Nevertheless, Li Mi decided to await Wang's attack instead of attacking himself. The main host, under Li Mi, remained on the Mang hills, while a detachment under Shan Xiongxin moved down to the plain just north of Yanshi and established a camp there. The two camps, in the description of David Graff, formed "an inverted letter 'L' running east along the mountain and then turning sharply south across the plain to Yanshi". Li Mi felt confident in his superior position, which gave him ample time to descend the hills and move against Wang, should he try to cross the canal for an attack. If Wang attacked either of his camps, the troops of the other would come to aid, flanking Wang's forces. Confident in the naturally defensive layout of his hilltop camp, however, he neglected fortifying it.
