiwillnotlistentome. LiulostnotimeinlendinghisswordofauthoritytoZhugewhothenstartedtodispatchLiusarmyforthedefence.
ZhugeorderedGuanYutoLckandwaitatMountYushanwith 1，000 troops. Guanwasnottoattacktheenemybutratherletthempass. Hewouldchargeattheenemyassoonashesawfirebreakoutintheenemyprocession. ZhangFeiwasorderedtoLrkandwaitinthevalleywithanother 1，000 troops. ZhangwastoattackthetownofBowangassoonashesawfirebreakoutintheenemyprocession. GuanPing， adoptedsonofGuanYuandGeneralLiuFengwereorderedtoeachguide 500 troopstowaitbehindtheslopeofBowang. Theywouldsetfiretotheenemyprocessionassoonastheenemyarrivedattheslope. ZhugerecalledZhaoYunfromFanchengtobethevanguardofLiusarmy. ButZhaowasorderednottodefeattheadvancingenemybutratherpretendtobedefeated. LiuBeiwasgiven 1，000 troopsasthebackupforce.