 To carry out this strategy, Chen Geng (陈赓) and Xie Fuzhi decided to launch the Campaign in the Eastern Foothills of the Funiu Mountains.Both sides were equally matched in terms of numbers, but the nationalists enjoyed significant technical advantage in terms of weaponry.The campaign started on October 29, 1947 with the communist 55th Division of the 38th Army deployed along the Longhai Railroad to tie down the nationalist forces, and the rest units of the communist 38th Army and the 12th Brigade of the communist 4th Column struck toward southern Shaanxi.