The next day, Wang Han did not leave the cave until noon. Instead of using the speed boost to catch up with the army and civilians who had left overnight, he rode his horse and continued on his way until evening. It was only then, when Zhao Liu and the others were already starting to have wild thoughts, that he caught up with the group that had left overnight.
"Lord Dingshan." Upon seeing that Wang Han had finally caught up, the people all knelt down and paid their respects to him from the bottom of their hearts.
Seeing the people's reaction, Wang Han quickly said loudly to them, "No need to kneel. Kneeling is not customary here."
"My lord." Upon receiving news that Wang Han had caught up, Zhao Liu and Zhou Qi rode up to Wang Han's side, ready to be at his disposal at any time.
"Zhao Liu, order the cooking to begin, and prepare plenty of hot soup so that the people can eat and drink their fill first. Then let them rest for half an hour," Wang Han instructed Zhao Liu upon seeing him. Not only had he traveled for half a day, but the people had likely been traveling the same distance as well. He had only seen one cooking stall along the way, and it was already quite a distance away. He had just seen the people and soldiers eating dry rations and cold cooked meat as they traveled. It seemed Zhao Liu was afraid of being raided by other tribes on the grasslands and was preparing to eat only at night, perhaps even relying on dry rations and cold cooked meat.
"Yes." Upon hearing this, Zhao Liu immediately accepted the order and immediately commanded, "The lord has ordered us to rest where we are. Immediately set up the pot and cook a meal, and make plenty of meat soup."
Before Wang Han returned, Zhao Liu was also afraid of being robbed by other ethnic groups on the grasslands. Now that Wang Han has returned, he is naturally not so worried. In fact, the other ethnic groups on the grasslands should be worried, because if they encounter Wang Han, he might rob them again.
Upon receiving the order, the soldiers and civilians sat down on the ground to rest. Just as Wang Han had predicted, they had only rested for two and a half hours before dawn, taking a nap and eating a hot meal. The rest of the time they had been traveling and were now exhausted.
"Immediately dispatch more cavalry to strengthen reconnaissance of the surrounding area and expand the reconnaissance range. Report back immediately if any discoveries are made," Wang Han instructed Zhao Liu. He dismounted and sat down with some civilians. Now that he was back, he no longer needed to worry too much about other tribes on the grasslands raiding. Even though Wang Han might be somewhat restrained because the world's will might be watching him, preventing him from unleashing his full potential beyond human limits, as long as he could slightly activate his abilities and his accelerated nerve reactions wouldn't be affected, he could still see through the enemy's every move. No one could withstand a single blow from him. With his superior physical strength, even if he charged in and out of a massive army ten times, taking down the enemy leader would still be easy.
Upon receiving the order, Zhao Liu immediately went to make arrangements, while Zhou Qi dismounted and sat down with Wang Han and the people on the ground, listening to Wang Han's questions and waiting for Wang Han's orders.
Wang Han inquired about the lives of these people among the Xiongnu, about other ethnic groups on the grasslands, and about some legends and tales of the grasslands. He also asked about the strange stories, customs and traditions of their hometowns, listening attentively.
"My lord, the food is ready." Soon the rice and meat were cooked, and Cai Yan came to Wang Han's side and said.
"I'll just eat here," Wang Han said to Cai Yan. "Come sit down too, and listen to the local stories of the people. I plan to compile a book about the customs and traditions of different places in the future."
"You few go and bring the food, including the food for these commoners," Wang Han ordered a few soldiers to bring food to the commoners he was talking to. Wang Han then said to the commoners, "Continue talking."
"Lord Dingshan." Just then, a boy of sixteen or seventeen years old came to Wang Han, knelt down in front of him, and touched the ground with his head.
Wang Han said to the kneeling boy, "Kneeling is not customary here. Get up."
"No, I have a request to make, Your Excellency. Five years ago, when I was ten years old, the Xiongnu raided Bingzhou. My entire family of seven, along with everyone in the village except for the young children, were killed by the Xiongnu soldiers. I and a few of my companions were also captured and brought to this wretched place. It has been five years now, and we are enslaved and entertained by the Xiongnu every day. If we are not careful, we are beaten severely. Now I am the only one left in the entire village. I have always hoped that one day I could avenge them and wipe out the Xiongnu, but I am too weak. For five years, I have only been able to watch the people around me die one by one, while I can only live a wretched life burdened by hatred and pain." The boy cried and pleaded with Wang Han, "I beg Lord Dingshan to avenge me, to avenge the dead villagers and people, and to wipe out the Xiongnu."
The other people also looked at Wang Han expectantly, as they too had a deep-seated hatred for the Xiongnu.
'This is someone who lived with hatred on his back.' Hearing this, Wang Han looked at the boy, thought for a moment, and asked, 'Why? And on what grounds? You should know that I owe no one except my own parents. Why should I help you avenge? And what makes you think I should risk my life to avenge you?'
Upon hearing Wang Han's question, the boy replied loudly without hesitation, "As long as you are willing to help me avenge my family, I am willing to follow you for generations and do anything for you. Even if you want me to die, I will not flinch."
Wang Han looked the boy over carefully, then said indifferently, "Do anything? What skills do you have to do anything for me? Don't tell me you can herd livestock or farm; almost everyone here can do that."
"During my five years with the Xiongnu, I secretly practiced martial arts every night. If you, sir, are willing to avenge me, I... I am willing to kill anyone for you." Hearing Wang Han's words, the young man said somewhat hesitantly, unsure if the Marquis of Dingshan would take a liking to him. He had heard from the Xiongnu and inquired with the soldiers, knowing what kind of person the Marquis of Dingshan was, and that too many people wanted to serve him.
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