The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 374: Wuhuan Withdrawal
The atmosphere in the big tent was very lively. Kebineng and Budugen forced themselves to smile and mingled with everyone.

If you have not been to the Han military camp, you will not know how powerful the imperial army is. If you have not been to the Han military camp, you will not know the majesty of the Han.

Although the two men had strong soldiers and horses, after arriving at the camp, they realized that the Han army was so powerful that they were not able to resist it, and they felt uneasy.

"We have cut off Tadun's food supply and defeated Suli. Now he can only retreat and send people to monitor Liucheng. The rest of the soldiers should prepare for pursuit."

Qin Shou glanced at everyone. He could ignore the three Yuan brothers, but the Wuhuan in front of him had to be beaten hard and then thrown to the Xianbei people, so that Kebi Neng and Budugen could fight each other.

But he had to reorganize his troops, recuperate, and wait for a few years before heading south to attack Cao Cao and Liu Bei. The navy had not yet been built, and the soldiers were not used to naval warfare. If he rashly headed south, it would only be a second Battle of Red Cliffs, with hundreds of thousands of troops lost, and the world would be successfully divided into three parts.

"My lord, I think Tadun will withdraw his troops tonight." Pang Tong said while drinking fine wine.

Qin Shou thought about it and nodded. He had just led the army back to Liucheng, and the army also needed to recuperate. Even if there was going to be a decisive battle, tonight was the time to rest.

"Shi Yuan is right. Tonight is the best time for him to retreat. I'm afraid Tadun still thinks that the troops of the two Khans have arrived at this time."

Jia Xu also believed that the Wuhuan would withdraw their troops tonight.

"Let the soldiers have a good rest tonight, feed the horses well, and start chasing Tadun early tomorrow morning." Qin Shou was overjoyed and said disdainfully: "Gongsun Kang is a short-sighted person. Since he has joined forces with Wuhuan, he should support them. Now that he sees the imperial court leading a large army, he dare not move forward. He deserves to fail."

"My lord, in fact, the relationship between the two is very ordinary. The Wuhuan often harass Liaodong and other places. Under such circumstances, how can the two of them work together?" Jia Xu analyzed.

"No matter whether the other party has other ideas or not, the Wuhuan, who have lost their food and grass, will have to retreat." Qin Shou said indifferently.

Tadun in the city did have the idea of ​​retreating. When he faced Qin Shou alone, he still had some fear in his heart. Now with the addition of a Xianbei, he became a little worried.

What worries him even more is the grassland. The families of the warriors in the city who followed him into battle are all on the grassland. At this time, if these people knew that their families were threatened by the Xianbei, how could they have the mind to deal with Qin Shou?
"What does Gongsun Kang mean? When will his troops arrive?"

Tadun returned to the tent in the city and called the messenger left by Gongsun Kang in the city, asking him with great dissatisfaction. If he was left alone to face Qin Shou and the Xianbei people, he would withdraw his troops immediately.

The envoy showed an embarrassment on his face. He knew that Gongsun Kang would never send troops. The other party invited Tadun to come just to make both Tadun and Qin Shou suffer losses. Under such circumstances, how could he possibly get involved in the war!
"Don't worry, Khan. Our lord will send troops soon. Khan just needs to hold on for a day or two." The messenger promised again helplessly.

But only God knows how long we can hold on.

Tadun was not a fool. After hearing what the other party said, he sneered and said, "You think this Khan is a fool. Under such circumstances, would Gongsun Kang still come to Liucheng? He clearly wants this Khan and the Cavalry Army to suffer a mutual defeat!"

Liaodong City is not far from Liucheng, and Gongsun Kang's troops have not appeared yet. Even in recent times, the supply of food and grass has not been timely. This can only mean that Gongsun Kang is using himself and trying to make both himself and the Cavalry Army suffer losses.

"No, no."

The messenger quickly shook his head in defense.

Even if the real situation is like this, he dare not say it out loud. Wouldn't that be courting death?
"Take him out and feed him to the dogs." Seeing that the other party was still quibbling, Tadun flew into a rage. He had seen through Gongsun Kang's plot, so how could he treat his envoy well? In a rage, he did not hesitate to have the envoy taken out and fed to the dogs.

Soon, there were screams and curses coming from outside.

But Tadun was calm. He gathered his men and said, "The shameless Xianbei have abandoned the prairie and have defected to the Han Chinese in the Central Plains. Their troops are ravaging our prairie and our people are suffering. I am ready to withdraw my troops."

Everyone in the big tent showed a look of shock and anger on their faces after hearing this. They had not expected that while they were fighting the enemy at the front line, their old nest was actually breached. Thinking of their families, these people wanted to return to the grassland immediately.

"Pass the order down, reorganize the troops and retreat overnight."

Tadun immediately issued an order, saying: "Qin Shou has just returned with his troops, and the soldiers are tired. Today is the best time to withdraw."

All the generals nodded, only Tadun had a solemn look on his face.

The evacuation of nearly 200,000 troops is a very difficult task, and the movement will definitely be known to the enemy.

But there was nothing he could do.

The Xianbei army was more than 200,000, and together with the Han army, there were probably 300,000 or 400,000 soldiers, or even more. More importantly, the Wuhuan were not good at defending cities. Although Liucheng was called a city, in fact, the city was dilapidated. Once the cavalry launched an attack, Liucheng would soon be breached.

Retreat is now the only way out. Otherwise, we will be trapped here and die, and be wiped out by the enemy when the food and grass are exhausted.

Therefore, even though he knew that retreating would wake up the enemy and lead to their pursuit, Tadun had no choice but to retreat, because staying here would mean certain death. There was still a glimmer of hope for survival if he withdrew.

Tadun believed that as long as he returned to the grassland, he could start over.

After receiving the order from Tadun, the Wuhuan army began to pack up and prepare to leave Liucheng. For a moment, the war horses in the city neighed, and the curses and roars were continuous, shaking the whole area and reaching the sky.

Seeing this, Tadun became angry. These soldiers were making such a big noise that the enemies outside the city would surely know about it, but he had no other choice.

The evacuation of hundreds of thousands of troops is a very difficult task in itself, and to evacuate them in such a short time is even more difficult. It is understandable that such a situation has occurred.

Tadun believed that his troops were invincible in the wild, and that neither the Han cavalry nor the Xianbei people were his match.

If it weren't for the shortage of food and fodder, and his concerns about the situation on the grassland, why would Tadun retreat?
"Damn Xianbei people! The first people I will destroy after returning to the grassland this time are the Xianbei people."

Tadun made up his mind secretly.

(End of this chapter)