"I....."
Cao Cao's words left Yuan Shao speechless for a moment.
After saying this, Cao Cao turned and left.
"Benchu, Mengde was right!"
Liu Bei looked at Yuan Shao, said these words, and then walked out of the tent.
Sun Jian approached, patted Yuan Shao on the shoulder, and then sighed.
Inside the tent, only Yuan Shao remained, standing there dejectedly.
Soon, Cao Cao ordered that the Yilou prisoners be grouped into teams of one hundred, bound together with ropes, and then separated into different groups.
Early the next morning, Cao Cao personally led an army of 30,000 men, escorting the prisoners, to the riverbank.
The Yilou soldiers, their hands bound, stared in terror at the rushing river before being forced to kneel by the Han soldiers.
"cut!"
At Cao Cao's command, the soldiers in charge of the execution immediately drew their long swords, cut off the prisoners' heads, and threw them into the river.
The massacre lasted for two whole days, and the river water was stained red.
The scions of noble families and merchants who accompanied him were also shocked by Cao Cao's cold-bloodedness and dubbed him a "little butcher".
After dealing with these prisoners, Cao Cao personally wrote a memorial to the throne, taking the blame for the massacre of prisoners upon himself.
Upon learning the news, Liu Bei and Sun Jian also insisted on signing their names on the memorial.
Yuan Shao hesitated for a moment, then signed his name as well. Although he disagreed with Cao Cao's actions, the deed had already been done, and he also bore responsibility.
After a day of reorganization, the army was led by Sun Jian as the vanguard with 10,000 cavalry, while Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Yuan Shao led 30,000 Han troops and 10,000 Woju troops as the central army, heading towards the territory of the Wuhuan.
As for the internal affairs of Yilou, they left it to the scions of aristocratic families and merchants to deal with.
Now, Cao Cao has slaughtered all the able-bodied men of the Yilou people, and the remaining old, weak, women and children can be dealt with by the guards of those men alone.
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