() and Wang Zongdi (i.e., Hua Hong, whom Wang had adopted as a son by that point) toward Fengxiang, claiming to want to welcome the emperor to his realm, but instead was intending to capture Shannan West from Li Maozhen. Li Keyong did have his nephew Li Sizhao and officer Zhou Dewei launch an attack on Huguo, to try to divert Zhu's attention, but Zhu reacted by having his officer Shi Shucong () and nephew Zhu Youning () make a major counterattack that reached all the way to Li Keyong's capital Taiyuan Municipality and had it under siege, with the situation being so desperate that Li Keyong even considered abandoning Taiyuan and fleeing; eventually, Taiyuan's defenses held, but the damage to Li Keyong's army was so severe that it was said for several years Li Keyong did not dare to seriously consider engaging Zhu again. Zhu subsequently approached Fengxiang again. In summer 902, Li Maozhen tried to take back the initiative by gathering his own troops and exiting the city, to engage Zhu at Guo County (虢縣, in modern Baoji), but was defeated at the loss of thousands of his men. Zhu, after having his officer Kong Qing () capture Feng Prefecture, arrived at Fengxiang. He built five camps and had Fengxiang surrounded. Li Maozhen's cousin Li Maoxun (), who was then the military governor of Baoda Circuit (保大, headquartered in modern Yan'an, Shaanxi) tried to aid Fengxiang, but was defeated by Kong and another Xuanwu officer, Kang Huaizhen (), and forced to withdraw. Meanwhile, Li Jimi, under attack by Xichuan forces, was forced to surrender to Wang Jian, and Shannan West and Wuding (which surrendered soon thereafter) became Wang's territory. In fall 902, Zhu, with his army troubled by rains and illnesses, considered withdrawing, but was dissuaded by his officers Liu Zhijun and Gao Jichang. Gao further suggested that a decisive victory against Li Maozhen could be had by laying a trap for Li Maozhen. Zhu had his camps go quiet, and then had the soldier Ma Jing () falsely surrender to Fengxiang forces and claim that the Xuanwu forces were so stricken by illness that they had secretly withdrawn. Li Maozhen, believing Ma's false information, exited the city to try to chase after Zhu to attack him — and fell into the trap that Zhu had set with his hidden armies. The Fengxiang forces suffered great losses. It