Yao Hong decided to lead an army of several tens of thousands against Liu Yu's main army, commanded by Tan and Shen, but concerned that a branch force commanded by Shen Linzi's brother Shen Tianzi (), which in actuality had less than 1,000 men but had advanced to Qingni (青泥, in modern Xi'an, Shaanxi), would attack his rear, tried to attack Shen Tianzi first, but was defeated by the heavily outnumbered Shen Tianzi, causing his army to collapse, and he was forced to return to Chang'an without having faced Liu Yu's main army. Liu Yu's fleet, commanded by Wang Zhen'e (), then arrived at Chang'an, and the soldiers, after landing, attacked the Later Qin garrison at the city gates overlooking the Wei River. Yao Hong tried to personally relieve the garrison at the city gates, but his army and the garrison force trampled themselves and collapsed without engaging Wang, and he fled back to the palace.