[4] Both battles involved Jin general Wanyan Chenheshang, who commanded the Zhongxiao (Loyalty) army which consisted of various ethnic groups that were attacked by the Mongols.

[citation needed] Jin generals Wanyan Heda and Yila Pua ordered troops to retreat from Shaanxi and implement a scorched earth policy to hold the fortified Tongguan Pass and block any access to Kaifeng.

[citation needed] With such a large army and the fact that Shaanxi was already suffering from a severe famine, Ögedei knew with limited time and resources, he had to find a way through Tongguan quickly.

[citation needed] Initial attempts to draw Jin forces out of the fortress failed, so the Mongols decided to find a way to bypass Tongguan entirely.

[8] It looked like Subutai's forces had successfully outflanked Tongguan by passing through mountains, but his troops were spread out far too wide over a very large distance.

However, as the province had heavy famine, this did not help much with resupplying the large Mongol army and the main objective of getting past Tongguan was still not achieved.

[10] Seeing the difficult situation they were in, the Mongol commanders withdrew back to Inner Mongolia to come up with a new strategy while the army moved northwest to the former Jin-Xia borders to seek provisions and await orders.