Xun Xiu and Mi Ce, as the main generals, were kept behind, but their deputies took a part of the men back to Chen County.
Zhao Hanzhang's orders were not delivered in a centralized manner but issued separately one by one, so they didn't know Zhao Hanzhang had transferred away so many people.
By the time they found out, it was almost time for the operation.
If the internal situation was like this, the external situation was even more unknown.
Zhao Hanzhang was particularly cunning; when having people bury pots to cook, she instructed that next to each pot, two additional stoves be built. Without much firewood, just place two burning wet wood pieces to create billowing smoke. From a distance, it would appear as if they were cooking.
