Shen Bing only thought that he would be intercepted by the Huns on the way to Dragon City.
After all, the Qin army only defeated the 100,000 cavalry of King Youxian, and the main force of 200,000 Maodun Shanyu was on the way.
At this time, the Qin army suffered more than 3,000 casualties due to the previous battle with King Youxian, and only about 60,000 of the 70,000 cavalry were left.
With 60,000 men against Maodun Shanyu's 200,000 men...such a disparity in strength once made Shen Bing afraid to advance rashly.
Shen Bing even waited on the road for several days, waiting for the Hanoi soldiers led by Li Yan to catch up.
Although the Hanoi soldiers only have 10,000 infantry, they are equipped with heavy equipment such as artillery, ropes and arrows. In addition, they can also lay out gun formations, resist horse guns, trap horses, etc., so they are still very good support and backing when the cavalry clashes with each other. .
However, there were no surprises along the way, and even the Huns rarely encountered a few of them.
This is very abnormal.
Youqi are also the spies of the Huns.
If the Xiongnu planned to intercept the Qin army on the way, they must have a clear grasp of the Qin army's movements and positions, so they should always track the Qin army and report regularly.
But if there are only a few of the rovers...
Wang Ben said doubtfully:
"Is it possible that the Huns still plan to defend Dragon City?"
Shen Bing shook his head and replied:
"Although the Huns have the 'Thunderbolt Fireball', defending Dragon City is not a good idea."
"The Huns should know that our army has artillery. As soon as the artillery arrives...how can the 'Thunderbolt Fireball' in the hands of the Huns be effective?"
"not to mention……"
"Our army will attack Dragon City from the east and west."
"Securing Dragon City means that Mao Dun needs 200,000 cavalry to fight against my 200,000 army."
Shen Bing is right.
This should be said to be the advantage of the Huns' cavalry.
At the beginning of the war, the total strength of the Xiongnu army was 300,000, and the total strength of the Qin army was 200,000. There was no huge disparity in strength between the two.
The problem is that the 300,000 Xiongnu troops are all cavalry, while both Qin armies have infantry "holding back".
In particular, the only thing that can quickly penetrate as the main force is the 70,000 cavalry army cobbled together from the Western Regions.
However, the Xiongnu could use the maneuvering speed of the cavalry to concentrate 300,000 cavalry troops in one direction to attack the Qin army, so they could capture part of the Qin army first with an absolute superior force.
Maodun Shanyu did exactly this, gathering 300,000 cavalry against the 70,000 cavalry on the west route. The comparison of forces was extremely disparate.
But if they defend Dragon City, this strategic advantage will no longer exist. In addition, the cavalry itself is more suitable for offense than defense, so the Huns can be said to have tied their own hands and feet.
While riding the horse, Wang Ben took out the map from his arms and looked at it... This action was almost impossible or difficult before, but it became very easy after he got the harness.
Then Wang Ben said:
"We are only two days away from Dragon City, and General Yang's vanguard is probably not far away from Dragon City."
"At this time, even if the Huns want to intercept them, it will be too late."
"It's really puzzling that the Huns haven't come to fight at this time. What are Mao Dun's plans?"
At this moment, two horses were seen galloping from a distance, and then they dismounted in front of Shen Bing and reported:
"General, Dragon City is empty, and all the Huns have withdrawn!"
Shen Bing still didn't believe it:
"Have the Huns withdrawn?"
"You can explore the surrounding area. Are there any Huns hiding in the mountains?"
Travel report:
"I'm waiting to investigate."
"There is currently no trace of the Huns."
Princess Wuyou looked at Shen Bing and said with surprise and joy:
"The Huns may have really withdrawn."
"Because Dragon City is located at the mouth of two valleys, it is not suitable for cavalry ambush."
"This can also explain why we have not seen the main force of the Huns until now."
"The Xiongnu must have known that their strength was far inferior to the Qin army because of the previous battle, so they abandoned Dragon City and fled."
Shen Bing was not sure because this had never happened in history.
But then I thought about it...
In fact, it can be said that it happened before, but in the era of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, he was defeated by the Han army and fled north. I just moved the time forward.
It makes sense when I think about it.
Although Mao Dun Shanyu's 200,000 cavalry army may not necessarily lose against Shen Bing's 70,000 cavalry army, because these 70,000 Qin cavalry troops are all equipped with horse gear, even if Mao Dun wins, it will be a miserable victory.
Then, how could Maodun defeat Yang Duanhe's army of more than 100,000 men?
Therefore, it can be said that the Xiongnu will definitely be defeated, so Maodun Shanyu simply abandoned the city and left.
Shen Bing nodded and ordered:
"Go at full speed and march into Dragon City!"
The soldiers cheered and then accelerated towards Dragon City.
Two days later, I arrived at Longcheng and saw that it was indeed an empty city.
And it was also very clean... If the nomads had time to pack up, they would even dismantle their houses, because their houses are nothing more than tents sewn from sheepskin.
If there is anything left, it is all kinds of discarded utensils and rags, as well as dozens of broken tents with hundreds of old people crowded inside.
These old people were obviously abandoned by the Huns.
This is a custom of primitive tribes.
Or it can be said to be survival needs... When the material conditions are relatively sufficient, it is still possible to survive by leaving some older people behind, but if the future is uncertain and full of dangers, it is not wise to bring the old people with them to drag down the troops and consume food.
Regarding these old people, the Western Region Cavalrymen drew their swords and stepped forward without thinking, but were stopped by Shen Bing in time.
Wang Ben asked puzzledly:
"General, these old people are just a waste of food, so what's the use of keeping them?"
Shen Bing replied:
"Of course these old people are useless, but..."
"If we can keep these old people, what do you think the Huns herdsmen who have no time to escape from Dragon City will choose?"
Wang Ben couldn't help but say "Oh" and then nodded to express his understanding.
So the Qin army not only did not harm the old people, but also distributed food to them regularly to save their lives.
Princess Wuyou asked from the side:
"Is the general doing this really to recruit the Huns herdsmen?"
Shen Bing replied:
"So what if it is, so what if it isn't?"
Princess Wuyou said:
"The general only needs to defend Longcheng, and the herdsmen will have to surrender even if they don't surrender."
"Even if these old people can work, they are just the icing on the cake."
Shen Bing asked:
"Then why does the princess think Shen Bing did this?"
Princess Wuyou replied:
"The general cannot bear to take human lives, and the same goes for the useless Huns."
"I deeply admire Wuyou!"
"Having a great general to lead the Western Regions and the grasslands is truly destiny."
Shen Bing just smiled and said nothing.
It should be said that Princess Wuyou guessed half of it right.
Shen Bing really couldn't bear to harm people's lives at will, especially those who no longer threatened the Qin army.
This is the worldview and values left over from modern society.
But Shen Bing’s intention is not just kindness...
In addition to the herdsmen, Shen Bing also thought of the Youxian King Xunxun who was in a dilemma after losing the battle.