 Dou's strategist Ling Jing () suggested that instead of heading to Zheng's capital Luoyang, which Li was sieging, that he attack Tang's Fen (汾州, roughly modern Lüliang, Shanxi) and Jin (晉州, roughly modern Linfen, Shanxi) Prefectures and be poised to further attack Tang's capital Chang'an in order to seize Tang territory as well as force Li to give up the siege on Luoyang.However, Wang's emissaries Wang Wan (王琬, Wang Shichong's nephew) and Zhangsun Anshi () persuaded Dou that Luoyang was about to fall and needed his aid immediately, and so Dou headed for Luoyang.When Empress Cao heard this, she tried to persuade Dou to accept Ling's plan, stating