Chapter 481: Conferring Merit and Drinking Horses! [Votes requested at the beginning of the month]

The morning light is breaking.

Cao Cao came out of the tent.

The place outside was already filled with waiting civil and military officials.

Guo Jia, Xun You, Pang Tong and others, as well as Zhao Yun, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei who had returned from outside.

Only Ma Chao, Pang De, Qu Yi, Wei Yan and other generals were still outside pursuing the enemy and had not returned.

The highlands were filled with people from the grassland tribes, with Kebi Neng at the forefront of them all.

He brought all these grassland tribes to watch the ceremony and swear allegiance.

"The most important affairs of a state are sacrifices and warfare," said Zuo Zhuan.

For a long time, successive dynasties placed the importance of sacrifices before military activities.

The sacrifice after victory in a war is also a process of declaring merit to heaven and earth.

All the generals were dressed in military uniforms with distinctive armor.

Civil officials wore official uniforms, with wide robes and wide belts.

The atmosphere is solemn.

"His Majesty!"

As soon as Cao Cao came out, everyone saluted in unison.

Yin had just swallowed a piece of wolf meat, and with the blood at the corner of his mouth, he trotted over and stood at the front of the group of civil and military officials, indicating that he was Boss Cao's number one lackey.

These days, it has been hunting on its own in the surrounding area.

Cao Cao patted the tiger's head and signaled everyone to stand up.

In front of them, there were heavy cavalrymen with shiny armor, leading the way as a ceremonial guard, and setting off for the sacrificial site.

The location was chosen to be the highest mountain nearby, north of the royal tent.

Cao Cao came down from the high ground of the royal tent, mounted his horse and headed north.

Many civil and military officials accompanied him.

Zhuge Liang moved slightly forward.

He was in charge of all matters on the grassland and took the opportunity to report:
"Your Majesty, the post-war inventory of supplies has come out."

"We will conquer the Xianbei and occupy their central grassland. In addition to livestock such as cattle and sheep, the horse resources are the most abundant. According to preliminary statistics, we can equip 150,000 cavalry for our Wei without creating an additional burden."

Zhuge Liang presented Cao Cao with a booklet.

It was filled with all kinds of post-war spoils, including cattle, sheep, meat and dairy products, and forage, too numerous to count.

The forage grass on the grassland, including more than 100 species such as alkali grass, needle grass, alfalfa, and ice grass, is the best food source for livestock, so this place is particularly suitable for raising horses.

Cao Cao was thinking in his mind.

After the Wei Dynasty took back Hexi and the Western Regions, it also obtained Wusun, Dayuan and other places famous for their horse resources.

Now that they have gained the vast natural pasture of the grassland, Cao's army can equip 300,000 cavalry.

What does 300,000 cavalrymen mean?
Only the Huns at their peak can compare to them.

Temujin of later times had less than 200,000 cavalrymen at his peak.

Three hundred thousand cavalrymen are enough to travel thousands of miles and subdue the world.

As the territory becomes larger, the mobility and long-distance combat capabilities of the cavalry become particularly important.

However, the consumption of armor for 300,000 cavalrymen is a huge burden, and it will take time to truly organize them.

Cao Cao turned around and said:
"Zilong, after we obtain the grassland, our Great Wei's Northern Gate will be extended to the north of the North Sea, truly expanding our territory by thousands of miles.

You will be the commander of the northern border defense. "

"I will be returning to the court in a few days. We have just conquered this grassland, and some unrest is inevitable. I can rest assured that you are here to guard the grassland."

Zhao Yun urged his horse forward and loudly responded to the order.

"I led the army to this grassland to tell the people of the world clearly that nowadays, attack and defense have changed, and there is no way to strengthen prestige without military affairs."

"Zilong is guarding the border, so he should remember his duty.

The foreign tribes submitted to us because of our military prowess, not because of appeasement. If we want to maintain long-term rule, we must first establish our authority so that they dare not rebel again. "

As they walked and talked, Cao Cao gave some instructions and then asked:

"No news about Afu Yu, who is revered as a god by the Xianbei people?"

"After capturing the prisoners, we interrogated some people, and they all said that they last saw Afusu heading east before our army arrived."

"It was later confirmed that he went to recruit the only remaining elite troops of the Tufa tribe, but was stopped by General Zilong, who killed his general. The rest of the troops were defeated by our army, and a small number fled westward. We are still pursuing them."

"Afu Yu has been missing since then and has never been seen again," said Jia Xu, who is in charge of intelligence.

The reason why Afu Yu disappeared is very simple.

He must have realized that he was powerless and showing up would be a death wish.

The entire Xianbei tribe was defeated, and he alone was no longer a big threat.

Cao Cao estimated that he would either find a place to hide and never show up again.

If you still want revenge, the only way left is to seek help from others, such as going to Kushan.

At this time, everyone came to the foot of the mountain north of the king's tent.

There was an altar on the mountain.

The surrounding area was filled with the elite troops of the Wei Dynasty, with tens of thousands of soldiers standing guard on the mountains and hills with their weapons in hand.

Cao Cao dismounted and, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, walked up the stone steps straight to the mountain.

The Xianbei and Xiongnu both believed in shamanism and held sacrifices every spring and autumn on the mountain to the north of the royal tent.

This mountain is called Bogda Mountain in the grassland and is a sacred mountain.

The kings of the grassland have lived here for generations, and major sacrifices often take place here.

The mountain was not high, and Cao Cao climbed the steps to the top.

The sacrifice was held after the great victory, also to commemorate the Wei army who died in the battle and to proclaim the merits of the Wei army to heaven.

When Cao Cao reached the top of the mountain, the sun was rising and the sky and earth were bathed in golden light.

Various ritual objects were placed on the mountain and the ground was covered with animal skins.

There is a long table in the middle, on which are placed all the items for sacrifice, including the "person" to be sacrificed!
The sacrificial ceremony included sacrificial offerings for military merit and the killing of prisoners. Behind the altar, some of the Xianbei remnants who had been captured in recent days were kneeling, all of them in a state of panic and fear.

Looking up, the foot of Bogda Mountain was filled with other grassland tribes who came to watch the ceremony.

"When I ascended the throne and founded the country, I made a great wish to conquer the four directions, conquer a large territory, annex the four barbarians, and eliminate the troubles on the northern border."

Cao Cao stood on the top of the mountain, gazing at the grassland tribes below. He slowly drew the sword from his waist and pointed it diagonally down the mountain:

"I came here in person to ask, who else wants to test the sword of my Great Wei!"

The sound was like a tide, rushing down the mountain.

Zhang Fei whispered to Guan Yu from behind:
"Sweep away all the barbarians, who dares to test my sword? That's really a powerful statement!"

Guan Yu frowned: "Silence!"

At the foot of the mountain, Ke Bineng took the lead in kneeling down: "The Emperor of Wei has personally led the army, and his power is spreading throughout the country. The Xianbei have been defeated, and the remaining tribes are all in awe of your majesty's divine power and submit to the great Wei army. We are willing to follow your majesty and never change our mind."

This process was basically that after Cao Cao defeated someone, he asked the person whether he had surrendered.

All the tribes on the grassland submitted to him.

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

"In the third year of Yanwu, when the Wei Dynasty was founded, I sent troops north to fight the Xianbei. We won and killed 100,000 of them. I captured alive the Xianbei king, prime minister, priests, and more than 400 generals.

The soldiers of our great Wei army have lost 17,432 men. Now I declare justice to heaven and earth, and the heroic spirits of our Wei army will never die..."

Cao Cao began to read the sacrificial speech in a very serious manner. The content had strict regulations, such as time, place, warring parties, etc.

"Now I tell the heaven and earth to know, and reward my Wei army for its merits, and let me rest in peace on Mount Bogda and drink from the Matuula River.

From now on, the eight thousand miles of grassland and mountains and rivers will all belong to our Great Wei.

I will redefine the borders of my country and let all the ancestors know..."

God didn't even give him any face, there was no strange sign at all... Cao Cao glanced at the sky and complained inwardly.

God is silent, I can do it myself... Cao Cao shouted in a low voice: "Get up!"

As soon as his mouth opened and the voice fell, a storm suddenly appeared!

In the sky, there is a strange vision like a blazing fire!
……

The Kushans had been paying close attention to the war between the Xianbei and the Wei.

The leader of the Great Yuezhi, Potiao, sent orders to the border defenses many times, looking for opportunities. If the Wei army was negligent in defense or withdrew troops to the north to participate in the war, the Kushans would decide whether to send troops again depending on the situation.

During this period, the Kushans made several small-scale attempts, all of which were repelled by the Wei army.

When the Wei Dynasty and the Xianbei were at war, Bo Diao sent out several teams of scouts to investigate the battle situation.

Battle reports were sent over one after another.

The Xianbei suffered a crushing defeat, and Tuoba Jiefen, the high priest, and the chiefs of the eight major tribes were killed one after another.

At this time, Bo Diao sat on the throne and read the information he had collected during this period again:
"The Wei army dug a mass grave beneath the Xianbei king's tent and slaughtered the Xianbei elite without stopping for half a month."

"Besides the eight great Xianbei kings, hundreds of tribes on the grasslands surrendered to Wei after being integrated by Kebi Neng and became its vassals."

"After this battle, the Wei Dynasty will annex the grasslands, and the population..."

When Bo Diao saw the last sentence, he felt the handwriting was glaring and his temples began to throb.

What does it mean for Wei to annex the grassland?
This means that Wei’s national strength, cavalry, strategic depth, etc. will all increase dramatically.

For the first time, Bo Diao felt a sense of panic after failure.

The Xianbei were defeated just like that, and they were defeated so thoroughly... Bo Diao frowned for a long time:
"Come here, draft an order from the king to send an envoy with gifts to the Great Wei. The king wants to make peace with the King of Wei."

The attendant went down immediately to make arrangements.

Bo Diao came out of the palace, looked up to the northeast, and gazed towards the grassland thousands of miles away.

……

Cao Cao stood on the top of the mountain and stretched out his hand in a gesture.

The imperial seal suddenly rose into the air, and a purple halo covered the sky, transforming into the aura of China's mountains and rivers.

hold head high--

The earth shook and there was a faint sound of a dragon's roar.

This scene seemed familiar. Earlier, Cao Cao had absorbed the energy from the earth in Kunlun Mountain. The changes in Kunlun Mountain caused the earth veins to turbulent, the energy and luck to boil, and the ancestor dragon was born.

People on the mountain and down the mountain turned their heads to look at the sky to the south.

The clouds in the sky are converging to form a huge dragon head.

In Kunlun Ruins, Cao Cao's Emperor Dragon absorbed some of the earth's energy, which enabled it to evolve rapidly.

After that, his Emperor True Dragon and the most core destiny between heaven and earth became increasingly closely connected, and they came from the same source.

When Cao Cao used the Emperor's True Dragon to induce celestial phenomena, changes similar to those in Kunlun Ruins immediately appeared.

Where the fortune of China gathers, in the southward sky, a huge dragon head opens its mouth, as if swallowing in the fortune of the grassland.

In other words, its good fortune extended to the grassland.

The grassland tribes at the foot of the mountain were stunned.

Cao Cao used Zulong to add drama to the grassland people, and the sacrificial process of ceding land and expanding the territory thousands of miles was really a response from heaven!
And it’s such an amazing weather!
If the various tribes on the grassland had previously surrendered under the pressure of force, now they are truly planning to follow "God's will".

This is the role that sacrifice can play at the moment, which is equivalent to telling the world that it is God’s will that the Great Wei rules the grassland!

The wind and clouds surged on the grassland, and the dragon's roar shook the four directions!
Cao Cao set fire to several scrolls of bamboo slips on the top of the mountain, which contained the names of the Wei soldiers who died in the battle.

Dian Wei and Xu Chu pulled up the Xianbei captives nearby and performed a military sacrifice with the enemy's heads to commemorate the fallen soldiers!
When all the sacrifices were over, it was almost noon.

In late October, Cao Cao set out on his journey back south.

Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, Zhao Yun, Ke Bineng and others all came to see him off.

There was a light snowfall.

Cao Cao, protected by all the soldiers and horses, gradually went away.

At this time, the news of Cao Wei's great victory in the battle against the Xianbei had spread throughout the Wei Dynasty after nearly a month of spreading.

Upon learning that the Wei army had won a great victory, they would no longer be disturbed by the northern nomadic tribes, and the people, especially in the border areas, ran around to tell each other and cried for joy.

In mid-November, Cao Cao was near the North Gate, and the weather was already cold.

However, he saw a huge crowd of people outside the North Gate, coming to take him back to Wei.

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(End of this chapter)