Treatise on Armament Technology, Volume 33: Strategic Studies—Liang Dynasty, Part 1

The Northern Wei army moved north to Matou A strategic garrison town on the Huai River, attacked and captured it, and then transported all the city's grain and supplies back to the north. Commentators on the situation said, "The Northern Wei will not head south again."

The Emperor of Liang Liangzhu (梁主): Referring to Emperor Wu of Liang, Xiao Yan, a patron of Buddhism and a capable administrator said, "This is merely a deceptive ploy to advance their troops." He then ordered the restoration of the walls of Zhongli Modern-day Fengyang, Anhui; a critical gateway between the north and south and commanded Chang Yizhi to make preparations for battle and defense.

In the tenth month, the Wei general Yuan Ying advanced to besiege Zhongli. The Emperor of Wei Weizhu (魏主): Referring to Emperor Xuanwu of Northern Wei issued an edict for Xing Luan to lead his troops and join the forces there. Luan submitted a memorial to the throne, stating:

"Although the southern army is no match for us in open-field battle, they are more than capable when defending a city. If we now exhaust our elite forces to attack Zhongli, the profit gained from a victory would be meager, while the losses from a failure would be immense. Furthermore, the city lies beyond the Huai River The traditional boundary between northern and southern China; even if they were to surrender with their hands bound, I fear it would be difficult to hold the position without sufficient grain supplies. How much more so when we must kill our own soldiers to seize it?

"Moreover, the soldiers are exhausted pibi (疲敝): A term describing extreme physical and morale exhaustion in a military context and suffering from deaths and injuries; I fear they have no strength left to be utilized. I believe it would be appropriate to instead repair our old garrisons and pacify the various provinces Focusing on internal stability and existing borders while awaiting a future opportunity for action."

The Emperor did not listen to this advice. Luan memorialized again, saying: "If we do not prioritize absolute safety, but instead launch a direct raid on Guangling, emerging from their..."