Is “The covenant at Xirang between Gan Mao and King Wu of Qin” true?
According to the Records of the Grand Historian, Biography of Shu Lizi and Gan Mao, when Gan Mao attacked Yiyang and reached Xirang, he feared that slander would hinder his mission, so 'the king welcomed Gan Mao at Xirang,' and King Wu made a covenant with Gan Mao. In Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Kingdoms, Chapter 092, it is written that Gan Mao sent Xiang Shou back to report, and King Wu 'then personally went to welcome Gan Mao, and met him at Xirang,' where they made the oath of Xirang to support Gan Mao in capturing Yiyang. This indeed occurred in official history.
In the official history, Gan Mao, when attacking Yiyang, feared slander and made a covenant with King Wu of Qin at Xirang. The novel faithfully dramatizes the oath between the ruler and his minister.
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