After running far away, Wang Han breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the soldiers at the gate were not chasing him, and slowed down.
"Wait, brave warrior! Wait, brave warrior!" Just then, a man came running from a distance, panting as he called out.
Hearing the sounds behind him and seeing that someone was chasing after him, Wang Han quickened his pace.
"Brave warrior, stop running! I... I'm not here as a persuader!" Seeing Wang Han speed up, the man gritted his teeth and quickened his pace as well, shouting, "I'm here as a retainer, and there are no soldiers chasing us."
Hearing the words of the man chasing after him, Wang Han looked around and saw that there was indeed only one man chasing after him, and no one else behind him, so he stopped.
“Brave warrior, huff huff, I’m not here as a persuader.” After Wang Han stopped, the man ran up to him, panting and holding his knees, and said, “I’m here as a retainer.”
Upon hearing this, Wang Han glanced curiously at the panting man, who appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old. Judging from his physique, he didn't seem to be a martial artist. He asked suspiciously, "Are you here as a retainer? What skills do you possess?"
"My name is Xi Zhicai, and I know a bit about strategy," the man quickly introduced himself.
"Xi Zhicai, you are a strategist." Upon hearing this, Wang Hanzai carefully examined Xi Zhicai. This person was a strategist in the history of the Three Kingdoms, but he did not appear in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Wang Hanzai was surprised that a strategist would come to his door as a retainer.
“Yes.” Xi Zhicai quickly said, “Brave warrior, now is not the time to talk. The general will probably send someone to find us soon. Let’s find a place first.”
“Okay, come with me.” Wang Han nodded, and after running around with Xi Zhicai for a while, he took out his key, opened the door of a house in the alley, and rushed inside.
Upon seeing this, Xi Zhicai's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he understood something. He quickly followed and rushed inside.
"Please have a seat." After entering the room and lighting the oil lamp, Wang Han said to Xi Zhicai, "This room was specially prepared by me."
"Master, it seems you were well-prepared for today's events," Xi Zhicai said with a smile.
"You're calling me 'master' now? Are you so sure I'll keep you as a retainer?" Wang Han asked Xi Zhicai curiously.
“Of course, otherwise the master wouldn’t have brought me to this secluded place; he should have taken me somewhere else.” Xi Zhicai said with a smile, his words brimming with confidence.
"Haha." Wang Han nodded and said, "I really do intend to keep you as a retainer."
"My lord," Xi Zhicai asked, puzzled, "there is something I do not understand. Since you have brought those incredibly heavy hammers into the public eye and made a name for yourself, you must have wanted the world to know about you so that you could plan for the future. If that is the case, why did you refuse General He Jin? With your abilities, even if you went to serve him yourself, General He Jin would surely value you highly." Xi Zhicai continued, "However, since you were already prepared here and knew that something like this would happen, refusing the general was not to gain his attention. Presumably, you did not want to serve General He Jin in the first place. So why did you make everyone know about you now?"
"Truly worthy of being called a strategist," Wang Han praised Xi Zhicai, then asked, "What do you now believe the world should look like in the future?"
“This…” Xi Zhicai looked at Wang Han, thought for a moment, and said cautiously, “My lord, the Han Dynasty is now weak, and heroes are rising up all over the world. In the future, it will probably be a time for heroes to fight for the throne. But if you want to protect the Han Dynasty, with your talent, you will surely be able to do so.”
“You’re right, but how long can I hold on?” Wang Han nodded and said, “Under the Han dynasty, the people have long been suffering, otherwise the Yellow Turban Rebellion wouldn’t have happened. The world’s affairs, after a long period of division, tend to unite, and after a long period of unity, tend to divide. This is the general trend of the world.”
"Does the master intend to compete with other heroes for supremacy?" Xi Zhicai guessed in a low voice.
“Planning for great things is too tiring, both physically and mentally. I also know that I am not cut out to dominate the world,” Wang Han said, shaking his head.
“My lord, you are mistaken,” Xi Zhicai said, “With your talent, in the future, when heroes vie for supremacy and charge into battle, no one in the world will be your match. Your lord will hold the advantage, and many talented people will surely flock to you. Since you possess such talent and can see through the current situation, and now that the world is about to descend into chaos, why not fight for it? If you are willing to fight for it, I am willing to serve you as my lord and lend you my strength.” Upon hearing this, Xi Zhicai was startled and quickly advised. Xi Zhicai had guessed that Wang Han would not be content with mediocrity, which was why he had come to serve him. His conversation had shown that Wang Han was not a reckless and impulsive man, and he was preparing to pledge his loyalty. However, now, listening to Wang Han's words, something seemed amiss; Wang Han did not seem to have any ambition to conquer the world.
“I know what you’re saying, and I do have that advantage. With the help of many talented people, my chances of winning the world are indeed much greater than others.” Wang Han shook his head and said, “However, I really don’t want to fight for supremacy. If I were to fight for supremacy and gain an advantage, the heroes would definitely see me as a thorn in their side, and might even attack me as a group. Although I am not afraid of them, I do not want to massacre my own people on a large scale.”
"Well, has the master taken a fancy to any of the feudal lords?" Xi Zhicai thought about it and realized it was true. Since Wang Han was unwilling, there was nothing he could do. He asked again. If Wang Han had taken a liking to any feudal lord, as long as they weren't too stupid and wouldn't listen to advice, he would consider going to serve them. Wang Han's military strength was simply too advantageous in the struggle for supremacy. He even believed that whoever controlled Wang Han would control half the world. (Wang Han's military strength was so great that others couldn't even raise their heads, which was indeed an advantage. With enough advantage, talented people would come to serve. In ancient chaotic times, military generals were very important, and that's no exaggeration. Without an advantage, who would come to serve you?)
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