"Lord Dingshan is back! Lord Dingshan is back!"
As soon as Wang Han and Cao Cao entered the courtyard, an old minister of the Han Dynasty saw Wang Han and excitedly shouted as he quickly came over to greet him, bowing directly to Wang Han and saying, "Lord Marquis of Dingshan, you have finally returned."
As the old ministers of the Han dynasty shouted, several old ministers hurriedly led Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Xie, who had just turned fourteen, out of the house in the courtyard.
"Welcome, Lord Marquis of Dingshan." Several veteran officials of the Han Dynasty rushed to Wang Han and quickly bowed in greeting.
"Your Majesty, are you comfortable here?" Wang Han asked Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Xie, without bowing.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Xian of Han said, "I am grateful for your concern, Marquis of Dingshan. This place is beautiful with clear waters and lush mountains, and the birds sing in the empty mountains. It is a wonderful place."
'Is it just a good place?' Upon hearing this, Wang Han thought to himself, knowing that Emperor Xian of Han had not given up on the idea of restoring the Han Dynasty. He then said to the surrounding ministers and Cao Cao, 'Wait here for a moment. I have something to say to His Majesty.'
After speaking, Wang Han walked into the house. Emperor Xian of Han, seeing this, quickly followed. The other ministers, however, obediently stayed where they were with Cao Cao.
"Lord Cao, you are acquainted with Marquis Dingshan. I wonder what Marquis Dingshan will say to His Majesty?" an old minister of the Han Dynasty asked Cao Cao, hoping to get some information from him. They also knew that Wang Han had no intention of restoring the Han Dynasty, so they couldn't help but feel worried.
"I know nothing about this matter, nor can I guess," Cao Cao said, shaking his head. He had never truly understood Wang Han's actions. However, he still had some confidence in himself, but he couldn't tell these veteran ministers of the Han Dynasty.
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After entering the house, Wang Han asked Emperor Xian of Han, "Your Majesty, do you think that with the country now divided by numerous warlords, the Han dynasty can still be restored? And even if it is restored, can it be maintained?"
"As long as Marquis Dingshan is willing to support the Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty can still be restored." Emperor Xian of Han said logically, "Marquis Dingshan has widely distributed new grain varieties, allowing countless people to have enough to eat. He has also established three regulations to protect the people from the ravages of warlords. For the past three years, he has been saving lives and healing the wounded. He is already admired by countless people. As long as Marquis Dingshan raises his arm and calls, countless followers will surely follow."
“I can protect them for a while, but how long can I protect them? The world is bound to unite after a long period of division, and divide after a long period of unity.” Wang Han shook his head and said, “All I can do is to reduce the number of people who die.”
"If this situation of warlord separatism ends and the world is at peace, wouldn't the people be spared the suffering of war?" Upon hearing this, Emperor Xian of Han knelt down in front of Wang Han and pleaded, "I beg Marquis Dingshan to come out of seclusion, support the Han Dynasty, end the wars between the warlords, and restore peace to the world."
Wang Han shook his head and said, "Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the Han Dynasty has been wrong, and it has made one mistake after another, which has led to the current situation where the people's hearts have been lost and the warlords are dividing up the country. The Yellow Turban Rebellion was caused by the people's desperation and lack of means of survival, which forced them to rebel. If the court had not suppressed the Yellow Turban Rebellion, but instead addressed the root cause and appeased the people's hearts, the Yellow Turban Rebellion could have been quelled with very few soldiers, and the warlords would not have had the opportunity to grow stronger."
"It was precisely because of the Han dynasty's suppression that not only war broke out but also grain was requisitioned from various sources, which allowed the Yellow Turban Rebellion to escalate and gave the warlords the opportunity to truly grow stronger. Now, even if the world is at peace again and the Han dynasty is restored, the people's hearts are no longer with the country, and the powerful warlords are mostly disloyal. How long can they hold on? After I leave, will the Han dynasty still be able to suppress those warlords who have already carved out their own territories and grown powerful?"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Xian of Han asked, "Is there really no other way?"
“Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Faced with the general trend of the world, I can only delay the inevitable. I am powerless to change it.” Wang Han shook his head and said, “Therefore, Your Majesty, I am also powerless in this matter.”
After saying that, Wang Han walked out of the house alone.
Wang Han didn't mention one more point: for the world to regain peace, a new order and a new reform are needed. A large number of corrupt old forces and powerful clans need to be eliminated. This is something the current Han dynasty, even if it were to rise again, cannot easily accomplish and would leave future problems. Only by leveraging the momentum of a dynastic change can the best solution be found. Otherwise, Wang Han would have chosen the Han dynasty in the first place instead of selecting a suitable candidate from among the warlords. With Wang Han's military strength and the knowledge of later generations, restoring the Han dynasty is not impossible. The existence of powerful clans is the biggest problem. Moreover, Wang Han's ambitions go beyond this.
"Marquis of Dingshan..." Emperor Xian of Han watched Wang Han leave, but in the end, he swallowed back the words of his request. The meaning of Wang Han's words was already very clear: even if the Han Dynasty was restored with his help, the demise of the Han Dynasty was almost inevitable.
Wang Han, who had just come out of the house, said to Cao Cao, "Lord Cao, why don't you go in and have a private talk with His Majesty?"
Upon hearing this, Cao Cao walked into the house. Several veteran officials of the Han Dynasty, seeing this, were worried about Cao Cao and wanted to follow him in, but they were frightened by Wang Han's glare.
Then Wang Han called Xi Zhicai aside and they began to discuss things.
Although they knew that Xi Zhicai was Wang Han's man and that Xi Zhicai knew many secrets, Cao Cao's generals said nothing, did not stop them, and dared not. Not only did they not dare to offend Wang Han, but Cao Cao would surely punish them severely if he found out.
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Half an hour later, Cao Cao came out of the house. Although it is unknown what Cao Cao and Emperor Xian of Han said, judging from Cao Cao's expression, he had obviously succeeded in persuading Emperor Xian of Han.
Cao Cao said, "Lord Wang, I shall take my leave now. I will bring men to welcome His Majesty in three days."
After seeing Cao Cao off from the residence, Wang Han looked at Cao Cao and said, "Lord Cao, no matter how you persuaded Emperor Xian, and no matter whether Emperor Xian was sincere or not, Emperor Xian has still made contributions to you and can still die a peaceful death."
"Thank you for the reminder, Your Highness." Cao Cao smiled and said, "I will remember your words."
"Lord Cao, there's something I'd like to ask you to do for me," Wang Han said, looking at Cao Cao.
Cao Cao said, "Lord Wang, please speak freely. As long as it is within my power, I will certainly do my best."
Wang Han didn't stand on ceremony and said directly, "I've heard of a legendary physician named Hua Tuo. I would like to ask Lord Cao to invite him here for me." Wang Han didn't know if Hua Tuo was currently working for Cao Cao.
Wang Han continued, "In addition, Xi Zhicai will not be going back with Lord Cao. I have something I need him to do."
Upon hearing this, Cao Cao was taken aback. He knew that Wang Han had sent Xi Zhicai to his side to ask him to do something that had already been done, and Wang Han wanted Xi Zhicai to go back. He couldn't help but feel a little reluctant. He also knew that Xi Zhicai was a rare talent, and as Wang Han's subordinate, other warlords were also very envious. However, since Wang Han had spoken, he couldn't force him to stay.
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