Xue's initial strategy was to take some troops ahead toward, with Guo remaining behind at Qinghai Lake with the military supplies—and once Xue had cleared the pass, he would then signal for Guo to proceed.
Strategi awal Xue adalah membawa sejumlah pasukan maju lebih dahulu, sementara Guo menunggu di belakang di Danau Qinghai bersama perbekalan pasukan - dan begitu Xue telah melewati jalan dengan aman, barulah dia memberi tanda pada Guo untuk maju.