However, when Zhang's troops first arrived in the Shaanxi / Gansu border area they had three bruising encounters with the Communists and came off worse each time. It is likely that this experience intimidated Zhang.
不過，張學良的東北軍初開到陝甘時，與共軍交鋒曾敗了三次，對他可能造成心理上的恐懼。