The sudden contact with the enemy was equally unexpected by and surprising the nationalists when they were moving fast in the valley. Ma Buluan (), the commander of the nationalist Reorganized 8th Cavalry Brigade immediately ordered his troops to take the high ground on both sides to avoid being pinned down by the enemy. The advance guard of the nationalist reinforcement led by the company commander Ma Guochen () climbed to the top of Southern Plateau (Nan Yuan, ), while the rest of the nationalists climbed to the top of Northern Plateau. At the dawn, the nationalist main force atop Northern Plateau had beaten back the attack by the 3rd Regiment of the Instructional Brigade of the communist 2nd Column, and the nationalist advance guards atop Southern Plateau originally appeared to be also successful in beating back the attack of the Garrison Platoon of the 1st Regiment of the Instructional Brigade of the communist 2nd Column. However, the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Regiment of the Instructional Brigade of the communist 2nd Column reached in time and helped their comrades to counterattack, surrounding the nationalist advance guards in three sides. The nationalist main force atop Northern Plateau could not provide fire support to their comrades-in-arms because the two sides were engaged in close quarter combats, and Lieutenant Colonel Suo Shijun () lead a team of three dozen men charged the enemy, successfully disrupted the enemy's counterattack and thus allowed the besieged nationalist advance guards to escape. However, by this time, one third of the 400+ strong nationalist advance guards had already been lost, and the company commander Ma Guochen who led the nationalist advance guards lost both his legs due to enemy fire. The nationalists was forced to a temporary retreat and headed back to Qingyang.