Although Cao Cao did not mention his name, Zhuge Mu knew…
The most suitable candidate for a lone army to run thousands of miles was undoubtedly him, who had proven his ability to command troops in the Dingxiang decisive battle.
Therefore.
Facing Cao Cao's gaze, he did not say anything unnecessary and only asked about the exact time of the army's departure.
"When are we leaving?"
Zhuge Mu's straightforwardness caused Cao Cao to swallow his words.
Cao Cao understood how difficult it was to attack White Wolf Mountain. If he was not careful, the commander of the army might die in the depths of the grassland.
After thinking for a while, Cao Cao said to Zhuge Mu,"The sooner the better."
"At the same time, all the troops and rations you need for this expedition will be given priority.”
"Even if it's a general, you can choose as you wish.”
Cao Cao had given Zhuge Mu a lot of authority. He was just short of saying that Zhuge Mu could command the entire army.
Zhuge Mu said,"My Lord, I don't need other soldiers, nor do I need you to assign me other generals."”
"You only need to hand over the soldiers I brought before to me, and at the same time, each person should be equipped with two to three horses.”
Zhuge Mu did not just refer to the 5,000 Western Liang soldiers under him.
This included the 3,000 Western Liang soldiers under Zhang Xiu and the 7,000 wolf cavalry from Bing Province that Zhang Liao had allocated to him.
Cao Cao naturally understood this.
He immediately nodded." Shu Zhi, I'll transfer Wenyuan to you too!
"Other than these, do you have any other requests?”Cao Cao said.
Zhuge Mu looked at Cao Cao, who was afraid that his request was too little. After hesitating for a moment, he looked up at Cao Cao and said,
"My lord, may I ask…"
"What do you plan to do with the Xianbei soldiers who surrendered and were captured in the previous war?”
Judging from this question, Zhuge Mu's question was actually a little abrupt.
However, Cao Cao pondered for a moment before returning the topic to Zhuge Mu.
"Uncle Zhi, what do you think?"
As he said this, a cold light flashed in Cao Cao's eyes.
Noticing this, Zhuge Mu immediately understood Cao Cao's intentions.
He said to Cao Cao,"My lord, the war is urgent. It's inconvenient to keep the Xianbei captives by your side!"”
"In my opinion, why don't we let this general escort them away before the army?”
Zhuge Mu emphasized the word "leave" in his words.
This time, it was Cao Cao's turn to be stunned.
Although Cao Cao had the intention to kill all the captives in Dingxiang City, he had never thought that…
Zhuge Mu had actually taken the initiative to take over the task of killing the prisoners, which was something that the general could not avoid in time.
After all, since ancient times, killing prisoners was inauspicious.
Once this news spread, it would attract the moral condemnation and criticism of those scholars.
"Shu Zhi, do you know what your actions mean?”
Cao Cao did not agree. Instead, he questioned Zhuge Mu with a solemn expression.
Cao Cao had high hopes for Zhuge Mu.
He did not wish for Zhuge Mu, this young genius, to be cursed by the world before he could even make a name for himself.
What did it mean? Zhuge Mu asked himself.
However, Zhuge Mu smiled and said,""What does it mean? I don't understand."
"But I know one thing…"
"Some people can only live better if they die.”
"In a chaotic world, there must be someone who carries a heavy burden. With blood all over his body and a butcher's knife in his hand, he can exchange for the spotless and eternal peace of the Han people.”
After saying this, Zhuge Mu turned around and left.
Looking at the fluttering curtain at the entrance of the tent, Cao Cao turned to Guo Jia and Xun You.
Cao Cao said to them,"Perhaps, after I return to Xu City, I really need to seriously consider Wen Ruo's proposal. In the future, I will let Shu Zhi lead the Great Han army to guard the north for me.”
"Hehe, with him guarding the north of the desert, how would the Outsiders dare to cause trouble?”
"And I…can rest easy.”
……
The next morning.
The sky was dark.
As the city gates of Dingxiang City slowly opened, teams of Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry and Western Liang Steel Cavalry rode out.
If one observed carefully…
As the Western Liang cavalry and Bing Zhou wolf cavalry marched, they were still chasing away many Xianbei captives tied up with ropes.
As the Han soldiers cursed and whipped the Xianbei captives, their eyes were filled with hatred.
However, in front of the gleaming swords and sabers, they could not resist at all.
Zhang Liao, who had been sent to Zhuge Mu's side by Cao Cao's order, looked at the Xianbei captives passing by and asked Zhuge Mu,"Shu Zhi, we're just escorting the captives. Why do we need to use such a large formation?”
Without a doubt, Cao Cao did not tell Zhang Liao the true purpose of this operation.
After figuring this out, Zhuge Mu immediately dismissed the idea of explaining to Zhang Liao.
Until…
Half a day later.
When Zhuge Mu's expeditionary army was fifty miles away from Dingxiang City, he nodded to Huang Zhong, Huang Xu, Wei Yan, and Zhang Xiu, who already knew the inside story.
Instantly, the four people who were mentally prepared did not hesitate.
With the order of the four generals, the remaining six thousand Western Liang cavalry silently surrounded the thirty thousand Xianbei captives.
Seeing this scene, Zhang Liao, who had vaguely guessed what Zhuge Mu was going to do, was instantly shocked.
"Shuzhi, how dare you…"
Before Zhang Liao could finish his sentence, Zhuge Mu had already unsheathed the sword at his waist and issued an order to the 6,000 Western Liang cavalry and the remaining 7,000 Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry under Zhang Liao's command.
"Kill!"
With a shout, the Western Liang cavalry swung their weapons at the Xianbei captives without hesitation.
Among the troops led by Zhang Liao, the wolf cavalry of Bing Province who had once fought under Zhuge Mu did not hesitate at all.
Without waiting for Zhang Liao's order, they had already been convinced by Zhuge Mu and chose to resolutely carry out Zhuge Mu's military order.
After doing all this, Zhuge Mu turned to look at Zhang Liao.
"Wenyuan!"
"Just like you said, we're just escorting prisoners. There's no need to use such a large formation!”
"But…"
"What if we have another mission?"
Zhuge Mu's voice was emotionless as he looked at the countless Xianbei soldiers that were being slaughtered by the Western Liang cavalry and the Bing Province wolf cavalry like they were harvesting wheat.
"Well then!"
"I can only ask these beasts to die!”
As for the real reason why he killed the Xianbei captives, Zhuge Mu didn't say it.
In his opinion, it was enough for only him to know!
Besides…
Did he need a reason to kill the non-humankind?
Simply ridiculous!
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