 In the winter of 262–263, Zhong Hui was appointed General Who Guards the West () and granted imperial authority to manage military affairs in the Guanzhong region.Sima Zhao also mobilised military forces from the various provinces in Wei and ordered Tang Zi to oversee the construction of warships in preparation for an invasion on Wei's other rival state, Eastern Wu.In the autumn of 263, the Wei imperial court issued an edict ordering Deng Ai and Zhuge Xu to lead 30,000 troops each and attack Shu from two directions