The next day at noon, the sun was high overhead.
Today, all eighteen princes and Wang Han gathered on the city gate tower. Under the watchful eyes of the people and soldiers in the city, one after another, they cut their fingers with knives and dripped their blood into the vessels in front of them.
After all the lords had their blood dripped, they picked up their cups, poured themselves a cup of blood wine, and stood before the city gate tower. Together, they loudly swore: "For the sake of the common people and all living beings, we, the eighteen lords, hereby swear: First, we will never again commit massacres. Second, even if we fortify our defenses and scorch the fields, we will not destroy the people's means of survival. Third, we will not kill surrendered soldiers. Fourth, if any foreign tribes invade, we will put aside personal grudges and unite to resist and punish them. This oath will be upheld by our descendants, as Heaven and Earth bear witness, and all people will see. If anyone violates this oath, we will unite to punish them, and everyone will have the right to kill them."
After saying this, all the feudal lords drank the blood wine in their cups in one gulp, then burned incense and bowed together towards the eastern sky.
"My lords," Wang Han addressed the eighteen lords after their blood oath, "I hope you will all remember this oath forever, and pass it on to future generations as a warning, so that we may never jeopardize the future of our great nation. After this oath, I will leave Sishui Pass to find fertile land to cultivate crops. From now on, the affairs of the world will be decided by the people of the world. I will not interfere in matters unrelated to this oath, or matters unrelated to the life and death of our nation. I hope you will all act accordingly. A year from now, I will send someone to inform you to collect new seeds and teach you how to cultivate them."
"Lord Dingshan's actions are truly righteous." Upon hearing this, the feudal lords all nodded in satisfaction, understanding Wang Han's meaning. As long as no major events concerning the life and death of their nations occurred in the future, Wang Han would not interfere or become involved in their conflicts. In other words, Wang Han would live in seclusion, almost completely detached from worldly affairs. For them, although they lost hope of winning Wang Han over, they also lost one of their most powerful and terrifying enemies. While this outcome wasn't the best for them, it was the fairest.
At the gate of Sishui Pass, after swearing a blood oath, Wang Han prepared to leave Sishui Pass, and all the feudal lords came out to see him off.
After leaving the city gate, Wang Han said to the lords who came to see him off, "Please go back, everyone. It is unknown when we will meet again after this parting. I hope you all take good care of yourselves."
"Take good care of yourself, Marquis of Dingshan," the feudal lords said to Wang Han upon hearing this.
Cao Cao asked Wang Han, "Lord Wang, now that we part ways, I wonder how I will be able to find you again."
Upon hearing this, Wang Han looked at Cao Cao and said, "After today's parting, I don't know where I will be in the future. If fate allows, we will naturally meet again."
Upon hearing this, Cao Cao said, "In the future, if Lord Wang ever needs anything from me, please don't hesitate to ask. As long as it is within my power, I will do it without hesitation."
"Then I thank you in advance," Wang Han said to Cao Cao, and then said to the other lords, "Farewell, lords."
After saying that, Wang Han turned around, mounted the white rhinoceros, and left with Zhang Shan, Li Si, the old man, and his granddaughter.
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In March of the first year of the Chuping era (190 AD), five people arrived outside an unnamed mountain village. One was a young man of about twenty years old, dressed in fine clothes and riding a majestic white beast. The other two were tall and strong martial artists, both wearing good armor. The third was an old man dressed in simple clothes and a girl of fourteen or fifteen years old.
Looking at the small village with only a few dozen households in front of him, Wang Han said, "This is a nice place. It is nestled against the mountains and by the water, with beautiful scenery. Although it lacks the hustle and bustle of the world, it is a rare place of tranquility."
After Wang Han and his group of five entered the village, the villagers, seeing Wang Han riding a majestic white-armored beast and seeing Zhang Shan and Li Si as tall, strong, and imposing figures in armor and carrying weapons, were terrified and hid in their homes, locking their doors and windows tightly, too afraid to come out. They only dared to peek at Wang Han and his companions through the cracks in the doors and windows.
Seeing the villagers retreat into their houses, Wang Han instructed Zhang Shan, "Let's settle down here. Zhang Shan, go and show that we mean no harm. Then ask what the village is called and if there are any vacant houses or land. If so, buy them for a high price, no matter how good or bad they are. Remember, don't speak ill of us."
"Yes, my lord." Upon hearing this, Zhang Shan immediately responded, dismounted, and walked towards a villager's house next door. He politely knocked on the door and said, "Hello, we are not Yellow Turban soldiers, nor are we stragglers. We have no ill intentions. My lord wishes to settle here and would like to ask if there are any vacant houses or land available. We are willing to purchase them at a high price."
"This..." Upon hearing this, the villager inside hesitated for a moment and said, "There are no more houses in the village, nor any land left uncultivated. You should look for another place."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Shan knew the villagers were worried that he and his companions weren't good people, so he asked, "Where does the person in charge of your village (the person in charge of decision-making) live?"
"Our village, our village..." Upon hearing this, the villager stammered, "Our village has no one in charge, you should leave."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Shan could only helplessly return to Wang Han's side and say, "My lord, the villagers here don't seem to welcome us very much. They say that there are no more houses in the village, no land left to cultivate, and no one to lead the village."
"The person in charge has arrived," Wang Han said, dismounting from the white rhinoceros. An elderly man was walking towards Wang Han and his companions.
The old man approached Wang Han, bowed respectfully, and asked, "Gentlemen, may I ask what brings you to this small village?"
“We are not officials, we have no ill intentions in coming here, and we will not cause you any trouble,” Wang Han said to the old man. “This place is beautiful and we want to settle down here. I wonder if there are any vacant houses or uncultivated lands in the village? I am willing to pay a lot of money to buy them, no matter what they are.”
“Sir, there are no spare houses or extra farmland in the village, but there is some surplus labor.” The old man still did not believe Wang Han and said, “If you want to settle here, you will have to build your own house and cultivate the land yourself.”
Upon hearing this, Wang Han looked up at the surrounding area of the village and pointed to a grove of trees not far from the edge of the village, asking the old man, "Can I build a house there?"
Upon hearing this, the old man looked at the object, considered it for a moment, and then said, "That's fine."
"That's good." Wang Han nodded, said nothing more, and led the white rhinoceros away. In this chaotic world, it's all the same wherever you go. The villagers don't trust him now, so there's no point in saying more. They'll naturally get along with him in time.
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