In the end, the Qin army captured Loulan at the cost of more than 300 casualties, but the Huns stationed in Loulan were completely wiped out.
Almost all the casualties of the Qin army were caused by attacking the remnants of the Huns... Hundreds of remnants of the Huns defended a beacon tower in the northwest corner and resisted.
According to the information obtained from the prisoners, the people stationed there were the Xiongnu Captain Ten Thousands and his personal guards.
Part of the reason why he was able to hold on until this point was that he knew that the Qin people hated the Xiongnu and usually did not take prisoners.
So instead of being humiliated and killed, they decided to fight to the end. They even released smoke from the beacon tower in the hope of rescue by troops outside the city.
However, it was too late to release the smoke at this time. The Qin army had already invaded Loulan and there was no need to worry about replenishing water. Moreover, there were obstacles and traps everywhere outside the city, making it difficult for the cavalry to play its role.
Shen Bing did not waste time, and of course he would not waste artillery shells for these hundreds of remaining soldiers. These artillery shells had to be transported from Shazhou thousands of miles away.
Shen Bing just ordered his men to push over the trebuchet dropped by the Xiongnu, and then there was a burst of stone bullets... and then he went to harvest the heads from the rubble.
Captain Esi, who was alive, was crushed by rubble in the beacon tower and could not move. He was dragged out by the Qin army and thrown in front of Shen Bing. He was covered in blood and wounds.
He glanced at Shen Bing and laughed:
"I didn't know who it was, but it turned out that it was General Beidi who came to attack Loulan himself. My death was not unjust!"
After listening to Yan's translation, Shen Bing asked in confusion:
"You recognize me?"
Esiwei nodded towards Shen Bing and said:
"In the Battle of Wuyuan, I was lucky enough to have an encounter with the general."
"I admire General Beidi's strategic wisdom very much. If we are lucky enough to meet him in the next life, I will definitely worship him as my disciple!"
This style of painting changed so quickly that Shen Bing couldn't adapt to it for a while... Shouldn't he usually just curse a few times and then Shen Bing simply order him to beheaded? Who wants to say this? The remarks.
In the end, Ersvi said:
"General, there is no need to embarrass me. I, Eswei, am indeed a disaster to the Central Plains and it is not a pity to die!"
"General, please give me a pleasure!"
Shen Bing nodded and asked his bodyguard to drag Esiwe down and chop him down.
At the same time, Shen Bing also felt that there seemed to be something wrong with the Qin army's approach of exterminating the Xiongnu.
Because this actually inspired the Xiongnu to resist to the death, a battle would inevitably be a life and death struggle. This was definitely detrimental to the overall strategy and should be changed in the future.
The biggest benefit of the Qin army in this battle was the availability of water.
Although the water source is just a small lake in the center of Loulan City, this is the process of the water source coming from nothing.
Most of Loulan's soldiers and civilians were driven away by the Xiongnu, leaving only a few hundred young men working as coolies and the royal family of King Loulan as hostages.
The reason why the Xiongnu did this was mainly because Loulan City was too small and had limited living space.
In fact, not to mention the living space, so many Loulan people crowded into the city would be a hindrance during the war.
On the other hand, the Xiongnu were worried that the people of Loulan would rebel when the Qin army came to attack, and they would be unable to control the situation.
The Qin army found these people in Loulan Palace.
It was said that it was a palace, but it was actually just a few earthen rooms, filled with royal family members and nobles whose hands and feet were bound.
They were obviously not sure whether the Qin army was an enemy or a friend, so when the King of Loulan, who was wearing a colorful gown and a white wide hat, stood in front of Shen Bing, he was still trembling, and even needed support from his own guards to prevent him from falling.
Shen Bing asked King Loulan to sit down in front of the case very politely, and then said:
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, we passing by this place have no intention of claiming Loulan as our own."
"Your Majesty, you can call the people back to the city. Our army will be stationed outside the city and we can ask for some water and food."
The frightened King Loulan hurriedly raised his hands and replied:
"The general has spoken harshly."
"Your army has driven out the Xiongnu, so this city should also belong to your army."
"Not to mention asking for water and food, even if you are stationed in the city, it is natural!"
Shen Bing smiled and waved his hand and said:
"Your Majesty is joking. I, the Qin Dynasty, are different from the Xiongnu gang of thieves who kill and plunder goods."
"If you say why our army came, it's actually just to do business with the countries in the Western Regions..."
As he spoke, Shen Bing raised his head to the bodyguard beside him, who took out a piece of fine silk and respectfully presented it to King Loulan.
King Loulan took out some and looked at it carefully, then carefully stroked it for a while, then looked at Shen Bing with surprised eyes and said:
"General, what is this cloth made of? It can be so delicate and soft!"
Shen Bing replied:
"This is made of silk, and only the Central Plains can produce it."
"What Shen Bing said about doing business was to exchange silk for spices, horses, camels or other things with other countries in the Western Regions."
"I wonder what your Majesty wants?"
Shen Bingfei's words seemed a bit inappropriate, especially when talking about business at this time.
But in fact, Shen Bing's move was just right.
The reason why King Loulan was afraid, vigilant and scrupulous was because he was not sure of the intention of the Qin army.
There are no purely good people in this world, and there will be no pie in the sky.
The Qin army traveled thousands of miles and took such huge risks to help Loulan repel the Xiongnu. How could they have nothing to gain?
So no matter what Shen Bing says, it won't work.
Only Shen Bing told him clearly... We are here to do business, and our target is not just Loulan, but the thirty-six countries in the Western Regions.
Then King Loulan thought:
If the Qin army comes to do business, it means that they have to make long-term plans. They will need to pass through Loulan in the future and need spices, furs and other products, so it is neither necessary nor possible to destroy Loulan.
The reason is very simple. If Loulan is destroyed, who can produce spices and other things for them in the future?
This is actually a bit like the previous relationship between Loulan and the Huns:
Loulan gave the Xiongnu some livestock every year, and the Xiongnu did not destroy Loulan.
Because destroying Loulan means killing the chicken to obtain the eggs, we will not be able to get a batch of livestock every year in the future.
Obviously, doing business with the Qin Dynasty is much better, because at least bartering is not like giving for free like the Xiongnu.
With this thought, King Loulan was relieved of his worries, and he immediately responded:
"This is very good. I will definitely contact the countries in the Western Region and recommend to them..."
Shen Bing said:
"Satin, this thing is called satin!"
King Loulan praised:
"Satin, what a good name."
At this time, Shen Bing changed the subject and said:
"There is something Shen Bing has to remind the king."
"After a few days of rest, our army will go north to Gushi to conquer the Huns."
"And the Huns still have a large number of stragglers running around in the wilderness. It is said that there are 20,000 reinforcements on the way. The king must organize the city defense as soon as possible!"
"otherwise……"
King Loulan's face suddenly changed color when he heard this, and he said nervously:
"General, it's a long way to go to Gushi. Why don't your troops stay a few more days?"
Shen Bing secretly thought that he had a plan.
Just kidding, Loulan is the springboard for the Qin army to enter the Western Regions. How could they let go so easily?!