King Fernando went to war, placing his officers of the marches in every border region, as well as in those places which had declared for him. He commanded that every place should be subject to guard duty, with certain sentries on each watch, along with additional sentries to oversee them. At sunset the gates of every township were to be locked and not opened till sunrise. At the gates were posted certain soldiers who would not allow any stranger to enter, whilst on the tops of the walls were placed many stones and wooden beams to hurl at those outside, should need arise.

Wheat from all the barns was brought into the towns and villages, and cattle were removed from border areas to well within the kingdom. All tall trees around the townships were cut down and chopped up, so that their enemies could not use them to make anything which might cause them any trouble.

The king ordered that these and other edicts should come into force in all towns and villages. Moreover, though some say that he considered that his only role in this war was as avenger of the death of his cousin King Pedro, that was not so, because he was advised and indeed claimed that, as King Pedro was dead, he was heir to the kingdoms of Castile and León, for he was the legitimate great-grandson of King Sancho of Castile and grandson of Queen Beatriz, daughter of the said King Sancho. Nevertheless, he would never have involved himself in beginning that quest nor in pursuing that right of succession from so far back, were it not on account of those places which had spontaneously declared for him and those noblemen who had come over to his side in great numbers, making him believe he should do it.

As there were still some places in Galicia which had not declared for him, the king decided to enter Galicia in order to receive those places which were on his side, to bring calm to those areas that supported him and to gain from the rest as much as he could. But his journey was such that it would have been more honourable for him not to have gone on this occasion.