When Dugu Jing led thirty thousand Beiman troops to the border to join forces with the Great Commander, he did not anticipate a real battle. He thought that Xie Xun dispatched him to lead the troops, likely to intimidate Sannan.
Xie Jue was within Sannan's borders, his fate unknown, and the border troops needed strong momentum to support Xie Jue. Yet, the Beiman Army saw this as their first expedition from Beining and were determined to achieve a glorious victory, especially under the leadership of their former commander, their morale was high. Though Dugu Jing understood this, he could not discuss it with the soldiers in detail, so he trained the soldiers at the border, occasionally exchanging combat insights with the Great Commander.
