Upon hearing Wang Han's question, Cai Yan quickly replied, "In response to my benefactor, my name is indeed Cai Yan."
Wang Han asked, "Is she Cai Yong's daughter?"
“My father was indeed Cai Yong.” Upon hearing this, Cai Yan couldn’t help but weep. “When Dong Zhuo seized power, he forcibly summoned my father to be the chief libationer. Within three days, he was appointed as the Imperial Censor, the Imperial Secretary, and the Minister. He was then promoted to Attendant-in-Ordinary and General of the Left, and enfeoffed as the Marquis of Gaoyang. After Dong Zhuo was killed by his benefactor, my father was imprisoned for expressing his feelings at Wang Yun’s banquet, and soon died in prison.”
Wang Han comforted them, saying, "The deceased are gone, and the living should look forward."
"Do you have anywhere to go now?" Wang Han asked. He hadn't expected that his trip to kill the Xiongnu would lead him to save Cai Yan, who was about to be captured by the Xiongnu soldiers. Cai Yan (Cai Wenji) was also a famous talented woman in history, and he couldn't help but think of recruiting her.
“Several years ago, I married into the Wei family in Hedong. My husband, Wei Zhongdao, was an outstanding scholar. Unfortunately, our happiness was short-lived; less than a year later, he died from hemoptysis. We had no children, so the Wei family despised me, believing that I had caused my husband's death. I couldn't bear such contempt, so I disregarded my father's objections and angrily returned home. After my father's death, I wandered here alone and am now homeless.” After answering, Cai Yan pleaded with Wang Han, “I have nowhere to go now. Please, benefactor, have pity on me and take me in.”
After saying this, Cai Yan knelt down and kowtowed to Wang Han.
"Get up quickly. From now on, you will follow me. Don't call me your benefactor. Just call me your lord, like everyone else." Wang Han quickly helped Cai Wenji up and said. Then he asked, "I've heard that your father is very learned and has a large collection of books. I wonder if those books are still there?"
"Thank you, my lord." Cai Yan quickly expressed her gratitude and said, "My lord, my father had the book with him when he hid, but unfortunately it was burned by the Xiongnu soldiers. However, I can still recite and write down six or seven hundred of them. My lord only needs to give me paper and pen."
“Alright, once we reach a nearby city and settle these women in temporarily, I’ll have someone buy you paper and pens, and also a carriage,” Wang Han said happily. “You can just focus on writing the book down from memory.”
Cai Yan bowed politely and said, "Thank you, my lord."
——————————————
Shangdang City, a large city within Bingzhou, was once a city where the Zhao state defended against the Wei state.
In the evening, Wang Han, along with his men and the hundreds of women he had rescued, finally arrived at the nearest city.
"A large crowd is coming!" On the city wall of Shangdang, the soldiers guarding the city saw a group of seven or eight hundred people approaching Shangdang from afar and shouted loudly.
"Are they the enemy?" The soldiers guarding the city wall also saw the approaching crowd and began to discuss it among themselves, while some hurriedly ran to report.
Soon, a middle-aged, burly general, standing eight feet tall, arrived at the city wall. He was the general in charge of guarding Shangdang.
“These people must all be refugees.” The city’s garrison general, who had arrived, said as he looked at the approaching crowd. “Their formation is chaotic, they number less than a thousand, and they have no flags or siege equipment. If they were the enemy, this number would be nothing more than suicides; they wouldn’t even be able to scale the city walls. They must have been fleeing from the nearby Xiongnu invasion.”
The general guarding the city ordered one of his soldiers, "Ask them who they are."
"yes."
"Who goes there? State your name!" On the city wall, a soldier shouted at the crowd that had arrived below. "And who are those people behind you?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Liu rode forward and shouted loudly, "I am Zhao Liu under the command of Marquis Dingshan. Behind me are my lord, Marquis Dingshan, and hundreds of women who have been rescued. Open the city gate immediately!"
"It's Lord Dingshan! Lord Dingshan has arrived!" Upon hearing this, the soldiers on the city wall were astonished, then overjoyed. Lord Dingshan had come to Bingzhou; he must be here to drive out the Xiongnu.
"Now that the Xiongnu have invaded, we must be careful. We request that Lord Dingshan come out and verify your identity," the general in charge of guarding the city shouted.
Upon hearing this, Wang Han rode forward on his white rhinoceros and shouted, "General on the city wall, please open the city gate and let these women into the city."
"It is indeed Lord Dingshan! Open the city gates immediately!" Upon seeing Wang Han and the white rhinoceros he was riding, the general guarding the city confirmed it was Wang Han and immediately ordered his soldiers. He then hurried down the city wall and personally went to the city gate to greet Wang Han.
Upon seeing Wang Han enter the city, the general guarding the city immediately led several deputy generals forward, knelt on one knee, and said, "This humble general Zhang Sai pays his respects to Lord Dingshan Marquis."
“No need for formalities,” Wang Han said. “These women were all invaded by the Xiongnu, their homes were burned down, and they are now homeless. Have someone arrange for them to settle down first.”
"Yes." General Zhang Sai, who was guarding the city, quickly accepted the order, and then said to a deputy general, "Take care of these women and settle them down properly."
Seeing Zhang Sai's deputy lead the women to settle down, Wang Han asked Zhang Sai curiously, "How did you know that I was the real person? I've heard that I'm three zhang tall with a blue face and fangs."
"You flatter me, sir." Upon hearing this, Zhang Sai quickly replied, "This humble general was once a subordinate general under General He Jin, and I once accompanied the general to meet Lord Dingshan in Luoyang."
“It’s been more than six years,” Wang Han said. “I didn’t expect that you would still remember what I look like after so long.”
“Ever since I witnessed the heroic figure of Lord Dingshan, and heard that he single-handedly killed the traitor Dong Zhuo and distributed new grain seeds, I have always regarded Lord Dingshan as my role model and have never forgotten him,” Zhang Sai quickly said.
"As a member of the Chinese nation, this is what I should do for the prosperity of our nation," Wang Han said.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
